At the entrance of the training room, Guan Ya watched as the others carried Yuanshi across the living room and into the guest bedroom. Only then did she pull her gaze back, somewhat relieved. Next, pushing open the brown-lacquered wooden door, she glared at Fu Qingyang inside the training room and snapped:
"You went way too far! You're the one whose mouth had no filter, yet you blame others for repeating it?"
Fu Qingyang was using a wet wipe to elegantly clean his hands. He said indifferently, "Not a single injury on Yuanshi was superfluous. I judged my limits with absolute precision."
"His leg was snapped, and you call that precision? You—" Guan Ya seemed to realize something. Her angry look receded, replaced by an astonished scrutiny of her cousin, sudden understanding dawning on her. "Oh~ Is that how she beat you up back then?"
Fu Qingyang's face darkened. "None of your business."
Guan Ya chuckled with schadenfreude.
Fu Qingyang turned his head toward Elder Dog and gave a nod. "Elder, the meeting is over. If there is nothing else, I will not see you out."
"Tsk, now that you've advanced to Dominator, you speak even more rudely."
Sitting on his haunches, Elder Dog rose, lifted a paw off the cushion, and in the next second, vanished from the training room.
Having sent off the outsider, Fu Qingyang looked at his cousin, his brow slightly furrowing. "What's going on between you and Yuanshi? Have you established a relationship?"
Guan Ya flatly denied it. "Of course not. He is pursuing me, though, and I haven't agreed. Your cousin has never lacked suitors, after all."
Fu Qingyang spoke with a trace of sarcasm: "An ordinary suitor wouldn't make you so anxious. The tone and look you gave me just now were as if I'd murdered your husband."
Before a Scout's Insight, any disguise was futile.
Guan Ya simply dropped the act and shrugged. "Fine, I have feelings for him. That's only normal. He's good-looking, talented, and says sweet things. To a woman, he's far more appealing than a stone-faced poser like you who acts cool all day."
Fu Qingyang ignored his cousin's mockery and said, "I was on the phone with the family last night. The clan elders are pleased with your advancement to Saint. You showed off your talent nicely, but that doesn't seem to be a good thing. The calls within the clan in favor of the political marriage have grown louder—for instance, from my dear aunt, and her ex-husband of many years."
Guan Ya's expression shifted slightly.
Fu Qingyang continued, "Your talent made the Miller family very pleased. They believe you possess Dominator potential and can bear descendants with superior bloodlines for the Miller family.
"Your father felt deeply honored. He can hardly wait to take a flight to Songhai right now and drag you back for the marriage alliance. After all, the Miller family is one of the ten great factions within Heaven's Punishment, making them an important boost to his political career."
With a dark expression, Guan Ya sneered, "Then why hasn't he come?"
Fu Qingyang let out a cold sneer as well. "Because this stone-faced cousin of yours who loves acting cool told him: if he dares step foot into Songhai, I'll make Guan Ya a fatherless child."
Guan Ya let out a sigh of relief.
Fu Qingyang put away his sneer and said calmly, "The clan has to take my stance seriously, but how long can I protect you? A man should take a wife and a woman should marry; you are already twenty-six. As your younger cousin, holding you back from marriage defies reason. Such things can be done once or twice, but not indefinitely.
"Yuanshi's talent is exceptional. If not for the Miller family, I believe the elders would gladly approve of your relationship. But a lone genius ultimately cannot compete with a massive clan.
"By marrying into the Miller family, the Fu family's overseas influence will reach new heights, yielding immeasurable benefits on both political and business fronts. These are things Yuanshi cannot provide right now.
"Granted, there are farsighted investors within the clan, and Yuanshi's potential is enormous. Many will favor him. But your fiancé's talent is quite good as well—he amounts to roughly half a piece of trash.
"So I suspect those old fogies in the clan will arrange it like this: they will introduce young, beautiful women from the family to Yuanshi Tianzun, having them replace you."
To be regarded by him as half a piece of trash meant the man was indeed an outstanding talent... Irritated, Guan Ya asked, "What do you think?"
"Don't ask me!" Fu Qingyang's tone was cool. "This is your personal affair, so you should handle it yourself. You must always make the major decisions in your own life; that way, if you regret it, you have only yourself to blame.
"If you like Yuanshi and believe you have a future together, fight the clan to the end. If he fails to give you a sense of security and leaves you pessimistic about the future, marrying into the Miller family might not be a bad choice after all."
Fu Qingyang added, "I'm going upstairs to change. Two guests will be here shortly. Think it over carefully."
With that, he left the training room.
*A future? What future could we possibly have? He is so young, so alone and isolated...*
Guan Ya opened her mouth as if to speak, but ultimately fell silent. She stood alone in the training room for a long time.
On the soft bed, the bunny girl opened a first-aid kit, cleaned the blood from Zhang Yuanqing's body with alcohol, and then used external fixation equipment to set the fractured bone in his right leg.
Once she finished, Zhang Yuanqing waved his hand. "That's enough. I'll recover after lying down for half an hour."
