Huang Rong from The Return of the Condor Heroes: Brother Jing, let's get a divorce.

Late at night.

Yang Guo didn't know how long he took a bath; he was probably really tired today, so he just fell asleep in it.

After waking up, he changed into a clean undergarment and went into the inner room before his hair was completely dry. As he passed the hardwood couch in the outer room, he glanced at Lu Wushuang. The girl was curled up in a thin blanket, sleeping on her back with one foot sticking out and her toes twitching.

Yang Guo shook his head, went into the inner room, and fell asleep immediately.

He was exhausted. These past few days, he'd been tormented by three women in turns, and his bones ached from head to toe. The moment his head hit the pillow, his consciousness began to sink.

I don't know how much time passed in a daze, but then I heard a noise from outside.

It started with the sound of someone turning over, the wooden bed creaking. Then came rapid breathing and intermittent sobs.

Yang Guo frowned, turned over, and covered his head with the blanket.

The sobbing turned into crying.

"No...don't kill them...please..."

Lu Wushuang's voice came from outside, hoarse, shrill, and filled with extreme fear.

Yang Guo threw back the covers and sat up. He realized this wasn't ordinary sleep talking. The girl was trapped in a nightmare.

He slipped on his shoes and went to the outer room.

Moonlight streamed through the window screen, illuminating the hardwood couch. Lu Wushuang was curled up in a ball, her hands gripping the thin blanket tightly, her knuckles white. Her face was contorted, her eyes tightly shut, tears streaming down her cheeks. She was mumbling something incoherently.

"Father...Mother...Don't go..."

Yang Guo stood by the couch, looking at her.

He reached out and nudged Lu Wushuang's shoulder. "Hey, wake up."

Lu Wushuang didn't react. Her body trembled even more violently, her breathing became extremely rapid, and her chest heaved violently.

"Li Mochou... give me back my parents... give them back to me..."

Yang Guo pushed her twice more, increasing the force. Lu Wushuang still couldn't wake up. She was trapped in a nightmare, as if something was holding her down tightly.

Yang Guo sighed.

He bent down, put one hand under Lu Wushuang's neck, and supported her waist with the other, lifting her off the couch.

Lu Wushuang's body was incredibly light, almost unbelievably so. Yang Guo held her in his arms, letting her head rest against his shoulder. Her hair brushed against his neck, damp and covered in sweat.

"Alright, alright, it's nothing now." Yang Guo patted her back, his movements clumsy, almost like patting a watermelon.

Lu Wushuang sobbed in his arms, her crying continuing, but her body stopped trembling.

"Third Uncle...Third Uncle is dead too...So much blood...So much blood..."

Hearing these ramblings, Yang Guo slowed down his movements.

How old was this girl when the Lu family was massacred? Three? Four? She watched her entire family being killed one by one. That image is etched into her mind, and she can never erase it.

Yang Guo had a similar dream in his previous life when he was in an orphanage. The dream was full of scenes of being chased and beaten, and when he woke up, his pillow was wet and there was no one beside him.

He tightened his arms, holding Lu Wushuang even closer.

"No one will kill you. You're safe in Chongyang Palace," Yang Guo said in a low voice, patting her back gently.

Lu Wushuang's sobs gradually subsided. Her hand unconsciously gripped the front of Yang Guo's inner robe, clenching it tightly as if she had grasped a lifeline.

Yang Guo held her like that, sitting on the hard wooden couch.

He looked down at the tear-streaked face in his arms. In the moonlight, Lu Wushuang's features were actually quite delicate. Her eyelashes were long and thick, her nose was straight, and her lips were full. Her cheeks were flushed from crying, giving her a fragile beauty.

The collar of the Taoist robe loosened due to the struggle, revealing a fair collarbone and a downward curve.

Yang Guo's gaze shifted downwards.

He swallowed hard.

This girl has a really good figure. Her waist is so thin you could wrap your arm around it with one hand, and she's got the curves in the right places. Right now, she's nestled softly in my arms, completely defenseless.

