Chapter 17

"I'll help you."

Chu Yao took the bandage from Long Chen's hand and slowly wrapped his arm, stammering, "I'm sorry."

For some reason, in Chu Yao's heart, Long Chen was different from everyone else. In her memory, he was the only "servant" who dared to stand up to her.

From Long Chen's wild eyes, it was clear that he was a fearless person, but he would rather endure the pain himself than hurt Chu Yao again. This touched the soft part of Chu Yao's heart.

Upon careful reflection, Long Chen seemed to have done nothing wrong. Perhaps she didn't understand the true circumstances. For the first time in her life, Chu Yao felt a twinge of guilt.

"I..." Long Chen was about to speak.

"You don't need to apologize. We... are even today. I bit you, and you..." Chu Yao's face turned red, feeling a lingering sensation in her chest as if the feeling hadn't completely faded.

"No, what I wanted to say..." Long Chen shook his head.

"I already said, this matter is over. What more do you want?" Chu Yao said with a slight anger.

"Beauty, what I wanted to say is, I was bitten on my left arm, why are you bandaging my right hand?" Long Chen said with a mix of amusement and frustration.

Chu Yao then realized that in her confusion, she had bandaged the wrong arm. Her face turned bright red, and seeing Long Chen's helpless expression, she softly scolded, "Bad guy, why didn't you remind me earlier?"

After saying that, she re-bandaged Long Chen's arm. It was just a superficial wound, painful but not serious.

Long Chen inwardly smiled. This beautiful girl still had a bit of conscience. A little trick, and she was easily caught.

Actually, Long Chen had healing medicine in his ring, both for internal and external use, but he didn't take it out to play this trick.

Initially, Long Chen didn't have high hopes and was prepared to use force if necessary. But this girl fell for it so easily, which was quite unexpected.

At the same time, he felt a bit of goodwill towards the royal family for the first time and said softly, "Actually, your brother was being used. Zhou Yaoyang wanted to use your brother to suppress me."

After that, Long Chen briefly explained his conflict with Zhou Yaoyang. This time, he didn't need to be emotional; he just calmly narrated his experiences.

"Long Chen, I'm sorry, I misunderstood you," Chu Yao said, feeling somewhat embarrassed and regretting her hasty judgment.

"It's nothing, I'm used to it," Long Chen said indifferently.

His words were simple, but combined with his melancholic eyes, they had a strong visual impact, deeply touching.

Long Chen's expression made Chu Yao feel even more guilty, as if she were sprinkling salt on his wounds. She felt very sad.

"Ha ha, don't take it too seriously, I was just trying to get your sympathy," Long Chen laughed.

For some reason, seeing Long Chen's smile, Chu Yao felt even more heartbroken. Her eyes turned red, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Ah, don't cry, I won't say it anymore, okay?"

Long Chen, fearless of anything, was only afraid of women crying. He was at a loss, fumbling around.

"Will you forgive me?" Chu Yao asked sadly, feeling like the worst person in the world.

"I already said, this isn't your fault. There were bad people manipulating things. You don't need to blame yourself," Long Chen said.

"But..."

"There's no 'but.' What's done is done. If it's happy, we remember it; if it's troubling, we forget it. That's how I've lived for so many years," Long Chen consoled her.

"Thank you, Long Chen," Chu Yao wiped her tears, a hint of joy appearing on her face.

Looking at Chu Yao, Long Chen's heart trembled. Although she was slightly inferior to Meng Qi, her beauty was still breathtaking, especially when she smiled. Any man would find it hard not to be moved.

Seeing Long Chen staring at her, Chu Yao asked curiously, "Long Chen, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Cough, cough, because you're too beautiful, I can't help it," Long Chen's face turned red, and he coughed.

"Am I really that beautiful?" Chu Yao tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and asked seriously.

Long Chen was somewhat surprised, "Very beautiful, don't you know? Hasn't anyone told you?"

Chu Yao shook her head, "Some people say it every day, but I don't believe everything they say. I don't like people who always wear masks."

As Chu Yao spoke, a hint of helplessness appeared on her face, making her look heart-wrenching. She seemed like a completely different person from before. Long Chen never imagined Chu Yao had this side.

"Let's find a place to sit. Standing like this isn't good."

Long Chen found a clean stone and sat down. Chu Yao nodded but just as she sat down, she suddenly stood up with a startled cry.

Long Chen was puzzled, "What's wrong?"

Chu Yao's face turned bright red, and she said angrily, "It's because of you."

Long Chen immediately understood and felt a bit embarrassed. However, he secretly rubbed his right hand, as if the feeling of that moment was still lingering.

Chu Yao took out a long blanket from her spatial ring, laid it on the stone, and then slowly sat down. Even when she touched the stone, her eyebrows still furrowed slightly, indicating some pain, but it was much better than before.

