Zu An was startled when he sensed the anomaly in her body. He had no choice but to give in. “All right, let’s rush back.”
Yan Xuehen angrily bit him. “I’ll never forgive you if she finds out about us!”
Zu An looked at her. “She's already seen us together.”
“You still dare to speak!” Yan Xuehen felt as if she would lose her mind. This fellow sounds so gleeful about that!
“Relax. She won’t notice anything amiss,” Zu An said with a smile. All of a sudden, however, his expression stiffened. Why is she here?
A beautiful figure flitted across the moonlit sky. The academy’s defensive formations didn’t affect her in the slightest. It didn’t take her long to arrive at Mount Yuquan’s peak.
The formations Zu An had constructed around the courtyard were about to automatically attack her when she harrumphed. “Is this how you treat a guest?”
Sweat rained from Zu An’s forehead. He quickly halted his formations remotely.
The beautiful figure nodded in satisfaction. “That’s more like it.” She walked into the courtyard.
Sensing something amiss, Yan Xuehen hurriedly asked, “Who is it?”
Zu An had no idea how to explain, so he said, “Take a look for yourself.”
He projected the situation in the courtyard into the air, revealing a long-haired, red-robed beauty.
Yan Xuehen was speechless. She furiously pummeled Zu An’s body. “Return right now! That demoness will figure it out if she sees it!”
The red-robed beauty was Sect Master Yun Jianyue. Unlike Pei Mianman, Yun Jianyue was a master of seductive arts. With her wealth of experience, she could figure out what was going on at a glance.
The two had been archenemies for many years now. The thought of Yun Jianyue learning about her relationship with Zu An sent shivers down Yan Xuehen’s spine.
Zu An laughed. “Don’t worry. No one's thoughts will go in that direction. Besides, Manman will stall her.”
Yun Jianyue entered the courtyard.
A vigilant voice echoed from within. “Who is it?”
Pei Mianman rushed out, only to be taken aback when she saw the red-robed beauty. “Sect Master Yun!”
Yun Jianyue hadn’t expected someone else to be in the courtyard. Her face heated up. Good thing I didn’t say anything intimate earlier. I’d die of embarrassment if others knew about it. “Miss Pei.”
Looking at the long-haired silhouette under the moonlight, Pei Mianman had to concede that Yun Jianyue was truly gorgeous, especially with her imposing disposition as the master of the Devil Sect. That sparked her vigilance. Why would she visit Ah Zu in the middle of the night? There’s no way that lustful Ah Zu can resist a beauty of her caliber!
In the past, she would have never thought of that, but what happened with Yan Xuehen made her realize that everything was possible. She asked, “What brings Sect Master Yun here?”
Yun Jianyue had met Pei Mianman before, but each time they met, she couldn’t help but wonder what the latter had eaten to grow so big. She had an impressive figure too, but it was lacking compared to this young lady.
She keenly sensed animosity in Pei Mianman’s words. I won’t stoop to getting into a catfight with my disciple’s friend. The only one who's a match for me is that stone cold woman... but there’s no way that woman would have anything with Ah Zu.
She had considered matchmaking Zu An and Yan Xuehen so she wouldn’t be the only one to die of embarrassment if her relationship with Zu An was exposed. Unfortunately, she hadn’t had a chance to do so thus far.
“I heard Zu An had returned, so I came here to ask about Honglei.”
Pei Mianman secretly breathed a sigh of relief. “Don’t worry, Sect Master Yun. Ah Zu has managed to save Honglei—I met her a few times myself. She’s still in a feeble state, as the immortal medicine isn’t enough to heal her impaired soul. She needs plenty of rest to recover, but she should be almost well now.”
Yun Jianyue was overjoyed. “That’s wonderful news. I’d like to meet her. Where’s Zu An? It’s been a while since I arrived, so why is he not here?”
“Ah Zu isn’t here.” Pei Mianman was perplexed about that as well.
“He isn’t here?” Yun Jianyue was confused. She sensed another presence inside the courtyard, but there were too many defensive formations here to tell who it was.
She'd thought that Pei Mianman had been messing around with Zu An, and had come out here to drive her off. She could understand why Pei Mianman would do that, but she couldn’t accept Zu An implicitly allowing it to happen.
Her anger surged. “Regent, don’t you think it’s inappropriate for you to remain hidden when a friend has come to visit?”
Zu An sighed. She must be truly angry to address me as ‘regent’.
Yan Xuehen was perplexed. Why is Yun Jianyue angry?
“Sect Master Yun, you've misunderstood. Ah Zu isn’t inside...” Pei Mianman explained.
The lack of response from Zu An further stoked Yun Jianyue’s anger. She thrust her palm, destroying the windows by the side. “Putting on airs with me? Regent...”
She froze before she could finish speaking. The person in the room wasn't Zu An, but someone else beyond her wildest imaginations. “Ice sculpture, what are you doing here?”
But Yan Xuehen didn’t respond.
Pei Mianman walked up to her with a frown. “Sect Master Yun, do you now believe me when I say that Ah Zu isn’t here?”
“Where is he? And why is this woman here?” Yun Jianyue’s head was spinning.
“I don’t know either. I just arrived.” Pei Mianman was worried. “I tried calling out to Sect Master Yan, but she hasn't responded. Now and then, her face turns red and her breathing becomes ragged, as if she’s suffering cultivation deviation.”
Yan Xuehen’s reputation as an ice-cold beauty was so striking that it was unthinkable for her face to turn red.
“Her face turns red?” Yun Jianyue narrowed her eyes in doubt. She walked over to inspect Yan Xuehen’s condition.
Yan Xuehen trembled. Her mind turned blank. “I’ll kill myself if she finds out about it!”
She looked so serious that Zu An didn’t dare continue teasing her. With a flash of rainbow light, they returned to Mount Yuquan.
Yan Xuehen returned her soul to her body. She tried to stand up and walk away, but her legs caved in and she fell to the side. Fortunately, Pei Mianman quickly grabbed her arm to support her. “What’s wrong, Sect Master Yan?”
Yan Xuehen's face was burning red. She dared not reply, fearing that her voice would sound too coy and give her away.
Yun Jianyue’s gaze alternated between her and Zu An. Looking at Yan Xuehen’s perplexing behavior, a thought popped into her mind. “What were the two of you... doing?”