Zu An hadn’t expected her to ambush him like that. He could only glare at her in anger.
Firework grinned triumphantly. “I like those eyes. Continue looking at me like that.”
Zu An was stunned. This woman is insane!
“Lie down. I’ll do it myself,” Firework smiled.
She frowned upon seeing her adversary, but she was a headstrong person. How could she admit defeat at a time like that?
Zu An inhaled sharply. She’s such a tenacious person. Even I'm feeling pain, let alone her.
Firework leaned toward his ear and whispered, “Be glad. If not for this world limiting my body, you would never have been able to get inside me, no matter what you did.”
Zu An looked resigned. “To think I was taken by a spider demoness...”
Before he could finish speaking, Firework bit him and hissed, “Are you insulting me? I used to be a human, too!”
Zu An remembered what the Deity of Death spoke about her past. Curious, he asked, “What made you turn into a demon?”
Firework’s gaze turned cold, but she quickly reverted to her gentle demeanor and asked, “Can we not talk about unhappy matters at a time like this?”
Her overflowing charm and tenderness made it plenty clear that this wasn’t the time to be touching on mood-ruining topics, but Zu An didn’t forget about her injuries. “Let’s treat your injuries first.”
“I’m healing much faster than before now.” Firework smiled sweetly.
The two of them interlocked their fingers and fully channeled the modified Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. Even so, her inner injuries were so severe that all her meridians were either shattered or clogged. Zu An struggled to channel his inner energy into her body.
While her meridians had recovered a little after their earlier treatment, it would still take a long time to open up all of them.
It was a good thing Zu An wasn’t in a rush, so they could take their time. It also helped that Firework could channel her inner energy to some extent. Through their cooperation, they could precisely channel Zu An’s energy into her body to ensure a thorough recovery.
Occasionally, they would encounter a meridian that was closed tightly. Zu An would first patiently probe the meridian with a small surge of inner energy, gradually expand it, then reinforce it.
As Firework’s meridians reconnected, her previously stuck inner energy converged like tributaries returning into a river, allowing her to better tap into her inner energy. She proactively channeled her inner energy to coordinate with Zu An.
At the same time, Zu An didn’t need to tread as carefully now that Firework was in a better condition. Even so, he didn’t dare make a reckless move. Like a small stream flowing into a river, he patiently inspected every bit of her body for injured meridians to repair.
When he was almost done healing most of her meridians, his inner energy could finally flow openly through her body to expand and reinforce all her meridians, thus pushing her martial arts cultivation up another level.
This raging flow of inner energy eventually returned to the vast sea. The vast sea evaporated into clouds, converged in the mountains, and returned as rain to replenish the river.
Just like that, the two of them formed a continuous cycle between themselves.
Firework’s complexion grew increasingly red, a sign that she had recovered fully.
The continuous flow of inner energy naturally unlocked Zu An’s acupoints, allowing him to regain control of the situation. Firework was initially reluctant to relinquish control, but her rejection was so weak that he got his way.
Their martial arts cultivation rose to another height.
Firework tightly embraced Zu An. Her domineering demeanor had softened considerably. “It’s a pity my powers are sealed, or else I could have pulled out Yani and Diodora to play with you. If you wanted, I could do Tingxue and Isabella as well.”
The thought of that made Zu An’s heart skip a beat, but he quickly put on a straight face and replied, “I’m not that kind of person. Don’t even think about tempting me with that.”
“Is that so? I don’t think your body is fooling anyone.” Firework laughed.
Zu An was so embarrassed that he harrumphed. “You don’t know what you’re messing with now...”
“Ahhh! I was wrong. Don’t...”
The two of them bickered. The cold chamber was filled with laughter.
Sometime later, Zu An and Firework stepped out of the chamber. They spent a long time searching the ancient tomb before they found the frosty Tingxue sitting in the forest outside.
“What are you doing here? We were looking for you,” Firework asked.
Tingxue looked at the energetic Firework and remarked in surprise, “You’re all healed up?”
“That goes without saying. I personally modified that martial art, and I had the help of the Cold Jade Bed as well,” Firework replied with a smile.
Zu An was stifled. Even though I got all sweaty and exhausted for you, you’re not giving me any credit?
Firework seemed to have sensed his frustration, and her eyes twinkled. “It’s also thanks to this lad. He has good stamina. You should give him a try. I guarantee he’ll bring you to new heights in your martial arts.”
Tingxue turned around. “I don’t need it.”
“There’s no need to be shy. You becoming stronger benefits all of us. Who knows what the clearing condition of this accursed Deity of Death trial is?” Firework suddenly grinned in mischief. “If you don’t become stronger while you can, you might regret it if I turn on you guys, if it turns out that only one of us can survive this trial.”
Tingxue’s face turned cold. “I’d have no regrets. That would be heaven’s will.”
“Tsk. How boring.” Firework wanted to see the Nebula worshiper succumbing to lust, but Tingxue remained unfazed.
Tingxue looked at Zu An with frigid eyes. She resembled Yan Xuehen so much that Zu An felt guilt-ridden, as if he had been caught cheating by Yan Xuehen herself. He wanted to say he'd been forced into it, but he couldn’t bring himself to say that.
Tingxue suddenly asked, “If I’m not mistaken, the two of you are siblings in this world?”
Zu An was speechless.
Firework retorted, “...What nonsense are you spouting?! We were transported in here with our real bodies. We’re merely borrowing their identities. It’s not as if we’re really siblings.”
Tingxue nodded nonchalantly, but she appeared unconvinced. Firework was so frustrated that she nearly spurted blood.
Zu An interjected with a cough and hurriedly changed the subject. “Where’s the Xuan Metal Sword? Shall we obtain it first?”
Tingxue nodded before leading them on a convoluted path through the ancient tomb. “Yang Guo placed that sword here. Go ahead and take it.”
Inside a giant boulder, a heavy black sword sat silently, as if awaiting its fated owner.