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It was already midday when they left the Hundred Li Flower Sea.
A faint scent of blood still lingered in the air, a remnant of last night's Dark River assassins.
Although these top assassins were dead, the few warhorses they left behind were leisurely grazing by the forest edge.
They were fine steeds, rarely seen even in the Beili army, saving Gù Liúfēng the trouble of traveling on foot.
Gù Liúfēng walked up to a black horse, reaching out to pat its neck.
In his mind, the [Grandmaster-level Horsemanship] granted by the system's newbie gift pack instantly activated.
He had originally known nothing about riding, but at this moment, memories of how to control a horse, how to exert force, and how to maintain balance amidst bumps, merged into his muscle memory like instinct.
He flipped onto the horse, his movements fluid and graceful, as agile as a child of the grasslands who had grown up on horseback.
"Those are Dark River horses."
Lǐ Hányī's cold voice came from behind.
She stood three paces away. Although she held Iron Horse, Ice River in her hand, her figure remained somewhat frail. Her once fitted grey robe was now tattered, barely covering her, making her appear somewhat dishevelled.
"The men are dead, the horses are innocent."
Gù Liúfēng reined in the horse, making it stamp in place twice. He looked down at her from his elevated position:
"Can you still walk?"
Lǐ Hányī bit her lower lip, remaining silent. She simply walked stubbornly towards another brown horse.
She was the Snow Moon Sword Immortal. Even if her internal energy was temporarily lost, even if... even if her body was sore and weak from last night's absurdity, she would not allow herself to show weakness in front of the man who had taken her body.
She took a deep breath, grasped the saddle, and attempted to swing herself onto the horse.
However, the moment she exerted force, a piercing soreness and numbness shot through the inner sides of her thighs.
It was an unmentionable, peculiar sensation that directly caused her knees to buckle. Instead of getting on the horse, she stumbled awkwardly backward.
The anticipated fall did not occur.
A strong arm reached out horizontally, firmly encircling her waist.
"Why act tough?"
Gù Liúfēng had, at some unknown point, ridden his horse to her side. He leaned down, effortlessly lifting her entire body with one arm, as if carrying a small chick.
"You... insolent! Put me down!"
Lǐ Hányī's face turned pale with shock, instantly flushing with embarrassment. She instinctively tried to push him away, but the arm encircling her waist was like iron, unmoving.
"If you don't want to fall to your death, don't move."
Gù Liúfēng's voice was right next to her ear, steady, calm, without the slightest hint of teasing. It was as if he was stating a fact:
"In your current physical condition, even walking is difficult, and you want to ride a horse? What if we encounter wild beasts or pursuers? Are you planning to seek death, or do you want me to collect your corpse?"
His words were crude but logical.
But this feeling of being directly "exposed" in her weakness made Lǐ Hányī utterly humiliated.
"I don't need you to mind me! I can manage myself!"
Lǐ Hányī was still struggling, but the next second, she felt her body lighten.
Gù Liúfēng completely ignored her protests, placing her horizontally across the saddle. Then, his hands passed through her sides and gripped the reins.
In this instant, their posture became extremely ambiguous.
Lǐ Hányī was completely encircled in Gù Liúfēng's embrace, her back pressed tightly against his broad, warm chest. That strong masculine scent, mixed with a faint grassy aroma, enveloped her overwhelmingly.
"Hold on tight."
Gù Liúfēng gave her no opportunity to continue her outburst, clamping his legs sharply against the horse's belly.
"Giddy up!"
The warhorse neighed, then charged forward like an arrow released from a bow.
"Ah—!"
The sudden acceleration made Lǐ Hányī cry out. Her body instinctively leaned backward, pressing even tighter against him.
Bouncing.
Each rise and fall on the horseback inevitably caused their bodies to rub and collide.
Lǐ Hányī was completely stiff, her face so red it looked like it might drip blood. She could clearly feel the vibration from the man's chest behind her, and the warm breath he exhaled against her neck when he spoke.
For a woman who had guarded her purity for twenty years, this was simply a torture more unbearable than death.
"Can't you... slow down a bit?" Lǐ Hányī gritted her teeth, her voice trembling.
"Ahead is the official road. Slowing down makes it easy for Rakshasa Net or Dark River people to catch up."
Gù Liúfēng gazed forward, his expression focused. He wasn't distracted or carried away just because he was holding a peerless beauty in his arms. While he wasn't a gentleman like Liu Xiahui, he knew how to prioritize.
"Besides, I'm saving you."
Gù Liúfēng adjusted his posture, making Lǐ Hányī sit a little more comfortably, though this movement inevitably touched the soft flesh of her waist, causing the person in his arms to shiver.
"If you don't want others to see the Snow Moon Sword Immortal in this dishevelled, weak state, you'd best behave and let me get you to the Lei Family Fort as quickly as possible."
Lǐ Hányī opened her mouth, wanting to curse him for being shameless, for taking advantage of her vulnerability.
But the words caught in her throat, and she swallowed them back.
"Hmph."
In the end, Lǐ Hányī could only turn her head away, snort coldly, and stop struggling.
But the hand that originally wanted to push him away, at some unknown point, gently grasped a corner of his sleeve.
The wind whistled past their ears.
Gù Liúfēng felt the gradually relaxing delicate body in his arms, and his lips subtly curved.
He knew that this first step had been taken.
In this Integrated Martial World, to conquer a woman like Lǐ Hányī, merely "sleeping with her" wouldn't be enough.
He had to make her accustomed to his presence, accustomed to his assertiveness, and finally... dependent on his warmth.