Chapter 149: Got Addicted

At this moment, Qiao Xueying understood everything. This guy had recognized her from the start; everything just now was merely an act, waiting for her to lower her guard before assassinating her.

She had originally intended to thoroughly fool him, treating him like an idiot, but in the end, she realized she was the fool. The immense psychological shift at that moment would drive anyone mad.

Rage points from Qiao Xueying: 1024!

She tapped her toe and quickly gave chase. Today, only by carving him into a thousand pieces could she truly vent her hatred.

Zu An ran at full speed, realizing that even with the Sunflower Phantasm's boost, he was still far slower than her. If not for the complex environment of the forest, she would have caught up long ago.

After running for a while longer, Zu An, using a blind spot in her vision, quietly hid himself in a tree, concealing his presence and silently waiting for her.

Qiao Xueying chased rapidly, but suddenly found her vision devoid of his figure. Her steps gradually slowed. As she strolled through the woods, she said calmly, "Zu An, I must admit your strength is truly beyond my expectations. However, your biggest mistake was choosing to flee into the forest."

Zu An was stunned. He thought to himself that he had previously relied on the complex environment of the forest to deal with Jia Zhengjing and his four companions. He had planned to use the same trick again now.

"Have you forgotten which element's ability I awakened?" As soon as Qiao Xueying finished speaking, she casually waved her hand. The fallen leaves on the ground instantly stirred without wind, each soft leaf transforming into the sharpest blade, shooting towards Zu An's location.

Zu An was greatly surprised. He quickly leaped down from the treetop, holding his sword horizontally before his chest, and looked at her in astonishment: "You can sense my presence?"

This time, Qiao Xueying did not rush to attack. Instead, she said calmly, "Every tree and every blade of grass in this forest are my eyes and ears. Where can you hide?"

Zu An's expression finally changed. If this were true, then running into the forest was indeed walking right into a trap. But could someone who awakened wood-element abilities be so formidable? He had never heard of anyone else having such powerful abilities.

"What was that sword attack just now? Why did even I feel a sense of dread?" Qiao Xueying asked in a low voice. This was a question that had been puzzling her. Logically, given the disparity in their strengths, his attack shouldn't even have been able to breach her defenses.

"Want to know? Just call me 'good big brother' and I'll tell you," Zu An said with a grin, while his mind rapidly pondered how to counter.

Qiao Xueying's face turned cold. "It's been many days, and your mouth is still as irritating as ever."

Rage points from Qiao Xueying: 400!

Zu An also sighed. "It's been many days, and your mouth hasn't exactly gotten sweeter either."

Qiao Xueying scoffed, slowly raising her fingertips. Leaves swirled around her. "I'll break all your limbs, and then we'll see if you're still so stubborn."

As soon as she finished speaking, she waved her hand. Four leaves shot towards his limbs, moving so fast they arrived in the blink of an eye.

Zu An's figure flickered, barely dodging them. Cold sweat secretly trickled down his back. If not for the Sunflower Phantasm, he would have been riddled with holes just now.

He dared not stay put and take hits passively. Instead, he transformed into an afterimage and attacked her. In his hand, he now held a normal sword. The Deathly Dagger was still reserved for critical moments, as its threat would diminish if others knew its properties and prepared for it.

"Hmm?" His strange footwork was so baffling that Qiao Xueying couldn't clearly see what was happening. She tapped her toe and flew backward to evade, but his sword remained like a shadow, following her closely.

Qiao Xueying scoffed. She casually scattered something around her, and countless leaves, like dancing butterflies, swirled around her, blocking each of his attacks.

Zu An changed his attack angles countless times, but still couldn't break through her green leaf barrier.

Qiao Xueying's voice rang out: "It's clearly the most common elementary sword art in the academy, yet wielded by you, it possesses such power. It seems Yuan Wendong's defeat was not unjust."

The shock in her heart was even greater. If it weren't for the huge disparity in their cultivation levels, she might not have been a match for his sword technique in a direct confrontation.

Of course, she was unwilling to say these words aloud, lest it make that guy even more conceited.

"But now, it's all over!"

Hearing Qiao Xueying's voice, Zu An knew something was wrong. He rapidly retreated. Countless vines on the ground grew with visible speed, coiling and sweeping towards him like giant snakes.

Zu An continuously dodged using his movement technique. "Is this the true strength of a fifth-rank cultivator?" he thought. "As expected, being able to wield elemental power completely overwhelms lower-rank cultivators."

It seemed that if he hadn't prepared an electromagnet in advance to counter Yuan Wendong's flying sword on the arena, his "Evil-Slaying Sword Art," no matter how miraculous, probably wouldn't have been enough to defeat him.

Zu An's speed grew faster and faster, but in this forest, vines were everywhere, as if alive, weaving together into a large net. Where could he hide?

As he descended once, a branch on the ground suddenly transformed into a rope, causing him to lose his balance unexpectedly. Then, his entire body was entangled by countless vines and bound to a large tree.

The sword in his hand had already been knocked away. He exerted all his strength to break free, but despite his reddened face, he couldn't succeed.

