Chapter 1200: Showdown

Zu'an reacted quickly and hastily said, "Oh, it might be the smell of this ointment."

He then pointed to the Five-Fungus Hundred-Flower Ointment by the bed.

Yan Xuehen glanced at it, a little surprised, "Oh, this medicine seems to be a rare healing marvel."

With her discernment, she could naturally tell whether a medicine was good or not.

Zu'an smiled, "A good friend gave it to me."

Upon hearing the words "good friend," Xiao Qing, hidden in the wardrobe, couldn't help but smile sweetly.

Xiao Bai thought he was referring to the Hundred-Herb Pill she had given him, and the corners of her lips also turned up slightly.

Neither of them could see the other, yet both their hearts were pounding with excitement.

Yan Xuehen was severely injured and weak at the moment; otherwise, with her cultivation, she would have discovered the two instantly.

"It was probably given by a snake clan girl, wasn't it?" Yan Xuehen felt an inexplicable irritation, especially remembering how the snake clan women at the banquet had eagerly flocked to him, and he had appeared to welcome all comers.

Rage value from Yan Xuehen +53+53+53...

Zu'an thought, *Aren't you cultivating the Grand Dao of Detachment? Why are you getting angry so easily lately?*

Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to ask directly. A thought struck him, and he changed the subject, saying, "Would the Abbey Master mind helping me apply the medicine? I find it a bit inconvenient to do it myself."

Yan Xuehen was somewhat taken aback, and her expression immediately became a little unnatural.

Normally, no man would dare make such a request in front of her, and she would never have any physical contact with a man.

But this guy seemed to treat her as if she were no stranger at all.

Years of habit made her instinctively refuse, "No!"

"Oh~" Zu'an sighed regretfully.

Seeing his disappointed expression, Yan Xuehen's heart softened. She suddenly remembered that a large part of why he fought today was for her and Yun Jianyue, because the Golden Crow Crown Prince had set his sights on them, and he had suffered such severe injuries for her sake...

With this thought, she immediately felt a pang of guilt. She sat directly on the edge of the bed, picked up the Five-Fungus Hundred-Flower Ointment, and said, "Take off your clothes."

Zu'an was stunned. He had only casually said it to divert her attention, never expecting her to actually agree.

In a daze, he removed his clothes once more.

Looking at his body up close, Yan Xuehen's cheeks flushed slightly. She thought, *If this guy dares to say I owe him again, I'll definitely fall out with him.*

Fortunately, Zu'an said nothing this time. She breathed a sigh of relief and began to apply the medicine with her cool fingers.

Upon touching his warm skin, her heart involuntarily trembled. After a moment, she composed herself and said, "It seems your wounds have already been properly treated."

Zu'an, without a change in expression or heartbeat, said, "There are still some wounds that are hard to reach. It's good you're here; I'll trouble you with them."

His words created the illusion that he had been diligently applying the medicine himself just moments before.

Yan Xuehen scoffed, "Yu Yanluo, really. As a respected clan leader, she didn't even send anyone to look after you."

Xiao Qing in the wardrobe was indignant. Applying the medicine for Brother Zu was originally her task, but now this woman had usurped her place.

However, hearing her directly accuse Yu Yanluo, both she and Xiao Bai, who was beside her, were stunned.

They had initially thought she was Brother Zu's concubine, or the clan leader's younger sister who respected the clan leader as the main wife. But judging by the current situation, it didn't seem that way at all.

Zu'an gave an awkward smile. "Yanluo did send someone, but I'm not used to being waited on, so I sent her away."

Hearing him affectionately call her "Yanluo," Yan Xuehen suddenly felt a surge of irritation.

Rage value from Yan Xuehen +58+58+58...

"Hiss~" Zu'an gasped.

Yan Xuehen then realized she had pressed too hard and accidentally touched his wound. Feeling a little apologetic, her touch became gentler, but she wouldn't admit it aloud. "I have a question, and I need you to answer me honestly."

Zu'an suddenly sighed, "I know what you're going to ask, but you have to promise not to get angry after you hear it."

Hearing him say that, Yan Xuehen immediately felt a wave of panic. *Could it really be as I suspected?*

At this moment, Zu'an's voice continued, "That's right. When I was on the brink of death, I didn't care about anything else. I used whatever moves I had, and I apologize for the harm I caused you."

Yan Xuehen trembled all over. "Then why did you deny it when I asked you last time!"

Rage value from Yan Xuehen +555+555+555...

Zu'an gave a wry smile. "The situation at the time made it inconvenient to tell you the truth."

Yan Xuehen's face turned cold. "Now that you know I'm injured and temporarily not your match, you dare to tell the truth?"

"That's not what I meant," Zu'an shook his head. "Actually, I could have kept this from you indefinitely, but I still didn't want to deceive you."

