"I'll help you."
Chu Yao took the cloth from Long Chen's hand and gently wrapped up his arm. She quietly mumbled, "Sorry."
Long Chen was somehow different from anyone else Chu Yao had ever met. Her impression was that he was the only 'lower person' that dared fight back against her.
She could tell from Long Chen's wild and coarse eyes that he was a man who did not fear heaven or earth. He would rather have himself in pain than hurt Chu Yao; this had touched Chu Yao's soft inner heart.
When she carefully thought about it, perhaps Long Chen really hadn't done anything wrong, or maybe she just didn't know the whole story. This was the first time in all her years that she started to feel a trace of guilt.
"I…" Long Chen was just about to say something.
"You don't have to apologize. We… today we'll call it even. I bit you, and you…" Her face turned red. Her chest still felt different from before as she hadn't forgotten that previous feeling.
"No, I want to say-" Long Chen shook his head.
"Everything that needs to be said has been said. This is over. What more do you want to say?" Chu Yao said a bit angrily.
"Oh pretty woman, what I want to say is that you bit my left arm. Why are you bandaging my right arm?"
Only now did Chu Yao notice that in her carelessness she had bound the wrong arm. Not only did her face turn completely red, but seeing his helpless expression, she softly cursed, "Scoundrel, why didn't you tell me before?"
She unbound that arm and then bound Long Chen's other arm. It was just a flesh wound, so other than hurting a bit, it couldn't be considered serious.
Long Chen was laughing inside. This beautiful woman at least had a bit of a conscience. His strategy of hurting himself to gain her trust had worked perfectly.
Actually, he had healing medicines within his spatial ring, both for outer and inner wounds. But he didn't take them out in order to put on a proper show.
Originally, Long Chen hadn't been expecting his plan to work this well. If his soft approach hadn't worked, he had been completely prepared to deal out harsher reprisals. Fortunately, she had fallen hook, line, and sinker for his trap. This had greatly surpassed his original expectations.
It was also the first time that he gained a faint favorable impression of the royal family. He gently said, "Your little brother was being used. Zhou Yaoyang wanted to use him to pressure me."
He then recounted what had happened between him and Zhou Yaoyang briefly. This time he didn't need to arouse her emotions; all he did was indifferently explain a bit of what he had been through.
"I'm sorry Long Chen. It was I who wronged you." Chu Yao felt guilty now, feeling as if she had gone too far.
"Don't worry, I'm already used to this," said Long Chen indifferently.
Although his speech was very flat, combined with his sullen expression, it gave people a powerful moving visual.
Long Chen's expression caused Chu Yao to feel even more guilt. It was as if she had rubbed salt into someone who was already covered in wounds.
"Haha, don't take it so seriously. I'm just tricking you into sympathy," smiled Long Chen.
She didn't know why, but seeing Long Chen's smile caused her to feel even worse for him. Even tears started to stream down her face.
"Crap, don't cry. I'll stop talking about it."
Long Chen might not fear heaven or earth, but he was afraid of a woman's tears. He immediately became flustered and didn't know what to do.
"Can you forgive me?" broken-heartedly asked Chu Yao. She felt as if she was the worst person in the world.
"It's ok, this wasn't your fault. It was all caused by a different bad person so don't blame yourself," consoled Long Chen.
"But…"
"No buts. Leave the past in the past. Keep the happy days and forget the sad days. That's how I've done it as long as I can remember," said Long Chen.
"Thank you, Long Chen." Chu Yao dabbed her tears, and a smile appeared on her beautiful face.
Long Chen's heart trembled a bit when he looked at Chu Yao. Although she might be just a smidge inferior to Meng Qi, her beauty was enough to topple cities. Especially when she laughed; no males could remain unmoved.
Seeing Long Chen suddenly foolishly stare at her, Chu Yao asked in confusion, "Long Chen, why are you looking at me like that?"
"Haha, it's because you're too beautiful. Please don't take any offense." Long Chen's face reddened as he replied truthfully.
"Am I really beautiful?" Chu Yao seriously asked as she pushed her fine hair behind her ear.
Long Chen was surprised, asking, "Of course, you're beautiful; could it be that you didn't know? Has no one else ever told you?"
Chu Yao shook her head, saying, "People tell me that every day, but I don't trust them. I don't like those people who are fake to me every day."
She appeared helpless as she said this. It was a pitiful sight that caused Long Chen's heart to hurt for her. Compared to the girl who had attacked him, it was like two different people. Long Chen hadn't expected Chu Yao to have such a side to her.
"Let's find a place to sit. Standing like this is awkward."
Long Chen found a clean boulder to sit on, and Chu Yao nodded. But as soon as she sat down, she suddenly jumped back up with a cry.
"What's wrong?"
Chu Yao's face was completely red. She angrily replied, "It's all because of you!"
Long Chen quickly realized what it was and felt guilty. But behind his back, he rubbed his right hand a couple of times, reliving that wonderful feeling from before.