Wouldn't it be easier to do the task Huang Rong assigned us now?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when Lu Wushuang started talking in his sleep again.

"I don't want to be alone... I'm so scared... Help me..."

Her voice was so faint, like the buzzing of a mosquito, and it sounded like she was crying.

Yang Guo's hand froze in mid-air.

Forget it.

Although Yang Guo was a scoundrel, he wasn't so scoundrel as to attack someone while they were having a nightmare. This girl's entire family was killed, she was used by Li Mochou since childhood, and after finally escaping, he forced her to become a maid. She had never had a single day of peace in her life.

Besides, given his current physical condition, if he really wanted to get things done, he'd probably have to give up right away. He'd be the one who loses face then.

Yang Guo put Lu Wushuang back on the couch and covered her with a light blanket. He wanted to go back to the inner room to sleep, but as soon as he let go, Lu Wushuang started trembling again, making whimpering sounds.

Helpless, Yang Guo had no choice but to lie down on the edge of the bed. He turned to his side, placed one hand on Lu Wushuang's shoulder, and patted it gently.

"Go to sleep, no one is bullying you. Your master is here."

Lu Wushuang gradually calmed down. Her breathing became steady, and her body stopped trembling.

Yang Guo stared at the dark roof, only one thought in his mind—tomorrow, he had to go to the Scripture Pavilion to find the dual cultivation manual. If this continued, he would truly be drained dry.

Lost in thought, he drifted off to sleep.

……

It was just dawn.

Yang Guo was awakened by a punch.

"Yang Guo! You beast!"

Lu Wushuang's scream exploded in his ears. Yang Guo instinctively rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the second punch. He tumbled off the couch, hitting the back of his head on the ground, wincing in pain.

"What are you doing! What's wrong with you so early in the morning!" Yang Guo covered his head and got up from the ground.

Lu Wushuang stood on the couch, her hair a mess, her eyes wide open. She looked down at her loose collar, then at Yang Guo's disheveled appearance as if he had just woken up, and her face turned ashen.

"You climbed up here while I was asleep last night? What did you do to me?!" Lu Wushuang grabbed a pillow and threw it at him.

Yang Guo dodged to the side, and the pillow hit the wall.

"What did I do? I saved your life!" Yang Guo's temper flared, pointing at her nose. "You had a nightmare last night, crying like a pig being slaughtered, screaming for your parents for half the night. I had to hold you and comfort you for an hour before you calmed down. And what do you do? You wake up and start hitting me. Lu Wushuang, don't you have any conscience?"

Lu Wushuang was stunned.

She vaguely remembered having a nightmare last night, filled with fire and blood at Lu Family Village. But then it seemed like someone was holding her, patting her back, their voice low and deep, which gradually calmed her down.

Her anger subsided by half, but she refused to admit it.

"Who told you to hug me? You could have woken me up!"

"I called you! I shoved you three times but you still wouldn't wake up!" Yang Guo rubbed the bump on the back of his head, looking aggrieved. "I was trying to take care of you, and you almost gave me a concussion with one punch. From now on, if you have nightmares again, I absolutely won't take care of you. I'll let you cry until dawn."

Lu Wushuang opened her mouth, but couldn't speak. She lowered her head, her fingers twisting the hem of her clothes.

"...You really didn't do anything to me?"

"Look at your clothes, which strap is loose?" Yang Guo said irritably. "With your skinny frame, I wouldn't even want to give it to you for free."

Lu Wushuang looked down and checked her clothes. They were indeed neat and tidy, even the belt was intact. A blush rose to her face, her lips moved, and finally she managed to utter a sentence.

"...Then you're not allowed to sleep in my bed anymore."

"I won't go even if you beg me." Yang Guo was too lazy to waste words with her. He grabbed a towel from the table, wiped his face, and pushed the door open to leave.

The morning light in the courtyard was so bright that he squinted. He stretched his neck a couple of times, and his bones cracked.

I have important business to attend to today.