It seemed that when it came to feelings, these women got very serious.

Gu Qing was like this now, and Tang Ruan had been the same just a moment ago.

But the strange thing was, the two of them didn’t seem to resent each other.

Zhao Chi sat on the edge of the bed. As Gu Qing moved closer, he instinctively leaned back a little.

But Gu Qing just chuckled and drew near again.

This time, she simply parted her legs and straddled Zhao Chi’s lap.

Her posture seemed to say, ’Where do you think you’re going?’

Her eyes hazy, she moved closer once more.

Her warm breath washed over him. "My Lord, don’t I make your heart race?"

Her red lips curved slightly as they slowly pressed toward him.

Zhao Chi’s heart was already speeding up.

’If this is what it means for your heart to race, then this is definitely it.’

[Your Affinity with Gu Qing has increased. Current Level: Pulse Pounding]

(Pulse Pounding: Tier One Affinity. When Gu Qing uses Skills on you, their Effect increases by 20%.)

A system notification appeared.

Both Zhao Chi and Gu Qing were stunned for a moment.

The next second, Gu Qing shrieked with excitement, "Wow! My Lord, did you see that? Hahahaha!"

Zhao Chi, however, found the feeling rather strange.

In that instant, his mind had been completely filled with Gu Qing; he had indeed been drawn in, fully and wholeheartedly.

Zhao Chi ignored the still-shrieking Gu Qing on top of him and looked at the information.

’So a Lord’s feelings can really be detected by the system?’

But it wasn’t that surprising.

After all, if even Power, agility, and Morale could be sensed by the system, it wasn’t strange that it could perceive emotions too.

But then again, unlocking his Affinity was a good thing.

From now on, when Gu Qing used her Healing Skills on him, the Effect would be boosted by 20%, making the Treatment more effective.

Besides, it seemed Gu Qing had deliberately led him on to unlock this Affinity level.

’This Gu Qing... how does she even know how to do this?’

Gu Qing was still giggling on top of him.

Her expression no longer held that commanding air from before.

In its place was a look of relaxation and joy.

Gu Qing planted her long legs on the floor and stood up from Zhao Chi’s lap.

"My Lord, I knew you had a place for me in your heart. Now that it’s confirmed, I’m so happy."

Gu Qing took two steps back, looking Zhao Chi up and down.

"Alright, My Lord, I’ll go take care of things outside. I won’t disturb you tonight."

Zhao Chi was a little stunned.

’Things were just heating up, and now that I’ve unlocked the Affinity level, she’s leaving?’

’Is she just teasing me?’

Gu Qing seemed to sense his thoughts.

She gently walked back over.

"Just having your heart race for me isn’t enough, you know. I’m very greedy. I just need a little bit more, really, just a tiny bit more will do. We can work on it together."

After speaking, she leaned down and pressed her lips to Zhao Chi’s cheek.

SMACK!

"Goodnight, My Lord."

Swaying her hips, Gu Qing left, satisfied.

She left Zhao Chi with nothing but the warm, soft sensation on his cheek.

And a little bit of healing bodily fluid.

Zhao Chi was a bit bewildered.

He had just been thinking he was in for a sleepless night, but Gu Qing had her fun and then bolted.

’Are all women like this?’

Zhao Chi took a moment to recover, until the system suddenly blared an urgent notification tone.

BEEP!! BEEP!! BEEP!!

It was an emergency contact signal.

Zhao Chi immediately opened the system. Seeing it was a voice call from his cousin, Zhao Huai, he quickly accepted.

[Zhao Chi, get out here! Get out here now! People from Zone 7 are here! Hurry to the Clan Hall and assemble. Keep a low profile on the way! Don’t start a fight with anyone! Get over here immediately!]

Zhao Chi was about to speak, but Zhao Huai had already hung up.

’People from Zone 7? Isn’t that the Noble District? What are they doing here?’

Zhao Chi had a bad feeling.

He immediately rushed out the door, gave a few quick instructions to the still-ecstatic Gu Qing, and returned to the Great World.

The scenery changed before his eyes, and in an instant, he was back in his small, cramped Wooden House.

"Damn it..."

