“Didn’t you call me a pure and innocent little boy just not too long ago?” Zu An retorted in annoyance.
“That was before I knew about this ability of yours.” Shang Hongyu found it more and more amusing. “Your skill really is good for taking advantage of women.”
Zu An grew serious and said, “My lovers and I all share mutual affinity. I've never used this skill to do anything dishonest.”
“Oh my, big sis was joking around with you. Look at how nervous you’re getting.” The entire cave echoed with Shang Hongyu’s laughter. “I get it, you’re a complete gentleman. But I really can’t have you help me from now on.”
She actually even had the strange thought of just letting him treat her and be done with it. Either way, she had a clear conscience, and his relationship with Liuyu was special. He also seemed like a proper gentleman. Those random thoughts would probably be under control.
But in the end, she gave up on that thought. A single mistake and there could be no going back. Moreover, even if they could hold it in, if her embarrassing behavior ended up being fully displayed in front of him, how was she going to face him in the future?
Hmph, this guy’s skill really is despicable. He’s like a walking aphrodisiac. I’ll have to warn little sis to be more careful. She absolutely can't accidentally fall for these tricks.
Zu An walked to the entrance of the cave and sat down. He faced the great sea and had his back to her, saying, “You should focus on treating your injuries and getting rest. I’ll be on watch from here.”
When she saw his broad back, Shang Hongyu felt warm inside. “You can come a bit closer, you know? The wind is really strong outside.”
“It’s fine. With my current cultivation, I don’t get affected by the cold. A bit of wind won’t do much.” Zu An had already closed his eyes. He had also been traveling day and night. It had been a long time since he got any rest.
“Thank you~” Shang Hongyu gave him a long look. Then, she began to transfer her internal energy to digest the medicine she'd just taken. When she sensed the endless medicinal strength, she was full of amazement. When she left, she was in such a hurry that she'd already used up the small amount of medicine she had with her.
His medicine is quite good, top-tier even by the standards of the Ocean races. I’ll have to ask him about it when there’s a chance later.
Hmm, but it is a bit worse than the ki he used to treat my injuries earlier.
She recalled that warm feeling that flooded her entire body as soon as his energy entered her. It had felt as if every single cell in her body was cheering.
Hmph, his women really are blessed. They can just enjoy his treatment without any worries at all.
When she thought of that, her cheeks suddenly became red. Her breathing also became a bit heavy. She opened her eyes in fright.
Shang Hongyu, Shang Hongyu, didn’t you just let him do it once, and yet you’re already like this?
“What’s wrong?” Even though Zu An didn’t move, he could still sense the strangeness that was happening to her.
“No... Nothing.” Shang Hongyu panicked a bit. If he found out about what she was thinking, perhaps she would just die from embarrassment.
Still, she was the Ocean races' queen, someone who had experienced many things. She quickly calmed down and removed the random thoughts on her mind. She began to seriously treat her injuries.
...
After some time had passed, the stars in the sky started to fall. The sea in the horizon was dyed in a faint yellow glow.
Shang Hongyu opened her eyes, then got up and walked to Zu An’s side. She sighed in amazement and said, “I didn’t expect it to already be sunrise.”
“How are your injuries?” Zu An asked.
“Much better. They’ve at least stabilized. If I take some time to adjust my internal energy each day, I should gradually recover,” Shang Hongyu replied. As she gazed into the sea, she was a bit absentminded.
Zu An sighed in amazement.
As expected of the Ocean races' queen. Both her cultivation and aptitude are first rate. She was able to recover from such serious injuries much faster than I expected.
Zu An noticed that longing expression in her eyes and was stunned. “What are you looking at?”
“I miss the sea,” Shang Hongyu said, a bit embarrassed. “There's a serious issue with my injuries. If I just use my cultivation like this, the effects are actually much worse than usual.”
“What?” Zu An frowned. He needed her to recover sooner so he could then go looking for the Divine Dragon Immortal Medicine.
“Our Mermaid race's bodies are a bit different. We can't leave the water for too long, or else we gradually grow weak. Recovering from injuries naturally also becomes a much more difficult process,” Shang Hongyu replied.
Zu An finally understood why there was such a longing in her eyes when she looked at the sea. No wonder Shang Liuyu had always had a large swimming pool in her courtyard. So it was because of her constitution.
“Then can’t you just jump into the sea and swim around for a bit? The sea is so large, we should be able to find a place with no one there, right?” Zu An asked in confusion.
“I could find a place without anyone, but if I reveal my original strength, it would be hard to conceal the Mermaid race’s aura. The fake Dragon King has a treasure that can sense Mermaid aura. His subordinates would soon catch up.” Shang Hongyu said in vexation, “The reason why the Yaksha Ocean Patrol was always on my tail was also because of that.”
Zu An thought to himself, No wonder the Yaksha Ocean Patrol covered in the black miasma were so accurate with their pursuit. It seems she couldn't hold it in anymore and went for a swim.
“It’s fine, I’ll help you,” Zu An said after thinking about it.
“How are you going to help me?” Shang Hongyu asked, stunned.
“I’ll help you conceal your aura, of course.” Zu An chuckled. He naturally couldn't let go of any chances to allow her to recover faster. Of course, he couldn't treat her personally.
“But...” Shang Hongyu suddenly stopped. Only now did she realize that this was someone at the very peak of the world. With him covering for her, there would naturally be no one who could find them.
“That’s great then. follow me!” Shang Hongyu flew toward the sea in a certain direction.
Zu An quickly followed her. Roughly an hour later, they arrived at a part of the sea with clear water. Compared to the sea by the restaurant, the water was so clear one could see the bottom, as if it was a gelatin dessert, and yet also like glass. It glistened under the sunlight.
“This is a good place. I already saw this place a while ago, but I never dared to come here.” Shang Hongyu looked as happy as a young child.
Zu An waved his hand, and a mysterious ki field surrounded everything within several miles. He said, "You can go in now. No one will be able to find you.”
When she saw the tangible ki barrier, Shang Hongyu clicked her tongue in wonder. Then, she asked with a smile, “Are you not going to turn around? I’m going to take everything off.”