Chapter 16: Something Inside Me

“Bastard!” Wei Zi suddenly cursed, slapping Xing Haotian fiercely. Xing Haotian didn’t dodge; he took the blow squarely, seemingly stunned.

However, after the slap landed, Wei Zi felt as if she had struck a rock. Her palm ached sharply, the recoil sent her staggering backward. Overcome with fury, she spat a mouthful of fresh blood and fainted.

Xing Haotian, who had just regained his senses, felt his heart tighten at the sight. He could no longer indulge himself; he quickly distanced himself from her. As he withdrew from her, a mixture of white and blood trickled from between her legs, burning his eyes and stirring memories of previous pleasure. His desire surged anew, making him feel shamefully feral even to himself.

Ignoring the small figure beneath him, Xing Haotian hastily dressed, slipping on his pants and boots. He wrapped Wei Zi in the tattered combat uniform she had worn beneath him and scooped her up in his arms.

With almost his fastest speed ever, he ignited his fiery burst, streaking like a meteor blazing through the sky, surpassing even the speed of sound as the friction with the air produced a sonic boom.

He felt unprecedented clarity and strength. The power he had been unable to unleash due to his fiery poison was now pouring forth without restraint.

Xing Haotian knew the reason for this surge: the girl cradled in his arms. She looked so young, barely seventeen or eighteen, resembling a mere student. Yet from this moment on, her fate was entwined with his; he would not allow her to suffer even the slightest harm.

...

At a fortress on the outskirts of the imperial capital, a non-commissioned officer and his men were casually chatting and gossiping.

“That girl from yesterday, beautiful as a fairy, turned out to be so fierce—she even held her own against a G10 mercenary!”

“She’s a mystic, after all. I bet she’s got a boundless future ahead.”

“That rich young master even said he wanted to travel with her. Probably just thinks she’s pretty.”

“Money talks. These days, even the finest cabbage gets gnawed by pigs.”

Suddenly, a sharp alarm sounded. The previously lax soldiers snapped to attention, their faces hardening with resolve as they gripped their machinery.

“Alert! Strong fire-type energy detected in the southeast!”

The clatter of machinery echoed as soldiers scanned the southeast, quickly locking onto their target.

It was a humanoid figure of flame, more like a fiery meteor streaking across the sky, turning the horizon red as it hurtled toward the fortress.

If it collided, they had no doubt the fortress would collapse.

“Flame assault—level four mystic technique!” the non-commissioned officer shouted in alarm. Such a powerful mystic skill was possessed by only a handful of the empire’s strongest warriors.

As the figure drew closer, its fiery outline blurred, but the seasoned officer instantly recognized the silhouette.

“It’s General Xing Haotian!”

“Open the fortress gates! General Xing seems to be entering!”

The gate lowered, and Xing Haotian descended with a fiery crash.

“Boom!” His feet struck the ground, the intense heat scorching the fortress walls and leaving footprints. He didn’t use a ladder but stepped directly inside.

“Medic! Bring the best medic here!” Xing Haotian’s voice roared like an explosion, carrying waves of scorching heat.

Everyone was stunned by Xing Haotian’s sudden appearance. Most striking was that he was shirtless, his muscular physique exposed, and in his arms lay a woman—unconscious—the very woman they had just been discussing!

The officer shuddered, realizing something. He quickly said, “General Xing, follow me. Our best medic is a recently stationed battlefield doctor, rated A-class. Shall I fetch him now?”

“Quickly!” Xing Haotian growled.

The officer immediately summoned the medic and led Xing Haotian to the best room in the base to lay Wei Zi down.

Wei Zi lay on the bed, her body no longer cold but burning hot—a heat that made even Xing Haotian, a practitioner of fire mystic arts, uneasy.

Soon, the door opened and Fang Wen entered. Seeing Xing Haotian, he instinctively saluted, his expression tinged with surprise.

Xing Haotian returned the salute coldly, then commanded, “Examine her immediately!”

Fang Wen’s gaze fell on Wei Zi, and he frowned. “Wei Zi?”

Xing Haotian’s eyes flickered with fire. “You know her?”

“Met her just yesterday. She’s been stationed here for repairs too,” Fang Wen replied, swiftly producing a scanner to examine Wei Zi’s body.

Xing Haotian silently repeated her name—Wei Zi, Wei Zi—his gaze fixed on her flushed, exquisitely beautiful face. She truly lived up to her name.

Wei Zi was one of the four most renowned peonies.

“Beep beep beep!” The scanner chimed, breaking Xing Haotian’s reverie. He glared at the device, unable to understand a thing, but burning with frustration.

“There’s a foreign object inside her abdomen that needs to be removed,” Fang Wen said, pulling back the blanket Xing Haotian had just covered Wei Zi with. He unfastened her combat uniform’s belt, revealing a small section of her smooth, porcelain-like belly.

At that moment, Xing Haotian’s gaze hardened sharply. He grabbed Fang Wen’s hand, his eyes blazing with jealousy.

That was his woman. How could he allow another man to undress her, even briefly, and see such an intimate part of her?

His fury burned so fiercely he wished to tear Fang Wen apart.

Fang Wen grimaced under the crushing grip but, experienced and calm, his eyes flicked between Wei Zi’s collarbone and Xing Haotian’s bare torso—marked with claw scratches on his neck—he understood what had transpired.

“General Xing, I am a doctor,” Fang Wen said calmly. At times like this, he needed to calm the family member. Without his own composure, he couldn’t steady Xing Haotian.

For a moment, Xing Haotian hesitated, then his resolve hardened. “No.”

He knew exactly what was inside Wei Zi’s abdomen. How could he allow it to be removed, exposing such a private place? He feared Fang Wen might kill her afterward to cover it up.

“I’ll do it.”

Fang Wen looked at his nearly crushed hand. If he resisted, he might never serve as a battlefield doctor again.

“All right,” he conceded. Xing Haotian released his wrist, leaving five deep finger marks on Fang Wen’s pale skin.

“Sorry,” Xing Haotian said stiffly. To apologize in front of others was a hardship for a general of Huatianguo.

“I understand. Let’s proceed immediately,” Fang Wen replied.

————

Thanks to Kongcheng_l for the 100 book coins.

Thanks to Miss for the 1888 book coins.

Thanks to Mr. |╰→Xuan for the 588 book coins. Much love to the group!