Chapter 203 - 107: Can You Move Me With Your Body and Sincerity?

Chapter 203: Chapter 107: Can You Move Me With Your Body and Sincerity?

「The next morning.」

Before Zhao Ci had even gotten out of bed, he heard Zhu Li BANGING on his door.

"Boss!"

"Boss!"

"Hurry and wake up!"

Zhu Li’s voice was frantic. Unlike the first time, however, she didn’t just rudely burst in. Perhaps the experience of forcefully ripping off Zhao Ci’s blanket that day had left its mark on her.

Exasperated, Zhao Ci threw on some clothes, slipped into his shoes, and went to open the door.

"What is it? Can’t a man get any sleep?"

"It’s urgent!"

"What’s so urgent?"

Zhu Li gestured wildly with her hands. "The Imperial Clan Court just sent someone to notify us! They said today’s battle will determine who gets the three rewards, so the competition is being moved inside the Imperial Clan Court. They also said that His Majesty will be visiting the Martial Arts Arena there to personally instruct this year’s Mansion Officials from the tournament!"

Zhao Ci’s brow furrowed. "And? How does that affect my sleep?"

Zhu Li was stunned. "Huh? You want to sleep with *me*?"

Zhao Ci: "???"

Zhu Li finally realized her mistake. Her face flushed, but she quickly covered her embarrassment and shook her fist. "Didn’t you hear me? His Majesty will be there to give personal instruction!"

Zhao Ci paused, taken aback. "You admire my dad that much?"

"Isn’t it obvious?"

Zhu Li looked at him, bewildered and even a little exasperated. "Throughout all of history, besides the Grand Ancestor Emperor, who could possibly compare to His Majesty the Martial Emperor today? He personally led the charge and drove back the four nations of Longyuan for eighteen years! Who wouldn’t admire him? You... you’re blessed and you don’t even know it!"

Zhao Ci was speechless.

Thinking back, Zhao Ci recalled that Zhu Li had indeed seemed overly excited when they entered the Imperial Study together.

At first, he’d chalked it up to her finally getting to stand tall, but now he realized there was definitely an element of hero worship involved.

’That Old Deng... he’s really got a knack for cultivating a personality cult.’

Then again, considering his achievements, he guessed he deserved the admiration.

He glanced at Zhu Li. "You’re already done with your matches. It’s not like he’ll be instructing you. What’s there to be so excited about?"

"Huh?"

The excited look on Zhu Li’s face froze, and her expression immediately fell.

Zhao Ci ruffled the bun on her head. "Go on, get some more sleep. In a few days, I’ll take you straight to the Imperial Study and have my father, the Emperor, give you some pointers."

"For real?"

"When has your boss ever lied to you?"

"You’ve really got some pull!"

"..."

Zhao Ci was at a loss for words. He glanced at the pale light of dawn, sent his little fangirl Zhu Li away, and prepared to go back inside to get more sleep.

But as he closed the door, he was surprised to see a languid, charming woman sipping tea inside his room.

A look of both delight and nervousness instantly appeared on his face. "You came?"

"If I hadn’t come, would you have ever come to find me?"

Gu Xiangzhu set down her teacup, her gaze on Zhao Ci tinged with annoyance.

Zhao Ci scratched his head and stammered, "Actually, I wanted to come find you, but I was afraid you wouldn’t want to see me... and I’ve been busy with the competition lately..."

Gu Xiangzhu was silent.

She studied Zhao Ci, noticing a hint of bashfulness on his handsome face and the way his eyes kept avoiding hers.

’So, he knows he was wrong to get carried away and hug me that night,’ she thought.

’But he only said he was afraid I wouldn’t want to see him, without a hint of an apology.’

’This isn’t a good sign.’

’Is this boy really determined to go all the way down this path?’

The thought gave her a headache.

This was really not the outcome she had wanted.

’Forget it!’

’I’ll put it out of my mind for now!’

Gu Xiangzhu’s expression was still annoyed. "Busy with the competition? Are you aware that if the Heir of King Lie wins one more match, you’ll have no hope left? Even if he can’t refine the Heaven-Suspending Pill, and the efficacy of the Heaven-Suspended Spider Silk is greatly diminished, there are very few things in this world with comparable medicinal effects. Are you really content to miss this opportunity?"

Of course, Zhao Ci didn’t want to miss out. He had the Low-Grade Imperial Extreme Pill tucked away in his clothes right now, ready to make a backroom deal with Zhao Qian at a moment’s notice.

But he couldn’t exactly tell Gu Xiangzhu about something like that.

Seeing him remain silent, Gu Xiangzhu couldn’t help but shake her head. "Never mind. You have a kind heart, so I can’t bring myself to force you. However... there might be another way to resolve this."

"Oh? There’s another way?"

Zhao Ci was surprised.

Gu Xiangzhu nodded. "Yes. Do you remember that nemesis of mine I mentioned before?"

"I remember!"

"His name is Huangfu Song. I’ve found traces of him in Lingge again these past few days. You must be careful."

"Oh, uh..."

Zhao Ci’s expression tensed. Anyone would be terrified to be targeted by a psycho of that caliber.

’It’s a good thing Lingge is relatively safe,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, I’d move straight into Wangshu Palace to live with her.’

"But you don’t need to be too concerned."

Gu Xiangzhu said with a faint smile, "Lingge City is filled with masters; his true self wouldn’t dare to act recklessly here. I had a brief encounter with him and noticed his aura was significantly weaker.

"Knowing him, he must have used a sinister technique to possess someone. He’ll likely use this tournament as an opportunity to get close to you.

"And that’s the solution I was talking about. There are some things you won’t let me do... but others will."

"Uh..."

Zhao Ci’s skin crawled. "With his level of power, even if he’s only possessing someone, I’m still no match for him, am I?"

Gu Xiangzhu shook her head. "The host body is weak. No matter how powerful the one controlling it is, they can only boost its strength by about fifty percent at most. He’ll have a hard time being your opponent, so you don’t need to worry too much.

"If I’m not mistaken, during today’s contest between the three mansions, there will be unaffiliated young geniuses who come to issue challenges. It’s very likely one will win the points you need. You can recruit him, and then later, once you’re sure something is off about him, just find an opportunity to kill him!"

[Gu Xiangzhu’s Current Wish: Help Zhao Ci catch the mole possessed by Huangfu Song. Reward for Completion: Comprehension Value +100, Possession Talisman x1.]

She wasn’t lying.