Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 1013 - 628: Defining Relationships

Chapter 1013: Chapter 628: Defining Relationships

In the bustling market, her mind was a complete blank.

As if time had come to a standstill, Li Junwu’s entire figure seemed frozen in place by some immobilizing spell.

Accompanied by the rhythmic clatter of hooves as carriages passed by, a nearby voice, calm and laced with a subtle smile, drifted into her ears, jolting her dazed thoughts back to reality:

"What are you standing there for? Lead the way."

"......"

The noise of the street returned to her ears. Without any excessive gestures, Li Junwu maneuvered through the pedestrians clad in all manner of clothing and retorted irritably:

"What’s the rush? I was thinking."

"..."

Xu Yuan, somewhat surprised, followed closely behind her:

"Thinking about what?"

"You suddenly said I should act as you. Of course, I need to think about what part of you I’m supposed to act out."

Li Junwu’s reply was so matter-of-fact, perfectly aligned with her crisp and decisive demeanor. She showed no intention of dodging the topic; instead, she glanced at Xu Yuan beside her, curved her eyes with a meaningful smile, and teased, "About your question earlier, it seems to carry some hidden meaning, doesn’t it?"

With a soft sigh, she shook her head:

"But honestly, at a time like this, you’ve still got the heart to talk about such matters."

Xu Yuan countered without hesitation:

"Wasn’t it you who brought it up earlier? Playing the victim, huh?"

Li Junwu’s expression remained collected as she pursed her lips and cast a sidelong glance, muttering:

"After all these years, why are you suddenly asking about this now?"

This matter...

Though left unspoken, both of them understood.

Xu Yuan lifted his gaze to the azure sky dome, still tinged with the rosy glow of dawn, and murmured:

"Your behavior during this meeting has been too unusual; I’m a bit curious about why."

"....."

Li Junwu said nothing immediately, falling into silence.

Xu Yuan remained quiet, patiently waiting for her to reply.

Although it was already morning and the streets were bustling with people,

the two proceeded in silence as they walked, crossing into Bima Court and renting a beast-drawn carriage to travel towards the government office.

Skirting through several blocks, the carriage entered Beast Path.

The districts on both sides blurred as they receded, the inside of the carriage wrapped in stillness.

Finally,

Xu Yuan couldn’t hold it in any longer.

The ambiguous air filling the carriage made him feel remarkably uncomfortable.

Honestly, he’d never truly examined his relationship with Li Junwu—his good "bro-chest"—

Good "bro-chest," who had always liked women, was one thing; the other was that they were simply too familiar.

Though their friendship blossomed belatedly as childhood playmates of sorts, it had matured into a camaraderie that spanned years.

A handsome guy and a striking girl, with such bonds—if they were together, they’d probably have kids capable of fetching soy sauce by now.

But no matter how close of a "bro-chest," no matter how unshakable the trust, it couldn’t withstand her deliberate efforts at seduction.

Xu Yuan wasn’t blind, nor was he socially oblivious; he could clearly see that Li Junwu had been intentionally trying to seduce him all along.

From her words to her actions, she kept trying different ways to pull him in.

And pairing that with her childish antics of repeatedly trying to outshine Li Qingyan...

Xu Yuan took a deep breath and spoke calmly:

"You’re seriously pondering such a simple question for two whole hours?"

"....."

Without replying, Li Junwu’s figure quivered slightly. She turned back to look at the man beside her, cheeks tinged with faint redness, and her lips parted as if about to speak...

"Smack."

A light slap resounded in the stillness of the carriage.

Both of their eyes widened.

Looking at his own hand, which had involuntarily slapped out, Xu Yuan opened his mouth, dumbfounded.

Li Junwu, holding her stinging cheek, stared at him in shock before her face darkened abruptly.

Though the slap wasn’t hard, nor did it cause much pain, its insulting nature was undeniable.

Under her eyes, which now looked as if ready to devour him whole, Xu Yuan pointed at the human skin mask she wore:

"Wait... you’re wearing a man’s face while making that expression?"

"......"

Li Junwu took a deep breath, ripped off the mask on her face, revealing her ethereal and serene features. She gritted her teeth and asked:

"Is this good enough for you now, Master Xu?"

"Mhm... much better than before... slightly."

"Xu Changtian! Do you truly think I don’t have a temper?"

"Huh?"

"Buzz—"

Before the words settled, Xu Yuan saw his good "bro-chest" beside him swing an elbow at his ribs with a fierce air-splitting sound!

Judging by the sound, if it landed well, his ribs wouldn’t just survive, and he’d be in agony for days.

Reacting instinctively, Xu Yuan’s eyes flared crimson.

As soon as his cultivation technique activated, the lady’s movements slowed dramatically.

He didn’t dodge—if he had, the fragile beast-drawn carriage might have been demolished by the blow.

Skillfully gripping her forearm, he siphoned away the force, and with his other hand, grabbed hold of her collar and yanked forcefully.

