Zhou Gu thought, by pulling Su Rong into his arms, he’d found a solution to his overwhelming frustration. However, he was soon facing a new issue, an issue so mighty it was impossible to suppress.
Unlike before, when he agonised knowing she was engaged to Ye Guixue, he was still able to restrain himself when he dealt with her. After all, the notions of propriety, justice, integrity, and honour rooted deep in his bones always pulled him back, forcing him to suppress his feelings. Now the cage was opened, his heart like a wild horse had burst out and he couldn’t rein it in.
It wasn’t easy for Su Rong either. Though she was usually composed, these two days his fervour had rubbed off on her, making her blood boil. He was too clingy and sentimental, putting her in a restless mood. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
She reached out and pinched him, "Serves you right. You brought this on yourself by not restraining yourself."
Zhou Gu also wanted to hold himself back, "I have been very restrained. If it wasn’t for worrying about your wounds and having the marriage certificate that you gave me resting comfortably in my pocket, I would have lost control a long time ago."
Su Rong understood that the marriage certificate was causing this mess, she suggested, "Why don’t you give me back the marriage certificate for now? I can give it back to you later."
"No way. Nice try." Zhou Gu would never agree to give the marriage certificate back. "I’d rather suffer."
Suppressing her laughter, Su Rong responded, "Fine then, you can go on suffering!"
She couldn’t help him with this issue, as she was also suffering.
She pinched him again, "Stay away from me for a bit."
"I can’t." Zhou Gu couldn’t help but rub his face against her delicate skin, an action he couldn’t get enough of.
Su Rong wanted to hit him again.
She thought it couldn’t go on like this. They were young and both struggling to restrain their desires - it was not only tough for him but also frustrating for her. As knowledgeable about medicinal theory and clinical practice, she started questioning why they were in this situation.
To put it simply, they couldn’t release their pent-up desires.
If they let their passion take over, she didn’t believe they would still be this frustrated.
She tried to prevent herself from indulging in dangerous thoughts and, pinching Zhou Gu’s waist, warned through gritted teeth: "Stay away from me, I’m warning you. If you continue to irritate me, your marriage certificate will be void."
Zhou Gu upon hearing this became furious, glaring at her, "Su Rong, you dare!"
He was getting desperate, "Believe me if you dare to abandon me again, I will take you down with me."
Su Rong: "..."
Did her words really work? His annoying clinginess had disappeared but it had a huge consequence: he was now angry with her.
If only Lan Zhi could see this, she’d said that he had a good temperament. How is this good? Was it because he hadn’t been provoked?
Snorting lightly, Su Rong retorted, "It was you who said you were suffering. So, remember this, every time you want to provoke me, think about your marriage certificate becoming useless if you irritate me. You’ll certainly be able to control yourself."
Zhou Gu: "..."
Indeed, now all his romantic thoughts were gone. Facing her, only annoyance and irritation were left.
He stared at Su Rong without saying a word for a long time. He took a deep breath, reluctantly walked away from her but, seeing her like this, he was still unwilling to let her go. He reached out to pinch her face. "Don’t you know a man’s waist shouldn’t be touched? Have you kept count of how many times you’ve pinched me? You can’t even behave when you sleep. Are you asking for trouble?"
Su Rong: "..."
He really had the audacity to turn the tables after treating her badly.
How startlingly shameless!
She retorted angrily, "Don’t you know a woman’s face shouldn’t be touched casually either? I’m the one who can’t behave while I sleep? With you acting all clingy, how can I feel comfortable?"
Zhou Gu: "..."
Well, he now knew she was also suffering.
He seemed to have balanced his emotions all of the sudden, feeling quite cheerful. He moved closer to tease her, rubbing his hand against her puffed-up face. In a tone that was almost begging for a punch, he said, "So that’s how it is. It was my fault indeed. But why are you lying here, tempting others so irresistibly?"
Su Rong: "..."
