When a Girl Says No, Does She Mean Yes?

When Ning Chen asked her that, Dugu Yan's already crimson cheeks burned even hotter.

She lowered her head even further, wishing she could find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.

Damn it! Is this guy a devil? How could he always make her so embarrassed with just one sentence?

At that moment, she was both embarrassed and angry, yet she refused to admit defeat and retorted in a muffled voice:

"Hey, you blockhead! When a girl says no, she means yes. You don't even know that? So stupid..."

The moment she said it, even she froze.

Heavens, what did I just say? That was... way too bold!

That practically sounded like I was inviting him!

Ning Chen laughed when he heard that.

Oh? This little firecracker still dared to talk tough and call me names after all this? She's got some nerve.

"Not bad, Dugu Yan." Ning Chen could not help smirking wickedly.

"I just saved your life, and now you're calling me stupid? Looks like I was too gentle with you earlier and gave you the wrong idea."

He deliberately lowered his voice, his tone carrying a hint of danger:

"Believe it or not, I'll give you a beating right now and show you what 'pain' really means?"

His words made Dugu Yan panic, and she instinctively tried to struggle.

But she was practically hanging off Ning Chen, clinging to him with both hands and feet like an octopus. There was nowhere for her to escape.

"Y-you... what are you trying to do? I'm warning you, don't do anything rash! My grandfather is Dugu Bo!"

She bluffed fiercely despite her fear, trying to use her grandfather's name to intimidate him.

However, Ning Chen paid no attention to her threat.

His free left hand rose neither too heavily nor too lightly, then landed precisely on her perky, springy backside.

Slap!

A crisp sound echoed through the silent forest.

The force was not strong, but the humiliation was immense.

"Mm... hng."

The instant his palm fell, Dugu Yan's body trembled violently, and an irresistibly sweet moan escaped her throat.

The sound was soft and syrupy, laced with a strange nasal note that made half one's bones go weak.

Ning Chen froze the moment he heard it.

Dugu Yan froze as well.

Then Ning Chen looked down at the flushed, vacant-eyed woman in his arms. Only one thought remained in his mind.

What the hell?

What... what was that sound she just made?

That reaction... was way too much.

He had only meant to tease and frighten her a little, to make her behave.

Who would have thought he would trigger some strange switch?

Dugu Yan felt as if her cheeks had caught fire. She wished she could jump out of Ning Chen's arms immediately, dig a hole, bury herself in it, and not come out for a hundred years.

How could she have made that kind of sound just now?

What kind of sound was that?

This is too humiliating! I've never been this embarrassed in my life!

"Th-that... I... I just..."

After coming back to her senses, Dugu Yan was instantly so embarrassed that she did not know what to do. She hurriedly tried to explain, but the more she explained, the more confused she became, until her tongue tied itself in knots.

"I wasn't... that sound wasn't me... it was... it was the wind! Yes, the sound of the wind blowing past!"

She desperately made up an excuse that even she could not believe.

Seeing how flustered she was, as though she wished she could vanish on the spot, Ning Chen found it almost impossible not to laugh.

He cleared his throat and deliberately teased her in a tone of sudden realization:

"Oh? Is that so?"

"I thought... the cold and proud Goddess Dugu of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy had accidentally revealed some unknown side of herself."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Who would have thought that the vice-captain of the Imperial Battle Team would make such sounds in private? That's quite unexpected."

With every sentence Ning Chen spoke, Dugu Yan's face turned a shade redder.

By the end, she was so ashamed and furious that even her neck had turned pink.

"Ning Chen, you... you bastard!"

Dugu Yan was both angry and anxious, and a mist of tears welled up in her eyes.

"How could you do this? If it weren't for you... if you hadn't hit me, how could I have... Hmph! It's all your fault! You big bully!"

Unable to endure Ning Chen's amused gaze any longer, she simply gave up and buried her face deeply in the crook of his neck, deciding never to speak to this hateful man again.

Feeling the warmth of her breath against his neck and the soft touch of her body, Ning Chen could clearly sense that the girl in his arms was still trembling slightly.

This little girl is far too thin-skinned. A little teasing and she gets embarrassed like this.

Still, that sound she made just now... really was something.

With her face buried in Ning Chen's chest, Dugu Yan ranted furiously in her heart.

Damn bastard! Perverted rogue! How dare you tease me like this!

Once I find Grandpa, I'll make him capture you and soak you in his Jade-Scaled Snake Emperor Poison for three days and three nights! No, seven days and seven nights! Let's see if you still dare bully me then!

Though she was making vicious threats in her heart, her arms and legs wrapped around Ning Chen unconsciously tightened their hold.

This embrace belonged to a hateful bastard, but it was truly warm and made her feel safe.

Ning Chen felt the person in his arms gradually calm down. Her breathing was still somewhat hurried, but he knew the teasing had gone far enough.

If I keep teasing this little snake, she'll probably really get angry.

He tightened his hold slightly so Dugu Yan could lean against him more comfortably, and his tone became serious.

"All right, all right. Joking is joking, fooling around is fooling around, but don't let it delay business."

Ning Chen spoke softly, then raised his head and looked deeper into the forest.

"Hold on tight. We're setting off."

With a thought, he gave a low shout.

"Emperor-Slaying, come out!"

As his words fell, the Emperor-Slaying Sword, dark red all over and burning with eerie black flames, appeared from thin air once more, hovering steadily before them.

Holding Dugu Yan, Ning Chen lightly tapped the ground with the tip of his foot and gracefully leaped onto the broad blade.

"Rise!"

At his command, the Emperor-Slaying Sword let out a clear sword cry. Its blade trembled slightly, then transformed into a dark-red streak of light and shot into the sky, carrying the two of them deeper into Sunset Forest.

The wind howled past their ears, while the trees below rapidly receded.

Dugu Yan held Ning Chen tightly. As she experienced flight like never before, the shame and embarrassment in her heart were gradually replaced by a sense of novelty and excitement.

She secretly raised her head and watched the scenery rushing past below through the gap beside Ning Chen's shoulder, her heart pounding wildly.

This man named Ning Chen was bad and loved to bully people, but perhaps he was not quite so unbearable after all.

Night gradually deepened, and a red streak flashed through the sky.

The Emperor-Slaying Sword flew at an incredible speed, yet Ning Chen controlled it with remarkable steadiness.

At first, Dugu Yan's body remained tense and rigid from humiliation and anger.

But as time passed, the exhaustion of flying at high altitude, combined with the steady sense of safety in Ning Chen's arms, gradually relaxed her taut nerves.

She was simply too tired.

From entering Sunset Forest alone, to being hunted by the Shadow Ghost Leopard, to being saved by Ning Chen, both her mind and body had long since been pushed beyond their limits.