Chapter 2118: The Dizzy Queen

Zu An's expression was a little unnatural: "Don't worry, I can make my voice sound the same."

"Then try speaking like him?" Shang Hongyu's eyes suddenly held a hint of expectation.

Zu An gave an awkward smile: "It might be inconvenient right now. That ability comes at a certain cost and can't be used casually."

What a joke! If she knew he had to pretend to be a woman to deceive men using a 'cute girl voice changer,' she'd be rolling on the floor laughing. If word got out, his glorious image would be completely ruined.

"Hmm, since you say so, I suppose it's fine." Shang Hongyu didn't press further. Many abilities in the world come with a price; it would be abnormal to expect someone to perform them casually. "The only remaining issue is that your demeanor and actions aren't yet enough like the Dragon King's. I'll train you along the way. With your intelligence, you should be able to perfectly imitate him in no time," Shang Hongyu said.

Zu An frowned slightly: "Is all this trouble really necessary?"

He just wanted to find the Divine Dragon Immortality Elixir as soon as possible. As long as he could fool the restrictions of the Myriad Dragon Tomb and the Sea Clan experts, he didn't have time to learn the Dragon King's mannerisms.

Shang Hongyu seemed to guess his thoughts, looking straight at him: "I'll help you get the Divine Dragon Immortality Elixir, and you help me drive away the fake Dragon King. That sounds like a fair trade, doesn't it? You're not thinking of being irresponsible, are you?"

"Why does that sound so strange when you say it?" Zu An was a little depressed: "Besides, the Divine Dragon Immortality Elixir might not even exist, and that fake Dragon King is someone who could replace even your true Dragon King. No matter how you look at it, that's not a fair trade, is it?"

"Aren't you curious what those demons want to do to the Sea Clan? Once they completely dominate the Sea Clan, it will be a huge disaster for both humans and demons," Shang Hongyu said, not appearing hurried, her gaze becoming playful. "Besides, even if you don't consider all that, aren't you going to care about Liuyu?"

Zu An: "..."

"You win. But if the two tasks conflict, I'll prioritize finding the Divine Dragon Immortality Elixir."

Who said this woman was a respectable lady? Her skill at manipulating people's hearts was quite precise.

"No problem." Seeing him agree, Shang Hongyu relaxed completely.

"Where to next?" Zu An asked, standing up.

"Originally, I intended to gather information here and then go to the demon and human territories to find you. But I never expected heaven to send you directly to me, so I naturally don't need to go there anymore. Next, we'll head out to sea," Shang Hongyu said, also standing up.

"Find me?" Zu An was a bit surprised.

"Of course. Looking across the land, who else besides you can deal with that fake Dragon King? Plus, there's the connection with Liuyu; it would be a waste not to use it," Shang Hongyu said, winking slyly.

Zu An: "..."

"Your Majesty certainly calculates well."

Why did using that term sound so strange?

"You don't have to be so formal calling me 'Your Majesty' repeatedly. Am I going to call you 'Regent' every time? You can just call me Hongyu, or of course, you can call me 'sister' like Liuyu does," Shang Hongyu corrected with a smile.

Zu An hesitated for a moment. He didn't have any real relationship with Shang Liuyu yet, so he couldn't bring himself to call her "sister." "In that case, I'll call you Hongyu. You can call me Ah Zu from now on."

"Ah... Ah Zu." Shang Hongyu's face felt slightly warm. The other party actually called her by her personal name. Before this, no one dared to call her that, except for the Dragon King and her family elders.

She had originally wanted him to call her 'sister,' but now it seemed his relationship with her younger sister wasn't as close as she had initially thought. A hint of worry appeared between her brows at this thought.

Zu An stood at the cliff entrance of the cave, looking out at the vast ocean in the distance: "How do we get to the Dragon Palace next? Don't we need to take a large ship from the dock?"

"If you can fly for a long time, then no, we'll head..." Halfway through her sentence, Shang Hongyu's aura suddenly weakened, her legs gave way, and she couldn't stand steadily, directly falling towards the cliff below.

Fortunately, Zu An was quick-witted and caught her in his arms: "What's wrong?"

As Zu An held her, he infused a stream of vital energy into her body, simultaneously checking her physical condition.

Hmm, she had suffered severe internal injuries, most likely inflicted by the fake Dragon King or his experts when she was escaping. During this time, she had constantly been on edge, evading arrest and pursuit, likely with no time to rest.

He carried Shang Hongyu back to the bed, continuously transmitting vital energy to heal her while also feeding her a healing elixir.

Feeling something strange in her mouth, Shang Hongyu was startled awake in a panic. Only when she saw it was Zu An did she breathe a sigh of relief.

Zu An then gently put her down: "You should circulate your energy to heal yourself, and then get a good night's sleep. With me guarding you here, you don't need to worry about enemies finding you."

