Chapter 32: Naturally... To Collect a Debt, My Miss Bodyguard
The burly man transformed from Bear Lord took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging thoughts. In a complex tone—one never heard before, carrying a mix of reverence and uncertainty about the future—he spoke deeply to Huo Yuhao:
"Master's actions are profound and unpredictable; how could we possibly fathom them? Since Master gave the order for me to take you to the Body Sect, then we shall do as told! Let's go, Young Master! We're going to smash... er, visit the mountain gate of those madmen!"
He scooped up the still-dazed Huo Yuhao from the ground, slinging him like a small parcel onto his back, which was as broad as a door leaf. Then, taking strides filled with an indomitable aura, he marched toward the increasingly close mountain gate of the Body Sect, which radiated a wild atmosphere.
Only the bald giant's occasionally shaking head indicated that his heart was clearly still in an uproar over the astonishing scene from moments ago.
Master and the Lord... isn't the world really about to change forever?
Meanwhile, in a quiet valley elsewhere.
Spatial ripples shimmered, and the figures of Lin Yu and Gu Yuena suddenly emerged.
The moment they landed, Gu Yuena violently shook off Lin Yu's wrist as if dropping a piece of red-hot iron. She took a step back, her silver hair fluttering without wind. Her entire body radiated a terrifying chill that could nearly freeze space itself. Her purple eyes burned with cold fury and a lingering blush that hadn't yet faded as she stared deathly at Lin Yu.
"Lin Yu!"
Her voice was as cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice, carrying an unprecedented sharpness:
"What were you blathering about just now?! What date? What 'Mistress'?! How dare you... how dare you insult me so!"
The word "insult" was practically squeezed out from between her teeth.
Lin Yu, however, took his time smoothing his sleeves as if he had just performed a trivial task. He met Gu Yuena's nearly murderous gaze; there wasn't a hint of fear in his golden eyes, but rather a sense of playfulness.
He tilted his head slightly, the curve of his mouth carrying a hint of rogue-like persistence:
"Oh? Insult? Which word of mine insulted you? I was stating facts, Gu Yuena."
He took a step forward, his powerful aura carrying an unintentional pressure, his burning gaze locking onto those eyes filled with shame and anger:
"Could it be that just now... your blushing face, racing heart, and frantic state were all fake?"
Lin Yu's words—blushing face, racing heart, and frantic state—hit the bullseye. The flush that Gu Yuena had finally managed to suppress instantly surged back, covering her entire face and even spreading down her slender neck. In her deep purple eyes, shame and anger churned alongside a trace of flustered embarrassment at being exposed.
"Be quiet!"
Gu Yuena's voice carried an unprecedented fluctuation; it was no longer cold and waveless, but contained a sharp edge born of being backed into a corner.
"That was merely... merely an energy disorder! Stop your nonsense!"
She instinctively wanted to retreat further, wanting to open up distance from this heart-fluttering situation, and even more, wanting to tear through space to flee this awkward and dangerous predicament.
However, Lin Yu seemed to have long anticipated this reaction. The moment she moved to act, a force of spatial solidification—far more exquisite and thick than the one used to imprison Huo Yuhao—quietly enveloped a radius of ten feet.
This wasn't simple gravity; it was an invisible cage instantly constructed from Lin Yu's own understanding of spatial laws combined with the Golden Dragon King's absolute control over the material plane.
The moment the spatial power within Gu Yuena's clone surged, it was like hitting an invisible, elastic wall, and was forcibly suppressed back into her body. Her frame froze abruptly, and a flash of genuine shock finally crossed her beautiful eyes.
She discovered that she had truly been imprisoned for a short duration!
While her main body's power could certainly break through if she erupted with everything she had, the mobility of this clone was indeed being skillfully suppressed by the opponent. This Golden Dragon King's application of power had truly reached the pinnacle of perfection!
With that rogue-like smile that made Gu Yuena's teeth itch with hatred, Lin Yu ignored the fire in her eyes and instead took a step closer.
He was almost pressed right up to Gu Yuena's face, with barely an inch of distance remaining between them. A hot, masculine breath mixed with a dominant pressure originating from his bloodline invaded Gu Yuena's senses irresistibly.
"What are you doing?"
Lin Yu deliberately lowered his voice. His magnetic tone was like a feather scraping against Gu Yuena's heartstrings, making her entire body feel uneasy. His slender fingers, carrying an undeniable strength, gently lifted Gu Yuena's perfectly lined chin, forcing her purple eyes to meet his golden ones.
"Naturally... I'm collecting a debt, my Miss Bodyguard."
The pad of Lin Yu's thumb brushed—almost imperceptibly—against the smooth, delicate skin of her jaw. The touch was as cool as jade, yet beneath his finger, it felt as if it were about to catch fire.
Gu Yuena wanted to turn her head, wanted to scold him, but she was held firmly by the strength of his fingers and the unquestionable mockery in his eyes. She could only passively endure this unprecedented, highly aggressive contact.
"You..."
She struggled to force out a single word, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly.
Lin Yu's smile deepened, carrying a malicious "let's see how long you can stay stubborn" intent:
"Playing dumb? In the Ice Crystal Valley, who was it that used a high-sounding excuse and a precise silver light blade to interrupt my 'good time'? Hmm? Did that innocent icicle offend you? Or rather... did someone feel uncomfortable in their heart seeing this Lord holding a beauty in his arms?"
Boom!
Gu Yuena felt a surge of heat rush straight to the top of her head; her cheeks were alarmingly hot. Lin Yu's words were like a key, instantly unlocking an emotion she had been desperately denying and suppressing.
When Ice Empress was held in his arms, that inexplicable irritability that had bubbled up, that impulse that made her instinctively want to interrupt and separate the two—it was now being laid bare by Lin Yu, leaving her nowhere to hide.
"Nonsense! I was merely..."
Gu Yuena tried to defend herself, but her voice had lost its former coldness, carrying a trace of panic and lack of confidence that even she didn't realize: "...performing my duty! Protecting you from potential threats!"
"Oh? Potential threats?"
Lin Yu raised an eyebrow, his handsome face moving a few inches closer until their noses were almost touching, his hot breath brushing against her lips:
"Then right now, your heart is beating so fast... is that also because there are potential threats nearby?"
Gu Yuena's purple eyes widened suddenly, her mind going completely blank. She could clearly feel the heart in her chest thumping wildly with unprecedented speed and force, as if trying to break free from its shackles and jump out.
This physiological reaction, clearly perceived by the opponent, collapsed her defenses more powerfully than any words could.
"I..."
She opened her mouth, only to find she could no longer utter a single word of rebuttal. Shame, panic, and a sense of helplessness at being completely seen through submerged her like a tide.