Killing Intent Awe-Inspiring

"I'll help you."

Chu Yao took the cloth strip from Long Chen's hand and slowly bandaged his arm. She said somewhat hesitantly, "I'm sorry."

For some reason, in Chu Yao's heart, Long Chen was different from everyone else. In her memory, he was the only "servant" who dared to defy her.

From Long Chen's wild eyes, one could tell he was someone who feared nothing, yet he would rather endure the pain himself than hurt Chu Yao again. This had unknowingly touched the soft spot in Chu Yao's heart.

Thinking about it carefully, Long Chen hadn't really done anything wrong. Perhaps she didn't understand the whole situation. It was the first time in Chu Yao's life that she felt a trace of guilt.

"I..." Long Chen was about to speak.

"You don't need to apologize. We... are even today. I bit you, and you..." Chu Yao's pretty face flushed. She still felt a strange sensation on her chest, as if that feeling hadn't dissipated.

"No, I wanted to say..." Long Chen shook his head.

"I already said, this matter is in the past. What more do you want?" Chu Yao said, a little angrily.

"Miss, I wanted to say that I was bitten on the left arm. Why are you bandaging my right arm?" Long Chen said, feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation.

Only then did Chu Yao realize that in her flustered state, she had bandaged the wrong arm. Her face turned bright red. Seeing Long Chen's helpless expression, she couldn't help but softly scold him, "You scoundrel, why didn't you remind me sooner?"

After speaking, she re-bandaged Long Chen's arm. However, it was just a superficial wound. Apart from being a bit painful, it wasn't a serious injury.

Long Chen chuckled inwardly. This beautiful young lady wasn't without conscience. A little bit of a sob story, and she fell right into his trap.

In reality, Long Chen had healing medicine in his space ring, both for internal and external use. He just hadn't taken it out to play the victim.

Originally, Long Chen hadn't held out much hope. He was prepared to resort to force if persuasion failed. To his surprise, this girl fell for his act so easily, which was far beyond his expectations.

At the same time, for the first time, he felt a sliver of goodwill towards someone from the royal family. He said softly, "Actually, your brother was being used. Zhou Yaoyang wanted to use your brother to suppress me."

After speaking, Long Chen briefly recounted the past grievances between himself and Zhou Yaoyang. This time, Long Chen didn't need to be overly dramatic; he simply and calmly narrated some of his experiences.

"Long Chen, I'm sorry. I misunderstood you," Chu Yao said somewhat sheepishly, while also hating herself for being so impulsive.

"It's nothing. I'm used to it anyway," Long Chen said lightly.

His words were plain, but coupled with his melancholic gaze, they delivered an incredibly powerful visual impact that stirred the soul.

Long Chen's expression made Chu Yao feel even more guilty, as if she were adding salt to the wounds of an already injured person. She felt extremely distressed.

"Heh heh, don't take it too seriously. I was just trying to win your sympathy," Long Chen said with a hearty laugh.

For some reason, seeing Long Chen's smile made Chu Yao even sadder. Her eyes reddened, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Sigh, don't cry. I won't say anything more, okay?"

Long Chen, who feared nothing, was terrified of women crying. He became flustered and didn't know what to do.

"Can you forgive me?" Chu Yao asked sadly, feeling like the worst woman in the world.

"I already said, this isn't your fault. There were bad people manipulating things in the middle. You don't need to blame yourself," Long Chen said.

"But..."

"There's no 'but.' What's past is past. If it was happy, we remember it. If it was troubling, we forget it. That's how I've lived all these years," Long Chen consoled her.

"Thank you, Long Chen." Chu Yao wiped away her tears, a hint of joy appearing on her pretty face.

Looking at Chu Yao, Long Chen's heart skipped a beat. Although Chu Yao was slightly less beautiful than Meng Qi, her appearance was definitely stunning. Especially when she smiled, it was hard for any man not to be moved.

Seeing Long Chen staring at her blankly, Chu Yao asked with some confusion, "Long Chen, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Ahem, because you're too beautiful. I couldn't help myself," Long Chen said, his old face flushing as he coughed twice.

"Am I really that beautiful?" Chu Yao tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with her jade-like hand and asked earnestly.

Long Chen looked surprised. "Extremely beautiful. Don't you know? Haven't others told you?"

Chu Yao shook her head. "Some people say it every day, but I don't believe everything they say. I don't like people who wear masks all the time."

As Chu Yao spoke, a hint of helplessness appeared on her face, making one's heart ache. She seemed like a completely different person from before. Long Chen hadn't expected Chu Yao to have such a side to her.

"Let's find a place to sit. Standing here isn't good."

Long Chen found a clean rock and sat down. Chu Yao nodded, but as soon as she sat down, she let out a sudden cry and stood up again.

Long Chen was stunned. "What is it?"

Chu Yao's pretty face turned red, and she said with some annoyance, "It's all because of you."

Long Chen immediately understood and felt a little embarrassed. However, he secretly rubbed his right hand a few times, as if that tingling sensation was still lingering in his palm.

Chu Yao took a long, thick blanket from her space ring and spread it over the rock before slowly sitting down. However, as soon as she touched the rock, her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly. It was clear she was still in some pain, though much better than before.

"Um... pardon me," Long Chen said sheepishly. His actions were certainly not gentlemanly, but Long Chen had never intended to be a gentleman.

