All People Are Lords: Starting with Heroine Fusion, Part 45

No houses had been built that day, so he could only have them sleep in the Lord's House.

They would have to sleep on the floor, though.

The bedroom in the Lord's House was twenty square meters, easily enough for ten people to sleep in.

Two female villagers also needed to stand watch.

They would warn of attacks by wild beasts and keep an eye on the Goblins.

Each shift lasted an hour and a half, ensuring someone was on watch all night without anyone getting too tired.

Looking at a room full of women, Zhao Chi certainly had no objections.

They had all bathed.

The room smelled entirely of body wash and shampoo.

Tang Ruan and the others had already spread animal hides across the floor.

These hides were all seized supplies. They were quite clean, so sleeping directly on them was no problem at all.

They could then cover themselves with another hide as a blanket.

It was summer, and the nights weren't cold, so that was enough.

The women all wore simple tops and shorts.

There wasn't much to take off.

They slipped straight under the hides.

Tang Ruan pointed at the bed furthest inside. "My lord, we've made your bed. Could you check whether those two hides will do? They're the biggest ones, so they should definitely cover you."

Zhao Chi had the build of an average man.

He was considerably taller and bigger than these women.

Zhao Chi nodded. "Thanks for your hard work. Get some sleep. I'll go take a bath first."

Tang Ruan was sitting under her hide.

Hearing Zhao Chi say that, she immediately stood up. "It's very late now. I'll go with you and keep watch to prevent any wild beasts from attacking."

Gu Qing patted her head. "I'm here. You get some rest."

"Oh..." Tang Ruan looked at Gu Qing and sat back down.

Zhao Chi said, "Gu Qing, you've had a tiring day too. You don't need to come. I can handle wild beasts."

Gu Qing smiled. "I worked up another sweat chopping trees just now. I might as well bathe with you."

"Huh?" Zhao Chi looked at her in surprise.

Tang Ruan also looked over in astonishment.

The women who had been chatting suddenly fell silent too. Although they didn't turn around, they all listened intently.

Gu Qing smiled. "What's gotten into you? We're just bathing in the same river. What's the big deal?"

"Mm-hmm, it's nothing."

"Right, it's perfectly normal."

"Yes, I don't think there's anything wrong with it either."

"Exactly, exactly. Don't make such a fuss."

Tang Ruan nodded too. "Oh... so that's what you meant."

The riverside at night was completely different from how it looked during the day.

The river was frighteningly dark.

Zhao Chi knew it was only because of the dim light. There wouldn't be any magical beasts in it, certainly not in these early stages.

He took off his shirt.

He was just about to take off his pants when he noticed Gu Qing was still watching him.

Gu Qing sat on the bank, resting her chin in her left hand.

Her eyes reflected the starlight, bright and gleaming.

Zhao Chi said, "Um... I'm about to take my pants off."

Gu Qing nodded. "Mm-hmm, go ahead."

"Aren't you going to turn away?"

"Hehe, what's wrong? Afraid I'll look? I wouldn't mind you looking at me."

That's true...

Zhao Chi stopped hesitating and took them off.

He walked into the river with his head held high.

Gu Qing watched him with a smile, saying nothing.

Zhao Chi soon finished bathing.

Gu Qing walked over and unfolded a bath towel.

"Here, let me wrap this around you."

"No need. I'll do it myself."

Gu Qing didn't insist and handed the towel to Zhao Chi.

Zhao Chi asked, "Why have you been staring at me the whole time? Didn't you say you'd keep watch?"

Gu Qing smiled. "I don't need my eyes to keep watch at night. I have seven points in intelligence, so my base perception is very high. My hearing is sharp. At night, ears are more useful than eyes. Listen, a little rabbit just ran past."

Zhao Chi listened carefully.

But all he heard was the river flowing and insects chirping in the grass.

He couldn't hear anything else.

Whatever.

Zhao Chi politely turned around. "Your turn."

"Mm-hmm."

Gu Qing stripped without hesitation, then walked into the river right in front of Zhao Chi.

Splash, splash. The sound of water being scooped up rang out.

Soon, Gu Qing had finished bathing too.

"All done, my lord. Let's head back."

The two walked side by side through the woods and returned to the Lord's House.

An oil lamp burned inside.

Its light was dim and yellow.

Tang Ruan and the other women lay on the floor.

Exhausted after the day's work, they were all asleep.

Zhao Chi and Gu Qing quietly made their way further inside.

Zhao Chi slept on the single bed.

Gu Qing slept on the floor beside him.

They each lay down.

Soon, they fell asleep.

After sleeping for an unknown length of time, Zhao Chi felt terribly hot and stifled.

He could barely breathe.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that Gu Qing had climbed into bed.

One long leg lay across him.

Her arms were wrapped tightly around his neck.

Her soft body pressed against his chest.

She clung to him like an octopus.

Her forehead rested against his neck as she slept soundly.

Her black hair spilled loose, a few strands brushing Zhao Chi's face and making it itch.

Zhao Chi was utterly bewildered.

When did she climb up here?

She's holding on so tightly. No wonder I'm so hot and can barely breathe.

Zhao Chi opened the system. It was already 5:10 in the morning.

It would soon be six, when new female villagers would arrive.

Chapter 31: Stockings Improvement Book

He was just about to close the system.

But then he noticed the chat groups below were flashing.

Not only did the private groups have 99+ messages, even the official group had 99+ messages.

There were also several announcements and mass messages.

Was there an urgent notice?

Zhao Chi hurriedly opened it to check.

The first few were all voice messages from Chief Instructor Li Ruanyu.

Her voice was filled with anxiety and anger: