Explosive Confession

That night, Ye Qiu was not sleepy in the slightest.

His mind was a mess, so he simply summoned the Blue Silver Emperor and idly stroked it.

His gaze drifted back again. Zhu Zhuqing was lying on her side over there.

Could I possibly pet a cat in the future?

He shook his head, trying to fling those awful thoughts out of his mind.

His top priority now was getting stronger. Rabbits, cats, and all that had to wait until he grew up a little more!

"They're disturbing my resolve!" Ye Qiu sighed. In a daze, he seemed to hear a faint voice by his ear.

"Big brother~" The voice was ethereal and clear, yet incredibly illusory.

"Who's talking?" Ye Qiu turned to look toward Zhu Zhuqing. She had not moved at all, and the voice did not sound like hers.

Could I be hearing things? Ye Qiu frowned, completely baffled.

Smack! Smack! He gave himself two more light slaps. Ye Qiu figured he had been flirted into a daze, which was why he was hearing a girl's voice.

"Phew!" He exhaled a breath of stale air and sat cross-legged again. What could dispel sorrow? Only meditation!

"Hehe. Big brother's so silly~"

The Blue Silver Emperor beside him emitted a faint glow, its main body swaying as though it were laughing so hard its delicate body trembled.

Zhu Zhuqing had not fallen asleep either. Naturally, she had heard the commotion from Ye Qiu's side—except for the hallucinated voice he had heard.

Hmph! I thought he was so proper. Turns out it was all an act.

Come to think of it, he seemed to blush when we kissed too! Hehe.

Remembering her own bold actions earlier, Zhu Zhuqing felt embarrassed too. But seeing Ye Qiu's reaction, she felt it had all been worth it!

She turned over and looked at Ye Qiu's cross-legged back. She thought he should understand what she meant by now. Smiling faintly, she fell peacefully asleep.

Outside, the morning sun rose.

Ye Qiu was still meditating, while Zhu Zhuqing had already gotten up. She sat beside him, having finished watering the Blue Silver Emperor, and kept staring at him.

She planned to leave!

Before leaving, she wanted to remember Ye Qiu properly.

More importantly, she wanted him to remember her as well. He absolutely could not forget what he had done to her, just as he had said before.

Under her gaze, Ye Qiu's brows seemed to twitch, and a faint flush appeared on his face.

Seeing that Ye Qiu was even worse off than she was, Zhu Zhuqing temporarily put away her own embarrassment and removed the thing over Ye Qiu's eyes that had originally belonged to her.

"Oh?" She discovered that Ye Qiu had actually finished meditating. A mischievous smile curled her lips. "Ye Qiu~ Why aren't you opening your eyes yet? Am I that scary? Isn't it uncomfortable holding your breath? Hoo~"

She blew a soft breath over Ye Qiu's eyes. His slightly narrowed eyes blinked several times, forcing him to open them.

"Why are you so close to me?" Looking at the pretty face inches away, Ye Qiu turned his head aside before he dared breathe.

"Haha~ You weren't acting like this when you were applying medicine to me!"

"I've already forgotten about that."

"You dare!" Zhu Zhuqing immediately grabbed his collar and pinned him to the ground. "Right now, I'm not allowing you to forget!"

"Really?" Ye Qiu looked at her. Was she testing him again?

Seeing Ye Qiu lying there without reacting, she extended her sharp claws. "Did you hear me clearly?"

"I heard you, I heard you!" Her words might have been fake, but the claws at his neck certainly were not.

In the end, Ye Qiu chose to follow his heart. Besides, he truly could not forget.

"Then after thinking all night, did you figure out how I feel?"

"Huh?" Ye Qiu gave an awkward laugh. Could he really say it? If it had all been a misunderstanding, would that not be incredibly embarrassing?

"Huh? You're still saying 'huh'? Looks like you're not very sure." Zhu Zhuqing pursed her lips, her eyes holding a trace of shyness and anger. She cursed inwardly at how impervious this guy was!

So, the Shadow Spider Spear emerged from her back and directly surrounded Ye Qiu.

