Chapter 173

"Hmm? What's wrong?" Chen Ce turned around again, her beautiful, deep blue eyes meeting his gaze.

Ashe didn't speak immediately, but took a while to gather her thoughts. She seemed somewhat hesitant.

Finally, she pursed her lips and whispered, "I'm sorry, I made you suffer this injustice because of the Freljord Alliance..."

"Huh?" Chen Ce was momentarily stunned.

Ashe continued, "I know... you're about to leave Freljord, but I want you to form a blood pact with me before you go... then you'll be traveling alone, carrying a responsibility that shouldn't be yours..."

"Besides... I can't offer you anything in return; you're simply helping me..."

"I know... a guy as outstanding as you has no shortage of outstanding women pursuing him... but you did it to help me..."

"I'm not good-looking, I'm thin and short, yet I have a man as handsome and strong as you..."

"Making a blood pact with me must be a huge waste of your time..."

As she spoke, Ashe reached out and weighed the two soft mounds in front of her, the size of which was almost enough to be grasped in one hand, which made her very sad.

Not only his chest, but his abdominal muscles are also underdeveloped, with only a barely noticeable six-pack...

Forget comparing her to a tall and strong woman like Sejuani, she's far inferior even to the average Iceborn...

When I walk hand in hand with Chen Ce outside, everyone will definitely think I'm very rich...

Ashe grew increasingly upset, but she still didn't want to give up.

So she sat up in bed and reached into the archer's uniform that was placed beside the bed and started groping around.

Before Chen Ce could speak, she shoved several hard objects into his hands.

In the darkness, Chen Ce couldn't quite make out what the hard object in his hand was, but based on his sense of touch and experience, he could roughly guess.

"These gold coins are all for you...!" Ashe's tone was both stubborn and uneasy, as if she was about to shed tears.

"I know I'm poor right now... but... I'll work hard to earn money to support you...!"

"..." Chen Ce stared blankly at the few gold coins for a long time.

"The Alliance is spending a lot of money right now... but things will definitely get better in the future..." Ashe continued, "When we have money in the future, I'll definitely build you a huge house...! Even if you're no longer in Freljord, I'll still send you money regularly...!"

"... That's not what I meant!" Chen Ce quickly grasped the girl's small hand to comfort her, lest she continue saying things that made her cry. "I didn't think you were poor, really."

"Because you're rich, right... I know..." Ashe glanced sourly at the other person's bulging wallet, her tone becoming even more aggrieved:

"So you must be sighing because you think I'm ugly... But I didn't mean to... I'm sorry... I'll definitely work out hard in the future and try to become stronger as soon as possible..."

These words truly revealed his/her true feelings.

Chen Ce was completely stunned.

Ugly...? Ashe...?

That shapely figure, those near-perfect features, that snow-white skin... ugly...?

"No, no..." Chen Ce quickly waved his hand, "Miss Ashe is very beautiful. Really."

"You don't need to comfort me... I'm quite self-aware in this regard..." Ashe turned her back, burying her head under the blanket like a pitiful little girl, her voice soft and mournful.

"I'm short and skinny... I have no muscles... Compared to those tall and mighty warriors, I'm really ugly..."

Freljord's aesthetic standards... well, Chen Ce felt he should rephrase it. "But I just like you."

"Hmm...?" Ashe peeked out from under the covers a little more, her beautiful blue eyes revealing distrust—distrust of herself.

"It's true, Miss Ashe. Look, aren't I skinny and short too?" Chen Ce spread his arms, showing off his muscles, which weren't exactly explosive. "Compared to Gragas and Braum —or even Sejuani —I'm hardly muscular, am I?"

"Hmm... but..." Ashe was starting to believe her, but she still had some doubts.

"There's no 'but' about it."

"You really don't mind that I'm ugly...? Really...?"

"Unless I also find myself ugly."

"Then... um..."

Ashe hesitated, her inferiority complex about her appearance preventing her from letting down her guard—she always felt that Chen Ce was trying to comfort her.

A white lie... or something like that.

That's what she was thinking.

Until the moment she lay down, she landed on a hand.

Before she could react, another hand wrapped around her slender waist.

"Mr. Chen Ce...?!" The girl's body stiffened, but she still lay down due to inertia.

Naturally, she lay in Chen Ce's arms.

"I don't think any young man would willingly hug a woman he doesn't like, right?" Chen Ce pressed his upper body against her, the girl's silver hair brushing against the sides of his nose.

It was a little itchy, but the unique fragrance made it hard to let go.

"Ah... this..." Ashe was a little nervous, even feeling a bit like she was in a dream. "Then... then let me warm you up..."

"That's quite a leap."

"But... if I hug you... I..."

