Of course, she knew that he was deliberately teasing her. “Honglei isn’t my private property. I can’t use her as a bargaining chip,” she said lightly.

“I’m not asking you to give her to me in that way. I just don’t want you to stop us from getting together.” He’d seen too many TV shows where annoying clan leaders would get in the way of the male and female leads, and did not want to go through the same thing.

Yun Jianyue was completely bowled over. “You two are already in such a deep relationship with each other?”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It appeared that she hadn’t paid enough attention to her disciple lately. She hadn’t expected her to fall for a man without her noticing.

Zu An stuck out his chest. “A man like me—suave, valiant, confident, distinguished, and accomplished… a man among men. What’s so wrong about her falling for someone like that?”

Yun Jianyue was left speechless by his string of adjectives.

She had a strong urge to pick up the pillow next to her and plug his mouth up. 

This guy is just too shameless!

You have successfully trolled Yun Jianyue for 555… 555… 555…

Yun Jianyue took a deep breath to calm herself down. “I won’t interfere with what goes on between the two of you, but you must promise me that you won’t ruin Honglei’s purity.”

It was Zu An’s turn to be stunned.

“We’re harmonious lovers. What do you mean, ruin her purity?”

Yun Jianyue sneered. “No matter how glib your tongue is, you still cannot change the fate that has entangled her.”

Zu An did not know how to respond.

Yun Jianyue continued, “Honglei practices a special method of cultivation. She cannot lose her virginity before she reaches a high level of cultivation. If she does, her dao will be ruined, and she will suffer a counterstroke. She will become a slave to her desires.”

Zu An immediately felt aggrieved. “What kind of stupid technique is that? How could there be such a ridiculous method in the world?”

Yun Jianyue’s expression was unreadable. “Why can’t there be? It’s the same one that I cultivate.”

Zu An stared at her stupidly. 

So that’s the reason why you’re still unmarried…

Yun Jianyue was hardly embarrassed. “The method we use to cultivate is called ‘Heavenly Devil’s Temptation’,” she explained/ “You can probably tell from the name that this is a technique overflowing with charm and allure. You’ve been around Honglei for a while already, so I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.”

Zu An nodded. He had indeed been stunned by Qiu Honglei when he first met her. His first desire was to take her to bed, but he had many beauties around him, and was good at retaining his composure. The other men in Immortal Abode, though, had been completely enthralled.

Yun Jianyue continued with her explanation. “Once she reaches a higher level of cultivation, her desires will begin to overwhelm her. If she can remain clear-headed throughout the entire process, however, she will be able to attain the highest level of Heavenly Devil’s Temptation. If she fails before that, not only will her cultivation regress significantly, her cultivation will rebound severely, and cause her to lose her mind whenever she sees another man. I doubt you want to see that happen, especially since the two of you are already a couple.”

Zu An remained silent for a moment. He truly didn’t wish to see Qiu Honglei in that state.

The more he thought about it, though, the more upset he became. “What kind of dogshit technique is this? Aren’t you all part of the Devil Sect? It’s the Devil Sect, and yet you guys care so much about preserving your own chastity, like those orthodox sects. Doesn’t it suit your sect to be overtly flirtatious and seductive?”

Yun Jianyue’s expression was cold. “We are the Holy Sect, and our mission is to empower everyone to become equally strong. The Devil Sect is a name the imperial court had deliberately given us to slander us.”

Zu An wasn’t about to argue with her over this. “Fine, fine, fine. We can call it the Holy Sect if you want. Can’t Honglei choose not to cultivate your stupid technique, then? I’ll give her something else as compensation.”

He had quite a few techniques on him. He was sure he could find something suitable for her.

Yun Jianyue’s eyes narrowed. “Are you perhaps saying you’ll give her the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra?”

The Devil Sect had dispatched many people to capture him on his way to the capital, all for the sake of obtaining the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra.

Zu An was about to explain that the requirements to cultivate the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra were not suitable for her, but he figured that there was no need to. Either way, he still had other methods at his disposal. “So what?”

Yun Jianyue’s expression lit up. After giving it a moment of thought, she said, “You really go all out when courting a woman, huh? No wonder even Honglei fell for you.”

