Chapter 672: Breaking Up a Couple

Yun Jianyue's fury soared.

Sensing her resentment, Zu An's head spun. He quickly said, "We are in love, and things happened naturally when our feelings grew strong. How can that be called degradation?"

"Naturally?" Yun Jianyue sneered. "Then why were you holding Honglei's head down so firmly just now?"

Zu An's face flushed. "I wasn't using any force; otherwise, if Honglei wasn't willing, how could I have forced her?"

"Alright, alright, I don't want to hear your ridiculous explanations." For some reason, Yun Jianyue was extremely agitated. "In any case, you are not allowed to meet Honglei anymore."

"Why!" Zu An straightened up abruptly, his tone full of displeasure.

Yun Jianyue said sternly, "You should know that Honglei's cultivation method is special. She cannot lose her virginity before achieving complete mastery."

Zu An mumbled, "I know, that's why we had a tacit understanding and didn't really do anything serious."

Yun Jianyue raised an eyebrow, looking as if she was about to erupt, but recalling Zu An's help during this period, she held back. "Hmph, you call that doing nothing? You enjoyed yourself, but what about Honglei? You should know that it's not just men who have desires; women do too. If you constantly arouse her passion like this, letting it build up repeatedly without release, she could very likely suffer from a 'passion-fire' backlash and even go into qi deviation."

Zu An was speechless.

He couldn't help but complain, "What kind of rubbish cultivation method is this?"

"Rubbish cultivation method?" Yun Jianyue's eyes turned somewhat dangerous. "This Grandmaster achieved her status by practicing this very 'rubbish cultivation method'. Crushing you would be as easy as crushing an ant. Do you want to try?"

"No need, no need to try." Zu An waved his hand awkwardly. The old spinster certainly had a temper.

Only then did Yun Jianyue say, "Since you claim to be deeply in love with Honglei, you should consider her. If you two continue like this, she will only suffer from emotional tribulation, accumulating many inner demons and obstacles on her path to cultivation. She may never hope to reach the perfected realm, and could even perish midway."

Zu An was startled. "Is it that dangerous?"

"Of course. Do you think I'm trying to scare you?" Yun Jianyue's expression was serious. "Many in the Holy Sect's history have practiced this cultivation method, but many either lost control midway, causing their cultivation to dissipate, or were plagued by inner demons, leading to their demise. So far, I am the only one who has mastered this art."

Zu An immediately blurted out, "If it's so dangerous, why did you make Honglei practice it?!"

Yun Jianyue snorted exasperatedly. "I've always been training her as my successor. If she doesn't practice my method, whose should she practice? Originally, with her discernment and temperament, no man in the world would have caught her eye. Who knew she'd encounter a philanderer like you!"

Zu An puffed out his chest. "Is it my fault for being handsome, rich, and popular with women?"

Yun Jianyue was speechless.

She somewhat wanted to slap him across the face, then stomp on his face and grind her foot a few times. This guy was truly asking for a beating.

Only then did Zu An say, "Alright, I'm not that kind of lustful person... Hey, hey, hey, what kind of look is that? If you keep looking at me like that, I'm going to get angry. *Cough, cough*... I also don't want to harm Honglei, so from now on, I promise not to let her do those things."

"No, you two cannot meet again," Yun Jianyue said firmly. "Recently, I've observed that her face is flushed with passion, and her foundation has begun to destabilize. If she stays with you any longer, she'll be beyond saving. So I will take her back to the sect and have her cultivate in seclusion with a pure heart and few desires."

Zu An quickly asked, "How long will she be in seclusion?"

"Until I deem it acceptable," Yun Jianyue said, leaning leisurely in her chair, a slight smugness in her heart. *You're still too green to contend with me, little brat.*

Zu An was furious. "Isn't that just being unreasonable? I won't agree!"

*This old spinster is probably just jealous, unable to bear seeing us in love. If it's up to her to deem it 'acceptable', it'll probably be until the end of time.*

"If you're not convinced, you can fight me. If you win, you set the rules." Yun Jianyue's bright eyes swept over him indifferently.

Zu An's breath caught. He knew his place; this woman was a Grandmaster, and her injuries had recovered considerably. Fighting him would be like child's play for her.

