Chapter 2021: Sealed Secret

Seeing his reaction, Zhang Zitong was startled. She awkwardly waved her hand and said, "I was just talking nonsense, My Lord, don't take it seriously."

Her heart pounded wildly. She had only been teasing her lord, as this situation, no matter how she looked at it, seemed utterly impossible.

Yet, judging by his reaction, it seemed her guess wasn't far from the truth!

"Oh no, oh no, why did I have to gossip? Now His Lordship will silence me. I'm doomed, boohoo..."

Seeing her cowering, tense like a startled cat, Zu An said coldly, "Don't speak carelessly in the future, or you won't even know how you died."

"Yes, yes, yes," Zhang Zitong nodded like a pecking chicken. Yet, inwardly, she was overjoyed, thinking, "His Lordship truly treats me differently; he couldn't bear to silence me."

Just then, a sudden pounding knock echoed from the door.

"Who is it?" Zhang Zitong hastily asked.

"It's me," Yun Jianyue's voice replied from outside.

Zhang Zitong immediately wore a gossipy expression. However, remembering how close she had come to death, she forcibly suppressed the upward curl of her lips.

Zu An opened the door. "Why are you here?"

Yun Jianyue ignored him and instead glanced at Zhang Zitong inside. Seeing that both were properly dressed, she nodded with satisfaction. "I found something, so I came to tell you."

Zu An glanced back at Zhang Zitong, then closed the door and stepped into the courtyard to ask, "What did you find?"

Yun Jianyue held out her hand, revealing a glittering golden cicada in her palm. "This was found in Lu Sanyuan's treasure vault. I believe it's called the Profound Light Golden Cicada. I heard you've been doing a lot of artifact forging lately, so I thought it might be useful to you."

Zu An was overjoyed. He took the golden cicada, unable to put it down. "More than useful, it's a godsend!"

This was the most crucial material for Meixi to break through to the Grandmaster realm. Besides rescuing Yun Jianyue and Qiu Honglei, finding this was his primary objective in Chouchi. He never expected to acquire it so effortlessly.

A hint of joy also appeared on Yun Jianyue's face. She then handed him a ring. "This is Lu Sanyuan's storage ring; I'm giving it to you as well."

Zu An was taken aback. "You should keep this for yourself."

Yun Jianyue shook her head. "You defeated Lu Sanyuan yourself. In fact, I should be thanking you. These things are rightfully yours. If you refuse again, are you implying it's not enough and want more gratitude?"

Hearing her say that, Zu An genuinely felt awkward refusing. "Then thank you."

At the same time, a peculiar thought arose in his mind: "Am I truly born with a 'saintly constitution for living off women'?"

Bi Linglong supported him, Liu Ning supported him, and now even Yun Jianyue seemed to be taking on a similar role?

Seeing him accept it, a faint smile appeared on Yun Jianyue's face. "Get some good rest; I'll head back now."

Watching her graceful retreating figure, Zu An's heart stirred. "How are your injuries healing?"

Yun Jianyue's body trembled slightly. She whispered, "How could they heal that quickly?"

Zu An suggested, "Would you like me to help you clear your meridians again?"

An inexplicable silence followed his words. Just as he began to feel some regret, Yun Jianyue's red lips parted slightly, and she whispered, "Okay."

Having spoken, she darted away as if shy, leaving only a faint fragrance in the air.

Zu An was slightly stunned, then greatly pleased, and followed her.

Watching the two leave one after the other, Zhang Zitong, who had been secretly peeking from the room, spat, "Hmph, adulterers!"

Meanwhile, after Yun Jianyue returned to her separate courtyard, she noticed the man following her. With a stern face, she asked, "Why are you following me?"

"To help you clear your meridians," Zu An replied earnestly.

Yun Jianyue bit her lip. "You clearly healed them before."

"At the time, we were in a hurry, and some matters weren't properly dealt with," Zu An quickly responded.

