Tou’s Playful Torment and Ji Jie’s Desperate Gambit

“Boom!”

A tremendous crash echoed, startling Tou so profoundly that his heart gave a frantic thump.

However, that explosive sound wasn’t born of Qing Zhuiyan’s fury.

Instead, two factions had erupted into battle in the distance.

His maid, Ji Jie, along with Xiaobai, the white-haired Little Loli, and the Monkey King, were locked in a fierce skirmish against a tall, somewhat gaunt young man wielding an ice-blue spear.

“I’ll spare you for now!

Once I’ve dealt with these troublesome nuisances, I’ll chop you up, you yellow-haired brat… Bah!

I’ll chop you, you hermaphrodite, into pieces!”

The young woman, truly a figure of dashing valor, dramatically tossed her long hair, which cascaded like a waterfall, before turning on her heel and departing.

Tou wanted to hurl a few insults back, but before his mouth could even fully open, the girl had already sprinted far into the distance.

“C-could you please get off me?” a voice, soft as a buzzing mosquito, whispered in his ear shortly after Qing Zhuiyan’s departure.

“No way!”

Tou refused without a moment’s hesitation.

It was incredibly comfortable holding Xierwei, and squeezing her was quite enjoyable; he wasn’t about to let go so easily.

“Then, I apologize!”

Her voice remained faint, making it difficult for Tou to clearly discern her words.

“Ap-pologize? A-ra-ra-ra-ra…”

As Tou attempted to comprehend her meaning, a sudden sensation coursed through him, as if he had grasped a live wire, and his entire body went limp, electrified.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!

That was my absolute minimum power; I didn’t mean to hurt you!”

Xierwei knelt before Tou, repeatedly apologizing, a faint blush spreading across her face.

She raised a hand, intending to help Tou up, but after a prolonged hesitation, she refrained from touching him.

“Ah! What kind of ability is that?!

You’ve left me completely powerless; wouldn’t it be incredibly easy to do something scandalous to me now?!”

A short while later, Tou exclaimed in astonishment, his heart pounding with lingering fear.

He realized that this seemingly delicate young lady before him was not one to be provoked lightly in the future.

“I-I-I! I didn’t mean to… A-yah!

I wouldn’t do anything bad to you!”

Tou’s earlier comment made Xierwei’s face flush even deeper, and her speech became notably more flustered.

That cry just now—she must have bitten her tongue!

‘He truly couldn’t fathom what thoughts were swirling in her mind.’

Ignoring her, Tou desperately wished for something like a pillow to clutch to his chest.

The sensation of being utterly incapacitated, completely unable to resist, still lingered.

It left him feeling incredibly insecure, especially with Four-Master nowhere in sight; if he were to be taken advantage of by others, he wouldn’t even have a place to cry!

“I’m truly sorry! I didn didn’t mean it…”

Tou remained unresponsive, even shifting slightly further away, leading Xierwei to believe he detested her.

She opened her mouth to offer more apologies, yet her eyes steadfastly refused to meet his gaze.

“Promise me you won’t use that ability on me again, and I’ll forgive you!”

“I… I absolutely won’t use it on you!”

Unsure if Xierwei’s words held true, Tou’s hand, as if inviting trouble, reached out once more.

“Ah!! You’re trying to… trying to… Ah-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba!”

Xierwei offered no resistance, instead, she bashfully wished to bury her head in the ground.

Witnessing her reaction, Tou grew even more impudent.

Embracing her from behind just as before, he playfully commanded, “Hehe! If you want my complete forgiveness, you’ll have to be my mount! Hmph! Hurry up and stand, carry me around for a bit!”

“A mount… I can’t…”

“What are you talking about?! Get up quickly!

Do you believe I’ll kick your butt?!”

Her voice was so tiny that Tou outright ignored her words, threatening her with a hint of impatience.

And though it was a threat, Tou’s knee had already given her a firm nudge.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch… I-I-I… as long as… as long as you forgive me, I’ll do anything…”

Xierwei’s face remained flushed, yet inwardly, she brimmed with joy.

To be honest, she found Tou incredibly adorable; she truly liked him.

It was love at first sight, and upon hearing Tou mention he was a boy, the thought of having children with him only intensified her affection.

However, saying something like “I like you” and “I want to have children with you” directly to someone she had just met would be far too blunt and might lead her to be perceived as a pervert.

Moreover, Xierwei was not one of those particularly bold or outgoing girls.

