Chapter 1075: Betrothal Due to Pregnancy

"It's you!" Jian Taiding exclaimed in surprise as he recognized the person.

Since Jian Yanyou's body was still there, and in front of this group of insiders, Zu'an no longer needed to maintain his disguise and had reverted to his original appearance.

During their previous battle at the Zhenyuan Merchant Guild, the opponent hadn't revealed his face, but producing an imperial edict made his identity easy to guess.

Having lost to him before, Jian Taiding believed it wasn't due to his own lack of strength, but rather the opponent's cunning.

To his surprise, he had been severely wounded by the same person again, also by a sneak attack.

The thought of falling into the same trap twice nearly made Jian Taiding vomit blood in anger.

Rage from Jian Taiding +666,666,666…

"Isn't that Second Master Jian? Why are you fighting with your sister-in-law?" Zu'an asked, feigning surprise as if just recognizing him.

Jian Taiding gasped, but suppressed his fury and asked, "There was a slight misunderstanding between my sister-in-law and me; we were merely sparring, not fighting. By the way, when did Sir Zu arrive?"

"Oh, I've been here for a while. I heard your entire conversation just now," Zu'an said, as if stating something trivial.

Jian Taiding: "???"

His face darkened. "Are you playing games with me?"

Rage from Jian Taiding +233,233,233…

Zu'an's smile vanished. "You were the one playing games first."

"If you've been here all along, why didn't you act sooner? Why wait until I'd taken the Vigour Sea Dog Pills before making your move?" Jian Taiding's expression was grim. If he had known, why would he have taken that medicine, sacrificing his cultivation future for nothing?

The thought filled him with both regret and fury.

Rage from Jian Taiding +888,888,888…

"How else could I have witnessed such a captivating family drama?" Zu'an shrugged. "If you hadn't taken those Sea Dog Pills, I might have stayed to watch a little longer."

Jian Taiding coughed violently, several mouthfuls of blood spluttering out. He knew it was truly over for him today.

Realizing this, his mind became unusually sharp.

Looking at Yu Yanluo, who showed no surprise, he had a thought. "Sister-in-law, did he come with you?"

Yu Yanluo did not answer, but she also did not deny it.

Having received her unspoken answer, many things clicked for Jian Taiding. "He's that imposter, isn't he?"

Yu Yanluo opened her mouth but didn't know how to respond.

She didn't need to respond; Jian Taiding already had his answer. His gaze towards Zu'an became strange. "How were my younger sisters-in-law?"

Zu'an frowned. "They are your sisters-in-law. Isn't discussing them with that expression and tone a bit perverse?"

"Me, perverse?" Jian Taiding laughed hollowly. "True, I've always coveted them, but I only ever thought about it; I never acted. You're the one who actually did it, and now I'm the perverse one?"

Zu'an sighed. "Killing your brother and taking his wives—isn't that perverse enough?"

Jian Taiding seemed to go mad. "So what if I did take them? My elder brother and I are blood brothers. In this world, isn't it perfectly normal for the younger brother to succeed the elder?"

Yu Yanluo could no longer hold back. "You still remember you're blood brothers? You killed your own elder brother, and you have the nerve to talk about succession?"

"So what?" Jian Taiding roared. "We share the same bloodline. Even if I were to have children with my sisters-in-law in the future, they would still carry the Jian family blood. But this fellow is an outsider; if he were to get them pregnant, the children would all be bastards." He continued, "If Big Brother's spirit watches from above, he would definitely accept me over this wild man you brought in from outside."

Stunned by his words, Yu Yanluo frowned. "You've completely lost your mind."

"I'm not mad; I've never been clearer," Jian Taiding waved his hand, highly displeased with her assessment. "This wild man has ruined those three younger sisters-in-law in the family, and I reckon it won't be long before you too fall into his clutches. To be honest, I envy this guy; he's done everything I wanted to do but couldn't."

Zu'an: "..."

Was that a compliment or an insult?

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he seemed to catch a glimpse of Jian Yanyou's finger twitching within the ice.

When he focused his gaze, there was nothing unusual.