Yun Jianyue hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back. In the end, she didn't reply, simply turned and entered the room without locking the door.

Zu An, understanding the hint, naturally entered. Soon, whimpering sounds came from inside.

"I feel a bit sorry towards Honglei like this."

"I feel the same."

"This is only to heal you, so you can recover quickly and go find her."

"Your words are truly too sweet; no wonder so many women fall for your tricks."

"Hey, I'm just speaking the truth."

"Hmph, if you could only choose one between me and Honglei, who would you pick?"

"...Such a question shouldn't come from the mouth of the dignified Demonic Sect Master."

"I don't care, you must choose one."

"Alright then, I want both!"

"Go... die!"

"...You made me answer."

"Foolish man, in such a situation, no matter who asks you, you should say you choose them! Remember this, if Honglei asks you this question in the future, you must answer that you choose her."

"But I can't bear to leave you..."

"Being with you for this period has been the fortune of three lifetimes for me. You originally belong to Honglei; I merely stole her fruit, and it should rightfully be returned to its owner."

"Annoying fellow, are you listening?"

"I am."

"Then why do I feel like all your energy is being used below?"

"That's not contradictory."

"What?! I'll bite you!"

"Don't tense your body so much, I can't channel my power to heal you."

"Let's stop the healing for now."

The next day, as Zu An returned to his courtyard, rubbing his lower back, he saw Zhang Zitong staring at him with a peculiar expression. He immediately lowered his hand and lightly coughed, "Did you stand here all night?"

Zhang Zitong mumbled, "I'm not a legend's 'waiting-for-husband stone'..."

As if realizing her words were inappropriate, she immediately added, "I was worried that My Lord would be bewitched by that devil woman, so I specifically waited here for further instructions."

Zu An was speechless.

"Go to sleep!"

"Oh," she replied.

Zhang Zitong, who had been on vigil all night, now relaxed and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, Zu An summoned Meixi. She was a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms, and in her fur miniskirt, she exuded even more captivating charm.

Although she didn't possess the seductive arts of Daji, her entire being was filled with raw magnetism. The moment one saw her, thoughts of passion and conquest arose.

Unfortunately, Zu An was currently in a state of post-coital clarity, and he calmly took out the Profound Light Golden Cicada to help her achieve her breakthrough.

Meixi clearly sensed the attraction of the golden cicada in his hand; her previously slightly vacant eyes now gleamed with an unusual light. She immediately moved closer, her expression exceptionally eager.

Zu An chuckled wryly. He didn't have her eat the Profound Light Golden Cicada; instead, following the system's instructions, he placed it on her navel, and it began to work in conjunction with other breakthrough materials.

Perhaps sensing that he was assisting her breakthrough, or perhaps because she detected no trace of desire from him, Meixi did not resist his touch this time. Instead, she closed her eyes and seemed to thoroughly enjoy it.

Zu An's expression was a little strange. This woman's skin was as smooth as silk. Was she truly just a soulless Valkyrie?

Why did every inch of her skin feel so vibrant, so much like a living person?

As he lost himself in thought, golden light suddenly emanated from Meixi's body. Spiritual energy surged around her, emitting a unique aura, a clear sign that she had broken through to the Grandmaster realm.

Although Meixi couldn't speak, Zu An vaguely sensed her gratitude and could feel the immense joy in her heart.

Zu An's heart stirred. He took out the storage bags that had belonged to Old Man Mi and Eunuch Wei and placed them before her.

Now that Meixi was a Grandmaster, her "Farewell to Nanchao" skill could easily sever the imprints on these bags.

As expected, the heavily protected storage bags were instantly unlocked with a single swipe of her scissors.

Zu An reached into one, found a notebook, hesitated for a moment, and then opened it. After reading its contents, his expression immediately became volatile.

He didn't know how much time had passed. A flame appeared in his palm, and the notebook quickly burned to ashes.

In the flickering firelight, Zu An's expression was shadowed and uncertain.