Chapter 1177: Iceberg Melting

Yun Jianyue, Yu Yanluo, and Yan Xuehen all looked at him with bewildered expressions.

Seeing their bewildered looks, Zu An explained, "I'm actually something of a miracle doctor. I can use my internal energy to help people detoxify and heal injuries, and it doesn't necessarily involve 'that'..."

Before he could finish, a sharp pain shot through his waist. Yu Yanluo was pinching him fiercely, her beautiful eyes blazing with shame and indignation.

Zu An immediately realized he had gotten himself into deep trouble. He quickly clarified, "It depends on the situation. For an injury like yours, which affects the very essence of your life, that method is essential. However, Master Yan's life essence is intact, so it's not necessary for her."

Upon hearing this explanation, Yu Yanluo felt relieved. She thought to herself, "This rascal should have said so sooner; he made me look utterly ridiculous."

Yan Xuehen visibly exhaled in relief when she heard him. "In that case... I would be grateful for your help."

Everyone possesses a survival instinct, and she, naturally, did not wish to die. At the same time, she cast a different glance at Zu An, realizing she had misjudged him; she hadn't expected him to be such a virtuous gentleman.

With an exasperated slap to Zu An's head, Yun Jianyue chided, "You foolish boy, you don't even know how to seize such a good opportunity!" Yet, for some inexplicable reason, she felt a slight sense of happiness within.

"Hurry and save her! If you delay any longer, she might just perish." Her mood restored, she reverted to her usual schadenfreude.

Yu Yanluo also rose and said, "This area has stabilized; there should be no immediate danger. We'll go investigate nearby and also stand guard for you."

Yun Jianyue did not refuse. After all, healing is a process easily disturbed, and though she had been rivals with Yan Xuehen for a lifetime, she had no desire to take advantage of her in such a vulnerable state.

Once the two women had moved a significant distance away, Yan Xuehen weakly requested, "Could you move me a little further away?" He had been holding her the whole time, and his strong masculine aura permeated the air. As someone who had always been impeccably pure, she was unaccustomed to such close contact with a man, particularly one who held a very special place in her heart.

Zu An said nothing, naturally. He helped her into a cross-legged position opposite him, then brought their palms together.

However, Yan Xuehen was too weak to even maintain her arm posture; her hands instinctively drooped. Zu An quickly interlocked his fingers with hers, grasping her hands firmly.

This gesture was undeniably intimate, evoking a feeling of being conquered or encroached upon. An unnatural flush crept across Yan Xuehen's face, and a line of poetry suddenly surfaced in her mind: "Holding your hand, growing old together."

The instant this thought surfaced, she was startled and instinctively tried to withdraw her hand.

Zu An stated gravely, "Concentrate your mind. I am about to begin expelling the poison and treating your injuries." Seeing the clarity in his eyes, Yan Xuehen understood that he was merely trying to steady her hands and harbored no improper intentions.

As one of the most prominent figures in the world, she swiftly composed herself, entering a state of profound detachment.

Once her mind was calm, she found her earlier state of mind rather amusing. Compared to the vast Dao of Heaven and Earth, what significance did romantic love between men and women hold? Furthermore, he was her disciple's man, making any outcome impossible.

A 'sword of wisdom' appeared in her mind, gently severing that faint, almost imperceptible thread of emotional attachment. Instantly, her thoughts became clear and unimpeded, and her entire being subtly radiated a pure white, sacred light, as if it were the Dao itself acknowledging her.

At that moment, she felt two warm currents flowing from his palms into hers. She couldn't help but grow curious, wanting to seize the opportunity to investigate the nature of his cultivation method. How could such an extraordinary technique exist in the world, one that not only granted him astonishing regenerative abilities but also allowed him to heal fatal injuries in others?

"This energy seems to embody the purest essence from the dawn of creation..." Yan Xuehen was utterly astonished. He was only at the ninth-grade realm, yet he could refine such pure energy. Even she, under normal circumstances, could only occasionally glimpse a similar trace of energy in the world.

