Gu Zhuo widened his eyes, the girl’s face full of shyness and wariness: "No! You must not touch me. I’m not cold anymore after falling asleep."
Xue Wanyao, illuminated by the small oil lamp by the bed, looked at the deeply embarrassed girl inside the bed curtains and cleared his throat: "Your Highness, since you have already granted me the status of your concubine during the day, it is not against the rules for us to share a bed…"
"And… and…"
Xue Wanyao coughed, his voice hoarse yet rich, "And Her Highness the Princess also emphasized the importance of the Gu family’s lineage. I wish to ease Her Highness’s worries, so we should… as soon as possible…"
"As soon as possible consummate our marriage and bear children for the Gu family."
After all, Xue Wanyao was also a seventeen-year-old girl. As she spoke of such embarrassing matters, her voice grew softer and softer…
Gu Zhuo said, "Bear children for the Gu family?"
Xue Wanyao nodded: "Now that we have swapped bodies, if we have children for the Gu family, you will be able to experience the joy of carrying and giving birth to a child. You can personally give birth to your own child—a blessing that few men in the world have ever had."
Gu Zhuo scratched his head: "A blessing? What kind of blessing is giving birth!"
"I warn you, you must not ruin my virginity! Absolutely not!"
Gu Zhuo added, "My virginity has great uses."
Xue Wanyao raised her eyes to look at the girl standing on the bed: "What great uses does virginity have?"
Gu Zhuo motioned for Xue Wanyao to come closer: "I am learning martial arts from my master. Among them is a peerless divine skill that can only be mastered by maintaining one’s virginity. By the way, I haven’t practiced today. I’ll teach you—follow my movements."
Upon hearing about practicing martial arts, Xue Wanyao became quite interested.
Gu Zhuo, using the girl’s body, got off the bed. Even though her legs ached terribly, she still mimicked the punching motions, but each punch was soft and utterly lacking in strength.
Gu Zhuo felt utterly helpless.
Xue Wanyao followed Gu Zhuo’s lead and threw a punch.
Gu Zhuo stepped forward to correct Xue Wanyao’s posture. Seeing that Xue Wanyao’s punches were also soft and weak, Gu Zhuo felt a sense of despair: "I’ve practiced for five years. Will all my efforts go to waste now?"
Xue Wanyao looked at Gu Zhuo apologetically: "I’m sorry… I…"
Gu Zhuo, filled with despair, returned to the bed. "Don’t say anything. Go back to your small couch."
Xue Wanyao lay back on her small couch, feeling a sense of guilt. Gu Zhuo had saved her, yet she had forced him to give her a place to settle down.
Now, Gu Zhuo’s five years of training in the divine skill had been wasted because she had entered his body.
Filled with remorse, Xue Wanyao drifted off to sleep.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when she heard a noise and slowly opened her eyes.
Outside, the sky was bright. In the room, the girl was squatting in a horse stance, throwing punches with a fierce "hah-hah" sound.
Xue Wanyao looked at the girl and said, "Good morning, Your Highness."
Ignoring Xue Wanyao, Gu Zhuo picked up the sword from the bed, drew it, and began practicing.
It was the first time Xue Wanyao had seen how dashing and heroic she looked while wielding a sword.
Gu Zhuo, holding the sword, performed a side flip. He only heard a "crack," followed by intense pain. He had no choice but to lean against the bed to rest. "You’re a seventeen-year-old girl, and a simple side flip can twist your waist? Your body is even worse than that of an eighty-year-old woman."
"Don't you usually practice martial arts to strengthen your physique?"
Xue Wanyao whispered softly, "Daughters of the Xue family should prioritize being dignified and virtuous ladies. A young woman who fights and kills… is improper."
Gu Zhuo tapped Xue Wanyao's forehead with his sword scabbard. "How outdated. What does being a woman matter? Why can't a woman fight and kill? Don't say such old-fashioned words while wearing my face."
