Qing Xia crashed to the ground with a heavy thud, with the tall and imposing Chu Li sprawled on top of her. Her spine felt as if it had been broken from the impact, causing unbearable pain. In the instant of their fall, Chu Li had cushioned her head with his hand – otherwise, this blow alone would have been devastating for her.

The painful reaction from the attack lasted less than a second. Qing Xia suddenly counter-gripped Chu Li’s wrist, used a clever twist of her waist, and flipped over to pin Chu Li beneath her. She locked his arm tightly, wrapped her legs around his legs, pressed her elbow firmly against his shoulder, and said gravely, “Enough!”

“Hmph!” Chu Li stubbornly grunted, defiantly turning his head to one side like a child throwing a tantrum, maintaining a sullen silence with a dark expression.

“Hey! I’m talking to you!” Qing Xia moved her body threateningly, pressing her elbow tightly against Chu Li’s shoulder and applying fierce pressure. Chu Li suddenly let out a muffled grunt, wincing in pain.

“How’s that? Scared of me now?” After all that activity, Qing Xia was breathing slightly hard, looking at Chu Li with considerable satisfaction.

At that moment, something hard suddenly pressed against Qing Xia’s thigh.

Qing Xia paused. Was this guy concealing a weapon? Just as she was about to disarm him, Chu Li’s remaining free hand suddenly gripped Qing Xia’s wrist tightly.

A dangerous gleam flashed through Chu Li’s eyes. In those dark, deep eyes, there was an eerie expression that Qing Xia had never seen before. Chu Li’s breathing gradually grew heavy, his hand holding Qing Xia’s gradually became burning hot, his eyes staring directly into Qing Xia’s, his robust chest radiating a fire-like heat under Qing Xia’s pressure.

Only then did Qing Xia realize how suggestive their position was. Her entire body was pressed tightly against Chu Li’s, and to restrain him from getting up, their legs were tightly entwined, face to face, with her chest pressed firmly against his. Remembering that she had just wanted to disarm him when Chu Li grabbed her hand, her eyes involuntarily looked toward Chu Li, only to discover thunderously that his eyes had become as deep as the sea, as if they wanted to swallow her whole.

“I… I won’t stoop to your level,” Qing Xia said with insufficient confidence, her voice carrying a slight hoarseness, “Get up quickly.”

Qing Xia shifted her body restlessly, but as soon as she moved, she suddenly discovered that the hard object originally pressing against her thigh had slid slightly upward, now positioned right between Qing Xia’s legs.

A warm current instantly surged throughout her body. Qing Xia felt as if she’d been electrocuted, freezing in place like stone. She stared dumbfounded at Chu Li’s dark eyes, her mind completely blank, her body instantly losing all strength as she lay there foolishly, not daring to make the slightest movement.

“Mmm…” A hoarse, muffled sound emerged. In the spinning world, when Qing Xia came to her senses, she found that Chu Li had turned the tables, taking advantage of her momentary distraction to pin her down on the warm, thick fur carpet.

Warm breath sprayed directly on her face. Qing Xia’s body trembled slightly under Chu Li’s pressure. She tried to steel herself, wanting to say some harsh words to maintain her composure. But as soon as the words left her mouth, they became the classic line of a girl before being assaulted: “What… what are you going to do?”

“What do you think?” A low, husky voice slowly resonated in the quiet night. Chu Li at this moment was like a massive storm center, his eyes black as ink, slightly narrowed, with a wicked smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “I’ve been severely beaten by you again. Tell me, what should I do now?”

“Chu Li!” Qing Xia called out loudly with insufficient confidence, “Are you planning to beat me up?”

“Beat you up?” Chu Li smiled wickedly, suddenly lowering his head so his lips almost touched Qing Xia’s cheek, his warm breath spraying on her neck. Tiny goosebumps rose in layers all over her body as she tremblingly reached out her hand, only to suddenly discover that she had no strength at all, as if she’d been drugged.

“Not yet,” Chu Li said in a low voice, bringing his lips close to Qing Xia’s ear and gently breathing into it, “I have more important things to do first.”

“Chu Li, don’t mess around… mmm…” Before she could finish speaking, Chu Li suddenly opened his mouth and captured Qing Xia’s round earlobe, his burning breath instantly enveloping her ear. The girl’s body immediately flushed crimson as if she’d drunk alcohol, with waves of heat rising from her bone marrow.

“Chu… Li, I’ll… get… angry…” Qing Xia said incoherently, speaking in broken fragments.

“Mm?” Chu Li slowly raised his head from beside Qing Xia’s ear, his dark eyes fixed firmly on the flustered Qing Xia’s face as he smiled faintly, “If you get angry, what then?”

He suddenly lowered his head, his lips deeply sucking at Qing Xia’s pale neck.

“Mmm…” Qing Xia let out a soft muffled moan, her body involuntarily arching as she spoke unsteadily in fragments, “I’ll… severely… beat… beat you…”

“Still not gentle at all,” Chu Li said indistinctly, his large hands instantly roaming over Qing Xia’s petite body, “Do you think this emperor is so easily bullied?”

