Chapter 1691: Night Investigation

Zu'an keenly sensed the dangerous undertone in her question but still answered truthfully, "Of course, I don't want either of you to fight." Both sides were important to him; a loss for either would be trouble.

"Oh, so you don't want me to compete against that… *cough cough*, Miss Pei for first place, do you?" Qiu Honglei's expression became downcast, looking as if she were on the verge of tears.

Beside them, Yun Jianyue secretly gave a thumbs-up. Indeed, the student had surpassed the master; only such a captivating and cunning enchantress could truly embody a demonic sect's femme fatale.

Zu'an quickly said, "I actually don't care who gets first place. I just don't want either of you to lose. Whether it's Manman losing or you losing, I don't want to see it, especially after all the effort you've both put in." There was another reason he couldn't voice: losing to others might be acceptable, but losing to a future competitor was simply intolerable.

Yun Jianyue scoffed, "A combat arena match? Do you really think it can end in a draw? You're far too wishful."

Zu'an sighed, "I'm getting a headache over this."

"This isn't your concern. They'll win or lose based on their own abilities; why are you worrying so much?" Yun Jianyue said disdainfully.

At that moment, Qiu Honglei also spoke pitifully, "A'Zu, if you're worried about Miss Pei, I can actually lose to her. Anyway, I'm not the real Peng Wuyan, so a loss would only be an embarrassment for Empty Isle."

Yun Jianyue, observing from the side, raised an eyebrow. This Honglei was getting increasingly formidable. While she knew such tactics herself, her immense power and personality made her too self-conscious to employ them. Thus, she was a theoretical master of charm techniques, but her disciple was clearly more adept in practice. The only time she had ever truly used such a technique in her life was when she deliberately danced for Zu'an in the secret realm. Recalling that incident, her heartbeat suddenly quickened.

Zu'an naturally understood that Qiu Honglei was saying this on purpose, but he wasn't annoyed. He found a loved one's playful manipulation rather charming. "Alright, alright, just fight however you want. I won't interfere anymore."

Qiu Honglei smiled enchantingly, like flowers in full bloom. Without a word, she simply nestled sensuously into his embrace.

Yun Jianyue nodded with satisfaction. Honglei was indeed becoming more natural; she truly was the successor she had most favored. But why wasn't she as happy as she expected to be? Especially seeing the two of them so intimate, a tiny bit of… irritation seemed to stir in her heart? She was startled. *Yun Jianyue, Yun Jianyue, have you no shame? Are you actually jealous of your own disciple?* She quickly stopped herself from dwelling on Qiu Honglei and instead directed her anger at Zu'an. It was all this scoundrel's fault. Rage points from Yun Jianyue: 300, 300, 300…

Zu'an was startled by the long string of rage points appearing in his mind, and seeing Qiu Honglei in his arms, he finally understood what was happening. He felt a little depressed, though. *This isn't my fault; Qiu Honglei nestled against me herself.* From Qiu Honglei's perspective, their relationship had her master's approval, so there were naturally fewer inhibitions.

He cleared his throat. "Why don't we head back to Violet Mountain first? For some reason, I have a feeling something big is happening there, and I'm worried something might go wrong if we're not around." Others could take care of themselves, but Chu Yan, Big Manman, and Xie Daoyun were all on Violet Mountain. As for Yan Xuehen, her cultivation was so high there was no need to worry about her.

Yun Jianyue nodded. "That works. It'll be good to make those Daoist sect members lose face sooner rather than later." Peng Wuyan had been "missing" for quite some time; it was the perfect opportunity to return in a grand comeback. She relished the thought of revealing her identity after winning the championship, picturing the expressions on those hypocritical Daoist sect members' faces.

Night had already fallen, which was convenient for their journey, but soon a problem arose. How would they get back to Violet Mountain? Yun Jianyue, being a Grandmaster, could fly on her own. Qiu Honglei's current cultivation allowed for short bursts of flight, but it wasn't enough for long-distance travel. Either Yun Jianyue or Zu'an would have to carry her.

In her heart, she wanted to be with Zu'an, but she was too shy to show it, so she proactively said, "I'll go with Master."

Yun Jianyue's expression was priceless. This girl kept glancing at Zu'an while speaking, looking as if she desperately wanted to throw herself into his arms, yet she said something else entirely. She was clearly trying to manipulate her master. *What a good disciple I've taught!* She snorted coldly, "Forget it. You two have been apart for a while, and you surely have a lot to say. I won't be a third wheel here." After speaking, she didn't wait for their reactions, her figure flashed, and she vanished into the sky. Rage points from Yun Jianyue: 488, 488, 488…

Zu'an blinked. *She acts so magnanimous, yet she's clearly furious inside.*

Qiu Honglei, however, was oblivious. She instead mused, "Master really considers so much for me. A'Zu, we must be very filial to her from now on."

