Battle Through the Heavens: Flame Emperor, Please Restrain Yourself—Your Brother Is Really Quite Honest

In Green Rock Town, Zhang Yuan, who had just finished eating, suddenly felt a chill run down his back.

He had the illusion of being watched by a high-tier magical beast and instinctively released his soul power.

Several dozen breaths later, nothing had happened, which eased his mind slightly.

Probably just an illusion. How could I run into so many things in one day? Zhang Yuan thought.

Gathering his thoughts, he said to Qing Yanjing, "I just scouted the surrounding area and found a gourd-shaped valley surrounded by cliffs, with only one entrance. It's suitable for carrying out my plan. I'll take you there now so you can choose a spot you like to stay for the time being. How about it?"

"I shall follow your arrangements, my lord." Qing Yanjing nodded gently.

Zhang Yuan immediately rose and headed out of the tent, motioning for Qing Yanjing to follow.

Seeing this, Princess Yaoye and Qin Jingyan both stood up at once, intending to follow.

But after only two steps, they saw Zhang Yuan turn back and say, "The two of you can clean up here. Consider it payment for today."

With that, he walked out of the tent without looking back.

Princess Yaoye and Qin Jingyan looked at each other. The former said, "The gentleman was talking to you. Hurry up and respond when you hear him."

Qin Jingyan: "."

You're the princess. Whatever you say goes.

"Give me your hand. I'll take you there."

Outside the tent, Zhang Yuan extended his hand toward Qing Yanjing.

A trace of panic flashed through Qing Yanjing's eyes as she asked, "M-My lord, aren't we riding horses there?"

"That would be too slow. Going back and forth would take half a shichen. It'll be much faster if I fly you there." Zhang Yuan looked into Qing Yanjing's eyes, his expression clear and honest.

"I..." Qing Yanjing felt conflicted.

Although Zhang Yuan gave her a strange sense of security, they had only just met.

She felt that such an intimate posture was inappropriate between the two of them.

At that moment, Princess Yaoye ran out of the tent and said, "Sir, where are you going? Take me with you."

Qing Yanjing immediately breathed a sigh of relief, thinking Zhang Yuan could only agree to ride there.

"Sorry, I don't have an extra hand to take you."

Zhang Yuan glanced at Princess Yaoye, then suddenly reached out and grabbed Qing Yanjing's little hand.

The next moment, Dou Qi Armor appeared around his body and spread over Qing Yanjing as well. Then Exotic Fire Wings unfurled behind him, and he shot into the sky.

Princess Yaoye gritted her teeth. "."

That rotten man clearly still had another hand free to take someone.

He was deliberately refusing to take me!

"M-My lord, is this how you can fly with me?"

Looking at the scenery below shrinking farther and farther away, Qing Yanjing's small mouth fell slightly open, her eyes filled with astonishment.

"Hm?" Zhang Yuan turned to look at her, feigning confusion. "How else did you think I was going to do it?"

A blush appeared on Qing Yanjing's pretty face. She felt both embarrassed by her own wishful thinking and ashamed for misunderstanding Zhang Yuan.

"Could it be you thought I was going to hold you while flying?" Zhang Yuan pondered for a moment before pretending to realize something. "Last time was an accident. If I just hugged women whenever I pleased, wouldn't that make me a hooligan? So that's the impression you have of me?"

"N-No, I was just overthinking it." Qing Yanjing turned her head away, not daring to look at Zhang Yuan.

Zhang Yuan laughed inwardly, finding this woman rather easy to fool.

If that had not been his intention from the start, why had he not made it clear? And why had he refused to bring Princess Yaoye along?

Still, once she calmed down and thought back on it, she would surely realize what had happened.

"Actually, you weren't overthinking it. That was exactly what I meant," Zhang Yuan suddenly said.

He had never intended to pretend to be a righteous gentleman to deceive women.

Otherwise, why would he have flirted with Xiao Yi Xian even while knowing Ling Ying was by her side?

"Huh?" Qing Yanjing turned back with a confused look.

Then she suddenly felt the support beneath her vanish, and she began falling toward the ground.

Zhang Yuan had let go of her hand, and the Dou Qi connected to Zhang Yuan's Dou Qi Armor around her instantly disappeared.

Bang.

Before Qing Yanjing could scream, she felt herself fall into a firm embrace.

