FRGNM -Chapter 22 I’ll Protect You

As for Purple-rank Dou Qi practitioners, they could turn clouds with a flip of their hand and summon storms with a wave. Their power was so terrifying that a single slash could cleave an entire mountain in half. Such miraculous strength left Ling Ruoxi in awe—because she knew her own body well. At most, she could train her physique; there was simply no way for her to cultivate the Dou Qi of this world.

“Haha, I didn’t expect you to have grown even stronger, Ningfeng. No wonder you dared to go alone into the Bamboo Sea Forest. Looks like I should learn from you as well!” A rare smile appeared on Nangong Mo’s usually cold face. He withdrew his Dou Qi and patted Ye Ningfeng on the shoulder.

Ye Ningfeng smiled calmly, his gaze falling on Ling Ruoxi. He simply said lightly, “You’re awake?”

“I won’t die, but if you two keep fighting like this, I might get beaten to death by the palm winds alone.” Tidying her hair, Ling Ruoxi covered the right side of her face with it. She was about to return to her room when Ye Ningfeng reached out and stopped her first.

“Senior Zuo, the medical practitioner, said that once you wake up, you should go out for a walk. It’s good for your body—and for the baby too. Come on, let’s—”

“Go where? She hasn’t taken her medicine yet.” Nangong Mo’s sharp eyes spotted the untouched bowl of medicine on the table. His expression was still cold, but there was a touch more calmness and a bit less indifference.

Seeing that there really was medicine in the bowl, Ye Ningfeng had no choice but to release Ling Ruoxi’s wrist and smile faintly. “Go drink your medicine first. Then go out for a walk.”

“Why are you two smiling like that? Are you sick?” Ling Ruoxi looked at them suspiciously. Just during the short time she’d been unconscious, Ye Ningfeng seemed to have completely changed—this man who used to blush just looking at her was now proactively grabbing her hand.

As for Nangong Mo—he had sent her the divorce letter, yet now he was actually showing concern for her? With a scornful smile, Ling Ruoxi returned to her room, picked up the bowl of medicinal soup, and prepared to drink it. However, as the familiar smell of Chinese herbs entered her nose, her eyes grew even colder.

In her mind, golden characters rapidly formed—

Safflower.

Good. Very good. She was honestly recuperating here, yet the Ling family still refused to let her go? No wonder they insisted she personally drink the soup—so that was the reason!

Bang!

Her hand moved, the bowl fell, and ceramic shards scattered across the floor. Ling Ruoxi’s expression turned icy. “The medicine’s cold. I’m not drinking it.”

“You—!”

The maid standing nearby darkened her face. Looking at the shattered bowl on the floor, and constrained by the presence of Crown Prince Nangong Mo, she could only swallow her anger and bend down to pick up the fragments.

“Ah!”

A piercing scream echoed through the room, leaving everyone inside stunned.

Ling Ruoxi had stepped directly on the maid’s hand. With a faint smile curling her lips, she said, “Since I, Ling Ruoxi, made it out of the Bamboo Sea alive, I’m not afraid of your nonsense. If you’re dissatisfied with me, that’s fine—but first see whether you have the strength.”

“I…” The maid’s entire face flushed red. The shards had pierced deeply into the flesh of her palm, almost making her faint from the pain.

“Uh… Ruoxi, what are you doing!” Even Fang Xu panicked. He hurriedly pulled Ling Ruoxi away. “She’s just a servant. If the medicine’s cold, just heat it up—there’s no need to—”

“I want to go out for a walk.” The atmosphere here made her uncomfortable. Although she hadn’t actually drunk the safflower, she was afraid the smell alone might affect the child in her womb.

Ridiculous. In this Ling residence, who was dissatisfied with her? Who wanted her child dead? Since they wanted to play games—fine. She, Ling Ruoxi, would play along to the very end!

She was keeping this child. No one was allowed to take this little life away from her!

The sunlight outside was rather glaring. It was June, and the heat was oppressive. Ling Ruoxi carried a fan and a gourd filled with water. A dagger was strapped to her thigh, and she had also retrieved that man’s sword and placed it in her room—perhaps the only item that could lead her to him.

“Ruoxi, you seem a bit dissatisfied with His Highness the Crown Prince. What’s going on?” Fang Xu hesitated but still asked. “I heard them say the Crown Prince divorced you?”

Fanning herself, Ling Ruoxi smiled lightly. “Yes, he divorced me. Men are all the same—only good at playing with women’s feelings. Poor Ling Ruoxi—she waited even unto death and never saw the Crown Prince, only received a divorce letter.” The feelings that had once belonged to her had vanished the moment she received that letter. The current Ling Ruoxi felt nothing toward Nangong Mo anymore.

Instead, being with Fang Xu was relaxing. Ye Ningfeng, after all, was of royal blood; he even had a token. With just one word from Nangong Mo, he had gone back.

“What?! Waited until death? Ruoxi, you can’t think of killing yourself!” Fang Xu was startled pale. He had only caught the word “death,” and it terrified him. “No matter what, you should think about the child in your womb!”