Her chest suddenly felt ice cold. By the time Qing Xia realized what was happening, she had already been conquered by another. A flash of anger instantly surged up, and almost without thinking, she instinctively used the most basic anti-predator self-defense move for women. Her knee suddenly shot upward in a sharp bend, crashing toward Chu Li.

With a thud, the sound of two legs colliding rang out. Chu Li looked at Qing Xia’s angry eyes with a smile, saying, “Can’t let you succeed every time, can I? Do you really want to make your husband’s lineage extinct?”

The scenery before her eyes instantly spun as Qing Xia was swept up from the ground by Chu Li. Chu Li strode to the bed and reached out to unfasten Qing Xia’s clothing.

How could Qing Xia let him succeed? She rolled toward the inside and escaped from Chu Li’s clutches. Angrily covering her disheveled clothing, she glared at Chu Li with fury.

Chu Li wore a dark green long robe with black hair cascading over his chest, making his sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes appear even more handsome and unrestrained.

He sat on the bed, laughing heartily as he patted the bedding and said, “Come here!”

“Hmph!” Qing Xia snorted, putting her hands on her hips as she called out, “Why should I listen to you?”

“I am your husband,” Chu Li said matter-of-factly, “I’m going to make up for your wedding night now.”

“No need!” Qing Xia said huffily, “This young lady doesn’t care for it. Go find those lowly women instead.”

Suddenly remembering that Wusi Mei’er had been lewdly begging for favor on this very bed, Qing Xia got dressed and angrily climbed down from the bed, saying furiously, “I don’t want to stay here. This place is filthy because of you.”

Chu Li extended his long arm and pulled Qing Xia into his embrace. Just as Qing Xia was about to strike, Chu Li caught her wrist.

“May I assume,” Chu Li said with a wicked smile, looking directly into Qing Xia’s eyes, “that you’re jealous?”

“Would I be jealous over a stallion like you?” Qing Xia’s voice instantly rose several octaves as she began to struggle.

“Qing Xia, I was wrong.”

The deep voice suddenly sounded beside her ear. Qing Xia thought for a moment that she had misheard. Several prepared moves came to an abrupt halt as she looked at the man before her with disbelief, her eyes wide.

“I’ve already investigated everything clearly. Last time you fell into someone else’s trap – you didn’t genuinely intend to betray me by rescuing the Prince of Huainan.” Chu Li held Qing Xia’s waist tightly from behind, saying in a low voice, “I’ve been searching for you constantly, nearly driven mad with anxiety. Fortunately, heaven rewards the sincere, and I finally found you.”

“Chu Li…” Qing Xia tentatively called softly, her soft palm covering Chu Li’s forehead, “Are you running a fever?”

Chu Li’s expression immediately darkened. In retaliation, he tightened his arms around Qing Xia’s waist, saying petulantly, “Anyway, this time you won’t escape from my grasp again.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Li suddenly moved his face tenderly close to Qing Xia’s cheek, gently nuzzling as he said in a low voice, “Qing Xia, I knew you wouldn’t betray me so easily. We grew up together – how could you truly fall in love with Qi’an? You must have been covering for me too, otherwise why would you marry me? You saved me so many times afterward, risking your life to absorb poison for me, to force back enemies for me. It was my suspicions that were too heavy, constantly treating you coldly. Come back to Southern Chu with me, will you?”

Qing Xia sighed inwardly. The real Zhuang Qingxia had truly betrayed Chu Li. Seeing his appearance, she couldn’t help but feel her heart soften. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly felt a warm sensation on her neck. In her daze, she heard Chu Li’s voice, low and carrying a hint of bewitchment and coquetry: “Qing Xia, I’ve been drugged with an aphrodisiac by Wusi Mei’er. I feel terrible…”

“What?” Qing Xia was stunned, then a blazing fury rose from the depths of her heart. With her back to Chu Li, she took two deep breaths, then asked through gritted teeth, word by word: “Do you want me to help you?”

Chu Li nodded joyfully, thinking she had finally succumbed to his charm.

“Fine, I’ll help you!” As soon as the words fell, Chu Li immediately felt a violent spinning sensation. Before he could react, he crashed to the ground with a thud from Qing Xia’s shoulder throw.

Chu Li cried out in pain and shouted angrily, “Zhuang Qingxia, you!”

“Me what? Didn’t you want me to help you?” Grabbing Chu Li’s foot, Qing Xia dragged him toward the tent entrance.

Chu Li was dizzy and disoriented from Qing Xia’s throw, and suddenly being dragged by the foot, he momentarily couldn’t counterattack. Before he found a chance to retaliate, an icy sensation immediately reached him.

“Your Majesty!” The black-clad guards cried out in unison, staring dumbfounded as Qing Xia dragged Chu Li out of the tent, yet not one of them dared to intervene.

With a thud, she threw Chu Li into a tall snowdrift.

Qing Xia clapped her hands, breathing heavily as she called out, “Cool off in the snow! That should cure your poison!”