Chapter 1285: Elder's Lesson

"Wicked woman, what did you say!" Yan Xuehen's eyebrows arched in anger.

"You've already done it, what are you afraid of me saying?" Yun Jianyue had always disliked Yan Xuehen's calm and indifferent demeanor, so she often teased her in various ways. Every time she saw Yan Xuehen lose her composure, she would feel extremely happy.

Because of what had just happened, Yu Yanluo felt a strange pang of guilt. Was Yun Jianyue subtly criticizing her?

Seeing a faint blush appear on Yan Xuehen's jade-like skin, she couldn't help but marvel at how truly beautiful this woman was. If not for her years of ascetic cultivation and detachment from worldly desires, outsiders instinctively wouldn't associate her with the Beauty Rankings. Otherwise, the title of the most beautiful woman might not have fallen to me so easily back then.

And although Yun Jianyue was a bit fierce, she was undeniably charming and radiant. These women were all Grandmasters, yet they were so incredibly beautiful. It was almost unbearable!

For a moment, she even wondered if asking Yan Xuehen to accompany her man back was a mistake.

However, the most important thing now was Zu An's current predicament; everything else could wait.

"You're so enthusiastic, why don't you accompany him back?" Due to the strength of their bond, and the various intimate things that had happened between them, Yan Xuehen was rationally aware that she couldn't get too deeply involved with him again.

"I'd love to, but unfortunately, all the high-ranking officials in the imperial court consider me a rebel and a wicked woman. If I went back with Ah Zu, wouldn't I be harming him?" Yun Jianyue said, scanning Yan Xuehen up and down. "You're different. You've cultivated a good reputation over the years. As far as I know, most of the nobles and officials in the court are your little fanboys, always following behind you, calling you 'Fairy this' and 'Fairy that.' They'll definitely believe what you say."

As she spoke, she couldn't help but feel a little sour. Both of them had similar cultivation levels, and their appearances and figures were equally stunning, yet the treatment they received was vastly different, like heaven and earth.

Yan Xuehen knew that she had indeed been a welcomed guest of many high-ranking officials in the past, but her nature was quiet, and she rarely interacted with them.

But that wasn't the point. The point was...

She glanced at Zu An, their eyes met, and she guiltily lowered her head. She said apologetically, "Of course I'm willing to help, but after all, there's a distinction between men and women. Besides, time is already very tight. Bringing one more person might affect your speed in getting back."

This was a polite refusal. Zu An smiled faintly and didn't insist.

Just as he was about to reply, Yun Jianyue spoke first: "You practice the Path of Emotionless, when did you start caring about distinctions between men and women? Could it be that..."

Yan Xuehen's heart fluttered in panic, and she quickly argued, "What Path of Emotionless? I practice the Path of Forgetting Emotions."

"Well, to outsiders, it's pretty much the same," Yun Jianyue said dismissively. "You never used to consider these issues."

"Acting according to circumstances when urgent isn't out of the question," Yan Xuehen said, not daring to dwell on that point, fearing the two women would notice her peculiarity. "But with such a long distance, it will be hard enough for him to get back by tomorrow alone. Having me along would only be a burden."

Yun Jianyue rolled her eyes. "You're so slender, how much can you weigh? The Wind-Fire Wheels are a Heaven-tier artifact; an extra hundred or so pounds from you won't make a difference."

Yan Xuehen was speechless. She could only look at Zu An for help, her eyes full of expectation, hoping he would come to her rescue.

To her surprise, Zu An nodded. "Sister Yun is right; it really won't make a difference."

Yan Xuehen was speechless.

She was utterly stunned, completely unprepared for his response.

"Alright, it's settled then. You two go quickly and come back soon." Yun Jianyue yawned, looking as if she wanted to go back to sleep.

Yu Yanluo also bowed to Yan Xuehen. "Thank you for your trouble, Sister Yan."

The atmosphere had been built up to this point, so Yan Xuehen felt too embarrassed to refuse. "Alright then..."

As the matter was extremely urgent, they had no time to waste and were soon ready to depart.

Zu An summoned the Wind-Fire Wheels. Yan Xuehen hesitated, "Can we each stand on one?"

"I'm afraid not," Zu An shook his head. "These two are a pair; they can't be controlled separately."

Yan Xuehen opened her mouth, her face showing hesitation and internal conflict.

Zu An said, "I'll carry you on my back. It will be more convenient for the journey."

Yan Xuehen bit her lower lip, knowing this was the most reasonable solution.

