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Lei Family Fort, majestically stood.
As one of the three great aristocratic families of the Beili martial world, it was renowned throughout the land for its gunpowder and the Lei Gate's Overlord Blade. The towering city walls alone, and the faint smell of saltpeter in the air, were enough to deter minor miscreants.
At the end of the official road, a black horse slowly halted.
Gù Liúfēng reined in the horse, a faint smile playing on his lips as he looked at the woman in his arms, who had been silent the entire journey but was now clearly relieved.
"We're here. That's the Lei Family Fort ahead. I've fulfilled my mission."
Lǐ Hányī's body stiffened slightly.
Although it was only a brief half-day's gallop, the warmth of being pressed together, the awkwardness of having their cheeks so close, made her mood at this moment incredibly complex.
There was both the relief of "finally being free," and also a subtle hint of... a loss she herself was unwilling to admit.
Gù Liúfēng did not linger on the soft, jade-like, warm sensation. He dismounted gracefully, extending a hand like a true gentleman to help Lǐ Hányī down.
The moment her feet touched the ground, Lǐ Hányī swayed, then quickly adjusted her internal energy, regaining her usual cold and detached demeanor.
Aside from her still somewhat tattered and dishevelled clothes, she seemed once again to be the unapproachable Snow Moon Sword Immortal.
She looked at Gù Liúfēng, her eyes flickering, her red lips slightly parted, as if organizing her words.
For the proud Sword Immortal, directly saying "thank you" or "come in for a sit" was simply too difficult.
"That..."
Lǐ Hányī turned her head away, her gaze falling on the Lei Family Fort's plaque, her voice unnaturally stiff:
"Although my Lei Family Fort consists of crude folk, we... still have a way of treating guests."
She paused, then said in a tone that sounded both like a condescending offer and an excuse:
"You escorted me back, which counts as a service rendered. If... if you're not in a hurry, why not come in for a cup of tea? My Lei Gate's gunpowder techniques and forging skills are unmatched. If you need any weapons, I can have someone craft them for you."
After speaking, she secretly glanced at Gù Liúfēng from the corner of her eye.
This was already the biggest concession she could make.
The unspoken message was: I don't dislike you anymore. Come in, let's spend a little more time together.
Gù Liúfēng looked at her "affected" demeanor, chuckling inwardly.
This woman, clearly wanting to keep him, insisted on maintaining a business-like facade.
"Oh? Lei Family Fort tea?"
Gù Liúfēng rubbed his chin, a look of contemplation on his face, then smiled and nodded:
"Sounds good. I've been rushing all the way and my throat is parched. Since Sword Immortal is so kind as to invite me..."
Hearing the first half of the sentence, Lǐ Hányī's heart rejoiced, and her originally taut lips subtly curved into an almost imperceptible smile. This guy is sensible, after all.
However, Gù Liúfēng's tone shifted, and a hint of regret, even... disdain? appeared on his face.
"...Never mind."
Lǐ Hányī's smile instantly froze: "?"
Gù Liúfēng shrugged, looking nonchalant:
"Your Lei Family Fort is full of old men who play with gunpowder; it reeks of sulfur, and there's nothing interesting to see. Besides, in my current state, going in and being asked questions would be troublesome."
"Most importantly..." Gù Liúfēng leaned closer to Lǐ Hányī, lowering his voice, and said with a mischievous smile, "I'm afraid that after drinking your Lei Family's tea, certain people might draw their swords and chop me. I'm a timid person, and preserving my life is paramount."
"You—!"
Lǐ Hányī instantly shattered her composure.
What timid? Half a day ago, who dared to forcibly embrace her onto a horse? Who was that guy just now who was smiling and saying "sounds good"?
This guy was clearly toying with her!
Shame and anger instantly surged. Lǐ Hányī's peerlessly beautiful face was tinged with a faint flush of indignation. Her glare at Gù Liúfēng was as if she wanted to devour him:
"Gù Liúfēng! Don't you dare be so unappreciative! I... I kindly invited you, and you actually..."
"I actually refused?"
Gù Liúfēng interrupted her, smiling even more brightly. It was a gentle, spring-breeze-like smile, yet tinged with a hint of roguishness:
"Alright, I won't tease you anymore. I have my own things to do, so I won't go in."
He reached out to smooth the hair by Lǐ Hányī's temples, which had been ruffled by the wind.
Lǐ Hányī instinctively wanted to dodge, but stopped the moment his fingertips touched her, allowing him to complete this intimate gesture.
"Go in, and heal well. First, recover your body, then you'll have the strength to think about how to 'repay' me."
Gù Liúfēng emphasized the words "repay," his tone meaningful.
Lǐ Hányī's cheeks flushed. She slapped his hand away, snorted coldly, and turned around, leaving him with a cold and resolute back.
"If you're not coming, then don't come! Who cares to invite you!"
She gripped Iron Horse, Ice River, and strode towards the Lei Family Fort's gate, but her steps seemed somewhat messy, clearly indicating her mind was in turmoil.
Just as she was about to cross the threshold.
Behind her, Gù Liúfēng's voice drifted over, clearly entering her ears:
"Lǐ Hányī, remember this."
"Sharpen your sword, and fatten yourself up."
"Then wait for me in Snow Moon City!"
Lǐ Hányī's steps suddenly halted.
She did not turn around, but her hand, which had been tightly gripping the sword hilt, its knuckles slightly whitened from the effort.
Snow Moon City...
That was her home, and her domain.
"Hmph, Gù Liúfēng..." Lǐ Hányī bit her lip, murmuring softly, "When you arrive in Snow Moon City, I'll show you how I'll deal with you!"
...
Watching Lǐ Hányī's figure disappear behind the heavy gates of the Lei Family Fort, Gù Liúfēng's smile gradually receded, transforming into a calm confidence.
He remounted his horse but did not leave immediately. Instead, he looked back towards Snow Moon City.
"Snow Moon City, huh..."
Gù Liúfēng touched the [Startling Swan Sword] at his waist, his eyes glinting with a light called "ambition."
He was an ordinary man, with the common man's vulgarity and desires.
Since Heaven had allowed him to transmigrate into this magnificent Integrated Martial World, and even given him such a heaven-defying system, if he merely spent his days with Lǐ Hányī, that would truly be an extravagant waste.
"Lǐ Hányī, this high-mountain flower, is half-plucked..."
He mentally calculated:
"In Snow Moon City, besides this Second City Lord, there should also be the gambling-addicted, charming Luo Xia Immortal, Yīn Luòxiá, right? And the sickly but incomparably intelligent Yè Ruòyī..."
"Not just Snow Moon City."
"Across these Nine Provinces, there's Huáng Róng, Wáng Yǔyān of Great Song; Yāoyuè, Lián Xīng of Great Ming; Jīng Ní, Yàn Língjī of Great Qin; and that white fox-faced one from Beiliang..."
Gù Liúfēng took a deep breath, feeling the air itself grow sweeter.
He didn't consider himself a righteous gentleman, but he was certainly not the kind of shameless scoundrel who only thought with his lower body.
What he wanted was romance, conquest, to make these exceptionally talented and unique women willingly bow before him.
"No multiple-choice questions; I want them all."
Gù Liúfēng snapped his fingers, clamped his legs against the horse's belly, and the black horse neighed, galloping towards the setting sun.