Chapter 1293: Breakthrough
Zu An finally snapped out of his daze and said seriously, “You’ve sacrificed so much to save me. I have no idea how I can even repay you!”
When she heard no frivolousness whatsoever in his voice, Yan Xuehen thought to herself, So this guy still has a bit of a conscience. She sighed and said, “You don’t need to repay me. You’ve already saved me several times. I’m merely returning your kindness.”
“Is that all there is?” Zu An instinctively asked.
“All of what?” Yan Xuehen replied. She didn’t know why, but she suddenly felt embarra.s.sed for some reason.
You have successfully trolled Yan Xuehen for +55 +55 +55…
Zu An became quiet. Their relationship was indeed a bit tricky.
When she saw him fall silent, Yan Xuehen was a bit frustrated too. That was clearly what she had been hoping for, so why did she feel such negative emotions?
Right then, Zu An suggested, “Big Sis Yan, why don’t I just marry you?”
Yan Xuehen’s entire body shook in fright when she heard those words. She protested, “What kind of nonsense are you saying?!”
Zu An’s breathing quickened. Yan Xuehen’s emotional state was completely reflected by her body! However, he replied in the end, “I’m not speaking nonsense. You’ve made such a huge sacrifice in order to save me. I know how you usually conduct yourself, and I’m not someone who does things casually either. That’s why I’ll take responsibility.”
Yan Xuehen suddenly felt all of her resentment disappear when she heard his powerful promise. However, she quickly said, “No, I did this purely to save you this time. Don’t think too much.”
Zu An sighed and replied, “Would you use this kind of method to save anyone else?”
“Of course not…” Yan Xuehen began. Halfway through, however, she realized something and quickly changed what she was going to say. “I admit that my relationship with you is different, and too many things have happened as of late. Due to various factors, I was willing to save you, but this really was just to save you. After today’s matter, we’ll act as if nothing happened at all. We’ll be just like before, so don’t act strangely and reveal anything to others.”
Zu An was stunned. He replied, “Then, are you saying that when we’re in private, we can…”
“That’s not okay either!” Yan Xuehen cried, her cheeks turning bright red. This guy was clearly about to die, and yet he could actually think about such things?
Zu An said with a hint of bitterness, “After something like this happened, how can I just pretend that nothing has happened at all?”
“You have to do it even if it’s difficult,” Yan Xuehen said, biting her lip. After some hesitation, she added, “Think of Chuyan.”
Zu An fell silent when he heard Chuyan’s name. Right, the two of them are master and disciple.
Even though he had joked around about riding one’s master and ancestors, that was just a joke on the internet. Even though the relationship between master and disciple in this world wasn’t at the same level as it was in ancient Chinese society back on Earth, it definitely wasn’t something that could just be ignored.
“Anyway, don’t think about those things anymore. Today’s matter was an exception, so just forget about it all. Even if you can’t forget it, I’ll never admit to it. Don’t blame me for becoming hostile,” Yan Xuehen said. In truth, although she used both gentle methods and force in her argument, she also felt quite dejected inwardly. I’m clearly the one who has the worst of it here, so why do I have to go so far to coax him?
“That would be an injustice to you, though,” Zu An said, giving Yan Xuehen a pitying look.
Yan Xuehen’s heart skipped a beat when she saw the affection in his eyes. She didn’t dare to meet his gaze as she quickly said, “I’m not being wronged. You should know what I care about and what I pursue. Forgetting about these things is the best choice for me.”
“I don’t want to forget, though,” Zu An said, even though he knew her nature and realized that she absolutely wouldn’t agree to being with him.
Yan Xuehen gritted her teeth. Why isn’t this guy listening to me no matter what I say? As such, she could only draw a clear line. “You’ve saved me a few times, so I’m returning the life you saved. It’s just that the method used is… a bit special. It doesn’t mean that I feel anything for you. You wouldn’t be so naive as to think I loved you or anything, right?
“Besides, you used that ‘Love is More Solid Than Gold’ skill on me, so that’s probably what made me save you. It’s already quite a good result that I don’t hate you, so don’t try to push your luck.”
She regretted what she said as soon as they left her mouth. Is this a bit too much?
Still, she was fl.u.s.tered at the moment. Furthermore, her reason told her that she had to take decisive action, or else the situation would only get more complicated. As such, even though she opened her mouth again, she didn’t explain anything in the end.
