He chuckled and stepped forward, extending a finger to lightly pinch the tip of Gouyu's pert, delicate nose. "Fine, I'll take just this little bit. We'll call it even."
In the instant Jiang Chen reached out, Gouyu's heart nearly leaped into her throat. Although she was strong-willed and refused to be outdone by any man, she was still a woman at heart. She had always hidden her feminine shyness behind that fierce exterior of hers.
Now that the moment had actually arrived, a maiden's bashfulness — combined with skin that had never been touched by another — made her involuntarily tense up.
For a moment, she truly believed Jiang Chen was going to go through with it.
Who would have thought that Jiang Chen, treating something light as though it were weighty, merely pinched her nose tip as lightly as a dragonfly skimming the water. The gesture was like a doting older brother showing affection to a neighboring little sister — warm and innocent.
Gouyu's heart pounded wildly. Though a faint sense of loss tugged at her, she also felt an inexplicable relief. Her emotions were in complete turmoil.
"Come on, let's go see Ruo'er," Jiang Chen said with a smile, turning and walking a few steps ahead.
Seeing that Jiang Chen truly harbored no ill intentions, Princess Gouyu let out a long breath. She composed herself, gathered her courage, and walked up to him. Her bright eyes and white teeth looked particularly radiant in the morning sunlight. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly as though summoning every ounce of her strength, and she said, "Jiang Chen, no matter what you think of me — you're the first man to touch me. From this day forward, I won't let anyone else touch me."
After uttering those words, Princess Gouyu felt nearly drained. She could never have imagined that speaking certain things aloud could truly be more difficult than facing an army of a million.
"Stop overthinking it. If Ruo'er sees you looking like this, she'll really think I did something to you," Jiang Chen said with a laugh.
A trace of warm amusement curved Princess Gouyu's lips. "Ruo'er is too innocent to jump to conclusions like that."
"Indeed innocent — she doesn't even know what 'spitting blood from one's mouth' means, haha."
Jiang Chen burst into laughter. Princess Gouyu's face flushed red all over again. She bit her lip and stamped her foot. "Jiang Chen, you really are a terrible scoundrel!"
The "spitting blood from one's mouth" reference came from that banquet at the Dragon Rising Marquis's estate, when Jiang Chen had used it to counter Bai Zhanyun, heir of the White
Princess Gouyu trailed behind, keeping a distance from Jiang Chen. Watching the young man's back, she felt a complex swirl of emotions. The way he'd pinched her nose just now — intimate yet innocent — had stirred up a flood of feelings inside her. Even her own brothers, Dongfang Jun and Dongfang Lu, born into the imperial family and functioning like power-hungry machines, had never shown her such tender, affectionate gestures. Jiang Chen's simple action gave her a glimpse of the kind of care an older brother might offer, evoking a maiden's tender sentiment for a boy-next-door.
And yet, this Jiang Chen was actually five or six years younger than her.
When Dongfang Zhiruo woke up, the first thing she wanted was to find Brother Jiang Chen. Seeing him and Princess Gouyu arrive, she was delighted. She grabbed Jiang Chen's hand and said sweetly, "Brother Jiang Chen, you know what? Now that I'm in the Royal Capital, I don't even want to take a carriage when I go out anymore."
"Why's that?" Jiang Chen asked, puzzled.
"I love riding the Golden-Winged Sword Bird!" Dongfang Zhiruo hooked her arm through his and gently shook it, pleading, "Brother Jiang Chen, how about you give me a Golden-Winged Sword Bird? What do you say?"
It was hardly unusual for a young girl to want pets and flashy things. Riding a Golden-Winged Sword Bird was far more impressive than riding in a carriage.
"A Golden-Winged Sword Bird is an intelligent spirit bird. If I just gave you one, I'm afraid it would be difficult for you to tame. How about this — I'll give you a Green-Winged Sword Bird chick. You can raise it from when it's young. I'll provide some pills to help you feed it gradually. After a few years, it will surely evolve into a Golden-Winged Sword Bird. Once you've built a bond with it, it will be even more loyal."
For some reason, Jiang Chen could be rather sharp-tongued with Princess Gouyu at times. But with Dongfang Zhiruo, he was endlessly patient. Deep down, he truly saw her as a little sister — perhaps because she possessed the Extreme Yin Body, just as he had in his previous life, and they shared the same fate.
He spent the whole day patiently keeping Dongfang Zhiruo company. During that entire time, he paid no attention whatsoever to the invasion of the Black Moon Kingdom or the unstable situation of the Eastern Kingdom. He simply wandered around with Dongfang Zhiruo.
Princess Gouyu accompanied them as well.
They played until dusk, and Dongfang Zhiruo still hadn't had her fill. But she was an obedient girl and knew that her aunt must have traveled to Jianghan Territory for an important reason.
"Brother Jiang Chen, Aunt, let's head back. After a whole day of fun, Ruo'er is getting tired."
After returning to Bojiang City and finishing dinner, Jiang Chen looked at Princess Gouyu, who seemed to want to say something but kept holding back, and gave a gentle smile. "You should get some rest too. This Jianghan Territory is where my Jiang family was born and raised. As long as I, Jiang Chen, am here, the filthy iron hooves of the Black Moon Kingdom will never set foot on this land — not a single step."
Princess Gouyu's lovely eyes shimmered, glistening as though about to overflow with tears. She asked, "And what else?"