Fairy, please don't do this!

"mix……!"

Xiao Qingyi stopped abruptly before she could utter the word "bastard".

Her phoenix eyes were wide open, her head held high, and a hint of crimson appeared at the corners of her narrow eyes...

Gu Jinzhao felt he had gone too far, so he coughed lightly, then pointed his fingers like a sword, and a sharp sword light pierced straight through her heart.

Xiao Qingyi's delicate body trembled slightly, but she did not show any pain. She just stared at him coldly and said, word by word, "Gu... Jin... Zhao, I will remember you!"

As soon as she finished speaking, her figure transformed into specks of light and vanished without a trace.

Gu Jinzhao let out a long sigh of relief, and a meaningful smile slowly spread across his face.

"Now, you must be annoyed with me, right?"

His earlier humiliation of Xiao Qingyi was not only due to the rules, but more importantly, it was to personally extinguish any potential feelings of affection that might arise.

In reality, although he and Xiao Qingyi had only a brief encounter, their uncontrollable and maddening desires had already created a somewhat ambiguous entanglement.

If left unchecked, the Empress Dowager's favor towards him will likely only grow stronger day by day.

This is definitely not the situation Gu Jinchao wanted to see.

After all, Xiao Qingyi is the most unpredictable and difficult to please among the five female protagonists.

Fortunately, the two had already agreed on the rules in their minds: the loser would be ravaged by the winner.

Since the rules are available, why not take this opportunity to completely erase that budding affection and make her hate you!

In this way, Xiao Qingyi's most troublesome marriage line can be considered temporarily stabilized.

……

The next day, early in the morning.

As Gu Jinzhao rode his mare with Yu Fengzhi to the gate of the military supervisor's residence, he saw a purple sedan chair quietly parked there, with four palace maids standing at attention.

A figure in a light blue palace dress stood before the sedan chair, her temperament as serene and elegant as an orchid; it was Jing Shu.

Gu Jinchao was slightly surprised to see her there.

He was summoned to the palace yesterday, and now he's here again?

As if to confirm his guess, Jing Shu stepped forward slowly and said softly, "The Empress Dowager has summoned Commander Gu to the palace immediately."

'I was summoned to the palace so early in the morning; something feels off.'

Gu Jinzhao raised an eyebrow imperceptibly, then turned to look at Yu Fengzhi beside him: "Feng'er, go and report for duty first. Your brother is going to the palace."

"See you in a bit, brother."

Yu Fengzhi held the calico cat, gave him a sweet smile, and then led the little mare into the military supervisor's residence.

"Let's go."

Gu Jinzhao said no more and stepped into the sedan chair.

With a gentle wave of her hand, Jing Shu sent four palace maids to steadily lift the sedan chair. Their figures were elusive, as if shrinking the distance between people, and they disappeared at the end of the long street in an instant.

Inside the sedan chair, Gu Jinzhao hesitated for a moment, then gently lifted the side curtain and asked in a low voice, "May I ask Aunt Jing Shu, what was Her Majesty's reaction after the matter of the Military Supervisor's Office was reported yesterday?"

On the surface, this question was to inquire about Xiao Qingyi's attitude towards the matter between the Zhao and Chen families, but in reality, it was intended to probe indirectly.

Let's see how Xiao Qingyi reacts after returning from the Heart Realm.

"Your Majesty praised Commander Gu for his decisive actions, saying he is indeed a promising talent."

Jing Shu didn't hide anything and glanced at him with a smile.

But at this point, her expression suddenly became somewhat subtle. She paused for a moment before softly saying, "But..."

Gu Jinchao pressed further, "But what?"

Jing Shu carefully considered her words before replying, "But last night, for some unknown reason, Her Majesty suddenly flew into a rage, making quite a scene."

Gu Jinzhao's heart skipped a beat.

Sure enough!

He gave Xiao Qingyi two surprises yesterday.

Firstly, by leveraging the power of the "Phoenix Order," the Zhao and Chen families were completely eradicated from the military command, which was the visible achievement.

Secondly, in the realm of his mind, he thoroughly punished the defeated "Demon Princess" using the Gu family's rules.

For the former, Xiao Qingyi could simply reward those who had rendered meritorious service with an imperial edict; there was no need for a special summons.

The latter may be the real reason for this trip to the palace.