Chu Yao took out a long blanket from her spatial ring and covered the boulder before gently sitting. But she still knit her brow slightly when she touched the surface as it was still slightly painful.
"About that… uh, I'm sorry." Long Chen apologized in embarrassment. Those actions of his didn't exactly fit with the image of a noble gentleman, but at that time, Long Chen hadn't been expecting to have to act like one.
Plus, he had been very pressed when being bitten. His unadulterated actions weren't really to take advantage of her.
"I've never met someone as terrible as you. This is the first time anyone's ever hit me." Chu Yao's eyes reddened with grievance.
"Hey, don't cry. How about I let you hit me on the bottom too?" hastily joked Long Chen when he saw that she was about to cry.
"Ha, who would want to hit you there? You're such a bad person!" Chu Yao immediately laughed at that, a complete reversal in emotions.
He relaxed slightly now that she wasn't about to cry. Hitting a princess really had been audacious, even for him.
"Long Chen, although you're a bad person, I feel like you're not a cheater who will lie to me just to curry favor. Can we be friends?" seriously asked Chu Yao.
"Of course. As long as you don't put me in a net again next time. Truthfully, I was really afraid that you were going to let go and let me fall," laughed Long Chen.
Chu Yao also laughed, remembering how sorry a figure he had appeared when she had dropped him previously.
After laughing together, the distance between the two of them had become much less. Chu Yao actually began to talk about things that she and her little brother had gone through.
Perhaps it was due to this being the first time she could say whatever she wanted, she actually told Long Chen many things.
"Chu Yao, how long has it been since you've seen His Majesty?"
She shook her head. "I haven't seen him since I was three years old. My little brother has never seen him even once."
Long Chen nodded. He hesitated a bit, but in the end, still decided not to ask her certain questions. His friendship with Chu Yao had only just started, so he couldn't suddenly ask sensitive questions.
But he really did want to know what the situation was within the imperial palace. Who was actually targeting the Long family?
The emperor had been in seclusion for five years before a summons came for Long Tianxiao to come back. But it was at that time that Long Tianxiao had started to refuse the imperial commands.
Just what had happened during that period? Moreover, his father hadn't sent any messages back in over ten years. Why? Had he really abandoned his wife and son?
Although his memories of him were somewhat vague now, Long Tianxiao's steadfast image was deeply imprinted in Long Chen's heart. He definitely wasn't such a person.
But then what was going on? Long Chen was stuck in a huge puzzle, but he also couldn't rush solving it.
Because the closer he came to the truth, the more dangerous it would become. Before he had the proper strength, Long Chen needed to continue lying low.
Long Chen continued asking a few roundabout questions. What was going on with the other princes, etc. Chu Yao didn't seem to guess Long Chen's intentions and thought Long Chen was just interested in her, so she continued to answer.
He was a bit ashamed to trick such a woman, so he stopped asking in order to avoid piling on the guilt.
Since he was getting closer and closer to the truth, the most important thing was for him to quickly raise his strength. Now that his FengFu Star's initial condensation was complete and his spiritual energy had increased, he could increase the rate at which he refined pills and continue nourishing the FengFu Star.
Once the FengFu Star reached its perfect state, he could attack Blood Condensation. Only after reaching the Blood Condensation realm would a person become a true martial artist. Right now, he was just too weak.
The other thing that pleasantly surprised him was that as the FengFu Star grew larger, his physical body also changed with it and became stronger.
The FengFu Star was just like a spring nourishing his whole body. His current transformation made him greatly different from his old self.
His greatest support was the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art, but this technique was too mysterious. All that was in his memories was how to cultivate it; there was nothing else about it.
Chu Yao continued to chatter for four full hours before starting to feel embarrassed and starting to ask questions of Long Chen.
Long Chen laughed and talked about a couple of interesting things. He didn't say anything about his bitter suffering. Apparently, Long Chen had an exceptionally talented eloquence and mouth. Bright laughter occasionally rang out from Chu Yao.
That rough and willful princess had now changed to become a yearning lady.
The two of them only realized how much time had passed when the sun started to set. Chu Yao asked, "Long Chen, can I come to find you in the future to hang out?"
Long Chen hesitated slightly since he was afraid of being too close to anyone from the imperial family, but seeing Chu Yao's eyes filled with hope, he couldn't help agreeing, "Of course. But it'll have to be a secret between us."
Her face reddened and her beautiful eyes looked away. She hurriedly whispered, "Then I have to go."
"You go back first. I'll walk home." If the princess was noticed to have a male companion on her mount, it would definitely bring great trouble.
Chu Yao seemed to also understand and whispered a goodbye to Long Chen before flying away on her Hawkeagle.
Seeing her figure gradually fade away, an uncomfortable feeling arose in his heart. Only after a long time later did he sigh and start walking back.
But just as he arrived at his family's gate, he saw countless elite troops had already completely encircled the Long estate. His face darkened and killing intent immediately surfaced.
Since you've come seeking death, I won't hold back.
The fury in his heart could no longer be suppressed, as he directly charged at the elite troops which were surrounding his home.