The next morning, Song Qiao woke up.
He sat up in bed, yawned, and carefully considered yesterday's events.
His victory in yesterday's battle seemed effortless.
In reality, however, he had sustained internal injuries from Sheng Xiong's ferocious assault.
At least, when he tried to circulate his internal energy now, he found its flow significantly slower than usual.
This indicated that several meridians within his body were blocked to varying degrees.
While not irreversible damage, it would require a period of rest and recuperation to fully recover.
"Hah—slept pretty well last night."
Song Qiao stretched languidly on the bed.
He felt refreshed and mentally clear after a night's sleep, giving his rest a positive review.
It seemed he had a rough time, but one had to remember he was facing Sheng Xiong!
In such a match, avoiding a price was impossible.
Even if Mo Ling had joined the fight, the outcome would have been the same.
Therefore, even with severe injuries, as long as he wasn't crippled, it was within Song Qiao's acceptable limits.
But!
He had forgotten about the person he had been waiting for these past couple of days.
"You seem to be celebrating a little too early."
With a creak, the room door suddenly opened.
A woman in a purple tight-fitting outfit, exuding a captivating aura, appeared in the doorway.
"Guo Can? Damn it, she's really fast."
Seeing the person, Song Qiao's eyebrows shot up, and his heart skipped a beat.
He knew Guo Can intended to act against him.
So he had patiently waited for her at home for a full week.
He had only wanted to deal with Sheng Xiong first because he had grown tired of waiting.
And he had forgotten that this woman had been watching him from the shadows all along!
Guo Can glanced down at Song Qiao, who was sitting on the bed.
Leaning in the doorway, she spoke with disdain in a chilling voice.
"You were the one who lost patience first, and you'll be the one to die first!"
Song Qiao's gaze swept past Guo Can and into the living room.
Seeing no sign of Gao Meng, his expression turned grim.
"Where is Gao Meng?"
"My target is you. I have no interest in that girl."
Hearing Guo Can's words, Song Qiao's expression suddenly relaxed.
He appraised Guo Can with amusement, a wicked grin on his face.
"Actually, you've come at a really bad time today."
"You know I just defeated Sheng Xiong. I'm in a good mood, and I don't have time to reminisce with you."
*Crack!*
Guo Can's eyes turned piercingly cold.
The aura radiating from her body was as biting and sharp as the frost of the deepest winter.
In that instant, it felt as though the room's temperature had plummeted below freezing!
A layer of frost even coated the window by the bed!
Feeling the oppressive aura, Song Qiao couldn't help but shiver on the bed.
He gave Guo Can a thumbs-up, licked his lips, and praised.
"Impressive! But as I said, you've come at the wrong time."
"For your own good, and mine, why don't you leave early?"
*Hmph!*
Guo Can let out a cold laugh, her entire expression screaming that he took her for a fool.
"You should know, this is the time I specifically chose!"
"If it weren't for this, I wouldn't have a guaranteed kill against you."
*Tsk tsk tsk...*
Song Qiao smacked his lips. Just as he was about to offer more advice, Gao Meng's voice echoed.
"Master? We have a guest? Who are you!"
Seeing only Guo Can's back, Gao Meng initially thought Song Qiao had hooked up with another married woman.
But upon sensing Guo Can's chilling aura, she felt a sudden sense of foreboding!
Gao Meng quickly regained her composure, staring warily at Guo Can, ready to fight!
"Master, I'll help you!"
Song Qiao shot Gao Meng an exasperated glance and waved his hand dismissively.
"Alright, alright. You're no match for this woman."
"Instead of helping me, you should focus on cultivating and improving yourself."
"But!"
"Go back. I'll be fine."
Gao Meng stomped her foot in frustration, clearly wanting to say more.
However, Song Qiao's gaze silenced her.
After Gao Meng stomped out in frustration to fetch reinforcements, Guo Can couldn't help but look at Song Qiao again.
"I didn't expect you to be so concerned about your young disciple."
Without waiting for Song Qiao's reply, Guo Can changed the subject.
"I promised not to lay a hand on her. Now, where do you want to die?"
Song Qiao held up a finger and wagged it between them.
He sighed softly, feigning difficulty.
"I did indeed sustain severe injuries in my fight with Sheng Xiong."
"You haven't fought for your life before. You have no idea how crucial the experience gained in such battles is."
"So, it's not certain who will die today when you come looking for me!"
Guo Can raised her eyebrows, clearly unconvinced by Song Qiao's claim.
"If that's the case, why don't you dare to fight?"
"It's simple," Song Qiao grinned, looking at Guo Can with a wicked smile.
"If you die, then no one will be able to play chess with me anymore!"
"You!" Guo Can reacted strongly, her facial muscles twitching violently.
Recalling past events, she felt a surge of pent-up resentment with nowhere to vent.
Staring intently at Song Qiao, she sneered. "Then let me test the combat experience you risked your life for!"
Saying this, Guo Can assumed a stance and lunged forward, intending to grab Song Qiao off the bed!
But the next moment, Song Qiao turned and leaped, directly out the window.
With a slight shift of his body, he vanished instantly.
Only his roguish and mischievous voice echoed outside the window.
"First lesson learned: if you can't win, run fast! Hahaha!"
"Song Qiao! Stop right there!!"
Guo Can had anticipated Song Qiao's desperation in a life-or-death struggle.
She had also expected the battle to be difficult.
But she had never expected him to turn tail and flee!
This made her rage boil, and she clenched her fists.
*Crack!*
With a slight exertion of her foot, a section of the floor instantly shattered!
Guo Can flickered, then also leaped out the window and gave chase!