Hu Xiaotian said, "I have to leave too."
"What?" Qiqi asked in surprise.
Hu Xiaotian said, "If I stay here all the time, how am I supposed to recover the skull for you?"
Although Qiqi knew Hu Xiaotian really ought to leave, she could not help feeling reluctant to let him go. Perhaps only when they were about to part could she recognize her feelings for him. "Where are you planning to go?" she asked softly.
Hu Xiaotian said, "To find the skull, of course."
Qiqi sighed and bit her cherry lips. After a while, she raised her eyes to Hu Xiaotian. "I still don't trust you."
Hu Xiaotian had never expected her to say that. He could not help laughing. "Are you worried that once I leave, I'll never come back?"
Qiqi said, "I wouldn't rule it out."
Hu Xiaotian said, "If you don't trust me, just come with me."
Qiqi shook her head. "You know perfectly well that's impossible."
Hu Xiaotian stepped closer to Qiqi, and her heart fluttered for no apparent reason. He stretched out an arm, hooked it around her slender waist, and drew her delicate body tight against his chest.
Her pretty face flushed, Qiqi spat, "You brazen scoundrel! Aren't you afraid I'll have you put to death by a thousand cuts?"
Hu Xiaotian said, "I'm afraid you couldn't bear to." He lowered his head and kissed her luscious cherry lips fiercely, then released her. "I have a suggestion. How about we mend things between us?"
Qiqi wrinkled her nose in embarrassment. "I don't even know what you're talking about."
Hu Xiaotian said, "Why don't we renew our betrothal and put a little more trust in each other?"
Qiqi spat. "What do you take me for? When you wanted to break off our betrothal, you