Yun Jianyue’s entire body stiffened, and her injuries, which she had barely stabilized, flared up again. In her current state, she was equivalent to a low-level cultivator. If these guards accosted her, it would be hard for her to escape, even with her experience and her sight.

This could even trigger other guards to rush to the scene. At that point, the entire palace would be after her, and she would be dead for sure.

She didn’t want to admit it, but she had no choice but to rely on this man right now.

Yun Jianyue immediately panicked when she heard the guards’ approaching footsteps. 

This fear was foreign to her, something she had not felt ever since her cultivations had scaled such great heights.

Two cats suddenly jumped out, hissing at the guards.

The female cat was especially fierce.

The guards chuckled. “It’s just a female cat in heat. She was with her partner just now.”

“You scared her! Watch out, she might come after you at night!”

“Tsk, I would’ve loved if it was some cute catgirl.”

…

They walked away, chatting amongst themselves, clearly attributing the noises they had heard to these cats. They continued their patrol elsewhere.

Yun Jianyue’s expression was ashen, because she was in the embrace of a man right now. It almost seemed as though those guards had been talking about her.

“Did you cause the cats to act that way?” she asked curiously as they left the garden.

“Yeah.” Zu An looked at the jade badge in his hands. Even though the trinket wasn’t a deadly weapon, it truly had its own uses. Controlling two cats to divert the guards’ attention had been a piece of cake.

“Why did you choose a female and a male cat?” Yun Jianyue asked, frowning.

“Um, these two just happened to be nearby. The guards might not have believed that a single one could make that much noise.” Zu An was taken aback. This woman focuses on some very strange details… Shouldn’t she be asking why I can control the cats? But now, it seemed as though he didn’t have to make up an excuse for that.

He suddenly froze. His mind had been so tense earlier on, but now that the danger was past, he realized that there was something soft pressed against his chest.

As expected of a master… This woman’s body is mature yet tender, just like ripe honey peaches.

He could smell a faint scent as well. There was no way she would use any perfume while conducting an assassination. This was probably her natural scent.

It was not the smell of cosmetics, but a natural, delicate fragrance.

This was a world of cultivation. Once one cultivated oneself to a certain degree, any impurities within the body would have been refined away, and one would never accumulate dirt or grime. A cultivator could remain perfectly clean even if they did not shower for a month.

Of course, most cultivators weren’t born with high cultivation. They lived like ordinary humans for a good part of their lives, so bathing and changing into fresh clothes was a natural habit. Even after their cultivation increased, they would instinctively retain these habits.

“Have you held me for long enough?” Yun Jianyue said coldly.

Zu An laughed in embarrassment and quickly let go of her. “I didn’t recognize you earlier on. Please forgive me for that, big sis.”

“Big sis?” Yun Jianyue had a strange look on her face. “Honglei calls me master, and you are her friend. That makes me your senior as well. You should call me that instead.”

Zu An chuckled. “Honglei calls you master, and I will call you big sis. There’s nothing wrong with that. To each their own.”

Yun Jianyue stared at him expressionlessly.

She didn’t feel like arguing with him over this, and walked away slowly. Having a man this close to her was slightly discomforting.

Unfortunately, she had still underestimated her own injuries. He had given her some support while he was holding her, but when she tried to move on her own, she felt dizzy the moment she took a single step. Her legs buckled, and she couldn’t help but fall to the side.

“Be careful!” Zu An cried, quickly moving to support her.

“Thanks.” Yun Jianyue was surprisingly unbothered by this. She wasn’t embarrassed or annoyed just because he had touched her while helping her.

“Are your wounds that serious?” Zu An asked, concerned.

Yun Jianyue leaned against a rock, her complexion a bit pale. “They were okay earlier on, but my condition worsened when I fought with you just now, and they seem to have flared up again.” 

She removed the veil covering her face, as the blood on it was extremely uncomfortable.

Zu An’s eyes immediately widened. Even though he had seen her graceful bearing and assumed that she was pretty, he hadn’t expected her to be so beautiful.

She did not look at all like a young maiden yet to reach full bloom, but gave off the grace of a mature woman instead. This was when a woman was most enchanting.

He had expected that she would be full of viciousness, since she was the sect master of the Devil Sect, and that she might even have a trace of masculine valor.

But this was not the case at all. On the contrary, her grace and beauty were exceptional, her lips red and moist, ahd her cheeks fair and white. Her ample bosom moved as she breathed. She was a truly wonderful sight to behold, one that would tug at the hearts of all men.

He could sense how slim her waist was, even through her black clothes. Her bottom was incredibly well-sculpted and offered the greatest temptation.

She was truly an extraordinary beauty!

This thought filled Zu An’s mind. She was just too stunning, as glamorous as a peony in full bloom.

Her eyes however, seemed distant, seemingly set apart from the mortal world. They had a deep profoundness to them, as though they were two bright moons set against the stars above. Even though they were beautiful, she seemed to be looking down from high above the world, giving her a distant, mysterious look.

These two sides of her seemed contradictory, yet they meshed together perfectly. Without her cold, distant eyes, she might seem like an extraordinary beauty who would enjoy a night in bed, which seemed to tarnish her style slightly.

However, without the mature and sensual side to her, she would seem too distant, too emotionless.

“If you weren’t a friend of Honglei, I would have already gouged out your eyeballs.” Yun Jianyue seemed to be speaking about something completely insignificant, but she was giving off a terrifying aura.

“It’s not like you can defeat me right now, anyway,” Zu An grumbled under his breath.

“What did you say?” Yun Jianyue’s eyebrows were raised, and there was a dangerous glint to her eyes.

Zu An immediately changed his tone. “I’m just crying out in injustice for those fellas who had their eyes gouged out. Just because they were staring at you doesn’t mean that they harbored wicked thoughts. You’re just too beautiful. Not even someone like me, who has seen his fair share of beautiful women, could avert my gaze, let alone the other guys without such luck. They were admiring and praising a work of art that would be glimpsed only once in a lifetime, and yet they had their eyes gouged out. Isn’t that too pitiful a fate?”

“Are you trying to tell me how I should act?” Yun Jianyue’s face remained expressionless.

“Um…” Zu An at a loss for words. He found keeping up with her slightly difficult. “Couldn’t you tell that I was praising your beauty in a roundabout way?”

“Since you said that they were admiring a work of art that they would only see once in a lifetime, then it should be worth it. Why retain their sight, only to continue looking at ugliness?” Yun Jianyue said indifferently.

Zu An was stupefied. “Wow, you’re making so much sense, even I can’t rebut that.”

“This is the first time I’ve met an embroidered envoy with such a slick tongue.” Yun Jianyue paused for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Is this how you deceived Honglei?”

Zu An sighed. “Big sis, do you have such little confidence in your disciple? Is Honglei really someone that is so easily fooled?”

Yun Jianyue stared at him. “I’m only putting up with you because I know she isn’t that sort of person.”

Zu An was dumbfounded.

Sis, if you keep this up, you won’t have any friends, you know?

As such, he decided to just stop talking.

The two of them stared at each other for a moment, and Yun Jianyue finally couldn’t help but frown. “Do you plan to just stand around with me like this? If I’m right, more guards are on their way.”

Zu An chuckled. “So? It’s not as though they’re after me,” he replied.