Back in his room, Zu An was busy refining the tremendous energy inside him. The amount of residual energies left behind by both the emperor and Yun Jianyue were not significant, but the energies were of a much higher quality than any he had encountered before.

Well, other than those stupid old things in the secret dungeons.

He sat down on the bed and began to convert the energies for his own use.

Even though the two energies were trapped within the vortex and could not escape, one belonged to an earth immortal, while the other came from a grandmaster. Both forms of ki were furious that a puny being like Zu An was trying to devour them, and were putting up a frantic struggle.

For any ordinary seventh-ranked cultivator, even one at the peak of seventh rank, trying to absorb the energies of an earth Immortal or grandmaster was wishful thinking. They would be lucky if the energies didn’t cause their bodies to explode immediately, killing them straight away. 

However, Zu An wasn’t a normal seventh rank cultivator. His ki was far denser than others at his rank, and he possessed the incredibly powerful Heaven-Devouring Sutra, which was why he was able to refine the energies of these two powerful individuals.

Zu An focused on refining the energy, employing the method Yun Jianyue had taught him to leave behind an empty shell of the emperor’s ki.

He needed to use this remnant of ki as a ruse. As long as the emperor did not examine him up close, he should be able to fool him.

…

A while later, Zu An suddenly opened his eyes. Light flickered within them. One of his eyes burned with the resplendence of the sun, while a cold light glistened in the other, like the light of the moon. In a heartbeat, they had returned to normal.

He examined his inner self and was pleasantly surprised. Previously, only three formations of his seventh layer were lit up. Now, eight formations were fully lit up, and only the last one remained before he broke through into the eighth rank.

Even though he’d only received a small amount of ki from both the emperor and Yun Jianyue, they were of a much higher quality, which was why he had reaped such tremendous gains.

He put on his clothes. It was already dawn outside. He pushed the door open and walked out.

He headed straight for Yun Jianyue’s room. He reached out his hand to knock on the door, but was rebuffed by a seal.

“Name yourself!” came Yun Jianyue’s voice from within.

“It’s me. I have something to ask you, big sis sect master.” Zu An was surprised. Why did her voice sound so… seductive?

There was a moment of silence before Yun Jianyue said, “Wait a moment.”

Before long, the door slowly opened, and Yun Jianyue’s weary voice drifted out from within. “Come in.”

Zu An entered. White steam billowed about inside, as though he’d stepped into a steam room. He was taken aback. “What’s going on?”

“It’s nothing you need to make a fuss about. I’ve just finished my bath.” As she said this, an indistinct figure began to emerge.

“You just finished your bath?” Zu An was surprised. It had been nighttime when she’d left his room, and now, it was already dawn.

“Is that any of your business?” Yun Jianyue said with a snort. Despite her words, her voice carried a hint of playfulness.

Zu An frowned. Something seemed off about her.

The indistinct figure slowly emerged from the steam blanketing the room, and his eyes went wide.

Yun Jianyue had casually draped a nightgown over herself. Even though it wasn’t transparent, it made the faint outlines of her curves even more enchanting.

Her long hair, slightly damp, casually flowed down her back, causing most of her nightgown to grow wet and stick to her body. Even from a distance away, he could make out her gorgeous curves.

She was like a hibiscus flower blooming beside a clear spring—a natural beautiful creation.

[1]

These words appeared in Zu An’s mind, but he quickly tossed them out. 

How could she be a mere hibiscus? Only a peony or a rose could describe how stunning this woman was.

The nightgown clung to her body, exposing her delicate feet underneath. Her toes seemed cute and lovely, her calves were straight and fine, and her well proportioned thighs were also vaguely visible…

“Have you seen enough?” Yun Jianyue said in her playful voice.

Startled, Zu An looked up at her, and was met with an ambiguous smile. “I’m sorry, big sis sect master! You’re just too beautiful, so I couldn’t help but take a few moments to admire you,” he hurriedly explained. “Please forgive me.”

At the same time, he was rather perplexed. The usual Yun Jianyue would immediately scowl at him. She would never speak to him so softly.

Wait a moment. The usual Yun Jianyue would never dress like this in front of me.

