Chapter 152: Friends' Wives Are Not to Be Deceived

As soon as Shi Kun finished speaking, everyone turned to look at him, completely bewildered.

Qiao Xueying: "???"The warriors: "???"

Qiao Xueying even harbored a disrespectful thought: Had the young master lost his mind? He and Zu An were friends?

Even Chu Chuyan was utterly confused, wondering what scheme this man was truly up to.

Not to mention them, Shi Kun himself was equally bewildered. His mind was a complete blur: Who am I, where am I, what am I doing?

Zu An secretly let out a sigh of relief. That's right, he had just used his newly acquired skill, "Proximity Through Wealth"!

Had they not been in plain sight, he might have already pulled out his banknotes to count, trying to figure out how the skill deducted money—whether some banknotes simply vanished or something else. The crucial question was whether he needed to carry the banknotes on him, or if it simply worked as long as the money belonged to him, regardless of whether it was cash.

Damn it, a hundred thousand taels of silver, just gone like that!

People at least get a bang when they throw firecrackers!

Thinking of the culprit behind all this, Zu An gritted his teeth in frustration.

However, he maintained a smile on his face, opening his arms and walking towards Shi Kun. "Oh, my friend, there were many misunderstandings before. I sincerely apologize."

Qiao Xueying and the other subordinates stared at him with expressions like they were watching an idiot, thinking that if he walked over like that, the young master would surely hack him to pieces.

Even Chu Chuyan's heart leaped into her throat. She subtly moved closer to him, intending to save him in case of danger.

But to everyone's astonishment, Shi Kun also opened his arms and embraced him. "My friend, I don't know what possessed me before. I hope you can forgive me."

Qiao Xueying couldn't help but rub her eyes. This scene was truly an eyesore and beyond her comprehension. When did the young master become friends with Zu An?

I must be seeing things!

Was this all a dream?

She looked at her companions around her and saw that each of them had an expression like they'd eaten something foul. Only then did she feel relieved that she wasn't the only one witnessing this scene.

Chu Chuyan also found this scene too absurd and bizarre. A thought even crossed her mind: Could Zu An have been allied with Shi Kun all along?

No, that couldn't be right. Given Shi Kun's previous pursuit of her, he wouldn't tolerate one of his subordinates becoming her husband. So Shi Kun must belong to another family, but she didn't know if it was affiliated with the Emperor or the Empress.

She suddenly felt a chill run through her. Despite all her precautions, she had still fallen for their scheme.

Rage points from Chu Chuyan: 512!

She wasn't the only one questioning reality; others had similar thoughts, continuously contributing rage points.

Looking at the rage point notifications in the system, Zu An thought, *Don't panic, dear wife, I'll explain everything soon.*

He and Shi Kun walked together. Just as they were about to embrace, Zu An suddenly summoned his Deathstrike Dagger and thrust it directly at Shi Kun.

When he had first acquired "Proximity Through Wealth," he had been pondering how to use the skill. The "friend" criterion seemed too vague, but if it truly made someone treat him as a friend, it should maximize their lowered guard. Paired with his Deathstrike Dagger, it would be an incredible skill for assassination or ambush.

Just as the dagger was about to pierce Shi Kun's body, a sinister grin appeared on Shi Kun's lips. He suddenly parried the Deathstrike Dagger with a sword, simultaneously delivering a punch to Zu An's chest. "Pfft!" Zu An spat out a mouthful of blood and stumbled rapidly backward. Fortunately, he had sensed the danger just in time and activated Sunflower Phantoms, otherwise, that blow would have taken his life.

This scene defied everyone's expectations. One moment, they looked like old friends happily reunited, and the next, they turned on each other with deadly intent. What in the world were these two up to?

Chu Chuyan was also puzzled, but she still flew over and caught him, preventing Shi Kun from taking the opportunity to pursue.

At that moment, Zu An couldn't even savor Chu Chuyan's soft and comfortable embrace. Instead, he stared at Shi Kun in shock. "Why? We're clearly friends!"

This was what baffled him most. Although the keyboard system's lottery often seemed unreliable, it had never failed when used correctly. So what was happening now? Why was Shi Kun on guard, and why was he trying to kill him?

A faint smile appeared on Shi Kun's face. "While we are friends, your wife is simply too beautiful. As the saying goes, 'when it comes to a friend's wife, there's no need for politeness.' I'm afraid I'll have to apologize."

Zu An: "*#&%!"*

He felt that if the system could collect his rage points, it would surely have exploded by now!

His meticulously planned assassination attempt had failed in the most unexpected way.

Indeed, "Proximity Through Wealth" had successfully made Shi Kun consider him a friend. But this scoundrel, seeing how beautiful Chu Chuyan was, still harbored wicked intentions. Even a friend's wife, he would seize without hesitation.

A mistake, a grave mistake! He had failed to account for this. A cold-hearted person like Shi Kun, given enough incentive, would kill even a friend without a second thought.

