As for whether Qiu Lingshan would be in danger, Wei Zhao was helpless too. She was not Tang Yun, not his girlfriend; there was no other way he could help her. Besides, Tang Yun had been able to expel the drug from her system with massage—first, because the dose Tang Yun had taken was nowhere near as large as Qiu Lingshan's, so her reaction had not been so violent and a bit of kneading and pressing had settled it quickly; but Qiu Lingshan's case was rather more serious and could not be resolved in a moment. Wei Zhao had no wish to waste his time here, either.

"No! I feel like the true qi inside me is about to explode. I can't take it—help me, please, Wei Zhao..." Qiu Lingshan could already sense that something was badly wrong. The internal art she practiced normally tended toward the yin and the yielding; the aphrodisiac seemed to clash with her cultivation, or rather, it had instantly roused the true qi in her body into resonance. If she did not release it soon, Qiu Lingshan felt, she might burst apart and die at any moment.

"Your true qi is going to explode?" Wei Zhao had not expected the aphrodisiac to have such a side effect. He had never been dosed with it himself, and Tang Yun was an ordinary person, so naturally she could not have shown the state Qiu Lingshan was in now. Could it be that Qiu Lingshan's violent reaction was also because she was a cultivator?

"Mmm, hurry and help the brainless girl... please..." Qiu Lingshan was on the verge of tears. As humiliating as it was to beg Wei Zhao like this, it beat dying. In that moment, Qiu Lingshan came completely unravelled.

"Then take care of it yourself with your hand. I'll go keep watch at the door." Wei Zhao shrugged helplessly, and while Qiu Lingshan was off guard, he peeled her off his body.

Seeing that Wei Zhao would not help, Qiu Lingshan was both ashamed and furious. Was she really so unattractive? He did not even want to touch her?

In truth, Qiu Lingshan was wronging Wei Zhao. It would have been a lie to say he felt nothing for her; but feeling something was one thing, and acting on it was another. Wei Zhao had strong self-control, and if he had wanted one-night stands, he had had chances aplenty. What he loathed was physical contact with no foundation of feeling—and that was why he had pushed Qiu Lingshan away.

Of course, if the brainless girl ever wanted to be his girlfriend, Wei Zhao would not mind pushing her down.

When Qiu Lingshan saw Wei Zhao really turn and walk toward the dungeon door, she was furious enough to curse aloud. She had made herself plain enough—she was a hair's breadth from saying outright, "Please, come screw me!"—and yet Wei Zhao had simply ignored her.

Forget it. Qiu Lingshan was somewhat despairing. Better to rely on herself than on heaven or earth. She would just do it herself... She had never done it before, but with a little groping about, surely her native wit would see her through.

And so, in a mood of shame and rage, Qiu Lingshan finally took the brave first step. She very much did not want to do such a thing in front of Wei Zhao, but thinking of her own situation, and of the fact that she was in the headquarters of the kidney-harvesting ring—if she kept dithering and someone burst in on her, she might as well be dead.

As for Wei Zhao, so be it. Her reputation was ruined in his hands anyway; word had already spread through the whole police station that she was Wei Zhao's girlfriend, and that she had already done that sort of thing for him in the hospital. What did she have left to worry about?

She had done her share of coquettish whining and simpering in front of him, after all. Might as well smash the cracked pot; when the lice are many enough, the itching stops.

Qiu Lingshan began consoling herself. Though she found these reasons somewhat far-fetched, another voice in her head seized the upper hand in an instant and urged her on to the next step...

Only, some things cannot be accomplished merely by wanting them. The more anxious Qiu Lingshan grew, the less she felt anything. In matters like this, the cooperation of the mind is what counts most; but at that moment all her thoughts were of the criminal gang, of being stranded deep in the enemy's lair. How could she possibly concentrate on one single thing?

Besides, for this sort of thing you needed someone to fantasize about, did you not? And who was she supposed to fantasize about? A movie star? A martial arts champion?

Qiu Lingshan's gaze suddenly fell on Wei Zhao. His figure, which was hardly tall, now seemed charged with allure, and Qiu Lingshan's eyes could no longer look away... Her breathing slowly quickened, her gaze turned wild, and at the final instant before the explosion, Qiu Lingshan cried out uncontrollably: "Ah, Wei Zhao, harder—"

"Huh?" Wei Zhao, standing watch at the door, was startled by her cry. She... had not taken him for her fantasy object, had she?

After the frenzy, Qiu Lingshan lay on the ground, eyes unfocused, gasping for breath. She had never imagined her "first time" would be finished off under such circumstances. She hardly dared glance at Wei Zhao; this time she truly had no face left to show anyone. At the very last moment she had uncontrollably cried out Wei Zhao's name—how was she supposed to live this down?

"Finished?" Wei Zhao turned and walked back, only to see that Qiu Lingshan had not yet pulled up her trousers, nor fastened her bra, and was lying there on the ground looking like something waiting to be slaughtered—which stirred him despite himself.

Wei Zhao looked away awkwardly, making himself not think about such things. But he had to admit that Qiu Lingshan had a truly fine figure—smoldering. Full where it ought to be full, round where it ought to be round. Women who practiced martial arts really were different.

Seeing Wei Zhao approach, Qiu Lingshan hastily tried to rise and put her clothes in order, but she had no strength left; every limb felt as if it would come apart at the joints and she could not move, her whole body languid beyond words.

Yet she had to admit that the sensation in that instant had been wonderful—especially the moment she cried out Wei Zhao's name, which made her feel as if her whole body were flying. The true qi and the desire inside her had poured out at the same time, leaving Qiu Lingshan floating and light, and unspeakably at ease.

Remembering that Wei Zhao had already seen her before, and that she had just done such an unspeakably shameful thing right in front of him, Qiu Lingshan suddenly let it go. So what? What woman had never been seen by a man? This day was bound to come sooner or later. What did it matter?

"Done. Give me a hand, I can't get up." Qiu Lingshan lazily stretched out her hand, and when she saw Wei Zhao frown, she said again softly, "Be a dear, help the brainless girl, hmm? I'm so tired!"

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