Chapter 201: Section 201: Emotions Hard to Bear

Surrounded by the important information brought back by the substitute, the group discussed for quite a while how to deal with the Blue Dog Fox Wolf.

After everyone had dispersed, Zhenjin once again silently slipped into Zi Di’s tent.

He was seething with anger, as during the meeting, the substitute had actually dared to hold his fiancee’s hand in public.

This infuriated Zhenjin, and upon seeing Zi Di again, he immediately demanded, “Tell me the truth, my beautiful and adorable fiancee, the substitute hasn’t touched you, has he?”

Involuntarily, Zi Di’s mind conjured the image of the substitute sucking poison from her body while they were at the Oasis.

Yet, outwardly, the girl shook her head in denial and reminded Zhenjin that the most pressing issue at hand was the Blue Dog Fox Wolf.

“Of course that’s something to worry about, but I also need to care for my fiancee! Especially when other men are holding my fiancee’s hand right in front of me! I haven’t even held your hand yet,” Zhenjin said as he reached out to take Zi Di’s hand.

Zi Di hadn’t had time to think before her body instinctively reacted, swiftly retracting her hand, leaving Zhenjin to grasp at air.

Just as Zhenjin was about to erupt with rage, the substitute’s voice came from outside the tent: “Zi Di, are you asleep?”

Zi Di became instantly tense; what would the substitute think if he found another man hiding in her tent? She really did not want the substitute to misunderstand, even though in truth, it was she and Zhenjin who were engaged.

Zi Di quickly opened her mouth and silently signaled to Zhenjin, who hastily hid in a dark corner of the tent.

The substitute entered the tent and, seeing the anxious and jittery Zi Di, mistook her distress as being caused by the Blue Dog Fox Wolf.

The substitute sighed and pulled Zi Di into his embrace.

Zi Di’s heart skipped a beat: “Oh no, Zhenjin is still hiding here; he’s sure to see this!”

But ultimately, she did not resist or try to pull away.

The warmth and security in the substitute’s embrace felt even more profound than when he had held her hand before.

In the substitute’s embrace, Zi Di felt happiness.

“Are you scared?” the substitute asked softly, comforting her.

“With you here, Lord, I’m not afraid,” Zi Di replied gently.

In that moment, the girl pushed the thought of her betrothed, Zhenjin, who was still in the tent, to the back of her mind, willing to indulge in the happiness of the embrace.

“Yes, I’ll always be by your side. The first Blue Dog Fox Wolf died at my feet, and the second one too. The third, the fourth, no matter how many more there are, as long as I’m here, I won’t let them hurt you. I promise you that!” Zhenjin consoled.

Zi Di looked up in Zhenjin’s arms: “Lord Zhenjin, I believe you.”

But at that moment, Zi Di felt something unusually hard.

Her heartbeat accelerated, and an intense bashfulness caused her body to tense up involuntarily.

“Oh, right. The main reason I came to find you was about some blood,” the substitute said to Zi Di with a smile.

“I need you to do it secretly.”

“Don’t tell anyone else until there are results.”

Zi Di’s whole body blushed, her heart pounding like a little rabbit, barely hearing: “Lord, what… what do you want to do?”

A “terrible” suspicion surfaced in her mind.

“Could it be that he wants to?”

“Good heavens!”

“He is a man who delved into the forest and went through life and death challenges to slay the Blue Dog Fox Wolf. He needs to calm his mind, and he indeed needs some… well, release.”

“But, but, it’s not… I can’t!”

“It’s too… too quick! I haven’t had enough time to come to terms with it.”

“Wait! Zhenjin, he’s still hiding in here.”

“If we really did this, he would surely be unable to restrain himself from jumping out. By then, in his anger, he’d speak recklessly, exposing the secret. I must, I must prevent this from happening!”

“Lord, you have a nosebleed,” Zi Di said, seizing the opportunity to shift the subject and break the dangerous atmosphere in the tent.

“Uh.” The substitute also felt the blood trickling down, and was extremely embarrassed, “Listen to me, Zi Di, it’s not what you think.”

After a conversation, the substitute finally clarified his true intentions.

Zi Di let out a sigh of relief, though a sense of loss inevitably surfaced in her heart.

After the substitute left, Zhenjin immediately leapt out and began to argue with Zi Di.

“How do you expect me to trust you?! Huh? You were just in front of me, throwing yourself into another man’s arms!”

