"I wonder, my lady, would you give me a kiss?" Qing Chen did not beat around the bush, nor was he in a hurry to achieve everything at once.
For ordinary women, it might be fine, but as a villain, to conquer the Heavenly Mandate Empress, he naturally had to take it step by step.
Once this beginning was made, many things would become much easier in the future.
As the saying goes, where there's one, there's two; where there's two, there's three...
"Kiss, kiss me?" Han Qingyue's beautiful eyes shimmered, her inner shyness impossible to hide.
It wasn't that she hadn't thought Qing Chen would make such a request.
Qing Chen saw Han Qingyue's face, flushed red like a ripe fruit, feeling as if a gentle pinch could make juice flow out.
Just as he was pondering whether this small request was still a bit too hasty, Han Qingyue's voice, like a fine thread, said, "You, you close your eyes."
'It's happening!'
"As my lady commands." Qing Chen replied, standing in place and slowly closing his eyes.
After a while, Qing Chen could feel a soft pressure on his right cheek.
"It, it's done..." Han Qingyue's voice became even softer than before.
Qing Chen opened his eyes, pressing a finger to the spot where Han Qingyue had just kissed, "I thought..."
"What did you think, husband?"
"Nothing." Qing Chen looked at Han Qingyue's shy, evasive gaze and knew that just kissing his cheek had already taken considerable courage from her. To ask her to kiss his lips would surely make her so flustered she'd be incoherent, or perhaps freeze in place.
As for Han Qingyue, though Qing Chen hadn't explicitly said it, she had already grasped what Qing Chen wanted to convey.
Should she gloss over it?
Although Han Qingyue was extremely embarrassed at the moment, and Qing Chen hadn't explicitly said it, she could absolutely do so.
However, thinking that Qing Chen was still so considerate and mindful of her feelings, even now, coupled with the successive grand gifts that showed he didn't treat her as an outsider, Han Qingyue felt a strong sense of guilt.
Upon realizing this, Han Qingyue also felt that merely kissing his cheek was too childish.
Moreover, she and he were husband and wife...
'Right! He and I are husband and wife, and kissing on the lips is a very normal thing for a couple! This is supposed to be natural, there's nothing to be shy about!'
Han Qingyue found a point to convince herself; before convincing others, she first convinced herself.
"Husband, please, please close your eyes again."
'Close again?'
Qing Chen, who was about to bring up the System panel to check the Saint Body reward, heard these words from Han Qingyue and couldn't help but feel confused.
"Alright." Before he could figure it out, he followed Han Qingyue's instruction and closed his eyes.
This time, that familiar softness came from his lips.
Qing Chen opened his eyes, a look of surprise on his face, "My lady..."
"It's getting late, let's hurry back!" Han Qingyue raised her hand, her voice slightly trembling, interrupting Qing Chen's words.
She felt that if they continued this topic, she would truly need to find a place to hide until she calmed down.
No crack in the ground? Then she'd dig one. For her, now a Cultivator, doing such a thing was not difficult.
Looking at Han Qingyue's charming and endearing appearance, Qing Chen suddenly felt that adventuring across the world with such a woman and heading towards a prosperous future together was also a good choice.
"Go? You can't go!"
Just as Qing Chen opened his mouth, before he could utter a single word, the voices of others came from the side.
Han Qingyue quickly calmed down, her eyes replaced with a touch of coldness.
Following the sound, seven or eight Disciples dressed in Cultivation Technique uniforms emerged from behind the trees, holding swords and knives.
"Beauty, obediently hand over the Cultivation Technique you just used, and then plant a slave seal on this Young Master, and your life will be spared." The leader said, not forgetting to display his Golden Core Realm pressure, which was higher than Han Qingyue's.
He saw that Han Qingyue only had Foundation Establishment Peak Realm strength, and coupled with their numerical superiority, he dared to covet the Earth Rank Cultivation Technique Han Qingyue possessed.
As for Qing Chen?
A weakling who could only hide behind a woman to survive against a Yao Beast was not worth his attention.
Under the cover of his Divine Sense, Qing Chen had already discovered this group of people, but he hadn't expected them to not just be passing by, but to also dare to covet his woman.
As he raised his hand, a giant hand, tens of feet wide, extended from the Void Realm. Its mere presence caused the Disciples to struggle for breath, their knees hitting the ground as if rooted.
"Split, Spirit Division Realm?!" The leading Disciple was greatly alarmed, never having imagined that the pretty boy he thought he was, was actually an expert with Spirit Division Realm cultivation.
He still wanted to beg for mercy, but he witnessed the massive hand above his head crashing down.
Everything happened too quickly, giving them no chance to beg for mercy or explain themselves.
The entire group, along with the surrounding trees, were annihilated and turned into dust under that massive hand.
Leaving behind a palm print several feet deep.
Han Qingyue stood by, looking down, shocked by Qing Chen's power; just a casual strike could cause such terrifying destruction.
Her gaze towards Qing Chen held a few more traces of admiration.
They say heroes are susceptible to beautiful women, but Han Qingyue privately thought that exchanging the positions of 'hero' and 'beauty' would also pose no problem.
Then, the Shadow Puppet that had been sent out returned to Qing Chen's shadow.
It emerged from it in a kneeling posture, presenting seven Storage Pouches with both hands.
Qing Chen glanced at Han Qingyue, wanting to ask her if she wanted to open the blind bags.
Han Qingyue kept shaking her head, her entire body screaming rejection.
Qing Chen knew that she hadn't forgotten the psychological trauma from opening a Storage Pouch last time.
"Alright then, I'll do it." Qing Chen didn't force her.
He tossed his hand upwards, and the seven Storage Pouches floated in the air, opening themselves. Medicinal Pills, Spirit Stones, jewels, and weapons floated out from within.
Medicinal Pills, Spirit Stones, and even jewels and weapons were naturally not things Qing Chen cared for.
However, one item among them caught his attention.
A scroll of parchment, like a map.
Qing Chen raised his hand, and the parchment scroll automatically flew into his hand.
He untied the red string and unrolled the parchment, "It really is a map."
"Tian Yuan Secret Realm? Looking at the location, it seems... it's exactly where we are now." Han Qingyue leaned in to observe and concluded.
Qing Chen then turned to look at the bear cave, smiling, "No wonder these guys appeared in a place like this. The Secret Realm entrance is inside this Immortal Cave."
"My lady, should we go in and take a look?" Qing Chen left the decision to Han Qingyue.
"Secret Realms are rare and often hide immense Opportunities. We can't miss this Opportunity!" Han Qingyue's attitude was clear; she didn't want to waste this great Opportunity that presented itself.
"Alright, then without further ado, let's depart quickly, lest we be disturbed again." Qing Chen had never been to a Secret Realm before and was curious about what these so-called Secret Realms contained.
"Okay!"
Han Qingyue agreed, and the two walked together towards the depths of the Immortal Cave, their figures gradually disappearing into the darkness.
Relying on their Divine Sense, even without any light source inside the cave, they could move freely.
Soon, they arrived at the deepest part of the Immortal Cave.
There was no path ahead, only a tall, black stone tablet standing silently.