185: shameless Gong Qiuqiu

"You flatter me, but I should still thank you for your cooperation; otherwise, I would have had no choice but to run away," Ai Yue said modestly.

Gong Qiuqiu retracted his Superpower Light Screen, and the two of them carefully stepped into the cave.

Seeing all the Ancient Centipedes lying stiff and motionless on the ground, Ai Yue quickly called out to Gong Qiuqiu, "We have to hurry and gouge out the transparent stones, or it'll be trouble once that paralysis wears off."

Hearing this, Gong Qiuqiu's eyes lit up instantly, and he nodded repeatedly. Picking up money—he really loved that.

Seeing him suddenly become excited, lacking his usual maturity and stability, Ai Yue felt a mischievous urge to tease him.

So she said, "How about this? The four hundred transparent stones I promised you—you can harvest them yourself. However many you get, they're yours. You don't have to give any to me. What do you think?"

To her surprise, Gong Qiuqiu's eyes grew even brighter, and he asked in pleasant surprise, "Really?"

Ai Yue didn't see the expression she expected and was a bit stunned, replying subconsciously, "Of course!"

"Alright, it's a deal!"

"It's a deal!" Ai Yue said with some hesitation.

As soon as Ai Yue finished speaking, Gong Qiuqiu happily pulled out a pocket-sized dagger from his robes and rushed impatiently to an Ancient Centipede. With a swift stroke of his blade, the transparent stone was already in his possession. He quickly moved to the next one; in the time it took to walk past, the transparent stone was already in his hand... Seeing Gong Qiuqiu's smooth technique, Ai Yue was a bit dazed. After a while, she snapped out of it and realized the dagger in his hand was no ordinary thing!

This was a truly good item, cutting through iron like clay and slicing the hard centipede shell as easily as tofu.

Seeing Ai Yue still staring at him in a daze, Gong Qiuqiu smiled helplessly. "If you don't hurry up, they'll regain their ability to move!"

Ai Yue was suddenly jolted awake and exclaimed in wonder, "What kind of dagger is that? It's so powerful!"

Ai Yue also joined the ranks of collecting transparent stones, but she still had doubts in her heart and couldn't help but ask.

Gong Qiuqiu froze for a moment upon hearing her and sighed. "This is a family heirloom from my grandmother's side! It has been passed down since ancient times. Grandmother passed away before she could tell me its origin."

"I'm sorry!" Ai Yue said apologetically.

"It's okay..."

Seeing that Gong Qiuqiu's mood was low, Ai Yue didn't have the heart to press further.

So she focused all her attention on gouging out the stones. Using her Strongman Superpower and the dagger she had obtained at the auction, she moved quickly among the Ancient Centipedes.

The Ancient Centipedes the two of them passed all turned into ash a moment later.

As the two of them gouged out the transparent stones, they got more and more into it. After an unknown amount of time, Ai Yue noticed signs that the stiff Ancient Centipedes were regaining their ability to move.

She gave the remaining Ancient Centipedes another dose of Lightning. The legs that were about to move became stiff again.

Time passed bit by bit. The movements of their hands didn't slow down at all; instead, they became faster and faster.

The two of them seemed to be in a competition, but no matter how fast Ai Yue moved, Gong Qiuqiu was always one step ahead.

Before they knew it, only a handful of Ancient Centipedes were left in the cave. By this time, the two were so tired they didn't even have the strength to lift their hands.

The few centipedes that had regained their ability to move took the opportunity to sneak away.

Ai Yue and Gong Qiuqiu had no strength left to catch them, so they had to let it go.

"Ai Yue, thank you. Just this once, I've got enough transparent stones for my whole life." The usually gentle and elegant Colonel Gong was now covered in blood, sitting slumped on the ground without any decorum, drenched in sweat, yet smiling sincerely.

Ai Yue was also sitting on the ground, but she didn't look as disheveled as Gong Qiuqiu.

She waved her hand and said with a look of helplessness, "No need to thank me. Actually, this wasn't my intention. You should know I only wanted to give you four hundred, but who knew... It's my fault for wanting to see you make a fool of yourself. Sigh, I guess you earned it."

Seeing Ai Yue's regretful expression, Gong Qiuqiu found her very amusing and couldn't help but chuckle.

This version of Gong Qiuqiu was less refined than usual, with a bit more of a down-to-earth air, and the distance in his eyes faded slightly.

Ai Yue rolled her eyes at him and said unhappily, "You're laughing at me for no reason again."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. Just seeing your expression makes me feel happy and want to laugh." Gong Qiuqiu's explanation was worse than no explanation at all.

"Go ahead and laugh then. Leave when you've had your fill of laughing. As for me, I'm not waiting for you!" Ai Yue glared at Gong Qiuqiu, stood up, and prepared to leave.

"Ai Yue, I've laughed enough. I won't laugh at you anymore. Take me with you too," Gong Qiuqiu said ingratiatingly as he saw Ai Yue's expression change.

"Hmph, too late! You stay here and reflect on yourself." Ai Yue raised her foot to leave.

Seeing that Ai Yue was serious, Gong Qiuqiu didn't think twice and instinctively lunged at Ai Yue's feet, tightly hugging her leg.

Ai Yue was caught between laughter and tears by his actions and gave her leg a sharp shake.

Gong Qiuqiu was also stunned by his own instinctive action. Although his face felt a bit hot, he still didn't let go. Since things had already come to this and he had already lost face, he might as well go all out; getting her to take him out was the priority.

"Let go!"

"I'll let go if you don't leave me behind!" Gong Qiuqiu lowered his head and squeezed out the words stiffly.

Ai Yue's impression of the gentle and elegant Gong Qiuqiu was completely shattered; she really couldn't reconcile the person hanging onto her leg with the man she knew.

"Fine, fine, let go quickly. I'm truly afraid of you. I'll take you out, alright?" Faced with such a version of Gong Qiuqiu, Ai Yue could only compromise.

Ai Yue grabbed his hand, and with a thought, the two of them dove into the ground, leaving the empty underground cave.

After a long time, Ai Yue and Gong Qiuqiu finally emerged from underground.

Seeing the bright sunlight, they finally truly relaxed.

After returning to the surface, the calm and elegant Gong Qiuqiu returned.

He said with a warm expression, "Ai Yue, no matter what, I owe you a favor this time."

"Sure." Ai Yue didn't decline and directly agreed.

Gong Qiuqiu, who had been thinking of persuading her, shook his head with a smile. Faced with Ai Yue's unexpected answer, he became a bit more interested in her.

After spending just one day together, he felt that Ai Yue was a very interesting and unique person. Coupled with her outstanding abilities, she was truly very attractive.

No wonder Gu Xiheng, despite already having such a great beauty, still feels insecure when it comes to Ai Yue.

The two of them didn't say much more, found their bearings, and headed toward Nameless Mountain.

They had followed that Ancient Centipede far away from Nameless Mountain. It took two days for Ai Yue and Gong Qiuqiu to return to Nameless Mountain.