Tang San: Dugu Bo, You Ruined My Plans! You Have a Death Wish!

Just as Tang San's fingers were about to touch her target, a vigorous cough suddenly came from the cottage in the woods outside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

It was followed by Dugu Bo's raspy yet booming laughter.

"Hahaha! That felt great!"

"Now that the toxins have been purged, it feels as though every meridian in my body has been cleansed. Even my Soul Power is circulating more smoothly!"

Gu Qing swiftly grabbed Tang San's wrist and gently pulled her off him. A flash of relieved relief crossed his face.

"Dugu Bo is awake. Let's end this here. We can't continue."

Tang San's fingers froze in midair, her dark purple eyes surging with fury and regret she had suppressed to the extreme.

Biting her lower lip, she cursed Dugu Bo from head to toe in her heart.

He could have woken up early or late, but he had to wake up now!

I was so close! This old poison freak ruined my plans! He has a death wish!

Gu Qing had already risen to his feet and straightened his robes before bending down to scoop the still-unconscious Liu Erlong into his arms.

Liu Erlong's head rested in the hollow of his shoulder, her breathing steady. The Fire Dragon martial soul within her was still slowly absorbing his Mysterious Jade vital energy. The martial soul's mutation had only just begun, and she needed a quiet place to stabilize it.

Gu Qing said to Tang San, "Teacher Erlong's martial soul mutation will still take some time to complete. I'll take her back to Blue Tyrant Academy and get her settled first."

"Third Sister, I'll leave the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to you. Dugu Bo and his granddaughter have only just been detoxified. Keep an eye on the distribution of the immortal herbs and their physical condition afterward. Once I've settled things at Blue Tyrant Academy, I'll send someone to pick you up."

Tang San stood, suppressing the unwillingness in her eyes, and nodded. "Got it, Brother Gu Qing."

She paused, then added in a faint, lingering tone, "There won't be another coincidence like this next time, Brother Gu Qing. You won't get away."

Gu Qing did not respond. Crimson-gold wings abruptly spread from his back, silver-white lightning patterns and crimson-gold flame patterns intertwining and flickering across them.

Holding Liu Erlong, he leaped into the air. With a beat of his wings, he turned into a crimson-gold streak of light and vanished above the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Tang San remained where she was, watching helplessly as that crimson-gold streak flew farther and farther away, her fingers clenched so tightly they turned white.

She lowered her head to look at her hands, which had been ready just moments ago but were now empty, then looked toward the direction Dugu Bo was cheerfully approaching from. The wicked fire in her chest burned ever hotter.

That damned old man really deserves to die! Ahhh!

Dugu Bo strode over with a ruddy complexion. With the deadly toxins in his body removed, he seemed to have grown ten years younger, and even his steps were lighter than usual.

He walked to the edge of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and looked around. The only person he saw was Tang San standing by the pool, her face as dark as the bottom of a pot.

Dugu Bo paused, then asked in confusion, "Miss Tang San, where are Dean Gu and Liu Erlong? I wanted to thank him in person."

Tang San shot him a cold glance, her voice so icy it seemed capable of freezing droplets into ice.

"Brother Gu Qing took Teacher Erlong back to Blue Tyrant Academy. Don't leave yet. Wait here. Brother Gu Qing still has matters to discuss with you."

With that, she turned around to sort through the immortal herbs, not sparing him another glance.

Dugu Bo was baffled by her frosty tone, and the hand stroking his beard paused.

He had lived for over ninety years and seen all kinds of people. Naturally, he could tell that Tang San was in an extremely foul mood!

Yet no matter how hard he thought, Dugu Bo could not figure out how he had offended Dean Gu's younger sister. He had merely gone to purge some toxins. Why had he returned to this kind of treatment?

He tentatively asked again, "Then these immortal herbs..."

"Brother Gu Qing told me to stay behind and deal with them! Senior Dugu, you and Yanyan still require further treatment for your poison. Please come with me."

Tang San's tone remained strictly businesslike, but every word carried a chill that said, "I'm in a terrible mood right now, so don't provoke me."

Dugu Bo wisely refrained from asking further questions, merely turning to glance in the direction Gu Qing had disappeared.

Dean Gu, what exactly is wrong with your little sister?

Heaven Dou City, Blue Tyrant Academy.

Gu Qing descended from the sky with the unconscious Liu Erlong in his arms, landing in the square before the academy's main gate.

The crimson-gold wings of light retracted into his body the instant he landed, but the fleeting flash of lightning and flame was already enough to draw everyone's attention.

Several students training in the square were stunned on the spot.

A young man descended from the heavens with wings of light interwoven with lightning and flame spread behind him, carrying a red-haired woman in his arms. They had never seen such a sight before, nor had they ever imagined one.

