Chapter 1081: Unexpected

The experienced individuals in the cave were initially startled, but then quickly reacted.

Yu Yanluo's cheeks flushed, and she cursed under her breath.

Zu An's face darkened as he stared intently at the Venomous Child. "Are you playing a trick on me?"

The Venomous Child applied medicine to the wound on his leg as he replied, "Hmph, we're all men, is this really hard to understand? What's the purpose of 'bull's milk' if not to make women overcome with desire? You can clearly detoxify her with your own body; would you really invent an antidote and miss the chance to embrace a beauty?"

Zu An was speechless.

While his logic was twisted, it was undeniably hard to argue against.

The Venomous Child then revealed a meaningful smile. "Stop pretending. This is the most beautiful woman in the world. What man wouldn't be tempted? I've given you such a great opportunity; you should be thanking me. And don't forget to tell me what it's like to drink the milk of the world's most beautiful woman."

Speaking of which, he got angry. He had done all the work for others, not only gaining nothing but also getting severely beaten, with even his kneecap fractured.

The people around them looked strange. This guy had mentioned "drinking milk" several times since earlier. Was he obsessed with milk?

However, seeing his childlike appearance, it seemed somewhat understandable.

Kong Qing frowned subtly. This guy was courting death. He only blamed himself for not explaining clearly; the Venomous Child didn't know the relationship between this man and the Princess?

Sigh, he had just brought the Princess's beloved together with another woman. When the Princess found out later, who knew how furious she would be.

But as things stood, he had no choice. He could only take it one step at a time.

Jian Taiding, on the other hand, was both surprised and enraged. "Bastard, since you developed this poison, how could you not have an antidote? You're clearly trying to stir up chaos!"

He was the one least wanting to see this scene unfold. Although his sister-in-law and this man had probably already 'rolled in the sheets' before, doing it again right in front of him was unbearable.

The Venomous Child was in a bad mood. Hearing this, he sneered, "I advise you not to meddle. They are a talented man and a beautiful woman; why do you object? Perhaps you want to go and detoxify this beauty yourself, but look at your current feeble state – can you even do it?"

Jian Taiding almost spat blood. "You... you're talking nonsense!"

Of course, he wanted to help his sister-in-law detoxify, but in this situation, it clearly wasn't his turn.

The Venomous Child wanted to vent more, but Zu An couldn't hold back. "Shut up! Do you think I'm as dirty as you imagine? If I want a woman, it must be mutual consent. How could I resort to such despicable means?"

"Yes, yes, you're noble, you're amazing," the Venomous Child said, suppressing his anger. "I've told you the antidote method; use it or don't. But don't blame me for not warning you: she's deeply poisoned now. If she's not detoxified quickly, she'll die from the internal fire." He was fuming internally, having worked all day without getting even a sip of the 'soup,' let alone the 'meat,' and then being used as a villainous foil.

"We're all men; why the pretense?!"

With that, he pushed off with his hands, bouncing out of the cave like a rubber ball, clearly not wanting to remain in that depressing place.

Kong Qing also coughed. "Since the competition is over, we'll take our leave."

With that, he prepared to leave.

Jian Taiding grew anxious. "Mr. Kong, how can you leave? What about our future cooperation?"

"Second Master Jian, our demon tribe only allies with the strong, not with failures," Kong Qing said coldly, then left with his subordinates.

While their business in Cloud-Mid Commandery might face some trouble without Jian Taiding's protection, finding another representative wouldn't be difficult.

Moreover, they had established good relations with Zu An, the imperial envoy. With his connection to the Princess, Kong Qing didn't believe Zu An would truly refuse to help them at all later on.

Soon, a group of people departed one after another, and the once lively ice cave became quiet again.

Just then, a soft moan escaped, a delicate, sweet sound that was enough to make any man's heart race and blood boil.

Jian Taiding struggled, wanting to rush to Yu Yanluo's side. Unfortunately, his injuries were compounded, and the potent drug was backfiring, so he stumbled and fell to the ground just as he stood up.