Qiao Xueying slowly walked up to him, a faint smile on her lips—the smile of victory. "Why aren't you running anymore?"

Zu An, quite composed, replied, "Since you want me to stay so much, how could I disappoint your feelings?"

Qiao Xueying's expression turned cold. She picked up his long sword from the ground. "Hmph, still so glib-tongued even facing death. I'll cut out your annoying tongue first, then we'll see if you're still so smug."

"Cut it if you want, but you'll have to be able to put it back afterwards," Zu An said, unable to help but swallow.

Qiao Xueying couldn't help but smile. Perhaps it was because victory was already in her grasp, but she suddenly found this guy rather interesting—so glib-tongued even facing death. "Forget putting your tongue back after cutting it off; even if I chop you into pieces, I can still heal you. Do you believe me?"

"I believe you, I believe you. No need to try that," Zu An said with a wry smile.

Qiao Xueying scoffed. "No, I'm intrigued now. This isn't up to you."

Zu An suddenly sighed, his expression changing from his previous playful grin. "Xue'er, have you forgotten the feeling of being pregnant last time?"

Hearing this, Qiao Xueying subconsciously took a few steps back. The bone-deep pain still left her with lingering fears; how many times had she woken up from nightmares in the middle of the night these past few days? "What do you mean? Was that... really your doing last time?"

This matter had always been a question in her heart. Afterwards, she had consulted a doctor, and her body showed no problems. So what exactly was that strange, inexplicable feeling she had experienced?

Moreover, the doctor had told her that the feeling she described was exactly what a woman experienced during pregnancy and childbirth. As an unmarried young woman, this had left her feeling both ashamed and furious.

"I told you I'd let you experience what it's like to be pregnant, yet you're still relentlessly pursuing me. Are you addicted to being pregnant?" Zu An was already planning to use "Gaze of Conception." Although its uses were precious, he had no choice but to use it now.

Last time, his momentary soft-heartedness resulted in a wasted use of the ability. This time, he absolutely could not make the same mistake again.

Just then, he suddenly paused, looking past Qiao Xueying. "Wife, you're here?"

Qiao Xueying didn't move. She sneered, "Do you think I'd fall for your trick again?"

Suddenly, her entire body trembled. A thin layer of ice appeared all over her, as if she had been frozen in place.

Chu Chuyan slowly walked over from behind her. "So you're Xue'er. I should have known."

"Mi... Miss." Qiao Xueying's heart trembled. It really was her! Thinking about it, it was all Zu An's fault. If he hadn't distracted her, she wouldn't have been subdued so easily.

So she glared fiercely at Zu An.

Rage points from Qiao Xueying: 530!

Chu Chuyan said calmly, "Miss, I can no longer accept that title from you."

As she spoke, she came to Zu An's side. Her slender hand brushed over the vines, and a wave of frost instantly spread. The previously tough vines instantly became brittle and fragile, breaking into segments with a light touch.

Zu An, with an excited expression, went straight for a big hug. "This is great, wife! To meet you here! Come here for a loving hug!"

Chu Chuyan directly dodged to the side, ignoring his request. Her gaze fell upon Qiao Xueying.

Qiao Xueying's expression shifted, finally settling into a long sigh. "For all these years, Miss, I've been under your care, and Xue'er is deeply grateful. However, we each serve our own masters, so I hope you will understand."

"Who exactly is this master you speak of? Is it Shi Kun?" Chu Chuyan pressed.

Qiao Xueying shook her head. "Please forgive me, Miss, but I cannot reveal this information."

Chu Chuyan frowned slightly, momentarily unsure of what to do. Zu An, who was nearby, chuckled. "This is easy. Ask her a question. If she doesn't answer or lies, I'll take off one of her clothes. If she still refuses to speak, I'll strip her naked and hang her from a large tree at the entrance for everyone to admire."

Chu Chuyan: "..."

Qiao Xueying trembled with anger. "You scoundrel!"

Rage points from Qiao Xueying: 1024!

Zu An sighed. "You know we each serve our own masters, so you should also be clear about what happens when you fall into enemy hands, right? You should have been mentally prepared for how I'd treat you. If you don't speak, I'm going to start."

As he spoke, he lightly nudged her collar with his sword.

Chu Chuyan, who was beside them, stopped him. "Enough. She's a young woman, after all. How can you humiliate her like that?"

Zu An mumbled, "It's just the few of us here. It doesn't matter that you're a woman, and it's not like I haven't seen it before. How is it humiliation?"

Chu Chuyan was startled. This guy always spoke nonsense with a straight face, yet somehow it seemed to contain a twisted logic.

Qiao Xueying's eyes nearly shot flames as she looked at Zu An. That incident had always been a shadow in her heart, and yet this guy brought it up in front of her for no reason.

Rage points from Qiao Xueying: 512!

Chu Chuyan reached out and waved her hand, melting the ice on Qiao Xueying. "You may leave."

Qiao Xueying was stunned. "You're letting me go?"

Chu Chuyan said calmly, "Although your intentions were not pure, you have been like a sister to me for many years. I cannot bring myself to kill you. Take care of yourself."