Chapter 2: Killer Instinct

Seeing his bewildered expression, Chu Chuyan said calmly, "No matter where you learned this, don't ask any more questions about it in the future, or your life will be in danger."

Zu An secretly clicked his tongue in amazement. My goodness, it seemed this "Unknowable Land" was truly extraordinary.

He immediately realized, wasn't this keyboard setting him up? If merely inquiring could lead to death, how was he supposed to find the secret codex to unlock it?

Forget it, he thought. Even without a cheat code, as a transmigrator, he could make a name for himself anywhere. Plus, he started with such a beautiful wife—what more could he ask for?

The fact that this wife seemed somewhat distant wasn't an issue. Given the tactics he'd seen online, with role models like Xiang Shaolong, Wei Xiaobao, and Song Qingshu, he could melt even an ice queen.

The thought of sharing a bed with such a goddess-like woman that night made his heart pound.

Don't get too excited, wipe your drool, and maintain your composure!

Fearing he might arouse suspicion, Zu An didn't press further. The other party clearly had no interest in talking to him either, so he simply gazed out the window at the passing scenery.

Before long, he spotted city walls in the distance. Judging by their scale, it would have been considered a major city even in ancient China.

As they passed through the city gate, he noticed the characters "Brightmoon City" inscribed above. He made a mental note to find a map later to determine the city's location on the continent. The original owner of this body was utterly useless, not even knowing basic geography.

Observing the city's appearance along the way, he noted that while it couldn't compare to modern cities from his previous life, its streets were bustling and its population thriving. What astonished him most was how incredibly smooth the carriage ride was, as if he were sitting in a top-tier luxury car from his former world.

He noticed faint, glowing blue lines circulating within the carriage, resembling a circuit board.

Zu An was secretly startled. Was this the legendary magic array? To use it in a mere carriage was truly extravagant.

Before he knew it, they arrived in front of a grand manor. The first thing he saw was two enormous stone sculptures of unknown animals—neither quite lions nor tigers—exuding an inexplicable aura.

The carriage stopped, and the woman in white gracefully stepped out, walking directly through the main gate. Zu An secretly glanced over and saw the characters "Chu Manor" on the plaque. He couldn't help but inwardly lament how pathetic his life was in this existence. Living in his wife's family home? Wasn't he just a live-in son-in-law? No wonder those people had been pointing and whispering earlier.

He instinctively tried to follow but was stopped by Xue’er. "Is the main gate for you to use? Go to the side entrance yourself."

Zu An froze. "Why can't I use the main gate?"

Xue’er curled her lip. "That main gate is for the Chu family members. As a live-in son-in-law, you're not qualified. Aren't you afraid of bringing bad luck to the household if you use it?"

Zu An stared at her silently. "Your mouth is so poisonous, your boyfriend must have uremia, right?"

Although Xue’er didn't fully grasp the underlying meaning, she knew it was definitely not a compliment. She flared up in anger, grabbing his collar as if to strike him.

Before her fist could even land, Zu An had already collapsed at her feet, groaning, "Ouch, ouch!"

"I didn't even hit you yet?" Xue’er looked utterly bewildered, having never encountered such a trick of faking injury in this world.

Chu Chuyan turned back. "You're being disrespectful. No matter what, he's still the manor's son-in-law. You are not to treat him like this again."

Xue’er looked aggrieved but dared not argue. "Yes."

Chu Chuyan glanced at Zu An. "You can get up now, can't you?"

Zu An scrambled up, chuckling, "You're the only one who cares about me."

Chu Chuyan frowned, instinctively stepping back to create distance. She then turned and walked inside, her calm voice drifting back, "Father and Mother are waiting inside. Don't waste any more time."

"You did such a thing last night, and now you're acting like nothing happened? Have you no shame? Just wait until the Master and Madam decide how to deal with you!" Xue’er glared at him fiercely, then hurried to assist her young mistress.

Only then did Zu An recall the murmurs from the crowd earlier. This guy apparently climbed into his sister-in-law's bed last night? This is a hellish start!

Zu An's eyes darted around. He clutched his head and groaned, "Oh, my head hurts so much!" as he stumbled towards the two women, pretending to collapse.

To his surprise, both women simply dodged aside, letting him fall to the ground.