Hearing his words, Shang Hongyu felt an inexplicable sense of security. She knew that in recent days, the fake Dragon King had issued a bounty, and various Sea Clan members were hunting her down like mad. Besides official soldiers, countless martial arts experts from the pugilistic world had joined the chase, and even some ruthless individuals from the demon and human races had rushed there, coveting the high reward.

As a result, she had spent every day constantly hiding. Often, just after finding a temporary refuge, she would discover enemies tracking her, forcing her to immediately move again. Having endured this for so long, she had indeed reached her physical limit. Especially after seeing Zu An, the taut string in her heart suddenly relaxed, and the feeling of exhaustion became unbearable.

At this point, she relaxed a bit. After circulating her energy for a while, she suddenly opened her eyes: "Huh? Why aren't you helping me circulate my energy to heal?"

Even though she had been unconscious, she had distinctly felt the other party's potent energy just now; his aura still lingered in her body. If he continued to assist, she should recover from her injuries much faster.

Zu An's expression was a little strange: "My vital energy is somewhat special; it's not convenient to use it on you."

"Why? Surely your human race doesn't still adhere to the 'no physical contact between men and women' rule, does it?" Shang Hongyu covered her mouth and chuckled. "I'm a woman, and I'm not afraid, so what are you afraid of? Don't worry, I won't tell Liuyu, and even if she knew, she wouldn't say anything."

"It's really not appropriate," Zu An said with an awkward smile. Ever since the Golden Phoenix's ability merged with his Primordial Chaos Scripture, his vital energy, when used for healing, always carried a slight aphrodisiac effect. If he only subtly infused a small amount of vital energy to slowly aid a seriously injured person, it was fine. But if he deeply intervened in their healing process, things could easily go wrong.

"Why are you so stingy? What's inappropriate?" Shang Hongyu was puzzled. "I urgently need to recover quickly to handle the upcoming situation. Even if there are any issues, I can accept them."

Pestered by her and finding it difficult to explain verbally, Zu An walked over to her side and directly poked her with a finger, activating his Primordial Chaos Scripture.

Shang Hongyu felt a warm current of energy enter her body, quickly flowing through her limbs and bones. Many of her previous pains eased considerably.

"Oh, your healing is quite effective! Why were you so reluctant earlier... Oh!"

Mid-sentence, she suddenly shuddered all over, and an involuntary, embarrassed moan escaped her lips. Startled, she quickly covered her mouth. Her beautiful face instantly flushed crimson, and her phoenix eyes glared at him in anger: "You... what on earth are you doing?!"

Anger value from Shang Hongyu: 333...

Zu An was a little surprised that the woman's anger value was so low, but he still retracted his finger and spread his hands: "Now do you understand why I didn't want to heal you?"

Shang Hongyu, initially stunned, finally realized what was happening, and her expression became extraordinarily vivid: "Are you saying that your healing causes... causes women to... become aroused?"

"Perhaps... probably," Zu An said awkwardly. No matter how he looked at it, this cultivation method of his seemed a bit improper, and it was always somewhat embarrassing to talk about.

Shang Hongyu's face alternated between red and white, and she lightly spat: "Pervert!" The sensation from that brief moment was truly explosive, leaving her still feeling a little dizzy.

Zu An: "..."

He was also a bit depressed: "I told you I couldn't heal you, but you insisted."

At this, Shang Hongyu couldn't help but let out a giggle: "What on earth do you usually learn, you scoundrel? No wonder I heard you have so many beautiful women around you."

"Didn't you say I was an innocent young man before?" Zu An retorted irritably.

"That's because I didn't know you had this ability before," Shang Hongyu said, wanting to laugh more as she spoke. "This ability of yours is perfect for bullying women."

Zu An's expression turned serious: "All the confidantes around me are mutually fond of me. I've never used this ability for anything improper or crooked."

"Oh, I was just teasing you! Why are you getting so serious?" Shang Hongyu's melodious laughter echoed throughout the cave. "I know you're a virtuous gentleman. But I really can't let you help me anymore."

Actually, a thought had flashed through her mind just now: perhaps she should just let him help her heal. After all, her conscience was clear, the other party had an unusual relationship with Liuyu, and he currently seemed like a courteous gentleman. He should be able to overcome those distracting impulses. However, she ultimately dismissed the idea. If things accidentally got out of hand, there would be no way to salvage the situation. Moreover, even if both of them managed to maintain control, what face would she have to see him again after he witnessed her embarrassing state?

Hmph, this guy's ability is truly lewd. He's practically a walking human aphrodisiac! She'd have to remind her younger sister to be careful in the future and definitely not fall into his trap by accident.

Zu An walked to the cliff entrance of the cave and sat down cross-legged, facing the sea with his back to her. He said, "Rest and heal with peace of mind. I'll guard you here."

