Chapter 1280: The Elder's Lesson

"What did you just say, you witch!" Yan Xuehen's eyebrows bristled.

"You've already done it, why are you afraid of me talking about it?" Yun Jianyue had always disliked Yan Xuehen's detached and calm demeanor, so she often enjoyed teasing her in various ways. Every time she saw Yan Xuehen lose her composure, Yun Jianyue felt extremely pleased.

Because of what had just happened, Yu Yanluo felt a sudden, inexplicable pang of guilt. Was Yun Jianyue alluding to her? Seeing the faint blush on Yan Xuehen's jade-like skin, she couldn't help but marvel at how beautiful the woman was. If not for her years of ascetic cultivation and detachment, outsiders would instinctively never associate her with the "Beauties' Roster." Otherwise, the title of "number one beauty" wouldn't have fallen to her so easily back then.

And although Yun Jianyue was a bit fierce, she was truly stunningly beautiful. These women were all Grandmasters, yet they were so exceptionally pretty. How were others supposed to live? For a moment, she even wondered if asking Yan Xuehen to accompany her man back was a mistake. However, the most urgent matter now was Zu An's predicament; other things could be discussed later.

"If you're so enthusiastic, why don't you go back with him?" Due to the depth of their affection and the intimate moments they had shared, Yan Xuehen knew rationally that she couldn't become too deeply entangled with him anymore.

"I'd love to, but unfortunately, all those bigwigs in the imperial court see me as a rebellious witch. If I went back with Ah Zu, wouldn't I be harming him?" Yun Jianyue said, scanning Yan Xuehen up and down. "You're different. Your reputation over the years is quite good. As far as I know, most of the high-ranking officials and nobles in court are your little fanboys. They always follow you around, calling you 'Fairy this' and 'Fairy that.' They'll definitely believe anything you say." As she spoke, she couldn't help but feel a little sour. Despite their cultivation levels being similar and their looks and figures being equally matched, the way they were treated was worlds apart.

Yan Xuehen knew that she had indeed been a respected guest of many high-ranking officials and nobles in the past, but she preferred quiet solitude and rarely interacted with them. But that wasn't the point. The point was... She glanced at Zu An, their eyes met, and she guiltily lowered her head, saying apologetically, "Of course I'm willing to help, but after all, there's a distinction between men and women, and time is already very tight. Taking another person might affect your speed in getting back."

This was clearly a polite refusal. Zu An smiled faintly and didn't press the matter. Just as he was about to reply, Yun Jianyue spoke first: "You cultivate the Path of Emotionless, when did you start caring about distinctions between men and women? Could it be..."

Yan Xuehen's heart fluttered in panic, and she quickly argued, "What Path of Emotionless? I cultivate the Path of Forgetting Emotions!"

"Well, to outsiders, it's pretty much the same," Yun Jianyue dismissed, "You never used to consider such things before."

"Acting on expediency isn't out of the question," Yan Xuehen dared not dwell on that point, fearing the two women would notice her abnormality. "But over such a long distance, it would be difficult for him to get back by tomorrow alone. Having me along would only be a burden."

Yun Jianyue rolled her eyes. "You're so slim, how much could you weigh? The Wind and Fire Wheels are a Heaven-tier artifact; an extra hundred or so pounds from you is nothing."

Yan Xuehen was speechless and could only look at Zu An for help, her eyes full of expectation, hoping he would extricate her from the situation. To her surprise, Zu An nodded. "Sister Yun is right; it really won't have any impact."

Yan Xuehen: "..." She was completely dumbfounded, having never expected him to say that.

"So it's settled. You two hurry up and go, and come back quickly." Yun Jianyue yawned, looking as if she wanted to go back to sleep.

Yu Yanluo also bowed to Yan Xuehen. "Thank you for your trouble, Sister Yan."

The atmosphere had reached this point, and Yan Xuehen felt too awkward to refuse. "Alright then..."

As the matter was extremely urgent, they had no time to waste and were soon ready to depart. Zu An summoned the Wind and Fire Wheels. Yan Xuehen hesitated, "Can we each ride one?"

"I'm afraid not," Zu An shook his head. "They're a pair; they can't be controlled separately."

Yan Xuehen opened her mouth, a look of hesitation and struggle on her face. Zu An suggested, "I'll carry you on my back. It will be more convenient for the journey."