"What are you trying to do?" Ye Qiu raised a brow, nearly summoning his Martial Soul. This was way too dangerous, was it not?

"Help you understand more clearly!" As soon as she finished speaking, she bit Ye Qiu on the lips.

Their eyes met. This time, Ye Qiu did not hesitate. The Three Tomoe pattern immediately appeared in his eyes, and just as he was about to use a Soul Skill, a spider spear had already pressed against his eyelid.

With no other choice, the red glow in his eyes faded, and he let the rogue cat do whatever she wanted.

This time lasted longer than last night. Ye Qiu's face turned red from holding his breath, and tears of humiliation nearly rolled down his cheeks.

"Hiss—" Intense pain shot through his mouth.

After a long while, their lips parted.

"Now... now do you understand?" Before she had even caught her breath, she gazed at Ye Qiu with misty eyes, her face crimson as she impatiently questioned him.

Ye Qiu was still regulating his breathing. Catching sight of her increasingly unpleasant expression from the corner of his eye, he hurriedly nodded.

"Say it!"

"Huh? Do I have to say it out loud?"

"What do you think!" Sitting on top of him, she pressed a hand against his chest while the Shadow Spider Spear hung overhead! She clearly would not let this go unless he said it.

"Gulp." Ye Qiu swallowed, turning his head away with embarrassment written all over his face. In a low voice, he said, "Y-you like me."

This feeling was far too humiliating. Ye Qiu could not help closing his eyes!

This felt completely different from saying, "I like you"!

Hearing Ye Qiu's answer, red blossoms seemed to bloom across Zhu Zhuqing's face and neck. Her eyes were full of satisfaction, and joy colored her voice. "Say it again!"

"You like me~" Ye Qiu's face was crimson, and even his toes could feel how uncomfortable he was.

"Hehe! Did you hear my confession now?" She teasingly looked down at Ye Qiu beneath her.

"I heard it!" Ye Qiu felt like crying without tears. This was your confession? Why did I have to say it?

He should have been more confident from the beginning!

Now, it was too late for regrets!

"Well... although I already know, I already have a rabbit—no, I already have Xiao Wu!" Though it was awkward, Ye Qiu had to make things clear.

"Did I ask you to agree?" Zhu Zhuqing's eyes dimmed almost imperceptibly, but she remained as forceful as ever. She had promised herself she would leave a deep impression on him!

"Huh?" Ye Qiu was dumbfounded.

"I'm just notifying you, letting you know! Hmph!" Zhu Zhuqing finally withdrew the Shadow Spider Spear, stood up, and pulled Ye Qiu to his feet as well.

With her little face still red, she tidied the clothes of the still-bewildered Ye Qiu.

"Bring out your horse!"

Ye Qiu looked at her strangely, then dazedly did as she said.

Zhu Zhuqing mounted the Iron Hoof Horse and said to Ye Qiu, "I'll help with that favor. If I really go to Suotuo City, I'll protect that girl named Xiao Wu properly!"

"Then thank you."

"Goodbye! Hyah!"

Ye Qiu's words of thanks were cut off by her voice and the horse's neigh. Riding away like an arrow loosed from a bow, she shot straight toward the cave entrance.

"Damn it! My horse!" Coming to his senses, Ye Qiu shouted and reached toward the cave entrance with an empty grasp.

Zhu Zhuqing's voice came from outside. "Ye Qiu! Just you wait!"

Her voice was bright and cheerful. Yes, she had a new goal now! She would desperately become stronger—strong enough that neither her engagement nor her family could bind her! She would cast off fate and embrace Ye Qiu!

And that girl named Xiao Wu—she wanted to see what exactly she looked like!

Ye Qiu ran out of the cave, but the girl and horse had already vanished without a trace.

"She just left!?"

She had been burning with passion a moment ago, and now she had simply smacked her lips and left?

How did that work out? Who used whom?

The huge contrast left Ye Qiu feeling oddly unsettled, and the more he thought about it, the more depressed he became.

"Damn it! I got forced into it again, and I even lost a horse!"

Labor Day bonus chapter.