Seeing his broad back, a warmth spread in Shang Hongyu's heart: "You can come in a bit, it's windy outside."

"It's fine. My current cultivation makes me impervious to cold or heat; this little wind won't bother me," Zu An said, already having closed his eyes. Come to think of it, he had also been traveling day and night during this period and hadn't rested in a long time.

"Thank you," Shang Hongyu said, looking deeply at him before beginning to circulate her energy to absorb the elixir she had just taken.

Feeling the continuous flow of medicinal power, she secretly admired him. She had been in a hurry during her escape, and the few elixirs she had brought with her had long been used up. His elixir was quite excellent; even among the Sea Clan, it would be considered top-tier. She would find an opportunity to ask him what kind of elixir it was later. Hmm, but it was still a bit less effective than his vital energy healing from earlier.

Recalling the warm sensation that spread through her entire body when his aura entered her, it felt as if every cell in her body was cheering. Hmm, his women must be truly fortunate to enjoy his healing without any reservations.

As she thought, her cheeks suddenly flushed, and her breathing became a little heavier. Startled, she immediately opened her eyes. "Shang Hongyu, oh Shang Hongyu, he only used his energy on you once, and you're already so susceptible?"

"What's wrong?" Even though Zu An was in meditation, he still noticed her unusual state.

"N-nothing," Shang Hongyu said, flustered. It would be mortifying if he knew what she had just been thinking.

As a descendant of the Sea Clan, her insight and composure were extraordinary. She quickly composed herself, expelled the distracting thoughts from her mind, and began to seriously heal her injuries.

She didn't know how much time had passed, but the myriad stars began to fade, and the distant sea on the horizon started to be tinged with a faint yellow glow.

Shang Hongyu opened her eyes, stood up, and came to Zu An's side, unable to help but sigh: "I can't believe it's almost sunrise."

"How are your internal injuries?" Zu An asked.

"Much better. At least they've stabilized. If I continue to regulate my breathing for a period each day, I should gradually recover," Shang Hongyu replied, gazing absently at the distant ocean.

Zu An secretly praised her. As expected of the Sea Clan Queen, both her cultivation and innate talent were top-tier in this world. Such severe injuries were recovering much faster than he had anticipated.

Noticing her longing gaze, Zu An paused: "What are you looking at?"

"I miss the sea," Shang Hongyu said, a little embarrassed. "There's a problematic issue with my injuries now: simply cultivating my energy like this is far less effective."

"What?" Zu An frowned slightly. The faster her injuries healed, the sooner he could go search for the Divine Dragon Immortality Elixir.

"Our mermaid race has a special constitution. We cannot stay out of water for long periods, or we will gradually become weak, and healing injuries naturally takes twice the effort for half the result," Shang Hongyu replied.

Zu An finally understood why her gaze towards the sea held such longing. No wonder Shang Liuyu's courtyard in Brightmoon City always had a large swimming pool ready; it was all due to their constitution.

"Then why don't you just jump into the sea and swim for a while? The ocean is so vast; you're bound to find a place without people, right?" Zu An asked, a little puzzled.

"It's true that I can find uninhabited places, but once I reveal my true form, the mermaid race's aura is difficult to conceal. The fake Dragon King has a magic treasure that can detect mermaid auras, so his subordinates would quickly track me down," Shang Hongyu said, sounding troubled. "That's why those patrolling sea yakshas have been so persistently haunting me these past few days."

Zu An mused, no wonder those black-mist-shrouded patrolling sea yakshas had tracked her so precisely before; it must have been because she couldn't resist going for a swim in the sea earlier.

"It's alright, I'll help you," Zu An said after a moment's thought.

"How will you help?" Shang Hongyu was startled.

"By concealing your aura," Zu An said with a smile. He naturally wouldn't miss any method that could help her recover faster—of course, personally healing her was out of the question.

"But..." Shang Hongyu suddenly stopped speaking, then remembered that this guy was someone at the peak of the world. With his concealment, she naturally wouldn't be detected.

"That's great! Come with me!" Immediately, Shang Hongyu flew towards a direction in the sea.

Zu An quickly followed her. After flying for about half an hour, they soon arrived in an area of clear sea.

Compared to the waters near the previous tavern, this sea was crystal clear, like jelly or glass, sparkling brilliantly under the sunlight.

"This is it! I had my eye on this part of the sea before, but I never dared to come," Shang Hongyu said, her excitement as childlike as a young girl's.

Zu An casually waved his hand, and an inexplicable aura enveloped an area of several miles. "You can go down now. No one will be able to detect you."

Feeling the vital energy barrier in the distance, which was almost tangible, Shang Hongyu secretly clicked her tongue, then chuckled: "Why don't you turn around? I'm about to take off my clothes."