215: Chapter 215 You take this thing.

The clamor of the Martial Arts Arena gradually faded into the distance, and Chen Shanzhi stretched his back.

"His Highness the Heir, Lingfu will take her leave first."

Shen Lingfu blinked her large eyes, her innocent face filled with an expression of pure obedience.

She pointed toward the elegant pavilion in the distance, her voice sweet: "I have a zither lesson later."

"Right now, I haven't received badges for the three courses of zither, chess, and painting, and that teacher is the most rigid of all, so Lingfu dare not be late."

Speaking of which, Shen Lingfu adorably stuck out her tongue.

"Alright, hurry off then." Chen Shanzhi waved his hand generously, "Don't keep the teacher waiting."

Shen Lingfu curtsied gracefully, her pink skirt tracing a beautiful arc in the air as she drifted away like a butterfly.

Then, only Chen Shanzhi and Tang Xiaowu remained.

A breeze blew by, swirling up a few fallen leaves, and the atmosphere instantly became somewhat subtle.

Tang Xiaowu lowered her head, her snow-white hands tightly twisting the corner of her clothes, the toes of her embroidered shoes grinding unconsciously against the ground.

A faint blush had already crept onto her breathtakingly beautiful face.

"Um... Chen Shanzhi, I should head back too. The squad has things to do this afternoon..."

Tang Xiaowu's voice was as soft as a mosquito's, and she raised her head in a panic, making a move to step back.

"Where are you going?"

Chen Shanzhi was quick-witted and fast-handed; he reached out and directly gripped her smooth, jade-like wrist.

Beneath his touch, her skin was delicate and warm, like a piece of jade just emerged from water.

"Ah!"

Tang Xiaowu let out a soft cry, her body trembling slightly as she instinctively tried to break free:

"Let me go... This, this is in public, if others see us, how inappropriate..."

"What are you afraid of?"

Chen Shanzhi not only didn't let go, but instead took a step forward, pulling the distance between them extremely close.

He looked down at the girl, a mischievous smile hanging on the corner of his mouth: "My fiancée has already agreed to our affair, what are you still afraid of?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Tang Xiaowu's pretty face turned completely red, even her translucent earlobes stained with a flush like a sunset cloud.

In her mind, the scene from a few nights ago, when Murong Zhaoling came to her door to talk about this matter, involuntarily surfaced.

"Pah! Shameless!"

Tang Xiaowu bit her red lips in shy annoyance, glared fiercely at Chen Shanzhi with her watery eyes, her cheeks slightly puffed out, and she let out a soft huff:

"Big Sister Murong may have agreed, but I... I haven't agreed yet!"

"Whether you agree or not, it's not up to you now."

Chen Shanzhi chuckled, fully displaying the thick-skinned style of the capital's number one playboy.

He completely ignored the girl's tsundere attitude, applied slight force to his hand, and directly led her soft, boneless hand, strolling leisurely along the stone path of the Academy.

It was morning, and many students were passing through the Academy one after another.

"Chen Shanzhi... let go, someone is coming!"

Tang Xiaowu was anxious, seeing two classmates approaching with books in their arms; she shrank to the side, desperately trying to pull her hand back.

"Don't move around, or I'll have to take unconventional measures." Chen Shanzhi didn't even lift his eyelids.

"I won't... Mmph!"

Tang Xiaowu just wanted to struggle, but felt that large hand holding her wrist had, at some point, wrapped around her slender waist.

The palm was extremely broad and thick, and through her thin clothing, a scalding temperature was continuously transmitted.

What was even more fatal.

As the two students approached, Tang Xiaowu struggled again.

Chen Shanzhi's hand, wrapped around her waist, actually slid down an inch, subtly resting on that plump, upturned curve.

Tang Xiaowu's body instantly stiffened.

In that instant, she felt all the blood in her body rushing to her face; the whole person felt like they had been hit by a freezing spell, not daring to move a single bit.

"You... you are shameless!"

Tang Xiaowu lowered her voice, a mist of shame and anger rising in her beautiful eyes, biting her teeth tightly.

If she struggled any more, heaven knows where this guy's fingers would slide to.

This was the Academy!

If anyone saw, she could really just find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.

"That's right, be good, and my hand naturally won't slide around."

Chen Shanzhi got the advantage and still acted innocent, a triumphant smile on his lips as his palm moved back to her slender waist, gently stroking it twice.

Tang Xiaowu could only blush and bite her lip, allowing this guy to take full advantage of her along the way.

The two walked side by side on the bamboo forest path, sunlight passing through the gaps in the bamboo leaves, casting dappled light and shadows.

Although Tang Xiaowu had been whispering curses at him, calling him a "rogue" and "thick-skinned" all along the way.

But that little hand, at some unknown point, had quietly grabbed onto the corner of Chen Shanzhi's clothes and never let go again.

At noon, the two grabbed a bite to eat in the Academy's Dining Hall.

During the meal, Chen Shanzhi naturally picked the bones out of the fish and placed it into Tang Xiaowu's bowl, earning a shy yet sweet eye-roll from the girl.

After finishing lunch, they walked out of the Dining Hall.

Tang Xiaowu looked at the sky with some reluctance and said softly:

"I have to go. This afternoon, the squad has to follow the Jiantian Division constables to the South City to perform official duties; if I'm late, I'll be punished."

Chen Shanzhi put away his previous playful grin, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Jiantian Division missions, although in the capital, after the incident at Shi Village...

made Chen Shanzhi realize that even in the capital, it wasn't necessarily safe.

"Wait."

Chen Shanzhi called out to her.

He reached into his Waist Token, a white light flashed slightly, and a palm-sized wooden figure landed in his palm.

The wooden figure was carved somewhat crudely, with several vermilion runes engraved all over its body, and a trace of mysterious Qi fluctuations circulating within it.

"Take this."

Chen Shanzhi handed the wooden figure over.

Tang Xiaowu was stunned, looking at him with some confusion: "What is this?"

"An Injury Substitution Wooden Figure."

Chen Shanzhi stuffed the wooden figure into her palm; it felt warm to the touch.

"This thing is a Yellow Rank treasure; it can block a fatal blow for you."

"Once you encounter a life-or-death crisis, this wooden figure will shatter on its own, bearing all the damage for you."

Chen Shanzhi's expression was serious, his voice low:

"Going to perform a Jiantian Division mission without something for self-defense, I wouldn't be at ease."

Tang Xiaowu held the wooden figure, feeling the residual body heat belonging to Chen Shanzhi, and her beautiful eyes trembled slightly.

She knew how valuable this thing was; it was almost equivalent to having an extra life.

"This is too precious... You should keep it for your own self-defense. I'm usually in the squad, so I'll be fine..."

Tang Xiaowu hesitated, wanting to return it.

"What are you babbling about? My strength is greater than yours; do I need this thing?"

Chen Shanzhi's face hardened, and he stepped forward domineeringly.

He directly grabbed Tang Xiaowu's hands and stuffed the Injury Substitution Wooden Figure firmly into her high-standing bodice.

His fingertips inevitably made brief contact with that astonishing, breathtaking softness.