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Gu Xiaoxi stepped into the woods and caught sight of the young man with just a glance.

The setting sun showered the treetops as the youth sat there, frowning deeply, now staring at her with eyes full of wariness.

Gu Xiaoxi strode forward, pulled a silver badge from her pocket, then looked at him and smiled, "This must be yours, right!"

"Why do you have it?" the youth immediately tensed, leaping from the branch to the ground with a gracefulness lighter than the wind—he was faster and more stable than Gu Xiaoxi’s qinggong.

"I found it in the leaves."

"Give it back to me!" the youth panicked, chasing after her, attempting to snatch the object from Gu Xiaoxi’s hands.

Gu Xiaoxi dodged with a swift flash, lifting her delicate chin to gaze at the youth, her smile playful, "Keep me company while I practice martial arts. Satisfy me, and I’ll return it to you."

"Why should I listen to you..." The youth, huffing with indignation, clenched his fists and lunged at Gu Xiaoxi.

Gu Xiaoxi quickly dodged and counterattacked with her fist, her dangerous punch stirring up a whirlwind.

When the punch landed, the young man’s complexion drastically changed; his entire body flew backward a great distance before, crucially, stabilizing himself.

"The item’s with me, if you can, come and take it!" Gu Xiaoxi tucked the silver badge into her pocket, then crossed her arms and watched the youth.

Zuo Yu furrowed his brows with annoyance, no longer playing around; this time, he attacked Gu Xiaoxi earnestly.

Gu Xiaoxi, of course, did not hold back either, her hand movements grew increasingly faster, her strength impressively formidable.

Zuo Yu was stunned. A woman having such skillful combat techniques and inner strength was incredibly frightening.

Therefore, he dared not take it lightly and started to dodge and attack even faster.

Two hours later, Zuo Yu managed to place a dagger against Gu Xiaoxi’s neck, his forehead drenched in sweat as he demanded angrily, "Give me my silver badge back!"

"Your name is Zuo Yu, right? I might return it to you, today’s practice was refreshing. However, I think you’re still not capable of catching me." With that said, Gu Xiaoxi grabbed his wrist, exerted force, and as Zuo Yu’s wrist ached, the dagger fell to the ground.

Zuo Yu was astounded; Gu Xiaoxi’s strength was indeed terrifying. When she grasped his wrist, it felt numb as if it would break in half. If he had half her strength, he surely wouldn’t have lost so miserably.

"What exactly do you want?" Zuo Yu’s face turned dark; his large eyes suppressed with rage, yet he was helpless against Gu Xiaoxi.

At this moment, he and Gu Xiaoxi had been fighting for over two hours, his body weary with sweat, limbs sore and weak.

Yet she seemed as spirited as ever, not showing the slightest sign of fatigue.

"I’ll keep the item for you safely, ensuring no one else sees it. But, you must accompany me for two hours of martial arts practice every night. A month from now, I will return it to you," Gu Xiaoxi proposed, withdrew her hands, then dashed into the deeper woods.

At this time, Xiao Xiao had finished foraging.

Zuo Yu stood under the large tree, watching Gu Xiaoxi’s receding figure with the military dog, feeling both annoyed and helpless.

His physical endurance was indeed too poor; it seemed he needed to intensify his training.

As Gu Xiaoxi led Xiao Xiao back, she noticed a strange woman sitting on the living room sofa.

An oval-faced beauty with well-proportioned features, brows shaped like distant hills, tall and imposing, exuded an enchanting allure—especially her snow-white, slender legs and the perfect curves that would excite any man.

Quan Shaoqing sat opposite her on the sofa, his face expressionless.

Aunt Lin and Yun Xiao were also sitting on the sofa next to her, their gazes peculiar.

Whatever they had discussed had made the atmosphere seem somewhat off.

As they saw Gu Xiaoxi return, they all turned their gazes towards the doorway.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Gu Xiaoxi stepped forward with a slight smile, grabbed an apple from the plate to munch on, and then sat by Quan Shaoqing, smiling at the woman, "Yo! A guest has arrived. Beautiful sister! My name is Gu Xiaoxi, if you don’t mind, may I learn your name?"

Quan Shaoqing watched her playful manner, took a handkerchief, and tenderly wiped the sweat from her face, "Why did you come back so late?"

"Didn’t I have Yun Xiao tell you? I went to practice martial arts. Aunt Lin, I’m hungry, is there still food to eat?" Gu Xiaoxi squinted and smiled sweetly at Lin Shu, her tone slightly whining.

Lin Shu immediately stood up with affectionate indulgence, smiling and said, "Yes, I’ll go warm it up for you."