Yan Xuehen knew he was telling the truth. If he had continued to deny it, she would have had no proof, even if she suspected.

But the whole matter was still too absurd. "What, am I supposed to thank you for your honesty?"

"Uh, if you want to thank me, that's not impossible," Zu'an said with a "shy" expression.

Yan Xuehen: "???"

Fuming, she pinched Zu'an hard. *How could this guy be such a scoundrel?*

Rage value from Yan Xuehen +66+66+66...

Zu'an cried out in pain, making the two girls in the wardrobe furious. *How could this woman be so fierce? Brother Zu is injured!*

If they weren't hidden in the wardrobe, which would be impossible to explain, they would have likely rushed out to confront her.

Yan Xuehen took a few deep breaths, temporarily suppressing her turbulent emotions, and coldly said, "Is this skill of yours a Gu spell?"

Zu'an shook his head. "No, it's also from the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture."

Yan Xuehen secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing it wasn't a Gu spell; otherwise, the thought of Gu worms inside her would have made her skin crawl. However, hearing it was from the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture, her heart was startled. This legendary cultivation technique's skill was probably not so simple.

"How long does this effect last?" Yan Xuehen felt mortified with shame and anger at the thought of having been constantly preoccupied with him during this time.

No wonder she, who had already achieved the Grand Dao of Detachment, still found herself liking this man!

Seeing that Zu'an remained silent, her heart sank. "This skill isn't permanent, is it?"

"I don't know either." Deciding that honesty was the best policy, no matter the consequences, Zu'an decided to tell the truth.

"How can you not know!" Yan Xuehen was furious. "Did you use it on Chu Yan and Yu Yanluo too?"

No wonder that girl Chu Yan, who usually looked down on everyone, ended up being so devoted to him;

And Yu Yanluo, a world-renowned beauty, ignored so many suitors only to fall for him.

Thinking that they had all fallen victim to Zu'an's despicable methods, her gaze at him was filled with disappointment and contempt.

Xiao Bai and Xiao Qing in the wardrobe listened with puzzled expressions. What in the world were these two talking about, and why was the clan leader involved?

At this point, Zu'an said earnestly, "I've never used this skill before. With them, it was mutual affection; I wouldn't stoop to such means to achieve my goals. The only time I used it was on you, when I had exhausted all other options."

As he spoke, he also grew quite angry. "Do you not know your own strength? You were bullying the weak; what else could I have done at the time!"

Yan Xuehen opened her mouth, but didn't know how to refute him.

For some reason, upon hearing that he had used it only once, and that it was on her, she suddenly wasn't as angry, even feeling a hint of pleasure.

*Damn it, it must be that skill at work again!*

She quickly composed herself, deliberately straightened her face, and said, "Tell me the specifics of that skill. I want to see if there's any way to undo it."

Zu'an, naturally not wanting to take advantage of her with this, roughly described the situation with the Golden Phoenix.

"Golden Phoenix, affection as strong as gold..." Yan Xuehen's face flushed. *How could this "Phoenix Nirvana Scripture" have such an indecent effect!*

Since only the two of them knew the exact details of what had happened, Xiao Bai and Xiao Qing in the wardrobe were completely bewildered, not understanding what the two were talking about at all.

"It sounds like a type of contract, but if it's a contract, how could it automatically take effect regardless of the disparity between the two parties? Or perhaps it's something else..." Yan Xuehen fell into deep thought. As a Grandmaster with extensive knowledge, she began to analyze various possibilities.

Zu'an listened with immense admiration. *She truly lives up to her reputation as the leader of the Human Orthodox Sects.*

After thinking for a long time without a clue, Yan Xuehen grew increasingly frustrated. "This matter is just between you and me. You absolutely must keep it a secret, especially from Chu Yan, understand?"

---

Thanks to Xiao Qiang, where are you, book friend, R6yyds, Romantic Sad Story, I am Evil Emperor i, Long Xiaoxiao, book friend, Niu Ge 929, Soul with Fat, book friend, AI Linlin, Jian Xue Hua Fu Jiu Wu Er Qi, Dai Pai Meng pc, Mr. Chu, book friend, Poetry Wine While Young Mu Yan Wei Yu, Most Like Big Baby Voice, book friend, book friend, book friend, For Monk Under Zongheng, Captain xYZ, book friend, Saint Master, jinxoio, SSS0, She Said It Was Sunburn, Xinxinzi's Treasure, book friend, book friend, Tan Yunhuan, Monk with One Update, Urger of Updates, book friend, Diao Hen Da, Monk Update Faster, book friend, Gu Sheng Ge, book friend... for all your generous contributions.

Due to the update schedule, I've been a bit hesitant to express my gratitude. Now that the updates are somewhat stable, I've finally mustered the courage to post this. I'm sure I've missed many people because I haven't checked for a long time. Thank you all for your continuous support.