Chapter 610: Heard (Part 2)

Gao Lingwei was stunned for a moment, then a wave of joy washed over her. But she didn’t get up immediately, instead quickly composing herself.

Having some aftereffects after facing a Soul General was nothing to be ashamed of.

But Gao Lingwei preferred to endure it alone and get through this difficult time first. She didn’t want Rong Taotao to worry—at least, not while he was so weak and had just woken up.

A few seconds later, Gao Lingwei composed herself, slowly got up, and said softly, “Taotao?”

“Mm,” Rong Taotao hummed, sounding a little dazed. His actions, however, were anything but. His fingers started gently squeezing the pad of Gao Lingwei’s ring finger, seemingly playing with it of their own accord.

Gao Lingwei didn’t pull her left hand back, letting him play with it as she softly confirmed again, “You’re awake?”

“Where is this? It’s so dark,” Rong Taotao’s voice drifted out.

Hearing this, Gao Lingwei’s heart settled. She said, “Hundred Corps Pass. Your office.”

As she spoke, Gao Lingwei waved her right hand. Specks of shimmering light spread out, dancing gracefully above her head and casting a soft glow throughout the room.

It was clear she had intentionally reduced the “power” of her White Lantern Paper Cage, not only summoning fewer specks of light but also dimming their brightness.

Even so, Rong Taotao squinted, adjusting to the sudden light. He was about to raise his left hand, but Gao Lingwei caught his wrist and gently pressed it down on the other side of the bed. “You’re on an IV. Don’t move your left hand.”

“Oh,” Rong Taotao replied dazedly. His voice didn’t sound particularly bright…

Gao Lingwei waited patiently for Rong Taotao to come to his senses. After a good while, he seemed to have finally sorted out his chaotic thoughts and asked urgently, “How is everyone?”

“They’re all fine. Everyone from the Twelfth Squad and the Cyan Mountain Army is alive.” Gao Lingwei sat down in the chair, looking at Rong Taotao’s confused expression under the shimmering light. She continued, “The Bailing Tree Maiden clan has been settled within the Third Wall. They suffered few casualties, so don’t worry.”

“Oh?” Hearing this, Rong Taotao was overjoyed, but he quickly caught himself, his expression turning suspicious. “Really? My Lotus Petals did kill a lot of Soul Beasts, but only in the central part of their army. That’s it. A considerable portion of the Soul Beast Corps was still alive, outside the attack range of the Lotus Petals. How did you all escape? Did reinforcements arrive in time?”

‘Reinforcements?’

Could ordinary reinforcements withstand the vengeful charge of the Soul Beast Army?

Rong Taotao’s Lotus Petals were indeed powerful, killing countless enemies, but one had to remember they were facing the Soul Beast Army! A massive, sprawling military force!

And Rong Taotao’s strategy of assassinating the central leadership had not worked. Although he had eliminated a huge number of high-Quality Soul Beasts, the leadership team had suffered no casualties.

With their leaders intact, the Pirate Leader Snow Apes and Bandit Snow Monkeys in the flanking forests, the Snow General Candles, the Snow Corpses and Ghosts, and even the encircling Snow Lion Tigers and Moon Leopard Corps—all of them still had commanders to lead a counterattack…

How could the Soul Beast Army have let everyone escape unscathed?

The Mixed Monk Beauty had been beside herself with rage, directly unleashing a Celestial Burial Snow Meteor at Rong Taotao. Inevitably, a counterattack and charge from the Soul Beast Army would have followed!

But none of that happened. Under the command of the Ice Soul Guide, the Soul Beast Army swiftly retreated, causing no further trouble for the Bailing Tree Maidens or the Snow Burning Army.

It was all because of that one person…

“Yes, reinforcements arrived just in time.” Gao Lingwei leaned back in her chair, resting her elbow on the armrest and propping her cheek on her fist. She looked at the puzzled Rong Taotao on the bed and asked, “Why did you go on a suicide mission?”

“What?” ‘Am I imagining things?’ Rong Taotao wondered. One moment, Gao Lingwei had been happy to see him awake; the next, her expression had turned ice-cold.

“Why did you go on a suicide mission,” Gao Lingwei repeated, her tone even colder now. “Captain Fu approved your assassination attempt to delay the Soul Beast Army, with the plan being to bring you back to the Third Wall afterward.”

Rong Taotao carefully turned on his side, looking at Gao Lingwei, with her long hair draped over her shoulders under the light of the White Lantern Paper Cage. He said, “I didn’t. I just used my Lotus Petals like normal.”

Gao Lingwei looked at Rong Taotao and said in a low voice, “You were asleep for a full seven days and only just woke up. That means your body is only now starting to recover. You pushed yourself more than just a little compared to when you used the Sinful Lotus before. Your intentions were clear. You never even considered retreating.”

‘A full seven days?’

‘Jeez, it’s not even finals week. Why am I sleeping in already…’

Rong Taotao was silent for a long moment. Looking at Gao Lingwei’s frosty expression, he suddenly said, “I’m hungry.”

Gao Lingwei: ???

Rong Taotao blinked and uttered a single word: “Hungry!”

Gao Lingwei opened her mouth, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn’t say anything. She shot Rong Taotao a glare as if resigning to her fate and got up to walk toward the desk in the distance.

From behind her, Rong Taotao’s voice called out, “Da Wei, you’re so beautiful, even from the back.”

Hearing this, she stopped just as she reached the desk to get some snacks. She braced one hand on the desktop, brought the other to her forehead, and couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh.

The icy attitude she had struggled to maintain crumbled after only a few words.

She was indeed angry about Rong Taotao’s choice, but deep down, she also knew why he had done it.

With complex feelings, Gao Lingwei picked up a bag of cream bread. It was hard to imagine that this kind of snack would exist in a major military base like Hundred Corps Pass.