Chapter 17: A Social Death Moment

  Sanbao slowly opened her eyes, feeling an unprecedented surge of spiritual energy coursing through her limbs. Her entire body seemed lighter, her mind clearer. Her aura had grown stronger, and her control over her inner power now flowed naturally and effortlessly.

  As her vision cleared, the first thing she saw was Young Lord Wang standing nearby, clutching the **Condensed Snow Sword**, guarding her. His once-pristine white robes were now spttered with crimson stains.

  All around them, the bck-cd assaints y sprawled across the floor, the heavy scent of blood thick in the air. The lingering cold of death permeated the room, so dense it seemed to freeze even the act of breathing.

  Young Lord Wang turned his head toward her, a faint, unreadable smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "It seems you've successfully broken through," he said zily. "I knew my judgment wouldn’t be wrong."

  A warm ripple stirred in Sanbao’s heart. Gratitude shone in her eyes as she bowed her head slightly and said in a soft, slightly shy voice: "Thank you, Young Lord Wang."

  The young lord huffed proudly, waving his sleeve in an exaggeratedly elegant gesture. "Protecting a beauty is but the natural grace of this young lord," he decred loftily. "A trifling matter—unworthy of thanks!"

  "And besides," he added with a mischievous gleam, "I certainly didn’t lose anything. In fact, one might say I had quite the feast for the eyes."

  Sanbao blinked, puzzled by his words.

  Seeing her confusion, the young lord awkwardly coughed, turning his head slightly aside. "Uh… Miss Xu," he muttered, "perhaps you should… take a look at yourself."

  Sanbao froze. Following his gaze, she lowered her eyes—

  —and instantly, her entire face flushed crimson, the heat rushing up to the tips of her ears and down her neck. She was naked.

  Completely.

  During the battle and her breakthrough, the towel she had been wrapped in had long disappeared. And she had been sitting there—cross-legged, fully exposed—practicing for who knew how long!

  *This level of social death… I'd rather just die now!* Her mind screamed.

  "Er… well, it was kinda hard not to notice…" muttered the young lord under his breath, stealing another gnce.

  Her long legs were elegantly folded, her shoulders smooth and rounded, her delicate colrbones gleaming under the soft light, and her fwless white skin looked as if sculpted from warm jade. The gentle rise and fall of her chest—

  The young lord choked violently and whipped his head around, furiously circuting his spiritual energy to suppress the sudden impulse surging within him. But the red staining his face—his ears even—betrayed him completely.

  "Miss Xu!" he blurted, "I swear upon my honor, I merely stood guard! I harbored no improper thoughts! Please believe me!"

  He clenched his fists with a dramatic "smack," lifting his chin in righteous indignation. "I, Young Lord Wang, am a paragon of virtue! Even if I accidentally glimpsed something, it was but an admiration of the human form—pure and untainted!"

  His voice rang out forcefully, but his trembling fists and burning ears told a different story.

  Silence.

  Dead silence.

  Sanbao’s mortification skyrocketed, her whole body practically steaming with shame.

  With a strangled squeal, she bolted toward the bed, snatched up her clothes, leapt onto the bed, and yanked the curtains shut.

  After a flurry of rustling, Sanbao re-emerged—dressed. Without a word, she grabbed a nearby pillow and hurled it with all her might.

  "YOU! GO DIE!!!"

  The pillow smmed straight into Young Lord Wang’s face, sending him staggering back, nearly toppling over.

  "Tch, women are so fickle," he muttered, rubbing his cheek. "This young lord just risked life and limb for her, and now she assaults me with a pillow. How heartless!"

  But despite his grumbling, there was an unmistakable note of regret in his tone. He sighed dreamily, "Still… her figure really is… quite something."

  Sanbao’s breath caught. Her entire face went crimson again. Her spiritual power fred uncontrolbly.

  "WANG! YOUNG! LORD!!!"

  The next instant, a massive water ball materialized midair and crashed down upon the proud young lord.

  In the blink of an eye, the elegant and dashing Young Lord Wang became a dripping, bedraggled mess.

  Hands raised in surrender, he backed away hastily. "Stop! Stop! I take it back! I said nothing! Absolutely nothing!"

  Only after Sanbao had stormed off the bed did the young lord quietly straighten his soaked robes, clearing his throat in a very solemn, upright manner.

  "Hmph. This young lord has been upright and pure throughout. My heart remained as calm as still water. I absolutely did not peek. Absolutely not," he decred, utterly unconvincing.

  Sanbao twitched visibly, shooting him a gre. She opened her mouth to retort, but then noticed something else—

  —the bck-cd leader lying nearby was still breathing.

  He was alive!

  Their eyes met. Without a word, both rushed over.

  Sanbao stared down coldly at the bck-cd leader. "Speak!" she snapped. "Who sent you? Where are Xiaon and Yuyu?!"

  The man lifted his head weakly. A deranged glint flickered in his eyes. He grinned grotesquely.

  "You will never know… The force behind us… is far beyond the Wang Family or the Apothecary Valley…"

  With that, his head lolled to one side. His breathing ceased.

  Dead.

  Young Lord Wang frowned deeply, muttering to himself, "What force could be greater than the Wang Family and the Apothecary Valley? The Rudy Royal Family? But even the royalty shouldn't wield such secret power…"

  Sanbao’s brow furrowed as well. Yet her mind had drifted elsewhere.

  *Wang Family of Haicheng…* *Isn’t that the family I was supposed to have an arranged marriage with?*

  She sneaked a gnce at Young Lord Wang.

  His drenched figure was still dignified despite the mess— wet robes clinging to a strong frame, water dripping from tousled hair, yet he stood proud and unwavering, a stubborn vitality burning within him.

  She felt a warmth blooming in her chest.

  *If only I had known earlier it was him... maybe I wouldn’t have run away from home…*

  Just as these tangled thoughts filled her mind, the door swung open.

  Tang Er Gongzi—Second Young Lord Tang—strode in, his expression grim.

  "You two are still busy flirting? Meanwhile, the whole city is already in chaos."