Does it still hurt?

"Bastard!"

Li Qingyue gritted her teeth slightly, cursing inwardly as she glared straight at Yan Wushuang with wide eyes.

"Ahem... actually, my chest just hurts a little!"

Facing Li Qingyue's wide-eyed glare, Yan Wushuang coughed twice.

He looked somewhat surprised. Li Qingyue was unexpectedly pretty when she was fierce, though she did seem genuinely angry.

Still, he had done it deliberately.

He raised a fist at Yang Wuzheng, as though threatening him.

Yang Wuzheng calmly turned away, unbothered, and silently watched the fierce-looking Li Qingyue as ripples stirred in his tranquil eyes.

The sacred body was powerful, but his innate Dao body was no weaker. If they really fought, he had nothing to fear.

He had not exposed the lie because he, too, found Li Qingyue unexpectedly captivating at that moment.

Everyone fell silent at Yan Wushuang's words.

They had witnessed that might firsthand. He had clashed head-on with the bearer of the Ancient Emperor Inheritance, yet his chest only hurt a little.

Thinking of the power unleashed in that desperate battle, that might capable of rending the heavens and splitting the earth, they could not calm their hearts for a long time.

Such a terrifying constitution was simply beyond imagination.

Especially since another of humanity's finest constitutions stood right there-the innate Dao body, rumored to rival the sacred body.

For a moment, the entire estate was deathly silent.

After hearing Yan Wushuang's words and seeing his exchange with Yang Wuzheng, Li Qingyue reacted.

Her tone grew a little colder.

"Are you sure?"

Yan Wushuang was unsure what to make of Li Qingyue's mood, but he still braced himself and nodded.

Clutching his chest with one large hand, he said, "It really hurts!"

Li Qingyue stepped away from Yang Wuzheng's side and walked toward Yan Wushuang, one step at a time.

Her expression was cool, her eyes clear, and she still possessed that indescribable air of serenity.

Yet seeing her like this made Yan Wushuang's heart skip a beat, and he instinctively backed away.

Everyone around them watched the scene with astonishment.

Just moments ago, Yan Wushuang's might had seemed to reach through heaven and earth.

He had slain the Tuoba Family's young genius without hesitation, forceful and overbearing.

Yet now, he was actually afraid of a mortal girl.

"Stop!"

Li Qingyue snapped coldly, staring straight at Yan Wushuang.

Was she really angry?

Even Yang Wuzheng's heart pounded at the sound of her voice.

Yan Wushuang shuddered, stopped where he was, and broke into a sheepish, foolish grin.

All the saints and saintesses looked surprised at the sight, then chuckled.

This seemingly cool, serene girl was unexpectedly entertaining when she scolded someone.

Li Qingyue walked up to Yan Wushuang and slowly reached out with her right hand, touching his chest.

"Does it hurt here?"

Her cool voice seemed utterly devoid of emotion.

Yet Yan Wushuang instinctively found himself at a loss for how to answer.

Feeling that fair, tender, slightly warm palm against his chest, he stammered, "Well... I... I... actually..."

"Shut up!"

Li Qingyue glared at him, her tone sharpening slightly. "I asked whether it hurts here!"

Yan Wushuang's brows twitched wildly. Looking at her cool face so close to his, he answered uncertainly, "Yes... no... yes, I suppose?"

At the sight, the saints and saintesses all covered their faces and chuckled.

Even Yang Wuzheng instinctively turned his head away.

Where had that forceful, overbearing Yan Wushuang gone?

He had displayed astonishing might and boldly slain Tuoba Ye.

Yet now, facing a mortal girl, he had actually learned to read her expression, stammering so badly he could not form a complete sentence.

The scene left them unsure whether to laugh or cry.

Even the Tianquan Saint chuckled.

Was even Yan Wushuang afraid when this mortal girl grew fierce?

That was far too amusing!

Hearing his answer, Li Qingyue gently rubbed the spot for a moment and asked, "Does it still hurt?"

Everyone froze at the sight, looking slightly dazed. Suddenly, none of them could laugh anymore.

