Chapter 468: A Fatal Strike

"Thank you for participating... Thank you for participating... Vitality Fruit... Thank you for participating..."

Previously, whenever he drew "Thank you for participating," Zu An would feel incredibly depressed. Now, however, he had no time for such negative emotions; he just kept pressing the lottery button quickly.

Eventually, Zu An's face grew increasingly grim. He hadn't drawn "Believe in Brother Chun," nor any skills. He had, however, drawn quite a few Vitality Fruits, 49 in total, but that wasn't what he needed right now.

Only two draws were left!

"Oh my god, I can't be this unlucky, can I? Jade Emperor, Tathagata Buddha, and all the gods of this world, please bless me so I can draw 'Believe in Brother Chun'!" Zu An prayed fervently.

Unfortunately, the very next draw was still "Thank you for participating..."

With only one draw left, Zu An's face showed a conflicted expression: "If all you powerful beings bless me to win this time, I'd rather not draw anything good in any subsequent draws!"

Just as he was about to press the button, he still felt uneasy and added, "Forget it, I'll bet the luck of three draws. As long as I win this time, I won't mind if I don't draw any skills or items in the next three draws."

He looked pained as he made the wish, clearly feeling the immense loss. However, remembering that Qiao Xueying had sacrificed half her lifespan to save him, and that her vitality was so damaged she was on the verge of death, he felt his own loss was insignificant.

Since he started using the lottery, his heart had never pounded so anxiously.

Trembling, he pressed the Enter key. When the cursor finally stopped on "1," Zu An instantly burst into tears: "Heaven, you really do love me after all!"

However, he then had a thought: he hadn't been able to draw it no matter what before, but as soon as he uttered such a harsh oath, he won. He felt as if a profound malevolence was at play in the unseen world.

He didn't have time to complain. He quickly helped Qiao Xueying up; her body was alarmingly limp, and her temperature was icy cold. Zu An's heart skipped a beat, and he hastily supported her, pouring the liquid from "Believe in Brother Chun" into her mouth.

But Qiao Xueying was in a deep coma and completely unconscious, unable to swallow. Soon, a trickle of the liquid medicine slipped from the corner of her lips.

Zu An watched, heartbroken. Left with no choice, he first poured the liquid from the bottle into his own mouth, then transferred the medicine to her mouth, lip-to-lip.

Gently guiding her tongue to form a channel, he enveloped the "Believe in Brother Chun" liquid and slowly helped her swallow it bit by bit.

Fearing it would spill out again, Zu An didn't dare to let go, remaining in that position.

"Believe in Brother Chun" was indeed miraculous. Not long after drinking it, Qiao Xueying slowly opened her eyes. Seeing Zu An so close, a flicker of confusion crossed her face, but she immediately reacted, pushing him away in a panic: "What are you doing?!"

As she spoke, she wiped her mouth, feeling the dampness around her lips.

Rage value from Qiao Xueying: 123!

"What are you wiping? That was the medicine that spilled out," Zu An rolled his eyes. "I didn't even mind your dirty saliva, and now you're disgusted by me?"

Qiao Xueying, however, was trembling: "You pervert, how could you do such a thing to me while I was unconscious!"

Rage value from Qiao Xueying: 168!

Zu An looked dejected, wondering what was wrong with this woman. She was clearly so angry, yet the rage value contributed was so little? It used to be 999 at the slightest provocation!

"What 'such a thing'? I was saving you! You couldn't swallow the medicine I gave you, and it all spilled out, so I had no other choice."

Qiao Xueying froze. Indeed, a medicinal taste lingered on her lips, and the flavor clearly indicated a very high-grade medicine, better than any she had ever taken before.

She could even feel that most of her injuries had healed, and the place where she was shot with an arrow in her back no longer hurt; instead, there was a tingling, itching sensation, a sign that the wound was about to close.

Only then did she realize she had misunderstood him. A hint of embarrassment appeared on her face: "Um... I'm sorry. I hope you can understand that any girl would react strongly in such a situation."

Zu An couldn't help but say, "That's for strangers. We've kissed more than once or twice, so do you really need to react so strongly?"

Qiao Xueying's face immediately flushed. "Is that the same? I only kissed you just now to save you, not because I actually wanted to kiss you."

Zu An also looked aggrieved: "I also just now kissed you... *Pah*, to save you."

A hint of discomfort flashed across Qiao Xueying's face. She untied the ropes binding her and moved out of his embrace: "Anyway, my kiss earlier was to activate 'Half-Life Bond,' and it didn't mean anything else. We are not a couple, so please don't just kiss me casually in the future."

"I can't kiss you casually?" Zu An immediately chuckled. "So, according to you, as long as there's a good reason, or if you agree, I can kiss you?"

Qiao Xueying was almost dizzy from his teasing. Annoyed, she said, "How could I possibly agree?!"

"You never know," Zu An said, smiling like an old fox.

Qiao Xueying felt extremely uncomfortable with his smile and turned her face away: "There's absolutely no such possibility... Huh, wait a minute..."

She suddenly turned back and glared at him: "Since you had such a miraculous medicine, why didn't you take it out earlier? Were you deliberately tricking me into using 'Half-Life Bond'?"

Rage value from Qiao Xueying: 666!

She had already imagined many conspiracies, thinking that she had fallen into his trick and sacrificed the most precious thing in her life!

