Chapter 117: Cares a Lot

Chapter 117: Chapter 117: Cares a Lot

Qiao Suluo felt that Yue Hanzheng was even harder to win over than Tushan Feishang.

Yue Hanzheng bristled with thorns whenever she was around, not exposing a single weakness. It made him incredibly difficult to sway. However, this was a system quest, and she had no choice but to complete it.

Yue Hanzheng hadn’t expected Dongqing to just blurt out his invitation in front of Qiao Suluo like that. He really wanted to refuse the food. But then he remembered the sight of Dongqing eating savory crepes at noon, and smelling the rich aroma of the dumplings, he decided there was no need to hold a grudge against his own stomach. Besides, both Dongqing and Gu Songlan were eating, which meant the food wasn’t poisoned.

Moreover, Dongqing’s cooking was getting worse and worse. For lunch today, he had absentmindedly thrown together a meal that wasn’t even fully cooked.

Yue Hanzheng reined in his cold expression and said indifferently, "Okay."

Dongqing looked disappointed. "I thought you weren’t going to eat it. If you didn’t want it, I was going to finish it myself. I didn’t expect you to say yes!" He had actually been looking forward to hearing Yue Hanzheng refuse.

Hearing Dongqing’s words, Yue Hanzheng choked. He would much rather the man keep his mouth shut.

Hearing that single word of agreement, Qiao Suluo’s heart skipped a beat. This meant Yue Hanzheng could indeed be won over! She turned to Yue Hanzheng with a bright smile. "Eat up, then. I’ll make more and bring it over next time."

She reasoned to herself, "As long as I win him over early and lower his Darkening Value, I will have completed my mission."

Yue Hanzheng instinctively wanted to say something sarcastic, but meeting her radiant and dazzling smile, the words suddenly caught in his throat. He simply grunted, "Mhm."

Only then did Qiao Suluo leave with Chu Moyuan.

On their way back, Qiao Suluo noticed something off about the atmosphere. Chu Moyuan seemed enveloped in a chilling aura.

Qiao Suluo turned sideways and looked up at him. Chu Moyuan was so tall that she had to tilt her head all the way back to see his face. "Chu Moyuan, you don’t look very happy. What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?"

Chu Moyuan was indeed displeased. Seeing Qiao Suluo smile at Yue Hanzheng earlier had felt particularly piercing. He lowered his head, leaning close to her ear, and whispered, "What do you think?"

Taking in his faint, pleasant scent, Qiao Suluo found him rather captivating. She blinked and instinctively reached out to touch his forehead. "Are you sick? Do you have a fever?"

Chu Moyuan was completely exasperated. This girl truly wouldn’t understand a thing unless it was spelled out for her.

He suddenly lifted her up, pinning her against the wall. Tipping her chin upward, he brought his lips crashing down onto hers. Amidst their lingering breath, he murmured, "I don’t like it when you smile at Yue Hanzheng like that.

"You’ve never smiled at me like that."

Chu Moyuan cared deeply about this. His kiss right now was fierce and deep. Qiao Suluo could feel the strength in his arms; his muscles were taut, exuding a searing heat.

Sensing his displeasure, she obediently submitted. However, she was still a little nervous. After all, they were on the street. Even if no one was around at night, it was still nerve-wracking!

Feeling her docile yet tense response, Chu Moyuan’s demeanor gradually softened into a soothing caress as he reined in his fiery passion. In the heat of the moment, he had completely forgotten their surroundings.

He slowly released her, letting out a helpless sigh. Gently brushing his thumb against her lips, he said, "Little fool, you have no idea how much I like you."

Hearing him say it outright, everything finally clicked for Qiao Suluo. Her mind slightly hazy, she stared at him with wide eyes. "You really like me?"

Chu Moyuan traced her brow with his slender fingers, letting out a laugh of sheer exasperation. "So you really had no idea until now.

"Have I not made it obvious enough?"

Qiao Suluo shook her head. "No, it’s just... I never thought about it that way." Unless someone explicitly confessed their feelings to her, she was used to keeping herself calm and rational. That way, she wouldn’t cause trouble for herself or anyone else.

