Chapter 123

"Yes."

"Let me borrow it."

Qi Yan Su Luo handed the dagger to Qin Zhao.

Qin Zhao received the dagger with his left hand and drew a dagger with his right hand. He exerted force with both hands, causing the blades to rub against each other rapidly, creating sparks.

After repeating this process several times, they ignited the branches.

Qi Yan Su Luo sighed, "You're really clever."

Qin Zhao didn't comment, as this knowledge was something even children understood in modern times.

With the fire, the surrounding temperature rose, making the wilderness less intimidating.

The two of them huddled together, reaching out to warm themselves by the fire.

No one spoke, yet no one felt awkward.

In the quiet air, only the crackling of the firewood remained.

But Qin Zhao felt a warm and cozy atmosphere, exactly what he had hoped for in his interactions with Qi Yan Su Luo.

After a while, Qi Yan Su Luo asked, "Are you hungry?"

Before Qin Zhao could answer, Qi Yan Su Luo turned her head and suddenly a figure rushed towards them!

Instinctively, she exclaimed and fell to the ground!

Qin Zhao leaned over her, and Qi Yan Su Luo furrowed her brows. "What are you trying to do?

This is the mountains and forests. Don't do anything to scare off the little animals."

Qin Zhao smiled, and he leaned down to kiss Qi Yan Su Luo!

The suddenness of the kiss left Qi Yan Su Luo breathless.

But she didn't resist. After all, she had experienced more of this kind of thing than Qin Zhao.

However, she quickly realized something was wrong. Normal kisses were sweet, but Qin Zhao's kiss was becoming increasingly bitter!

Qi Yan Su Luo was overwhelmed by the bitterness and wished she could pass out!

She pushed Qin Zhao away with all her strength and gasped for breath. "Did you eat something bitter?

Why is your mouth so bitter?"

Qin Zhao wiped his lips and said, "The bitterest taste is the taste of success.

I wanted you to taste it too, for your own good."

"Hmph!"

Qi Yan Su Luo chuckled in exasperation and kicked Qin Zhao away, getting up to rinse her mouth by the stream. Qin Zhao held his slightly aching abdomen and thought to himself: Could it be that she's getting back at me for kicking her a few times on the bed?

She's really holding a grudge! Struggling to sit up and leaning against a tree, Qin Zhao looked at Qi Yan Su Luo.

He watched as she approached him step by step.

Qi Yan Su Luo's tall figure, perfect face, and even her delicate fingertips, no matter how many times he saw them, they always amazed him.

Female protagonists with deep-seated grievances were never well-received, but only someone like her could keep his passion alive.

"What do you think of me?" Qi Yan Su Luo asked after sitting down.

"You look beautiful. So beautiful that I can't help but take a few more glances," Qin Zhao replied.

Qi Yan Su Luo didn't understand why, but every time she heard Qin Zhao praise her, her heart would fill with joy.

Even though she had heard those compliments since she was young.

After a moment, Qi Yan Su Luo said, "You're beautiful too."

Then she added, "The way you wear a mask is enchanting."

Qin Zhao smirked, realizing that she still remembered the red mark on his face.

Although he wanted to take off the mask and show her his current appearance,

it wasn't the right time yet. The red mark symbolized his hatred for the emperor.

If it disappeared, Qi Yan Su Luo wouldn't consider him an ally.

In a moment, Qin Zhao said, "It's getting late. Let's sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow."

"Goodnight," Qin Zhao murmured.

The two naturally leaned against each other and soon fell asleep.

The next day, Qin Zhao woke up with a sore waist and back, but there was no sign of Qi Yan Su Luo by her side!

Qin Zhao felt a sudden panic and called out, "Qi Yan Su Luo, where are you?!"

Her voice was hoarse due to dryness.

No one responded, and Qin Zhao anxiously called out several times, "Qi Yan Su Luo!"

"Why are you shouting? I'm right here," Qi Yan Su Luo emerged from behind a short thicket.

Qin Zhao glared at her, "You were here all along, so why didn't you speak up? Do you find it amusing to see me worried?"

Qi Yan Su Luo admitted straightforwardly, "And what if I do?"

Qin Zhao turned her face away, refusing to look at her, and sulked.

In truth, this was just a trivial matter that didn't warrant getting angry, but she was frustrated because she couldn't articulate the reasons clearly.

After a few moments, something cold and icy was suddenly stuffed into Qin Zhao's mouth!

She took a bite and the skin broke open, releasing a sweet and refreshing juice.

It relieved Qin Zhao's thirst.

Qi Yan Su Luo said, "I was afraid that my dear would go hungry, so I went to find some wild fruits."

"Um..."

For a moment, Qin Zhao didn't know how to respond. After pausing for a while, she said, "You're so cheesy!"

Qi Yan Su Luo smiled faintly, "I heard that sweet words can win a woman's heart. I used to not believe it, but now it seems to be true." "Whether it works or not depends on who says it," Qin Zhao replied.

Upon hearing this, Qi Yan Su Luo also froze.

The two looked at each other in silence.

After an unknown period of time, Qin Zhao suddenly heard the voices of Cong Han and Shen Xue.

"Your Highness?"

"Your Highness, where are you?"

The voices of the two drew closer as they echoed through the mountains and forests.

Qin Zhao shouted, "I'm here!"

Before long, Cong Han and Shen Xue ran up to Qin Zhao.

Cong Han asked, "Your Highness, what happened? Why were you here? We've been looking for you all night. If we hadn't heard you calling Qi Yan Miss, we wouldn't have found you. This place is too remote!"

Qin Zhao said, "You two have worked hard. My leg was hurting yesterday, so I had no choice but to stay here overnight. Nothing happened at the camp, right?"

Shen Xue said, "Your Highness, we'd better leave quickly. Although nothing happened at the camp, we saw the Fifth Prince on our way here. They are being chased by a tiger, and it won't be long before it catches up to them."

No sooner had Shen Xue finished speaking than a voice came from over there.

"Run!"

"Protect His Highness!"

"Why are you running? Protect the Fifth Prince!"

In an instant, a tiger and several people arrived within a hundred meters of Qin Zhao and the others.

Qin Zhao straightened her body and flexed her legs.

After a night of rest, the pain in her inner thigh had subsided.

With Cong Han and Shen Xue, who were both skilled warriors, dealing with a tiger wouldn't be a problem.

So she wasn't in a hurry to leave.

She watched with interest as Qin Cong and his men struggled.

The tiger chasing them was none other than the one she had faced off against last night!

Seeing it in the daylight was even more awe-inspiring than seeing it at night!

Qin Zhao had never seen a creature as massive as this before, its muscular body undulating with every movement as it ran.

Qin Zhao had no doubt that it could easily swat down a fully grown adult with a single paw.

Qin Cong had initially brought a dozen palace guards with him, but now only six remained!

In the blink of an eye, another guard fell victim to the tiger's claws!

Half of the guard's head was crushed, his face peeled off, revealing the blurred flesh clinging to his white bones.

Out of the corner of his eye, Qin Cong caught sight of Qin Zhao's figure and cried out, "Sister, save me!"

Qin Zhao stepped back, saying to Qin Cong, "Fifth brother, don't come any closer.

It's no use coming here, I won't save you."

Terrified, Qin Cong's mind raced, and seeing Qin Zhao really about to leave, he panicked and shouted, "Sister, I know the secret of the second prince!!"