Zu An fell into a daze. She was simply so beautiful that he forgot to avert his gaze.

Qiao Xueying put her arms in front of her, one covering her chest and the other covering her legs. However, how much could her small hands possibly cover?

“C-clothes…”

Seeing that Zu An wasn’t moving at all, Qiao Xueying looked up, only to be met with his searing gaze. This only intensified her feelings of embarrassment.

Zu An finally snapped out of his daze. He quickly grabbed her clothes and wrapped them around her.

In order to dispel the awkwardness, he said, “How are you feeling? You were still okay earlier on, but you suddenly seem so weak.”

Qiao Xueying glared at him sharply before responding, “I was struck by the poisonous mist of the Crimsonscale Python…”

“Poisonous mist? Are you fine? I’ll get someone to treat you right now!” Zu An was horrified. His Primordial Origin Sutra had only reached the second rank, so he couldn’t use it to treat others yet. If she was afflicted with some sort of rare poison, he would be hard pressed to find a solution.

“There’s no need for that…” Qiao Xueying tugged on his sleeves and shook her head. “The Crimsonscale Python’s poison isn’t lethal. However, the snake is lustful in nature, so its poison is a strong… aphrodisiac…”

After saying those words, she quickly lowered her head. Her face was so red that it seemed that blood was about to start seeping out.

“This…” Zu An also felt awkward. He never thought that he would encounter such a thing. So, he coughed a little before replying, “I’m sure you’ll be fine once the effect fades.”

He couldn’t understand why characters who had been poisoned by aphrodisiacs often desperately needed to have sex in order to treat their condition. Wouldn’t it be okay just to take some time, and let the effects fade naturally? The human body was extremely good at detoxification, after all! 

Qiao Xueying shook her head and replied, “The Crimsonscale Python isn’t a powerful beast. Its body doesn’t have any inner cores, and its skin and flesh serve no purpose at all. Despite this, it’s still an incredibly valuable beast. Do you know why?”

“Is it due to its poison?” asked Zu An.

Qiao Xueying nodded. “Its poison has the effect of inducing a person’s lust while rendering her completely powerless to resist. Therefore, officials and nobles both fancy it. Due to excessive hunting, it’s extremely rare to spot a Crimsonscale Python in the outside world. I never expected to encounter one here in this dungeon.”

Zu An fell silent. It looks like, regardless of which world one is in, those who possess power and affluence tend to party the wildest.

“If it only evokes one’s lust, it wouldn’t have been so popular amongst the officials and nobles,” explained Qiao Xueying. “This is the key. If the poisoned individual doesn’t… form an amalgamation of yin and yang with another man, the poison would start to erode the victim’s ki meridians, possibly leading to death. Thus, officials and nobles often use this in order to dominate a woman whom they can’t easily win over.”

“Ah, you should have said that earlier. We’re already so close to one another, so there’s no way I would hesitate to treat your poison. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely give it all I’ve got. I won’t stop until I finally eradicate the poison completely from your body!” said Zu An with determination.

As he spoke, he began taking off his clothes.

Qiao Xueying was utterly speechless.

A gentle voice interrupted them from behind. “What are… you all doing?”

Zu An turned around and saw Ji Xiaoxi standing not too far away, looking at them with large, innocent eyes filled with curiosity.

“Miss Qiao has been poisoned, so I’m intending to treat her.” Her innocent gaze somehow made Zu An’s face heat up in embarrassment.

Meanwhile, Qiao Xueying buried herself in his embrace and feigned unconsciousness. It was simply too embarrassing.

Ji Xiaoxi blinked and said, “Is it the poison of the Crimsonscale Python? That’s easy to treat. I’ve got a Heartcalming Pill here.”

Zu An almost fell over.

If it was possible for him to collect his own Rage points, he would surely have given himself 1024 Rage points!

“The Crimsonscale Python’s poison seems to be quite formidable. Can it really be cured with such a simple pill?” Zu An asked as he reluctantly accepted the pill Ji Xiaoxi was offering him.

“Of course. In the past, my father heard that a maiden has been taken advantage of by a scion of nobility who used the Crimsonscale Python’s poison on her, so he specially concocted this medicine for me so that I can ward off… the toxicity of that horrible poison.”

Zu An was left speechless.

He never thought that the perverted Ji Dengtu would actually protect his daughter so well, and take every single possible threat into account! Then again, it was probably because he was a pervert himself that he knew what sort of things other perverts would do, allowing him to take better precautions.

Ji Xiaoxi’s face reddened as the same thoughts arose in her mind. 

I know that my father has erotica hidden in his bed, under his blanket. I saw it while I was cleaning up his room!

Out of curiosity, she had flipped it open to take a look, but the contents she saw were so horrifying that she’d tossed it away instantly. She finally understood why her father’s complexion had been so pale during that period of time.

Hmph! If I ever find out the person who gave my father that kind of book, I’ll make sure to give him a harsh scolding he’ll never forget!

This triggered yet another memory of her father rushing to his room excitedly with a woman’s dudou in hand, only to be caught red-handed by her little aunt, who happened to visit at the moment. Her little aunt had immediately confiscated it and berated him harshly, all with an awful look on her face.

My father really is ridiculous… 

Ji Xiaoxi sighed deeply.

Zu An was also cursing Ji Dengtu in his mind for concocting such medicine for no reason, causing him to miss out on such a golden opportunity with Snow.

“Give it to me…” Qiao Xueying could hear their conversation loud and clear. She noticed that Zu An was holding onto the Heartcalming Pill intently without offering it to her, so she had to ask for it herself.

