Social Death

In the training ground, weapon fragments were scattered everywhere. The air was filled with the smell of sweat after battle and... an ethereal, faint fragrance?

Gu Jinzhi sniffed. The strange scent was somewhat familiar, seeming to come from a girl.

He steadied himself and didn't pry further. Struggling, he got up from the ground, his gaze falling on Li Wei, who was still lying ten meters away, gasping for breath.

[First Order Martial Artist... Natal Lotus Flower? Unity of Heaven and Man?]

He shook his head, a complex, indescribable expression on his face. He couldn't understand it at all.

But given his personality, he wouldn't casually pry into others' secrets.

Moreover, this person was about to become his wife.

[Great Perfection... perhaps?]

His thoughts drifted back to the freshman competition four years ago, to his own spirited self.

Perhaps choosing to break through early after the competition had left him with some regrets...

"Hoo—!"

He let out a long breath and slowly walked to Li Wei's side.

As he got closer, he saw clearly that the girl's hair was messily stuck to her sweaty face.

Her light blue dress and "safety pants" were slightly torn, revealing a small patch of snow-white skin, which was dazzlingly white under the training ground lights.

Gu Jinzhi's heart skipped a beat, and a surge of heat rushed to his cheeks, but he forcefully suppressed it.

He managed to maintain a cool tone and extended his hand, "You are very strong."

Li Wei was lying on the ground, her entire body aching, a breath trapped in her chest.

[As if I lost! Who does he think he's looking down on?]

She looked at the large hand Gu Jinzhi extended towards her and grinned wryly.

The next moment, she suddenly grabbed Gu Jinzhi's wrist, exerted force with her waist, and flipped over with a carp flip, pulling him with all her might!

Gu Jinzhi was caught off guard. The force pulled him off balance, and he fell heavily to the ground.

"Haha, it's not decided who wins or loses yet!"

Li Wei let out a strange laugh and pounced on him.

[Ah, hit, hit, hit! I'm going to beat you today!]

Gu Jinzhi was completely stunned. He had never seen such chaotic moves, like a shrew fighting.

He was pinned beneath her, fumbling to block Li Wei's wildly thrown fists.

What made it even more difficult was that he had to constantly avoid touching the girl's body in places he shouldn't.

In an instant, this Heaven's Chosen was in a sorry state, his movements as stiff as a puppet's.

The two continued to wrestle, their positions becoming increasingly awkward.

At this moment...

The heavy induction doors of the training ground opened to the sides, and Gu Shiheng and Liang Qiushi, along with Gu Jinwen and Gu Jinyi, rushed in.

Suddenly, all four of them stopped in their tracks, their gazes fixed on the center of the arena.

They saw Li Wei and Gu Jinzhi entangled together, their clothes disheveled, their faces flushed with an unnatural redness, and they were gasping for breath.

The four of them instantly turned to stone.

Gu Shiheng's facial muscles twitched almost imperceptibly.

A faint trace of bewilderment flashed in Liang Qiushi's eyes.

Gu Jinwen's mouth was open wide enough to fit a chicken egg.

Gu Jinyi let out a sharp "Ah!" and covered her eyes with her hands, but she couldn't help but peek through her fingers.

"Cough, cough!"

Gu Shiheng coughed heavily twice, breaking the deathly awkward silence.

"It seems... we've arrived at an inopportune moment?"

Upon hearing this, Li Wei felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

She sprang off Gu Jinzhi, her cheeks as red as a cooked shrimp, wishing she could burrow into a crack in the ground.

[It's over! A massive social death scene! I can't face anyone!]

Gu Jinzhi also quickly got up, tidied his equally messy training uniform, his earlobes a suspicious red, his gaze unfocused.

Liang Qiushi had to step forward, as if she hadn't seen the misleading scene at all, her tone still gentle.

"Are you done fighting? You both look so disheveled, go clean yourselves up first."

Half an hour later, the group reconvened in the living room of Gu Jinzhi's small building.

Gu Shiheng looked at Li Wei first, his expression still somewhat dazed, "I watched the combat recording. Incredible, truly incredible!"

Then he asked, "I heard you've also reached Blood Nourishing Great Perfection?"

Li Wei changed into a light gray cotton home dress. Her small face was flushed, and she managed to imbue the slightly dated color scheme with a youthful vibe.

When Gu Shiheng asked, she nodded hesitantly, still feeling too embarrassed to face anyone.

"Yes..."

Seeing her like this, Gu Shiheng couldn't help but chuckle. He turned to his wife and said, "Xiao Qiu, look at this child, she's even getting shy."

Liang Qiushi feigned anger. "Alright, alright, she's all grown up, stop teasing the young girl."

"Hahahaha!"

Gu Shiheng let out a hearty laugh, then his demeanor shifted as he looked at Gu Jinzhi and said sternly, "Jinzhi, come with me for a moment!"

"Yes, Father."

The father and son left inexplicably, and no one knew what they were going to talk about.

The two younger ones, who had already been unable to contain their excitement, didn't care about this. Seeing that their usually stern father and elder brother had left, they immediately became excited and zipped over to Li Wei's side.

"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, you're amazing! You fought a First Order against a Third Order, and it was against my brother, a Third Order who can fight above his level!"

"Sister Jiang, you and big brother..." Gu Jinwen clasped his fists, thumbs touching, his face full of nervousness. "Did you guys...?"

Liang Qiushi smacked her second son on the back of the head. "Enough, let your sister-in-law rest. She has important matters to attend to tomorrow."

The two youngsters immediately drooped their heads and, under their mother's unquestionable gaze, scurried away.

After they left, only Li Wei and Liang Qiushi remained in the living room.

Liang Qiushi sat beside Li Wei and asked softly, "Are you injured?"

Li Wei rubbed her flushed cheeks. "No..."

Liang Qiushi gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Speaking of which, I have to thank you. If it weren't for you, Jinzhi's Blazing Sun Heavenly Saber might not have broken through to the Great Accomplishment realm so quickly."

"I gained something too," Li Wei replied, not wanting to take all the credit. After all, her original intention was just to subdue that brat.

She hadn't expected that in the end... Damn it, was she brain-dead at that moment?

Also, why could Gu Jinzhi break through during the battle? Who was the protagonist here!

Fortunately, this battle wasn't entirely without gains for her.

She secretly brought up the system panel and looked at the changes in the Combat Method section: [Combat Method: First String·Cold Pond Sinking Jade Minor Accomplishment 600/1000 (+)]

She thought, So practical combat can also improve the progress of combat methods, not just through points.

Then, can practicing also increase the progress bar? I can try it later.

However, practicing honestly by myself is ultimately not as good as the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sect...

Liang Qiushi looked at Li Wei's cute, ever-changing expression and couldn't help but stroke her long hair. "Tomorrow, you should go to the Martial Arts Alliance to participate in the official Martial Artist assessment."

Seeing Li Wei still looking a bit dazed, she said seriously, "We agreed this morning, right? Showcase your strength and increase your fame. This way, the Zhang family will be hesitant to act."

She added, "However, during the assessment, hide the effects of your Proximity to the Dao Body, understand?"

Li Wei quickly nodded.

At this moment, the shame and embarrassment in her heart had slightly subsided.

Thinking about the upcoming assessment tomorrow, she couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation.

Oh, it's time to show off? I like it!

After arranging the important matters, Liang Qiushi breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that there were no outsiders in the living room, she suddenly lowered her voice. "You and Jinzhi just now..."

"Misunderstanding!" Li Wei decisively extended her hand in a "come here" gesture, her face a picture of breakdown, seriousness, and despair. "Aunt Liang, it was all a misunderstanding~~~!"