Besides, he had been bitten in a moment of desperation. It was a purely subconscious action, not a genuine attempt to take advantage of her.

"I've never met anyone as fierce as you. In all my life, no one has ever hit me." As she said this, Chu Yao's eyes reddened, and her face was filled with grievance.

"Um, don't cry. How about I let you hit my butt too?" Seeing Chu Yao on the verge of tears, Long Chen quickly said.

"Pfft."

"Pah!"

"Who wants to hit you there? You're just too wicked!" Chu Yao was amused by Long Chen's words. Her pretty face flushed, and she quickly turned away.

Seeing Chu Yao's tears turn into a smile, Long Chen couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Spanking a princess, he really was incredibly bold.

"Long Chen, although you're very naughty, I feel like you wouldn't lie to me, nor would you say things against your conscience just to please me. Can we be friends?" Chu Yao suddenly said very seriously.

"Of course, as long as you don't put me in a net next time. Honestly, I was really afraid you'd let go and throw me down just now," Long Chen chuckled.

Chu Yao also smiled, thinking of Long Chen's disheveled state when she had thrown him down earlier, and couldn't help but find it amusing.

After their laughter, it seemed the distance between them had closed significantly. Chu Yao actually began recounting some experiences with her younger brother to Long Chen.

Perhaps it was the first time in her life she had met someone she could confide in, and she told Long Chen many, many things.

"Chu Yao, how long has it been since you last saw His Majesty?" Long Chen suddenly asked.

Chu Yao shook her head. "I haven't seen him since I was three years old, and my brother has never even met him."

Long Chen nodded, hesitating. However, he ultimately decided not to ask. After all, their trusting relationship had just been established, and he couldn't rashly inquire about sensitive matters.

In reality, Long Chen really wanted to know the internal situation of the imperial palace and who was targeting the Long family. Long Chen had always wanted to figure it out.

Calculating the time, it was only after His Majesty the Emperor emerged from his five-year seclusion that he summoned Long Tianxiao back to the palace. But by then, Long Tianxiao had already begun refusing to return to the imperial capital.

What happened in between? And his father had been out of contact for over a decade. What was he doing? Had he really abandoned his wife and son?

Although his impression was somewhat hazy, Long Tianxiao's resolute face was deeply etched in Long Chen's heart. He was definitely not that kind of person.

Then what was all this for? Long Chen felt like he was caught in a huge mystery, but he didn't dare to uncover it rashly.

Because the closer he got to the truth, the greater the danger. Without strength, Long Chen still needed to continue lying low.

Long Chen asked indirectly about the situation of the other princes in the palace. Chu Yao clearly didn't know Long Chen's purpose and thought he was just concerned about her, answering whatever he asked.

Long Chen felt a pang of guilt. Deceiving a woman like this made him uncomfortable. Later, he simply stopped asking, afraid his guilt would only grow.

Since he was getting closer to the truth, the most important thing now was to quickly improve his strength. Now that the Wind Mansion Star had initially formed, his spiritual power had greatly increased, allowing him to speed up alchemy and continue nourishing the Wind Mansion Star.

Once the Wind Mansion Star was completely perfected, he could attempt to reach Blood Condensation. Only upon entering the Blood Condensation realm would he truly be a martial artist; he was still too weak now.

Moreover, he was pleasantly surprised to discover that as the Wind Mansion Star grew stronger, his body also grew stronger in tandem.

The Wind Mansion Star was like a spring. Once it formed, it continuously nourished his physique. His current strength could be described as monstrous.

Now, it had become his greatest reliance. However, the Nine Stars Hegemony Body Art was too mysterious. In his memory, he only knew its cultivation method; he knew nothing else.

Chu Yao chattered on for over two hours before her pretty face flushed, feeling she had lost her composure. She then began asking Long Chen questions.

Long Chen smiled and told her some interesting stories, completely omitting his past hardships. It had to be said that Long Chen possessed astonishing talent in his eloquence, making Chu Yao erupt in bell-like laughter from time to time.

The initially willful and headstrong princess suddenly transformed into a maiden in love, as if she were a different person.

As the sun slowly set, they both realized how time had flown. Chu Yao looked at Long Chen and said, "Long Chen, can I come find you to play in the future?"

Long Chen hesitated slightly. He didn't want to get too close to royalty; he was somewhat afraid. But seeing Chu Yao's expectant eyes, he couldn't bear to refuse. He smiled and said, "Of course, but this will be our little secret."

Upon hearing Long Chen's last words, a blush appeared on Chu Yao's pretty face, her beautiful eyes darting away, a hint of panic in her gaze. She whispered, "Then let's go back."

"You go back first, I'll walk," Long Chen said with a smile. If he were seen riding together with the princess, it would be a huge trouble.

Chu Yao clearly realized this as well. She quietly bid farewell to Long Chen, leaped onto the back of the harrier eagle, and flew away.

Long Chen watched the figure gradually disappear, a sense of unease lingering in his heart. After a long while, he sighed and returned to his home.

However, just as he reached his doorstep, he saw countless elite soldiers surrounding Marquis Zhenyuan's Mansion. Long Chen's expression darkened, and a murderous glint appeared in his eyes.

The worse my mood gets, the more you guys add fuel to the fire. Since you're looking for death, I'll grant it to you.

The rage in his heart could no longer be suppressed. He charged straight towards the elite soldiers guarding the mansion gates.