[TCFO] Arc 3 – Chapter 144

The Vicious Princess Wants to Reverse Fate (38)

Zhou Min's pupils involuntarily trembled. She couldn't say it was because she cheated, masking his inner strength and rendering him defenceless in this jungle. If he died, her mission would be game over!

Turning away from his probing gaze, Zhou Min's jaw was forcefully turned back, "Look at me, tell me, what makes you think I'll die?"

Shangguan Qi's persistence left Zhou Min speechless. The contradictions between her mission and the client's wishes made her almost schizophrenic. -Half-lowering her eyelids to conceal the complexity and contradictions in her eyes, Zhou Min's eyes showed a calmness and a hint of sorrow that Shangguan Qi almost missed when she raised her head again.

"Because your life is too crucial to me! I can't afford to lose..." It was the truth but also a vague reality. Zhou Min remained silent, just staring at the man in front of her, whose eyes seemed to hide many stories, complex and deep, making one unconsciously lost.

Hearing Zhou Min's words shook Shangguan Qi's inner lake. Upon hearing Zhou Min's response, he released her jaw and stood up, disguising his unsettled expression. Facing away from her, bathed in dappled sunlight, he became increasingly profound and untouchable.

Seated on the ground, Zhou Min looked up at Shangguan Qi in this state. The internal pain and sadness were about to burst forth. "Shangguan Qi, I love you." It was a confession that the client in the past life didn't have the chance to make, and it was her most profound regret and love.

Shangguan Qi, standing with his back to Zhou Min, heard those six short words, his whole body stiffening. His eyes showed shock and a hidden yet fleeting joy, but Zhou Min's following words ignited anger before he could say anything.

"But I don't want your heart. I don't need your efforts and reciprocation. So, you don't need to bear any burden. Please guard your heart. Don't love me..." Zhou Min's words carried an indescribable desolation and sadness, yet they kindled an inexplicable fury in Shangguan Qi's heart.

"Zhou Min!" Shangguan Qi abruptly turned around, his eyes seemingly mixed with the eerie calm before a storm. His voice couldn't help but carry a hint of bloodthirstiness, suppressing his emotions.

But upon turning, he saw Zhou Min lifting her head, gazing at him with eyes filled with almost overflowing sadness and longing. Clear tears slowly slid down her fair skin, and in the pouring sunlight, the tears seemed to refract a colourful glow, shaking his heart. He couldn't utter a word, just staring blankly at her.

Watching her gently kiss her red lips, hearing the sorrow and self-mockery in her words, "It's fine like this, Shangguan Qi, it's fine like this. You're doing well now, just like this. Firmly grasp your heart, don't waver, don't fall in love. Even if I do so much for you and love you deeply, please stand still or continue forward. Don't look back on this life. Please, don't look back or stop. I don't want your love..."

She couldn't afford his love because the client no longer wanted any involvement with him, but she couldn't control the deep love hidden beneath the profound helplessness and pain of the client. Over these days, that deep love, accompanied by the guilt toward her family from her past life, left Zhou Min, the task executor, entangled in painful contradictions. This damn system's mission and the client's desires were tearing her apart...

"Zhou Min, are you overestimating yourself?" Shangguan Qi snapped out of his trance, expressing his anger and indescribable frustration towards Zhou Min. "I won't fall in love with you. You are merely my antidote! Understand your own identity. There's no need to remind me how to act! Do your job. Once we leave the jungle, our paths in the martial world will part. We'll be strangers!"

Shangguan Qi, leaving with a flick of his sleeves, walked back into the jungle. He needed calmness to soothe his emotions. Zhou Min's words made his heart feel a slight prick, not painful, but uncomfortable, especially a suffocating feeling like something was stuck in his chest, wanting to vent but finding no outlet...

He feared that if he stayed there any longer, he would say things that didn't align with his character...

Watching Shangguan Qi leave in large strides, Zhou Min seemed to have exhausted all her strength, collapsing against a tree trunk. She turned her head, letting tears flow freely. It wasn't that she wanted to cry; it was the empathetic trigger that touched the deepest emotions in Zhou Min.

This was good. After detoxification, they could completely sever ties. -No more parting in the martial world or encounters with strangers. They could only move in opposite directions, ending where they started, never to meet again or intersect.

While Zhou Min was lost in her thoughts, suddenly, from a distance, came the sounds of clashing blades and people talking!

Someone!

There were people in the jungle!?

After the initial shock, Zhou Min's first thought was the direction Shangguan Qi had just left. It seemed to be the source of the noise...

Not daring to overthink, Zhou Min drew the sword by her side, not thinking at all. Suppressing the weakness and trembling in her legs, she rushed immediately, and what she saw was a scene of chaos—black-clad figures, fresh blood, swords, and hidden weapons on the trees!

-Carnage everywhere, bodies strewn across...

Squatting beside a corpse, Zhou Min examined the dead. Without exception, they all died from poison. It was not hard to imagine that this was Shangguan Qi's masterpiece...

But what followed was a head full of confusion. What on earth happened? Why would such a group of people appear in the jungle? They seemed to be after Shangguan Qi!

It was not a question but an affirmation, as Zhou Min suddenly remembered the three hidden weapons shot from the dark spot on the cliff. They seemed similar to the ones on the tree. So, who wanted to kill Shangguan Qi?!

Why didn't any clues appear in the previous life...

Thinking about this, Zhou Min suddenly remembered Shangguan Qi's current physical condition, which made her worry more. Looking at the chaotic footprints and directions in the mud, Zhou Min didn't dare hesitate. She immediately chased after them, afraid something might happen to Shangguan Qi.