Chapter 641: Sailing Through the Bitter Sea of Suffering

Yun Jianyue was dumbfounded. She had been too concerned and opened the door too quickly, completely unprepared for this situation. Seeing his head buried in her chest, a murderous glint flashed in her eyes. The scoundrel had even deliberately removed his mask! Her fingers curled like hooks, and just as she was about to end his life, she suddenly uttered an exclamation of surprise. With her cultivation level, she could naturally perceive that his soul was currently damaged.

"Huh, did the Emperor attack him? No, that can't be right; if the Emperor attacked, how could he still be alive?" Yun Jianyue pushed the man away from her embrace and carefully examined his condition. Her expression fluctuated wildly, clearly indicating an intense internal struggle.

When Zu An awoke, he found himself sitting cross-legged on the bed, with Yun Jianyue seated opposite him. Her long, waterfall-like hair flowed freely as if untouched by wind, giving her an exceptionally beautiful and ethereal appearance. What surprised him even more was that their hands were pressed together, and he could clearly feel how soft her hands were.

"Stop your wild thoughts, focus your mind, and absorb the medicinal energy," Yun Jianyue's cold voice came, clearly having noticed his awakening immediately. Zu An felt a medicinal aroma enveloping him. Looking down, he saw the Five-Essence Secret Ganoderma floating slowly between them in mid-air. It must have been activated by Yun Jianyue's internal energy to float. The five-colored divine light emanating from it was gently flowing into his nostrils.

At this point, Yun Jianyue withdrew her hands. "You were unconscious just now and couldn't circulate your vital energy on your own, which is why I lent you a hand. Now that you're awake, continue on your own."

"On my own?" Zu An's expression was odd. He thought to himself, 'If only I really could move on my own,' but seeing her frosty expression, it was clear she didn't mean what he was thinking. He had no choice but to circulate the vital energy within his body and begin absorbing the medicinal power to nourish his damaged soul.

Oh, the side effects of "Key Come" are still too great. Just telling such a small lie almost shattered my soul. Do I really need to reach the Grandmaster realm to use it multiple times?

So he asked, "Sect Leader Sister, how does one train their soul to make it more resilient?"

"Soul?" Yun Jianyue scoffed. "Think about that when you reach the Grandmaster realm."

"Do you really have to be a Grandmaster to train your soul?" Zu An asked, not giving up.

"Of course," Yun Jianyue said flatly. "From the first to ninth rank, it's all about tempering the body. Only a more resilient and powerful body can support a stronger soul. Cultivation is like sailing across a sea of suffering; the stronger your body, the bigger and more stable your boat, preventing it from being destroyed by storms. Once you condense your soul, you gain a rudder and sails, allowing you to cross the sea of suffering more quickly..."

Zu An listened, impressed but not fully comprehending, and couldn't help but ask, "Has anyone in history ever crossed the sea of suffering?"

Yun Jianyue's breath caught. Her agitated expression gradually calmed. "No, some people's boats just travel a bit farther."

Zu An responded with an "Oh," roughly understanding her meaning. It seemed that with his current rank, he shouldn't be thinking about training his soul yet.

"Oh, right, I remember falling onto something soft when I came in earlier," Zu An said, opening his eyes after a moment and unable to resist voicing the question in his mind.

Yun Jianyue's eyelid twitched. She said coldly, "You're mistaken."

Anger value from Yun Jianyue +444 +444 +444...

Seeing the anger value received in his system, Zu An's heart skipped a beat. Could it be... He glanced at her expression and wisely chose not to press further.

After another while, he suddenly felt the medicinal aroma vanish. Opening his eyes, he saw Yun Jianyue putting the Five-Essence Secret Ganoderma back into its box. He couldn't help but feel a little frustrated. "I found this medicine, after all. Don't be so stingy."

Yun Jianyue raised an eyebrow. "What do you know? While this medicine greatly nourishes the soul, too much is as bad as too little. An overdose will harm your soul. Even with my cultivation, I dare not absorb too much each time. If you want to die, keep absorbing it."

Anger value from Yun Jianyue +233 +233 +233...