"You!" Qing Yanjing glared at Zhang Yuan, both embarrassed and angry.

"Don't move around." Zhang Yuan lowered his head and said, "My Dou Qi is limited. Flying while carrying you like that consumes too much. This way is easier. I wasn't lying to Princess Yaoye just now, really."

Qing Yanjing said indignantly, "Do I look that easy to fool?"

"I don't know whether you're easy to fool, but you really are very beautiful." Zhang Yuan gazed at Qing Yanjing's face.

Only then did Qing Yanjing touch her face in realization and discover that her veil had somehow fallen off.

"The dignified commandant of the Black Armored Guard turned out to be a lecher." Qing Yanjing said angrily.

"Why can't a Black Armored Guard commandant be a lecher?" Zhang Yuan retorted.

"You!" Qing Yanjing gritted her teeth, unable to say a word.

"Hahaha~"

Zhang Yuan laughed heartily before saying, "Yanjing, I just think you're too aloof. I was only teasing you to help you relax."

"Yesterday was an accident and doesn't count. This is your first time experiencing flight. Instead of sulking, why not enjoy the feeling and admire some different scenery?"

"Don't worry, I won't do anything inappropriate to you."

Not do anything inappropriate?

Then could you first remove the hand you've placed on my waist and thigh?

Qing Yanjing grumbled inwardly, but as she looked at the scenery around them, she felt more relaxed than ever before.

I'm at his mercy anyway. Since I can't resist, I might as well enjoy it.

Ling Ying watched everything unfold, momentarily speechless.

Should he tell the young lady about this, or not?

Better not say anything. Telling her would only make Miss Xun Er unhappy.

Besides, once Miss Xun Er returned to her clan, she and Young Master Zhang Yuan would belong to two different worlds.

Yes, it was all for Miss Xun Er's sake. It definitely wasn't because he had accepted favors from someone else.

"This is the place. Where would you like to live?"

Fifteen minutes later, Zhang Yuan brought Qing Yanjing down onto a mountainside.

Under the starlight, the area within ten li was surrounded by cliffs, with forests, streams, and waterfalls.

"It's so beautiful." Qing Yanjing praised it instinctively.

"It really is." Zhang Yuan nodded, then said, "Aren't you going to jump down from me?"

Qing Yanjing reflexively leaped to the ground, only to lose her balance and stumble to one side.

Of course, with her peak Da Dou Shi strength, she would not actually fall, and even if she did, it would not hurt.

But a hand reached out and caught her around the waist, accompanied by a gentle voice. "Be careful."

Qing Yanjing's heart raced as she instinctively put some distance between herself and Zhang Yuan.

This man was poisonous!

Unfortunately, she could not avoid this poison.

After Qing Yanjing chose where she wanted to live, Zhang Yuan personally built her a wooden house—or rather, a Banana Cottage—with two bedrooms, a main hall, a kitchen, a study, and a pavilion.

After Zhang Yuan took furniture and daily necessities from his Storage Ring to furnish it, the place became quite elegant.

"Are you living here too?" Qing Yanjing asked as she looked at the two bedrooms.

"Otherwise, how am I supposed to protect you personally?" Zhang Yuan countered.

Qing Yanjing wanted to say that she did not need protection.

But she knew even better that saying so would not stop Zhang Yuan.

Forget it. She just needed to be more careful and keep her distance from this man.

However, Qing Yanjing's vigilance did not last long.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

During that month, Zhang Yuan and Qing Yanjing lived together in Banana Cottage, seeing each other day and night.

But Zhang Yuan kept his boundaries well and did nothing excessive again, only occasionally taking verbal advantage of her.

Qing Yanjing gradually grew accustomed to this life, as well as Zhang Yuan's presence, and the safe distance between them shrank without limit.

During that month, the plan Zhang Yuan had submitted to Qin Zhenming was successfully put into effect.

Qing Yanjing truly possessed some strange attraction to the surrounding magical beasts. They all gathered voluntarily toward Gourd Valley, while the Black Armored Guard set traps along the middle section and cleared them out regularly, earning tremendous merit.

Qin Zhenming smiled more during that month than he had in the previous year, while Zhang Yuan also developed some guesses about Qing Yanjing's condition.

Today, Zhang Yuan was not as composed as usual. He lingered outside Qing Yanjing's door for a long time before asking, "Yanjing, may I come in?"