Chapter 1042: Wings Clipped, Nowhere to Fly

Upon seeing this, the other black-robed figures looked at the white-striped black-robed man with admiration. After all, none of them had managed to stop the target before, but he had handled it with a single move.

The white-striped man stood with his hands behind his back, immediately exuding an air of arrogance.

He was about to say something when his expression suddenly changed. He abruptly looked up at the target, which had been frozen into a block of ice.

Just then, a hint of red appeared within the pristine white block of ice. The ice surface then began to crack, and immediately after, a brilliant flame burst forth from within, shattering the entire block of ice into fragments. The flame then shot skyward, illuminating the night.

Everyone was instinctively drawn to the flame, but they quickly realized there was no one inside it.

"We've been tricked!" The black-robed figures immediately looked down, only to see the man's figure disappear around a distant corner.

"Chase him, don't let him get away!" the white-striped black-robed figure said coldly.

Their recent conversation had been too important. The consequences would be unimaginable if it were to be exposed.

The others understood this as well and quickly gave chase.

Zu'an ran at full speed. Unfortunately, his pursuers kept close behind him, especially two Grandmasters who flew into the air, scanning the entire area. This forced him to use the shadows of houses and corridors to conceal himself, preventing him from running at his fastest.

At this point, the entire Zhenyuan Merchant Association became active. Countless guards poured out from all directions, searching everywhere for the intruder.

In this situation, the jade cong's map function was no longer very useful, because guards were everywhere, making it impossible to avoid them even with prior knowledge.

Zu'an narrowly avoided several waves of searches, only to encounter another team of guards, while several black-robed masters continued their relentless pursuit from behind.

He knew this couldn't continue. With a tip of his toe, he flipped up to the second floor and entered through a window.

"Xiaochuan, what's going on outside? Why is it so noisy?" The room was filled with steam and the scent of flower petals. It turned out a young woman was bathing inside.

She seemed to have heard something. She stood up from the bathtub, wiping her body with a towel as she looked out.

She ended up making eye contact with Zu'an, who had just burst in.

Zu'an's scalp tingled. How could he have known that by simply picking a random room to hide in, he'd find a girl bathing?

"Huh, why does this girl in front of me look a bit familiar? Too bad she's not wearing clothes, making her hard to recognize." He didn't have time to think. If he let her scream and attract his pursuers, he would be finished.

So, with a light step, he was instantly by the girl's side. He clapped a hand over her mouth: "Don't scream, I won't hurt you."

Unfortunately, in this situation, what young girl would believe him?

She struggled desperately.

Rage points from Tang Tian'er: 555555555...

Seeing the name in the system, Zu'an was startled. He carefully examined her. Due to her hair being loose over her shoulders from bathing, her appearance differed slightly from what he remembered, so he didn't recognize her immediately.

Now, looking closely, he saw her familiar eyebrows and eyes, especially the sweet dimples at the corners of her mouth. He finally realized: "Miss Tang?"

He quickly pulled off his mask: "It's me!"

"Mmmph!" Seeing his face clearly, Tang Tian'er's eyes widened, but she instinctively stopped struggling.

Seeing that she recognized him, Zu'an felt a bit awkward. "I accidentally stumbled in here while escaping pursuers; I didn't mean to offend you. I hope you can forgive me. I'm going to let go of your mouth now, but please don't scream. Blink if you agree."

In his opinion, since she had taken his "Leopard Fetus Meridian-Changing Pill," she probably wouldn't act impulsively.

But little did he know that his "Leopard Fetus Meridian-Changing Pill" trick had long been seen through by her.

Tang Tian'er glared at him with a wronged expression, but ultimately blinked her eyes.

Only then did Zu'an release her. Tang Tian'er huffed resentfully, "What are you doing here?"

"It's a long story..." Zu'an was about to explain when his gaze involuntarily swept over her body.

"Uh, perhaps because she had just bathed, her skin was truly fair with a rosy glow, delicate enough to break with a touch." When he had seen her as a hostess at the Carefree Pavilion, she wore a qipao-like dress that accentuated her graceful and captivating figure. Only now did he realize that it was she herself who was beautiful, not just her clothes.

Tang Tian'er also snapped back to reality. She looked down and saw herself standing in the bathtub, with most of her body exposed above the water. She nearly fainted on the spot.