Zu An had no choice but to feed the pill to her. Still unwilling to give up, he said, “If it’s not enough to treat the poison, feel free to ask for me anytime.”

Qiao Xueying’s face heated up. This fellow is really thick-skinned!

After swallowing the Heartcalming Pill, she felt a surge of cooling energy gradually diffusing throughout her body, dispelling the heat that had previously enveloped her. Overjoyed, she turned to Ji Xiaoxi and said, “Your father is truly an incredible physician!”

“You’re flattering him,” replied Ji Xiaoxi with a shy smile.

Zu An couldn’t help but feel even more disappointed. Left with no choice, he changed the topic and tried to forget about it. “Ah, I didn’t see the traces of any beasts in the river earlier on. Why would such a huge python appear out of nowhere?”

After all, there were quite a few male students who headed over earlier to wash their eyes, but none of them got attacked.

Qiao Xueying pondered for a moment before replying, “It could have been the smell of blood on me.”

“Smell of blood?” Zu An had a bizarre look on his face. “You’re having your period?”

Qiao Xueying and Ji Xiaoxi both exchanged silent glances.

“It’s the blood from the injuries I suffered earlier on! Just what the hell is your head filled with?!” Qiao Xueying spate, glaring furiously at Zu An.

You have successfully trolled Qiao Xueying for 250 Rage points!

Zu An replied with a sheepish smile, “Hahaha, I’m just concerned about you, that’s all.”

At the same time, he couldn’t help but notice the feeling of guilt welling up in his heart as he earned Qiao Xueying’s Rage points. It had felt so much more exhilarating when she’d been his enemy.

“Get out of here. I’m going to change my clothes.” Qiao Xueying pushed him aside, having gradually regained her strength. “It’s enough for Miss Ji to be here with me.”

“All right. I’ll head over there. Call me if anything happens.” Zu An carefully put her down before walking away. His intent would be too obvious if he insisted on staying under such circumstances.

After he left, Qiao Xueying quickly began putting on her clothes as she murmured softly, “Miss Ji, about what happened earlier on…”

Ji Xiaoxi smiled softly and replied, “Big Sister Qiao, don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.”

“Thanks…” Qiao Xueying wasn’t sure whether she was referring to her poisoning, or her nakedness in front of Zu An earlier on, but in any case, she didn’t dare to ask.

After quickly putting on her clothes, she engaged Ji Xiaoxi in a conversation, completely ignoring Zu An. It left him completely confused, and he wondered just how he had offended her.

Some time later, Chu Chuyan finally returned. In truth, she hadn’t walked too far away; she simply hadn’t known how to face Zu An for a moment.

The sounds of fighting had drawn her swiftly back, as she’d been fearful that something had happened. When she saw the Crimsonscale Python’s corpse, she heaved a sigh of relief.

She quickly asked about what had happened earlier, but both Zu An and Qiao Xueying gave really vague explanations. Even Ji Xiaoxi had a strange look on her face, which caused doubts to rise within her mind. However, she had never been one to poke her nose in others’ affairs, and so she wasn’t too interested in getting to the bottom of this matter, 

They spent the next two days recuperating from their injuries and cultivating. Soon, it was the day that the dungeon exploration came to an end.

Zu An thought that they would have to return to the starting point, and he was confused as to why no other students were heading back. However, Chu Chuyan informed him that the dungeon would automatically transport them out once time was up, and there was no need for them to return through the same gate.

Soon, the surroundings began to distort slightly, and a familiar feeling of weightlessness enveloped them. Zu An couldn’t help but find this sensation familiar. After all, he had experienced this multiple times when he entered the Soul Suppression Seal. Is that considered a dungeon inside a dungeon then?

By the time he finally regained his awareness, he realized that he was already back at the mountain behind the academy. Chu Chuyan, Qiao Xueying, and Ji Xiaoxi were standing by his side. Those from the other groups were also gradually being teleported out, one after another.

Zu An looked around him, and suddenly spotted Shi Kun’s silhouette. A wave of pure hate rushed through his mind as he recalled all he’d been through, and he whipped out his Tai’e Sword and charged at him. “Die, Shi Kun!”

The other students were all in the midst of looking through their gains from the dungeon, and the other teachers were also busy taking a headcount to determine the casualties. No one expected Zu An to suddenly make such a move.

Shi Kun was feeling quite crestfallen after being teleported out, and the realization that Zu An was alive horrified him. He instinctively drew his weapon to protect himself.

*Clang!*

To everyone’s disbelief, Shi Kun’s sword was instantly cleaved in two.

How could this be?

This was utterly unbelievable, since Shi Kun’s weapon was an earth grade weapon. Besides, he should have been able to easily crush Zu An with his five ranks of cultivation, even if he were wielding a wooden stick.

There was no way they could have imagined that Zu An’s sheer strength and speed was actually comparable to a fifth rank cultivator, and that the Tai’e Sword was a legendary ancient weapon. Even though its sword spirit was damaged, it was at least as strong as a heaven grade weapon.

Not to mention, there was a huge gulf in their mental states as well. One was charging forward angrily, fueled by hatred, whereas the other was wallowing in guilt. Given such conditions, it was only normal that Shi Kun’s weapon would break so easily.

Shi Kun hadn’t expected such a turn of events either. He watched helplessly as Zu An’s sword swiftly approached his chest. His body was completely frozen, and he was unable to react at all.

“How dare you!” 

A sudden bellow filled the air, and a figure emanating an immense pressure rushed forward to attack Zu An.