Yun Jiayue had already draped herself casually across a soft, cushioned seat. She supported her head with one of her arms, with her faintly-discernible legs crossed together. She looked just like the imperial consort Feng Xiaolian. She favored Zu An with an ambiguous expression. “Why have you come looking for me at this hour?”

She’s so damned hot! 

Zu An’s eyes drifted towards her chest. Those fair white peaks were absolutely fatal. She was exuding amazing charm, enough to make any man’s mouth go dry. Any man who looked at her would instantly turn into a mindless beast, unable to resist the urge to pounce over and rip apart her clothes, then press her down beneath them to ravage her…

Zu An gulped. He mustered all his willpower to keep these thoughts at bay. Meanwhile, he began to curse himself. 

What the hell is going on? Why am I like this?

Afraid that he would actually end up offending her, he didn’t dare continue to look at her. He quickly shifted his gaze to the side. “Ahem, I wanted to ask you when you guys were going to leave the capital. Please let me at least meet with Honglei before you all leave.”

He’d been caught red-handed last night with her, and they had been forced to separate. It didn’t seem like he would be able to meet Qiu Honglei again for some time, and he wanted to be able to say a proper goodbye.

“We’re leaving once the sun is fully up,” Yun Jianyue replied. She had originally planned to stay a while longer, but after the sudden eruption of desire she had experienced, she was in a rush to go into seclusion to continue her cultivation. She didn’t dare remain in the outside world while in this kind of state. It would be safer within the walls of the sect.

Besides, there were many things within her private sanctuary that she had used to calm these episodes before, and they would come in useful now.

“You’re going back so soon?” Zu An was alarmed. He didn’t think that they would leave so quickly.

“What, you can’t bear to see us go?” Yun Jianyue laughed, her body rocking back and forth, sending a slight ripple across her chest.

Zu An sighed. 

A mature woman has a special charm of her own! She’s nothing like those young ladies. Most young women don’t even come close, at least when it comes to the size of their chest… Ahem, Manman is an exception, though. She doesn’t count.

“Of course I’m not…” Zu An began to reply, but he trailed off, stunned.

Huh? Wait, she used the word ‘us’?

What does that mean?

This woman would get mad at him at the slightest bit of teasing. Why had their roles suddenly swapped today, with her teasing him instead?

“Big sis sect master, there’s nothing wrong with you, is there?” Zu An could sense from their earlier exchange that something wasn’t right with her. He was concerned about her right now, and couldn’t be bothered with admiring her stunning figure.

“It’s nothing. It’s just a small outburst of heat.” Yun Jianyue explained, as though describing something insignificant.

“An outburst of heat?” Zu An frowned. He could tell from that description alone that it wasn’t good.

Yun Jianyue gave him a rough explanation of what this outburst of heat was, then said, “I’m sure you now understand why I insisted on preventing you from being with Honglei.”

She wouldn’t usually have let slip such a huge secret, but she was still under the effects of this sudden outburst. Even though she’d managed to get rid of most of the heat by soaking herself in water for an entire night, she was still in the state of a temptress, and in such a state, she was much more open-minded, with fewer reservations.

“I see.” Zu An’s eyes shone brightly. 

Which genius came up with this idiotic technique? There are so many stupid side-effects!

“But then, big sis, haven’t you already reached the pinnacle of this technique? Why are you still experiencing these side effects?” Zu An had hit upon the crux of the matter.

Yun Jianyue’s eyes were half open, as though she was extremely tired. “I don’t know either. It suddenly manifested itself after I helped you undo the seal… Perhaps it’s because of the injury I received from the emperor, and also because of the slight regression in my cultivation as I battled against his seal. I should get better once I return to the sect and make a proper recovery.”

Zu An couldn’t help himself. “Big sis, this outburst of heat isn’t to be taken lightly! You have to take care of yourself. If—and I am only saying if—you really need a man’s help, big sis sect master, and you cannot find anyone else to help you, you can look for me. I will do my best to help you.”

Yun Jianyue was touched by the sentiment in the first bit of his statement, but the second half of it completely changed matters. Her misty eyes widened, and a dangerous smile spread across her face. “It seems to me like you’re finally tired of living.”

1. This is a line from a work of classical Chinese literature.

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