"Hmph!"
The defiant pride in her bones flared to life in an instant.
Qian Renxue let out a cold snort, and the golden Soul Power in her palm suddenly blazed brighter.
She increased the strength of her Soul Power output once more.
A torrent of raging force surged toward the vine shield, like floodwaters bursting through a dam.
She meant to smash it through sheer brute force.
But no matter how furiously she drove her Soul Power, the shield woven from Blue Silver Grass remained as steady as a mountain.
The vitality radiating from the vines even rapidly repaired the tiny patches of damage where they made contact.
The two of them were locked in a stalemate in the cramped room.
Gu Qing looked at the puffed-up face so close to his own, the amusement in his eyes growing stronger.
Just as Qian Renxue was about to marshal all her Soul Power and launch another attack,
Gu Qing suddenly had a thought.
The indestructible Blue Silver Grass shield before him instantly fell apart.
It broke into countless flecks of emerald light that vanished into the air.
The sudden change caught Qian Renxue completely off guard.
All her strength had been directed straight ahead. When the resistance abruptly disappeared, her entire body pitched forward.
She stumbled, then lurched forward beyond her control.
Without missing a beat, she went straight into Gu Qing's broad embrace.
A faint, delicate fragrance, carrying the scent of a young woman, slipped into Gu Qing's nostrils.
Though Qian Renxue still wore Xue Qinghe's male disguise,
the soft, supple body in his arms was undeniably that of a perfect woman.
Her stunning curves came through clearly even beneath her luxurious clothes.
Her long, beautiful legs, tightly wrapped in trousers, had an extreme allure and a breathtaking grace.
The intimate atmosphere in the cramped room heated up like a wildfire sweeping across the land.
Quick to react, Gu Qing reached out with his right arm.
He firmly caught her slender waist, which seemed to fit in the palm of his hand.
The sensation beneath his palm was incredibly soft, with astonishing resilience.
Qian Renxue was completely stunned.
In all her years, she had never had such intimate physical contact with any man.
After her mind froze for a brief moment, intense shame and anger surged through her.
She twisted desperately, trying to break free of the man's embrace.
Both hands shoved hard against Gu Qing's chest, solid as an iron tower.
"Let go of me!"
"You lecher! Let go!"
Gu Qing showed no sign of releasing her. Instead, he tightened the arm around her waist.
Looking at his fiancée thrashing in his arms like a bristling kitten,
Gu Qing raised his free left hand high.
Without hesitation, he aimed at the enticing curve of her backside and brought his palm down.
"Smack!"
The sharp crack rang through the silent room.
The solid blow left Qian Renxue dumbfounded.
All her struggles stopped dead.
Gu Qing lowered his head and deliberately leaned close to her flushed ear, speaking softly:
"Still daring to ambush your fiancé?"
"You're so ill-mannered. You deserve to be punished."
Qian Renxue's face turned scarlet all the way to her neck, and her ears seemed ready to bleed.
That was her most private place, and this bastard had actually struck it right in front of her!
Shame and anger ignited the last of her self-control.
She opened her mouth, about to scream.
She wanted to summon all the guards outside and have them tear this shameless scoundrel limb from limb.
But the cruel reality dragged her back the very next second.
This was the Crown Prince Mansion of the Heaven Dou Empire!
If anyone saw the crown prince of the empire being held tightly in a man's arms, let alone being spanked,
then the grand scheme she had spent years pursuing would become a laughingstock across the entire continent!
Even with ten thousand Soul Beasts roaring in her heart, she could only swallow her anger.
Qian Renxue bit her moist lips hard, and a shimmer of tears even welled in her eyes.
She could only lower her voice as much as possible and protest in mortified fury.
"Y-you, let go of me this instant!"
"Don't touch me again, or I'll kill you!"
Hearing this feeble, soft-spoken threat, Gu Qing's smile grew even more brazen.
He raised his left hand again without hesitation.
"Smack!"
Another crisp, ringing slap landed.
It struck even harder than the first.
Qian Renxue shuddered all over, her legs going weak and nearly giving way.
Gu Qing lowered his head and asked, one word at a time:
"Tell me. Will you dare ambush me again?"
There was an unmistakable hint of teasing in his tone, but also a streak of domineering authority.
Qian Renxue gritted her teeth and glared up at Gu Qing.
But the moment Gu Qing raised his hand high for the third time,
the defenses in her heart finally crumbled.
She truly didn't dare keep arguing with Gu Qing.
She was afraid this lunatic, who didn't play by any rules, would smack her again.
If he did, she would be so mortified she'd have to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
"I... won't dare."
Qian Renxue turned her head away in humiliation, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
Her tone was full of grievance and resentment.
"Too quiet. I didn't hear you."
Gu Qing's hand remained suspended in the air, as if ready to come down hard again.
"I said I won't dare!"
Like a startled fawn, Qian Renxue jerked her head up and cried out urgently.
Then she immediately lowered her voice again, as though afraid of being overheard outside.
Seeing that she had finally given in completely, Gu Qing nodded in satisfaction.
He slowly released the arm locked around her waist.
The moment she was free, Qian Renxue recoiled as if she'd been shocked.
She retreated several meters before she finally managed to put a safe distance between them.
She stood beside the bed, her chest still heaving violently.
Her hurried breaths were clearly audible in the quiet room.
Her hands were clenched into fists so tightly that her sharp nails nearly sank into the soft flesh of her palms.
Her furious gaze remained fixed on Gu Qing.
But beneath that towering anger, shock churned deep within her, refusing to subside.
Only after they had separated did she truly realize how abnormal their brief clash had been.
That blow just now had drawn on a full seventy percent of her power!
For a level-seventy Soul Saint, that terrifying strength was enough to crush most veteran powerhouses.
But Gu Qing's performance had been downright bizarre.
He hadn't even fully revealed the phantom of his Martial Soul.
He hadn't used a single Soul Skill, nor had he lit up even one Soul Ring.
With nothing but a few strands of Blue Silver Grass released to protect himself, he had effortlessly neutralized her Thunderous Might.
He hadn't suffered so much as a scratch, and had even withdrawn his defense in an instant, countering her with ease.
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