"Hmm, is this the lair of the Apes?"
Following the trail of Wang Lin, Gu Changqing arrived deep into the Magic Beast Mountain Range. Upon seeing the Apes openly mating everywhere, his expression turned somewhat peculiar.
"Wait for me outside, I'll go in and have a look."
With a light tap on the back of his Amethyst Winged Lion King, Gu Changqing leaped off, his figure disappearing instantly.
Slap!
Inside the lair, Wang Lin slapped the dagger out of Yao Ye's hand and roughly grabbed her wrist, yanking off her storage ring.
"You wretch! Trying to end it all? Wait until I've had my fun with you, then you can die."
As he spoke, he moved to tear off Yao Ye's light armor, leaving her in despair, ready to bite down and end her life.
"Tsk tsk, still in the mood at a time like this?"
At that moment, a faint chuckle echoed from the entrance of the cave, interrupting the two in their grim situation.
"It's you! The brat that Mo Li wanted to kill! How did you track me here?"
Wang Lin was startled, quickly standing up from the stone bed. With a butcher's knife in hand, he glared at Gu Changqing like he was facing a powerful foe.
"Help me!" Yao Ye's eyes lit up as she pleaded with Gu Changqing for assistance, though her hope dwindled when she saw no one behind him.
"Oh, I just followed your tracks," Gu Changqing replied nonchalantly, continuing to approach without a trace of caution.
"Quit acting mysterious!"
Wang Lin drew his blade, slashing swiftly at Gu Changqing, his figure moving just as fast, charging out like a whirlwind.
"Watch out!" Yao Ye exclaimed, her eyes widening in alarm as she rushed to warn Gu Changqing.
However, Gu Changqing merely watched, a strange expression in his eyes as the butcher's knife came flying towards him. At the same time, Wang Lin wasn't running toward Gu Changqing at all but was instead darting towards a side tunnel, clearly trying to escape.
As the leader of a group of roaming bandits, Wang Lin knew better than to believe that Gu Changqing had come alone. He suspected there were likely other powerful individuals lying in wait, and there was no way someone could have caught up to him so quickly otherwise.
So, his attack on Gu Changqing was just a distraction, a ruse to create an opening to flee.
"Smart… but not smart enough."
Gu Changqing shook his head slightly. With a wave of his sleeve, the butcher's knife that had been heading towards him changed direction mid-air, spinning rapidly towards the fleeing Wang Lin.
The blade struck Wang Lin at the entrance of the cave, slicing him cleanly in two.
Hiss--
Witnessing the scene, Yao Ye gasped in shock, her eyes wide in disbelief. She couldn't comprehend how effortlessly Gu Changqing had deflected the attack of a nearly Dou King-level warrior and, without breaking a sweat, cut him down in the process.
This level of strength was simply beyond her understanding.
Suddenly, Yao Ye let out a soft, seductive moan.
"Oh no, the effects of the Happy Pill are kicking in!"
Yao Ye hadn't expected the pill Wang Lin forced into her to take effect so quickly. She could already feel its influence spreading through her body, her skin tingling, itching uncontrollably as though countless ants were crawling over her.
"Please, take me away from here… I beg you," Yao Ye whimpered, her voice quivering as her body grew weaker and more sensitive.
"Alright."
Without hesitation, Gu Changqing stepped forward, effortlessly lifting Yao Ye into his arms. Despite her wearing armor, she felt incredibly soft, her delicate body practically melting into his arms.
"My… my ring…" Yao Ye murmured, her breath hot as she rubbed herself against him, still somewhat conscious, reminding Gu Changqing to retrieve her storage ring from Wang Lin's corpse.
Gu Changqing obliged, walking over to Wang Lin's body, picking up both his and Yao Ye's storage rings before vanishing from the Apes lair.
---
At a waterfall near the Magic Beast Mountain Range, inside a secluded cave, Gu Changqing was treating Yao Ye's poison.
He had chosen a particular method: one involving close physical contact, leading the two of them to soon face each other without any barriers.
There were two ways to treat the Happy Pill's effects. The first was to concoct an antidote, which required understanding the source of the pill's toxins and crafting a specific remedy. The second, simpler but more intimate, was to use physical means to absorb the poison.
Creating the antidote was a time-consuming process. While not difficult for an experienced alchemist to suppress the poison temporarily, concocting the right cure required knowledge of the pill's exact properties. In contrast, the direct physical method—though a cruder solution—was far quicker.
Gu Changqing, unlike others, wasn't shy about responsibility. When it came to making choices, he didn't dodge what needed to be done, even if it was unpleasant. So, when faced with Yao Ye's condition, he opted for the most immediate solution.
It wasn't just a matter of convenience. Gu Changqing had a particular interest in Yao Ye, the eldest princess of the Jia Ma Empire. Having her as an ally—or perhaps more—could greatly benefit his future plans for the empire.
Besides, as someone who believed in being responsible for his actions, Gu Changqing did what he had to do.
When Yao Ye awoke, Gu Changqing had already been by her side, caring for her in the most considerate way possible, eventually winning her over.
In the days that followed, Yao Ye learned that the man who saved her was none other than Gu Changqing from the Xiao family in Wu Tan City.
However, she was still unaware of Gu Changqing's true strength and identity. Even her grandfather had not shared the full details of what transpired in the Magic Beast Mountain Range, only mentioning that a mysterious and powerful young man had appeared.