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Even when Gu Xiaoxi used her fastest speed, she still wasn’t quick enough to intercept his techniques and was caught off guard by his punch to her shoulder.

Fortunately, his punch really didn’t have much force behind it. If it had been her, that one punch would have been enough to make someone spit blood profusely.

By now, Gu Xiaoxi had more or less gauged her opponent’s skill level.

Not very strong, but definitely not weak either.

If he hadn’t used his fists just now but a dagger instead, then she would have been in danger.

Tsk tsk! Gu Xiaoxi felt a spark of interest and wanted to exchange a few more moves with him to test whether he was really using Qinggong or not.

If it wasn’t Qinggong, then what kind of martial arts could enable him to move that fast, to the extent that she was not even one-fifth as fast as him?

Gu Xiaoxi, having been punched, showed no signs of injury and didn’t even pause for a moment. Her fist went straight for the attack on the young man. Of course, she reduced her strength to a safe level—there was no need to genuinely hurt him since he also hadn’t intended to kill her.

Clearly, Gu Xiaoxi had still underestimated him. Even though he was only a few centimeters away from her, and she used her fastest speed, she still couldn’t touch his clothes. He had already moved back to his original position.

"Hmph! You’re not all that great either, daring to mock me for not being strong enough!" The young man glared with his pair of dark eyes, furiously staring down Gu Xiaoxi, "Now you tell me, who’s stronger!"

He still stood defiantly, glaring at her as if ready to attack again should she dare to question his strength.

Gu Xiaoxi retracted her hand, smiling slightly, "You’re very strong. Sister can’t beat you, so can you tell me what kind of martial arts you’re using? Why is your speed so incredibly fast?"

The young man suddenly stiffened all over for a moment, then his expression turned anxious. He glared at Gu Xiaoxi with anger, "If you say it’s Qinggong, then it’s Qinggong. This is my territory, please don’t come here again in the future."

Having said that, as though something occurred to him, he seemed very regretful for having talked too much with Gu Xiaoxi. He immediately turned and ran into the woods, quickly disappearing from sight.

Under the moonlight, which was as gentle as water, Gu Xiaoxi watched his retreating figure and felt as if her heart was being scratched by a cat—not knowing the outcome made her unbearably curious. His last remark had suddenly changed, obviously covering something up.

He didn’t want her to come, but she insisted on coming.

She refused to believe in such nonsense; she would definitely catch him.

Gu Xiaoxi clenched her fists, and a transparent True Qi brewed on them. The dangerous aura caused the surrounding leaves to fall with a rustling sound.

Suddenly, she swung her fist out, striking directly at a thick tree trunk not far away.

Only "bang" could be heard as a huge sound erupted, and when everything returned to calm, a fist-sized black hole could be seen on the tree trunk not far away—the hole went clean through, appearing extremely terrifying.

The enormous impact caused leaves to shake violently, and dry yellow leaves fell to the ground like rain.

In the moonlight, the leaves fluttered down, some coming to rest on Gu Xiaoxi’s shoulders.

She closed her eyes to feel the vast True Qi slowly spreading from her side.

Her mind instantly wove a web of numbers; she could instantly count how many leaves had fallen from the tree overhead, she could sense a silk-like ripple spreading through the air; closing her eyes, she could visualize everything in the moonlit darkness, even the shadows cast by leaves blocking the light were crystal clear to her perception.

It was as if she didn’t need eyes to see the outside world; even without them, things were clearer than they would be with sight.

Gu Xiaoxi felt a moment of crystal-clear clarity in her mind, an experience she had only felt once before.

At that moment, she didn’t understand why she was in this wondrous state.

However, Gu Xiaoxi suddenly opened her eyes, stepped forward, and picked up a Silver Badge from among the fallen leaves.

Indeed, it was a Silver Badge! Made of pure silver, it bore an engraved name.

Zuo Yu!

Gu Xiaoxi stared at the name on the badge, frowning, "Is Zuo Yu his name? Then what does this Silver Badge signify?"

She touched the texture of the Silver Badge; it was very ordinary and crudely made, yet the name engraved on it was bursting with vigor, as if inscribed with the movement of dragons and the dance of phoenixes.

"Woof Woof!" Xiao Xiao ran back, apparently having eaten well and settling down contentedly beside Gu Xiaoxi.

Gu Xiaoxi stroked its head and saw that it was getting late, "Let’s get ready to go back!"

...