Yan Xuehen bit her thin lip, knowing this was the most reasonable solution. A bridal carry would be too intimate, and Zu An would get very tired during a long flight. Putting his arm around her waist would be too close. Only being carried on his back was acceptable; after all, he had carried her before.

Seeing him crouch down in front of her, Yan Xuehen's face flushed slightly, but she gently leaned onto his back. Zu An supported her thighs with his hands, lifted her onto his back, and then stepped onto the Wind and Fire Wheels. After so many experiences, he had skillfully mastered balancing the Wind and Fire Wheels. Besides, he had previously tried carrying two people with Tu Shan Yu in the Azure Hills Kingdom, so adding one more person had no impact at all.

He turned his head to bid farewell to Yu Yanluo and Yun Jianyue. "I'll be back as soon as I've dealt with things over there. Both of you be careful and take care of yourselves."

Yun Jianyue rolled her eyes. "When I was conquering the world, you were still nursing. You'd better take care of that Ice Maiden; her injuries are not light. If I come back and find even a single hair missing from her, I'll hold you accountable."

Zu An couldn't help but mutter, "Don't you usually pluck her hair?"

Yan Xuehen blushed deeply and secretly pinched his waist hard. She hadn't expected him to have witnessed her being bullied by Yun Jianyue in private. Yun Jianyue, however, said self-righteously, "If anyone's going to bully her, it should be me. When is it your turn, kid?"

Yan Xuehen gritted her teeth. "You witch, once I recover, I'll beat you until your face is blooming like peach blossoms!"

Yun Jianyue didn't care. "Our cultivation levels are pretty much on par. Even if you recover, it's not realistic for you to beat me, unless by some coincidence I happen to be severely injured while you're relatively unharmed. So, the grievances you've suffered these past few days are destined to be unavenged." Yan Xuehen was bitter with anger, knowing that what Yun Jianyue said was the truth. It was all Zu An's fault. If she hadn't met him, how could she have been bullied like this by her arch-rival?

"Alright, it's getting late, we should get going now." Seeing that the two were about to start bickering again, Zu An didn't dare stay any longer.

Yu Yanluo's face flushed slightly. This fellow actually blew her a kiss right in front of two Grandmasters—did he think they were blind? Of course, at such a moment, she could only pretend composure: "We've wasted some time here, and the journey to the Demon Royal Court is also very tight. So we'll travel and wait for you along the way. Anyway, you're fast with the Wind and Fire Wheels."

"Okay!" Zu An waved at them, then stepped onto the Wind and Fire Wheels and shot straight up into the sky.

"Oh!" Yan Xuehen exclaimed, instinctively wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.

"What's wrong?" Zu An worried something was wrong with her.

"Nothing, it's just that when I used to fly by myself, I didn't feel anything, but now looking down, I'm actually a little scared," Yan Xuehen admitted, a bit embarrassed.

"You're injured now, so it's natural to feel insecure," Zu An chuckled. "I never expected a Grandmaster to have such a cute side."

"Cute?" Yan Xuehen was momentarily dazed. In all these years, it was the first time anyone had used that word to describe her. But she quickly snapped back, saying sternly, "Be serious. I'm practically your half-master, and strictly speaking, your elder. Don't be so disrespectful." These past few days, she had been pondering how to interact with Zu An in the future. Besides hiding from him, maintaining a master-disciple relationship seemed the most appropriate. Even if there was some physical contact, a junior taking care of an elder shouldn't be too problematic, right?

"Elder?" Zu An's lips curved slightly. He deliberately sped up, charging forward, pretending to lose balance and swerving precariously several times, almost falling. He even intentionally spun in circles, seemingly about to plummet vertically, before abruptly pulling back at the last moment.

"Ah!" Even though Yan Xuehen was usually calm and composed, she was now screaming in fright, instinctively clinging tightly to him.

Once they finally regained their balance, Zu An apologized, "My apologies, I'm still not used to operating with two people." At that moment, he was filled with emotions. In his previous life, he had seen online celebrity photos on forums and always thought it was impossible for anyone to be naturally so slim yet have such an amazing figure. But Yan Xuehen was living proof. The undulations between stops and starts were something not to be spoken of to outsiders. No wonder so many people in his past life enjoyed riding motorcycles with girls.

Yan Xuehen wasn't foolish; she was filled with shame and indignation. "You did that on purpose!"