Chapter 1307: Lost Words

Yun Jianyue almost fainted. "Stop it!"

Yan Xuehen's usually serene face now showed a strange excitement. "Oh, this feels really good! No wonder you kept hitting me every now and then before." As soon as she spoke, she delivered several more slaps.

Yun Jianyue was utterly mortified and furious. The contrast was just too stark. A moment ago, she had been excited, planning to pin Yan Xuehen down and give her a good thrashing to satisfy her recent urge to fight. She never imagined that she would be the one pinned down and beaten. This reversal of roles made her senses exceptionally acute.

"How exactly did you recover?" Yun Jianyue tried to distract her. "Stop hitting, my backside is burning!"

"Want to know? Beg me!" Yan Xuehen felt an unparalleled sense of satisfaction and clarity. Even breaking through to the Grandmaster realm hadn't brought her this much joy. Only a few days ago in the Great Snow Mountain... Her face flushed at the thought. Why was she thinking about him? To conceal her embarrassment, she raised her hand and gave Yun Jianyue another severe beating.

Yun Jianyue was on the verge of fainting. She used to enjoy tormenting the Ice Maiden; she never expected being beaten to feel like this. Seeing that her opponent seemed to be getting more enthusiastic with each strike, Yun Jianyue began to panic. She decided to temporarily concede to get through this ordeal, planning to settle scores properly once she regained her freedom. "Alright, I really want to know. Even if I beg you, how did you recover so quickly?"

Yan Xuehen had fought with her for so many years, but this was the first time she had seen Yun Jianyue concede in front of her. It felt as satisfying as eating a mythical ginseng fruit. "What do you mean 'even if you beg me'? That's not sincere at all, it doesn't count!" she scoffed.

Yun Jianyue was exasperated, but having come from the Demonic Cult, she understood adaptability better. Since she was in a predicament, she had no choice but to bite the bullet. Gritting her teeth, she said, "I beg you, tell me how you recovered so quickly?"

Seeing Yun Jianyue angry but helpless, Yan Xuehen's face broke into a slight smile. "Your voice is too quiet, I can't hear you."

"Ice Maiden, you're doing this on purpose!" Yun Jianyue retorted angrily. With their cultivation levels, they could clearly hear even a mosquito speak from that close, so how could Yan Xuehen not hear her?

"When I say I can't hear, I can't hear. What, do you have a problem with that?" Yan Xuehen delivered another slap, watching Yun Jianyue's backside tremble and ripple. She thought, *This demoness certainly is shapely.*

"Fine, I beg you! Did you hear that time?!" Yun Jianyue raised her voice. She was genuinely curious. People at their cultivation level generally didn't get injured, but once they did, it was extremely difficult to recover quickly. She knew very well that Yan Xuehen's previous injuries were not something that could heal in a year or two, let alone just a few days.

Seeing Yun Jianyue beg her several times, Yan Xuehen raised an eyebrow, a mischievous glint in her beautiful eyes. "I heard it, but why should I tell you?" Her injuries had healed so quickly only because of that strange cultivation method from Zu An. The healing method was so humiliating that she would rather die than reveal it.

Yun Jianyue was left speechless. After a long pause, she realized she had been tricked. "Ice Maiden, when did you become so cunning? You've always been known for never lying!"

"I really didn't lie," Yan Xuehen said, her face slightly flushed. "I only said that if you wanted to know, you could beg me. But I never said that if you begged me, I would tell you." In truth, she hadn't been like this before, but a few days ago, Zu An had taught her how to speak in a way where every sentence was true individually, but together they formed a falsehood. She found herself unable to revert to her old ways.

Yun Jianyue was startled. When did this blockheaded Ice Maiden learn such tricks? Could it be from spending these past few days with Zu An...? Just then, another slap landed with a *smack*. The stinging pain quickly halted her thoughts, making her curse the other woman furiously. The more she cursed, the harder Yan Xuehen hit. Yan Xuehen still vividly remembered the humiliation of being pinned down and beaten by her, so she wouldn't let her off so easily.