"You're wrong!" Zu An exclaimed. "This medicine was something I just exchanged for at a great cost to save you. If I had it before, I would've drunk it already. Besides, how would I have known you had this 'Half-Life Bond' in the first place, let alone tricked you?"

Qiao Xueying considered this. Half-Life Bond was her biggest secret; not even Shi Kun knew about it, so this guy certainly couldn't have known beforehand.

Only then did she feel somewhat relieved. However, she glanced around suspiciously. "Where did you exchange for it in this place?"

"I naturally have my ways. Just as you paid a huge price to use 'Half-Life Bond,' this also cost me a tremendous amount." Zu An wasn't lying; the thought of not drawing anything good in the next three lottery rounds made his heart ache.

Qiao Xueying, however, misunderstood, thinking that he had also used some once-in-a-lifetime skill like she had. For a moment, she felt both touched and flustered: "Actually, you... you don't have to be so good to me."

Zu An waved his hand. "You saved my life; how could I abandon you? I'm known for being clear about debts of gratitude and grievances."

Qiao Xueying gazed at him blankly, and suddenly, her eyes became a little misty.

Why was such a simple principle so difficult for some people to uphold? In times of crisis, they only cared about themselves.

Seeing her staring blankly, with teary eyes, Zu An couldn't help but say, "You're touched by this? You're really too naive."

"Nonsense, who's touched? I just got sand in my eyes. Who told you to smash these terracotta warriors into pieces and kick up so much dust?" Qiao Xueying turned away, wiping her eyes and speaking stubbornly.

"Since you've recovered, go take care of the remaining terracotta warrior. I'm too tired; I need to rest for a bit." Zu An sat down on the ground.

"Okay!" Qiao Xueying didn't dare to look at him, and with a guilty conscience, she rushed toward the remaining terracotta warrior.

"Poor guy, he's become her punching bag," Zu An thought, clicking his tongue. Meanwhile, he took out the 49 Vitality Fruits he had drawn earlier and consumed them. Streams of warmth coursed through his meridians, making him feel as if he were soaking in a hot spring, utterly warm and comfortable.

He suddenly discovered an astonishing fact: after consuming these 49 Vitality Fruits, his sixth magic array was completely filled!

It should be noted that the sixth magic array theoretically required 610 Vitality Fruits!

He had just filled the fifth magic array by consuming a petal of the Traceless Illusion Lotus. How could the sixth magic array be filled so quickly?

He immediately thought of the numerous life-and-death battles he had experienced recently, several times narrowly escaping death, and suffering countless severe injuries. If not for Qiao Xueying's "Half-Life Bond," he didn't know how many times he would have died already.

The Phoenix Nirvana Scripture essentially relies on taking hits to improve cultivation. It seemed the hardships of these battles weren't for nothing.

Of course, Qiao Xueying was the one he should thank the most. The thought of unexpectedly gaining hundreds of years of lifespan left him speechless.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" By this time, Qiao Xueying had destroyed the remaining terracotta warrior and returned. Noticing his gaze, she immediately showed a strange expression.

"I suddenly realized you're quite beautiful," Zu An replied with a grin. Originally, it was just a casual compliment, but upon closer inspection, he saw her skin was whiter than snow, and her starry eyes sparkled like ripples. Her beauty used to be overlooked because she often dressed like a maid, but now in normal attire, she was indeed exquisitely beautiful and incomparably charming. No wonder she could be ranked alongside Chu Chuyan on the Beauty List in the academy.

Hearing his words, Qiao Xueying's face flushed slightly, and she spat, "Go fool Chu Chuyan with those words, don't use them on me."

"Huh, why aren't you even calling her 'Miss' anymore?" Zu An asked, surprised.

"I infiltrated the Chu family on a mission; I'm not really their maid, so why should I keep calling her Miss?" Qiao Xueying said, inexplicably irritated. "Besides, I made such a huge sacrifice to save her this time, which counts as repaying her many years of kindness."

"Alright..." Zu An wanted to say more, but suddenly a fierce gust of wind blew around them. The remnants of the terracotta warriors on the ground instantly turned into fine dust and were blown away without a trace. Immediately after, the space before them twisted, and a familiar sensation of weightlessness returned.

When they came to their senses, they found themselves back in the underground palace.

Noticing that they were standing in the center of the Earth Seal, their previous experience made them simultaneously shout, "Watch out!"

As they spoke, they both reached out to pull the other to jump away. However, upon noticing each other's actions, they paused, and then the Earth Seal beneath their feet opened, dropping them once again to the third underground level.

"Oh, you two were arguing fiercely before you went in, and now you're holding hands and caring for each other. I wonder what happened in the seal to cause such a big change in you two," a teasing voice from all directions, belonging to Mi Li, echoed.

Their hands retreated like lightning. Qiao Xueying uncomfortably turned her face away: "Who cares about him? Even if it were a pig here, as long as it was my companion, I'd still lend a hand."

Zu An looked glum: "I wouldn't be that kind-hearted. If it were a pig next to me, I definitely wouldn't pull it."

Qiao Xueying suddenly turned back: "Who are you calling a pig?"

"Didn't I just pull you? That proves you're not a pig," Zu An said, spreading his hands.

"I don't need you to prove I'm not a pig..." As soon as Qiao Xueying spoke, she paused, realizing how strange her words sounded.

"Men truly are no good. His own wife is on the verge of death, yet he still has the mood to flirt with another woman, *heh heh*," Mi Li sneered repeatedly.