"Was it just an optical illusion caused by light refraction?" Though Zu'an was puzzled, he dismissed it as his own mistake.

They weren't far from him, and there was no trace of life emanating from Jian Yanyou's body.

Furthermore, Jian Taiding and Uncle Ming had already attacked him fatally. After being submerged in this frigid pool for so long, if he were still alive, it would be an act of defying heaven.

Just then, Yu Yanluo's voice rang out, "You don't need to say all this to sow discord between us. Now that the evidence of your conspiracy to murder your elder brother is conclusive, I will escort you back and hand you over to the imperial envoy for judgment."

"Hand me over to the imperial envoy? Aren't you afraid I'll expose your scandalous affairs?" Jian Taiding laughed heartily.

Yu Yanluo frowned slightly. While she didn't regret what she had done with Zu'an, if it became public, there was a greater chance that common folk and gossips would spread rumors.

Just then, Zu'an's voice suddenly rang out: "Look out!"

No sooner had he spoken than he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to the side, tumbling to the ground.

Yu Yanluo's body immediately tensed. She quickly summoned her magical artifact, the "Thousand-Mile Mountains and Seas Map," to shield herself.

After spending this much time together, Yu Yanluo didn't misunderstand Zu'an's intentions as trying to take advantage of her; she brought out her artifact primarily to guard against an unknown enemy.

Sure enough, a dark shadow appeared where they had just been. A figure holding a long, narrow sword slowly emerged from the shadows.

"Dark Elf!" Zu'an blurted out. He had encountered these natural-born assassins before in Prince Wu's mansion, and their ability to move through shadows had left a deep impression on him.

"Phantom Tower?" Yu Yanluo, however, uttered a different name.

"Madam Yu is indeed knowledgeable," a voice chuckled then. "It's true that many Dark Elves are employed as assassins by the Phantom Tower, but not all Dark Elves belong to the Phantom Tower."

Both looked in the direction of the voice, seeing several figures slowly enter the cave mouth.

At the forefront was a middle-aged man wearing a feathered crown and a green cloak, which subtly shimmered with multicolored light under the illumination of the surrounding snowy mountain rock walls.

He was riding a massive Frost Wolf, whose body was even larger than a Siberian tiger from his previous life. From a distance, one could feel the murderous intent in its eyes and the sharpness of its fangs.

A low growl rumbled in its throat, and visible wisps of cold air emanated from it.

"Frost Wolf King!" Zu'an was no stranger to this fierce beast. Lately, he had been acquiring Frost Wolf King fangs to help Daji break through, and he had also fought against packs of Frost Wolves in the crown prince's assessment realm, so the impression was naturally deep.

Though this Frost Wolf King was quite large, it couldn't compare to the ones he had seen before in terms of sheer size. However, the aura it exuded surpassed that of all previous Frost Wolf Kings he had encountered.

"Kong Qing!" Yu Yanluo watched the man on the Frost Wolf King's back with a wary expression, subtly warning Zu'an to be careful. "He is at least a Grandmaster in the late stage, but he has never fully displayed his power, so no one knows his true strength. Also, be careful not to stare into his eyes; he is extremely skilled in eye techniques."

"Eye techniques..." Even without Yu Yanluo's warning, Zu'an wouldn't dare to be careless. The last time they had a brief exchange at the Zhenyuan Merchant Guild, seeing him and Jian Taiding—two Grandmasters—plus several Ninth-Grade masters, Zu'an had no choice but to flee.

As the Frost Wolf King stepped into the cave, it revealed two companions who had been previously hidden by its massive body.

A young woman, wearing a red wedding dress, was quite beautiful, but her entire demeanor was incredibly eerie. Her figure seemed weightless, as if she might float away with a gust of wind.

She was also leading a child who appeared to be only five or six years old, shaking a rattle drum with an innocent expression.

Zu'an couldn't help but ask, "Are you rushing to a wedding ceremony, or is this more of a shotgun wedding?"

Kong Qing, who had been looking confident and in control, stiffened, his smile faltering upon hearing the question.