An Hour

"Alright, I'll back off, but you can't hurt Miss Li!"

Qin Da watched Gu Sheng's hold on Li Qingyu, her face growing increasingly pale. He could only raise his hands, palms flat, and slowly retreat. The best chance to rescue Miss Li was already lost. Now, the most important thing was to ensure her safety.

Gu Sheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Qin Da retreat, but the strength in his hands holding Li Qingyu didn't lessen. Such a short distance was nothing for a martial artist, just a few leaps. With so many opponents, he could easily be caught off guard.

"Qingyu!"

With that call, Lord Li, surrounded by more than a dozen guards, entered the study. He felt immense heartache looking at his daughter, who was struggling to breathe.

"Brave warrior, we won't act rashly. Please, don't hurt my daughter!"

Lord Li signaled Qin Da and the other guards to retreat, giving Gu Sheng a safe distance.

Lord Li! Seems like a reasonable man!

Gu Sheng slowly released his right hand that was pinching Li Qingyu, but he still didn't let go of his left arm around her. Amidst the murderous gazes of the Li Manor's people, Gu Sheng brazenly held their Miss Li close. From a distance, they looked like a pair of lovers whispering sweet nothings.

"Sir, Li Manor shouldn't have any grudges against you. Why did you first kill my third brother, and then kidnap our Miss Li!"

Qin Da, having received Lord Li's signal, took the lead in questioning. This was the information they most wanted to understand. Li Manor had been in business for many years and certainly had enemies, but only a handful would do something like this.

Moreover, this thief moved freely in and out of the heavily guarded Li Manor. If Qin Da hadn't stumbled upon Qin San's death this time, they might not have caught the culprit at all.

They initially thought this person's martial arts skills must be extremely high, but after some probing, they discovered that his skills weren't as formidable as they had imagined. This made them suspicious. Could there be some other secret? Was someone colluding with him...?

"Heh~"

Gu Sheng sneered. "That Qin San didn't keep his word. He dared to stand me up, so he was asking for death. As for Miss Li, brother here is a bit short on cash lately and wanted to borrow some money from Lord Li to spend..."

"Since the brave warrior is here for money, everything can be discussed. How about this, you name a price. As long as I, Li, can afford it, we can make a deal tonight."

Lord Li truly cherished Li Qingyu as the apple of his eye, so he agreed without hesitation.

"That's easy to say!"

Gu Sheng smiled. "But I'm very dissatisfied with what just happened. I'd like to ask everyone to leave for an hour so we can both calm down. That way, we can negotiate properly, right?"

"This..."

Lord Li hesitated. An hour was a long time. Who knew what might happen in between...

"Looks like you're not very sincere!"

Gu Sheng reached to his waist, and the sharp blade of the Jade Chill Blade was already resting on Li Qingyu's snow-white jade neck.

"Bastard, if you dare to hurt Miss Li, don't even think about leaving this place alive tonight!"

Several guards behind Lord Li shouted angrily, and the atmosphere immediately became tense.

"Don't worry, I don't have the guts to kill her. But, you never know about other places."

Gu Sheng moved the blade to Li Qingyu's pale little face. As the blade passed, the fine hairs on Li Qingyu's face were severed. "I can't kill her, but! If Miss Li's face accidentally gets a few cuts, I'm afraid she won't be able to see anyone in the future!"

"Stop! I agree to your terms, but you can't hurt Qingyu. Otherwise, even if it's to the ends of the earth, I will grind your bones to ashes!"

Lord Li waved his hand to stop the agitated guards, then slowly retreated from the room with the guards and closed the door.

Outside the Li Manor's separate courtyard, Teng Qingshan had been paying attention to the movements inside.

"This is~"

Suddenly, he noticed a large number of guards gathering, amidst words like assassin... Miss...

Cousin has been discovered!

His heart sank. Concern for Gu Sheng took over, and disregarding the warnings, he leaped over the wall and headed towards Li Manor.

Inside the study in the small courtyard, Gu Sheng had been paying attention to the surrounding movements. He relaxed a little only after confirming that everyone near the study had been evacuated. He sheathed his blade and carried Li Qingyu to the somewhat dilapidated desk.

"Hmm! Why is your face so red!"

Gu Sheng's gaze returned to this troublesome Miss Li, only to find her looking shy and incredibly alluring. Following her gaze, he realized that his other hand seemed to be very...

"Hoo!"

Gu Sheng felt a fire burning in his heart. The little girl in front of him, who had no ability to resist, became extremely tempting.

No, three years minimum, a blood profit...呸呸呸! The maximum is the death penalty!

Gu Sheng barely managed to suppress his impulsive 'Lushan claws'. At this moment, Li Qingyu timidly opened her eyes, her face turning completely red after hearing Gu Sheng's words. At the same time, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

This guy, could he also be...?

She had some guesses in her heart. It seemed that only people from the modern world knew about this kind of joke! This guy, apart from being a little impulsive towards her, hadn't done anything else. Perhaps, he was a 'good person'.

Li Qingyu's guess wasn't without reason. Among the reincarnators who grew up in the peaceful modern world, how many were truly vicious and evil? Considering Gu Sheng's previous contradictory behavior, she had already made a judgment in her heart.

No, her old man is still outside. Too much noise would be difficult to explain.

Gu Sheng barely managed to convince himself with this reason and reached out to brush the back of Li Qingyu's neck.

"En ne!"

Li Qingyu felt a needle-like pain behind her neck, and then realized that the sensation in her whole body had returned. However, because she had been treated roughly by Gu Sheng before, soreness, numbness, and swelling pain attacked her from all over her body, making the little girl extremely uncomfortable.

"Ah!"

Before Li Qingyu could recover, Gu Sheng's hands were already pinching her cheeks as he said fiercely, "Miss Li, could you, with me, this 'idiot', explain how you managed to send the message out?"

"Ouch! It hurts, it hurts!"

Li Qingyu struggled to lift herself up to make her cheeks feel a little better. Noticing Gu Sheng's 'fierce' gaze, she said pitifully, "Good brother, can't you just forgive me since I was wrong! Please spare me!"

"Speak quickly, or I'll... hehehe!"

Gu Sheng remained 'unmoved', turning his head away to avoid looking at those watery eyes. If he looked for too long, he feared he would feel 'guilty' and easily soften.

"Hmph~ I'll tell you, just let go first!"

After some movement, Li Qingyu's joints and limbs regained their strength. She grabbed Gu Sheng's hands to make herself more comfortable, then pouted and said, "It's nothing much! It's just that I don't like eating bird's nest, especially red bird's nest. Bird saliva, what's so good about it!

Xiao Cui knows my habits. I had already told her that I don't like bird's nest..."