"Pa..."
A crisp sound echoed through the silent bedchamber.
Time seemed to stand still at this moment!
The Azure Profound Empress's body stiffened, and her laughter came to an abrupt halt.
Gu Han herself was also stunned.
What... had she just done?
Empress Qing Xuan slowly raised her head.
The composed and flirtatious smile she had just worn vanished.
On her exquisite face, a soul-stirring blush now spread.
It spread from her cheeks to the tips of her ears, and even her jade-like neck was tinged with a faint pink.
Those beautiful eyes, which usually held majesty, wisdom, or mischief, were now wide and round.
Gu Han's face was clearly reflected in them, along with a look of utter, unbelievable shame and annoyance.
Over thirty thousand years! Ruling the Eastern Region, dominating the world!
When had she ever experienced such a thing... such an encroachment upon the boundaries of her secret dignity and shame!
That strike didn't hurt; it could even be considered gentle.
But the meaning within it exploded in her long-tranquil heart, stirring up a thousand waves.
Shame, annoyance, anger, and an... indescribable, complex emotion—of being completely offended yet strangely ignited by a certain spark—interwove turbulently in the depths of her eyes.
She looked straight at Gu Han, her gaze burning as if she wanted to see through and incinerate this audacious, unpredictable person before her.
Gu Han's heart skipped a beat under that gaze, and her previous impulse vanished instantly.
She wanted to say something, to explain... but her throat was dry.
At the moment Gu Han tried to organize her words—
Empress Qing Xuan moved.
She didn't pull away, didn't scold, and didn't even stand up immediately.
She suddenly tilted her face up, the hand originally wrapped around the back of Gu Han's neck pulling her forward, while her body used that momentum to rise—
In the instant before Gu Han could react, that exquisite, blushing face rapidly enlarged before her eyes.
In the next moment, a touch of warmth, incredibly soft and carrying a woman's unique fragrance, pressed onto Gu Han's lips without warning.
Gu Han's pupils suddenly contracted, and her mind went blank with a "boom."
The whole world seemed to go silent.
All that remained was the incredibly clear, soft, and slightly cool sensation on her lips, and the other woman's gently trembling eyelashes right before her eyes.
It was an extremely brief contact.
A touch, then a separation.
It was as fast as an illusion, yet so real it was branded into the depths of her senses.
Empress Qing Xuan pulled back slightly, still maintaining a posture nearly snuggled in Gu Han's arms.
The blush on her face hadn't faded, her eyes were shimmering like water, and her annoyance hadn't subsided.
Yet, a brighter, hotter light had ignited, one that even carried a hint of provocation and the triumph of revenge.
"Palace Master Gu..."
Empress Qing Xuan's voice was slightly hoarse, carrying an indescribable temptation.
"That slap just now... it comes with a price."
Gu Han came back to her senses, feeling her face burning hot and her heart pounding like a drum.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down; she couldn't let this woman lead her by the nose.
"Oh?"
"Then what price does the Empress want this seat to pay?"
Hearing this, the smile in Empress Qing Xuan's eyes deepened.
She leaned closer until their noses almost touched, their warm breaths mingling.
"In all my long life, I have never been treated so flippantly."
"How does Palace Master Gu think this debt should be settled?"
Gu Han's eyelashes trembled slightly; she could feel Empress Qing Xuan's lips almost touching hers as she spoke.
This extreme ambiguity made all her nerves tighten.
But the competitive streak in her bones was stirred up once again.
"Wasn't that kiss from the Empress just now also flippant towards this seat?"
Gu Han raised an eyebrow and countered, finally regaining a bit of control in her voice.
Empress Qing Xuan chuckled softly, her laughter exceptionally clear in the silent bedchamber.
"That's different."
"That kiss of mine was a return of the favor."
"A return of favor? The Empress's return of favor..."
Gu Han spoke slowly, her voice a few degrees deeper than usual, carrying a hint of hoarseness from being teased.
Her fingers, clasped around Empress Qing Xuan's wrist, unconsciously rubbed against that jade-like skin.
"...is a bit too heavy."
Empress Qing Xuan felt the subtle touch on her wrist and Gu Han's unyielding grip.
The smile in her eyes grew even stronger, her annoyance completely replaced by an interest as if she had met a worthy opponent.
"Is it heavy?"
Instead of retreating, she pressed her body even closer, almost completely snuggling into Gu Han's embrace.
"Compared to Palace Master Gu's slap, I feel it is still far from enough."
As she spoke, her warm breath brushed against the side of Gu Han's neck, carrying a woman's unique fragrance.
Gu Han felt the small patch of skin brushed by her breath tremble slightly.
This woman... was definitely doing it on purpose!
She tilted her head slightly, avoiding the overly hot breath, and her gaze fell back onto Empress Qing Xuan's face.
That exquisite face was right before her, the blush still present, her eyes shimmering as if filled with intoxicating spring waters.
"If the Empress feels it's not enough..."
Gu Han's voice calmed down, even carrying a faint hint of a smile.
The arm she had around the other's waist tightened slightly, pulling them closer until there was almost no space between them.
Empress Qing Xuan was slightly stunned, then a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes, but it was mostly... pleasure?
"Then does Palace Master Gu wish to make up for the rest?"
Empress Qing Xuan followed her lead, her vermilion lips parting slightly as her voice became even more soft and charming.
She even tilted her face up slightly and closed her eyes, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows on her eyelids.
A look of "do as you please."
Gu Han: "..."
Looking at this defenseless, waiting, exquisite face, her breath hitched again.
How... how was she supposed to respond to this?
Kiss her?
No, no, no!
Don't kiss her?
Wouldn't that make her look like a coward?
In a flash, thoughts raced through Gu Han's mind.
In the end, she made a move that even Empress Qing Xuan did not expect.
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