Volume 1, Chapter 88 – A Slap

“Smack…”

A crisp sound rang through the silent bedchamber.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment!

Empress Qingxuan stiffened, and her laughter stopped abruptly.

Gu Han herself was stunned as well.

She… What had she just done?

Empress Qingxuan slowly raised her head.

The composed, teasing smile she had worn moments ago was gone.

A breathtaking flush now spread across her beautiful face.

It extended from her cheeks to the tips of her ears, and even her jade-like neck had taken on a faint pink hue.

Those beautiful eyes, which always carried dignity, wisdom, or playful mischief, were now wide open.

They clearly reflected Gu Han’s face, along with an overwhelming mixture of disbelief, embarrassment, and anger.

For more than thirty thousand years, she had ruled the Eastern Region and stood supreme beneath the heavens!

Never had she experienced anything like this, anything that touched upon some hidden boundary of dignity and shame!

The slap had not hurt. It could even be considered gentle.

Yet the meaning behind it exploded across the tranquil lake of her heart, which had remained undisturbed for countless years, stirring up towering waves.

Embarrassment, annoyance, anger, and something else…

An indescribably complicated emotion, born from being thoroughly offended yet strangely igniting some inner spark, surged and intertwined within her eyes.

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She stared directly at Gu Han, her gaze burning as though she intended to see through and set ablaze this outrageously bold woman who always acted beyond expectation.

Gu Han’s heart skipped under that gaze, and her earlier impulse vanished without a trace.

She wanted to say something, to explain…

But her throat felt a little dry.

Just as Gu Han tried to organize her thoughts.

Empress Qingxuan moved.

She did not break free, rebuke Gu Han, or even rise immediately.

She suddenly lifted her face, tugged forward with the arm around the back of Gu Han’s neck, and used the momentum to raise herself.

Before Gu Han could react at all, that breathtaking, flushed face rapidly enlarged before her eyes.

In the next instant, something warm, extraordinarily soft, and carrying the unique fragrance of a woman pressed against Gu Han’s lips without warning.

Gu Han’s pupils contracted sharply. With a boom in her mind, her thoughts went completely blank.

The entire world seemed to fall silent.

All that remained was the unmistakably soft, slightly cool sensation upon her lips and the gently trembling lashes only inches away.

The contact lasted for only the briefest moment.

Their lips touched, then parted.

It was so quick that it almost seemed like an illusion, yet it was real enough to brand itself deep into her senses.

Empress Qingxuan drew back slightly while still remaining almost nestled in Gu Han’s arms.

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The blush on her face had not faded. Her eyes shimmered with moisture, and her embarrassment and anger had yet to disappear.

Yet within them now burned something brighter and hotter, carrying even a trace of provocation and the satisfaction of successful revenge.

“Palace Master Gu…”

Empress Qingxuan’s voice was slightly hoarse, carrying an indescribable allure.

“There is a price to pay for that slap.”

Gu Han came back to her senses, only to feel her face burning and her heart pounding like a drum.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. She could not allow this woman to lead her by the nose.

“Oh?”

“And what price does Your Majesty wish me to pay?”

At those words, the smile in Empress Qingxuan’s eyes deepened.

She moved closer until the tips of their noses nearly touched and their warm breaths mingled.

“I have lived for so long, yet no one has ever taken such liberties with me.”

“How does Palace Master Gu think this debt should be settled?”

Gu Han’s lashes trembled slightly. As Empress Qingxuan spoke, she could feel the other woman’s lips nearly brushing against hers again.

The overwhelming intimacy made every nerve in her body tense.

But the stubborn refusal to admit defeat buried in her bones was stirred once more.

“Does Your Majesty’s kiss just now not count as taking liberties with me?”

Gu Han raised an eyebrow as she countered, finally regaining a measure of control in her voice.

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Empress Qingxuan laughed softly, the sound exceptionally clear in the silent bedchamber.

“That was different.”

“My kiss was a return gift.”

“A return gift? Your Majesty’s return gift…”

Gu Han spoke slowly, her voice lower than usual and carrying a trace of hoarseness from being teased.

Her fingers remained clasped around Empress Qingxuan’s wrist, and her fingertips unconsciously brushed the smooth, jade-like skin.

“Was rather excessive.”

Empress Qingxuan felt the subtle caress at her wrist and the strength with which Gu Han continued to hold her.

The smile in her eyes deepened further. Her embarrassment and anger were completely replaced by the fascination of meeting a worthy opponent.

“Excessive?”

Not only did she refuse to retreat, but she pressed herself even closer, almost completely nestling into Gu Han’s embrace.

“Compared with Palace Master Gu’s slap, I believe it was still far from enough.”

As she spoke, her warm breath brushed the side of Gu Han’s neck, carrying a woman’s delicate fragrance.

Gu Han felt the small patch of skin touched by that breath begin to tremble faintly.

This woman… She was definitely doing it on purpose!

Gu Han tilted her head slightly to avoid that overly heated breath, then returned her gaze to Empress Qingxuan’s face.

That breathtaking countenance was only inches away. The flush had yet to fade, and her rippling eyes seemed filled with intoxicating spring waters.

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“Should Your Majesty still feel it was not enough…”

Gu Han’s voice settled, even taking on the faintest hint of a smile.

The arm around the other woman’s waist tightened slightly, drawing them closer until there was almost no space left between them.

Empress Qingxuan paused for an instant. Surprise flashed through her eyes, but even more prominent was… delight?

“Then does Palace Master Gu intend to make up the difference?”

Following Gu Han’s words, Empress Qingxuan parted her red lips, her voice becoming increasingly soft and seductive.

She even tilted her face upward and closed her eyes, her long lashes casting faint shadows beneath them.

She looked entirely ready for Gu Han to do as she pleased.

Gu Han: “…”

She stared at the undefended, breathtaking face before her, its eyes closed in anticipation, and her breath caught once more.

How… How was she supposed to respond to this?

Kiss her?

No, absolutely not!

Refuse to kiss her?

Would that not make her look like a coward?

In the blink of an eye, countless thoughts raced through Gu Han’s mind.

In the end, she did something that even Empress Qingxuan had never expected.