Wu Ying could sense that Tsunade was itching to punch a hole through the door, so he immediately said, "If you break it, you'll have to pay for it. If you don't have the money, then—"
Tsunade let out a hum, walked over to the table in the courtyard, and sat down. "What you said earlier, I want to—"
Wu Ying followed her and sat down right by her side. Hearing this, he quickly chimed in, "Ah! Actually, I always thought about using all that to trade for a chance to win your favor. But after thinking about it for a long time, improving my strength has to come first. After all, your combat style is a bit too single-minded, so I suppose I'll just have to grow strong enough to protect you instead."
Tsunade wanted to talk about something serious, but Wu Ying had derailed the conversation once again.
"Don't worry about it. In a little while, I'll go back to Konoha with you to handle those matters. Besides, I'm planning to go look for Orochimaru."
Wu Ying noticed that Tsunade didn't have much of a reaction, so he continued, "Help me take good care of little Huimei here. I know that even though you feel disappointed with Konoha, you still care about it deep down. Your emotional wounds haven't healed yet either, so there's no need to rush back just yet. Danzo has committed countless sins over the past few decades just for the sake of becoming Hokage! If you go back right now, you'll definitely get the short end of the stick."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Ying couldn't help himself; he reached out and gently stroked Tsunade's delicate face. His fingers slowly slid across her silk-smooth skin, feeling its warmth and softness.
Tsunade was slightly startled. Yet she didn't resist this sudden gesture, simply gazing quietly at Wu Ying, her eyes flashing with complicated emotions.
Wu Ying's eyes revealed a deep sense of lingering affection and tender care, as if the woman before him was his entire world. He examined Tsunade's features closely, etching every single detail deep into the bottom of his heart—her bright, resolute eyes, the bridge of her high nose, and those cherry lips... especially the mark on her forehead, which was simply stunning, making him fall for her all over again.
At this moment, time seemed to freeze, and the surrounding world grew blurry. Only the two of them existed in this space. Their breaths intertwined, creating a wonderful and magical atmosphere.
Wu Ying sighed inwardly: Such a beautiful and touching woman, why has fate been so harsh and full of twists and turns for her?
The atmosphere had been built up to the absolute peak, as if the entire world were blessing them. A wave of irrepressible impulse surged within Wu Ying, and without hesitation, he opened his arms and pulled Tsunade into a tight embrace.
Tsunade was taken aback by Wu Ying's sudden move and thought about beating him up soundly. But her hand paused halfway—she could only blame the fact that Wu Ying was currently a patient. There was a tiny bit of resistance at first, but she soon felt the blazing heart beating against her. She didn't fight back; instead, she gently closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth and tranquility of the moment.
Seeing Tsunade close her eyes, feeling her soft body, and catching the faint fragrance drifting from her, Wu Ying lowered his head and kissed her directly.
Time seemed to stop flowing in that moment, with only the sound of their intertwined heartbeats composing a beautiful melody. In this split second, they forgot all their worries and anxieties, wishing for nothing more than to seal this precious moment in the depths of their hearts forever.
Just as Wu Ying was preparing to take things a step further...
"Ah!"
An exclamation rang out. Tsunade immediately pushed Wu Ying away, turned around with a blushing face, and looked away.
Wu Ying glanced over and saw it was little Huimei. He didn't blame her, but simply asked, "Are we running low on the clothes you were preparing?"
Brushing aside her embarrassment, little Huimei replied, "Yes, older brother. It seems we're almost out of stock for those hollow-out lingerie sets."
"Then I'll write a letter back to the Land of Tea and have Instructor Yamada rush a shipment over. It looks like we need to expand the workshop's scale," Wu Ying muttered thoughtfully, before adding, "Don't put the current stock up for sale just yet. Scarcity makes things valuable, or people will accuse me of exploiting you again."
Upon hearing Wu Ying's words, little Huimei didn't leave. Instead, she walked right up to him and looked him up and down. "Older brother, you still needed someone to support you yesterday, and now you can walk?"
"I'm fine. It's not like I'm crippled or anything. Go hang a recruitment sign on the shop's entrance later, but make sure to write that we're only hiring women."