Feeling the coldness of the ground, he felt like crying but had no tears.

Even if Yu Yanluo agreed to let him detoxify her now, he was willing but powerless.

Zu An completely ignored him and hurried over to support Yu Yanluo. "Madam, are you alright?"

Yu Yanluo trembled and recoiled. "Don't... don't touch me."

Her elaborate hairstyle had already come undone, obscuring her devastatingly beautiful face.

However, half-hidden and half-revealed like this, it only intensified her captivating allure.

"Alright, I won't touch you," Zu An quickly stepped back, spreading his hands to show he had no intention of offending her.

Perhaps feeling her tone had been too harsh, Yu Yanluo's voice softened slightly. "Take me back to the Yu Manor."

Although she tried to control it, her trembling voice still revealed how uncomfortable she was.

Zu An shook his head. "You're deeply poisoned; it's probably too late to go back now."

The Venomous Child's warning still echoed in his ears.

Yu Yanluo guardedly covered her chest with both hands. "What do you want to do?"

Jian Taiding in the corner was also in immense pain. This inevitable moment was coming; he might as well just die.

But he decided to wait. Before he died, he could at least catch a glimpse of his sister-in-law's body—something he had yearned for day and night. He just hadn't expected it to happen in such circumstances, and to be unveiled by another man.

Seeing Yu Yanluo's strong reaction, Zu An knew she had misunderstood. He thought for a moment, then took a pill from his sleeve. "Take this."

"What is this?" Yu Yanluo hesitated. In her opinion, she was already poisoned, so there was no need for him to give her more medicine.

However, having been surrounded by 'wolves' for so many years, her reserved nature made her wary of any unfamiliar pills.

Furthermore, this guy had a history and carried so many strange drugs.

"This is a Calming Pill," Zu An explained. "Ji Xiaoxi gave it to me. It can calm the mind and spirit, and to some extent, neutralize the effects of that drug."

Thinking of Ji Xiaoxi's innocent and pure face, Yu Yanluo breathed a sigh of relief. With no more doubts, she swallowed the pill.

In the corner, Jian Taiding felt both disappointed and relieved, his expression extremely complex for a moment.

"How is it?" Zu An asked, looking at Yu Yanluo with concern.

"It seems to be working a little," Yu Yanluo said. "There's a cool sensation dispersing the heat within my body." She began to circulate her energy to neutralize the drug's effects.

Zu An breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good, that's good."

Perhaps because things had taken a turn for the better, Yu Yanluo's mood improved. She mischievously blinked, "Why do you sound so disappointed?"

Zu An was quite frank. "If I weren't disappointed, I wouldn't be a man. But I'm very curious, if I hadn't happened to have this pill, Madam... what would you have done?"

Yu Yanluo's face flushed, and she spat lightly. "Of course, I would go back to the Yu family. Even if I died on the way, it would be no big deal. Could it be... could it be that I would still let you save me?"

Zu An sighed. "In that situation, to save you, Madam, I probably wouldn't have been able to worry about whether you were willing or not."

"Pah, vulgar," Yu Yanluo turned her head away, her heart pounding. Yet, for some reason, his frankness made her feel he was honest, unlike many hypocrites she had met before whose eyes clearly wanted to strip her clothes off but pretended to be upright and uninterested in women.

"Are you forgetting there's someone else here while you're flirting?" Jian Taiding had just heard their conversation. At first, he was ecstatic, as their talk seemed to imply they hadn't yet been intimate.

However, he quickly sensed a subtle change in Yu Yanluo's attitude, thinking that even if nothing had happened before, it soon would at this rate.

At the same time, he felt a tinge of regret that he would probably never get the chance to see his sister-in-law's body this way.

Yu Yanluo's face was frosty. "You have the nerve to speak? Isn't all of this your fault, I..."

She was about to say something when she suddenly froze, an unnatural blush spreading across her face.

"What's wrong?" Zu An quickly asked from beside her.

"Your medicine... it seems to have worn off," Yu Yanluo's voice was tinged with a faint sob.