I'm not dead!
Faced with the terror of death, A Zhu had screamed in fright, but the pain she had expected did not follow.
Instead, she felt something holding her, and the disguise mask on her face was forcibly ripped away.
"It really is you, A Zhu!"
A man's voice, tinged with delight, came from beside her ear.
How does he know me?
Curious and worried, A Zhu realized that he had captured her, and only then did she dare open her eyes.
"Scared? Still, I have to say, you really are quite pretty."
Xu Xiao met A Zhu's angry, embarrassed gaze. With a beauty in his arms, he felt his heart beat a little faster.
Truth be told, he was still a novice who had never tasted meat. In the apocalypse, he had never had the chance to think about such things.
It was only during those days in the Langhuan Blessed Land, watching Duan Yu and Zhong Ling dote on each other every day, as sweet together as honey blended with oil, that he realized he had such needs too.
But he would not be a licking dog like Duan Yu. He chose to face his desires head-on and use force to satisfy his needs.
To be honest, A Zhu was indeed exceptionally beautiful. She had an oval face, willow-leaf brows, and a pair of large eyes that had grown misty with fear, stirring pity.
With the feel of the beauty in his arms and her refreshing feminine fragrance constantly drifting into his nose, Xu Xiao felt his heart beating faster.
This had nothing to do with love. It was simply the most primal expression of human desire when faced with an outstanding member of the opposite sex.
Xu Xiao's appraising, predatory gaze made A Zhu feel extremely uncomfortable, as though someone had stripped her naked.
She twisted her body, trying to break free from his arms.
"Let me go! Let me go at once! If you want to beat me or kill me, do as you please. What kind of hero or honorable man molests me like this?"
"Molest you? You said I could do as I pleased, so why are you afraid of a little molestation?"
Smiling at A Zhu's disbelieving gaze, Xu Xiao kissed her delicate red lips.
The kiss left not only her stunned, but Jiumozhi, who stood nearby, as well.
Such a formidable expert is actually a lust-starved ghost!
Silently chanting Amitabha, Jiumozhi chose to stick his head between his legs, not daring to look any longer.
Whether Xu Xiao was a lust-starved ghost or merely showing his true nature, Jiumozhi dared not get involved. He only prayed that Xu Xiao would really let him go once he was done.
Her lips felt soft and a little cool.
Xu Xiao was a novice too. In a place like the apocalypse, he had focused solely on survival and had not considered anything else.
The kiss had been an entirely instinctive act.
The next second, a pain shot through his lips. Xu Xiao felt someone bite him.
Fortunately, he had little experience and had merely pressed his lips against hers in a daze, so she had only bitten through his lip.
If he had stuck out his tongue, she might have bitten off a good chunk of it.
Xu Xiao lifted his head. Rather than feeling angry at being hurt, he found A Zhu's furious, tearful gaze amusing.
For the first time, he felt desire for a woman. He was determined to have her.
"Your lips are very soft. No wonder so many people like doing this. It really is wonderful."
Xu Xiao spoke his true thoughts. As a novice, he felt that this was one of the few moments of pleasure he had experienced in his more than twenty years of life.
Compared with the scrawny, filthy women in the apocalypse, a great beauty like A Zhu was the kind who could arouse a man's desire.
"You! You're... shameless!" At Xu Xiao's shameless words, the tears that had welled in A Zhu's eyes finally slid down the corners of her eyes.
She flailed with her hands and feet, scratching wildly as she struggled to get out of his arms.
For the first time, she hated herself for not knowing martial arts and being unable to resist the unfairness of fate.
What could a weak woman who knew no martial arts possibly do with her hands and feet in the arms of a man possessing decades of Internal Energy?
"Be quiet and behave yourself. I won't treat you badly."
It was also Xu Xiao's first time using his power to bully men and women. Lacking experience, he could only put on a stern face and make a promise.
"Get lost! I'll never submit to you."
Seeing that she could not break free, the strong-willed A Zhu parted her pearly teeth, intending to bite off her tongue and kill herself.
Unfortunately, he had still underestimated Xu Xiao's ability to react.
Two fingers reached out and pinched her slightly fleshy cheeks, and no matter how she tried, she could not bite down.
"Vile thief..." Fire seemed ready to burst from A Zhu's eyes, but there was nothing she could do.
Although Xu Xiao had never learned martial arts moves, he had absorbed the Internal Energy of eighty percent of the martial artists in Dali City and now possessed decades' worth.
Nourished by Internal Energy, both his strength and speed far exceeded what ordinary people could imagine.
Trying to kill oneself in front of Xu Xiao was utterly impossible.
"Young master, use your Internal Energy to strike her Tiantu acupoint. It will leave her unable to move for two hours."
At the crucial moment, it was Jiumozhi who spoke up to remind him.
Xu Xiao did as he was told and tapped A Zhu once on her fair, smooth neck, which was like white jade.
In an instant, the fierce expression still on her face, A Zhu's head drooped, and she could no longer move.
Only then did Xu Xiao put her down and restrain her with Telekinesis. He turned to look at Jiumozhi beside him:
"You certainly know your stuff. Looks like I really do need to study martial arts."
"Young master, you flatter me. Striking acupoints is only a skill. Compared with your divine ability, it is but a minor trick."
Jiumozhi continued to flatter him. He had just seen the metal shard stop instantly from a high speed, and his admiration for Xu Xiao had deepened.
Telekinesis, controlled and released at will, was far more wondrous than the martial arts he had always pursued.
"All right, Jiumozhi, I keep my word. Now that I've reached the Murong Family's island, you're no use to me anymore. Go on your way."
Xu Xiao's thoughts were entirely on A Zhu now, and he no longer kept Jiumozhi around.
He kept his word, and he had already punished Jiumozhi several times along the way.
Besides, the only reason he disliked the monk was his characterization in the story and the primal cruelty of Tibetan Buddhism. There was no reason he absolutely had to kill him.
Xu Xiao had absorbed most of Jiumozhi's nearly forty years of Internal Energy. Even if he let him go back, he could only be a monk who chanted scriptures and prayed to Buddha, unable to stir up any waves.
"This..." Jiumozhi was overjoyed for a moment. He had not expected Xu Xiao to actually let him go and briefly forgot to answer.
"What? You don't want to leave?"
"I do, I do! This humble monk does! Thank you for your great mercy, young master. You're a truly good man who always keeps his word!"
Jiumozhi was so excited he was almost in tears. As he spoke flattering words, he bowed in thanks.
Xu Xiao waved his hand, and the bit on Jiumozhi came undone by itself:
"Go on, go on. Don't stand here offending this young master's eyes."
Once the bit that symbolized his enslavement came off, Jiumozhi tucked two crutches under his arms and hurried toward the other end of Swallow Dock, as if afraid Xu Xiao would change his mind.
But on this isolated island surrounded by water, with all four of the great monk's limbs crippled and little Internal Energy left, getting back to Gusu City would still be difficult.
Of course, none of that was Xu Xiao's concern.
At that moment, his gaze was fixed entirely on A Zhu beside him.
Making no attempt to hide the desire filling his eyes, Xu Xiao reached for the immobilized A Zhu again after Jiumozhi left.
"Now that there's no one else around, let's continue our exchange."