Tang San's Resolve and Action

The Mysterious Heaven Skill and the Mystic Jade Body shared the same origin. Tang San's pure yin energy and Gu Qing's pure yang physique were like two magnets drawn to each other.

The deeper her cultivation became, the stronger the pull. The more she progressed in her training, the more uncontrollable her body's craving for that aura became.

The feeling left Tang San both craving and disgusted. She craved the unprecedented flutter in her heart, yet hated that she was being led along by her body's instincts.

But tonight, she no longer wanted to suppress it. Ning Rongrong's cry of "Brother Qing" had been like a fuse, igniting everything Tang San had kept buried. For the first time, Tang San realized that if she kept standing still in the role of "Third Sister," someone would sooner or later push ahead of her.

Tang San had dressed like this and come knocking tonight because she wanted to test him. Did Gu Qing feel anything for her beyond sibling affection, even if it was only a little?

"Brother Gu Qing, I came to ask you something today."

Tang San raised her eyes and stared straight at Gu Qing. "Was there any difference between the way you looked at Ning Rongrong today and the way you are looking at me now?"

Gu Qing leaned against the desk, his arms crossed over his chest. Seeing Tang San's serious expression, he remained silent for a moment before speaking. "Little San, you came to see me dressed so scantily just to ask that?"

"Answer me first."

Gu Qing sighed and walked over to Tang San, intending to reach out and ruffle Third Sister's hair as he usually did. He had done that for six years, and Tang San would always lower her head slightly to accommodate his hand. But this time, she did not lower her head.

Third Sister stood where she was, tilting her head up, her violet pupils locking directly onto Gu Qing's eyes.

"You are my most important little sister. You were in the past, you are now, and you always will be. Ning Rongrong, Xiao Wu—no one can surpass you! But siblings are siblings. That will not change because of what you wear."

Tang San's eyelashes trembled. Just as she had expected! She had known the answer all along; she only needed to hear it from him.

An emotion she could not tell was relief or unwillingness surged through her heart. At least no one could take her place as his little sister, but regrettably, Gu Qing truly felt only sibling affection for her.

I won't accept this! I won't!

"So siblings are just siblings, huh!"

Tang San took another half-step forward. The distance between them was now close enough for her to clearly feel the warm aura radiating from Gu Qing's body.

"Then why did you look away when you looked at me just now? If you only see me as your little sister, why can't you look at me openly?"

Before Gu Qing could answer, Tang San reached out, gently took hold of his wrist, pulled his hand down from above her head, and pressed his palm against her waist.

Her waist was taut and firm, the lines of her muscles clearly visible beneath the thin fabric. Gu Qing's palm visibly stiffened when it touched that patch of warm skin.

"Third Sister, do you know what you're doing?"

Tang San did not answer.

Grasping Gu Qing's wrist, she slowly guided his palm upward along her waistline, past her ribs, until it stopped over the rising curve of her chest.

Tang San's heartbeat traveled through the thin fabric into Gu Qing's palm, fast and heavy. Though her expression remained calm, the faint flush on her cheeks revealed her true state.

"I need to confirm something."

Tang San's voice sounded beside Gu Qing's ear. "Brother Gu Qing, do you really feel nothing at all in response to my body?"

Behind the bed curtains, Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong covered their mouths at the same time, their eyes so wide they nearly popped out of their sockets.

Xiao Wu's face had turned bright red—not from embarrassment, but anger. Third Sister was actually using her body to test Brother Gu! How could she do that? She wanted to rush out and pull Tang San away, but Ning Rongrong gripped her wrist tightly and mouthed, "Are you crazy?"

Ning Rongrong looked calmer than Xiao Wu, but her heartbeat was quickening as well. She had long suspected that Tang San's feelings for Gu Qing were unusual, but she had never expected Tang San to go this far.

Ning Rongrong suddenly admired Tang San a little. The little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had always been the one pursued by others; she had never considered taking the initiative to fight for someone. But Tang San was different. Tang San dared to do it. She laid her most secret longing and most vulnerable side bare before Gu Qing, leaving herself no way back!

Gu Qing's palm rested over Tang San's chest, clearly feeling the softness beneath it and the rapid heartbeat underneath. His fingers curled slightly, almost closing instinctively, but at the last moment, he forced the impulse back down.

Gu Qing lowered his head to look at Tang San. Her waist trembled faintly in the palm of his other hand, her lips pressed tightly together. The usual composure was gone from those deep violet eyes, replaced by a stubbornness that was almost desperate.

Brother, how did you start thinking of me that way?

Gu Qing sighed inwardly. To be honest, it was not as though he felt nothing. Tang San did have a good figure—not the frail beauty of someone slender and thin, but the healthy beauty of strength and curves forged through long-term cultivation.

With her pressed against him like this, his hand resting in that place, claiming he had no reaction at all would have been lying to himself.

But Gu Qing understood even more clearly that neither Tang San herself nor anyone else could tell how much of her feelings for him came from bodily instinct brought about by the resonance of their cultivation methods, and how much came from her own genuine thoughts.

If he responded in the heat of the moment today, would Tang San regret it someday after she had sorted it out?

Gu Qing took a deep breath, removed his hand from Tang San's chest, and clasped her wrist instead. His grip was not forceful, but it was steady as he gently pulled her a short distance away from himself.

"Little San, it's not that you aren't attractive to me. But right now, you can't tell whether this is the resonance of the Mysterious Heaven Skill or what you truly want. I don't want you to regret it later!"

Gu Qing released Tang San's wrist and reached out to pat the top of her head again. This time, Tang San did not avoid him. She merely lowered her head and refused to look at Gu Qing.

"When you've grown up a little more and figured these two things out, if you still feel this way then, we'll talk about it. All right?"

Tang San kept her head lowered and remained silent for a long time before lightly nodding. She had not received the answer she most wanted to hear.

But at least Brother Gu Qing had admitted that she was attractive to him. It was not purely sibling affection—there was at least a little something else. That was enough!

"I'm going back."

Tang San turned and walked toward the door. After taking two steps, she stopped and slowly looked back at Gu Qing, her gaze deep. "Brother Gu Qing, you said we'd talk when I've grown up. I'll remember that. If you dare forget when the time comes, I'll make you pay dearly!"

With that, Tang San pushed open the door and walked out. She never noticed the two people behind the curtains.

Gu Qing stood where he was, staring at the closed door for a long time. Then he walked to the bed and yanked open the curtains.

Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu were huddled side by side in the corner of the bed, both covering their mouths as four pairs of eyes stared at him in unison.

Xiao Wu's eyes were still red, but the anger on her face had turned into complicated silence. Ning Rongrong, meanwhile, blinked at him awkwardly.

"Come out."