"If you want to be boyfriend and girlfriend, I'm fine with that — I'm just worried about you," Yang Kai said, catching Zhu Qing's small hand and gently rubbing it between his fingers. "Feeling like it's too much of a burden?"
Tsk, tsk. Her hand was silky smooth and fair as could be — stroking it felt like running his fingers across the finest silk, and he was reluctant to let go.
Zhu Qing furrowed her brow, glanced at Yang Kai's brazen hands, squirmed a little, then pulled her hand free and turned her head away. "Stop that. It's weird."
Yang Kai straightened his face. "Wasn't it you who said you wanted to be boyfriend and girlfriend?"
Zhu Qing looked at him curiously. "Boyfriend and girlfriend do things like this?"
"Of course." Yang Kai breathed hot air from his nostrils. "This is just the basics."
A hint of hesitation crept into Zhu Qing's expression. "So what else is there?"
Yang Kai stroked his chin, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "Lots and lots of things…"
"Give me some examples and I'll see if I can… manage." A rosy blush crept up Zhu Qing's delicate neck, as though she was beginning to realize what he was getting at.
That look was enough to set his blood racing. Yang Kai quickly drew a deep breath to quell the turbulence in his chest, then let himself lie back against Zhu Qing's firm, rounded thighs, resting the crown of his head against her lower abdomen. "Comfortable," he sighed. "Just give me a little massage first and we'll see how it goes."
Zhu Qing's face flushed red. Even though this wasn't their first time being this close — they'd been even more intimate before — her heart still hammered and a flutter of panic rippled through her.
She raised both hands, pressing her thumbs lightly against Yang Kai's temples, and rotated them in gentle circles.
The tension drained from every bone in Yang Kai's body. He felt as though he'd floated up into the clouds, bobbing up and down, so comfortable he nearly cried out. He thought to himself that this girl was actually being quite cooperative — maybe he should drop his guard and, step by step, really get to know her better.
Then, without warning, a savage burst of force slammed into his temples, as if two massive hammers had struck at the same instant. Yang Kai's face twisted in an instant, and his eyes flew wide open.
"You think I'm so clueless I'll just let you do whatever you want!" Zhu Qing hissed through gritted teeth, unleashing a terrifying strength capable of moving mountains and draining seas. Her two thumbs bored into Yang Kai's temples like drill bits, grinding back and forth with brutal force.
"I'm gonna die, gonna die, gonna die!" Yang Kai's head was locked in place, his entire body pinned. He slapped frantically at the ground.
"I may have left Dragon Island for the first time, but I'm no fool. Stop taking advantage of me!" Zhu Qing's teeth were clenched, her hands never ceasing.
In that single moment Yang Kai felt caught somewhere between ecstasy and agony. His whole body went stiff. He arched upward, sprang off the ground, and kicked a foot straight at Zhu Qing's head.
Zhu Qing raised a hand and blocked the strike effortlessly, using the momentum to rise to her feet and put some distance between them. She glared at him, huffing with indignation.
Yang Kai swayed a few times, still feeling light-headed and seeing stars. He nearly lost his balance. "You played innocent on me — now that's just not funny," he declared with righteous outrage.
It felt like a genuine betrayal. A massive wound had opened somewhere deep inside.
"I've had enough of you," Zhu Qing snapped through clenched teeth.
"It's not like I asked you to stay. You're the one who's been lounging around here refusing to leave — and now you're blaming me?"
Zhu Qing's chest heaved. It was as though a volcano rumbled inside her ribcage, ready to erupt at any moment. She stamped her foot. "Fine! From now on, I won't bother you again, and don't you dare come looking for me!"
"Ha!" Yang Kai planted his hands on his hips, spittle flying. "Every woman in the world could drop dead and I still wouldn't come looking for you."
Zhu Qing's face went ice-cold in an instant, as though a layer of frost could be scraped from it. A shimmer of mist appeared in her beautiful eyes. "Remember what you just said."
She turned and walked away.
Yang Kai snorted, raising a hand in a lazy wave. "Off you go — I won't see you out!"
But Zhu Qing had already vanished without a trace.
A figure flickered, and Hua Qingsi appeared atop the mountain peak, glancing at Yang Kai before looking in the direction Zhu Qing had departed. "Having a fight?"
"We had nothing to say to each other," Yang Kai huffed coldly.
"If you chase her now, you can still catch up — she hasn't gone far." Hua Qingsi gazed into the distance. "Women — just humor them a little and it's fine. The fact that she's angry with you means she cares."
"She's got ulterior motives." Yang Kai curled his lip, then turned to look at Hua Qingsi. "What do you want?"
Hua Qingsi's voice grew somber. "They've come."
Yang Kai's expression turned sharp. A cold smile crossed his face. "So they really have. Come — let me show you what disciples of a Great Emperor are made of."
Outside the mountain gate of Lingxiao Palace, beyond the sect-protecting grand formation, an enormous tower ship hung suspended in midair like a dark cloud pressing down from above, blotting out a vast stretch of sky.
On the deck, five figures stood.
Ji Ying stood at the very front, his expression dark and grim as he waited. Beside him, flanking him like bodyguards, stood Li Jiao, Palace Master of the Dragon Palace, and Mi Qi, Sect Master of the Mitian Sect. Behind those two were Ji Ying's disciples, and among them was Li Xuan.
Li Xuan had lost more than half his teeth, and even now his cheeks remained swollen.