Zu'an's expression was intriguing. *Filial? That word sounds a bit strange in this context.* He couldn't really explain, so he just mumbled an agreement, then took out his Wind-Fire Wheels, and wrapped an arm around her slender waist. "Let's go."

Qiu Honglei wore a long, cherry-blossom colored dress adorned with delicate small flowers. As they flew into the sky, her skirts fluttered, making her figure appear even more slender and graceful. Zu'an, holding her, truly felt as if she were as soft as if she had no bones. They flew along, chatting about their experiences since they had parted. Although they had already talked extensively, there was always an endless supply of things to say between two people in love. It was unclear how long they chatted, but as their emotions grew more intense, their heads unconsciously drew together, and they began to kiss passionately. Qiu Honglei let out a soft moan. Initially shy, she gradually responded with a mixture of passion and awkwardness. Her lips were soft, and her breath was truly fragrant like orchids.

Just as they were lost in the moment, a soft cough suddenly sounded nearby. They realized they had already reached the vicinity of Violet Mountain, and Yun Jianyue was standing not far away, glaring at them. Rage points from Yun Jianyue: 666, 666, 666…

"Master!" Qiu Honglei stuck out her tongue and quickly moved out of Zu'an's embrace.

Zu'an also felt a bit awkward. Looking at the rage points in his mind and then at Yun Jianyue, he couldn't help but fall into thought.

Yun Jianyue didn't say anything, only stated with a stern face, "We're near Violet Mountain now. There are many people here, so quickly revert to your Peng Wuyan appearance."

"Oh," Qiu Honglei replied, turning to Zu'an. "Big Brother Zu, you go on ahead. I don't want you to see me like that." Over the past few days of competition, Peng Wuyan had become known for two things: her strength and her ugliness. Before her identity was revealed, it hadn't mattered, but now that Zu'an knew, she naturally didn't want to leave a bad impression on her beloved.

Zu'an had originally wanted to explain himself to Yun Jianyue, but given the circumstances, he couldn't. So, he parted ways with the two women.

Back in his mountain villa, Xie Daoyun quickly sat up. "Who's there?" His entry had clearly triggered the defensive array she had set up around the area.

"It's me," Zu'an replied.

"Big Brother Zu," Xie Daoyun said, her face lighting up with joy. She threw back her covers and came out to greet him. She was currently wearing a silk nightgown, and with her sleepy eyes and slightly disheveled hair, she appeared especially languid and charmingly naive. Given her upbringing, she would never normally expose such a private side of herself to others. Even wearing this in front of another woman would be considered quite rude, let alone a man. However, during her time with Zu'an, she had gradually grown accustomed to it.

"I was worried you'd be carried off by the wolves on this mountain," Zu'an teased.

"Big Brother Zu, you're so naughty. There are no wolves on this mountain," Xie Daoyun said, her small face flushing. "But you were gone for several days without returning; I was worried something had happened to you."

"Don't worry, nothing serious happened. Everything's been taken care of," Zu'an reassured her. He then briefly recounted the events in Yijun, causing her to exclaim repeatedly in surprise, never having imagined that the Yijun Prefect would do such a thing.

"By the way, has anything happened on Violet Mountain?" Zu'an casually asked.

"Nothing major," Xie Daoyun replied. "That Peng Wuyan from Empty Isle still hasn't been found, and even Elder Peng seems to have disappeared." She paused, then added, "Oh, and there seemed to be some unusual activity near Insight Peak earlier. Some of the testing arrays I left there appeared to be damaged. When I went to check, I didn't find anything conclusive, only that there must have been a battle. Although it was concealed, anything capable of destroying the arrays I secretly placed must be quite powerful. The strange thing is that no one on the main peak sensed a battle of that magnitude. I even wondered if I was imagining things."

"Oh? A highly intense battle that went unnoticed?" Zu'an's heart stirred. Violet Mountain had been a place of many incidents lately, so he decided to go and investigate. Xie Daoyun offered to accompany him, but he declined. After all, she was wearing a nightgown and sound asleep; there was no need to disturb her.

At that moment, in the Jade Palace villa, Pei Mianman was sleeping when she suddenly stirred and woke up. "Who's there?"

"Quite vigilant, aren't we?" a female voice chuckled. "Truly captivating. No wonder that boy likes you so much."