As he said this, Wu Ying suddenly remembered that he hadn't checked the girl's progress in a long time. "Little Huimei, has your Chakra improved at all?"
Little Huimei nodded her little head, and Wu Ying turned his gaze to Tsunade, asking, "Has this girl started learning from Chakra control yet?"
Hearing Wu Ying's question, Tsunade pushed her embarrassment aside and replied, "Not yet. I told her to read the materials herself."
"You're a pretty irresponsible teacher." Wu Ying teased Tsunade before turning back to little Huimei. "Your Chakra control training should start with tree-climbing and water-walking. It's simpler that way. If there's anything you don't understand, have your teacher teach you. Don't get arrogant just because you have good talent; remember that there's always someone better—"
Before Wu Ying could finish, little Huimei blurted out the rest: "There are always mountains higher than mountains! And 'when three walk together, I am sure to find teachers among them. Select the good and follow it...'"
Wu Ying nodded earnestly and pinched her little cheek, earning a roll of the eyes and a look of absolute disgust from little Huimei.
Little Huimei diligently wrote out a recruitment sign and ran outside.
Tsunade watched her leave, then looked back at Wu Ying. "You've taught her a lot of things I don't understand."
Wu Ying looked up at the sky with a hint of nostalgia and sighed, "Just a very small part of it—all sorts of great philosophies. I certainly don't want that girl's mind to be limited by this cruel world."
"I really don't want her to live like those people, completely brainwashed by the Will of Fire, becoming numb and fanatical. Is this so-called Hokage really that great? In the end, he's just a glorified village chief!"
"That teacher of yours—the Third Hokage, has no genuine, notable achievements to speak of. The only thing he excels at is desperately studying the Will of Fire and playing with it in the palm of his hand, using it to rope in a large group of people willing to die for him. Meanwhile, he comfortably secures his high position and enjoys all the benefits that power brings. What's even more detestable is that this old man even had the shamelessness to proclaim himself the 'Strongest Hokage'..."
"And if you don't mind me saying something blunt, your younger brother was just a fanatic brainwashed by that so-called Will of Fire. Your great-grandfather—it wasn't Wood Release that made him great; it was his very existence that made Wood Release legendary."
When Wu Ying finished speaking, he noticed Tsunade staring right at him and reached out.
Tsunade snapped out of her daze and instinctively slapped his hand away with a reflex action.
Wu Ying gave an awkward laugh and tossed out another line: "Bound by life and death, I've pledged my word to you. To hold your hand and grow old with you."
Tsunade was left speechless once more.
Wu Ying didn't bother her any further or pull any more pranks; he went back inside to continue studying Sealing Jutsu.
In the days that followed, Wu Ying's life fell into a regular routine. He woke up early to exercise, practice his swordsmanship, and hone his footwork. He studied ninja-related subjects like Sealing Jutsu, and spent his nights grinding away at his cultivation formula.
[Name: Wu Ying]
[Physique: 35]
[Spirit: 50]
[Cultivation Formula: Hunyuan One-Qi Formula (4th Layer): 110/2000, Nine Character mantras Incantation (5th Layer): 280/5000]
[Skills: Basic Swordsmanship (Mastered): 566/, Eight Trigrams Wandering Dragon Steps (Mastered): 1008/5000...]
His physique was improving at a flying pace, likely because his heart could now store a tiny bit of excess vital blood, combined with the restorative effect of breaking through after near-destruction. He had to remember that the last time he courted death, he had almost depleted his vital blood entirely.
However, because of that near-death stunt, he now had to grind the experience for the Hunyuan One-Qi Formula all over again; otherwise, it would have already reached the fifth layer.
Sigh! How he regretted his past actions! He only had his own impatience to blame for trying to temper all five visceral organs at once and forcibly absorbing vital blood.
Wu Ying sighed with emotion as he continued grinding his cultivation formula.
Still, there was good news: the true essence in his Dantian was showing signs of liquefaction. That hadn't happened even when his fourth-layer experience bar was about to cap out.
As long as it was a positive phenomenon, Wu Ying couldn't be bothered to overthink why it was happening.