Zu An's heart skipped a beat. He wasn't sure if the other person was just being coquettish by going along with Yu Yanluo's lie, or if she had really lied to him about something. But there was no point in delving into it at this point; he naturally knew the standard answer to this kind of question.

He grasped her shoulders, making her look into his eyes: "Honglei, I believe you wouldn't do anything to harm me. If you really have something to lie to me about, you must have had a compelling reason. Of course, I won't hate you. If you encounter anything difficult to deal with, we can discuss it and solve it together."

"Brother Zu, you're so kind!" Qiu Honglei threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly, her face nestled against his chest. "Don't worry, I would never hurt you."

Zu An thought to himself that something must have happened, but since the other party was obviously unwilling to say, there was no need to press for details. After spending so much time together, there was still some trust between them.

He reached out and gently stroked her hair, comforting her, "Don't feel too much pressure. If you really feel guilty, you can make it up to me in the future."

"What kind of compensation do you want?" Qiu Honglei asked curiously.

Zuan leaned close to her ear and whispered, "...Call me Daddy."

Qiu Honglei immediately feigned a coquettish reproach, but her eyes, brimming with a captivating allure, said, "Alright~"

Looking down at her charming and beautiful face, Zu An lifted her smooth and delicate chin and gently kissed her.

Qiu Honglei slowly closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and the thumping of her heartbeat could be clearly felt.

...

Just then, a sharp whistle rang out from afar, and a dazzling firework bloomed in the distance.

Lips separate.

Qiu Honglei glanced in that direction, her beautiful face instantly changing: "It's an urgent secret order from the sect, I must go there immediately. Brother Zu, I really can't bear to leave you."

Zuan couldn't help but frown: "After today's parting, I don't know when we'll meet again."

"Maybe we'll meet again soon?" Qiu Honglei winked playfully. "Oh no, no, I've finally managed to suppress my feelings, but seeing you has ruined everything. I need to go back into seclusion so I don't fall behind you."

Zu An said in a deep voice, "I don't care whether your cultivation level is high or low, and I can completely protect you."

"You don't care, but I do. Otherwise, if I get bullied by other women in the future, I can't just come to you. Besides, I can only be with you... with you..." Qiu Honglei suddenly became a little shy, stomped her foot, and then fled as if she were running away, leaving only a faint fragrance in the air.

Zu An smiled knowingly, but when he thought of the negative effects of "Heavenly Demon's Enchanting Voice," he felt a little depressed. Yun Jianyue was really a heartless woman, teaching him such a terrible technique.

Just then, he suddenly had a thought and realized that someone was approaching. He quickly covered his face again.

Not long after, a short figure rushed over; it was none other than the seventh-place gold medalist.

"Where is she?" He naturally recognized the other party as Gold Medal Eleven. He looked around but couldn't find Qiu Honglei.

"I was just rescued," Zu An said without batting an eye.

"To be able to save someone from your hands? Could it be that Yun Jianyue has arrived?" The seventh-ranked gold medalist was taken aback, having just witnessed the terrifying power of Yun Jianyue's cultivation.

Zuan shook his head: "No, it was a few other experts from the Demonic Cult. I couldn't handle so many by myself, and they didn't linger in the fight. They rescued the people and left."

The seventh-ranked gold medalist nodded secretly. Actually, Yun Jianyue had deliberately set a trap. If the other party really went along with what he said, they would become suspicious.

Yun Jianyue, you are a grandmaster. No matter how powerful you are, you are still just an ant in the hands of a grandmaster.

If you survived, either you lied and didn't encounter Yun Jianyue, or you knew Yun Jianyue and were colluding with the Demonic Sect.

He sighed deeply: "Just as I guessed."

"What's wrong?" Zu'an asked hurriedly, as he had been curious about what the other party suspected.

The seventh-ranked gold medalist shook his head: "It's a pity we didn't capture the demoness of the Demonic Cult, otherwise we would have evidence. I can't tell you my guesses right now. If something happens to me one day, tell the Grand Commander what happened these past two days, and he should understand what really happened."

Without waiting for the other party to stop him, he cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and flew away into the distance, saying, "I owe you a favor, and I will definitely repay you when I have the chance."

The sound still echoed in the valley, but the person had disappeared.

Zuan complained endlessly, seeing how much he had just boasted, he was afraid he would never be able to repay this favor.

However, he was more concerned about Qiu Honglei. The Demonic Sect had fired those whistling arrows before, which showed that the situation was urgent. He wondered what had happened.

He searched all the way, but when he arrived at the scene, it was already deserted. He even used the Jade Cong's power to search the surrounding area, but found nothing.

Left with no other choice, Zuan returned to the mission's ship with a heavy heart.

When he returned, night had already fallen. Just then, Gao Ying and Pei You were knocking on the door outside, so he hurriedly climbed in through the window.

Sensing the commotion, Daji inside looked over warily, but visibly relaxed upon recognizing him.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you these past few days." Even though he knew the other person didn't have a soul, Zu'an still smiled at her before running out to open the door.

As she watched his retreating figure, Daji's eyes flickered, but quickly disappeared again.

Zuan opened the door and said in a deliberately disgruntled tone, "I told you all I was going to meditate and cultivate, so don't bother me."

“You’ve been working on this all day, it’s almost done,” Pei You winked. “Xiaoyao Tower, shall we go?”

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