She felt his energy circulating within her, marveling at the profound mystery of this cultivation method, which even she could not immediately comprehend. "Why does it feel a little warm?" she wondered. She cultivated the Supreme Emotionlessness Scripture, and was most adept at its Ice Heart Technique. Combined with her Snowflake Divine Sword, she was truly of "ice muscle and jade bone," her body temperature naturally cooler than most. Even beneath the scorching midsummer sun, she should never feel warm.

She simply attributed it to her severe injuries, which prevented her from maintaining her usual state, and thus didn't pay it much mind.

A little while later, she noticed her heart was beating much faster. The two strong warm currents had now transformed into trickling streams, coursing throughout her entire body, nourishing her meridians and painstakingly extracting the toxins, as if peeling silk from a cocoon.

Wherever the warm currents reached, she felt a tingling, pleasant sensation—strange, yet incredibly comfortable. She had anticipated excruciating pain from treating such severe injuries, but to her surprise, it was remarkably easy and even pleasurable.

Due to her profound state of relaxation, she suddenly opened her eyes and gazed at the man whose fingers were interlocked with hers. Zu An's eyes were tightly closed, indicating he was fully concentrated on directing the myriad streams of vital energy to nourish and heal her meridians and internal organs.

His features were sculpted as if from marble, devoid of his usual frivolity. At this moment, his entire demeanor exuded resolve and composure.

"I didn't expect this boy to be quite handsome when he's serious," she mused. Seeing a fine layer of sweat emerge on his forehead from his exertion, Yan Xuehen thought, "He's working this hard all because of me." She suddenly felt an impulse to wipe his sweat away, but then remembered her hands were clasped.

She could only watch as the fine beads of sweat gradually gathered, eventually forming pea-sized droplets that coursed down his cheeks and over his skin, seeming to emanate a peculiar sheen and allure. Yan Xuehen's slender, delicate neck unconsciously made a slight movement. This reaction startled her. "What is happening to me?" she wondered.

She quickly closed her eyes, not daring to look at him again. Simultaneously, deep within her, she was filled with confusion. Hadn't she just severed the threads of emotion with her 'sword of wisdom'? Why was she still reacting like this?

Just then, countless hot currents suddenly surged within her body, spreading throughout her like an electric shock. This was not the vital energy transmitted by him, but rather her body's own natural reaction.

Her face instantly flushed crimson. "What is happening to me?" she questioned internally. She attempted to compose her mind and suppress the unusual sensations coursing through her body.

At that moment, Zu An sensed the unusual fluctuations of vital energy within her and quickly said, "Don't resist! Completely surrender your body and mind, or all our efforts will be in vain!"

Yan Xuehen bit her lip, ultimately complying with his instruction. She felt her typically icy body and mind seemingly beginning to melt, and all she could do was grit her teeth and endure the sensation.

It began like a snow-capped mountain touched by the first rays of dawn, its shallow layers starting to melt and moisten. As the sun gradually ascended, the minute water droplets on the surface of the melting snow slowly transformed into trickling streams. Then, beneath the blazing sun, countless small streams eventually converged, forming vast, roaring rivers that surged towards the sea!

Yan Xuehen finally lost control, and a suppressed moan escaped her throat.

In that instant, a phoenix's cry seemed to resound in her mind. The previously severed thread of emotional attachment suddenly unfurled into countless fine lines, which then intertwined and wove together, forming an inseparable, vast web, shimmering with the imprint of the Dao.

She opened her eyes, only to find that he had opened his at the same instant. Their gazes locked, and with a flushed face, she exclaimed angrily, "What exactly did you do to me?!"

Zu An offered a wry smile. "I was just healing you, nothing more."

"If you didn't do anything, then why do I feel so strange?!" Yan Xuehen was naturally not so easily placated.

"Truly nothing," Zu An stammered, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "I don't know why, but every time I treat someone, it causes them to become restless..." He had completely forgotten about this until Yan Xuehen's suppressed sweet moans finally made him realize.

Seeing that she still didn't believe him, he quickly added, "You can ask Yu Yanluo. I healed her this way before, and her reaction was even more... intense than yours..."

Of course, this statement might not have been entirely accurate, as he realized that while Yan Xuehen was usually as cold as ice, her true outburst seemed to surpass Yu Yanluo's initial reaction.

Yan Xuehen was overwhelmed by shame and indignation. "How could I possibly ask such a question?!" she fumed.