The sounds of sparring on the training ground abruptly ceased. The students engaged in practice matches stood with their mouths hanging open, while several quick-witted ones immediately ran toward the teaching buildings to spread the news.

Before long, more and more students and teachers poured out of the teaching buildings, surrounding the square so tightly that not even water could pass through.

Their gazes first fell on the unconscious Liu Erlong in Gu Qing's arms. Their eyes widened, their faces filled with disbelief.

This was their dean, Liu Erlong—the notoriously hot-tempered Fire Dragon of Heaven Dou City. Let alone being carried in someone's arms, anyone who touched her under normal circumstances would get beaten up. Yet now, she was actually unconscious in a young man's embrace?

"Isn't that Dean Liu? Who's that man? He's so handsome..."

"How could Dean Liu let a man carry her? Doesn't she never allow anyone to get close?"

"Who exactly is this guy? How does he dare hold Dean Liu?"

Gu Qing ignored the surrounding discussions, carried Liu Erlong straight toward the academy's administrative area, and casually pointed at a female student in the crowd who looked relatively composed.

"Where is Dean Liu's room? Lead the way."

The female student froze when she was singled out. Meeting Gu Qing's calm, profound eyes, her face inexplicably reddened, and she stammered, "It... it's in the small courtyard behind us. I'll take you there."

Keeping her head lowered, she led the way ahead, passing through several corridors before bringing Gu Qing to a secluded courtyard.

Vines covered the courtyard gate, and several parasol trees stood within, giving the place a quiet, elegant air.

Gu Qing gently laid Liu Erlong on the bed and pulled the blanket over her.

The setting sun streamed through the window lattice onto her face. Her brows remained faintly furrowed, but her breathing had already become much steadier than before.

He sat by the bed and reached out to feel Liu Erlong's forehead. Her temperature was returning to normal, and the aura of her Fire Dragon martial soul was no longer restless. The mutation process had gone more smoothly than he had expected.

About half an hour later, Liu Erlong's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes.

She instinctively tried to sit up, only to find her entire body weak and sore. Looking down, she saw that her clothes were neatly on her, yet the lingering sensation within her still remained across every inch of her skin.

Liu Erlong turned her head and saw Gu Qing sitting beside the bed. Her cheeks instantly flushed red.

"You... I..."

Liu Erlong opened her mouth, memories of what had happened inside the barrier flooding back like a tide. She forced herself to sit up, pulled the blanket higher, and said hoarsely, "Dean Gu, what happened in the barrier before... was my responsibility. Your blood and qi had gone out of control, and I jumped in willingly. I'll bear the consequences myself. You don't need to take it to heart. We're still teacher and student..."

"I'll take responsibility."

Gu Qing interrupted her, his tone resolute.

Liu Erlong froze, her phoenix eyes widening round. "You... you're that domineering? I haven't even finished speaking."

"Even after you finish, the result will be the same."

Gu Qing looked into her eyes, speaking neither hurriedly nor slowly. "But there is one condition to my taking responsibility—only if you are willing. If you aren't, I won't force you. What happened in the barrier really was an accident caused by my blood and qi going out of control. It wasn't your responsibility alone."

Seeing his utterly serious expression, Liu Erlong's heartbeat inexplicably sped up, and even her ears began to burn.

She bit her lower lip, her voice softening. "Then what if... I'm willing?"

"Then from now on, you'll be mine."

Gu Qing reached out and tucked a lock of red hair that had fallen by her cheek behind her ear. His movements were gentle, and when his fingertips brushed her ear, he could feel her tremble slightly. "Whether you want to be the dean's wife of Self Academy or the mistress of Blue Tyrant Academy, you can choose."

When Gu Qing's fingers brushed her ear, Liu Erlong's heart pounded wildly. She had lived for over thirty years, yet this was the first time anyone had told her in such a tone, "From now on, you'll be mine." And the person saying it was a youth nearly twenty years younger than her.

Yet strangely, Liu Erlong did not find it inappropriate in the slightest. She lowered her head, a smile appearing at the corner of her lips before she even realized it. "I choose the latter."

Gu Qing wrapped an arm around Liu Erlong's shoulders and gently drew her into his embrace.

Liu Erlong obediently leaned against Gu Qing's chest, feeling the warmth of his body and his steady, powerful heartbeat. She closed her eyes, a faint smile curling her lips.

Before long, Liu Erlong felt the hand Gu Qing had around her beginning to slide downward improperly.

She shifted in Gu Qing's arms, raised her head, and looked at him with a teasing smile in her phoenix eyes. "You want it again? Come on. In any case, this humble woman is already yours."