"But hearing you say you like me makes me very happy," she added.

With that, Qiao Suluo took the initiative to wrap her arms around Chu Moyuan’s neck, slowly drawing closer to him. She knew that her predecessor had caused him a great deal of pain. Thinking of those memories, her heart ached for him. If love could heal his physical and mental wounds, she was more than willing to give it. Back in the Ancient Secret Forest, she probably would have died if it weren’t for him.

Held by Qiao Suluo with such reliance, Chu Moyuan felt his cold, hardened heart melt into a puddle.

Suddenly, a murderous intent descended upon them. SWOOSH, SWOOSH! Hidden weapons flew toward them with deadly precision.

Chu Moyuan tightly shielded Qiao Suluo in his embrace. Using his superpower with one hand, he knocked all the projectiles away.

Before the Green Peak Sword was even unsheathed, his robes billowed with fierce winds. As his fingers danced in a flurry of motion, a violent air current abruptly erupted. Driven by his Wind Ability, the surrounding dust and the deflected weapons morphed into Wind Blades, shooting right back at their attackers.

"Assassins?" Qiao Suluo stayed perfectly still in Chu Moyuan’s arms, afraid of being a burden.

While fighting with his Wind Ability, Chu Moyuan reassured her, "Don’t be afraid. You’ll be fine."

At the exact moment the hidden weapons were fired, four assassins leaped out. They launched a frenzied attack on Chu Moyuan, aiming for Qiao Suluo as well. Kept securely under Chu Moyuan’s protection, she remained completely unscathed. Looking at his sturdy frame, she felt an indescribable sense of security.

With a swift shift of his posture, Chu Moyuan’s martial attire blurred into a dark, wind-like phantom. A horizontal sweep of his sword aura violently shattered an assassin’s blade into pieces.

"You... You... Your strength has actually recovered?"

"No, your ears are healed? You can hear?"

"You can control the wind! Is this the legendary awakened Abnormal Power?"

The four assassins were utterly horrified. Normally, against a barrage of hidden weapons, a deaf person wouldn’t be able to quickly determine their trajectory, let alone deflect them so rapidly. But Chu Moyuan had done it. Moreover, he could control the wind. Only Beastmen from a thousand years ago were capable of awakening a superpower. That method of awakening had long since been lost to time. Their faces drained of color.

Chu Moyuan sneered coldly, "Dead men don’t need to know too much." They clearly had no intention of letting him live, and he had no intention of sparing them either.

With a flick of his fingertips, the howling gales formed Wind Blades, showering down upon the four assassins like a torrential rainstorm.

One of the masked assassins clad in black scoffed. In an instant, he whipped out a heavy iron chain and swung it viciously toward Chu Moyuan. Another assassin brandished a Star Chasing Crossbow, while a third wielded the Erosion Spirit Whip.

Watching from the sidelines, Qiao Suluo turned pale. However, there was absolutely nothing she could do to help. She could only curse her own lack of combat ability.

The system chimed in, "Host, those are Magic Artifacts. You need to keep your distance. One careless move and you’ll lose your life."

"I’ll hide inside my spatial dimension," Qiao Suluo replied to it, knowing she couldn’t afford to burden Chu Moyuan.

"Host, this area has been locked down," the system warned. "You can’t enter your dimension."

Very quickly, Chu Moyuan dispatched one of the assassins, but the remaining three finally realized just how formidable he was.

"Kill that female!"

The assassins had noticed how desperately Chu Moyuan was protecting the female behind him. All they needed to do was target her, and it would throw him off balance. And so they did. Working in seamless coordination, two of them pinned Chu Moyuan down, while the one with the Erosion Spirit Whip lashed out at Qiao Suluo. The whip darted forward like the phantom of a venomous snake.

Unable to free himself in time, Chu Moyuan intercepted the strike with his bare arm.

CRACK!

The Erosion Spirit Whip struck hard. A deep gash appeared on Chu Moyuan’s arm, making it look as though it had been scorched by fire. Blood gushed out uncontrollably.

"No!"

Watching the horrifying scene, Qiao Suluo shrieked, her eyes instantly brimming with tears.