Ashe didn't know what other reason there was for hugging someone besides providing warmth with her body.

Even if it's something I like... it should be this... right...?

"Warm... warm your hands..." Ashe stiffly grasped the arm that was wrapped around her slender waist, then guided it to the warmest part of her body.

Yes, that's where the heart is, of course.

Chen Ce instantly felt an extremely soft touch.

Soft and bouncy... heavy... a perfect feel...

It also smells... good...

The two of them fell silent for a moment.

But Ashe kept shifting—she had burrowed completely under the covers and then spent a while adjusting her position.

Chen Ce's fingertips first traced the soft flesh, then touched the even smoother abdomen and legs...

Upper edge, lower edge, outer side, inner side...

Ashe was so clumsy in this regard that she would often accidentally guide the other person's hand to touch... rather sensitive areas. She would even make strange noises as a result.

Gradually, her icy body began to feel hot, and an unnatural blush rose on her fair cheeks.

She gradually came to believe that Chen Ce truly didn't mind that she was "ugly."

She began to immerse herself completely in this intimate interaction, becoming lost in the repeated physical contact.

Her first time...

I felt a unique kind of joy...

Although there were basically no actual physical actions, the mere caress of her fingertips was enough to make her unable to extricate herself...

For a pure young girl like her, such interaction was far beyond her tolerance.

Her beautiful, deep blue eyes were also unconsciously rolling upwards.

This atmosphere, this feeling...

That's so weird!

After an unknown amount of time, Ashe lay on the bed, her face flushed, and even the coldness of True Ice could not cover up the burning passion in her heart.

She was breathing heavily, and her disheveled white shirt and the glimpses of her fair skin made Chen Ce want to tease this beautiful girl again.

But that's really not good... If Ashe doesn't get some rest, she might really start to act... strangely.

Everything should be done step by step; you can't start with too much intensity.

"Are you alright, Miss Ashe?" Chen Ce asked kindly, but he didn't remove his hand from her slender waist.

It even moved down half an inch.

"Mmm...!" Ashe squirmed coquettishly, but didn't actually resist.

She seemed to be expecting something.

Unfortunately, Chen Ce simply placed his hand on the "curved back" curve and did nothing else.

"Even after all this, you still call me 'Miss'... That's really too much..." The girl puffed out her cheeks, feigning displeasure. "You weren't so polite just now..."

"Yeah?"

"Yes!"

"But wasn't that what you asked for?"

"I...? I... I didn't...!"

"But weren't you just grabbing my hand and moving it around?"

"That was..." Ashe paused for several seconds, unable to come up with any excuse, and could only sheepishly admit, "Okay... I did something bad to you... but I'll take responsibility!"

"It's okay, I'm fine," Chen Ce said calmly. After all, he was the one who "gave" the favor, and nothing happened to him.

"Hehe~" Ashe cutely stuck out half of her pink tongue.

Then, like a fiercely aggressive little wildcat, she pounced on him—or rather, pressed down on him.

Then, she gently bit his earlobe, her warm breath echoing in Chen Ce's ear.

This feeling is a bit...

He couldn't help but move his hand, and then kissed her burning cheek as Ashe "softened."

"...!" Ashe instantly collapsed to the ground, feeling weak and limp.

"What are you doing all of a sudden...?"

"Didn't you go first?" Chen Ce smiled.

"But you... this..."

"After what just happened, why are you so shy about kissing me?"

"This is different...!" Ashe touched her slightly damp cheeks, her excitement unable to subside for a long time.

Touching and stuff... those kinds of risqué things...

Compared to a kiss... the significance is on a completely different level...!

Darling... that's the highest form of love...!

Ah...

Ashe's body became even softer.

After a while, her burning body gradually returned to normal.

"If only it could stay like this forever..." She reached out and hugged him, then carefully examined his handsome face—such a beautiful young man was truly a rare sight in Freljord.

This kind of maintenance, this figure, this kind of clothing...

It's too astringent!

Ashe unconsciously revealed a slightly infatuated expression—in the matriarchal Freljord, women's appreciation of male beauty was similar to that of men in other countries.

As is widely known, a significant portion of women actually have stronger desires than men; they are simply more reserved and don't readily express them.

But once they let loose... well, it's safe to say that when women get aroused, men have no say at all.

Therefore, in Freljord, women are more sexually active than men in other countries.

Just like now, even the chaste Ashe couldn't help but show an excessive amount of lust towards the handsome young man in front of her.

She longed to lie on top of him until dawn—the dawn of tomorrow next month.

However... the conditions might not allow it.

"If only you wouldn't leave... we could... cough cough... um..."

As she spoke, a hint of reluctance and sadness welled up in Ashe's beautiful eyes, which seemed to hold little hearts.