"Where... where did you go just now?" Sun Jiangman asked in a trembling voice, "Where did you go before the Venomous Snake Gang arrived?!"
"I'm going to find some food." Gu Chen said in a deep voice, "You've suffered such a terrible ordeal, and your body has been severely depleted; you need to replenish your energy. Although I'm also very weak, I am, after all, a man. Even if it was an accident, I still have to take responsibility for you."
"You!" Sun Jiangman's eyes welled up with tears, and her lips trembled violently.
"Kill me." Gu Chen closed his eyes again and said, "If killing me will make you feel better, then kill me."
"Smack--"
Sun Jiangman's dagger fell to the ground in an instant. She shook her head listlessly, clearly in great pain.
Gu Chen had been waiting for this moment. Now, Sun Jiangman's heart was pounding with unrest and in complete disarray. He rushed forward, embraced her tightly, and said, "I will take responsibility for you. I swear."
Gu Chen was very strong. At first, Sun Jiangman was still struggling, but lying in his arms, she gradually lost her strength. Zuo Ting's breathing became more rapid, and her heart was beating so fast that she almost suffocated.
More than ten minutes later, Gu Chen finally released Sun Jiangman.
However, Sun Jiangman was already asleep in his arms, with tear stains still remaining at the corners of her eyes.
Sigh— Gu Chen felt a pang of heartache. Although he had managed to smooth things over with great difficulty, he still felt he had deceived Sun Jiangman.
"Sorry."
Gu Chen sighed inwardly. This was a helpless move, a way to protect her, and also to protect himself.
But Gu Chen was right about one thing: now that he has been reborn and has had a relationship with Sun Jiangman, she is his woman, and he will take responsibility for her regardless of whether Sun Jiangman needs him or not.
Gu Chen didn't dare disturb Sun Jiangman. The forest on Xiaoxiang Peak was very cool, with miasma and fog. Fearing that Sun Jiangman a cold, Gu Chen gathered some dry branches and leaves and lit a fire on one side. He then quietly watched Sun Jiangman.
Now, all that could be heard was the crackling of the flames. The corpses on the ground seemed to have merged into the soil. Gu Chen closed his eyes and meditated, remaining motionless like a stone statue.
"A soft moan--"
As the sky grew increasingly pale, the morning light filtered through the leaves, illuminating Sun Jiangman's flawless face. She let out a soft moan, her eyelashes trembling slightly as she slowly opened her eyes.
But seeing Gu Chen not far from her, Sun Jiangman's expression was extremely complicated. After a long while, she sighed, stood up, and prepared to leave.
"Where are you going?" Gu Chen suddenly called out to her.
Turning around, Sun Jiangman saw that Gu Chen's eyes were already open, shining with a light like the morning star. Her heart skipped a beat, but her expression remained extremely cold as she said, "It's none of your business."
Although they had only spent one night together, Gu Chen had a general idea of what kind of temperament this young lady from a prominent family was, so he quickly walked up to Sun Jiangman and said, "I'll go out with you."
"No need!" Sun Jiangman said coldly.
"Let's go." Without waiting for a reply, Gu Chen carried Sun Jiangman on his back.
Sun Jiangman was momentarily dazed, forgetting to struggle or resist, until Gu Chen's hands cupped her buttocks, at which point she came to her senses and cried out in embarrassment and anger, "What are you doing!"
"Don't move around." Gu Chen said calmly, "You carried me before, now that you're injured, it's my turn to carry you and protect you."
Gu Chen's sweet words flowed effortlessly. Sun Jiangman wanted to retort, but couldn't bring herself to say anything. While she was distracted, Gu Chen had already headed out of the forest.
"You... what family are you from? You're so strong, why haven't I seen you before?"
On Gu Chen's back, Sun Jiangman felt a wave of security wash over her, making her feel weak and breathless. Suppressing this feeling, Sun Jiangman tried to make conversation.
"In short, I'm not from any family in your Land of Heaven and Earth, so it's normal that you haven't seen me before," Gu Chen said with a faint smile.
"Then where did you come from?" Sun Jiangman continued to ask.