Zu An quickly got up and offered a placating smile. "I misunderstood, Sect Leader Sister. Here, let me give you a shoulder rub as an apology." At the same time, he was a little curious. Previously, in Brightmoon City, the anger value he received was always a single number. Now, he kept getting a string of them. It seemed that powerful individuals could provide more soul energy.

Yun Jianyue simply stepped aside, evading his hand. "You want to rub my shoulders? I won't even bother to expose your true intentions."

Zu An gave an awkward smile. "At least my respect and admiration for Sect Leader Sister are genuine."

Yun Jianyue ignored his flattery and directly pressed, "What exactly happened when you went to Zhu Xie Chixin's place, and why was your soul damaged?"

Zu An's expression turned serious. "Zhu Xie Chixin also grew suspicious of me..." He briefly recounted what had happened there.

Yun Jianyue nodded. "Zhu Xie Chixin is an old fox; it would be strange if he *didn't* suspect you. So, how exactly did you fool him?"

Zu An explained vaguely, "I specifically went to another Embroidered Uniform Guard and got a new uniform just now..." How could he tell her about a skill like "Key Come"? She wasn't part of his harem.

Yun Jianyue frowned, clearly not accepting his explanation. "That was a Golden Embroidered Uniform Guard's attire. How could you so easily get another set from someone else? And you still haven't said why your soul was damaged."

Just as Zu An was unsure how to proceed, Yun Jianyue's expression suddenly changed slightly. "Someone's coming." With a flash of her figure, she expertly hid behind the screen, a maneuver so practiced it was almost pitiful.

At that moment, a knock came from outside. "Is Lord Eleven in?"

Zu An put his mask back on, made sure there was nothing unusual about himself, and then stepped out. He saw a chubby eunuch at the door and quickly cupped his hands in a respectful bow. "So it's Eunuch Wen."

"Lord Eleven, you're too kind," Eunuch Wen said, his eyes almost disappearing with his smile. This new Golden Emblem Guard was truly polite, which made him pleasing to the eye. "The Emperor requests your presence in the Imperial Study."

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. Was it to ask about the investigation results? But only about a day had passed; it couldn't be that fast. His expression remained unchanged. "Very well. I'll just go inside and get my waist token."

Eunuch Wen smiled and nodded. As long as Zu An wasn't trying to escape, he could wait for him to fetch something.

After entering the room, Zu An pretended to search for his waist token on the bed while secretly transmitting a message to Yun Jianyue with his vital energy.

"I heard everything," Yun Jianyue paused, then added, "Be careful yourself."

Hearing her words, Zu An's eyebrows rose, and his eyes brightened slightly. It seemed his efforts to raise her favorability had not been in vain; she was even showing concern now.

After closing the door, he followed Eunuch Wen towards the Imperial Study. Along the way, Zu An secretly slipped a jade bracelet into the eunuch's hand—a gift he had received from the Crown Princess earlier. "I wonder why His Majesty wants to see me," he asked.

Eunuch Wen sighed. "Lord Eleven, you're making me make a mistake." Despite saying this, he stealthily tucked the item into his sleeve before speaking. "As for why His Majesty wants to see you, how dare us lowly servants presume to guess the sacred will? However, His Majesty seems to be in a very bad mood today. Oh, and by the way, it seems General Cheng Xiong, of the Left Guard, is also in the Imperial Study."

As the Emperor's personal attendant, how could he not be aware of every stir in the palace? He was perfectly clear about Cheng Xiong's earlier conflict with Zu An and how the Crown Princess had intervened to help. The reason he was willing to accept the gift, of course, wasn't because he thought Zu An was polite, but because the Crown Princess thought so highly of him, and Cheng Xiong was part of Prince Qi's faction. Therefore, he offered the warning to forge a good relationship.

"Thank you, Eunuch Wen." Zu An's heart sank. 'Damn it, it's that Cheng Xiong again, truly a persistent nuisance. I wonder what trouble he's cooked up this time.' He even worried if he would leave the Imperial Study alive this time. 'Hmph, if worst comes to worst, I'll just yell "Key Come" again and take a gamble.' With that thought, his turbulent heart gradually settled.