"Sorry for that," Long Chen said, feeling a bit embarrassed. His actions were ungentlemanly, but he never intended to be a gentleman.

Moreover, when he was bitten, it was a reflex, not a deliberate attempt to take advantage of her.

"I've never met anyone as fierce as you. It's the first time someone has hit me," Chu Yao said, her eyes turning red with委屈 (grievance).

"That, don't cry. How about I let you hit my butt?" Seeing Chu Yao on the verge of tears, Long Chen quickly said.

"Ha ha."

"Phew."

"Who wants to hit you there? You're really bad," Chu Yao was amused by Long Chen's words, her face turning red as she quickly turned away.

Seeing Chu Yao's tears turn to laughter, Long Chen breathed a sigh of relief. Hitting a princess's butt, he was indeed bold.

"Long Chen, although you're bad, I feel you won't lie to me or say flattering words to please me. Can we be friends?" Chu Yao asked seriously.

"Of course, as long as you don't put me in a net again. Honestly, I was really afraid you'd let go and throw me down," Long Chen laughed.

Chu Yao also laughed, thinking of Long Chen's embarrassed look when she threw him down, which made her feel amused.

After laughing, the distance between them seemed to shorten. Chu Yao even told Long Chen about her and her brother's experiences.

Perhaps for the first time in her life, she found someone she could confide in, and she told him a lot.

"Chu Yao, how long has it been since you last saw His Majesty?" Long Chen suddenly asked.

Chu Yao shook her head, "Since I was three, I haven't seen him again. My brother has never met him."

Long Chen nodded, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately didn't ask more. After all, their trust was just beginning, and he couldn't inquire about sensitive issues.

In fact, Long Chen was very curious about the current situation in the palace and who was targeting the Long family. He wanted to find out.

Calculating the time, it was five years after the emperor went into seclusion that he summoned Long Tianxiao back to the palace, but at that time, Long Tianxiao refused to return to the capital.

What happened in between? And his father had been missing for over a decade. What was he doing? Did he really abandon them?

Although the memory was a bit blurry, Long Tianxiao's resolute face was deeply etched in Long Chen's heart. He was not that kind of person.

So what was all this for? Long Chen felt he was caught in a huge mystery, but he didn't dare to uncover it rashly.

The closer he got to the truth, the more dangerous it became. Before he had the strength, Long Chen needed to continue lying low.

He asked Chu Yao about the other princes in the palace, but she didn't know his intentions and answered all his questions, thinking he was concerned about her.

Long Chen felt a bit guilty, deceiving a woman, which made him uncomfortable. He stopped asking, fearing he would feel more and more guilty.

Since he was getting closer to the truth, the most important thing now was to improve his strength. With the initial formation of the Wind Mansion Star, his spiritual energy had greatly increased, allowing him to speed up his alchemy and continue nurturing the Wind Mansion Star.

Once the Wind Mansion Star was fully developed, he could advance to the Blood Condensation stage. Once he entered the Blood Condensation realm, he would truly be a martial artist. He was still too weak now.

Additionally, he was pleasantly surprised to find that as the Wind Mansion Star grew stronger, his body also became stronger.

The Wind Mansion Star was like a spring, constantly nurturing his physique. His strength was now described as abnormal.

This was now his greatest reliance, but the Nine Stars Tyrant Body Technique was too mysterious. In his memory, he only knew its cultivation method, nothing else.

Chu Yao talked for over two hours, finally blushing and feeling a bit out of character, and began to ask Long Chen questions.

Long Chen smiled and told her some interesting stories, not mentioning his past hardships. He had a remarkable talent for speaking, making Chu Yao laugh with a silver bell-like laugh.

The once willful and capricious princess suddenly turned into a bashful young girl, as if she had become a different person.

When the sun slowly set, they realized how time had passed. Chu Yao looked at Long Chen and said, "Long Chen, can I come to play with you in the future?"

Long Chen was a bit hesitant. He didn't want to get too close to the royal family, but seeing Chu Yao's expectant eyes, he couldn't bear to refuse. He smiled, "Of course, but it's our secret."

Hearing Long Chen's words, Chu Yao's face turned red, her eyes avoiding his, and she said softly, "Let's go back then."

"You go first, I'll walk," Long Chen smiled. If he rode with the princess and was discovered, it would be a big trouble.

Chu Yao clearly realized this, said goodbye to Long Chen softly, and rode the hawk, flying away.

Long Chen watched her figure gradually disappear, feeling a bit uncomfortable. After a long time, he sighed and returned home.

But just as he arrived at the gate, he saw countless elite soldiers surrounding the entire Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion. Long Chen's face darkened, and a murderous look appeared in his eyes.

The more I'm in a bad mood, the more you pour oil on the fire. Since you're asking for death, I'll grant it to you.

The anger in his heart could no longer be suppressed, and he rushed towards the elite soldiers guarding the mansion gate.