She instinctively opened her mouth to scream, but then remembered something and quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

Zu'an had been about to stop her when he saw her about to scream. But to his surprise, she covered her own mouth. He quickly stopped and said, "Thank you, Miss!"

Tang Tian'er immediately squatted down, submerging herself completely in the water, with only her head visible.

"Are you still looking?" Tang Tian'er felt like she was going to faint. "Did I owe this guy something in my past life? Every time, I fall into his hands, and it's always in the most humiliating way."

Zu'an awkwardly turned away. "Please don't mind, Miss. I didn't actually see anything just now."

Tang Tian'er: "..."

"Listen to him, is that something a person would say? He saw me completely exposed, and yet he says he saw nothing. There's clearly so much to see on me, is he blind?!"

But as things stood, she had no choice but to "believe" a lie that was obviously false. He had taken huge advantage of her, yet she had to turn around and play along with his blatant lie.

"What sin have I committed to deserve this!"

Rage points from Tang Tian'er: 233233233...

Just then, a knock came from outside the door. "Miss, Miss, a formidable thief has entered the association, and the guards are searching everywhere for him. Please get up quickly, so you don't encounter any danger."

"I know," Tang Tian'er said, rolling her eyes. She thought, "You're too late. I just had the same thought as you, intending to get dressed, but that guy next to me got the benefit instead."

Just then, another voice came from outside: "Who's in there?"

Zu'an's heart skipped a beat. It was Han Fengqiu's voice! Although he wasn't afraid of Han Fengqiu, he couldn't deal with him quickly. If a fight broke out, the other masters would rush over upon hearing it, and he would have nowhere to run.

"It's our young mistress." That maid was clearly Xiaochuan, whom Tang Tian'er had mentioned earlier.

"We were chasing the thief, and he disappeared nearby. We need to search the area," Han Fengqiu said.

"No! Our mistress is bathing." Xiaochuan immediately became anxious, spreading her arms to block the doorway.

Both inside were startled upon hearing this. Zu'an quickly said to Tang Tian'er, "I'm leaving first."

With a splash, Tang Tian'er reached out and grabbed his arm. "Are many people chasing you?"

Zu'an nodded. He was rapidly thinking about what to do next.

"The outside is full of guards right now; where would you run if you went out?" Tang Tian'er bit her lip. "It's safest to hide here with me."

Zu'an looked around. "What if they come in? There's nowhere to hide here." There were some wardrobes and screens in the room, but if they really came in to search, these places wouldn't hide anyone at all.

Tang Tian'er shook her head. "Don't worry, with me here, they won't be able to enter."

Zu'an was startled. He couldn't help but scrutinize her. Her tone made it sound as if she were someone of great importance. "Wasn't she a hostess at the Carefree Pavilion before? How did she end up at the Zhenyuan Merchant Association now? What's her relationship with the Zhenyuan Merchant Association?"

As he pondered, sounds of an argument already reached them from outside. Han Fengqiu clearly had no intention of backing down: "Today's matter is too important. If the thief escapes, no one can bear the consequences. No matter who it is, they must be searched!"

"Absolutely not! Our young mistress has a noble status and is currently bathing. How could we let you stinking men enter?" Xiaochuan glared angrily at them, huffing.

The commotion quickly attracted the attention of the others.

"What's going on?" It was clear that the other black-robed figures had arrived upon hearing the disturbance.

"We were just chasing the thief, and he came nearby. We wanted to go in and search, but this maid wouldn't allow it." Han Fengqiu looked at the yellow-striped black-robed figure, "This is your territory; you say something."

The man awkwardly replied, "There's an esteemed guest of mine inside. It wouldn't be good to disturb her."

Zu'an glanced at Tang Tian'er in surprise. "What's her deal? Even that yellow-striped black-robed man calls her an esteemed guest." However, at this moment, Tang Tian'er was huddled beneath the water, holding her shoulders. Her wronged and timid appearance made it hard to associate her with anyone powerful.

Just then, another person spoke up: "That person overheard too many secrets; we must catch him. Besides, since the person inside is an esteemed guest of your association, wouldn't it be even more troublesome if the thief managed to sneak in and harm your guest?"

Hearing this, the yellow-striped black-robed man immediately hesitated: "This..."

On the other side, someone had already pushed the door open directly: "Let's go in and see first."

Xiaochuan tried to stop them, but unfortunately, a mere hint of aura from these powerful figures was enough to render her speechless. How could she possibly stop them?