Chapter 1861: Heart Pounding

Xie Daoyun had been restless in her room for a long time. Eventually, she noticed Bi Qi leaving Zu An's room. After a moment of hesitation, she decided to head towards Zu An's room herself.

"This is for important academy business, not because I want to see Brother Zu. It doesn't matter even if those sisters see me," she reassured herself as she walked.

Her cheeks flushed like a fresh, ripe apple, she finally arrived outside Zu An's door.

*Knock, knock, knock!*

She knocked softly and asked, "Brother Zu, may I come in?"

Immediately after she asked, she distinctly heard strange noises from within, followed by a deliberately suppressed groan of pain.

She wondered if Brother Zu had made a mistake during his cultivation and fallen.

Concerned, she no longer hesitated. "Brother Zu, what happened to you? I'm coming in!"

As she spoke, she pushed the door wide open.

To her astonishment, Zu An wasn't injured as she'd imagined. Instead, he was sitting firmly at a desk, his hands tightly gripping its sides, as if struggling to resist something.

"Brother Zu, what's wrong?" Xie Daoyun was about to rush over, but Zu An stopped her.

"It's nothing. Is there something you need?" Zu An tried to keep his voice steady.

He secretly congratulated himself that the desk had a front panel, preventing her from seeing anything inappropriate.

A pair of peach blossom eyes stared at him with a half-smile, as if finding the current situation highly amusing.

"Oh, it's nothing much. Mainly about the Libationer," she replied. Seeing his demeanor, Xie Daoyun felt a slight sense of relief. She pulled a small stool over and sat opposite him.

Zu An's face twitched, but he couldn't very well tell her to leave.

Xie Daoyun's smoke-like eyebrows were subtly furrowed. "The main thing is that the Libationer has passed away. I need to take his remains back for burial. Given his extraordinary status, everyone will certainly ask how he died. The academy might be fine, but the imperial court... the Libationer also appeared in the secret realm, and I'm afraid they might think the emperor's death is connected to him."

Zu An let out a long sigh, seemingly of satisfaction or something else. "Sister Ling'er is still... *hiss*..."

Seeing his sudden start, Xie Daoyun was startled. "Brother Zu, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, a little cat just bit me," Zu An explained awkwardly, not expecting that merely mentioning "Sister Ling'er" would make Manman jealous.

"A little cat?" Xie Daoyun paused, looking around, but saw no cat anywhere.

She instinctively stood up and leaned forward, trying to peer over the desk to see what was happening. Zu An, alarmed, quickly reached out and pressed her shoulders down. "Where were we? Oh right, you're being too reasonable now. Many things don't need to be taken so literally."

"Indeed, some in the imperial court will be suspicious. But the Libationer's status is special; countless people across the land respect him. The academy, and even the military, have numerous disciples and grand-disciples of his. What's more, officials at all levels nationwide still rely on the academy for various elixirs, rune arrays, and weapons."

"Now that the emperor is gone and the crown prince is weak, no one will truly pursue this matter. Everyone will tacitly accept whatever you say."

"Really?" Xie Daoyun remained somewhat skeptical.

"Of course it's true," Zu An smiled, then suddenly gritted his teeth. "Haven't you forgotten about me? Don't worry, no one will come to trouble you."

"Brother Zu, you're hurting me," Xie Daoyun suddenly said timidly.

Zu An: "..."

Pei Mianman: "???"

Xie Daoyun's gaze fell on Zu An's hand, which was gripping her shoulder tightly. Feeling his veins bulging, she couldn't help but worry. "Brother Zu, are you really alright? Oh my, you're so hot!"

She instinctively reached out and touched his forehead, startled by the scorching heat.

"Brother Zu, are you sick?" Xie Daoyun's beautiful, serene face was now filled with panic and concern.

"No... I'm fine," Zu An's voice seemed to tremble.

"You say you're fine, but you're burning up like this," Xie Daoyun frowned. "Let me take your pulse, shall I?"

Without further ado, she placed her hand on his wrist. "Oh, Brother Zu, why is your heartbeat so fast? Did a previous injury from your battle with the emperor flare up?"

"The old injuries have healed, don't worry," Zu An cried for help inwardly. If this continued, he wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.

"The injuries have healed?" Xie Daoyun was startled. If he wasn't injured, why was his heart beating so fiercely?

Could it be... because of me?

She had been too focused on his health to notice before, but now she realized how close they were.

Her upper body was propped on the desk, his hands were clamped tightly on her shoulders, and their heads were inches apart.

She could clearly see her reflection in his pupils...

Xie Daoyun's heart also began to pound.

Their eyes met, and suddenly, a romantic atmosphere filled the entire room.

Faced with his handsome, resolute features, Xie Daoyun found a sudden surge of courage, stood on her tiptoes, and leaned in.

She gently kissed Zu An on the lips.

Zu An's eyes widened, and his hands gripped even tighter. He had never anticipated such a development.

Xie Daoyun was equally startled. How could she be so immodest? she thought.

She instinctively wanted to pull away, but her shoulders were held in an unyielding grip, making it impossible to move even slightly.