After all, this Empress Dowager was notoriously petty.

Jing Shu's intention in waiting here is already obvious.

“Commander Gu, there’s no need to worry too much,” Jing Shu said with a smile, noticing the unusual expression on Gu Jinzhao’s face. “Her Majesty’s summons this time is most likely to discuss the merits and rewards of the Zhao and Chen families.”

As Xiao Qingyi's personal maid, she lived in a side room of Jinglan Palace.

Last night, after serving Xiao Qingyi her bath, combing her long hair, and taking care of other chores, she returned to her own room to rest.

About an hour later, a loud bang was suddenly heard from the main hall!

Jing Shu thought an assassin had infiltrated, so she immediately gathered her strength and rushed over.

The hall was in complete disarray; the phoenix bed was shattered, the incense burner overturned, and the tables, chairs, and furnishings were all damaged, with debris scattered all over the floor.

Xiao Qingyi stood alone in the middle of the mess, her cheeks flushed red like the sunset. Her usually cold phoenix eyes were misty with tears. Her red lips parted slightly, and she said in a cold voice, word by word, "I... will remember you."

His tone was chillingly murderous, yet also tinged with an indescribable sense of shame and annoyance.

Jing Shu hurried forward to inquire about the reason, but Xiao Qingyi did not answer. She only ordered her to summon Gu Jinzhao to the palace the next morning.

Then, he took another bath.

What puzzled Jing Shu the most was that the palace dress and undergarments that the Empress had changed out of, which she had intended to collect and wash, were burned to ashes by Xiao Qingyi on the spot.

Of course, these things were not revealed to Gu Jinchao...

Chapter 131, Xiao Qingyi's "Reward" (3K)

Before long, the purple sedan chair stopped in front of Jinglan Palace.

Jing Shu bowed respectfully towards the palace: "Your Majesty, Commander Gu has arrived."

"Enter."

A clear, icy voice came from inside the hall.

Gu Jinzhao took a deep breath and stepped into the hall.

His expression was solemn, his steps were steady, and his demeanor was so imposing that even Jing Shu couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.

Although the Empress is difficult to approach, she is not an unreasonable person. This summons was originally for rewarding merits, so why does this Commander Gu act as if he is being led to the execution ground?

As soon as Gu Jinzhao stepped into the hall, the doors behind him closed silently, and the light suddenly dimmed.

He suppressed the inexplicable unease in his heart, walked to the brand-new phoenix bed, and bowed: "Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."

As far as the eye could see, Xiao Qingyi was still wearing that half-exquisite lace mask, dressed in a gorgeous crimson phoenix dress, and leaning lazily against the couch.

Seeing him enter, she slightly raised her eyes. "You handled the Chen Qingfeng case well. What reward would you like?"

"This is my duty, and I dare not take credit for it."

Gu Jinzhao lowered his eyes, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the edge of the bed.

Beneath the skirt embroidered with intricate phoenix patterns, a pair of flawless white jade feet were revealed, with rounded toenails adorned with dark red nail polish, exuding a touch of nobility amidst their allure.

Xiao Qingyi slowly stood up, looking down at him condescendingly: "Are you trying to disrespect me?"

"This humble servant dares not," Gu Jinzhao quickly explained. "It's just that some time ago, due to the Zhao Jinbei case, this humble servant was promoted from a junior officer to a senior officer, and has already received the reward. I dare not take any more credit."

He didn't want this "reward" at all; who knew what kind of trap it might be?

"Zhao Jinbei is Zhao Jinbei, and this case is this case." Xiao Qingyi snorted lightly, "You have made two contributions this time."

"Firstly, they captured the Thousand-Faced Gentleman, who ranked eighteenth on the Demon List, thus dampening the arrogance of Buddhism."

"Secondly, by using Chen Qingfeng and Hua Wuyue as bait, we will drag the high-ranking officials of the Zhao and Chen families in the Military Supervisory Office into the mess, so as to help me eliminate the long-standing malpractices in the office in one fell swoop."

At this point, her gaze fell on Gu Jinzhao, and she said meaningfully, "I have always rewarded those who have made merits and punished those who have made mistakes. I am never biased."

In the end, isn't it just about using the guise of "reward" to avenge the humiliation suffered in one's inner world?

Gu Jinzhao inwardly grumbled, but outwardly became even more respectful, bowing his head as if listening attentively.