So he decisively changed his strategy. "Sister, you're being a bit unreasonable. When you were severely injured, I risked my life to find soul-nourishing medicine for you, which led to Cheng Xiong suspecting me and several near-death experiences. Later, I helped you rescue the sect members who were trapped in the Heavenly Prison and doomed to die. After all I've done, it's one thing not to thank me, but to burn your bridges like this is truly unkind."

Yun Jianyue sighed softly. "I know. We owe you a huge favor, so I will find another way to compensate you."

Zu An shook his head. "I don't want any other compensation, only Honglei."

Yun Jianyue's eyebrows shot up. "Brat, don't push it too far. I've already explained the reason to you. Pick another condition."

Zu An shook his head. "I won't use Honglei as a bargaining chip for anything else."

Yun Jianyue gave him a deep look. *Though this guy is a philanderer, he's actually quite good to Honglei.*

Her expression softened slightly. "Your kindness will forever be remembered by everyone in the Holy Sect, and it will be amply repaid in the future."

Zu An waved his hand, clearly not in the mood for such talk. "Did Sun Luzhen and the others escape safely?"

Yun Jianyue nodded. "After they left the palace, Honglei arranged for people to meet them and escort them out of the capital. They kept saying they want to thank you in person someday."

"It's good that they left successfully," Zu An also breathed a sigh of relief. If anything happened to Sun Luzhen and the others, he could easily be exposed. "By the way, did you catch the person who was secretly following you earlier?"

"I was just about to tell you about that," Yun Jianyue said with a serious expression. "I originally wanted to find an opportunity to kill him, but unfortunately, his stealth and escape techniques were too masterful. I couldn't hold him."

"Even you couldn't hold him?" Zu An was surprised.

Yun Jianyue hummed in agreement. "Even with my current injuries, let alone in my prime, I might not have been able to hold him 100%. His stealth skills are almost Dao-like. I didn't even see his true face."

"Such a person shouldn't be an unknown figure in the world, right? Does anyone come to mind who fits the description?" Zu An quickly asked. Having such a formidable individual lurking and spying made him truly uneasy.

Yun Jianyue shook her head. "How vast is the world? There are so many extraordinary individuals; how could I possibly know them all? Since he is skilled in stealth, he would obviously deliberately keep his name obscure and unknown to outsiders."

Zu An nodded, understanding the logic. It seemed he should find an opportunity to ask the Emperor to investigate, but it would be troublesome if it turned out to be Eunuch Wen.

As he was deep in thought, Yun Jianyue suddenly let out a small gasp, her gaze fixed intently on his chest. "Oh, the flow of vital energy in your body seems different from usual. Are you injured?"

Having spent so much time together recently, as a Grandmaster, she was extremely familiar with his aura.

Zu An smiled wryly. "This time, to help you, I really put my life on the line."

He then briefly explained how the Emperor had placed a restriction on him.

Yun Jianyue's expression changed slightly. Without waiting for his consent, she reached out and directly grabbed his wrist, feeling the flow of vital energy within his body.

Her hand was cool and felt incredibly comfortable to the touch, but Zu An had no time to notice such things. Instead, he watched her nervously as her brow furrowed deeper and deeper, as if he had contracted a terminal illness.

"It's not that bad, is it? The Emperor said it could still be resolved. Did he lie to me?" Zu An's heart grew anxious.

Yun Jianyue finally spoke. "Take off your clothes."

"Huh?" Zu An was somewhat stunned.

Yun Jianyue said, "I'll try to undo this restriction for you. However, during the process, your blood and qi will surge, and the heat must be dissipated promptly, which is why you need to remove your clothes."

"Oh." Zu An's heart brightened. If she could undo this ticking time bomb on him, he wouldn't have to live in dread every day.

After he took off his clothes, Yun Jianyue said coldly, "And your pants."

Zu An: "???"

---

These past few days, my wife has been at the hospital taking care of things, and I've been in charge of the baby. Well, I've realized there's so much to do in a day, and it's left me quite exhausted. However, a writer friend I know is even worse off. His child was just born, and with no elders to help, it's just the two of them raising the baby. They suffer from chronic sleep deprivation and still have to write to earn money... Huh, thinking about it that way, I feel much better. At least after May Day, the little rascal at home can go to school, haha. I'm really looking forward to the start of school.

Tomorrow's update time might not be as fixed as before. I'll post it as soon as it's written. Please bear with me.