Chapter 1217: Red Line

Zu An didn't realize his comfort was counterproductive; instead, he continued, "No one could have predicted what just happened, but luckily, I saw it last time too. Sister Yan, don't worry about it. I won't tell anyone about this."

Yan Xuehen: "..."

Her face immediately flushed crimson. Is that how you comfort someone?

She felt her qi and blood churn, almost passing out again.

Zu An was startled and quickly moved to support her, simultaneously channeling vital energy to heal her.

"Don't touch me!" Yan Xuehen exclaimed, utterly mortified. She still vividly remembered what happened when he treated her last time.

Rage points from Yan Xuehen +233+233+233...

Zu An ignored her, directly taking her hand and channeling vital energy into her. "I'm not using that method to heal you. I'm just transferring vital energy; you regulate your own breathing. Otherwise, in your current state, even if you survive, your cultivation level might drop."

Yan Xuehen fell silent, knowing he was speaking the truth.

As a cultivator, she had endured countless hardships to reach her current level; who would be willing to give that up?

"Don't just stand there, heal yourself quickly." Zu An's words carried an undeniable authority.

"Oh..." Yan Xuehen instinctively agreed, but then immediately realized that in her usual capacity, she was the one who gave orders, yet today she had listened to a young man.

"Don't get distracted!" Zu An reminded her again.

Yan Xuehen's pretty face flushed slightly, and she composed herself to circulate her energy.

This time, Zu An merely lent her his vital energy without actively treating her, and as expected, she didn't experience that embarrassing sensation from before.

After all, she was a Grandmaster, so she quickly composed herself and focused on healing.

About an hour later, she slowly opened her eyes. She had finally managed to control her injuries, at least ensuring her cultivation level wouldn't drop in the future.

Of course, it wasn't without cost. After several days of recovery, she had originally been able to fight again, but now she was back to the critically injured state she was in back in the mine.

"Thank you," Yan Xuehen said, feeling strange afterward. She had been taken advantage of by him, yet she still had to thank him.

Of course, she also knew he hadn't intended it, and without his help, her life might have been in danger, let alone her Grandmaster realm.

"I'm glad you're alright." Zu An also breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the turbulent qi and blood within her gradually calm down.

Just as Yan Xuehen was about to speak, she suddenly realized that due to the long healing process, their hands were still clasped together, fingers intertwined.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly pulled her hand back.

Zu An was amused but didn't mind. "While your injuries are still healing these days, if Sister Yun bothers you, don't confront her. Wouldn't it be better to settle scores with her once you've fully recovered? Right now, you're just putting yourself at a disadvantage."

"Impossible! How could I ever yield to that vixen?" Yan Xuehen bristled at the mention of it.

She also knew very well that their cultivation levels were comparable, and even if she recovered, it would be difficult to seek revenge. Naturally, she couldn't show weakness now.

Zu An thought to himself that Grandmasters truly possessed their pride; without such determination, it would probably be difficult to reach their current level. "Then I'll find a time to talk to Sister Yun and tell her not to take advantage of you."

"Absolutely not!" Yan Xuehen was startled and quickly stopped him.

"Why not?" Zu An was somewhat confused.

Yan Xuehen's expression was a bit unnatural. "You don't understand that vixen. If you say that, she'll only become worse... And, she'll also wonder why you're speaking up for me, which will make her suspect our relationship."

"But that will make things difficult for you," Zu An said with a wry smile, imagining she'd probably be spanked daily by Yun Jianyue.

Yan Xuehen's face flushed, clearly having thought of the same thing. "It's fine, I can handle it."

Unwilling to continue the somewhat awkward topic, she quickly asked, "By the way, you mentioned earlier that you might be able to undo the Golden Bonds?"

"I'm not sure if it can be undone," Zu An said, summoning Mo Xi.

Seeing Mo Xi appear suddenly, Yan Xuehen suddenly realized something and said with some difficulty, "I don't want others to know about what happened between us."

After speaking, her heart pounded. Why did it feel like a secret affair? She wondered what this girl would think if she heard them.

Zu An reassured her, "Don't worry, she can't speak, and she doesn't have a complete soul."

Yan Xuehen's heart stirred. "A summoned creature?"

Given her status and cultivation level, she naturally knew a great deal. There was indeed a niche field of summoners in the cultivation world, but they usually summoned grotesque monsters. She had never heard of anyone being able to summon a woman of such unparalleled beauty.

At this thought, her expression became peculiar. Summoners had complete control over their summoned creatures. Would Zu An do something strange to such a beautiful summoned creature?

He truly was a lecherous scoundrel, deliberately making his summoned creature so beautiful.

Rage points from Yan Xuehen +111+111+111...

Zu An was somewhat bewildered. Why was she angry again? Still, he replied, "Roughly, yes. But she's different from ordinary summoned creatures; I treat her as a friend."

Mo Xi, standing nearby, blinked after hearing this, but showed no expression.

"A friend?" Yan Xuehen grew even more convinced, just as she had suspected.

"Can she undo our Golden Bonds?" Since it was a summoned creature, Yan Xuehen felt relieved.

"Mo Xi was just coincidentally summoned by me today. She has an ability to sever contracts and similar things, but I'm not sure if she can sever the Golden Bonds." Zu An mused that the skills in the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra were extraordinary, so success wasn't guaranteed.

"At this point, we have to try," Yan Xuehen pursed her lips. The Golden Bonds had tormented her so much lately that she felt unlike herself.

Zu An didn't hesitate and immediately told Mo Xi to act.

To his surprise, Mo Xi didn't follow the command; instead, she extended her hand towards him, palm open.

Zu An understood her meaning. She was clearly demanding payment, which left him speechless.

Nevertheless, he took out 10 vital energy fruits and placed them in her hand. Mo Xi swallowed them without hesitation, a look of pure delight on her face.

Then she extended her hand again, palm open, the meaning clear: it wasn't enough.

Zu An: "..."

"You haven't even done anything yet, and you're already eager to get paid!"

He felt a little annoyed but handed her another 30 fruits. "That's all for now. If you succeed, I'll give you the rest."

Mo Xi hesitated slightly but nodded, then swallowed all 30 vital energy fruits in one go.

Seeing her reaction, Zu An sometimes wondered if these Valkyries truly had no souls.

Yan Xuehen, watching from the side, was dumbfounded. "Your way of communicating with your summoned creature is really... unique."

She had never heard of a summoned creature haggling with its master before.

Zu An's face flushed; he felt a bit embarrassed. "Let's begin!"

This time, Mo Xi didn't cause any more trouble. With a casual wave, a faintly discernible golden pair of scissors appeared in her hand.

Yan Xuehen was utterly shocked. With her eyesight, she couldn't discern what the golden scissors actually were; she could only sense that they seemed to contain extremely profound Dao laws.

Was this really just a summoned creature?

At this moment, Mo Xi swung the golden scissors towards the space between them.

As the scissors approached, Yan Xuehen suddenly noticed that several red, string-like objects had appeared, connecting her to Zu An.

The crucial thing was, there wasn't just one string, but many, many of them!

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Author's note: One chapter today, three chapters will be added tomorrow.