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Gù Liúfēng sat on a clear patch of ground nearby, having just put on the white brocade robe gifted by the system. He touched the long hair falling over his shoulders, his mood somewhat complex.
Just a few minutes ago, system prompts had sounded like a machine gun.
In that instant, the originally parched meridians in his Dantian were instantly filled by a vast, warm surge of true qi.
The true qi flowed endlessly, not only repairing his body's fatigue but also making his senses sharper than ever before.
He was no longer that ordinary person to be slaughtered at will, but possessed the capital to establish himself in this chaotic Integrated Martial World.
But he did not smile, nor did he get carried away.
He turned his head and looked towards the center of the flower thicket.
"Awake?"
His answer was a mournful sword cry.
Zheng—!
A chill instantly erupted.
Lǐ Hányī, draped in her tattered grey robe, wielded "Iron Horse, Ice River." Like a wounded solitary phoenix, she lunged at Gù Liúfēng's back, her eyes bloodshot.
This sword was swift, carrying all her life's shame, indignation, and disgrace.
But Gù Liúfēng's reaction was even faster.
He did not dodge, nor did he try to block the sword with his body. As a modern person who valued his life, he wouldn't do such a foolish thing.
The moment the sword tip was about to pierce his brocade robe, Gù Liúfēng suddenly spun around, true qi infusing his right hand. Two fingers precisely clamped the flat of the sword, then he flicked his wrist, and a force of unmatched power vibrated through the blade.
Clang!
Lǐ Hányī was already weak. Her tiger's mouth went numb, and the long sword almost slipped from her grasp.
Before she could react, Gù Liúfēng had already closed in, gripping her sword-wielding wrist and pushing her heavily against a nearby flowering tree.
"Had enough?"
Gù Liúfēng's voice was cold, carrying an undeniable calm.
"Let go! Pervert!" Lǐ Hányī struggled desperately, her eyes filled with killing intent. "I'll kill you!"
"Kill me? On what grounds?"
Gù Liúfēng firmly held her wrist, his gaze meeting her panicked eyes. His tone was as calm as if discussing the weather:
"Lǐ Hányī, we are both adults; let's be reasonable."
"First, you were affected by an aphrodisiac, and I didn't administer it."
"Second, you, under the drug's influence, forcibly pinned me to the ground."
"Third, if we're settling scores, I'm also a victim."
Every sentence was like a heavy hammer, fiercely striking Lǐ Hányī's heart.
Lǐ Hányī's face was ashen, her body trembling uncontrollably. She remembered, of course. Even in her dazed state, those shameful fragments of memory were etched into her mind.
It was she... who first tore his clothes.
"Then... then why didn't you leave! Why didn't you push me away!" Lǐ Hányī's voice was hoarse, carrying a hint of unreasonable breakdown.
"Could I have pushed you away?"
Gù Liúfēng sneered, then released his grip on her, taking a step back to create distance:
"You are the Snow Moon Sword Immortal. Even when poisoned, your strength is far greater than mine. If I could have run, I would have long gone. Why would I stay to be your antidote?"
Lǐ Hányī was speechless.
She looked at the tall, elegant man before her. The sword in her hand trembled, but she could no longer thrust a second blow.
Because what he said was true.
A cruel, but undeniable truth.
"Then now?" Lǐ Hányī bit her lip, glaring at him. "You took advantage, and now you want to humiliate me?"
"I have no interest in that."
Gù Liúfēng brushed off the fallen flowers from his body, his expression regaining its calm:
"Things being as they are, killing me won't restore your innocence; it will only burden you with a life taken in revenge for a kindness. I have hands and feet, and I'm no faithless man. Since this happened, I will take responsibility."
"Responsibility?" Lǐ Hányī sneered. "How will you take responsibility? Marry me?"
"If that is the explanation you desire, then yes."
Gù Liúfēng answered without hesitation. This straightforwardness, surprisingly, made Lǐ Hányī pause.
He looked at Lǐ Hányī and said earnestly:
"But my current strength isn't enough, and you wouldn't be interested in me. So, such an empty promise is meaningless."
"Let's make a deal."
Gù Liúfēng pointed to the chaotic Flower Sea:
"This is Dark River territory. Since they dared to ambush you, they surely have backup. Your true qi is depleted now, and your body... is not convenient. You can't leave here alone."
"I will escort you to a safe place, like the Lei Family Fort. In exchange, this debt will be noted for now. When you've thought it through, whether you want to kill me or want me to take responsibility, it's up to you."
With that, Gù Liúfēng no longer looked at her. He turned and walked aside, pulled dry rations and a water skin from his system space, and tossed them at Lǐ Hányī's feet.
"Eat something. You can only kill people with a sword when you have strength."
Lǐ Hányī looked down at the water skin at her feet, then looked at the man who had his back to her, currently wiping a new sword.
No kneeling and begging for mercy, no sweet words, no nauseating declarations of deep affection.
He simply laid everything out, calm, rational, and even somewhat assertive.
This attitude, surprisingly, made Lǐ Hányī's heart, which had been on the verge of collapse, miraculously less panicked.
Kill him? She couldn't bring herself to do it, and there was no logical reason.
Not kill him? She couldn't overcome the hurdle in her heart.
"Hmph..."
After a long while, Lǐ Hányī let out a long sigh.
She silently sheathed her sword, picked up the water skin from the ground, and took a deep gulp.
Since she couldn't kill him, she would live first.
As he said, the Dark River people could arrive at any moment.
"I need to go to the Lei Family Fort." Lǐ Hányī's voice was still cold, but the hysteria from before was gone.
Gù Liúfēng stood up, hung the Startling Swan Sword on his waist, and looked back at her:
"Perfect, it's on the way."
"Let's go, Snow Moon Sword Immortal. Stick close. You are quite weak right now."
Gù Liúfēng strode forward, his back straight.
Lǐ Hányī gritted her teeth, looking at his retreating figure, her emotions complex and unclear in her heart. But in the end, she tightened her tattered robe and followed.
......