Given a Starlord's self-healing capabilities, barring instant death or the inability to regenerate severed limbs, all other injuries could heal with time.
After the bunny girl stepped out, Zhang Yuanqing glared at Bailong, Qingteng, and the others, barking, "Don't go posting the video, or I'll settle scores with you!"
"Sure, sure!" Bailong and the others chorused their agreement. "Rest up, Yuanshi, we won't disturb you."
The group quickly exited the room. Right as the door closed, Zhang Yuanqing heard Qingteng say, "We need to edit the video and cut out the talking."
Then came Li Dongze's voice: "Delete those close-up photos of his face; they're not very elegant. Well, if you can sell them for cash, pretend I said nothing."
Zhang Yuanqing: "..."
*I'll settle scores with you once my leg heals...* he muttered, closing his eyes to carefully review his battle with Fu Qingyang (before the beating).
*Fu Qingyang is a Scout with sharp sword qi. Combined with his guaranteed-hit slash, he is virtually invincible in a duel...*
Although he had used his unique Night Roamer traits to counter the rule-based power, it held little practical value in real combat. For one thing, neither had used items; Fu Qingyang hadn't been able to employ any means besides his slash.
For another, manipulating his body like a puppet had too much of a "lag." It was only viable during a friendly spar; in a life-or-death battle, relying on that trick would get him chopped to pieces in minutes.
Until he acquired an exceptionally strong defensive item, he couldn't engage Fu Qingyang in close combat.
As he was pondering, the guest room door opened.
Wearing a loose training uniform, Guan Ya walked in.
"Are you alright?" She glanced at the splint on Zhang Yuanqing's leg.
"Minor issue. Sit down and chat with me; by the time we're done talking, I'll be fine." Zhang Yuanqing patted the edge of the bed.
Guan Ya smiled radiantly. "You look like a little boy waiting for his mom to tell a bedtime story."
She naturally sat down by the edge of the bed. Zhang Yuanqing immediately sat up, spread his arms, and reached around her slender waist with a chuckle.
"Actually, I'm the Big Bad Wolf waiting for Little Red Riding Hood to walk right into my trap..."
The moment his hands touched the taut curves of Guan Ya's waist, she pulled back as if jolted by an electric shock, rejecting intimacy with him.
Zhang Yuanqing froze, staring blankly at her.
A flash of guilt surfaced in Guan Ya's eyes. She parted her lips as though to explain, but when the words came, she said, "Yuanshi, don't always be like this..."
Zhang Yuanqing stared at her for several seconds, his brow gradually furrowing. "Sister Guan Ya, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," Guan Ya shook her head and said. "I was just thinking... we are only colleagues, after all."
*You really sound like a heartbreaker when you talk like that...* Zhang Yuanqing gave an "oh" and grinned.
"Then go ahead. I want to rest alone for a bit."
Guan Ya was taken aback instead. She hadn't expected him to say that. Her eyes dimmed, and without another word, she turned toward the door.
*Click!*
Just as she turned the doorknob and prepared to pull the door open, her body suddenly froze.
A chilling force latched onto her back, stripping away control of her body.
Uncontrollably, Guan Ya turned around and walked toward the edge of the bed. Yet she showed no panic, looking somewhat puzzled instead as she knit her brows. "Yuanshi?"
The moment the word fell, she tumbled forward onto the bed, falling straight into Zhang Yuanqing's embrace.
Immediately after, the spirit body attached to her disappeared, and the man beneath her threw his arms around her, hugging her waist tightly.
"Yuanshi, pulling this trick again..."
Propping her hands on either side of Zhang Yuanqing, Guan Ya raised her head. Annoyance rippled in her eyes as she snapped, "If you act like you did last night, I'll beat you up."
Though her words were sharp, compared to the gloom and despondency when she had turned to leave, being dragged back like this had actually brightened her mood.
Zhang Yuanqing said, "I won't take advantage of you. I just think we ought to talk. Any estrangement and misunderstanding stem from a lack of communication."
Although he was no expert at dating, he was skilled in interpersonal dynamics; melodramatic misunderstandings wouldn't happen on his watch.
Seeing Guan Ya remain silent, he followed up, "What happened?"
Guan Ya hesitated, then laughed softly. "Nothing much. It's just that your size is too small; I'm considering whether to switch to a larger one."
However, what met her was neither playful banter nor teasing anger. Zhang Yuanqing's gaze was exceptionally calm, even profoundly deep. "Sister Guan Ya, if all you know how to do is run away, how am I supposed to reach your heart?"
From Guan Ya's behavior just now, he realized that the trouble indicated in his Palace of Affinity wasn't just social.
His romantic affairs were facing issues too.
That was why he had spoken those words.
He had to admit that while Astromancy lacked direct combat capability, the skill was extraordinarily useful. It always provided an advance warning; even if there was some variance in interpretation, it let him wake up to reality in time and resolve the looming issues.
Guan Ya stared blankly for a moment. Her expression softened, and she smiled. "Yuanshi, only now do you make me feel a sense of security."