If she had known that this would be the case, she wouldn’t have gone through all that trouble. She would have just sent Honglei.

Zu An was amused by her sigh. 

If I could get both of you in a package deal, then I won’t just give up the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra. I’ll be willing to give you even more.

 Of course, there was no way he would ever say that out loud.

Yun Jianyue then asked, “Can the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra really grant immortality?”

“Hold on. Wait, wait, wait. You’ve already scammed quite a bit of information from me. Are you really going to keep going if I don’t stop you?” Zu An snorted, but he still replied, “The immortality that the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra can grant is merely a fanciful ideal. It cannot be implemented in reality.”

Yun Jianyue’s brows had begun to climb again, but she sighed when he finished speaking. “That’s good then. That’s good.”

All was good, as long as the emperor couldn’t obtain immortality.

She did not suspect Zu An of deceiving her. She had already deduced that there was no way the emperor would let Zu An go if the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra could really grant immortality.

“I’ll thank you in Honglei’s place ahead of time,” she continued. “Unfortunately, the Heavenly Devil’s Temptation is rather special. Once cultivated, it cannot be abandoned unless one reaches my level.”

“Isn’t your technique a scam then?” Zu An stormed over to her angrily. A stray thought struck him. “How old are you?” he asked.

Yun Jianyue raised her eyebrows. “Are you tired of living?”

Zu An’s heart skipped a beat. Even though the other party was seriously injured, the pressure she exerted still left him stunned. It was clear that there would not be another chance to defeat her again. Their fight in the rock garden, where he had shown her mercy, was the only chance he would ever have.

He quickly clarified himself. “I’m not interested in your age, I just want to know how many years it would take for Honglei to reach your level. I need to know that at least, right?”

Yun Jianyue snorted. “If you really love her, why would you care how long it will take? If you can’t wait that long, that means you never loved her, and it would turn out well for her as well.”

Zu An gave her a pitiful look.. “You’ve never fallen in love before, right?”

Yun Jianyue erupted with fury. “Are you courting death!?”

Zu An wrinkled his nose and said, “Only someone who has never dated before would employ such childish tactics. Things such as feelings… they often crumble before the face of tribulation.”

Yun Jianyue’s face heated up. It was true that she was rather inexperienced at this, but there was no way she would admit that. “Hmph! I’m way more experienced than a young upstart like you. Do you really think that your understanding of anything exceeds my own?”

Zu An knew that she was starting to feel embarrassed, so he didn’t continue to tease her. “All right, just remember your promise. I’ll find your medicine, and you’ll bless our relationship.”

Yun Jianyue frowned. “Where are you going to look for these items?”

“The imperial hospital, of course. It’s full of renowned physicians and expensive medicines. Who knows, the stuff you’re looking for might be there.”

Yun Jianyue’s eyes lit up. Even though this fella was full of nonsense, he had really hit the nail on the head this time. His plan might just work.

“Stay here, and don’t wander around. Wait for me to come back.” Worried, Zu An repeated his warning.

“Okay,” replied Yun Jianyue subconsciously, but she frowned right after. Why did she feel like a young married woman waiting for her husband to return?

She shook her head and quickly tossed aside this thought.

Zu An cursed himself the entire way to the hospital. 

I’m probably the only decent man out there. If any other dude encountered a stunning goddess who had hit rock bottom, they would definitely have taken every advantage that they could!

…

Meanwhile, the bearded Left Guard General had just left the Palace of Peace. “General, is there any new information?” inquired his subordinate outside.

Cheng Xiong’s face was overcast. “It was too messy, and the empress was quite frightened. She can’t recall the details clearly. It looks like we need to find a different route to take this investigation.”

His subordinates were all horrified. The emperor’s rage had been terrifying, and they were now in charge of investigating the attempt on the empress’ life.

This was the first place where violence had erupted. By the time the eastern palace had been thrown into chaos, the assassins in the Palace of Peace had either run away, or ended their own lives if they hadn’t been able to escape. Not a single person was left to interrogate.

While he was at his wit’s end, Cheng Xiong suddenly said, “We’ll pay the imperial hospital a visit. If there are still assassins in the palace, they will require medicine for treatment. They might target the hospital.”

The rest of his men cheered. “Our general is wise!”