Mist swirled above the water pool. The man abruptly opened his eyes, grabbed the girl who had fallen into his arms, and forcefully tossed her aside.
With a splash, the girl crashed into the water pool, sending water spraying several yards into the air.
hurried and disorderly footsteps approached. “Master, what happened?”
This was the Forbidden Grounds where master healed his injuries, and no one was allowed to approach. A sudden crash had come from inside—could something have happened to master?
“It is nothing. A female bird in the sky saw This Seat’s peerless appearance, bashfully covered her face, and accidentally fell down.” The man in the water leaned against the edge of the pool, watching the girl floundering in the water with great interest.
A bird?
Fell from the sky?
The guard stationed around the perimeter foolishly raised his head and glanced at the crystal-clear blue sky. His mouth twitched. From that height, could anyone even see master’s face clearly?
Gu Qingyun stood up in the water, spat out the water in her mouth, and glared darkly at the man.
Did he just call her a bird-brain?
The instant her eyes met the man’s, Gu Qingyun froze.
Amid the swirling mist, the man, as beautiful as an immortal from a painting, lazily leaned against a rock in the pool. His three-thousand strands of ink-black hair fell from his neck, drifting gently and rippling across the white, rising waves, accentuating his crystalline, snow-white skin.
He was so dazzlingly white that he could blind people!
Gu Qingyun gave him a hurried glance, quickly looked away, and calmly retorted, “Pretty boy!”
Gong Yunyi narrowed his peach blossom eyes, which shimmered with watery radiance. What did “pretty boy” mean? Was she praising him for being more beautiful than a demon?
Gu Qingyun had no idea of the man’s narcissistic thoughts at that moment. She swam to the edge of the water pool, climbed out, and walked ashore.
Her soaked, thin shirt clung tightly to her skin, revealing her slender and graceful figure.
She paid it no mind. After looking around, she walked toward a folding screen on the shore and pulled down the white brocade robe hanging over it. She came to an exquisite ornate table and placed everything valuable into the brocade robe spread open on the ground, not even sparing the gems on the wine cup.
After finishing, Gu Qingyun wrapped everything in the brocade robe and tied it up. Then she stood, pulled the remaining white long robe from the folding screen, and draped it over herself.
Without looking to either side, she headed straight down the only path.
Gong Yunxu had never seen a woman so brazen.
She had trespassed into the Forbidden Grounds and was even stealing things right in front of the master.
Was she truly pretending to be foolish, or was she trying to lure him in by pretending to retreat?
The women throughout Dongqi who wanted to seduce him could form a line from Qiming City all the way to the frontier, but one as “naturally gifted” as her was truly one of a kind.
Supporting his chin with one hand, he asked with a half-smile, “After disturbing This Seat, are you really going to leave without saying goodbye?”
Gu Qingyun let out a silent, cold laugh and left without looking back. Suddenly, however, her waist tightened. She looked down and saw a crystal-clear water ribbon binding her waist, leaving her momentarily stunned.
The force pulled backward, and Gu Qingyun was sent flying involuntarily.
Her expression turned cold. She twisted around and brought her hand down in a slash. Her hand passed through the soft water ribbon, icy and cool, soaking her hand, yet the water ribbon remained unbroken.
With a splash, she fell back into the water pool, completely drenched.
Annoyance flashed in Gu Qingyun’s eyes, and she slammed a fist toward the handsome face not far away.
Gong Yunxu caught her hand. “You can really bring yourself to hit such a handsome face?”
“That’s exactly what I’m hitting!” Gu Qingyun’s mouth twitched. What a narcissist!
As she spoke, she raised her other hand, aiming directly for the man’s jaw.
Gong Yunxu unhurriedly raised his hand to block.
The corners of Gu Qingyun’s lips curved slightly. A cold laugh flashed through her eyes as she bent her knee and drove it toward the man’s lower body.
No matter how formidable a man was, if he was injured there, he would still turn into a weak-kneed shrimp.
Gong Yunxu’s thigh beneath the water seemed to have eyes of its own. It swiftly shifted and struck Gu Qingyun’s knee.
A man’s bones were far sturdier than hers. The impact contorted Gu Qingyun’s expression, and her body toppled uncontrollably backward.
A large hand pressed against her slender waist from behind, preventing her from falling into the water.
The scorching palm passed through a thin layer of soaked fabric, feeling as though it were touching her bare skin directly.
As if that were not enough, the large hand slid down along her lower back and came to rest on her thigh. A deep, mellow voice like fine wine sounded above her head. “Little girl, being so violent is truly unbecoming. Did you hurt yourself?”
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