"Rip—"

In the briefest instant,

Li Junwu came to and found herself sprawled across Xu Yuan’s lap; her arm, previously in mid-strike, was now pinned behind her back by his hold.

Stunned, she realized her humiliating posture and immediately shouted:

"Let me go, you...!"

Xu Yuan hurriedly spoke in a lowered voice:

"Fine, I’ll let you go, and you can slap me back if you want. But no Origin Qi, alright?"

"Release me first."

"Promise me first, then I’ll release."

"....."

Li Junwu bit her lip and started struggling.

As her movements shook the carriage more and more, Xu Yuan hastily pinned her down and spoke quickly:

"Hey, why are you throwing this tantrum? I said you could slap me back!"

"...."

Li Junwu sulked without responding, throwing her strength against him to break free, but the disparity in their physical abilities was too great. Despite her best effort, all she managed to do was squirm feebly atop his lap like a flopping fish out of water.

Xu Yuan hesitated for a heartbeat, uncertain, and then hesitatingly asked:

"Wait... are you mad because I said you’re only slightly better than a man?"

"....."

The instant the words left his mouth, Li Junwu froze like a dead fish, her neatly tied hair now partially disheveled and cascading loose.

Seeing her reaction, Xu Yuan suddenly felt as if insects were crawling all over him.

Pressing his lips together, Xu Yuan tentatively responded:

"Did I guess right?"

"Guess my ass."

"Then why did you stop moving?"

"Do you seriously have no idea why I stopped moving?"

Li Junwu turned away, her eyes cold as she glanced back; the Qi-induced gold-brown hue in her pupils was frosty:

"Xu Changtian, last night you teased me, now today too!"

"Ah..." Xu Yuan blinked in confusion.

"Ah?" Li Junwu glared at him.

As their eyes met, Xu Yuan’s gaze suddenly tightened.

The thoughts he had momentarily ignored began surfacing.

The tension of her body and its yielding softness brushed against his thighs, rushing directly to his chest.

Looking at the blazing anger in Li Junwu’s beautiful yet heroic eyes, an inexplicable sensation of guilt danced on his mind.

A tingling numbness.

Li Junwu’s anger drove her to open her mouth and hurl curses at him, only for the restrained firmness of her bound chest, compressed under the wrap binding her, to provoke feelings she couldn’t explain—transforming the anger simmering within her to faint waves of tingling sweetness and yearning.

Red tinges crept up her neck, coloring her ears.

Before thoughts turned any more illicit, Li Junwu bit down on her lip to ground herself and muttered softly:

"Hey, though I wasn’t joking about saying what I did earlier—we really do have serious matters today."

"...."

After her words landed, the carriage fell into silence.

As soon as the feeling of restraint faded, a fleeting sense of disappointment rippled through Li Junwu’s heart.

But she knew all too well when it was time to act, which expression to put on, and what to say.

After all this time, she’d mastered the art of knowing.

Adjusting her rumpled attire, she noticed the awkward air in the carriage.

Li Junwu thought for a moment, rubbing at her sore wrist before glancing sidelong at the silent man beside her and teasingly said:

"Looks like your latest batch of beauties isn’t doing their jobs properly, Changtian. Judging by how energetic you’ve been lately, what’s the matter—don’t they let you touch them?"

Hearing her familiar vulgarity, Xu Yuan immediately shot her a glare and retorted stubbornly:

"Have you ever considered maybe it’s because my cultivation is advanced?"

"Tch, tch..."

Recalling his past antics, Li Junwu didn’t doubt him and tutted twice before casually saying:

"Changtian, about the issue you raised earlier—don’t overthink it. You know better than anyone what I like. Agreeing to let you have my body before was just to fulfill my dad’s wish."

She extended a slender finger, lifting his chin delicately, and smiled:

"As for the reason I didn’t go to anyone else but you... perhaps it’s because your face is genuinely handsome. I don’t mind it, and if I ever have children one day, they wouldn’t be too ugly."

Xu Yuan slapped her hand away, smirking as he responded with irritation:

"Why do you base everything on me agreeing to it? Ever consider I might reject you?"

"Eh~~"

Li Junwu stretched the syllable with a knowing smile, a hint of contempt flickering briefly in her eyes: "Your body’s far more honest than your mouth."

When the words settled,

their gazes locked—wordless, with a shared smirk, both of them smiling purely.

But unlike before, there was now a strand of faint bitterness and sorrow entangled in her heart.

Though neither laid things bare nor expressed their stance outright, that slap earlier had clearly interrupted the tension—the answer was already apparent.

There was no way it escaped her notice.

After all, this was one of the signature moves Xu Yuan always bragged to Wang Cheng’en and the rest about using to flirt with women...

So... let it be.

Keeping things this way wasn’t so bad.

At least, he wouldn’t deliberately avoid her.

With those thoughts, Li Junwu masked the ache in her chest and silently shot him a glare.

Hmph... Always the same insufferable rogue.