Just then, the door creaked open, and Zu An's voice drifted in. "What are you two doing? It sounds like someone's slaughtering... a pig..." When he saw the scene in the room—a flash of pale skin, and that mysterious 'absolute territory'—Zu An couldn't finish his sentence. He was completely petrified.

Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue were also stunned. They never expected to attract Zu An's attention. Yan Xuehen felt a wave of dizziness. She, too, had once been in this exact situation, her skirt pulled off by Yun Jianyue, pinned over her knee for a beating, and completely seen by Zu An, who had been hidden in the shadows. Although they had already experienced the most intimate physical closeness, the memory of that scene still made her so mortified she wished the ground would swallow her whole.

Yun Jianyue's mind exploded. Normally, she was aloof, exuding an aura of dominance over the world. Yet today, she had been seen by a man in such a private and humiliating state. If it had been anyone else, she would have simply killed them to silence them, and if that wasn't enough to quell her rage, she'd have pulverized their bones to dust. But she couldn't kill Zu An. Regardless of his relationship with Hong Lei, or his relationship with herself, killing him was impossible. *Ahhh, I'll never be able to face anyone again!*

Yan Xuehen finally reacted. She pulled a nearby blanket over Yun Jianyue's backside, which still bore several red handprints, then lightly coughed. "Why didn't you knock before coming in?"

Zu An was quick to react as well. "Oh, could it be that my recent training went wrong? Why can't I see anything right now...?" As he spoke, he fumbled around in front of him like a blind man. To make it more convincing, he even "accidentally" bumped into the doorframe. He then groped his way out, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

Yan Xuehen let out a giggle. *This fellow certainly knows how to act.*

Hearing her laughter, Yun Jianyue felt even more incensed, as if oil had been poured on fire. "Laugh, you still have the nerve to laugh! I can't believe an Ice Maiden like you could be so vicious, you ruined me so badly and you can still laugh!"

Yan Xuehen scoffed, "So what if you were seen? You won't lose a limb. Why are you wailing like a ghost? It's not like I haven't been... *ahem*..." She suddenly realized her slip of the tongue and quickly shut her mouth.

Yun Jianyue, however, was furious. "Am *I* the demonic temptress, or are *you*? How can you speak so lightly of such a thing!"

"Alright, alright, you look a bit pathetic today, so I'll let you off for now." Distracted by what had just happened, Yan Xuehen no longer had the heart to continue. After stepping out, she worried it might not be safe for Yun Jianyue to lie there alone. With a flick of her hand, a wisp of chi energy removed the restraints on Yun Jianyue.

"Ice Maiden, I'll fight you to the death!" A surge of murderous aura erupted from the room as Yun Jianyue rushed out like lightning.

***

Hearing the clashing sounds outside, Yu Yanluo, in another room, turned pale. "What's wrong with them? Why are they fighting so desperately?" Although the two had been mortal enemies, after spending this time together, they had clearly become comrades. Why were they fighting so viciously?

A captivating scene flashed through Zu An's mind, making his nose feel warm. He quickly tried to cover it up, saying, "It would be strange if those two *didn't* fight, right? Don't worry, their cultivation levels are evenly matched, neither can truly defeat the other."

Sure enough, they fought from day to night, flattening several surrounding mountaintops, yet neither could truly prevail over the other. Finally, Zu An stepped out and called, "That's enough fighting! Come down to eat and rest. We still have to travel tomorrow."

Yan Xuehen instinctively stopped, partly because the memory of Yun Jianyue's dominance in the hot springs had left a deep impression on her. Yun Jianyue normally acted purely on her own whims and would never listen to his advice. However, having just been seen in such a private state, she felt extremely guilty and ceased fighting as well.

Yu Yanluo watched, utterly shocked. She had thought Zu An's persuasion would have no effect, yet these two Grandmasters, normally so arrogant, were actually listening to him?

During dinner, Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue still sat far apart. Their occasional glances at each other sparked with hostility. Worried they might start fighting again, Yu Yanluo quickly intervened to mediate. "Zu An, how did Sister Yan's injuries heal?"

"Of course, it's all thanks to me..." Zu An answered subconsciously. As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew he'd messed up. Sure enough, three sharp gazes instantly pierced him.