Chapter 163 : Chapter 163
Chapter 163: A Well-Trained Body Will Not Betray You
The moment Lu Zheng felt the sudden increase in weight on his back, the smile on his face vanished.
He twisted his head around, staring directly at Yi Ning—who had rested her head on his shoulder—and shook his back discontentedly, as if trying to shake her off.
However, judging by the force he used and how he reflexively supported Yi Ning’s legs clamped around his waist, it was clear Lu Zheng wasn’t actually trying very hard to resist.
After all, Miss Yi Ning was just a petite, flat-chested girl not even 1.7 meters tall—how heavy could she be?
Even without superpowers, Lu Zheng was confident he could carry her out of the forest on his back.
But if he gave in to her whims too easily, she’d develop bad habits.
So Lu Zheng didn’t hold back with his words: “You lazy mutt! Get down from me, now!”
“Nope!”
Yi Ning turned her face away.
She tightened her arms around Lu Zheng’s neck and crossed her legs more securely at his waist, pressing herself tightly against his back.
That was her clear declaration of refusal.
“I’ve named you the Grand Minister of the Imperial Sedan, granted you a hundred acres of fertile land, a thousand taels of gold, and a hundred bolts of silk. I’ve bestowed upon you the honor of standing just beneath the heavens, above all others. And you’re still not satisfied?”
Perched piggyback, Yi Ning began to act willfully and spoiled—no matter what, she refused to get off.
As if you could really give me those things…
Lu Zheng curled his lip and muttered internally.
He couldn’t tell if it was just his imagination.
But he felt Yi Ning’s arms around his neck and legs clamped around his waist tightening—so much so that the space between them seemed to be vanishing, as if she was trying to merge herself into him.
This strange sensation made Lu Zheng a bit uncomfortable, and he reflexively moved his back slightly.
That movement only made Yi Ning feel smug.
She pressed her cheek against the side of Lu Zheng’s face, raising her eyebrows with a proud, teasing tone.
“How’s it feel? How’s it feel? Carrying a girl on your back is actually pretty great, right? You get to pretend it’s all proper while sneakily enjoying things you’d never normally get to feel~”
As she spoke, she even deliberately rubbed her flat chest against Lu Zheng’s back twice.
Her face gradually started to flush.
Seriously…
With your flat chest, what’s there to feel…
Lu Zheng paused in silence.
He could vaguely sense two unnameable, indescribable shapes pressing against his back.
Wait—they’re actually there?
Almost as soon as that thought crossed his mind, Lu Zheng remembered what Yi Ning had said earlier: “I’m not used to wearing underwear.”
Realizing the reason for the sensation, he then tried to channel all his awareness into his back to critically analyze whether his earlier perceptions had been mistaken.
But in the next second, his rational mind gave itself a sharp slap.
What the hell was he doing?
Acting this degenerate—did that still befit the title of a hero?
While mentally scolding himself, Lu Zheng instinctively patted Yi Ning’s thigh, which was hooked around his waist.
Damn it! She was wearing long pants!
He couldn’t feel a thing!
Lu Zheng, struck with emotional damage.
And almost in the next instant—
“THUNK!”
Having overcome his inner demons, Lu Zheng bashed his forehead hard against a tree.
Begone, distracting thoughts!!!
The rhythmic thudding echoed through the forest, and it wasn’t until he headbutted the tree so hard that it snapped, and the trunk gave him a sharp counterstrike, that he finally snapped back to his senses. He instinctively looked back at Yi Ning, worried she’d gotten caught up in it.
Fortunately, Yi Ning had kept her head tucked in close to Lu Zheng’s shoulder, managing to avoid the brunt of the tree’s retaliation.
Lu Zheng let out a sigh of relief, tilted his head to nudge the fallen tree to one side, then looked at Yi Ning with concern.
“You okay?”
“Huh?”
Yi Ning didn’t react at first.
With Lu Zheng shielding her, how could anything have happened?
At most, a bit of dust from the tree had fallen on her, dimming her originally bright pink hair.
With a few leaves hanging over her dazed expression, the scene was oddly amusing.
Lu Zheng couldn’t help but curl the corners of his lips.
Once he’d laughed enough, Lu Zheng felt the grip of Yi Ning’s arms around his neck and her legs at his waist. Testing things out, he let go of one of her legs to see if she’d fall—but when she didn’t, he reached up to pluck the leaves off her head and tossed them aside.
“You’re not hurt, right?”
He placed his hand back in position, cautiously asking again.
Yi Ning slowly snapped out of her confusion, lifting her head to glance around.
“I’m fine.”
She shook her head at Lu Zheng.
“Good.”
Lu Zheng gave the tree he’d headbutted a spiteful kick, then adjusted his grip to steady Yi Ning again before turning his head.
“What were you spacing out about just now?”
“!”
The question caught Yi Ning off guard.
She instinctively tightened her arms around his neck, her gaze growing a little unfocused.
“Nothing… wasn’t really thinking about anything…”
It was like how some people can’t help picking at their scabs—painful, yet weirdly satisfying.
It’s probably the same with other kinds of pain, too.
Applying slight pressure to a painful area somehow relieved the discomfort and even produced a strange kind of pleasure…
Yi Ning tightened her arms around Lu Zheng again, her body slowly pressing even closer against his back under his gaze…
Maybe it was from being watched, but her body was starting to feel hot.
And her behavior was becoming increasingly bold.
“Gulp—”
Yi Ning unintentionally swallowed.
If someone found out she was so distracted by something like this…
Her career as an evil scientist would be over, right?
Right! She needed to come up with an excuse to cover it up!
Her arms and legs suddenly tensed—then abruptly slackened, and she collapsed bonelessly against Lu Zheng’s back, using the support of his hands under her thighs to go completely limp.
She had used too much strength earlier, and now she felt a bit weak.
Yi Ning’s little head tilted to rest against Lu Zheng’s shoulder, her face lightly flushed, and her voice came out soft and weak.
“I was… thinking about how to get out of the forest…”
This rare display of vulnerability made Lu Zheng’s heart skip a beat.
He tamped down some restless thoughts and refocused on the conversation.
“So, did you come to a conclusion?”
He didn’t question Yi Ning’s current state at all.
After all, she’d been practically choking him with her grip earlier—now being a little worn out made sense.
His body had been strengthened through his superpower—someone with Yi Ning’s soft little limbs could never really harm him!
Lu Zheng took great pride in his physical condition.
Without Qi as a foundation, no average person could reach his level of fitness.