Reminded by Zhenjin, Zi Di recalled once again the recent scene of being embraced by the substitute.

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It seemed the warmth of the substitute still lingered on her body.

The girl couldn’t help but feel her heartbeat accelerate once again.

But on the surface, she lowered her voice and deliberately intimidated Zhenjin, “Keep it down, do you want him to hear us? He is of Silver Cultivation, his hearing is even more sensitive than ours.”

Zhenjin was startled by her, immediately lowering his voice, feeling doubly humiliated.

Seeing the frustration in Hei Juan’s eyes, wanting to shout loudly and vent his anger yet not daring to, Zi Di felt a sense of disdain but also a thrill of revenge.

She continued to intimidate Zhenjin, who was thoroughly scared into submission.

Then, Zi Di’s tone softened, and she exhausted all strategies to successfully appease him.

Having dealt with Zhenjin, Zi Di sighed deeply, feeling utterly exhausted.

“How can I prevent this situation from happening again?”

“If this happens a few more times, I’m afraid Zhenjin might just explode!”

Reason told Zi Di to restrain her actions, but her emotions made it impossible for her to reject the substitute’s every initiative.

Zi Di was deeply troubled by this.

The Demon Beast Army attacked the camp and were repelled. The camp was set ablaze, the raging fire lit the night sky, and thick smoke clouded Zi Di’s sense of smell, preventing her from catching the scent of the substitute.

Though she and the others safely escaped the battlefield, she felt isolated and extremely worried about the condition of the substitute.

The substitute appeared, covered in blood.

Zi Di’s heart, initially relieved, tensed up once more.

At the sight of the substitute, Zi Di knew his injuries were severe.

Yet in such a state, the substitute still proposed pursuing and killing members of the Demon Beast Army.

“This is too dangerous!” Zi Di knew the substitute’s suggestion was undoubtedly right, but her feelings compelled her to prevent him for the first time.

But the substitute was unwavering, rallying everyone, eventually getting the response from Lan Zao, Zong Ge, and Sanda.

Before leaving, the substitute embraced Zi Di once more.

Zi Di once again pushed Zhenjin and the others to the back of her mind. She fiercely wished that time would stop at that moment!

The situation was urgent, and the substitute resolutely departed.

Zi Di was extremely worried, and to her dismay, Zhenjin quietly sought her out again.

“I don’t want to see you throwing yourself into his arms again. You understand what I mean!” Zhenjin was very angry.

Zi Di made efforts to persuade and console him, soothing Zhenjin’s feelings, but her unconcealable sorrow gave him an ominous feeling.

“What are you thinking about? My fiancee, are you worried about him? Worried about a substitute, a pawn?”

Zi Di was furious, wishing she could retort loudly, “He is not a pawn, he is a Knight, a true Knight! He’s far superior to you, brave and with foresight, fearless of sacrifice, now risking his life for us!”

Zi Di struggled to restrain her urge to vent her anger, managing to glare and hide the true feelings from her face.

“Lord! What’s the matter with you? Is it wrong for me to worry about him? If something happens to him, all of our previous efforts will have been for nothing. Not to mention it would greatly affect our future–after all, he has Silver Cultivation, while you’re still only Black Iron.”

A wave of intense shame and annoyance surged in Zhenjin’s heart, causing him to glare at Zi Di, “I–I will become a Silver Knight eventually!”

In fact, Zi Di regretted her words as soon as she had spoken them.

She realized she hadn’t controlled her anger, using another more tactful language to mock Zhenjin.

She quickly tried to fix things, “Lord, your potential is plain for all to see, being a Golden Knight is definitely not your limit. I’m sorry, I’m just very nervous. If the substitute is lost, how will we ensure our safety? How will we escape from here?”

Indeed, as she expected, once Zhenjin’s attention was diverted to his own safety, he immediately lost the mood to argue with Zi Di.

During the anxious waiting, time always seemed unbearably long.

The triumphant return of the substitute and others brought immense joy to Zi Di.

She couldn’t help but rush out of the tent, running breathlessly to face the substitute.

“He’s alive, thank goodness, he’s back!”

The girl was grateful to heaven, her longing and concerns nearly turning into tears.

“Lord!” She almost ran towards the substitute, ready to embrace him.

But in an instant, she thought of Zhenjin.

“Zhenjin must be watching!”

She could only clench her teeth and forcibly restrain herself, letting the turbulent emotions inside her flood against her inner walls unceasingly.

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