Having encountered true love, she was timid and hesitant, fearing that she might do something wrong and be disliked.

Slowly, she rose, gently placing Tou, who was half a head taller than her, onto her back.

Despite her face still burning with bashfulness, the overflowing joy within her provided a profound sense of satisfaction.

“Hehe! Not bad, not bad!

Where should we go now?”

Tou, like a child with a new toy, was delighted and eager to show off in front of his other companions.

He glanced around, his gaze finally settling on the battle unfolding on the other side.

Ji Jie, clutching her Platinum Star, her entire body pale as if covered in dandruff, along with Xiaobai, whose face was darkened as if she had overexerted herself, and the one-armed Monkey King, were entangled in a struggle against a large group of people.

Ji Jie and her companions, having just fought Yue Ye Si, were utterly exhausted.

Yet, the man with the spear seemed to recognize Ji Jie, as he refrained from striking them with full force.

“Jie… Ji Jie! You’ve truly joined the Akatsuki!

You’ve disappointed me deeply!”

The man’s hair, like Ji Jie’s, was reddish-brown, tied in a small braid at the back that looped over his left shoulder to the front.

He clenched his fist at Ji Jie, his face overtly displaying a complex mix of love, hatred, and self-reproach.

“Ling Er, it seems you’ve gained quite a lot of good fortune these past few years!

The little brat who used to trail behind me is now the Chief Senior Disciple of the Carefree Sect.

With your current strength, even at my peak, I fear I wouldn’t be your match!”

Much had changed, and though Ji Jie had been expelled from the Carefree Sect, she never stopped monitoring the situation in that place which had brought her such sorrow.

Ling Er was once her young follower; to see him achieve such success now…

Her resentment only deepened!

All of this, she felt, should rightfully be hers!

“Someone you know?”

Qing Zhuiyan stood nearby, her delicate head slightly raised, her arms crossed over her chest, obscuring her flat bosom from view.

“Your Highness!

She was the previous Chief Disciple of my Carefree Sect, and once, the person I respected most.

Please, allow me to handle her!”

Ling Er nodded, making his request.

“Very well!

But do not waste my time!

Before I deal with the other two, ensure she is subdued!”

Qing Zhuiyan seemed indifferent, rubbing her hands together with a ‘creaking’ sound as she strode towards Xiaobai and the Monkey King.

“Thank you, Your Highness! Then, Ji Jie! Let us settle this!”

The spear spun rapidly in his grasp, and Ling Er’s body sprang up like a fierce tiger, exuding an aura of regal dominance that matched his weapon.

This was no mere display.

The power behind his spear swing was astonishingly immense, making it feel as though he wielded not a slender spear, but a colossal hammer.

“Clang~~~”

Ji Jie was well aware of his Imperial Armament’s capabilities.

The Freezing Heart Overlord Spear granted a one hundred percent power increase, doubling that power with each major rank advancement.

He could now exert four times his physical strength, making him incredibly formidable.

Ji Jie parried this fierce, descending tiger-like strike with the flat of her sword, retreating several meters in rapid succession.

The lesser soldiers, like mere shrimp and crabs, actively cleared the way.

They had previously been entangled with the trio for a while and knew they were no match.

Now, witnessing their general repel the enemy several meters with a single move, their expressions became exhilarated, and they joyfully raised their hands in cheers!

“As expected, he’s formidable.

It seems if I don’t reveal my true capabilities, I’ll meet my end here today.”

Ji Jie felt a renewed sense of breathlessness.

Just then, Xiaobai was also repeatedly forced back by Qing Zhuiyan’s punches, ultimately colliding with Ji Jie.

“Brother Jie, what do we do?!

Our spiritual energy is almost depleted; what more can we possibly do?!”

“Of course there is!

Use your Evil Eye to control those people!”

As Ji Jie spoke, she slammed a fist onto Xiaobai’s head, causing Xiaobai to compress even further, like a spring.

Then, with one hand, Ji Jie plunged her fingers towards the third eye in the center of Xiaobai’s forehead.

Once the Evil Eye was extracted, Xiaobai’s body abruptly dissolved into countless tiny eyes, which then scattered, flying towards the surrounding crowd.

These eyes attached themselves to people, first rendering them immobile, and then seizing control.

Wielding their blades, the newly controlled individuals advanced upon their former comrades.

Even this wasn’t enough; the eye in her hand was Xiaobai’s true form.

She flung the eye towards Ling Er, then, as if her feet had been greased, she took off running!

“Run, Xiaobai!”