Xiao Wu's Confession! Ning Rongrong Calling Him "Brother Qing" Set Off a Chain Reaction!

Gu Qing raised an eyebrow but did not answer immediately. Looking at Xiao Wu's puffed-up cheeks and slightly reddened eyes, a helpless smile tugged at his lips.

"What kind of meaning?"

"That kind!" Xiao Wu stomped her foot, her voice rising unconsciously before she quickly lowered it again, afraid someone might hear.

"When Ning Rongrong called you 'Brother Qing' today, you didn't reject her outright! Do you know how awful I felt standing there?"

Xiao Wu's voice suddenly dropped, so low it was almost as if she were talking to herself, trembling with emotion she could not suppress:

"I've followed you for six years, Brother Gu Qing. From Nuoding City to here, whenever someone tried to get close to you, it felt like something was squeezing my heart."

"I'm scared. Scared that you'll care more about someone else than you care about me. Scared that one day, you won't need me anymore."

Xiao Wu lifted her head, tears shimmering in her eyes beneath the candlelight.

"Brother Gu Qing, I don't want anyone to steal you away from me."

"I like you!"

"Not the kind of liking a little sister has for her brother. I want to stay by your side forever and ever, the kind where no one can drive me away from you."

Behind the bed curtains, Ning Rongrong's heart clenched sharply. Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the blanket, and a complicated emotion rose in her chest—she could not tell whether it was bitterness or envy.

Gu Qing looked at Xiao Wu's reddened eyes and fell silent for a while. It was not as if he did not understand her feelings. After six years together, the way this girl looked at him had long ceased to be the simple dependence of a younger sister toward an older brother!

He raised a hand and gently patted Xiao Wu's head.

"Xiao Wu, you've been with me for six years. When have I ever cared more about anyone else than I cared about you?"

Xiao Wu sniffled, her voice muffled. "It's different. Before, there were only me and Third Sister by your side. But now, two more people suddenly showed up, and Ning Rongrong even called you 'Brother Qing'..."

Gu Qing said gently, "Ning Rongrong was just joking. Don't take it seriously. Besides, think about it—you've been with me for six years, while she only arrived a day ago. How could she possibly take your place?"

Xiao Wu froze for a moment and blinked. Undried tears still clung to her lashes. Thinking carefully, she realized that no matter whom they had met over the past six years, Gu Qing's attitude toward her had never changed.

With that thought, more than half the grievance in Xiao Wu's heart faded away. Still unwilling to let it go, she asked again, "Then say it yourself. Say you like me."

Gu Qing looked at the stubborn determination in Xiao Wu's eyes and sighed inwardly. This girl would not rest until she got an answer today.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Xiao Wu, how could I possibly not know how you feel?"

"But you're still young. When you're a little older and have thought it through, we can talk about it again. I'm not rejecting you. I'm waiting for you!"

Xiao Wu bit her lower lip and secretly cursed in her heart, Stupid Brother Gu Qing, you big idiot! Hmph!

Though she had not received the answer she wanted most, those two words—"waiting for you"—were enough for her to hug to sleep all night.

"Alright. Then I'll wait for you, Brother Gu Qing. You can't run away anyway."

Xiao Wu rubbed her head upward, making Gu Qing's fingers sink deeper into her hair like a little rabbit acting cute.

Gu Qing laughed and withdrew his hand. Just as he was about to tell Xiao Wu to go back to sleep so Ning Rongrong could find a chance to slip out, another set of footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door.

Again? Another expert?

Xiao Wu's expression changed instantly. She knew those footsteps too well—light, steady, every step landing in the same rhythm. There was only one person in all of Self Academy who walked like that.

Tang San! Why had Third Sister come too?

Like a rabbit whose tail had been stepped on, Xiao Wu sprang up from the spot. She looked around frantically, then fixed her gaze on the bed with its gray cloth curtains. She yanked them open and dove inside, only to freeze on the spot.

Behind the dim bed curtains, Ning Rongrong was wrapped in a blanket and curled up in the corner, blinking at her awkwardly. Their eyes met, and the air completely froze.

Xiao Wu's eyes widened round, and she nearly cried out. Ning Rongrong reacted quickly, clamping a hand over Xiao Wu's mouth and pulling her beneath the blanket. She silently mouthed two words: "Don't scream!"

Xiao Wu forcefully pulled Ning Rongrong's hand away and mouthed back through gritted teeth, "Why are you here?!"

Ning Rongrong pointed at the door, then at herself, and finally pressed her palms together in a pleading gesture.

Xiao Wu took two deep breaths and shot her a fierce glare. Then, with unspoken understanding, the two of them crouched side by side in the corner of the bed, hardly daring to breathe!

Hearing the knock, Gu Qing walked over and opened the door.

Tang San stood outside in a form-fitting black short top with a deeply cut neckline. The rising curves beneath her collarbones were clearly outlined by the thin fabric.

The hem reached only her waist, exposing a section of tight, toned midriff. The lines of her abs beside her navel flickered faintly beneath the moonlight. She wore equally fitted training shorts below, hugging her round, firm hips and thighs. Her muscles were sleek and toned, and years of blacksmithing and Whale Dragon tempering had filled every inch of her body with lush fullness.

Tang San seemed to have just finished bathing. Her hair tips still carried a trace of dampness, several wet strands clinging to her collarbones as droplets slid down her neck and disappeared deep into her neckline.

Her deep violet eyes looked especially profound beneath the moonlight. Tang San stared directly at Gu Qing, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.

There was no shyness, no retreat. Instead, she subtly straightened her back, making the curve of her waist even more defined. Her posture was like she was displaying her body, yet even more like she was declaring to Gu Qing: I only want you to see these things!

Gu Qing was briefly stunned, then frowned. "Third Sister, aren't you cold dressed so lightly?"

"I'm not cold."

Tang San walked into the room past him, bringing with her a faint scent of grass and plants.

She stopped in the middle of the room and turned to face him. Candlelight fell over the skin of her collarbones and waist, casting a faint honeyed glow that made her especially alluring.

Gu Qing looked away, but he could not help muttering inwardly, Why has Third Sister been dressing in cooler and sexier clothes more and more lately?

Back at Nuoding Academy, Third Sister had been covered tightly from head to toe. But now, her neckline kept getting lower, and her hems kept getting shorter!

She did not seem to feel anything inappropriate at all when she swayed around in front of him!

Had Tang San finally come around? Did she really want to be a girl?

But then again, Third Sister really did have an incredible figure. Not the kind of beauty that came from being thin and slight, but the kind full of softness and graceful curves!

Stop! Stop!

Gu Qing mentally slapped himself. This was Tang San!

Standing beside the candlelight, Tang San's lips curled faintly upward. She knew Gu Qing had been looking at her. Though he had only glanced a few times before averting his gaze, that was exactly the effect she wanted.

Ever since she had become female and started cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Skill, her body had been undergoing strange changes.

Her muscle density was increasing, her bones were strengthening, and her meridians were widening. Even her entire aura was transforming from the inside out. Yet accompanying those changes was something that became harder and harder for her to ignore and suppress.

The instinct of her body!

Her body craved being close to Gu Qing—not spiritual dependence, not psychological trust, but a pure physical longing rising from her very blood.

Whenever Gu Qing released the aura of the Mystic Jade Body beside her, her skin would heat slightly. Whenever Gu Qing touched her body, her heartbeat would inexplicably speed up.

Tang San knew very well where this longing came from. It was the Mystic Jade Body!