Chapter 1172: Regret

"Are you kidding me?" Yun Jianyue felt dizzy. The Yan Xuehen she knew should have flipped out at such talk, so why was she actively suggesting dual cultivation with a man?

And he was her disciple's man!

Yan Xuehen gave her a cold look. "Do I look like I'm kidding?"

Yun Jianyue fell silent, her heart filled with conflicting emotions.

If she were alone, with no other options, she would have simply saved him. At worst, she could finish before Zu An woke up, pretend nothing happened, and avoid a lot of future trouble.

But now there were others present; anything that happened would surely be exposed. Moreover, after her cultivation plummeted, that woman Yan Xuehen would surely bully her to death.

Yet, given Zu An's current state, she couldn't just stand by. Her expression shifted darkly before she finally took a deep breath. "If we're going to save him, we save him together!"

That way, they would all have leverage over each other, and no one would dare speak out. Besides, with all three of their cultivations severely reduced, there would be no more bullying; they would all be on the same starting line.

Yan Xuehen's expression was strange, clearly surprised by Yun Jianyue's shocking suggestion. She couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle. "What makes this boy so special? That's too good a deal for him... Never mind. I understand your concerns. I'll do it."

Yun Jianyue's eyes widened. "Are you really the Ice Stone Woman I know?" As she spoke, she reached out to touch Yan Xuehen's forehead, wondering if she was delirious from a fever.

Yan Xuehen slapped her hand away, her expression a little desolate. "Stop talking nonsense. Or do you want to do it?"

Yun Jianyue: "..."

Both of them enduring the hardship together was her bottom line. She was truly unwilling to make such a great sacrifice alone.

Yan Xuehen said coldly, "This whole tragedy happened because I was chasing them. He saved my life several times. And he saved countless common people in Cloud Central Commandery. Such a hero shouldn't end up like this. My personal reputation is irrelevant."

The numbness in her back grew stronger. Heavily wounded, she no longer had the strength to expel the poison.

Crucially, the Death Worm's venom was very peculiar. Combined with her internal injuries, it would soon entangle itself within her meridians and organs. At that point, even if her cultivation recovered, she wouldn't be able to force the poison out on her own. And if she relied on external forces, it would be impossible not to damage her meridians or organs. Unless all her meridians and organs were replaced, but then she didn't know how many times she would have to die.

She knew that this time, she might perish. Rather than dying silently here, it would be better to use her body to try and save Zu An, which would also make up for her debt to him.

Of course, with any other man, she would never have conceived such an idea. Her feelings for Zu An were exceptionally strange at this moment. Coupled with the image of him fearlessly saving the world that had been deeply imprinted in her mind, she suddenly felt that dual cultivation with him was not entirely unacceptable.

"Did something happen to you?" Yun Jianyue knew Yan Xuehen too well; she couldn't understand why Yan Xuehen would do something like this. In the past, she would have gloated and even spread the news far and wide, but after fighting alongside each other, and with Yan Xuehen acting to save Zu An, her pride wouldn't allow her to do such a thing.

"No," Yan Xuehen said, not wanting to explain. "Are you going to keep watching?"

Yun Jianyue's face flushed slightly. Since dual cultivation was about to happen, she indeed felt awkward watching. But leaving now also felt quite disheartening. For a moment, her mind raced, unsure how to respond.

Just then, Zu An let out a painful groan, followed by his slow awakening.

The two women exclaimed in surprise, "You're awake?"

Yan Xuehen's face immediately turned crimson. She was willing to perform dual cultivation to heal him while he was unconscious, but that didn't mean she could do it when he was awake. Moreover, his timing was too coincidental. She wondered if he had overheard their conversation. If he had, she couldn't imagine living it down.

At this, Zu An smiled. "Did you want me to stay unconscious?"

Seeing him wince in pain as his smile pulled at his injuries, Yun Jianyue couldn't help but complain, "You're this injured and still have the energy to joke around."

"Smiling is better than crying, right?" Zu An said optimistically. "Hmm, what were you two just discussing?"

"We were saying..." Yun Jianyue subconsciously glanced at Yan Xuehen.

Yan Xuehen quickly interrupted her. "Nothing. We were just worrying about your injuries."

"I'm fine," Zu An replied.

"You're in this state and still say you're fine? Don't act tough. Let the Ice Stone Woman save you," Yun Jianyue quickly said.

Yan Xuehen's face next to them immediately flushed completely. The mere thought of performing dual cultivation with him while he was conscious was so embarrassing it made her feel faint.