Seeing Li Qingyue's fierce expression, they had expected her to make Yan Wushuang suffer a little and had been waiting to delight in his misfortune.

They had never expected to witness this instead.

There was an indescribable tenderness to it.

A cold, fierce tenderness.

For a moment, they actually felt envious, wanting to experience that strange tenderness themselves.

It stirred jealousy in everyone who felt even a little affection for the girl.

The Tianquan Saint instinctively clenched his fists, staring straight at the fair, delicate palm resting against Yan Wushuang's chest.

Even Yang Wuzheng went still, looking at Li Qingyue in disbelief.

Yan Wushuang was even more lost for words, his eyes wide as well.

He did not know whether he was imagining it, but in Li Qingyue's cool, serene face and chilly words, he sensed a trace of fierce tenderness.

"I asked whether it still hurts."

Li Qingyue glared, her voice still cool and carrying a hint of fierceness.

Yan Wushuang shuddered slightly, then answered with cautious uncertainty, "It hurts... it doesn't... it does, I suppose?"

At his words, Li Qingyue's small hand instinctively began rubbing gently again.

But the next moment, Yang Wuzheng pulled Li Qingyue away once more and said solemnly, "He's making it up!"

He could not bear to watch any longer.

Though the girl seemed fierce and cold, she possessed a tenderness that could not be ignored.

Perhaps this was simply how she expressed her tenderness.

But she should not be deceived.

Li Qingyue raised her eyes slightly. "I know."

She looked at Yang Wuzheng, cool and serene, and slowly spoke with a decisive, uncompromising stubbornness.

"You two... treat me better than anyone else in this world, apart from my brother!"

"If I can do even something insignificant for you, I'll do it without hesitation."

"Even if it means dying!"

After speaking, Li Qingyue silently added inwardly, Anything is fine, as long as I don't have to offer myself in marriage!

Hearing that cool, serene voice with its hint of stubbornness, both Yan Wushuang's and Yang Wuzheng's hearts skipped a beat.

They knew Li Qingyue. Her bone-deep stubbornness, her strength, and her ferocity toward her enemies meant she would do exactly what she said.

At that moment, an inexplicable ache for her arose in both their hearts.

Yan Wushuang, in particular, felt a trace of shame.

This stubborn girl, so clear in her love and hate, looked no less lovely when fierce than when smiling, yet it made him reluctant to tease her.

Even everyone else fell silent.

Would she treat anyone well... as long as they treated her well?

The Tianquan Saint's hand tightened slightly beneath his sleeve.

He found himself feeling both fondness and helplessness toward such a clear-cut distinction between love and hate.

With her disposition, it would be difficult for him to surpass Yang Wuzheng and Yan Wushuang, who accompanied her every day.

This girl...

Complex emotions flickered in the other saints' eyes.

They, too, could hear the stubbornness in her words-a stubbornness that ran deep in her bones.

Her coolness and fierceness seemed like a disguise.

For a moment, none of them knew how to describe it.

The Tianxuan Saintess, in particular, looked at Li Qingyue with a hint of unspoken warmth.

Such purity was truly rare.

To repay another's kindness, she would hold fast to her trust even when deceived.

Even knowing that following the sacred body and the Dao body would bring endless danger, she would still do so without hesitation.

That clear distinction between love and hate filled her with both admiration and emotion.

In this world where strength reigned supreme, most people would cast aside their dignity and fawn upon the powerful for profit and power.

Some would even turn against those close to them for such things.

Yet this mortal girl did not seem to care about any of it.

For those who treated her well, she would repay them even at the cost of her life.

Even knowing it was a deception, she still chose to believe without hesitation.

"Qingyue!"

Yan Wushuang spoke instinctively, his eyes filled with sincerity, yet for a moment he did not know what else to say.

He simply wanted to call her name affectionately.

His heart, especially, began pounding beyond his control.

She said you two... you two!

Li Qingyue's words flashed through Yang Wuzheng's mind, and his eyes filled with a quiet tenderness.

Li Qingyue raised her eyes, her cool gaze settling on Yan Wushuang.

Her tone remained fierce, its coldness concealing that trace of indescribable tenderness.

"Does it still hurt?"

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