"Sigh! Who knows when we'll be able to switch back? If we never do, I'll have to continue practicing the Yunying Art using your body. I wonder if a maiden can master the Yunying Art. You should still be a maiden, right?"
Xue Wanyao blushed and nodded. "Yes."
Gu Zhuo stood up. "Help me comb my hair."
Xue Wanyao walked over to Gu Zhuo and began combing his hair.
Early in the morning, after both had washed up, Gu Zhuo ignored the pain in his feet and dragged Xue Wanyao to General Qin's residence.
Once outside the prince's mansion, Gu Zhuo said to Xue Wanyao, "Later, I'll take you to meet General Qin, who is also my master. His Yunying Art is incredibly powerful—he can take on a hundred enemies single-handedly on the battlefield. I need to ask him whether a maiden can master the Yunying Art."
Xue Wanyao asked, "Since he is Your Highness's master, will he be able to tell that I am not you?"
Gu Zhuo replied, "This absurd body-swapping matter is something no one would believe even if you told them. Just speak less later, and I'll handle everything for you."
Xue Wanyao nodded gently.
When they arrived at the entrance of General Qin's residence,
Xue Wanyao saw Gu Zhuo boldly striding into the mansion, holding her hand. The servants and guards outside merely bowed and did not stop them.
As they walked through a corridor, Xue Wanyao noticed a young man, around eighteen or nineteen years old, emerging from behind a cypress tree. He reached out and placed his hand on Xue Wanyao's shoulder.
The young man's presence was too overwhelming, and Xue Wanyao, terrified, pushed him away and took two steps back, frowning as she said, "Please behave yourself!"
Qin Lang laughed and said, "Your Highness, why do you act like a delicate young lady being teased?"
Xue Wanyao cleared her throat and replied, "You startled me by suddenly appearing."
Qin Lang turned his gaze to the young woman beside the Prince of Chu. Her appearance was exquisite.
Gentle and refined, she resembled a white lotus emerging unstained from the mud, pure and unadorned. Her demeanor was also somewhat aloof and noble.
"Your Highness, who is this young lady beside you…?"
Xue Wanyao said, "She is my newly taken concubine, the second daughter of the Xue family."
Qin Lang examined the young woman's appearance, feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity. "The second daughter of the Xue family—isn't she the bride who fell into the water at the eldest son of the Wuding Marquis's residence the other day? How did she become your concubine?"
Xue Wanyao explained, "After she fell into the water, I jumped in to save her. This gave her the reputation of having her purity compromised by being rescued by an unrelated man. The only way to provide her with a place to settle down was to take her as my concubine."
Qin Lang said to Xue Wanyao, "You took a concubine? Does that mean you've lost your virginity? If you've lost your virginity, you won't be able to master my father's Yunying Art."
Xue Wanyao found it difficult to speak and could only shake her head shyly in embarrassment.
Qin Lang breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. Otherwise, your five years of practice would have been wasted."
Gu Zhuo took Xue Wanyao's hand and led her to the courtyard where General Qin was.
Upon entering, Xue Wanyao saw General Qin practicing martial arts. She stepped forward and said, "Master."
General Qin smiled lightly and asked, "Your Highness, who is this young lady beside you…"
Gu Zhuo said, "General Qin, I am the new concubine that the King of Chu took in the other day. I have learned that His Highness the King of Chu practices the Yunying Art under your guidance, and I too wish to master the Yunying Art. I wonder if the Yunying Art can only be practiced by those who remain virgins?"
General Qin looked at the young woman before him and chuckled lightly, "The Yunying Art can be practiced by anyone; there is no requirement of being a virgin or maintaining purity."
Gu Zhuo turned her gaze to Xue Wanyao.
Xue Wanyao asked, "Then why did your son say that only those who remain virgins can master this divine art?"
Upon hearing this, General Qin smiled faintly and replied, "I previously claimed that only virgins could practice it to deceive my son Lang'er. I feared that at such a young age, he might become indulgent in women and neglect his training. The Yunying Art can be practiced by anyone; there has never been any rule that only virgins can master it."