"Xingqiu, are… are you alright?"
After taking several deep breaths to steady himself, Chongyun asked with concern.
"I'm… I'm fine."
Xingqiu shook her head gently.
"Then why? Was the comic not good?"
Chongyun asked, puzzled.
He knew the book in his friend's hands was a wuxia (martial arts) story.
Could it be that even a magical bookstore like the boss's failed to satisfy Xingqiu?
"No—the comic was excellent! It's just… my pure and innocent Little Dragon Girl was violated!"
Thinking about certain scenes in the story, Xingqiu spoke through gritted teeth.
She was someone with a strong sense of chivalry.
Acts like drawing a sword to help the weak were things she had done many times.
So when she saw such a pure character like Xiaolongnü being defiled—and under Yang Guo's identity, no less—she became furious.
If she had been inside the story herself, she would have kicked that man away and taken his place.
Wait—no.
She would have kicked him away and then destroyed that Taoist priest.
Such despicable behavior was absolutely intolerable to her.
"I see now."
Chongyun finally understood.
Although he hadn't read The Return of the Condor Heroes yet, he could guess the situation.
It was probably about a beautiful and admirable woman being harmed by a villain.
Anyone with a conscience would be angry about that.
Especially someone like his friend, whose sense of justice was so strong.
"That means the comic must be very engaging—otherwise you wouldn't feel so immersed."
Chongyun said with a smile.
"Exactly. It's the best martial arts story I've ever read in my life."
Xingqiu nodded seriously.
Whether it was the vivid characters—like the free-spirited Yang Guo, or the patriotic and honorable Guo Jing—or the thrilling plotlines, everything left her in awe.
So this was how great wuxia stories were written.
She felt inspired.
She almost wanted to pick up a pen and start writing immediately.
Of course—
it would have been even better without that disturbing scene.
"Hearing you say that makes me want to read it too."
Interest appeared in Chongyun's eyes.
If Xingqiu praised it so highly, it must be an excellent work.
"Then you'll have to wait until tomorrow. The boss's rule is one comic per person per day."
Xingqiu shook her head.
That was one thing she found regrettable.
Otherwise, she would happily stay here all day.
"No problem. We'll come back tomorrow. For now, let's go collect our rewards."
Chongyun said casually.
After all, they had plenty of time.
One book per day was fine.
"Alright."
Xingqiu nodded.
Then the two of them stood up and walked toward the counter with their comics.
A Shocking Scene
However, after only a few steps, they suddenly froze.
From their perspective—
behind the counter, a girl with cat ears was shrinking back, her face full of apparent "fear."
And Boss Han—
looked like a great villain, reaching out his wicked hand to torment that poor girl.
"This won't do! I have to step in!"
Xingqiu's blood boiled instantly.
In the comic, she couldn't stop Xiaolongnü's tragedy.
But in reality—
if she encountered something like this, she absolutely had to prevent it.
There would always be those among the people who dared to stand against overwhelming power.
Of course, she knew how terrifying the boss was.
So her plan wasn't direct confrontation.
She would rescue the poor girl and escape immediately afterward.
"Ah!"
Xingqiu shouted to gather her courage and prepared to rush forward.
But suddenly—
Chongyun grabbed her from behind.
"Chongyun, why are you stopping me? I need to save that girl!"
Xingqiu struggled.
"Save her? That's Lady Keqing! She and the boss are a perfect match—who are you to play the hero here?"
Chongyun looked at her helplessly.
To be fair, he had initially thought the same thing.
But once he recognized the girl's face, his worries vanished.
Although he didn't know why Lady Keqing looked like that,
it was clearly not coercion.
If anything—it looked more like flirting.
Just a bit of romantic play between a couple.
"W-wait… that girl is… Lady Keqing?!"
Xingqiu froze in shock.
Her mind went blank.
"Go look for yourself."
Chongyun shrugged and released his grip.
He could tell his friend had calmed down.
"I'll check…"
Xingqiu turned toward the counter again.
This time—
she saw clearly.
It really was Lady Keqing.
She simply hadn't recognized her earlier because of the unusual outfit.
"So… still going to rescue her?"
Chongyun teased with a grin.
"N-no, no! If it's Lady Keqing, then everything's fine!"
Xingqiu scratched her nose awkwardly.
Lady Keqing was the Yuheng of the Qixing.
There was no way she would be bullied like that.
And the boss wasn't that kind of person either.
The truth was—
she had just finished reading the comic, and Xiaolongnü's situation was still weighing on her mind.
So she got carried away in the moment.
Thankfully, Chongyun stopped her.
Otherwise, if she had interrupted those two at the wrong time, she would probably be in serious trouble now.
"No, I should go apologize."
Sensing the awkwardness, Xingqiu quickly made up her mind and hurried toward the counter.
Chongyun didn't stop her.
Even though her intentions were good, she had nearly offended them.
Offering an apology was definitely the right move.
At the Counter
Noticing someone approaching, Han Feng withdrew his hand and stopped teasing the cat-eared girl beside him.
"Phew…"
Keqing quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Yet deep inside, there was also a tiny hint of reluctance.
If things could stay like this forever—maybe that wouldn't be so bad.
Han Feng, unaware of her thoughts, looked at Xingqiu and Chongyun as they arrived and asked with a smile:
"Finished reading your comics?"
"Ahem—yes, we finished."
Seeing the boss's mysterious smile, Xingqiu suddenly felt nervous.
If she had truly been acting heroically, that would be one thing.
But realizing she had misunderstood the situation made her scalp tingle.
So she hurried to apologize:
"Boss, Lady Keqing, I'm very sorry. I misunderstood earlier. Please forgive me."
She then bowed respectfully in a sincere apology.
—------------------------------
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