Chapter 2020: Did I Come at a Bad Time?

Zhang Zitong was completely dumbstruck by the sight in front of her.

Who am I? Where am I? What was I doing?

Sir Eleven probably restrained that witch somehow. Yeah, that has to be what happened.

That was the only explanation she could think of. Even so, she was still a bit confused.

Do you really need to hug each other to place a restriction on her?

Furthermore, sir’s hands are on that witch’s abdomen and chest, and yet that witch isn't showing the slightest bit of resistance!

...

Meanwhile, Zu An was actually extremely nervous. Earlier, when he had entered her defensive range, the Empress Lantern and Crescent Moon had attacked on their own, but Yun Jianyue didn’t react at all.

When he arrived at her side, sure enough, he saw that her aura was extremely weak. Her lifeforce was like a waning candle that could go out at any time. He couldn't be bothered with thoughts of wasting precious resources. He immediately took out the Feather Mountain Spring Water he had obtained from the Xia Dynasty secret dungeon and fed it to her. Then, he took her into his arms, one hand pressed against her dantian and the other on her chest acupoint to pour a vast amount of ki into her and help her treat her injuries.

Zhang Zitong's eyes widened.

One is the Embroidered Envoy Chief Commander, while the other is a Devil Sect witch. Shouldn’t these two be enemies, like a cat and mouse? Why do they look like lovers embracing each other instead?

She wanted to head over and take a look, but the Empress Lantern and Crescent Ring that guarded Yun Jianyue’s surroundings on their own didn’t allow her the chance. Helpless to do anything else, she could only ask from a distance, “Sir, what is your respected self doing?”

“I’m saving her. She suffered a serious injury,” Zu An replied without thinking twice.

Zhang Zitong sighed in relief.

So that's what’s happening... A living Devil Sect Master is definitely much more valuable than a dead one. Sir Eleven has acute foresight as expected. And here I was thinking that he...

I was wrong!

Just like that, Zu An continued to pour in ki endlessly. Yun Jianyue’s complexion eventually became a bit rosier. She groaned, then gradually woke up. When she realized that she was actually in the arms of a man, she was about to flip out when a familiar voice suddenly said in her ear, “It’s me.” He set up a sound blocking field around them so no one could hear their conversation.

“Ah Zu?” Yun Jianyue exclaimed. She was surprised, but incredibly happy as she continued, “Am I dreaming?”

Outside, Zhang Zitong was stunned.

That witch seems to be calling out Sir Eleven’s name? But for some reason, I can’t hear what they're saying clearly.

Yun Jianyue is reacting as if the two of them are very close...

Now, things became much more complicated. Two individuals who should have been sworn enemies were actually so familiar with each other!

Is Yun Jianyue sir’s spy, or is sir a spy Yun Jianyue planted?

“What exactly happened to you? How did you end up with such serious injuries?” Zu An asked, looking at Yun Jianyue with concern.

If not for the fact that Yun Jianyue's cultivation was extremely high, such injuries would already have been enough to end her life several times over. Even so, her current condition wasn’t too good. If Zu An had been even two hours late, she would already be a corpse. Even after the nourishment of his rich ki, he only managed to keep her alive for the time being. Her condition could worsen at any time.

“Remember when Lu Sanyuan led the volunteer army to Violet Mountain to scheme against Zhao Han, and yet I didn’t receive any information about it? I came back to the sect to investigate that, Yun Jianyue said weakly. “But how could I have known how viciously Lu Sanyuan schemed? He had already prepared an entire rebellion.

“I was prepared for that possibility and had some backup plans, but I didn’t expect both the Yin Yang Path’s Fang Zhonghe and the Heavenly Devil School’s Elder Xi would betray me, or for even Chi Fuzi to side with Lu Sanyuan. I was caught off guard and immediately put at a disadvantage.

“If not for all the benefits I received from the daoist sects' secret dungeon, I might not have been able to escape disaster. Later, I successfully broke out of their encirclement, but because of my injuries, I couldn't shake them off. That was why I chose to flee here. This is a place successive generations of sect masters have used to flee from danger, but it's almost never been used. That's why only the sect masters knew about it.”

Zu An was stunned, saying, “I thought this place was used by Chi Fuzi’s group to trap you.”

Yun Jianyue shook her head and said, “This is a Mirror Soul Formation, something we use to stop enemies. Whenever the sect masters of the past experienced threats to their life, they would use this place as their last resort. Back then, Lu Sanyuan’s group also followed me into the formation, but they were trapped by the formation, unable to find where I really was. That Chi Fuzi is indeed formidable, though. He was unable to find me, but in spite of that, he was able to leave with the others he entered with.”

Zu An nodded, saying, “He set up a formation outside the spirit screen so you couldn't leave.”

“He overestimated me,” Yun Jianyue said, forcing a smile. Her face was a bit pale as she continued, “After I fell into their scheme, I planned to first recover from my injuries before finding a way to leave, but Fang Zhonghe’s palm force was too sinister. In order to neutralize the toxicity, I couldn't treat my injuries immediately. In the end, my injuries became even more severe than I had anticipated. If you hadn’t arrived promptly, I might already have been put to sleep forever.”

Zu An’s expression was strange as he asked, “The Ninefold Palm?”

“How do you know about that?” Yun Jianyue asked, blushing faintly. “That old thing is too despicable. If I hadn't been hit by that palm at the start, I wouldn’t have been left in such a passive state.”

Zu An was starting to feel a bit of admiration. He had personally seen what kind of reaction Fang Zhonghe had after he was hit by the effects of his own palm.