Her smile faded right after, and she lowered her voice: "The clan wants to arrange a marriage for me with the Miller family of Heaven's Punishment. They're a faction even greater than the Fu family. Heaven's Punishment spans the entire world; it's the largest and most powerful Spirit Realm organization.
"I ran away from the Fu family and turned to Fu Qingyang specifically to resist the clan's marriage plans. The reason I didn't want to level up was also because of this—the Miller family wouldn't permit a Transcendent-stage woman to bear an heir for them.
"Yet I didn't expect they still haven't given up on the idea. Later, Fu Qingyang told me that by demonstrating sufficient value, I would have leverage to negotiate with the clan."
*So that's what it was. I remember now—Fu Qingyang mentioned the marriage alliance before... I recall the island nation's Thousand Cranes Group is backed by Heaven's Punishment. Asano Ryo should have a deep understanding of that organization and the Miller family...* Zhang Yuanqing thought for a moment, then said:
"You don't want to break with your family, and you're even more afraid that I'll offend the Fu family over this and hit a wall in my promotions. You're also worried that friction between the Fu family and the Miller family will cause losses?"
Guan Ya nodded reluctantly. "My parents divorced many years ago, and I'm not close to them. But I get along very well with some of the elders and sisters in the clan. I don't want to cut ties with my family. Without kin, life would be far too lonely."
Zhang Yuanqing was about to ask, "Then what do you want to do?" when suddenly, the teachings of his life mentor surfaced in his mind: *A sense of security comes from shouldering everything in major matters and resolving every problem.*
He said, "You are in the Saint stage now. Even without the clan's protection and support, you can live very comfortably. The Centurion urged you to level up to tell you that strength can free you from dependence on your family."
Guan Ya was not comforted and gave a perfunctory nod.
Zhang Yuanqing changed his tone. "By mid-next year at the latest, or by the end of the year at the earliest, I will advance to Dominator. When that time comes, I'll go propose to the Fu family. For a dignified Dominator to marry an abandoned daughter of the Fu family, wouldn't it be as easy as turning over my palm?"
Guan Ya stared at him for a few seconds, as if confirming something in her heart. A smile finally broke out across her face as she scoffed, "What relationship do we even have? Why on earth would I marry you?"
The hand Zhang Yuanqing had around her slender waist slowly slid down toward her buttocks. "You tell me, what relationship do we have?"
***
Jinshan City.
The weather was overcast. Unlike the torrential downpour in Songhai, although dark clouds stretched over adjacent Jinshan City, they brought cool air rather than a rainstorm.
The bustling crowd was still hustling for a living.
At a corner milk-tea shop, a young man wearing a blue safety helmet and a delivery uniform was heroically guzzling milk tea beneath the gloomy sky.
"Beiyue, while delivering takeout yesterday, I came across a freelancer. I think we can recruit him into the Spirit Society, but I'm not sure if he's committed any crimes recently. I'm afraid the official faction might have their eyes on him."
The baby-faced Human Blood Bun sighed with regret. "Damn that dog Yuanshi... Sigh, keep a low profile, keep a low profile."
Kou Beiyue said indifferently, "What's there to fear? Yuanshi Tianzun is nothing special. Even if I stood right in front of him, he wouldn't dare kill me."
*Keep bragging!* Just as Human Blood Bun was about to speak, his phone on the table buzzed. Setting down his milk tea, he grabbed the phone, glanced at it, and his pupils shrank abruptly.
The text message read:
"New bounty added to the Human Board: Kou Beiyue, Mist Lord, Level 4."
"Reason for bounty: Lackey of Yuanshi Tianzun!"
"Bounty reward..."
Human Blood Bun whipped his head toward Kou Beiyue, narrowing his eyes.
***
Zhang Yuanqing's hand grabbed a handful of plump, fleshy, extremely elastic soft flesh. Through the thin, loose training pants, his fingertips traced the lace trim beneath.
He lifted his head, wanting to kiss Guan Ya, but she turned her head away, refusing to let him.
This guy had no restraint when he kissed; she didn't want to walk out later with swollen lips when there were far too many idle people around the villa.
Settling for second best, Zhang Yuanqing rained eager kisses over the veteran driver's long, snowy-white neck, slurping away like a simp. Before long, her body softened, and her eyes turned seductive.
*My life mentor said taking liberties is like taking a city by storm—you have to advance step by step and never stay in place...* Zhang Yuanqing freed a hand to slip beneath the hem of her training uniform. Moving up her smooth, jade-like back, *click*, he unfastened the clasp of her bra.
Just as he was about to bury his face in her cleavage, there was a knock at the door: *Thump, thump.*
Guan Ya's delicate frame trembled. Snapping out of her daze, she bounced off him, reaching behind her back with flushed cheeks to refasten the strap.
Then, shooting him a glare that lacked ferocity but dripped with allure, she went to open the door.
Standing at the doorway was the bunny girl. She first glanced at Guan Ya's flushed cheeks and enchanting eyes, then withdrew her gaze and looked at Zhang Yuanqing lying in bed.
"Mr. Yuanshi, Miss Annie and Mr. Bill wish to see you. The young master has agreed."
Chapter 299