By the time Gu Xiaoxi got home, it was already very late.

But Quan Shaoqing and Aunt Lin were still awake; they were sitting on the small stone bench in the garden, apparently chatting about something.

Seeing Gu Xiaoxi return, Quan Shaoqing looked up at her and extended his hand, "Why did you take Xiao Xiao hunting again? I thought you weren’t going anymore?"

"It might need that meat to replenish its energy," Gu Xiaoxi walked over and placed her hand in his palm. After observing for a while, she had found that Xiao Xiao liked hunting, almost as if it were addicted to opium.

The wild animals that ate the grass were nurtured by the sparse Spiritual Energy in nature, making their flesh much tastier than dog food. Moreover, Xiao Xiao also needed Spiritual Energy to nourish its Spiritual Wisdom and expand its intelligence.

"Isn’t the extra meat and bones I feed it every night enough?" Aunt Lin asked curiously: "I drive to the distant market to buy the freshest meat."

Gu Xiaoxi chuckled and sat down next to Quan Shaoqing to explain to Lin Shu, "It might have a large energy expenditure, so it eats a lot!"

"Do we still need the evening supplements? I’ve stewed beef and bones. Xiao Xiao ate half; there’s still half left," Lin Shu asked.

Gu Xiaoxi looked at Xiao Xiao, "Do you still want to eat? If you want it, eat more. When you’re outside, you must not eat anything given by others without my permission, understand?"

Xiao Xiao panted and crawled over to Gu Xiaoxi, rubbing against her leg and barking a few times, "Woof woof woof..."

Gu Xiaoxi stroked its head and smiled, "Go on then!"

Aunt Lin took Xiao Xiao away.

Gu Xiaoxi turned her head to Quan Shaoqing, "It’s so late, why haven’t you gone to sleep?"

"How could I possibly sleep without you back?" Quan Shaoqing stretched out his arm to wrap around Gu Xiaoxi’s waist, then gently pulled her into his embrace.

Gu Xiaoxi’s cheeks flushed imperceptibly warm, she looked around, and seeing no one, she asked again, "Where is Yun Xiao?"

"In the room. You care about her more than you do about me," Quan Shaoqing said cooly, clasping her waist and holding her close. His stern gaze tenderly studied her face.

As she aged, her face lost its youthful immaturity. Her facial features were more defined than before, and her thick eyebrows were perfect even without makeup.

When she smiled, there was a peaceful beauty, like that of the sunshine.

He watched her, feeling his heart ripple with emotion, regretting saying they would marry when she turned twenty. He should have married her first, then registered the marriage.

"Your movements are too secretive; I also want to care about you. But you won’t let me know about your affairs," Gu Xiaoxi gently wrapped her arms around his neck, sitting in his embrace, she could smell the faint mint fragrance on him and the almost imperceptible scent of tobacco.

Her heart felt particularly calm; when she was with him, there was a very comfortable tranquility. It was as if the moonlight around them became warmer, the flowers bloomed, the air was sweet, and even the night was romantic and beautiful.

"Then hug me now!" Quan Shaoqing hugged her tightly, his head resting against her neck, where he could smell a faint jasmine scent amidst her hair. He always felt that days like this were incredibly beautiful.

Gu Xiaoxi’s cheeks were completely red, her ears burning, her heartbeat thundering.

She just felt happy, then closed her eyes to feel his fiery chest transmitting intense warmth.

Yun Xiao was lying at the window, looking at the two people in the garden, with a smile on her lips. Who would have thought that the cold and fearsome Quan Shaoqing could also have such a tender side?

At this moment, he was no longer the commanding officer who was high above, the stern and terrifying superior officer, nor the revered leader of Sector Z in everyone’s eyes.

He was a woman’s beloved, a gentle and warm man, a boyfriend full of tender feelings.

Yun Xiao watched, feeling a bit envious of Gu Xiaoxi.

She was always so unique, thoughtful, and bold. Standing in a crowd, she would unconsciously shine brightly, and even among a group of talented people, she would be the one and only.

She envied how such a man loved, cherished, and held Gu Xiaoxi in the palm of his hand.

And she envied the nonchalant way she faced love and hate, without being delicate or artificial.

Even with a hundred times the courage, she couldn’t be as decisive and straightforward as Gu Xiaoxi.

Yun Xiao smiled faintly, her eyes full of blessings.

Suddenly, she felt that spying on them like this was somewhat impolite, so she stood up and closed the window.