/
Chapter 1177: Regret
“Are you kidding me?” Yun Jianyue protested. She was starting to feel a bit dizzy. The Yan Xuehen she knew would have immediately gotten offended and argued back at any other time. Why had she still taken the initiative to propose intertwined cultivation? And it was with her disciple’s man, no less!
Yan Xuehen looked at her coldly and shot back, “Do I look as if I am joking?”
Yun Jianyue fell silent. She felt extremely conflicted. If she were alone and there was no choice, then if she had to save him, she'd just save him. At worst, she’d just pretend that nothing had happened once Zu An woke up, to save her from the trouble.
But at the moment, there were other people present. There was no way to keep such a thing a secret. Besides, her cultivation would drop substantially afterward. That woman Yan Xuehen would definitely be annoying as hell once she found out.
But she couldn't just ignore Zu An. Her expression was overcast. In the end, she took a deep breath and said, “If we have to save him, let’s save him together!”
That way, neither of them would have an advantage over the other, and neither one would speak of it. Furthermore, both of their cultivations would drop. Neither one would be bullied by the other, as they would still be on the same level.
Yan Xuehen’s expression was a bit strange; she was clearly shocked by the suggestion. She couldn't help but sneer. “This brat really is something. Is this not letting him have it too easy? Forget it. I know you have some misgivings, so I will do it.”
Yun Jianyue’s eyes widened. She cried, “Are you still that same stone cold woman I know?” She reached out to check Yan Xuehen’s forehead, as if to see whether she was confused from a fever or something.
Yan Xuehen smacked her hand away, her expression somewhat downcast. She retorted, “Stop speaking nonsense. Or are you going to do it?”
Yun Jianyue was speechless. The two of them doing it together was her bottom line. If she did it alone, that would be too big of a sacrifice. She really wasn’t too willing.
Yan Xuehen sneered. “This entire tragedy was because I chased after them. He has already saved me several times, so I owe him. He has also saved countless civilians in Cloudcenter Commandery. A hero like this cannot be allowed to fall here. What does my personal purity matter?”
The numb feeling in her back was getting stronger and stronger. She was seriously injured and no longer had the strength to force the poison out. The worst part was that the deathworms’ poison was unusual. It had merged with her internal injuries and quickly tangled around all of her meridians. Even if her cultivation recovered in the future, she still couldn't rely on her own strength to force it out.
Furthermore, if she borrowed an external force, it would definitely harm her meridians and internal organs. That was, unless all of her meridians and internal organs were swapped out. But before something like that could be done, she would already have died several times over.
She knew it might be the end for her. Rather than dying helplessly, she would rather use her body to see if she could save Zu An. That way, she would make up for what she owed him.
If it were another man, she definitely wouldn’t have such thoughts. But at that moment, she had extremely strange feelings about Zu An. That scene just then, of him fearlessly saving the world, was deeply ingrained in her mind. She suddenly felt that engaging in such intertwined cultivation wasn’t something she couldn't accept.
“Did something happen to you?” Yun Jianyue asked. She understood Yan Xuehen too well. She really couldn't understand why she would do something like that.
At any other time, she would definitely have made fun of Yan Xuehen for doing such a thing, and she would even tell the entire world. But they had just fought together, and the other woman would be doing it to save Zu An too. Her pride wouldn’t allow her to do something like that.
“No,” Yan Xuehen replied. She didn’t want to explain anything to her rival either. “Are you going to keep staring?”
Yun Jianyue blushed. The two were going to engage in intimate intertwined cultivation… Indeed, she couldn't bring herself to watch. But the thought of leaving on the spot also felt frustrating somehow. There were too many thoughts going through her mind and she didn’t know what to do.
Suddenly, Zu An groaned in pain, and began to show signs of waking up.
Both women cried out in alarm. “You’re awake?”
Yan Xuehen’s face turned entirely red. She would have been willing to engage in intertwined cultivation if Zu An didn’t know what was happening, but that didn’t mean she would be okay with it if he was awake.
Furthermore, he had woken up at the worst possible time. Had he heard what they were saying? If he had, how was she supposed to keep living from now on?
Zu An chuckled and replied, “Don’t tell me you two want me to sleep forever?”
Seeing how he was smiling despite his wounds, even though he was clearly in so much pain that he had to grit his teeth, Yun Jianyue couldn't help but grumble. “Do you know what kind of state you’re in right now? And yet you’re still in the mood to think such thoughts.”
“It’s better than crying, right?” Zu An replied, sounding surprisingly optimistic. “Hm? What were you two discussing just now?”
“We were…” Yun Jianyue trailed off and subconsciously gave Yan Xuehen a look.
Yan Xuehen quickly cut her off. “Nothing. We were just wondering how to treat your condition.”
“I’m fine,” Zu An replied.
“Take a look at yourself. What do you mean you’re fine? Don’t try to show off and let the stone cold woman save you,” Yun Jianyue quickly said.