He carefully examined the condition of Yun Jianyue's body and saw that all of her meridians were a mess. Many places had severe damage, as if they would completely shatter if even a bit more force was used. He asked, “Did you use the Star Shattering Imprint too many times?”

That was a skill she had previously taught him, one that allowed its user to display ten times their power, but there were strict restrictions on the number of uses one could employ. If that was exceeded, it could lead one's meridians to rupture, followed closely by death.

Yun Jianyue’s expression became a bit unnatural as she said, “I only used it a few times. I was ambushed, then surrounded. In that situation, if I hadn’t fought with everything I had, perhaps I would have already been killed by those people on the spot.”

Zu An knew that what she was saying was true. If it had been him, he would likely have made the same choice.

Yun Jianyue's voice was incredibly weak; her usual Devil Sect Master style was nowhere to be seen. Zu An felt a sense of pity well up inside of him. He took her into his arms and said, “I should have come earlier.”

Yun Jianyue initially wanted to reciprocate, but she discovered that she didn’t even have the strength to speak anymore, and could only smile weakly. Her beautiful face no longer showed her usual tough and mighty demeanor; her expression actually looked a bit delicate.

Zu An’s expression changed greatly. He could feel that her aura had suddenly become weaker, her injuries worsening. There was a real threat to her life. As such, he said, “Don’t speak anymore for now. I’ll bring you out first.”

This formation, for the sake of strengthening its secretive nature, had been isolated from the world outside. The amount of natural ki Yun Jianyue could receive here was naturally lower than in the outside world.

While holding Yun Jianyue carefully, Zu An poured ki into her body to protect her heart meridians. He kicked off the ground and headed for the exit.

When she saw him leave, Zhang Zitong hurriedly tried to keep up, calling out, “Sir!”

“Follow behind me," Zu An replied.

“Okay!” Zhang Zitong said. When she saw his grave expression, she had many questions bubble up within her, but she couldn't bring herself to ask about it.

Soon after, Zu An took the two women back to the first spirit screen. Perhaps because the formation had been solved, a ripple appeared on the wall again. He leaped through and quickly emerged from the wall.

“Sir, we escaped!” Zhang Zitong exclaimed excitedly. Compared to the gloomy fog in the formation, the outside world was much brighter.

“Go back on your own for now. I have things to take care of,” Zu An said, then vanished with Yun Jianyue in his arms. She had already fainted, so he didn’t dare to waste any time.

When she saw him disappear, Zhang Zitong’s smile froze on her face. She released a long sigh, murmuring, “Go back on my own? Where would I go? Should I go back to the Yin Yang Path or just leave the Lake of Hatred? It’s almost as if I’m ruining his happy moment or something.”

She grumbled to herself, but in the end, she chose not to leave the Lake of Hatred and decided to go back to the Yin Yang Path first.

...

Meanwhile, Zu An swiftly took Yun Jianyue through the mountains and fields. In order to find her, he had already become extremely familiar with the Lake of Hatred’s topography. Thus, he quickly took Yun Jianyue back to the sect master’s private residence. It was the place Lu Sanyuan’s trusted aides had been guarding, but after what happened in the Yin Yang Path was revealed, they had naturally dispersed in confusion.

He went straight to the rear court, because there was an outdoor spiritual spring there that was incredibly rich in ki. It was something only the sect master had the privilege of enjoying. Cultivating there could result in twice the results with half the effort.

Yun Jianyue’s current injuries were too serious, so the natural ki of the world was already far from enough, and Zu An needed to use the help of such natural blessings Thus, he took out a formation disc and instantly arranged several ki condensation formations. They were able to gather the ki of the world and the spiritual spring within the formation.

Streak after streak of spiritual light appeared in the air. Then, Zu An took Yun Jianyue into the hot spring. After doing so, he used the Primordial Origin Sutra to start treating her injuries. If it were anyone else, he would naturally be hesitant, but the two of them already had the closest of relationships, so he wouldn’t have such misgivings.

With the nurturing of the spiritual spring, and as her clothes were undone, Yun Jianyue gradually woke up. When she saw the outdoor environment, she couldn't help but become embarrassed, saying, “Not... Not here.” This was the Lake of Hatred! If members of the Devil Sect caught them in the act, she would be way too embarrassed!

Zu An was a bit speechless. He replied, “Do you think I want to do this either? You might die at any time, so this is the only method I can use to save you!”

“I really don’t know where you learned such a dirty treatment method...” Yun Jianyue muttered. Even though her body was weak, her eyes were full of emotion. She immediately became full of seduction and allure as she said, “Even so, that’s perfect, because I’ve been holding myself back to keep Fang Zhonghe’s poison in check. Now that I’m with you... I don’t need to hold myself back anymore.”

Then, getting a surge of strength from some unknown place, she kissed him. Her usual domineering side was just based on the misunderstandings of outsiders; only now did she show the power of the Devil Sect’s history’s most powerful charm skill.

Almost no man could refuse such a temptation, but Zu An remained clear-headed. Yun Jianyue was like a porcelain doll that was covered in cracks. Just the slightest bit of force would make her shatter. In order to help her repair her meridians, he could only use the most gentle strength. It was hard for him to even say whether the process was enjoyment or torture.

...

After a long time had passed, a beautiful figure flew over, muttering, “Huh? Why can I sense that someone is using Heavenly Devil Temptation...”

After Qiu Honglei dealt with the Yin Yang Path’s affairs, she hadn't been able to find Zu An. She hadn’t known where her master was either, so she was feeling incredibly nervous.

As she searched, however, she'd suddenly sensed a familiar aura, making her incredibly happy. Only her master could reach such a level in the entire Holy Sect.

She rushed over excitedly, but when she saw the scene in the spring, she was completely stunned.