The Wooden House was a complete mess.

The bed and cabinet, in particular, were overturned. It looked like he had been robbed.

Zhao Chi quietly approached the door and listened for a moment. There was no sound outside.

He pushed the door open to find several Black Armored Soldiers standing outside.

The armbands on the Soldiers showed they were from Zone 7.

The Soldiers spotted Zhao Chi as well.

"Out! Go to your family’s Clan Hall immediately!"

Zhao Chi said nothing. He had no choice.

He walked silently toward the village center.

The Soldiers beside him stared at him the whole time.

The deeper he went into the village, the more Soldiers from Zone 7 he saw.

When he reached the outside of the Clan Hall, he saw more than a dozen tall, slender men with handsome appearances.

They were all dressed in golden Light Armor, their faces calm and indifferent.

These were the nobles.

Zhao Chi didn’t dare to stare. He took one glance before lowering his head and entering the Clan Hall’s courtyard.

The Soldiers nearby didn’t stop him.

The courtyard was filled with people, all of them members of the Zhao Family, over a hundred of them with their families in tow.

Fortunately, the courtyard was large enough to hold them all.

The Clan Leader, Zhao Shizhang, stood in the center of the courtyard, surrounded by the other clan elders and seniors.

The men of his uncles’ generation were arranged on either side, while those of Zhao Chi’s generation and the younger ones were in the back. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

The entire perimeter of the Clan Hall’s courtyard was lined with Black Armored Soldiers from Zone 7, who had all of the Zhao family surrounded in the middle.

Seven nobles stood before Zhao Shizhang.

They stared down at the Zhao family with emotionless expressions, as if looking at rocks on the ground.

In contrast, the people of the Zhao Family all had their heads bowed. No one dared to look at the seven nobles.

Zhao Chi silently made his way to the back and stood among the crowd.

He glanced around quietly and saw that all his cousins were nearby.

Everyone was extremely tense. A few of the younger ones had even wet their pants and were standing there, trembling uncontrollably.

Zhao Chi looked questioningly at his clansmen beside him, but without exception, they all just shook their heads slightly.

After a little while longer, dozens more people arrived.

Just then, Fourth Uncle Zhao Qiye said, "Clan Leader, everyone is here."

Clan Leader Zhao Shizhang nodded.

He then said to the noble before him, "Your Highness, the respected Zhao Quan, all of us from the Zhao Family have gathered. We await your instructions."

The noble, Zhao Quan, was dressed in Golden Silk Clothing and looked to be no older than thirty.

He snorted at the eighty-something-year-old Zhao Shizhang. "Let me remind you of one thing: don’t say you’re also surnamed Zhao in front of me. Understand?"

Zhao Shizhang lowered his head. "Understood."

Zhao Quan snorted again, then began to speak.

"I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors recently. Some rebels have been roaming the River Valley Town area.

"We have them contained here, but they’ve disappeared.

"I don’t know how they disappeared, but I know someone must have hidden them.

"Therefore, we must conduct a full-scale search of the entire River Valley Town, and I am in charge of the search in your Stream Village.

"You still have a chance to confess. If anyone is hiding rebels in their territory, step forward now.

"If no one admits it, then I’ll have my men search you one by one. If we’re the ones to find them, the outcome will be different.

"You know full well what those consequences will be.

"If we don’t find anything this time, but later discover you were involved, that would be my failure. And if my superiors blame me, I’ll have no choice but to hand over your heads to answer for it. You understand that, right?

"Alright. Is anyone going to step forward voluntarily now?"

Zhao Quan and the other nobles silently sized up the entire Zhao family.

No one stepped forward.

Zhao Quan let out a cold snort. "Fine. Search them. Go!"

At his command, the surrounding Soldiers surged forward.

Their hands glowed with a faint light as they roughly pressed them against the people of the Zhao family.

A few Soldiers, upon seeing the women, deliberately pressed their hands onto their chests.

This caused several women to scream.

Immediately followed by the sound of slaps and angry curses.

Of course, the slaps were aimed at the women, and the curses came from the Soldiers.

Zhao Shizhang shouted, "Everyone, cooperate! Don’t move a muscle!"