As Shangguan Bing’er spoke up till here, she suddenly stopped and looked at Zhou Weiqing with a complicated look on her face. but what she saw was Zhou Weiqing with an intoxicated look on his face, causing her to say in irritation: “I am discussing important and serious things with you, what are you doing?”
Zhou Weiqing blinked, “Battalion Commander, you are so good to me, so caring towards me, I am really so moved! I have decided that no matter how difficult it is, I will train hard and become a formidable Heavenly Jewel Master, and I will then be able to protect you.”
Shangguan Bing’er’s heart trembled a little, then she shook her head, saying:“I do not care about you, I am doing this for the empire. I don’t need your protection.”
Zhou Weiqing said firmly: “Of course I must protect you, how can a husband not protect his wife?”
“You ……” Shangguan Bing’er was speechless with anger, and a foot flew out to knock that rascal back a few meters, and she angrily exclaimed: “No matter what serious matters we discuss, you can always bring it to some improper talk. You sure are a talented person!”
Zhou Weiqing rolled around on the ground before standing up, grinning away as he said: “A husband protecting his wife is a proper and serious matter right? Ahh! Don’t take action, let’s talk this through! Oh Right, you were saying a moment ago, unless what?”
Seeing that the Shangguan Bing’er was on the verge of hitting him again, he quickly hid behind a large tree at the roadside, poking his head out to ask.
Shangguan Bing’er paused a while, hesitation showing in her eyes, and she stopped moving and said to him: “Little Fatty Zhou, come out here.”
Looking at Shangguan Bing’er’s face which had become extremely serious, Zhou Weiqing was surprised momentarily, then walked out from behind the tree. Lifting his hand to shake it front of Shangguan Bing’er’s face, he asked, “Battalion Commander, are you alright?”
Shangguan Bing’er said in a very serious tone: “Little Fatty Zhou, although you are sly, cunning and shameless, and your speech is very irritating, but no matter what you must remember that we come from the Heavenly Bow Empire. Other matters I can still tolerate you, but, if you ever violate the promise and betray the empire, I will personally kill you. No matter how formidable you become, I will still never let you off.”
“Yes.” Zhou Weiqing blinked and mused in his heart, Of course, do I need you to say this? The Heavenly Bow Empire’s Emperor is my godfather, and my father is Admiral of the Empire. The notion flew across in his mind, before his train of thought instantaneously fell onto the improper word usage Shangguan Bing’er said. ‘Other matters she can tolerate me doing’, those words made this rascal immediately start daydreaming. Luckily, he also knew the the situation was serious now, and did not dare reveal anything on his face.
Seeing that he had replied relatively honestly, Shangguan Bing’er’s face relaxed a little and she said: “Little Fatty Zhou, just now I said unless, was saying that unless you joined the Skill-Storing Palace.”
“Join the Skill-Storing Palace?” Zhou Weiqing asked curiously.
Shangguan Bing’er nodded, said: “It is extremely difficult for ordinary Jewel Masters to join the Skill-Storing Palace, the very basis for joining the Skill-Storing Palace is to be a Heavenly Jewel Master, and they also have to go through a thorough inspection. Each Great Empire has its own Skill-Storing Palace, belonging to the Empire’s Imperial family. The Heavenly Jewel Masters who join their Empire’s Skill-Storing Palace will have the full support of their empire, no matter Physical Jewel Consolidating Equipment or Elemental Jewel Skill Storing, the expense will be fully paid by their empire. However, the Heavenly Jewel Master must take an oath giving full loyalty to their empire. Our own empire does not have the ability to create a Skill-Storing Palace, but the Fei Li Empire already has one, if they will try to recruit you in future, will you choose to join?”
As she asked in her last few words, Shangguan Bing’er was very anxious in her heart, but also concealing some killing intent. She only had a surface understanding of Zhou Weiqing, and did not fully know what his natural disposition was. She could only help but think, if this Little Fatty Zhou will betray his own Empire for his own benefit, then she would never be able to accommodate him, even if she did not kill him, she must destroy his Heavenly Jewels.
Zhou Weiqing said without any hesitation: “Of course I will join! Why shouldn’t I join.”
“You ……” a strong killing intent erupted instantly from Shangguan Bing’er, “You are shameless!”
Zhou Weiqing said in surprise: “Was I shameless? I’ll join their Skill-Storing Palace first, then wait for my Heavenly Jewels to cultivate to the max before I return to our empire, doesn’t that work? As long as my strength is strong enough that nobody can stop me, who cares which Empire’s Skill-Storing Palace I join.”
“PUFF.” Shangguan Bing’er had no choice to laugh out despite being mad at that rascal, this Little Fatty Zhou really had a really uncommon outlook on everything, but, the killing intent in her heart also instantaneously vanished. “You are dreaming, did you think that they do not have any limitations in place? To join the Skill-Storing Palace, you have to be mind shackled, if you betray the Skill-Storing Palace or the Empire’s Imperial family, you will die.”
When Zhou Weiqing heard that, his face immediately turned sad: “So petty! However, what are mind shackles?”
In Shangguan Bing’er’s hear, she was asking herself, If previously Zhou Weiqing had actually said he was willing to join Fei Li Empire’s Skill-Storing Palace, could she really kill him off? She really could not answer herself, but despite his many faults, he was also her first man. Furthermore, although he was at times irritating, but these few days that she had spent with him, the number of times that she had been both angry or laughing, was a lot higher as compared to entire of the previous year.
“Let’s talk as we walk on. Mind shackles is a high level skill for Darkness Alignment Heavenly Jewel Masters, under the cooperation of the other party, they are able to place a seal in their minds on a vow that the party has pledged, once the vow is violated, the mind shackles will erupt, and the person who broke the pledge will perish. It is a very overbearing skill.”
They continue on their travels until dusk before they finally exited the Stars Forest. Before they left the forest, Zhou Weiqing made another pot of bamboo shoot dew soup for Shangguan Bing’er to drink, After all, they would not be able to drink it once they leave the Stars Forest. When Shangguan Bing’er was eating the delicious soup he made, she was a lot better to him, but he was still not allowed to hunt.
12 days later.
“Little Fatty Zhou, go look for something for us to eat.” Shangguan Bing’er cleaned up a small area of brush and sat down.
Zhou Weiqing sighed, “My sad life! It’s me again.”
Shangguan Bing’er shot a look at him, saying, “You are my personal aide, serving your commanding officer, isn’t that your job?”
Zhou Weiqing said helplessly: “Yes, I’m going now.”
After the past 12 days of travel, Shangguan Bing’er was still as bright and beautiful as always, but Zhou Weiqing was showing the signs of travel fatigue with an ashen face. If when they had just left Heavenly Bow City he had thought that Shangguan Bing’er was a little stingy, he now believed firmly that this beautiful woman Battalion Commander would even be extending her hand out for money even when in her coffin*.
For 12 whole days, they had passed by several cities but detoured around them and always camped outdoors. They had not entered any city, let alone checking into a hotel. With the sky as their blanket, the earth as their bed, they did not spend a single cent throughout the journey. Even Shangguan Bing’er’s dry rations, Zhou Weiqing estimated that they were fro the military mess.
What made Zhou Weiqing even more gloomy was that Shangguan Bing’er was actually extremely satisfied. She had always travelled like this all the time, and this time she actually had an additional accompanying chef. Although Little Fatty Zhou was always rather perverted, but he had an impressive ability to make use of local materials to create delicious food. Furthermore, Shangguan Bing’er had implemented her rule to speak with him as little as possible no matter what he said, which made him unable to display his tricks.