Zu An looked down at himself. His body, covered in blood and wounds, was indeed a frightening sight. However, his body had been repeatedly refined by the Primordial Chaos Scripture, and he possessed powerful regenerative abilities. Moreover, his divine soul had now formed. Although he had almost collapsed from overexerting the Star Shattering Seal, he had slowly recovered during this time.

"It's really nothing serious," Zu An suddenly paused, then looked at Yan Xuehen with a puzzled expression. "How will Master Yan save me? Do you also know medicine?"

Yan Xuehen's expression was extremely unnatural, and she turned her head away. "Don't listen to that demoness's nonsense. I don't."

Yun Jianyue became anxious. "Why are you still shy at a time like this? If you don't act now, he'll die!"

Yan Xuehen also hesitated. She, too, was poisoned, and the longer they waited, the weaker she would likely become. But to do *that* with him while he was conscious... Her disciple Chu Yan's image kept flashing in her mind, making her feel as if she was going crazy. "I'm not saving him! You go save him!"

Yun Jianyue's face also became unnatural. "Pfft, you were just fine with it, and now you're suddenly changing your mind? My stance hasn't changed: if I'm to save him, you must join in too. Otherwise... otherwise, I'm not doing it..."

Yan Xuehen was so flustered she almost stomped her foot. "Can something like *that* be done together?"

Zu An, who was nearby, looked bewildered. "What riddle are you two speaking in?"

The two women, in a rare moment of unspoken understanding, closed their mouths, neither willing to explain the truth to him.

Zu An quickly looked around. "Oh, by the way, where's Yu Yanluo? She seemed to have forcefully used Medusa's Eye earlier..." As he spoke, he spotted Yu Yanluo nearby and quickly got up to check on her.

Noticing that his movements, though slower than usual, certainly didn't look like those of a dying person, both women were startled.

Yun Jianyue reacted first, sighing, "Her condition is even worse than yours. I'm afraid she won't make it."

Zu An noticed that Yu Yanluo's eyes were tightly shut, her face pale, and her breathing faint, as if she could vanish at any moment. His heart sank.

Yan Xuehen felt a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do. The only thing we could try was to see if we could save *you*."

Zu An seemed not to hear. All his energy was focused on examining Yu Yanluo's condition. After forcefully activating Medusa's Eye multiple times against opponents far beyond her cultivation level, her life force was nearly extinguished. Even if he recovered to his peak, he wouldn't be able to heal her externally. It seemed only *that* method would work!

He wasn't the indecisive type. He quickly made up his mind, picked up Yu Yanluo, and said, "I'm going to save her. You two wait here for a moment."

This method of rescue was too easily misinterpreted, and he didn't want the two women to think he was a pervert taking advantage of the situation.

"She can still be saved?" Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen were both astonished. With their extensive knowledge, they had both concluded that Yu Yanluo wouldn't survive; her fate was essentially sealed. How could she possibly be saved now?

Zu An didn't answer them. Carrying Yu Yanluo, he went to the nearby pool.

He looked back at the two women with a wry smile. "Why did you follow me?"

"We're worried about you." Yan Xuehen's face was pale. In their eyes, Zu An was also in critical condition, so they wouldn't dare stay far from him.

Zu An was somewhat surprised; this woman's words were genuinely full of concern.

"Thank you both, but I need to take Yu Yanluo down to heal now. Please act as my protectors," Zu An said. It wasn't convenient for him to explain, so he could only use this method to appease them for now.

Fortunately, the pool water would obstruct their view, preventing a lot of awkwardness.

"This cold pond water has healing properties?" Yun Jianyue looked highly suspicious, her expression saying, "I may not be well-educated, but don't try to fool me."

Yan Xuehen, however, recalled the time she was pressed tightly against him in the water, remembering how her clothes had been completely soaked.

"I'll explain to Sister Sect Master later; saving her is more important right now." Worried that Yu Yanluo's body couldn't hold on, Zu An quickly left that remark and jumped into the water with her in his arms.

"This brat doesn't look like he's dying," Yun Jianyue said, looking at Yan Xuehen for confirmation.

Yan Xuehen's delicate brows furrowed slightly. "Indeed, he doesn't seem to be."

"Well, that saves you from sacrificing your purity to save him," Yun Jianyue said with a slight smile.

Yan Xuehen was truly mortified and quickly clapped a hand over Yun Jianyue's mouth, afraid that Zu An in the water might hear. At the same time, she felt a pang of disappointment, as if a huge regret had been left behind just before her death...