Steeling herself, she thought, *Since it's come to this, I might as well be a little bolder to avoid any future regrets.*

Recalling a forbidden book she had secretly read in her chamber, her heart fluttered like a startled fawn.

Zu An instinctively responded to her, but then a jolt of alarm went through him. What was happening?

A young girl like Xie Daoyun could hardly withstand his touch; she felt lightheaded, as if her soul were about to leave her body.

"Is this what kissing feels like, as described in books?"

Just then, the voices of Yun Jianyue and Qiu Honglei drifted from outside. "Oh, that door seems open. They must still be awake."

The people inside the room were instantly terrified. Zu An could no longer hold back; his grip was so strong he nearly crushed Xie Daoyun.

Feeling him gasp for air, his body trembling uncontrollably, Xie Daoyun grew even more shy. *Brother Zu's reaction is a bit too strong, isn't it? Does he like me that much too?* she wondered.

However, she couldn't dwell on these thoughts. Mustering her courage, she pushed Zu An away and hastily ran out. She absolutely did not want Qiu Honglei and Yun Jianyue to catch her secretly kissing Brother Zu; it would be too embarrassing.

The crucial point was that Qiu Honglei and Brother Zu were a couple; her actions were simply too despicable.

"Oh, Miss Xie, what are you doing here?" Yun Jianyue and Qiu Honglei's surprised voices came from outside.

Because they had been captured by Sun En together previously, Yun Jianyue and Xie Daoyun had a decent relationship.

"I didn't do anything!" Xie Daoyun waved her hands, betraying her guilty conscience. Then, quickly collecting herself, she added, "I just wanted to ask Brother Zu for his opinion regarding academy matters and the Libationer."

"Is that so?" Qiu Honglei and Yun Jianyue eyed her suspiciously. Her face was flushed, her eyes almost teary, and her delicate lips were now even more moist and alluring than usual.

Meanwhile, the two people still in the room were even more flustered. Pei Mianman adjusted her clothes with one hand and covered her mouth with the other as she darted to the window. Before leaving, she shot Zu An a look of both shame and indignation.

Xie Daoyun was one thing, but Yun Jianyue and Qiu Honglei had higher cultivation levels. If she remained hidden in the room, she would definitely be discovered.

In any case, she had already said goodbye to Zu An and achieved her objective for this visit. Any other "vixens" who might come in the next few days would likely be wasting their time.

Thinking this, her mood brightened considerably. She turned back to flash Zu An a charming smile, then vanished into the night sky.

With the Fu Hao Owl Zun, she was the undisputed queen of night stealth, so she had no fear of being discovered by the guards outside.

No sooner had she left than Yun Jianyue and Qiu Honglei entered the room, finding Zu An frantically waving his hands, as if fanning something away.

"What are you doing?" Yun Jianyue asked, puzzled.

"There are a lot of mosquitoes tonight, hahaha. This Purple Mountain is good in every way except for this," Zu An chuckled awkwardly.

"Mosquitoes?" Both women found this strange. With his current cultivation level, mosquitoes would be instantly killed by his protective aura upon approaching him. Why would he need to swat them away?

Feeling a little guilty, Zu An quickly changed the subject. "Are you two rushing over for something important?"

Sure enough, the two women quickly lost interest in the mosquito topic. "A'Zu, we came to say goodbye."

Zu An was taken aback. "You two are leaving too?"

What was happening? Everyone was coming to bid him farewell.

"Too?" Yun Jianyue's eyes held a hint of danger.

Ignoring her, Zu An quickly took Qiu Honglei's hand and asked, "Why do you have to leave so soon?"

Qiu Honglei pouted, casting a look of reluctant longing toward her master, clearly unwilling to leave.

Yun Jianyue said testily, "Our identities are sensitive. Once exposed, it would cause him great trouble. We should take this opportunity to lie low and leave. You can find time to come back and see him later; he's not going to run away."

Qiu Honglei thought, *He won't run away, but the number of 'vixens' around him will likely increase, and then I'll be under so much pressure.*

At that moment, Yun Jianyue added solemnly, "Last time, I heard that Lu Sanyuan was leading a large army near Purple Mountain. Before I could even react, I was taken to the secret realm with you all. Now that I've finally returned, I naturally need to go check if there's a problem at the main headquarters."

Zu An's heart tightened. He understood why she was so cautious. Lu Sanyuan was nominally an insurgent army under the Demonic Cult, yet such a large-scale troop movement occurred without Yun Jianyue, the Cult Master, having any knowledge of it. This was a highly dangerous signal.

Either Lu Sanyuan had intentions of establishing his own power and rebelling, or there were other factions within the Demonic Cult attempting to usurp Yun Jianyue's authority.

Qiu Honglei also understood the gravity of the situation. "Master, I'll go back with you to help."

Yun Jianyue nodded with satisfaction. This disciple hadn't been raised in vain; she wasn't the type to abandon her duties for a man.

Zu An couldn't help but ask, "Do you want me to help you?"

"Not yet. I can handle it myself," Yun Jianyue refused imperiously.

The group chatted for a while longer, then Qiu Honglei reluctantly bid her farewell.

Zu An saw them off to the courtyard gate. Just before leaving, Yun Jianyue suddenly turned back and gave him a cold look. "Your belt is askew."