Isn’t he tempting as well?
Ah, she felt like killing him.
Seeing her irritation had reached a speechless level, Zhou Gu chuckled. He bent down to kiss her gently, his voice soothing, "Alright, it’s my mistake. I had too much energy with no place to vent it. I’m going to find Fen Ling for a sword fight now. His moves are superb. I’ve never had a bout with him."
Su Rong was silent.
Zhou Gu took her hand, placing it by his waist, "Feel free to pinch me, give it a few more goes. As long as it makes you feel better."
Su Rong laughed and retorted angrily, "Get lost."
Zhou Gu nodded, "Alright, I’ll go... I can’t afford to provoke you anymore. Who knows how I’m almost driven mad simply by your allure... If this continues, I really might go insane."
Having said that, he put her into a comfortable position, allowed her to lie down, tucked her in with the blanket. "There’s still some time before dinner, you can take a nap. I’ll go find Fen Ling."
Su Rong had no objections; she wished he would leave quickly.
Zhou Gu spoke a few more words to her. Seeing her indifferent response, he rubbed his nose and exited her room.
Unaware of Zhou Gu’s uneasy state and intent for a fight, Fen Ling was chatting with Ziye, discussing the plan to bathe in the hot springs after dinner. The two took turns to standby, keeping a close watch on Zhuangzi and the situation outside. Even though Zhou Gu’s predictions should be accurate, they had to be cautious.
On seeing Zhou Gu approach, Fen Ling immediately stood up from his crouched position, "Brother-in-law, what’s up? You’re not accompanying my sister, why are you here?"
Zhou Gu drew his Double-Handed Sword, "I want to spar with you."
Fen Ling: "..."
He stared at Zhou Gu in confusion, "Why?"
He wondered if Zhou Gu had overheard him praising the Double-Handed Sword to Ziye earlier in the day. He had said that he would like to witness it when he got the chance, and now Zhou Gu was presenting the opportunity to him?
Why else would he be stirring things up when he should be resting after the tiring journey?
Zhou Gu certainly couldn’t admit that your sister has me burning with desire. Instead he said, "I feel my swordsmanship lacks something. I lack a sparring partner. Your swordsmanship is good. Let’s learn from each other."
Upon hearing this, Fen Ling understood. It wasn’t a problem at all. He immediately drew his sword, "Please proceed, brother-in-law."
Thus, the two commenced sparring in the spacious courtyard.
Both Zhou Gu’s Double-Handed Sword, a skill taught by a recognized master, and Fen Ling’s swordsmanship, an art he inherited, are outstanding. But Zhou Gu’s sword method tends to be soft-hearted, unlike Fen Ling’s, which was practiced from childhood to kill for the sake of protecting his master. Therefore, while their sword skills are excellent, they have noticeable differences.
Zhou Gu quickly discovered his weak point. When he killed Nangong Yu that day, his heart was full of rage. He pushed the capabilities of the Double-Handed Sword to the limit, with the sole aim to kill Nangong Yu. Hence, in that situation, his sword was a killing weapon.
However, now, in the absence of the burning anger and near-deadly circumstances, his sword lacked the killing impulse.
This killing impulse was critically important.
Originally, his purpose of seeking Fen Ling was to vent some energy, but with just a few moves, he became serious, learning a great deal from Fen Ling’s sharp and lethal sword moves.
Simultaneously, Fen Ling was amazed. Zhou Gu’s Double-Handed Sword was extremely agile, it could create illusions, was both soft and hard, contained threats beneath its soft exterior, and was ever-changing. One slight lapse, and his seemingly non-threatening moves would prove to be deadly.
This was precisely what Fen Ling was lacking. His killing intent was too apparent, causing his moves to be overly rigid, thus unable to achieve a balance between offense and defense.
The sounds of their sparring weren’t insignificant, and their movements were quite astounding. It attracted all the bodyguards, and in a short time, numerous people had gathered to watch and speculate.
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