A bridal carry would be too intimate, and Zu An would get very tired during a long flight.

Holding her by the waist would also be too intimate. Only a piggyback ride was acceptable, and it wasn't as if he hadn't carried her on his back before.

Seeing him half-crouched in front of her, Yan Xuehen's face flushed slightly, but she gently climbed onto his back.

Zu An supported her thighs with his hands as he lifted her onto his back, then stepped onto the Wind-Fire Wheels.

After many experiences, he had skillfully mastered the balance of the Wind-Fire Wheels. Moreover, he had previously tried carrying two people with Tu Shan Yu in Qingqiu Country, so an additional person had no impact at all.

He turned his head to bid farewell to Yu Yanluo and Yun Jianyue. "I'll return as soon as I've dealt with things over there. Both of you, be careful and take care of yourselves."

Yun Jianyue rolled her eyes. "When I was dominating the world, you were still drinking milk. You should worry about taking care of the Ice Stone Maiden. Her injuries aren't light. If I come back and find even a single hair missing from her, I'll hold you responsible."

Zu An couldn't help but mutter, "Don't you often pull her hair out?"

Yan Xuehen flushed deeply and secretly pinched him hard on the waist. She hadn't expected him to have witnessed all the ways Yun Jianyue secretly bullied her.

Yun Jianyue, however, was self-righteous. "If she's going to be bullied, it should be by me! When is it ever your turn, kid?"

Yan Xuehen gritted her teeth. "Wicked woman, once I recover, I'll definitely give you a good beating until your face looks like a blossoming peach!"

Yun Jianyue, however, was unfazed. "Our cultivation levels are roughly equal. Even if you recover, trying to beat me isn't very realistic, unless by some coincidence I happen to be severely injured while you're relatively unharmed. So, the losses you've suffered these past few days are destined to be unrecoverable."

Yan Xuehen felt bitter with anger, knowing that what the other woman said was true.

It was all Zu An's fault. If she hadn't met him, how could she have been bullied like this by her arch-rival?

"Alright, it's getting late. We should get going," Zu An said, seeing the two women on the verge of another argument. He didn't dare to stay any longer.

Yu Yanluo's face flushed slightly. This guy actually blew her a kiss right in front of two Grandmasters—did he think they were blind? Of course, at such a moment, she had to maintain her composure. "We've wasted some time here, and our journey to the Demon Imperial Court is also very tight. So, we'll travel while waiting for you, since you have the Wind-Fire Wheels and are fast on your feet."

"Okay!" Zu An waved at them, then stepped onto the Wind-Fire Wheels and shot straight up into the sky.

"Oh!" Yan Xuehen exclaimed in surprise, instinctively wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.

"What's wrong?" Zu An worried something was wrong with her.

"Nothing, it's just... when I flew by myself before, I never felt anything, but now looking down, I'm actually a little scared," Yan Xuehen admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"You're injured now, so it's natural to feel insecure," Zu An chuckled. "I never imagined a Grandmaster could have such a cute side."

"Cute?" Yan Xuehen was momentarily dazed. After all these years, it was the first time anyone had used that word to describe her. But she quickly composed herself and said sternly, "Be serious. I'm half your master, and strictly speaking, I'm your elder. You're being too disrespectful."

These past few days, she had been pondering how to interact with Zu An in the future. Aside from hiding from him, the most suitable way was to maintain a teacher-disciple relationship.

Even if there was some physical contact, a junior taking care of an elder shouldn't be a big deal, right?

"Elder?" Zu An's lips curved upward slightly. He deliberately accelerated forward, pretending to lose balance and swerving several times, almost falling off. He even intentionally spun in a few circles, making it look like they were about to plummet vertically, only to pull back sharply at the last second.

"Ah!" Even though Yan Xuehen was usually calm and composed, she shrieked in fright, instinctively clinging tightly to him.

Once they finally regained their balance, Zu An apologized, "My apologies, I'm still not quite used to controlling it with two people."

At that moment, he was filled with myriad emotions. In his previous life, he had seen online celebrity photos on forums and always thought it was impossible for someone to be naturally so slender yet have such an incredible figure. But Yan Xuehen was living proof.

The subtle undulations during each stop and start were not something to be described to outsiders. No wonder so many people in his past life enjoyed riding motorcycles with girls.

Yan Xuehen wasn't stupid. She couldn't help but exclaim in shame and indignation, "You did that on purpose!"