A hundred thousand taels of silver, a full hundred thousand taels!

Just gone down the drain like that!

Zu An had been heartbroken when he first used this skill, but that heartache paled in comparison to what he felt now.

It seemed that while the skill could make the target consider him a friend, it couldn't alter their usual conduct. Betrayal among friends was not uncommon, so one shouldn't assume everything would be fine just because they became friends.

Was there a cure for regret in this world? He was sick with regret!

Shi Kun slowly approached him. "Though I don't know why I suddenly felt you were a friend, I must say, my friend, rest in peace. After you die, I will take good care of your beautiful wife. 'Your wife, I shall raise; you need not worry!'"

Ever since he had the rage point system, Zu An had always been the one infuriating others, but this time, he was truly infuriated by someone else. This scoundrel was simply disgusting!

He wasn't the only one angry; Chu Chuyan was also staring at Shi Kun with a frosty expression. "Everyone says Young Master Shi, the sixth son of the Shi family, is gentle as jade and a true gentleman, a peerless young master in this world. I never expected him to be such a vile and shameless scoundrel!"

Not far away, Qiao Xueying nodded secretly in strong agreement. This man was indeed quite different from the image she held in her memory. She had previously thought he was simply lovestruck, and using some means to pursue the one he loved was understandable. But after entering the secret realm, perhaps knowing that nothing that happened there would be leaked, he had shed his moral restraints and seemed to have completely let himself go.

The current Shi Kun felt utterly foreign to her, leaving her standing there, lost and disoriented.

Shi Kun's expression also turned gloomy. "Chu Chuyan, you forced all of this upon me. If you hadn't grown increasingly intimate with other men, I wouldn't have become so desperate and ruthless."

Chu Chuyan snapped, "Lunatic!" Zu An gave a thumbs-up. "Well said, wife!"

He also added, "Damn pervert!"

Initially, Shi Kun hadn't paid much attention to Zu An's curses. In his eyes, the other man was already dead; these were merely the pathetic wails of the weak before their demise. The harsher Zu An cursed, the more it proved Shi Kun's power and success, which only made him happier.

But seeing how intimately they cooperated, like a harmonious husband and wife, he couldn't help but burn with jealousy.

Rage points from Shi Kun: 996!

"You, Zu! Today, I will slice you into a thousand pieces!" As he spoke, he spread his arms. The light around him suddenly seemed to distort. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that many translucent wind blades were floating around him, appearing and disappearing like real swords and knives.

Raging Wind Blades!

Shi Kun roared, and the floating wind blades began to spin rapidly, forming a terrifying whirlwind of blades even more formidable than before, which shot swiftly towards Zu An.

Gazing at the sky full of wind blades, Zu An even thought that if he were hit by them, he would probably be sliced into sashimi.

Chu Chuyan naturally wouldn't stand by. With a soft cry, the area within ten feet around her became an icy blue. A thin blue light barrier enveloped both of them, like a blue eggshell.

However, this blue light barrier was much harder than an eggshell. The countless wind blades attacked from all directions, striking with loud clanking sounds, but they were unable to breach its defense.

Zu An, however, was not so optimistic, because he noticed Chu Chuyan's face growing paler and her chest heaving more rapidly.

Shi Kun's laughter echoed. "Miss Chu's 'Blue Guardian' truly lives up to its reputation. But how much longer can you hold on? Your protective barrier is visibly shrinking."

Initially, Chu Chuyan's blue light barrier was ten feet wide, but now it had shrunk to only a few feet across.

"Young Master's divine power is unrivaled!"

"So-called top prodigy of Brightmoon City is nothing special."

"No matter how strong, she's still just a woman; she weakens three-tenths upon seeing our young master, hahaha."

Various unrestrained laughs echoed from around them. Shi Kun's subordinates stood nearby, cheering and waving their banners. Anyone with eyes could see that the young master had victory in his grasp. Only Qiao Xueying remained silent, lost in thought.

After another moment, the blue light barrier grew even smaller, only about three feet wide, forcing the two inside to press tightly against each other.

At any other time, Zu An would have undoubtedly savored being pressed so intimately against Chu Chuyan. But seeing her pale face and beads of sweat on her temples up close, how could he possibly be so unfeeling?

From a distance, Shi Kun saw more and more cracks appearing on the blue light barrier. A smile finally broke on his face. Everything was about to end. Soon, he would torture Zu An to death, and then, with Chu Chuyan, turn the "raw rice into cooked rice" within the secret realm.

However, Chu Chuyan was notoriously proud. If he used force, she might not yield. Perhaps he should spare Zu An's life for now and use him as leverage to make her comply?

Shi Kun was conflicted. On one hand, the thought of Chu Chuyan serving him because of another man irked him. But then he imagined her, who was normally so aloof and peerless, submitting beneath him to save her husband. *Hmm*, that image seemed rather stimulating.

At that moment, Zu An's voice came from beside him: "Brother Ri Bi, are you filial to your mother?"