The two figures inside the tent were practically stripped bare, exposed to one another. From the look of it, Jun Moxie was clearly forcing himself upon Du Gu Xiaoyi, who was desperately resisting, resulting in this "awkward" standoff.

Guan Qinghan had originally been with Du Gu Xiaoyi. But Du Gu Xiaoyi furtively produced a jade flute, claiming she wanted Guan Qinghan's expert opinion on it. Since Guan Qinghan's greatest passion in life was the art of the flute, she readily agreed and took it.

Before she could even sample the tone, Du Gu Xiaoyi suddenly clutched her stomach, claimed she needed to relieve herself, and bolted out of the tent with urgency. Guan Qinghan didn't suspect a thing. Seeing Du Gu Xiaoyi's flushed face, seemingly unable to hold it any longer, she merely scoffed and let her go, while she herself examined the jade flute closely, testing its timbre while awaiting Du Gu Xiaoyi's return.

But waiting and waiting, there was no sign of her; waiting four times and still nothing. Guan Qinghan grew slowly concerned and finally went out to search. She asked the soldiers along the path if they had seen Miss Du Gu. A soldier pointed casually.

Guan Qinghan followed the trail of inquiries and learned that Du Gu Xiaoyi had fled like a startled deer straight into Jun Moxie's tent. This made her feel amused and annoyed, along with an indescribable, ambiguous feeling.

She had explicitly suggested they both come to check on this fellow together later, yet Du Gu Xiaoyi had used this method to ditch her and run over first.

Since she was with Jun Moxie, nothing serious should be happening. So, Guan Qinghan hesitated at the tent flap, about to turn back, when she suddenly heard what sounded like an unusual commotion inside—Du Gu Xiaoyi was actually crying out for help!

How could this be? Guan Qinghan recalled the dissolute image of Jun Moxie from months prior, and her heart immediately fluttered: Could it be?

Du Gu Xiaoyi’s cries grew increasingly sharp, turning into sobs. Guan Qinghan finally hardened her resolve and burst in.

Who knew that upon entering, she was confronted with such an embarrassing scene.

Guan Qinghan felt something snap inside her; in that instant, despair washed over her, and tears streamed down her face. “Jun Moxie, you have disappointed me so!”

Regardless of Guan Qinghan's feelings, the current Jun Moxie had lost all reason! He couldn't hear what she was saying, and even if he had, he wouldn't understand or care.

“Sister Guan, hurry and save me, woo-woo-woo!” Du Gu Xiaoyi pleaded, crying like a willow in the rain, both wronged and pitiful.

Guan Qinghan roared, “You beast, let go!” She lunged forward, intending to shove Jun Moxie aside, but despite summoning all her strength, she couldn't budge him.

Du Gu Xiaoyi, trapped beneath Jun Moxie, managed to bend her knees and kick out with all her might. Guan Qinghan cooperated, pouring all her internal energy into a heave, finally shoving Jun Moxie aside. Half of Du Gu Xiaoyi's body was revealed—crystal white, covered in scattered plum-blossom marks, which were the hickeys left on her delicate skin from Jun Moxie’s ravaging.

This was only because Jun Moxie was currently delirious and not consciously using his true power; otherwise, even ten Guan Qinghans would be utterly useless!

Both ashamed and terrified, Du Gu Xiaoyi seized the moment, scrambled up, and threw herself into Guan Qinghan's embrace, weeping uncontrollably.

“What on earth happened?” Guan Qinghan hastily grabbed Jun Moxie’s cloak lying nearby to cover her tender body.

Before Du Gu Xiaoyi could speak, Jun Moxie pounced forward again like a ravenous wolf.

Du Gu Xiaoyi shrieked, panic-stricken, wrapped the cloak tightly around herself, and tumbled and scrambled out. The little maid was genuinely terrified today.

Jun Moxie, poised at a critical moment with the arrow already nocked, suddenly lost his target. Unwilling to tolerate this, and completely unaware that the person in his arms had changed, he grabbed the new woman with the force of a tiger.

Guan Qinghan trembled with rage, shouting fiercely, “Jun Moxie! You’re mad! You still want to—” Before she could finish her sentence, she noticed Jun Moxie’s flushed face, his bloodshot eyes, and his disoriented gaze, entirely lacking his usual clarity. He was clearly devoid of reason, which shocked her to the core.

What in the world was happening?

Though Guan Qinghan was technically still a maiden, she was significantly older than Du Gu Xiaoyi and understood much more. While she hadn't noticed upon entering, she now saw the abnormality and correctly guessed what had happened to Jun Moxie!

Poison!

And judging by the ferocity, a potent dose! Otherwise, this wouldn't be the case!

Guan Qinghan thought about drawing her sword to frighten Jun Moxie, but the hesitation cost her a step. Jun Moxie lunged like a wolf, grabbing her, and immediately his large mouth descended for a kiss. Guan Qinghan was simultaneously suspicious, ashamed, and anxious, pushing desperately, but how could her strength match that of a man like Jun Moxie? Moreover, seeing that Jun Moxie had clearly been sabotaged, her heart softened, leaving her unsure what to do.

