Return of the Celestial King

Chapter 166: Chapter 166: Descending the Mountain

Chen Wenxiong coughed awkwardly a couple of times and simply turned his head away, pretending not to see a thing.

As for Ouyang Tianqi and the others, they understood that the matter between Qin Tuo and Chen Man Ni was almost certainly settled.

Could they not see how the young couple was speaking so openly, right in front of everyone?

And so, Daoist Chongxu no longer insisted they stay.

Qin Tuo and Chen Man Ni said their goodbyes and left first, while the others decided to stay the night at the Daoist temple to ride out the storm.

As they descended the mountain, they could see the storm growing more and more terrifying.

Soon, there would likely be a risk of landslides on the mountain path.

Qin Tuo held Chen Man Ni’s hand and secretly channeled a stream of Spiritual Power to her, making it less strenuous for her to walk.

The two descended the mountain quickly and soon covered a good part of the way.

"Qin Tuo, I’m a little scared..."

Chen Man Ni said suddenly, her voice apprehensive.

All around them, the wind made the leaves rustle, creating strange, eerie sounds.

Tiny threads of lightning flickered overhead from time to time.

Besides, out here in the wild, who knew if they might run into venomous snakes or other beasts.

"Don’t be afraid. I’m here!"

Qin Tuo said with a comforting smile.

Just then, a sudden clap of thunder exploded in the sky.

BOOM!

The sound scared the color from Chen Man Ni’s face, and she let out a scream.

Her feet slipped, and she fell right into Qin Tuo’s arms.

Slightly startled, Qin Tuo quickly wrapped his arms around Chen Man Ni to hold her.

The resulting position was exceedingly intimate.

One of Qin Tuo’s hands was wrapped around Chen Man Ni’s shoulder, while the other rested on her soft waist.

Feeling Chen Man Ni’s graceful figure in his arms, Qin Tuo couldn’t help but feel his own heart stir.

Chen Man Ni’s face turned completely red as she stammered:

"Qin Tuo, aren’t you going to let me go?"

They were so close she could even hear the beat of his heart.

Qin Tuo couldn’t resist breathing gently next to Chen Man Ni’s ear.

"Manni, I wish I could hold you like this forever!"

This made Chen Man Ni’s heart pound in her chest. Flustered, she playfully punched Qin Tuo’s chest.

"Qin Tuo, you look so earnest, but I never knew you were so wicked underneath! I’m ignoring you now!"

"Haha!"

Qin Tuo burst out laughing. It was rare to see this shy, girlish side of Chen Man Ni.

As he helped Chen Man Ni straighten up, she suddenly let out a muffled groan.

"Ah, Qin Tuo, I think I just twisted my ankle!"

"Oh, really? Let me take a look!"

Qin Tuo quickly rolled up her pant leg.

Her ankle was red and swollen; it seemed she had twisted it when she fell.

"Ah, be careful! It hurts!"

The moment Qin Tuo’s hand touched it, Chen Man Ni groaned in pain.

’Sigh, it looks like she won’t be able to walk,’ Qin Tuo thought to himself.

He had used his Spiritual Power to clear her meridians and restore blood flow.

But the injury was too severe; she wouldn’t be able to walk normally for a while.

"How about this, Manni? I’ll carry you down the mountain on my back."

With that, Qin Tuo hoisted Chen Man Ni onto his back and carefully continued down the mountain.

Feeling Qin Tuo’s broad, strong shoulders, Chen Man Ni’s heart pounded relentlessly.

Her slender arms wrapped tightly around Qin Tuo’s neck, her body clinging to him like an octopus.

Suddenly, Chen Man Ni grew bold and whispered softly in Qin Tuo’s ear:

"Qin Tuo, you called me your wife in front of all those people back on the mountain. You’d better take responsibility for that, you know!"

Qin Tuo thought for a moment before replying in all seriousness:

"Don’t worry, Manni. Since I said it, I’ll absolutely take full responsibility."

Chen Man Ni’s heart fluttered, and a wave of profound sweetness washed over her.

She had only been testing him, but she hadn’t expected such a sincere response.

Chen Man Ni thought for a moment, then asked another question.

"So, Qin Tuo, are we officially boyfriend and girlfriend now?"

Qin Tuo had to fight back a laugh.

"Manni, what do you think?"

Chen Man Ni actually put on a show of pondering the question, then nodded decisively.

"Mhm, I’d say so!"

Qin Tuo shook his head and sighed.

"It’s true what they say about women in love having an IQ of zero. They really weren’t kidding!"

His words earned him a playful ear-twist from an indignant Chen Man Ni.

Qin Tuo nearly lost his footing.

"Careful! Manni, stop fooling around. If you make me fall and I get hurt, who’s going to carry you back?"

Chen Man Ni said with a laugh:

"I don’t believe that for a second. With your skills, not even that powerful Demon Path practitioner could beat you. How could you possibly fall here?"

Laughing and chatting, the distance between their two hearts rapidly closed.

Soon, they arrived at the foot of Ice Spring Mountain.

By now, the torrential downpour had finally begun!

Looking back, they saw the entire mountain was shrouded in a misty rain. ’That was close!’ they both thought.

"Look, Qin Tuo! If we’d left even a little later, we’d be trapped on the mountainside right now, unable to get up or down."

Qin Tuo nodded. They were lucky to have been so fast. Otherwise, if they’d been trapped on the mountainside in this downpour, it would have been a huge hassle, even for him.

As for Chen Man Ni, her life might have even been in danger.

The two quickly got into the car. With Qin Tuo driving and Chen Man Ni in the passenger seat, they made their way back to the city.

When they arrived at Half Moon Bay, a security guard recognized Chen Man Ni’s car at a glance. He quickly offered a respectful salute and promptly opened the gate.

However, just as Qin Tuo was about to drive into the Half Moon Bay Villa District...

A figure suddenly darted out from the side!

The sudden appearance startled even Qin Tuo, who immediately slammed on the brakes.

Chen Man Ni’s head nearly smashed into the windshield.

She couldn’t help but curse.

"Who the hell is that? Do they have a death wish, running out in the middle of the night?!"

Qin Tuo frowned and muttered.

"Are they trying to fake an accident?"

However, when he got a clear look at the person in front of the car, Qin Tuo realized it was Xu Min.

Chen Man Ni saw her too and immediately fell silent.

She couldn’t help glancing at Qin Tuo, only to see he had already opened his door and stepped out of the car.

Chen Man Ni hurried to follow and saw Xu Min, whose face was at first blank, suddenly burst into tears.

"Qin Tuo, I was wrong! I was so wrong! I was blind before, I didn’t know what I had, and I failed an amazing man like you! Please, I’m begging you, forgive me!"

Xu Min’s voice was hoarse, and she was a sobbing mess of tears and snot.

Seeing Qin Tuo get out of the car, she threw her arms wide and lunged toward him!