Chapter 133: I Must Have You

"Are you... are you alright?" De Ying asked, sounding somewhat awkward. If Qin Anyi had already been intimate with her, she would have been able to converse with him without the slightest psychological burden. But because nothing had happened between them, she felt restless and uneasy upon seeing him.

"Yes, I'm fine. It wasn't anything serious. I'm sorry to have made you worry," Qin Anyi said as he got up, stretching his arms and legs. This sleep had completely revived his body, which had been wracked with pain after the morning's hellish training.

"I... I wanted to ask you a question," De Ying said, biting her lip as if she had summoned all her resolve.

"What is it?" Qin Anyi asked, feeling puzzled.

"Last night... why didn't you touch me? Do you think I'm not pretty enough? I know you have a girl you love, but that shouldn't have anything to do with not touching me. Even if you could force yourself to hold back at first out of guilt for her, desire would have eventually overcome your reason over the course of the whole night. Yet, you... you just slept soundly..." De Ying felt a sense of grievance, her head bowed and her voice small. "It is clear that... you don't have any feelings for me at all. Do I really disgust you that much?"

Qin Anyi’s head instantly began to ache. How was he supposed to explain this? He had indeed endured a great deal of suffering. If not for the dream world he entered with Kirin's help, he likely wouldn't have been able to restrain himself all night—unless he were less than human. But he couldn't explain that to De Ying.

Women... what a troublesome species. If you touch them, they think you’re a rogue; if you ignore them, they think there’s something wrong with their own charm. It was best never to try to understand women; they were creatures with a completely different brain structure.

"De Ying, don't overthink it. You are beautiful and full of vitality; how could I possibly dislike you?" Qin Anyi scratched his head and tried to console her. "The reason I didn't touch you is, first, because I have a woman I love, and I cannot betray her. Second, I don't want to betray you either. While I know that you don't care about such things—that perhaps in your culture, it is perfectly normal for this to happen before marriage—that is merely your custom. To me, having a sexual relationship with a girl implies responsibility. I couldn't have done it with a clear conscience. I'm sorry."

Qin Anyi was sincere; these were truly his innermost thoughts. He didn't believe he could remain chaste his entire life and be with only one woman, but as long as he could control himself, he wanted to be able to face himself without shame. He didn't want to use the nature of men as an excuse to persuade or comfort himself; that might fool others, but he could never fool his own heart.

"I understand. You are a truly good man," De Ying nodded. After hearing Qin Anyi's explanation, her expression finally relaxed. "It was my mistake to give you my hairband without your consent. You're right; respect is mutual. I shouldn't have imposed my own ideas on you."

"Uh, don't say that. Actually... I was quite happy, at least it proves I have some charm," Qin Anyi chuckled, not knowing how to continue the conversation. The atmosphere was truly awkward, at least to him.

"Get some rest. Tomorrow, we have to continue that inhuman training. I really don't know how your body is made to be able to endure such things. It's simply..."

Six hours of deep sleep were enough for him to recover from the exhaustion. Since it was still the dead of night and not suitable for training, Qin Anyi entered the dream world once more. After his experiences throughout the day, he had discovered that the greatest benefit of the dream world was the significant improvement in his resilience and mental resistance. Although everything experienced in the dream world was merely a form of hypnotic suggestion and not physically real, it did not prevent him from gaining valuable life experience. Life is like a dream, and a dream is like life.

As Qin Anyi drifted off to sleep, in the martial arts arena at the center of the village, Ba Song and Kong Sha, father and son, sat kneeling on the ground facing each other. Both wore serious expressions, having been talking for a long time.

"Have you decided?" Ba Song asked in a grave tone.

"Yes, Father. Staying in the village will not help me improve my skills any further. I need a goal to chase; only with a goal can I make faster progress," Kong Sha replied without hesitation.

"Indeed. Finding someone with similar strength but greater potential to use as a goal is not an easy task," Ba Song sighed. "Since you have already decided, I will say no more. Just remember, the path of the Fist King is filled with blood and storms. You are my only son; for my sake, no matter what situation you face, you must survive. Do not let me experience the grief of a parent burying their child."

"Yes, Father," Kong Sha agreed solemnly. He then placed both hands on the ground and bowed his head deeply.

Ba Song seemed to lose all his strength in that moment. He waved his hand lethargically. "Go to sleep. He will be staying here for a week; spend that week training with him. When the training is over... leave with him."