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Lin Ye and Qian Renxue were both stunned.
Feeling the warmth of each other's lips, their minds went blank. The noisy room suddenly became incomparably quiet.
So quiet that they could hear each other's breathing and pounding heartbeats.
Qian Renxue was completely dumbfounded. Her heart felt as though it were about to leap out of her chest, like a little deer crashing wildly about inside. Her heart raced, and her entire body went numb and weak, as though she had lost every bit of strength.
A stirring seed began to take root and sprout in her heart.
But at that moment, Qian Renxue only knew that she had been forcibly kissed—and that her first kiss had been stolen just like that. Tears welled up in her eyes from grievance as she finally came to her senses.
She bit Lin Ye's lip hard enough to draw blood.
"Ah~"
Pain snapped Lin Ye back to his senses, and he immediately pulled away.
Qian Renxue said with a wronged expression, "Lin Ye! I'm really angry! That was my first kiss! You... you actually stole my first kiss!~"
"Sorry, but I didn't mean to! Besides, that was my first kiss too!"
"Who the hell cares about your first kiss!~"
"Hey, I don't like the sound of that. A guy's first kiss isn't a first kiss? It isn't valuable? First kiss for first kiss—you didn't lose out either!"
"You!" Blushing furiously, she puffed out her cheeks. "I can't be bothered arguing with you. Get off me first!~"
"Then you have to promise not to lose your temper and hit me again!"
"I promise, okay? Hurry up and get off!"
Seeing this, Lin Ye released Qian Renxue. But she seized the chance to grab the pillow beside her and swung it at him.
"Hey, why are you going back on your word, woman?"
"Hmph! You think stealing this young lady's first kiss means we're even? See if I don't beat you to death!" Qian Renxue picked up the pillow again and pummeled Lin Ye wildly.
But Qian Renxue clearly was not seriously hitting him. If she had been, she would not have used such a soft pillow that could not hurt anyone at all.
Seeing this, Lin Ye stopped resisting and decided to let her hit him for a while to vent her anger.
"Fine, fine, hit me. I won't fight back, all right?"
"Hmph! Even if you wanted to fight back, you couldn't!"
Qian Renxue struck Lin Ye more than ten times in a row with the pillow.
"You've hit me so many times. Shouldn't you have calmed down by now?"
"No! I still want to hit you! You're not allowed to fight back!" Qian Renxue stood with her hands on her hips, still puffing with anger.
"Hey, that's enough, isn't it? Fine, I won't fight back, but I can dodge, right?"
Lin Ye dodged the pillow Qian Renxue swung at him and laughed. "Oh dear! You missed!"
"You still dare dodge!"
Furious, Qian Renxue grabbed the pillow and smashed it toward Lin Ye again. Lin Ye shifted nimbly across the bed and avoided it once more. "Missed again!"
"You! No dodging!~"
Qian Renxue swung the pillow at Lin Ye again, but he made another slippery move and dodged it perfectly.
Then he instantly caught the pillow she had thrown and hurled it back, smacking Qian Renxue right in the face.
"Ahhh!~ Lin Ye!!" Qian Renxue stamped her feet in fury.
The atmosphere suddenly felt like that of a young couple flirting and bickering in their room.
Just then, an angry burly man's voice came from outside the door. "Hey! You little lovebirds in there, what are you making such a fuss about so early in the morning? Are you going to let people sleep or not?!"
"Get lost! Mind your own business! Who's a couple with him?!" Qian Renxue shouted back angrily.
Her roar was far more imposing, making the burly man outside shudder. He shook his head helplessly and turned to leave. "Forget it, forget it. Can't afford to mess with them."
"Alright, young lady, stop making a fuss. My fault, okay? At worst, I'll take responsibility for you."
Qian Renxue rolled her eyes. "Who wants you to take responsibility!"
But she had calmed down as well.
"Then what do you want?" Lin Ye asked helplessly.
"Hmph! Lin Ye, after we finish the Third Trial and return, I want to duel you! A fair and square fight! If you lose to me, then from now on you'll have to listen to me. If I tell you to go west, you can't go east!"
"Do you dare agree?" Qian Renxue asked with utmost seriousness.
She had wanted to have a serious battle with Lin Ye for a long time. If she did not hurry up and beat him now, it would probably become difficult for her to beat him and keep him in line later.
She could feel that Lin Ye was growing far too quickly. One day, he might truly catch up to her.
Lin Ye knew that the kind of fight Qian Renxue meant was not a spar, but a genuine duel—a full-force battle to determine who was stronger.
In truth, he also wanted to fight Qian Renxue. His expression became serious as well. "Alright, I agree."
Qian Renxue crossed her arms, still carrying a bit of a sulk. "I want milk tea!"
Lin Ye shook his head with a smile. "Fine, I'll make it for you."
A moment later, Qian Renxue drained the milk tea in one gulp, and only then did her mood improve considerably.
"You've had your milk tea. We can put what happened earlier behind us now, right?"
Qian Renxue put on a haughty expression. "No way! I'm very angry right now—the kind you can't soothe!"
Lin Ye: "..."
"Whatever you say. Get changed, we're going out."
A moment later.
The two changed into ordinary clothes and set out again.
But Qian Renxue was clearly still bothered by losing her first kiss. She remained somewhat sulky and barely spoke to Lin Ye over the next few days.
They stayed in Suotuo City for two days before leaving and continuing north, intending to cross the Lima Plain.
The Lima Plain lay within the territory of the Balak Kingdom, one of the four major vassal kingdoms under the Heaven Dou Empire.
Generally speaking, public security was relatively better within the territories of powers like the Heaven Dou Empire and Star Luo Empire. But in these kingdoms, it was obviously much worse.
Public security in the Balak Kingdom was not particularly good. There were many lawless places, such as the Lima Plain!
The Lima Plain covered a vast area and occupied much of the Balak Kingdom. Aside from the plain, the kingdom also had many hills and mountain ranges. Many people who had committed grave crimes hid in the Balak Kingdom.
For example, Zhao Wuji.
Over the next half month, Lin Ye and Qian Renxue encountered many criminals, bandits, and robbers, but they did not find anyone suitable for the Sin of Betrayal.
A few more days passed.
They arrived at a small city closest to the uninhabited region of the Lima Plain.
They planned to rest briefly in the small city, have some coffee, and then continue onward.
"Let's sit here for a while."
"Mm."
The two sat at seats outside a roadside shop. The waiter asked, "What would the two of you like?"
"Two coffees and two portions of pastries."
"Certainly. Please wait a moment."
While waiting, Lin Ye suddenly saw several richly dressed people walking along the main road ahead. Their clothing made it obvious that they were extremely wealthy.
There were four of them in total: three middle-aged men and a little girl.
The little girl was almost six years old.
She looked extremely spoiled, overbearing, and arrogant as she strutted down the center of the street, shouting contemptuously, "The young lady has arrived! Everyone, get out of the way!~"
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