"I come from a mysterious family." Gu Chen's face showed a look of reminiscence as he said, "Everyone in my family is very powerful. In my family, there were people who didn't want me to live. After expelling me from the family, they even tried to kill me."
Sun Jiangman didn't know Gu Chen was referring to his affairs with the Gu Family. Hearing this, she asked in surprise, "You're so powerful, yet your family still wants to drive you away? They even want to kill you?"
"Yes." Gu Chen thought of his uncle Gu Changfeng and cousin Gu Mingheng, a sharp glint in his eyes, and said, "Because I've been through some things, their foundations are deeper than mine. In their eyes, bringing me down is easier than killing an ant. So after being kicked out, I worked hard to improve my strength..."
"So now you're... a cripple, isn't everything over?" Sun Jiangman wanted to say that you'd lost your virginity, but she found it hard to bring herself to say it.
"It's alright," Gu Chen said nonchalantly. "I can cultivate my inner strength again, so don't worry about me."
"Who's worried about you!" Sun Jiangman proud nature, naturally wouldn't admit it. However, thinking of the man who had already been intimate with her behind her back, she sighed softly and said, "Why don't you come with me to the Land of Heaven and Earth? Your mysterious family is so powerful; I think you must be close to the Grandmaster Realm. If you can't even fight against that kind of strength, it'll be very dangerous for you outside."
"To the Land of Heaven and Earth?" Gu Chen chuckled. "Will you protect me?"
"My family may not be considered a major family in the Land of Heaven and Earth, but it's not insignificant either," Sun Jiangman said proudly. "Moreover, in the Land of Heaven and Earth, it's incredibly difficult for ordinary people to enter; they wouldn't be able to find you anyway."
"Okay," Gu Chen said, "Then I'll live off my wife from now on."
"What do you mean by 'living off a woman'? Once you recover your strength, you can leave," Sun Jiangman said coldly.
Gu Chen smiled but didn't answer.
The forest was filled with the sounds of birds, beasts, and insects. As dawn broke, everything was thriving. The two walked in silence and soon reached the edge of the forest, re-entering Xiaoxiang Peak.
Dudu--
A car horn sounded, and Gu Chen Gu Chen to see an SUV pull up and stop in front of him. A boy jumped out of the back seat.
"What are you?!" The boy, who was fairly handsome and looked a year or two younger than Gu Chen, glared at him angrily and roared, "Let go of my sister right now!"
"Your sister?" Gu Chen was taken aback and was about to turn around and ask Sun Jiangman.
Unexpectedly, Sun Jiangman struggled to get off Gu Chen's back and then said coldly, "Sun Da, do you want to die?"
"Sister!" The newcomers were two servants from the Sun Family and their young master, Sun Da. Seeing that Sun Jiangman hadn't been kidnapped, Sun Da breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Are you alright? We didn't find you this morning. Uncle Ma told us you came to Xiaoxiang Peak to investigate, and you haven't returned all night. We rushed out to look for you."
Uncle Ma also got out of the car. His sharp eyes first swept over Gu Chen before turning to Sun Jiangman and saying, "Miss, I just asked the locals, and they said there was a gang fight here yesterday. We were worried about you, so we came over. Are you alright?"
"It's alright." Sun Jiangman nodded to Uncle Ma and said, "Now that the car is here, let's start again."
"Wait, sis." Sun Da looked at Sun Jiangman's clothes and asked in surprise, "Where are your clothes from yesterday? Why are you wearing men's clothes?"
"Your clothes from yesterday are ruined." Sun Jiangman's heart tightened, but her face remained cold. She said, "It's just a change of clothes, why all the fuss?"
"No, that's not right," Sun Da said suspiciously. "Big sister, aren't you a germaphobe? Why are you wearing men's clothes like that?"
"These are your brother-in-law's clothes. Why would I be a germaphobe?" Sun Jiangman blurted out, annoyed by Sun Da.
After saying this, not only Sun Da was stunned, but even Uncle Ma Sister-in-law Hua and Gu Chen were instantly stunned!