Chapter 224: Nighttime Thief

"It's not often one gets to see such beautiful scenery," Zu An said with a smile. "It's only natural to take a few extra glances." He had, after all, admired it up close just days before, but that had been a hurried, incomplete look, unlike the detailed appreciation he was enjoying now.

Chu Chuyan was speechless.

She couldn't fathom how anyone could utter such shameless words with such a straight face.

Chu Chuyan's anger increased by 233!

Seeing her truly upset, Zu An quickly sobered. "Alright, alright, I'll start now. Remember, don't use your cultivation to resist, or all our efforts will be wasted."

Chu Chuyan hummed in acknowledgement. As a cultivator, exposing one's vital points completely defenseless to another person was an act no one would dare unless they possessed absolute trust.

Although Zu An often spoke irritating nonsense, she recalled his valiant struggle to protect her in the underground palace. In his presence, she realized there was truly nothing she needed to guard against.

As she completely relaxed, Zu An carefully took out his silver needles and inserted them one by one into the acupoints on her back.

He moved very slowly, with utmost caution. He was concerned about applying improper force and injuring her, and equally worried about leaving even the slightest mark on her flawless, jade-like back.

Chu Chuyan closed her eyes tightly, concentrating fully on sensing the needles as they entered her skin.

With each silver needle that pierced her skin, she felt a subtle warmth spread through her body, as the icy energy within slowly seeped out along the path of the nearest needle.

She felt a slight tension at first, but as more needles were inserted and her body remained free of discomfort, she completely relaxed.

As she sensed the cold energy within her slowly dispersing into the air through the needles, a sudden thought struck her, a serious concern: "Will this cause significant damage to my cultivation?"

After all, her primary offensive method relied on her icy energy. If all of it were expelled from her body, wouldn't her years of painstaking cultivation of the "Snowflake Divine Sword" be utterly ruined?

Sensing the tremor in her voice, Zu An reassured her, "Don't worry, it won't. My acupuncture is only helping to expel the uncontrollable cold energy from your body. The normal cold energy in your primal meridians will remain unaffected."

Chu Chuyan was utterly astonished. Given the severity of her injuries, she would have been grateful just to survive; she had already prepared herself for a significant loss of cultivation, or even becoming a cripple again. Yet, he was telling her that wouldn't happen.

Recalling Bao Youlu's previous solemnity and pessimism, and knowing Dr. Bao's skill—which she knew for years was second only to Ji Dengtu in all of Brightmoon City—she realized all of this was Zu An's doing.

The thought that he had also saved her in the underground palace flooded Chu Chuyan's heart with countless unsaid words. Unable to articulate them, she finally managed just two: "Thank you."

Zu An gave a casual laugh. "We're husband and wife, aren't we? Isn't it my duty to save you? No need for thanks."

"Husband and wife..." Chu Chuyan murmured, momentarily lost in thought.

After a pause, Zu An's voice suddenly broke the silence. "Alright, please turn over."

Chu Chuyan instinctively turned, then abruptly realized her mistake. She glanced down, her mouth opening as if to cry out, but she stopped herself, fearing she might alert her sister outside.

With Xiao Zhao's temperament, she would surely blurt it out for the entire manor to hear.

Seeing her face flush crimson, Zu An suppressed a chuckle. "You don't need to panic. You're covered by the quilt, so I can't see anything vital."

*But you've already seen everything else,* she thought.

A flicker of resentment crossed Chu Chuyan's eyes, but she was too embarrassed to voice it.

Zu An's gaze lingered on her long, delicate neck, her exquisite, slender collarbones, and the vast expanse of her snowy, smooth skin. For a moment, he felt a warmth rising to his nose.

"This woman is indeed stunning," Mi Li's voice echoed in his mind, "Every inch of her is perfection."

Zu An was momentarily speechless. *Sister, you're a woman too,* he thought. *Why are you acting like a pervert?*

"Ultimately, it's all your fault!" Mi Li said through gritted teeth. "If it weren't for you, I would already possess this perfect body! While it doesn't compare to my original, it's beautiful enough for me to accept."

Mi Li's anger increased by 256!

Zu An was left speechless.

"Could you please stop looking..." Chu Chuyan felt an unprecedented weakness. When had she ever pleaded with someone in such a humble way before?

Hearing her, Zu An's heart fluttered, and he instantly snapped back to reality, his face flushing slightly. "I'll start right away."

Chu Chuyan lowered her head and hummed in assent, remaining silent.

Mi Li's voice echoed in his mind once more. "Oh, I can't bear it! This pungent scent of love is truly loathsome."

"You had such trendy words back in your era?" Zu An asked, a little surprised. "You and Qin Shi Huang had an arranged marriage, so naturally, you're jealous of our kind of relationship."

Mi Li was speechless.

"Do you believe I'll just let go right now and let your wife drop dead on the spot?"

Mi Li's anger increased by 666!

Zu An immediately relented. "Sister, I was wrong. Please calm down..."

It took him quite a while to appease her. Zu An resolved that he shouldn't be so careless with his words in the future, to avoid stirring up more trouble.

Zu An then composed himself and began the acupuncture treatment on Chu Chuyan's front.

