Chapter 332: Impossible to Escapemu

Given Pei Mianman's intelligence, she naturally didn't believe that Zu An, with his personality, would simply bring a drunk friend back and then stay the night.

Zu An's expression stiffened. He replied, "I'm also here to look for something."

Pei Mianman pressed, "What are you looking for?"

As Zu An put on his clothes, he shook his head. "Too much is involved to tell you."

Pei Mianman scoffed, "Well, I also have reasons I can't tell you."

Zu An smiled slightly. "Let's not talk about unhappy things. How about we discuss something cheerful, like taking off your clothes..."

Pei Mianman was startled and quickly took a few steps back. "What do you want to do?"

Zu An explained, "Don't misunderstand, that's not what I meant. It's just that you're soaked and injured right now, and wearing wet clothes could easily make you sick."

"That's simple," Pei Mianman said, about to summon black flames to evaporate the water from her clothes, when she suddenly realized that using elemental power now would alert the Wei family guards. Moreover, she was severely wounded; trying to precisely control black flames to dry her clothes at that moment would likely be beyond her capabilities.

"You just took a hit from that person; there's no way you can run out now. It's best to heal your injuries here." Zu An spread out a nearby quilt. "Once you take off your clothes, get under the covers. I won't peek."

"I doubt you'd dare, or I'd tell Chu Yan," Pei Mianman scoffed, then suddenly realized, "How did you know I was hit by that person?"

Zu An smiled wryly. "I was there at the time. Otherwise, how would I have happened to save you?"

Pei Mianman looked astonished. "You weren't discovered?"

Zu An smiled faintly. "I guess I'm just lucky."

Pei Mianman couldn't understand why she was discovered first, despite her cultivation being higher than his. She merely attributed it to bad luck, taking the fall for him. "The person in that room was terrifyingly powerful. Just one strike from that distance almost killed me on the spot." She had never been in such a sorry state since mastering her skills. That terrifying blow instantly shattered her protective vital energy.

"So, you should quickly heal. I'll dry your clothes for you in the meantime." Zu An didn't offer to help her heal, as this world was different from the wuxia novels where ordinary vital energy automatically had healing functions. He wouldn't know how to help even if he wanted to. Of course, if it involved intimate contact and the Primordial Beginning Scripture, he could help with healing, but mentioning that now would only make Pei Mianman suspect his intentions.

"How will you dry them here? Do you perhaps have fire-element cultivation techniques?" Pei Mianman asked curiously.

"Who said you need fire-element skills to dry your clothes?" Zu An said confidently.

Pei Mianman hesitated, then said, "Then turn your back." She knew that continuously wearing wet clothes was not a good solution. If any other man had made such a request, she wouldn't have accepted, no matter how uncomfortable her wet clothes made her. But coming from Zu An, it wasn't entirely unacceptable. Their relationship was strange, somewhere between friends and enemies, yet in some ways, he was more reliable than anyone else.

After Zu An turned away, Pei Mianman removed her wet clothes, revealing her flawless body. "You're not allowed to peek!"

"Don't worry," Zu An said helplessly. "If I really wanted to look, I'd do it openly. Why would I sneak a peek?"

Pei Mianman's face flushed slightly. This guy was always so rascally when he spoke, yet he was far more interesting than all the righteous gentlemen she had encountered before. Quickly slipping under the covers, she finally said, "I'm ready."

Zu An then turned back, seeing that she had wrapped herself up completely. He couldn't help but chuckle. "Are you really that afraid I'll see?"

Pei Mianman scoffed, "Haven't you seen enough already?"

At her words, both their hearts skipped a beat.

Pei Mianman's expression became a little unnatural, and she cleared her throat twice. "Oh, by the way, get me the medicine from my clothes."

Zu An went over and fumbled in her wet clothes for a bottle of healing medicine, which he handed to her at the bedside. He thought to himself that he should also prepare some of these healing medicines. Unfortunately, he hadn't drawn a single red vitality potion from the lottery recently. He would have to ask Ji Dengtu for some healing medicine, but then he remembered how he had just dealt with Ji Xiaoxi. If Ji Dengtu found out, merely flaying him would be a light punishment. How could he possibly ask for medicine now?

Just as Pei Mianman reached out to take it, she suddenly remembered she wasn't wearing any clothes and quickly pulled her arm back.

"I'm a bit... inconvenienced," Pei Mianman said with some embarrassment. "Could you... pour out the medicine and... feed it to me?"

Zu An was momentarily stunned but quickly responded, "No problem." He poured a pill into his palm. Although he didn't recognize the medicine, its fragrant scent suggested it was a high-quality healing balm. He moved closer, supporting Pei Mianman with one hand and bringing the pill to her lips with the other. Pei Mianman lowered her head slightly and swallowed the pill from his palm.

The brief touch of her lips on his palm and the warmth of her tongue made Zu An's heart skip a few extra beats. His gaze involuntarily fell to the side. As Pei Mianman had moved, a section of the quilt had slipped, revealing a patch of her creamy, fair skin around her fragrant shoulder.

"Want me to pull it down further for you to see?" the beauty's voice, tinged with a playful smile, echoed in his ear.

Zu An instinctively replied, "If you really pull it down, I certainly wouldn't mind."

"Pull your big head, you idiot!" Pei Mianman hadn't expected him to be so brazen. She spat out a retort and quickly pulled the quilt back up, pushing him away in the process. "Go on, dry my clothes. If they're not dry, I'll just take yours, hmph!"

"Of course," Zu An chuckled, sitting to the side and tidying her wet clothes, occasionally glancing at her. Although only her head was visible now, he had to admit that she was truly beautiful. Normally, he only saw her alluring and graceful side. This was the first time he'd seen her with such a pure, fresh beauty, like a lotus emerging from clear water. As if sensing his gaze, a faint blush appeared on Pei Mianman's fair cheeks, but she said nothing.

After more than an hour passed like this, Pei Mianman gently exhaled and slowly opened her eyes.

Zu An quickly asked, "How are you? Have your injuries healed?"

"Not that quickly," Pei Mianman retorted with a glare. "I've only temporarily suppressed the internal injuries and regained some mobility. By the way, how are my clothes?"

"They're dry," Zu An said, holding up her neatly dried clothes in front of her.

"Huh, I saw you put a thin layer of ice on the clothes earlier. Why did they dry so quickly?" Pei Mianman was very confused.

"That's called sublimation. Sigh, you don't understand physics, so explaining it won't help. The priority now is to get you out of here," Zu An said. If they waited until dawn, it would be even harder for her to leave. And by that time, he would also have to leave the Wei manor, leaving no one to help her. It was a pity he hadn't come by palanquin or carriage; otherwise, he could have taken her out with him tomorrow morning.

"You should get dressed first," Zu An said, going to the window to observe. He saw Wei family guards patrolling everywhere with torches; it would be hard for even a fly to get out.