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His tone might have been indifferent, but his expression betrayed a hint of pride.

"You were practicing techniques with her?" Quan Shaoqing felt an unwarranted surge of wariness. He approached Gu Xiaoxi and realized she was in a deep sleep.

Apparently, her spiritual power had been overexerted.

He quickly took off his coat to cover her and afterward, he turned his gaze toward Ya.

A man’s intuition is always straightforward, especially regarding matters of the heart.

Ya’s behavior struck him as odd, and also aroused a sense of crisis within him.

The two men stood under the big tree where Gu Xiaoxi was lying, speechless.

Or perhaps they didn’t know what to say to each other.

"Thank you for helping her, you’re just friends, right?" Quan Shaoqing was the first to break the awkward silence.

Ya helping Gu Xiaoxi was not wrong, but he didn’t want their interactions to be tainted with other emotions.

For a moment, Ya was at a loss for words and could only nod.

"Then, do you have any opinions about her?" Quan Shaoqing gazed tenderly at the woman for a moment before turning his profound look back to Ya.

"Opinions, none! I only know that she is destined for the extraordinary. And her past life is definitely bound to me by an unsolvable fate!" Ya admitted without concealment.

Upon hearing this, Quan Shaoqing’s voice suddenly turned colder, "Let’s not talk about past lives in this one. I’m grateful for your help. Some time, I’ll take you out for a meal."

Ya could feel Quan Shaoqing’s possessive desire to distance him from Gu Xiaoxi.

"That’s too formal. As friends, it’s natural to help her," Ya replied with a gentle smile, his features even more strikingly handsome.

...

When Gu Xiaoxi woke up, it was already the next morning.

To her surprise, she found Quan Shaoqing and Ya sitting on the edge of a cliff, drinking.

Several empty bottles were on the ground, and the rock was filled with an assortment of food.

Clearly, they hadn’t touched the food at all.

Rather, the alcohol was almost gone.

As Gu Xiaoxi got up, she found herself covered with Quan Shaoqing’s coat, not knowing when he had arrived.

She hopped down from the tree branch and walked over.

In front of her, two men of extraordinary bearing were silently drinking, as if they had a lot to say, yet nothing was said.

The silence turned the beautiful morning atmosphere to freezing point.

Hearing the birds chirping in the forest, Gu Xiaoxi walked over and suddenly patted Quan Shaoqing on the shoulder.

He seemed to have anticipated her arrival, as he grabbed her hand and pulled her forward in one swift motion.

She tumbled into his embrace.

Gu Xiaoxi was startled; right in front of her was the cliff. Thankfully, he held onto her.

Over the shock, she felt the warmth of his embrace, her heart filled with comfort, and she asked, "How did you get here?"

"Came to check on you! If you have any troubles you can’t resolve, you can come to me," he said, holding her as one might hold a beloved pet, placing her on his lap. Then he leaned down and kissed her lips.

Gu Xiaoxi’s eyes widened in shock! Was Quan Shaoqing really kissing her in front of someone else?

Instinctively, she turned her head to glance at Ya sitting beside them, feeling it wasn’t appropriate with someone present...

Therefore, she struggled to stand up, her ears turning red.

Quan Shaoqing wouldn’t let her.

He released her lips but didn’t allow her to leave.

Their actions seemed to resist, yet there was an unusual warmth between them.

Even an outsider could see the genuine feelings between them.

Gu Xiaoxi liked Quan Shaoqing! Whether it was her gaze or her movements, she exuded a softness and charm around him that she never showed with other men.

Watching them, Ya felt superfluous. The bitterness welling up from the depths of his heart was increasingly painful.

He found it strange that in the thirty years he’ve wandered this world, it was always he who observed the pain of others. He never expected that one day, he would experience such real emotions himself.

"Gu Xiaoxi, that’s all for today’s lesson. If you want to learn more in the future, come and find me," Ya said, setting down his wine glass, standing up, and leaving without looking back.

Quan Shaoqing turned to look at his retreating figure, feeling no joy of victory in that moment.

Instead, his face was clouded with worry.

In that instant, he was almost certain that Ya had feelings for Gu Xiaoxi.

"Hey, aren’t you going to see me home? Didn’t you say you were going to take me to find the Rat King?" Gu Xiaoxi exclaimed in panic. After all, he couldn’t leave yet.

Ya left without turning back, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Quan Shaoqing turned his head and glared at her, his face darkened as he stared into Gu Xiaoxi’s eyes, "What? Can’t bear to see him go?"

"What! He promised to help me find the Rat King, what’s with that look! Are you jealous?" Gu Xiaoxi raised her eyebrows, feeling a little pleased inside, and the corners of her mouth curved into a beautiful arc.