Yan Xuehen blushed. Just the thought of having to perform intertwined cultivation with him while he was conscious made her want to faint from embarrassment.
Zu An lowered his head and took a look. The blood all over his body was a bit frightening, but his body had experienced the Primordial Origin Sutra’s tempering several times. Combined with his powerful regeneration abilities and the fact that his soul had been fully condensed, even though the Star Shattering Imprint had indeed almost made his body break apart, now that some time had passed, he was already slowly starting to heal.
“I really am fine,” Zu An insisted. Suddenly, he realized something and was stunned. He looked at Yan Xuehen, asking, “How was Sect Master Yan going to save me? Don’t tell me you have medical skills?”
Yan Xuehen’s expression grew even more unnatural. She looked away and said, “Do not listen to what that witch is saying. I know no such thing.”
Yun Jianyue was starting to panic. She cried, “Do you know what kind of situation we’re in? What are you still being all embarrassed for? If you don’t save him now, it’ll be too late!”
Yan Xuehen was also hesitant. She had been poisoned, after all. If she delayed any longer, she might not even have any strength left to do it. But to do ‘that’ with him while he was conscious… Her disciple Chuyan’s face continued to appear in her mind. She felt as if she were about to go crazy. She shot back, “I am not going to save him anymore! You save him!”
Yun Jianyue’s expression became unnatural. She replied, “What? Didn’t we already agree? Why are you suddenly changing your mind? I already told you, if I’m going to save him, you have to join too. Otherwise… Otherwise I’m not doing it…”
Yan Xuehen was so nervous she almost stomped her feet. She asked, “How can we do that kind of thing together?”
Zu An replied, puzzled, “What kind of weird riddle are you all playing at?”
The two women tacitly agreed to shut their mouths. Neither one of them wanted to tell him the truth.
Zu An quickly looked around and asked, “Right, where is Yu Yanluo? She seems to have forcefully activated her Medusa’s Eye just now…”
As he spoke, however, he saw Yu Yanluo. He quickly got up to check her condition. Even though his movements were sluggish, he didn’t look like a dying person. The two women were both stunned.
Yun Jianyue was the first to react. She sighed and said, “Her condition is even worse than yours. She might not make it.”
Zu An noticed that Yu Yanluo’s eyes were closed, and her complexion was deathly pale. Her aura was incredibly weak, as if it might disappear at any time. He immediately felt downcast.
Yan Xuehen felt a bit conflicted and said, “Sorry, we really are powerless. All we could do was to try and see if we could save you.”
Zu An didn’t seem to have heard anything. All of his attention was on examining Yu Yanluo’s condition. Several forced activations of Medusa’s Eye against those whose cultivation ranks were far above hers had already pushed her life force to its limit. Even if he were to recover to his strongest, there would be no way for him to treat her externally.
There’s only one way left!
He wasn’t the indecisive type. He quickly made his decision and held Yu Yanluo, saying, “I’ll save her. Please wait over here for a bit.”
That kind of method would easily cause misunderstandings. He didn’t want these two to think that he was some brute who would take advantage of others’ difficulties.
“She can still be saved?” Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen exclaimed, both stunned. They were experienced and knowledgeable. Both of them had already concluded that she was beyond saving, and they were already confident of her fate. And yet, even in such a state, Zu An thought she could still be saved?
Zu An didn’t pay the two of them any attention. He carried Yu Yanluo back to the lake. However, he turned and looked at the two of them with a forced smile and asked, “Why are you two following me?”
“We are worried about you,” Yan Xuehen said, her face pale. In their eyes, Zu An himself was about to die, so how could they dare to leave him alone?
Zu An was a bit surprised. The woman’s voice was full of concern. He asked, “Thank you, but I’m going to take Yu Yanluo down to treat her. I’ll have to ask the two of you to watch the surroundings for me.”
He couldn't explain the situation, so he could only use that as an excuse to appease them. Fortunately, the lake water could hide him and Yu Yanluo, which would save them a lot of awkwardness.
“Don’t tell me this pond has healing properties?” Yun Jianyue asked skeptically.
Yan Xuehen recalled how she had been pressed up tightly against Zu An underwater. Even her clothes had been completely soaked then.
“I’ll explain everything once it’s over. Saving her is more important right now,” Zu An said. He was worried that Yu Yanluo wouldn’t be able to hold on. He jumped into the water with her in his arms as soon as he finished speaking.
“That damn brat doesn’t look like he’s planning to die,” Yun Jianyue muttered. She gave Yan Xuehen a look, searching for a confirmation.
Yan Xuehen frowned and replied, “You’re right.”
“Then I guess you don’t have to give up your purity to save him anymore,” Yun Jianyue said with a smile.
Yan Xuehen was embarrassed. She quickly clutched her mouth, scared that Zu An would hear. At the same time, she felt a bit disappointed, as if she now had a great regret before death…