She had pulled a thin quilt over her chest, which also covered a large area, including her lower abdomen.

Zu An had to gently pull the quilt aside, locate the acupoints, and insert the needles.

Chu Chuyan trembled faintly but ultimately remained silent.

She was uncomfortable throughout the process, and Zu An found it equally challenging. After all, it was incredibly difficult to ignore the stunning sight before him.

Noticing his breathing grow heavier and a fine sheen of sweat appear on his forehead, Chu Chuyan's expression softened. Her red lips parted slightly as she asked, "Is treating me very draining?"

Zu An paused, realizing her misunderstanding. But why correct such a 'beautiful' mistake? He replied vaguely, "It's fine; I can manage."

Chu Chuyan hesitated, then thought better of speaking. Her gaze towards him softened with gratitude.

"Your shamelessness truly exceeds my imagination," Mi Li's sarcastic voice rang in his mind. "It seems I'll need to be careful when interacting with you in the future, lest I inadvertently get tricked."

Zu An was momentarily speechless. "Just because you're beautiful doesn't mean you can twist the truth," he retorted. "Surely you're the one who tricks me more often?"

"Hmph, either way, you're not a good person," Mi Li said coldly.

"Sister, you're not exactly a good person either, are you?" Zu An countered. "So, by that logic, doesn't that make us a perfect match?" He had almost finished with Chu Chuyan's acupuncture points, so he wasn't afraid of slightly provoking Mi Li.

"Are you flirting with me?" Mi Li's voice rose an octave.

Mi Li's anger increased by 511!

"I was just joking," Zu An said with a chuckle. "Why get so riled up?"

"Back in my time, I would have had your tongue ripped out long ago," Mi Li scoffed, then fell silent, perhaps slipping back into slumber.

A faint smile touched Zu An's lips. Occasionally bickering with her like this seemed quite amusing.

Snapping back to attention, he began removing the silver needles from Chu Chuyan's body, one by one. "How do you feel now?" he asked.

"I feel... like I'm in a hot spring," Chu Chuyan replied, somewhat disbelieving. Her limbs had often been cold before, and her lower abdomen felt perpetually icy. Though the sensation hadn't completely vanished, she felt significantly lighter overall.

Even though she wasn't knowledgeable in medicine, she knew this treatment was indeed effective.

"If you keep this up for another two or three months, your hidden ailment should be completely cured," Zu An said, carefully placing the silver needles back into their pouch, all the while not forgetting to admire the body that countless others yearned for.

Chu Chuyan had grown numb to his brazen gaze. *He's already seen everything,* she thought. *What difference does one more or one less glance make?*

"It'll take that long?" Chu Chuyan's brow furrowed slightly. Such a prolonged treatment would inevitably lead to questions or suspicions from the manor's staff.

"So, let's reconsider us living together," Zu An said with a grin. "If I move in, treating you will be much more convenient."

"Could you give me a little more time?" Chu Chuyan pleaded, a hint of desperation in her eyes. "Right now, I'm... I'm really not ready."

Zu An's heart softened. "But me coming to your room and staying for so long every day will eventually raise suspicions."

Chu Chuyan pursed her lips, then whispered, "How about this: you come here in the middle of the night from now on, unseen by anyone. I'll leave the door unlocked for you."

"Really?" Zu An's eyes gleamed.

His reaction startled Chu Chuyan, and she quickly clarified, "It's just for... for treatment. Don't get the wrong idea."

"Naturally," Zu An said with a slight smile. After all, as the saying goes, familiarity breeds affection. With a man and woman spending time together every night, wouldn't it be easy for feelings to develop?

Just then, a soft groan came from a distance. Qin Wanru, who was lying on the couch, suddenly stirred, signaling that the soporific's effects were likely wearing off.

Knowing her mother was about to wake, Chu Chuyan's face paled. The mere thought of her mother seeing her, naked and with Zu An, made her heart pound wildly. She frantically pushed Zu An. "Quick, go! Don't let Mother see! Why are you just standing there, stunned?"

Noticing his dazed expression, she instinctively glanced down, only to realize that her movement to push him had caused the brocade quilt covering her chest to slip almost entirely, revealing a large expanse of alluring skin.

Chu Chuyan was speechless.

Zu An was speechless.

Climbing out of Chu Chuyan's boudoir window, Zu An couldn't help but grin foolishly as he walked back, replaying the recent events in his mind.

Just then, a figure suddenly vaulted over the nearby courtyard wall, tumbling directly onto him. Both instantly fell to the ground.

"What the hell!" Zu An exclaimed, still savoring the previous moment. Being crashed into by someone would infuriate anyone.

Just as he was about to unleash a string of curses, he suddenly noticed something unusual about the feel. This wasn't a petty thief; it was incredibly soft and slender, and a familiar, faint, elegant fragrance wafted from them.

The other person clearly hadn't expected anyone to be below. Finding themselves haphazardly pressed against him, they were overcome with both shame and indignation, and immediately lashed out.

Zu An was far stronger than before. With a swift movement, he caught the other's hands. By now, he had clearly seen their face and was stunned. "Why is it you?"

***

This is the third update; I owe four more chapters. That's probably all for today; I didn't get any sleep during midday and can't push any further.