In his current state, if she were to leave and he couldn't find release for this violent medicinal force, how could he endure it? His mind would surely burn out, potentially even risking his life.

Although Guan Qinghan usually maintained a cold, icy demeanor and never offered Jun Moxie a pleasant expression, he was still her husband's younger brother, the sole heir of the Jun family. Furthermore, the memory of his anger a few months prior—daring to stand against the entire world for her sake—was deeply etched in her mind. Her own heart of over twenty years had fluttered because of that moment! For such an outstanding young man who treated her with such deep affection, could she really just watch him suffer like this? Especially when the consequences could be severe?

Jun Moxie dared to defy the Blood Soul Manor, which was at the zenith of its power throughout the land at that time, without flinching for her sake! How then could she repay this profound kindness?

The Jun family, when her own clan had washed its hands of her or even intended to give her away, had prepared for mutual destruction just to protect her! Could she stand by and watch the only heir of the Jun family be tormented by poison?

Even in these recent days in Tiannan, her adoptive father, Jun Wuyi, had been severely harassed and maliciously framed by the Blood Soul Manor over her affairs, narrowly escaping death. If not for timely secret aid, he would have certainly died fighting here!

And all of this was because of her!

Now that Jun Moxie had been afflicted by this poison, could she truly just walk away?

Since she came to the Jun family, Jun Moxie had shown her favor, even using his previous playboy facade—whether genuine or feigned—to express his feelings for her. Only recently did she learn that his former persona was entirely a deliberate disguise. Why did he act that way? Why confess his feelings at such a time?

Looking back now, it seemed incredibly precious. Could she truly remain entirely unmoved by such devotion?

It is easy to find priceless treasures, but hard to find a man who truly loves.

Compared to Jun Moxie’s heaven-sent talent, what were the young talents from other aristocratic families? She was free now, but…

For a moment, Guan Qinghan’s heart churned, and she became utterly lost in thought.

It must be said that Jun Moxie’s so-called “unwavering devotion” was entirely a beautiful misunderstanding fueled by Guan Qinghan’s unilateral yearning. The reason was simple: this Moxie was not that Moxie. Though the body was the same, the soul within had been completely replaced by another! All the actions of the former Moxie could not be attributed to the current Jun Moxie.

As it stood now, even their bodies felt different!

The current Jun Moxie admittedly harbored some level of affection for Guan Qinghan, but the feelings of this cold-blooded killer were far from blazing, let alone reaching the point of marriage discussions.

One could even say that with Jun Moxie’s current temperament—though wild, uninhibited, and unrestrained—he would never actively confess his feelings. Unless a woman pursued him aggressively or the Old Master forced an arrangement, he might even have chosen to remain a bachelor until death.

This was because the current Jun Moxie’s mindset was still that of the King of Assassins from his previous life; settling down was an almost impossibly extravagant dream for an assassin.

While Guan Qinghan hesitated in confusion, she felt a sudden chill on her chest as Jun Moxie roughly tore open her outer garment! Startled, she looked into his eyes, now burning with the drug’s influence, and suddenly, a wave of tenderness flooded her heart.

So be it, so be it…

Let me repay the immense kindness the Jun family has shown me with my entire life! Guan Qinghan quietly closed her eyes, two lines of clear tears tracing paths down her jade-like cheeks.

She ceased resisting.

But Jun Moxie did not realize this; driven by the medicine, he continued his conquest, oblivious that the person in his arms was no longer the one who had initiated this situation.

The tent was instantly filled with boundless spring scenery. Heavy gasps and deeply suppressed groans of pain echoed continuously.

The little maid fled in a panic back to her own tent, changed her clothes, rested for a while, and only then did her panic subside. She still felt heat flushing her face and body—it was too terrifying! Too terrifying!

"My heavens!" Du Gu Xiaoyi patted her chest, still trembling. Recalling Jun Moxie's savage expression, he looked as if he were ready to devour her whole, to swallow her alive.

Recalling Jun Moxie’s frantic kisses on her body and face, and those powerful hands radiating intense heat roaming over her—every part, including the most secret regions—had not been spared. Du Gu Xiaoyi was so ashamed she felt she could sink into the earth, her face flushed as if on fire. Thank goodness for Sister Guan!

“Ah! Sister Guan!”

Du Gu Xiaoyi suddenly jumped up, her beautiful eyes wide to their maximum. "I escaped, but how could I forget Sister Guan? Brother Moxie took the fully potent medicine! If he harms Sister Guan... won't Sister Guan suffer terribly? Wouldn't that be my fault?"

The more Du Gu Xiaoyi thought about it, the more uneasy she became. She shot out of her tent like a whirlwind, throwing caution aside, using her light-foot skills to sprint madly towards Jun Wuyi's command tent!

Jun Wuyi, Ying Bokong, and the three Eastern brothers were discussing the withdrawal of troops when the tent flap was thrown open, and Du Gu Xiaoyi rushed in, breathless. "Third Uncle Jun, cough cough cough... Brother Moxie is in trouble, right in his tent... Please go quickly, Elder, or Sister Guan will be ruined if you’re late!"

(Heh, in the end, I was surpassed. And I dropped three places. Now, I seem to be continuing to fall... Speechless.) (To be continued)