In the dark, Gu Chanqing was lying in bed, whispering to Xun'er.
"I want to go out and travel for a while."
Xun'er lay beside Gu Chanqing, gently stroking his arm and face as she asked, "Where do you want to travel to?"
"Just around the Jia Ma Empire," Gu Chanqing replied, his gaze fixed on Xun'er's delicate face.
"No, you're still too young."
After a moment of silence, Xun'er shook her head, rejecting Gu Chanqing's request.
"How am I too young?"
Gu Chanqing grabbed Xun'er's small hand, comparing their hand sizes, and then pinched her slender waist, making her feel the width of his own. He asked, "Am I still too young now?"
"Little rascal, I'm saying that you're too young in age. Moreover, you're only a Fighter right now, so traveling could be too dangerous."
Xun'er chuckled and pinched Gu Chanqing's cheek, reproaching him.
"I'm not going to the Magical Beast Mountains to practice; I just want to visit the various human cities in the Jia Ma Empire. There won't be any danger."
Gu Chanqing shook his head, speaking with determination.
"Then I'll go with you."
Hearing Gu Chanqing's firm tone, Xun'er, unable to refuse him forcefully, could only compromise.
"Good sister, you should stay here and focus on practicing the Flame Mantra. I promise I'll be back before Jia Nan Academy starts recruiting next year."
Gu Chanqing patted Xun'er's hand reassuringly.
"What? You want to be away for a year? No way!"
Xun'er was immediately alarmed and sat up, looking at Gu Chanqing sternly.
Gu Chanqing turned around and gave her his back, preparing to sleep.
"Gu Chanqing!"
"I forbid you to go. Do you hear me?"
Xun'er was upset, tapping Gu Chanqing's back firmly.
"Alright, Sister let's go to sleep. If you're worried about me encountering danger, you can arrange for a powerful bodyguard to follow me. But I must go on this trip."
Gu Chanqing sat up and gently pushed Xun'er down, making her lie back down. He leaned over her, looking into her beautiful eyes with determination.
Before Xun'er could respond, Gu Chanqing covered her mouth with his hand and said, "Good sister, just agree to it. Otherwise, I'll go secretly."
With that, he gave her a quick kiss on one side of her face.
Startled by the unexpected kiss, Xun'er's face turned bright red. But seeing that Gu Chanqing was serious about going secretly, she widened her eyes and prepared to scold him.
Peck~
Seeing Xun'er about to get angry, Gu Chanqing hurriedly kissed the other side of her face.
"Gu Chanqing, you..."
Peck~
"You..."
Peck~
Whenever Xun'er showed any sign of stopping Gu Chanqing, he quickly kissed her on the other side of her face.
Soon, Xun'er couldn't tolerate Gu Chanqing's relentless tactics. Lying on the bed with a resigned expression, she finally relented and said, "You can go, but only for a year. If you encounter any danger, you must come back, and make sure Elder Ling follows you at all times."
Xun'er knew her little brother was quite mischievous and might try to escape Elder Ling's watch. Thus, she needed to make it clear that Gu Chanqing mustn't use any tricks to avoid him.
"Okay, okay. I'll do as you say."
Gu Chanqing was overjoyed and readily agreed.
The next morning, Gu Chanqing was woken up by an unusual noise. Opening his eyes, he saw Xun'er snuggled up to him, gnawing on one of his hands, leaving it wet with saliva.
Sensing Gu Chanqing's wakefulness, Xun'er's eyes fluttered open, revealing a slightly drowsy look.
She saw Gu Chanqing staring at her with a bemused expression.
"What's with that look, Qing?"
Xun'er pouted her lips, speaking with a hint of innocence.
As soon as she spoke, she noticed something and looked down to see her wet hand.
Her face flushed red. In her dream, she had been gnawing on a magical beast's claw.
"Sister, you're quite greedy."
Gu Chanqing sat up, held his wet hand to his nose, and laughed, "It actually smells quite nice!"
"You naughty little brother!"
Embarrassed and annoyed, Xun'er pounced on Gu Chanqing and started biting him.
"Doctor, you're here!"
"The doctor looks even more handsome now. If only my child could be as outstanding as you."
"Not only is the doctor skilled, but he is also talented in everything. Look at the couple in front of the Clinic, which was personally written by the doctor."
"Saving lives and helping the people, Gu Chanqing's Clinic truly lives up to its name!"
As Gu Chanqing walked through the streets, many mercenaries and commoners cast admiring and respectful glances at him.
Over the years in Wutan City, Gu Chanqing had established the Clinic, treating numerous commoners and mercenaries. His reputation in Wutan City was extremely high.
Reaching the front of the clinic, Gu Chanqing first took down the sign that read "Not Available Today."
He then addressed the crowd that had already started to line up for consultations, saying loudly, "Thank you all for your support over the years. I want to announce that from today onward, the Clinic will be under the management of the Xiao family. All operations and earnings will be handled by the Xiao family. Today will be my last day seeing patients. I hope to have the opportunity to treat you all again in the future."
"Please do not crowd. One person at a time."
With that, Gu Chanqing took his seat at the consultation desk, waiting for the patients to come forward.
His announcement caused a stir among the crowd, with many expressing concern, suspecting that he might have been pressured by the Xiao family to give up his clinic. They vowed to seek justice for Gu Chanqing.
Fortunately, Gu Chanqing clarified the situation on the spot, affirming his support for the Xiao family and dispelling the notion of any wrongdoing.
"Seems like Gu Chanqing is truly a good person."
As Gu Chanqing attended to the patients, a graceful figure observed him from the shadows. It was Nalan Yanran, who had not yet left Wutan City.
After resolving the engagement issue, she was supposed to return to Yunlan Sect with Ge Ye immediately. However, her curiosity about Gu Chanqing made her stay behind. She claimed she wanted to travel and practice outside, but in reality, she was secretly observing Gu Chanqing, intending to thank him in person.
Mo Li, who had planned to return to the sect with Nalan Yanran and arrange for someone to deal with Gu Chanqing, found his plans thwarted. Nalan Yanran insisted on staying and did not allow him to accompany her, deepening his animosity toward Gu Chanqing. He arranged for people to keep a close watch on Gu Chanqing in Wutan City while he prepared to take action against him.