Seeing her actually smiling, Quan Shaoqing held her tight, then pressed his forehead to hers, his nose to her nose, and demanded, "Do you love me?"

Gu Xiaoxi, seeing the sincerity in his eyes, nodded.

"I want you to say it!"

"Love!" Gu Xiaoxi replied with an unhesitating laugh. Liking someone was liking them, never needing to hide it. Besides, they had been married for many years. Their child could already run around.

Quan Shaoqing looked at her bold manner and felt petty in comparison.

Perhaps, he should trust her.

If she didn’t love him, then no matter how hard he tried to eliminate all her suitors, it would still be impossible to keep her.

As long as she had him in her heart, even if all the men in the world were crazy for her, it would only prove her charm.

Thinking about this, the sourness in Quan Shaoqing’s heart suddenly faded a lot.

"Shaoqing, are you not busy with work anymore? Also, Ya has left. You need to send me back to the headquarters." Gu Xiaoxi glanced around, another morning was upon them.

Her Flying Sword technique was still not perfected, and Ya had already vanished.

"Stay with me a bit longer!" Quan Shaoqing didn’t want to let go of her, at that moment, he just wanted to watch the sunrise with her in his arms.

Enjoying the blissful moment that belonged to them.

Gu Xiaoxi felt it was rare for them to have such a tranquil moment. She simply lay in his arms, soaking up the sunshine together.

From a distance, the couple’s snuggled silhouettes melded into one in the sunlight.

The man had a demonic beauty, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, and his features bore the decisiveness of a seasoned warrior, resolute and sturdy.

The woman was as delicate as a flower, with a beauty beyond compare.

She was like a poppy blooming under the sun; at first glance, her beauty might not capture excessive attention, as such beauty was commonplace.

But once one discovered the genuine personality behind her beauty, the gaze would linger, unable to be shifted, even driving one to madness or laughter for her.

Ya didn’t go far; he just wanted to see.

He wanted to know how deep the love between Quan Shaoqing and Gu Xiaoxi could be!

But the more he watched, the deeper the bitterness in his heart.

It was as if he had finally found something he cherished, only to realize at a certain moment that it already belonged to someone else, that she would never be his!

Ya couldn’t help but snort with laughter, not regretting his encounter with Gu Xiaoxi.

At least, it made him feel that when he was lonely, there was someone he could keep in the depths of his heart. When he felt isolated, he could take her out from within and think of her.

If in a previous life, she loved another. And in this life, she still loved another...

It meant she was never his to begin with.

Ya left.

Not knowing where to go, he started his luxury car and continued to drift through the world.

Gu Xiaoxi and Quan Shaoqing stayed together for a while.

Later, Quan Shaoqing took her back.

"If you can’t handle it, don’t try to be brave. The International Alliance has many capable people!" Quan Shaoqing’s hands touched Gu Xiaoxi’s face as he instructed her.

Gu Xiaoxi nodded, "Alright, hurry back. I’ll definitely contact you if I run into trouble."

Quan Shaoqing watched Gu Xiaoxi enter the hotel’s main entrance with his own eyes.

Only then did he leave with peace of mind.

"Xiao Xi, where have you been? It’s been two days." Yun Xiao was worried to death.

"I had something urgent. Has anything happened here recently?" Gu Xiaoxi asked while packing and freshening up.

"Didn’t you text back that you found the Rat King?

These past two days, they’ve been organizing a culling, but the results haven’t been ideal.

The two Rat Kings are still on the run, and it’s been a day and a night’s chase.

Everyone couldn’t find you and didn’t know where you went," Yun Xiao explained.

Gu Xiaoxi indeed carried a mobile phone, but for the most part, it was turned off. After all, she didn’t want to be found while she was away practicing Techniques during such a critical time.

"Okay, I got it. Get ready, we’ll set out in a moment. I’m going to apply to join the main force in the culling of the Rat King," Gu Xiaoxi said, then took her clothes and went into the bathroom.

Yun Xiao had long been prepared; these past few days, the various forces had gone mad catching rats, and now the Giant Rats in the city had been reduced by more than half.

For safety’s sake, they had to completely eliminate the urban threat before citizens could return home.

Therefore, today he was relatively relaxed.

Kang Wei helped Gu Xiaoxi as the temporary team leader. The overall situation was still good; at least everyone was safe for now.

The team assembled, and Gu Xiaoxi looked at everyone and formally spoke, "Everyone has worked hard these past few days. I was away on urgent matters for a few days. But rest assured, I will lead you all in our upcoming missions and complete our tasks with honor."