Naked Sword Art

Chapter 447: Love-Hate Relationship

"Let’s get one thing straight. You belong to me."

Now holding Li Lian by the jaw, Xiao Fang tilted her head up and kissed her on the lips.

"Are you happy now?" he asked.

Li Lian’s pretty pink lips curled up. "Mn."

"Then let’s go. I still want to see how much stronger you’ve gotten."

Li Lian smiled sweetly. "You’re not mad I burned your house down?"

"I’m furious," he said with a completely straight face.

"Good. Now we’re even. And you’re not allowed to kill me, okay? I’m still your wife."

Hearing her call herself his wife made Xiao Fang smirk.

"Death would be too kind for a little fire demon like you," he rubbed her head, making a mess of her hair.

"Hey, stop that."

Before she could react, he slipped his arms around her waist and picked her up from behind, showering her with playful kisses on the cheek until she smiled.

Li Lian laughed, lightly slapping his arm. "Fang, stop. Put me down before someone sees us."

"Let them see. In fact—" Xiao Fang took a deep breath and shouted,

"This woman is mine!"

"Fang! Shhh!" she laughed, covering his mouth with her soft hand.

"Move your hands. I’m not done declaring my eternal love for you to everyone in this sect!" he tried to say through her pretty fingers.

"You’re so dumb," she said, still smiling.

"Call me what you like, but I’m still not putting you down."

With that, he flipped her into his arms, bridal-style.

Li Lian looked up at him with a sparkle in her eye, then without thinking, she began to kick her legs slightly as if she was treading in water.

The truth was, she hated being carried, but Xiao Fang wasn’t just anybody. She’d never admit it, but she loved it when he did it.

A good distance away, Supreme Elder Yao Wu couldn’t help but think both Xiao Fang and Li Lian were both extremely strange.

’What the hell am I looking at? What kind of relationship is this exactly?’ she thought.

She had never seen a couple act like this before. She couldn’t tell if they hated each other or were really in love.

’Definitely hate,’ she thought.

She wasn’t close enough to hear what they were saying. All she could observe was Li Lian getting upset, nearly burning Xiao Fang’s guildhouse down, then the two of them walking happily into the forest. The whole scene left her thoroughly confused. She was curious to see where they were headed, but her job here was done. Cleaning up after Li Lian’s mess was now her main priority.

Meanwhile, perched atop the Nameless Guild’s guildhouse, Xiao Hei quietly watched the pair disappear into the trees. Licked the light burn wound on her ankle, Xiao Hei muttered to herself,

"Hmph, she was definitely aiming for me."

If it wasn’t for Xiao Hei, the damage to the guildhouse would’ve been much more severe. And if Xiao Hei’s current strength wasn’t in the Divine Realm, she wouldn’t have gotten away with just a minor injury.

...

Li Lian rested her head on Xiao Fang’s chest, then spoke to him about things that had no importance. They spoke together, laughed together, and cherished every moment they had with each other.

"I really have gotten stronger, you know," she eventually said.

"Oh really? Strong where? Here?" He kissed her on the head. "Or here?" He kissed her on the nose, then cheek, then lips, then neck, each kiss making her smile grow. "No that can’t be it, maybe it’s down here."

Xiao Fang carried her up a bit higher to kiss her on the stomach, but Li Lian laughed as she pushed his face away, but her strength wasn’t enough.

"Ahha Fang wait stop, I’m ticklish!"

She eventually broke free then jumped off of his arms.

"I really did get stronger. You’ll see."

Xiao Fang rubbed her head again. "I can’t wait."

She smiled again, gazing up at him fondly. She had missed him more than she realized. Just being near him made her feel whole in a way she couldn’t explain. She wondered how much happier she would be if she could always be around him.

She wanted him to be in her life, and she wanted to be in his. Nothing would make her happier.

...

Before long, other guild members came out to inspect the damage done to their home.

"What the hell happened here?" Yan Mei exclaimed, shocked.

"Why is it always something with this guild..." Ye Mei thought out loud.

"Who could even do something like this," Rong Shi stared at it in shock.

"It was Li Lian?" Xiao Hei said from the roof. "She just left with Fang."

"Li Lian? As in the Matriarch’s disciple, Li Lian?" Yan Mei asked in disbelief. "Why would she even be here?"

"That’s right, she was here. I invited her in because she said she wanted to speak to Long Wang," Jiang Mei said.

"But why would she want to talk to our guild leader?" Yuan Fei asked softly.

The girls looked at one another, puzzled. No one had an answer, and Xiao Hei wasn’t in the mood to gossip about Xiao Fang’s relationships. The only thing they were really wondering was if Li Lian was a friend or foe.

.

.

.

The moon was high by the time Xiao Fang and Li Lian reached the arena, several kilometers outside of the Black Paradise Sect. A stone platform bathed in pale moonlight stood at the center, surrounded by emptied seats and torn down banners.

The blood of the Flowing Blade sect Elders remained, it acted as a reminder of the strength behind a single Divine Sword swordsmen.

Li Lian stood across from him on the stage, her long black hair tied into a loose ponytail that swayed behind her as she stepped forward. The faint ember of fire Qi shimmered around her skin, barely restrained. She was glowing—and not just from her beauty. Her aura was calm but dangerous, like a sleeping volcano that had decided it was time to wake up.