Zu An could more or less guess the reasons why she had said such things. However, he didn’t dare to try to confirm them. After all, if anyone were to say that the revered White Jade Sect Master would be so intimate with him just a month before, people would all laugh.
The silence made the mood a bit awkward. Yan Xuehen frowned and asked, “Have your injuries recovered yet?”
“It was somewhat helpful, but I’m still far from healing,” Zu An replied.
Yan Xuehen asked, “Then what can I do to help you? Just say it.”
Her sacrifice had been so great, after all. If she couldn"t even heal him, she wouldn’t be able to sleep at night afterward.
Zu An had a strange expression as he replied, “You’ll help me? I’m scared that you’ll just beat me to death after I say anything.”
Yan Xuehen was stunned. She had really just been asking what she could do to help him, but she wasn’t stupid. She quickly realized the meaning behind what he said. She said in embarra.s.sment, “Even though we’re in this kind of situation, you’re still thinking of that nonsense… Ah, you’re not allowed to move!”
“I’m healing myself, though.”
“...”
Even though Yan Xuehen knew Zu An’s intentions, how could she refuse in such a situation? Either way, his injuries were the most important thing. As for everything else, she would just forget it all later.
On the other hand, however, Zu An was starting to get a bit worked up due to Yan Xuehen’s att.i.tude. He wanted to make sure that she would never forget it for the rest of her life.
Even though Yan Xuehen was a grandmaster, she had no more experience in such things as a young maiden. Furthermore, she was weak from her serious injuries, so how could she be a match for the seasoned Zu An? She was soon utterly defeated.
…
After an unknown amount of time pa.s.sed, Yan Xuehen got up weakly from the hot spring. When she tried to get to her feet, she staggered and almost fell. She gave the one responsible a hateful glare, but just felt extremely embarra.s.sed when she saw his proud expression. This guy wasn’t even willing to call her master normally, and yet just then, he had been shouting it so enthusiastically. The worst part was that she had disappointed herself, her body completely surrendering when she heard that!
He really is the devil incarnate!
She quickly took out a clean set of clothes from her storage pouch and asked with an unhappy expression, “This should be enough now, right?”
“Nope,” Zu An said, lying against the side of the hot spring while enjoying the wonderful figure before his eyes, the once-untainted G.o.ddess he had just dragged down into the secular world just moments before. The entire situation felt unreal, like a daydream.
Yan Xuehen gritted her teeth. This guy had used all sorts of excuses to fool her many times. At first, she really had believed him and foolishly played along, but eventually, she realized that she was being fooled.
However, there was something else that had shocked her. She asked, “What kind of method did you use? It seems to be much better than even our daoist sect’s secret techniques!”
Zu An put away his smile when he realized that they were talking about important matters. He explained, “This is a skill called the Primordial Origin Sutra. It is something that I obtained from an Unknown Region.”
They had already experienced life and death together several times. They had even shared such close physical intimacy just then, so there was naturally no need to hide anything from her.
When she heard that it came from an Unknown Region, Yan Xuehen sighed in amazement. She said, “No wonder it was so miraculous. Just now, though…” Her face turned red and she didn’t continue.
Zu An chuckled and replied, “Big Sis Yan can try it again and experience how the technique works.”
“Hmph!” Yan Xuehen harrumphed. Her face was scalding hot.
Just a short while earlier, she had wondered why there were so many stupid people who did these kinds of things. And yet, at that moment, she suddenly felt almost as if she had lived for so long for nothing.
Still, she quickly warned herself to expel those thoughts. Then, she walked over to the rocks and sat down with a grumpy expression. Worrying that Zu An might tease her, she decided to just pretend to cultivate.
As soon as she began to circulate her ki, however, she suddenly opened her eyes in surprise and exclaimed, “Huh?”
Zu An jumped in fright, asking, “What’s wrong?”
Yan Xuehen said absentmindedly, “My wounds seemed to have recovered a lot.”
She had been seriously injured again and again, practically reducing her to a novice cultivator. Now, however, her strength had actually recovered quite a bit. At the very least, she wasn’t weaker than Yun Jianyue anymore. Furthermore, her cultivation that had remained stagnant for so many years was even starting to show signs of progress.
She instinctively looked at Zu An, but then she noticed something that left her completely shocked. She exclaimed, “You… broke through to the master rank?”
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