Watching Su Mu’s annoyed little glare, Chen Qing let go of her soft body in her arms, acting just like a scumbag who used someone and then discarded them.
Su Mu, who hadn’t steadied herself, staggered back a few steps before regaining her balance.
She wanted to lash out, but remembering that headless leader of the horse bandits from earlier, she could only curse him viciously in her heart.
Seeing Su Mu angry yet holding it all in, Chen Qing felt the trace of displeasure in her heart completely vanish. She continued washing the bloodstains off her body.
Thanks to the little interlude Chen Qing had deliberately created earlier, Su Mu felt too embarrassed to go chat with Shen Ling anymore.
She could only walk off alone, sitting sullenly by the riverbank and gloomily staring at the green fish swimming around inside.
The sky quickly darkened, with the orange slanting sun reflecting on the water’s surface.
Su Mu slowly opened her drowsy eyes, the rocking of her body easing her sleepiness.
“You’re awake.”
Chen Qing’s indifferent voice instantly dispelled the last of Su Mu’s sleepiness.
Only then did she realize that Chen Qing was carrying her with both legs lifted, holding her in a princess carry.
The light around them had already dimmed, with faint warm glow illuminating Chen Qing’s face.
From this angle, this brutal Villain actually looked pretty good-looking.
Su Mu was startled by the sudden thought that popped into her mind. She hadn’t expected herself to be swayed by mere beauty.
She had witnessed firsthand just how dangerous this brutal Villain was.
If she let her guard down because of her good looks, it would cost her her life.
“If I have to come find you next time, I’ll just toss you into the water to feed the fish.”
“G-Got it.”
Chen Qing’s icy voice solidified Su Mu’s resolve not to be seduced by her looks.
Chen Qing carried Su Mu back to the campsite where the bonfire was lit. Besides Shen Ling and Mu Qiuzi, there were also several people from the Departing Cloud Merchant Association.
These people were the survivors Chen Qing had rescued from the horse bandits. While Su Mu and Shen Ling had been discussing the Bone-Dissolving Water earlier, Mu Qiuzi had been settling them in.
“Heroine Chen is back.”
“Mm.”
Chen Qing gave a faint response and headed straight to her tent with Su Mu.
After spending just that bit of time together in the afternoon, these people from the Departing Cloud Merchant Association had already figured out Chen Qing’s aloof personality, so they didn’t pay it much mind.
Besides, Chen Qing was their guardian deity for the return trip to Cloud City—they couldn’t afford to offend her.
From the moment Chen Qing and Su Mu appeared, Shen Ling’s focus was different from everyone else’s.
While the others mostly fixated on the expert Chen Qing, Shen Ling’s gaze was on the soft Su Mu nestled in her arms.
After all, she still clearly remembered the scene where Chen Qing had kissed Su Mu so fiercely that she was left gasping for air.
Before witnessing that, like everyone else, she had thought Su Mu and Chen Qing were just traveling companions wandering the Jianghu.
But that kiss had changed her mind. She never imagined their relationship was like this.
And now, with the sky not even fully dark yet, the two of them were heading into the tent. Were they about to…
The thought of what they might do next made even Shen Ling, who was usually oblivious to matters of romance, blush faintly.
“Xiao Ling, what’s wrong?”
Seeing Shen Ling’s cheeks flush, Mu Qiuzi asked worriedly.
Though Shen Ling had drunk a little wine earlier, given Xiao Ling’s usual tolerance, that amount wouldn’t affect her at all. So why were her cheeks red now?
Hearing her young miss’s words snapped Shen Ling out of her citrus-scented fantasies. She coughed nervously.
“It’s nothing, Miss. Grandmaster Chen worked hard today slaughtering those horse bandits. We shouldn’t disturb them anymore.”
“Mm, I’ll tell everyone to keep quiet and stay away from Grandmaster Chen’s tent.”
Though she felt Shen Ling’s reaction was a bit odd, Mu Qiuzi agreed it made sense.
After butchering so many horse bandits today, even a powerhouse like Grandmaster Chen might be feeling tired.
They still needed her protection on the way back to Cloud City, so it was indeed necessary for her to rest well.
Inside the tent, Su Mu had no idea that Shen Ling outside had been staring at her the whole time.
But Chen Qing, with her exceptionally keen senses, naturally noticed that Shen Ling’s gaze had been fixed on Su Mu.
“Your social skills are pretty good, huh? In just this short time, someone’s already so concerned about you.”
Chen Qing herself didn’t realize that her words carried a faint hint of jealousy.
But Su Mu didn’t pick up on it and took it as this brutal Villain rarely praising her.
Though it felt a bit unbelievable, she still gave a shy smile.
“I-It’s not that impressive, really.”
As a social anxiety sufferer, being complimented on her social skills secretly thrilled her, diluting the tension of being alone with Chen Qing.
Seeing Su Mu’s bashful smile, Chen Qing’s forehead sprouted a few black lines.
Did this traitor really think she was praising her?
Chen Qing turned and sealed the tent flap tightly shut.
Watching Chen Qing’s actions, Su Mu was dumbfounded.
Wh-What was this about?!
Hadn’t she just been praising her? Had she somehow annoyed her again?
Su Mu’s little brain spun frantically, but she couldn’t figure out where the problem was.
Chen Qing paid no mind to Su Mu’s confusion and directly grabbed her wrist, pinning her down on the bed laid out on the ground.
“W-We already kissed today.”
Facing Chen Qing’s burning gaze, Su Mu said weakly, hoping to stop things from getting steamy.
But Su Mu’s feeble demeanor only fueled Chen Qing’s desire.
“Did I ever say once a day was enough? And just kissing isn’t sufficient.”
Chen Qing untied the silk ribbon at Su Mu’s waist, her cool fingers pressing against the warm, soft little belly.
Their faces drew closer and closer, warm breaths brushing Su Mu’s neck, tickling her with a numbing sensation.
The feeling of skin being traced by fingertips made Su Mu’s body tense up unconsciously.
Her soft, jade-like toes gripped the thin bedsheet, her foot arch curving slightly.
Su Mu’s hands clutched Chen Qing’s back, her eyes misty with spring desire, her breathing growing heavier.
Seeing Su Mu’s alluring expression and hearing her gasps that set the blood racing, Chen Qing’s movements grew even more fervent.
Night fell, filling the spacious tent with the sweet, citrusy fragrance.
Su Mu wrapped her slender, fair, and soft beautiful legs around the quilt, sleeping lazily in exhaustion.
Last night’s Chen Qing had been a bit gentler than the night before—at least her clothes were still intact.
Gazing at those tantalizingly white legs, Chen Qing made no effort to hold back and directly reached out to caress them.
The familiar sensation made Su Mu frown uneasily in her sleep, mumbling.
“N-No more… I know I was wrong. I won’t dare again.”
These were the lines this traitor had begged with last night.
Back then, Su Mu had been thoroughly ravished to tears, sobbing pleas for mercy.