"Thank you!" Gu Xiaoxi waved at Aunt Lin with a beaming smile.

The woman sitting beside Gu Xiaoxi watched as Quan Shaoqing wiped sweat off Gu Xiaoxi, her fingers stiffening slightly.

She tried her best to make her voice sound gentle as she smiled, "My name is Zeng Yuying, I just returned from abroad as a military psychology expert.

I may need to trouble the superior officer to let me stay here for a while.

I hope everyone will take good care of me. "

"Stay here!" Gu Xiaoxi’s apple-eating paused, and she looked up at Quan Shaoqing.

Quan Shaoqing explained, "I’ve had someone clean up the apartment to let her stay there."

"No, superior officer. This is the old lady’s intention, as well as Sir General’s intention. They want me to stay here, also to take care of your daily life," Zeng Yuying immediately emphasized loudly.

Gu Xiaoxi was stunned for a moment, gripping the apple in her hand tightly, puzzled.

Quan Shaoqing’s face darkened, his expression ugly...

Yun Xiao looked at the expressions of the people there, feeling that beneath the calm there was a repressive battle about to erupt.

The Sir General is a first-ranked Great General who commands millions of soldiers of Liuli Country. No one can refuse his orders. Moreover, the "old lady" referred to is Quan Shaoqing’s mother.

"Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!" Gu Xiaoxi bit the apple three times in succession, then threw the core away from her hand. The spectators saw the core describe a beautiful arc before landing precisely into a nearby trash can.

She dusted off her hands, then looked towards Zeng Yuying, her dark pupils veiled by a light mist, leaving everyone clueless about her thoughts, but they heard her say with a smile, "So the old lady found us a little concubine for the zookeeper."

"What’s a little concubine?" Even with her composure, Zeng Yuying was angered by the remark. She was to marry Quan Shaoqing openly and honorably, how could she be referred to as a little concubine?

"It means you’re late. I’ve claimed the position of main wife.

If you want to stay, you’ll have to settle for being the little concubine," Gu Xiaoxi said coolly as she tossed her hair, throwing Zeng Yuying a dagger-like glare before turning to Quan Shaoqing and walking past him nonchalantly. "I’m tired, I’m off to wash up. You chat!"

Zeng Yuying’s cheeks turned red with rage, unable to vent her anger. This woman, how dare she say such things. Implying she should be the concubine was clearly a mockery, wasn’t it?

"Shaoqing, I was transferred here by Sir General, and the old lady asked me to take care of you. This girl, coming out of nowhere, speaking nonsense and embarrassing me. I will report this incident to the old lady exactly as it happened."

Quan Shaoqing frowning deeply, his face ashen, remembered that Quan Ji came over yesterday - he had been instructed not to talk nonsense.

He naturally wouldn’t dare to spread rumors; Quan Mo was a well-behaved child, and without his permission, she wouldn’t speak rashly.

The old lady definitely didn’t know his situation, so introducing him to someone could be understood.

But arranging for someone to be transferred to his side through Sir General’s connections was a bit abnormal.

Seeing Gu Xiaoxi leave, Quan Shaoqing quickly stood up; although her words sounded joking, they were also very domineering.

She had made her stance clear, happy to marry him and he was glad she hadn’t thought too much into it.

Yet she must have been angry.

Quan Shaoqing didn’t think twice before chasing after Gu Xiaoxi, grabbing her hand, "Xiao Xi, listen to my explanation."

"There’s nothing to explain. I see it very clearly, the zookeeper’s charm is boundless, I understand!" Gu Xiaoxi turned back to Quan Shaoqing with an expressionless face, withdrew her hand and said, "I’m going to wash up now. When you’ve sent Beauty Zeng away, then we can talk."

Gu Xiaoxi turned and strode upstairs, then firmly closed the door to her room.

After closing the door, she stood behind it for a long time, her heart brimming with an indescribable bitterness.

Since Sir General has introduced a beauty to Quan Shaoqing, it seemed the old lady had set her sights on this daughter-in-law and had done a lot of work behind the scenes to bring this beauty here through great efforts.

Even if it wasn’t for the sake of the old lady, Quan Shaoqing would have to consider Sir General’s face.

Zeng Yuying would undoubtedly be staying.

As for what she should do?

Gu Xiaoxi smiled wryly, recalling last night’s fickle dream; it turned out it wasn’t about him dying.

Instead, it was about someone trying to steal her husband.

The night breeze blew in from the window, rustling the curtains, and Gu Xiaoxi’s gaze drifted out following the window sill, settling upon the stars in the sky, ultimately sighing deeply.