Empress, please lay down your armor, for I will save the world with a single sword!

Jiang Qingluan's hand was held by Wu Liang.

The heat from her palm made her panic and feel flustered. This was something she had never experienced before. Even though she was usually intelligent, decisive, shrewd, and capable, she was completely flustered and her mind was in turmoil at this moment.

She lowered her head and remained silent, her fingers curling slightly in Wu Liang's palm.

Wu Liang persisted, pressing further: "Speak up, don't stay silent. Right? Just nod!"

There was silence for a few seconds in the darkness.

Then, Jiang Qingluan gave a barely perceptible soft "hmm".

At the same time, the hand he was holding no longer tried to break free, letting him hold it.

Having gone through life and death together, Jiang Qingluan no longer dislikes Wu Liang and has given up the idea of ​​killing him.

She thought to herself: If Wu Liang can really change Pei Xiao's mind, then becoming his woman isn't unacceptable. It's better than marrying Pei Chang'an, and it would also save her father, preventing Pei Xiao from usurping the throne of Great Zhou.

This is a win-win-win situation!

Although the voice was very soft and only a nasal sound, Wu Liang heard it clearly.

His mood instantly improved, to an exceptionally high level!

It's like drinking iced plum juice on a sweltering summer day; it makes you feel comfortable from head to toe and makes you feel incredibly beautiful.

He didn't let go of Jiang Qingluan's hand; he just kept holding it.

After a while, he seemed to remember something, and his tone became more serious: "Come, let me take your pulse and see how your injuries are healing."

As he spoke, he naturally placed his fingers on her wrist with the hand that was holding hers.

The posture was a bit awkward, but he didn't let go, and Jiang Qingluan didn't move either.

Wu Liang focused his mind and carefully felt the pulse throbbing through his fingertips.

After a while, he loosened his fingers from taking her pulse, but his hand remained holding hers.

"Hmm, it's much better than when I last checked. Your internal energy is much smoother, and most of that stagnant, cold energy has dissipated. However, it's not completely healed yet. Your constitution is still a bit weak, and there are still some minor, hidden injuries in your meridians that haven't fully healed."

He thought for a moment and said, "How about this, I'll use my internal energy to help you regulate your body again. I'll use my internal strength to warm and nourish your meridians, dispel any remaining stagnation, and you'll recover faster."

Jiang Qingluan did not object, but simply gave a soft "hmm".

Wu Liang said no more, adjusted his breathing, and slowly began to circulate the powerful internal energy of the fourth level of the "Longevity Technique" within his body. He held Jiang Qingluan's hand and carefully channeled a gentle and pure internal energy into her meridians.

The internal energy, like a warm current, slowly rose up her arm and flowed throughout her body.

Wherever it passed, it brought a warm and comforting feeling, dispelling the chill of the night and soothing the subtle stinging and stagnation in the meridians.

Jiang Qingluan closed her eyes and could clearly feel the warm current flowing through her body, repairing her wounds and nourishing her weakened blood and energy.

It's very comfortable and makes you relax involuntarily.

About fifteen minutes later,

Wu Liang slowly finished his practice and released the hand that had been channeling his inner energy, but he still held her hand tightly.

He let out a long breath, a light sheen of sweat on his forehead.

This job is quite mentally taxing; you have to control your strength so as not to hurt her.

"Alright, that's enough for today. Your injuries have healed by more than half. One more treatment and you'll probably be fully recovered."

He paused, looking at her blurry silhouette in the darkness. "I'll come back to heal you tomorrow night. You stay here and wait for my message."

"I will also hurry up and try to find a way... to make that old fox Pei Xiao change his mind."

After saying that, he finally released her hand, stood up, and said, "I'm leaving. Take care."

As soon as he finished speaking, he flashed to the window like a ghost, silently pushed it open, peeked out, and then "whoosh," slipped out and gently closed the window behind him.

Inside, darkness and silence returned.

Jiang Qingluan sat alone by the window, remaining motionless for a long time.

The warmth and touch of his palm seemed to linger on the back of my hand. The comforting feeling brought by that warm current within my body had not yet completely dissipated.

She looked at the window that was already tightly closed, and the occasional sound of patrolling footsteps and lantern lights flashed by outside.

The sudden emptiness that welled up in her heart because of his departure, along with a very faint... reluctance, left her somewhat stunned.

She was actually... a little reluctant to see him leave like this.

This realization made her cheeks flush slightly again.

She shook her head, forcing herself to stop thinking about it.

He just clenched his fist silently, and it seemed as if his warmth still lingered on it.

The night is still long.

But it seems... not so cold, not so hopeless.

……

Wu Liang slipped out of Qiyun Courtyard.

Under the cover of night, like a ghost, he made his way back to his small courtyard without any major incidents.

He climbed over the wall into the house, bolted the door behind him, and leaned against the cold door panel, letting out a long sigh.

The tension I'd been holding in all this time finally eased completely. My night clothes were damp with sweat, clinging to my body, sticky and uncomfortable.

He quickly stripped off his night clothes and threw them haphazardly under the bed, then climbed onto the bed wearing only his undergarments.

There were no lights on in the room, only a faint moonlight filtering through the paper windows, casting a blurry grid on the floor.

Wu Liang stared wide-eyed at the vast darkness above him, his mind churning like a boiling pot.

Can't sleep.

I can't sleep at all.

Just now in front of Jiang Qingluan, he spoke very confidently, saying things like "I can make Pei Xiao change his mind" and "It's all up to us," as if he was very confident and had everything under control.

But that's mostly... a lie, a pie in the sky for her, while he gets some "benefits" for himself.

Now that I'm lying down and have calmed down, the real problems are coming at me one by one, heavy and suffocating.

He needs to think carefully about how to really get that old fox Pei Xiao to change his mind.

To be honest, the reason he was so desperate to prevent Jiang Qingluan from marrying Pei Chang'an wasn't entirely because he was attracted to her beauty—although that little vixen was indeed quite pretty, aloof and noble, with an otherworldly air.

But more importantly... she is extremely important to Wu Liang!

This was simply the biggest and most lucrative cheat he had ever encountered so far!

A colorful keyword generator!

Thinking about this journey,

From Guyu City to Beiyong City, in just a few days, he was given seven colorful entries.

This transformed him from an ordinary person into a top-tier martial arts master with a "highly suspected" third-grade level of skill.

If it weren't for meeting Jiang Qingluan,

Wu Liang estimated that even ten years from now, he would still be stuck in Lonely Elm City, picking up trashy keywords every day. Experiencing the thrill of soaring through the skies and defeating enemies with a single sword strike would be impossible.

But if Jiang Qingluan marries Pei Chang'an and becomes the heir apparent of the Northern Yong Prince's mansion, living a life of luxury and seclusion, would he be able to see her and interact with her at will?

That's absolutely impossible!

At that time, forget about completing tasks and claiming rewards, even seeing her will be as difficult as climbing to heaven.

That old fox Pei Xiao will definitely keep a close eye on her, treating her as his most important political bargaining chip and a decorative vase. How could he, an "outsider" and a "quack doctor," be allowed to get close to her so easily?

Wouldn't that completely sever the "big leeway" he had finally managed to latch onto, the glittering "reward pipeline"?

Therefore, no matter how you look at it, you absolutely cannot let her marry Pei Chang'an!

The safest and most reliable way to keep her by my side, or at least maintain regular contact, is to continuously... squeeze money out of her!

……