“Go away—who said I want to die? I was just talking.” Ling Ruoxi waved him off. “By the way, Fang Xu, didn’t you say you were just passing through? Aren’t you busy leaving?”

It was hot. For some reason, she always felt restless and overheated. Thinking about the child in her womb, an increase in body temperature was normal—she was just not used to it yet.

Pregnancy—she was a bride on her wedding night for the first time. Thinking about how that unclear, inexplicable first time had vanished just like that made her want to drag that man out and beat him.

“Uh…” Fang Xu froze. It was true—his master had instructed him to come here to find someone… but he really didn’t want to leave Ling Ruoxi alone.

Grabbing Ling Ruoxi’s wrist, he lowered his voice. “Ruoxi, come with me. In the Ling residence, neither your father nor your sister is any good. Come back with me. I’ll ask my master to help you—at least to ensure you safely give birth to the child.”

“Pfft—” Ling Ruoxi almost choked on her own saliva. She stared at him in shock, then burst into laughter. “Little brat, how old are you? Don’t worry—even if I stay in the residence, they won’t dare do anything to me.”

“Ruoxi, I’m already eighteen!” Fang Xu protested. “I just have a baby face! You have no power in the Ling residence—they’ll all bully you. Believe me, I’ll protect you!”

Thinking back to that time in the ruined temple, when she hadn’t looked down on him, he felt resolute. Now that she had encountered such misfortune, he would never let her bear it alone.

“If—if you’re willing, I want to be the father of the child in your womb. That way, they won’t mock you anymore!”

His fair face instantly turned red. Fang Xu lowered his head, his hands clenched tightly together, not daring to look at her.

What?!

Ling Ruoxi nearly choked to death again. It took her a long moment to react. Looking at Fang Xu’s face—red enough to fry an egg—she couldn’t help laughing.

“What’s so funny? I mean it—I’ll do what I say!” Now Fang Xu’s face turned even redder. He quickly lifted his head and met her gaze, no longer dodging it.

The corners of her lips lifted slightly. Resting her chin on one hand, Ling Ruoxi smiled softly. “Alright. Then I’ll wait for you to grow up—for you to come protect me.”

“I will. I definitely will!” Clenching his fists tightly, Fang Xu felt a flutter in his heart he hadn’t expected. He only felt that the woman sitting beside him was incredibly beautiful.

“Oh right—take this medicine. I should head back now. Remember—one day, I’ll come back to find you!” He thumped his chest heavily with his right hand and pulled out a small five-colored flower from his robes.

It was about time. He had delayed his trip far too long. If he didn’t return soon…

“Heh, don’t talk like it’s a farewell for life and death. The world is vast—we’ll meet again someday. Thank you, Fang Xu.” Holding the five-colored flower, Ling Ruoxi casually tucked it into her clothes. Only later, when she learned how precious the flower truly was, would she realize she could never repay his kindness.

Touching her lower abdomen, Ling Ruoxi carefully watched her surroundings. She had walked far enough—it was time to head back.

Thinking of the small flower, she took it out again. A strange fragrance wafted toward her. Subconsciously, she leaned closer and inhaled deeply.

Something bizarre happened.

As Ling Ruoxi breathed in, the little flower transformed into a streak of red light and shot straight into her nose.

“Ugh—” It felt as if something had blocked her throat. Before she could react, she had already swallowed it. Looking again at her hand, it was empty—there was no flower at all.

“No way… when did I get superpowers? I can even swallow flowers directly now?” Well, it was just a five-colored flower. She could probably find another one later.

Thinking this, Ling Ruoxi raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun and turned onto a small path ahead. More than a dozen burly men were already waiting there, each holding clubs, clapping their hands with leering grins.

“Well now, beauty, we’ve been waiting a long time. I hear you really like men?” One of the men tugged at his clothes and deliberately exposed his solid chest muscles as he stared at Ling Ruoxi.

Two more men blocked her retreat from behind. Ling Ruoxi knew someone had deliberately set this up for her. Raising an eyebrow, she smiled. “You? Your figure isn’t that great. How could you possibly be worthy of me?”

“Hahaha! Little girl, take a good look!” The man roared with laughter, ripped off his shirt, and tossed it aside. His body was fully revealed—bulging, oily chest muscles, exaggerated arms, and abs so overdeveloped that his proportions were completely off. This guy had clearly eaten way too much beef and forced himself into these ridiculous muscles.

Goosebumps rose all over her skin. Ling Ruoxi covered her nose to block the unpleasant smell and frowned. “What’s good about your figure? A person should have proper proportions. The most perfect ratio is three to seven. Haven’t you heard? A beauty should be well-balanced—too much is too fat, too little is too thin. You? You’ve gone way overboard. Next.”

“Pfft—hahaha! Boss, you got looked down on by a little girl!” Another big man laughed so hard he nearly doubled over, slapping his chest. What woman didn’t like strong men? Yet this little girl had openly despised their boss and rejected him outright.