Xiao Qingyi moved with light, graceful steps, her unique, cool fragrance spreading out: "Do you know what I will reward you with?"

Gu Jinzhao looked somewhat bewildered: "This humble servant is dull-witted, please enlighten me, Your Majesty."

Xiao Qingyi raised her hand and waved, and a bright yellow brocade carved with phoenix and luan patterns appeared in mid-air, slowly unfolding to reveal the words on it:

[We now have two loyal and upright ministers, Gu Jinzhao and Jiang Tinglan, who are not afraid of powerful figures and have repeatedly made outstanding contributions. They are the pillars of the nation...]

Gu Jinzhao is promoted to centurion of the Demon Suppression Division and is granted ten pieces of spiritual energy, one thousand taels of gold, and ten golden pills.

Jiang Tinglan was promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the Demon Suppression Division and was granted five pieces of Spiritual Essence, five hundred taels of gold, and five Golden Elixirs.

Gu Jinchao bowed deeply in gratitude: "This humble servant thanks Your Majesty for your grace!"

The spiritual source mentioned in the imperial edict is extracted and condensed from spiritual veins. It is like a portable power bank, which can replenish energy and assist in cultivation, making it quite precious.

"This is the first reward!" Xiao Qingyi continued, "As for the second, it is this [Dragon Elephant Qian Yuan Pill]."

With a flick of her palm, a golden-blue pill appeared out of thin air, its body entwined with the phantom images of dragons and elephants, and a rich medicinal fragrance instantly filled the hall.

"This pill can not only help you break through to the seventh rank of martial arts, but also temper your bones and body to a perfect state, and condense half of your martial courage in advance, laying the foundation for your future attempt to reach the sixth rank."

Gu Jinzhao's eyes lit up when he saw the pill.

Although the "Six Elements True Demon Technique" can be used to sacrifice evil cultivators to accelerate their cultivation, elixirs are still indispensable when breaking through major realms.

More importantly, he started martial arts relatively late, and his physical training was indeed insufficient.

This [Dragon Elephant Qian Yuan Pill] is a top-grade spiritual pill for tempering the body and building the foundation, which is exactly what he urgently needs right now.

He had been planning when to visit the Wanhua Chamber of Commerce to seek out this pill, but Xiao Qingyi unexpectedly bestowed it upon him directly.

Could it be that I'm just overthinking things?

She was simply rewarding those who had contributed and had no intention of seeking revenge for what happened in the Mind Realm last night.

The thought had barely formed when Xiao Qingyi's voice came: "Open your mouth."

Gu Jinzhao instinctively opened his mouth.

With a flick of her jade-like fingers, Xiao Qingyi sent the [Dragon Elephant Qian Yuan Pill] into his mouth as a stream of light.

The next instant, the roar of the dragon and elephant exploded from within his body, and a powerful and pure medicinal force erupted like a mountain torrent, instantly sweeping through his limbs and bones!

Xiao Qingyi said calmly, "This pill is too potent. Although your martial arts cultivation has reached the eighth rank of perfection, your foundation is too shallow, and refining it on your own is too slow."

"Then I shall lend you a hand..."

Gu Jinzhao's heart skipped a beat: "This humble servant can go back and refine it slowly, I dare not trouble Your Majesty."

"This is also one of the rewards!"

Xiao Qingyi's luscious red lips curved into a faint smile, and she raised her hand to deliver a punch.

boom--

Gu Jinzhao felt as if his chest had been struck by a giant hammer, his blood and qi surged, and he was sent flying backward uncontrollably.

But while he flew fast, Xiao Qingyi flew even faster.

Almost simultaneously, the crimson figure darted to his side like a ghost, her long, slender legs sweeping through the air beneath her skirt, delivering a precise kick to his buttocks.

Before he even landed, he was kicked into the air again.

bang bang bang-

Immediately afterwards, Xiao Qingyi moved like a butterfly flitting among flowers, appearing in his every falling trajectory, unleashing punches and kicks, striking or slapping, precisely hitting his vital acupoints all over his body.

Each strike was delivered with just the right amount of force, both dispersing the medicinal properties to aid absorption and inflicting excruciating pain.

Gu Jinzhao felt like he had become a human punching bag, being kicked around in the air and unable to land.