Zu An was in such pain that tears welled up, but he dared not cry out. It seemed the same trick wouldn't work twice. The people here were far from unsophisticated; they learned bad habits quickly.

"Why didn't you catch him?" Chu Chuyan shot an exasperated look at Xue’er.

Xue’er pouted. "You didn't catch him either, Miss, and I think he's mostly faking it."

Chu Chuyan looked down at Zu An and finally said, "I heard he was struck by lightning today, so perhaps he really isn't feeling well. Take him back to his room to rest, and help him wash up. I'll go inform Father and Mother." With that, she drifted away.

Helpless, Xue’er had no choice but to instruct two young servants to find a stretcher and carry Zu An away to another section of the manor.

Lying on the stretcher, Zu An secretly wondered why Chu Chuyan hadn't questioned him or even shown any anger despite him having climbed into his sister-in-law's bed on their wedding night.

Could that sister not be her biological one? Zu An maliciously speculated.

Along the way, they passed through a moon gate, a long corridor, a pile of rockeries, and finally arrived at a pavilion beside a pond. After winding through so many paths, Zu An felt quite disoriented. Xue’er suddenly said, "Leave him here for now. You two, come with me to fetch some water for his wash-up."

Hearing their footsteps fade away, Zu An stealthily opened his eyes. He found himself in a pavilion by a pond. Seeing no one around, he got up and looked at his reflection in the water. Only then did he realize his hair was disheveled and pointing in all directions, and his face was charred black. No wonder his cheap wife had looked at him with such disgust earlier.

Suddenly, he felt a strong shove from behind, and he tumbled directly into the pond.

"Help! Help!"

Having swum in rivers since childhood, he naturally wouldn't drown in such shallow water. But it felt as if someone had kicked him from behind, and uncertain of the situation, he naturally feigned drowning.

Faintly, he saw a slender figure standing by the water, looking at him with a cold smirk. Zu An's heart skipped a beat. Why would Xue’er want to kill him? Had his cheap wife colluded with some Ximen Qing? Or did the Chu family feel this scandal was so immense that they decided to use an "accident" to eliminate their son-in-law?

In an instant, various possibilities flashed through his mind, and simultaneously, he pretended to be drowned, floating motionless on the water's surface.

"Dead so quickly? That's too easy for you." Xue’er, standing on the bank, let out a surprised sound. With a flick of her hand, a ribbon flew out from her sleeve, hooking the "floating corpse" in the water and pulling it to the shore.

Zu An was startled. This little brat actually knew martial arts! It seemed he needed to be even more careful.

Xue’er squatted by the water's edge and reached out to check his pulse in the neck.

Just then, Zu An, lying in the water, suddenly opened his eyes. A jet of water sprayed onto her face. Taking advantage of her instinctive reaction to close her eyes, he wrapped his arms tightly around her and rolled back into the water.

Xue’er immediately realized she had fallen for his trick. Instinctively, she tried to channel her inner energy to strike him, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she gulped down a large amount of water.

"Cough, cough!" Although she knew martial arts, very few women of this era knew how to swim. In an instant, she choked on several mouthfuls of water. She struggled, trying to grab onto something on the bank, but it was out of reach.

In her panic, her small hand trembled, and a white silk ribbon coiled around the railing by the water. Just as she was about to use it to propel herself upward, Zu An, like an octopus, held her body in a death grip, making it impossible for her to exert any force.

With him clinging so tightly, Xue’er felt both shame and rage. She struggled desperately, but he was too skilled in the water, dragging her deeper and deeper. She had no idea how much water she had swallowed, and her vision grew increasingly blurry.

Sensing her resistance weakening, Zu An knew it was time and dragged her out of the water.

Her eyes were tightly shut, her eyelashes slightly curled. With a delicate nose and cherry lips, she looked like a serene beauty. It was a pity her mouth was so venomous when she spoke, and her heart was a bit cruel. Hmm, if only she were mute.

"What now?"

Zu An quickly pondered his options. Someone in this manor wanted to kill him; staying was too dangerous. But if he ran away, considering the high walls and grand gates he'd seen upon entering, he wasn't sure he could even get out. Even if he did, he had no money and was unfamiliar with this world, so he'd likely starve to death within a couple of days.

Moreover, he had already committed such a scandalous act yesterday. If he were to be responsible for a death today, the authorities would surely hunt him down.

Wait a minute. Since his assailant used a method designed to look like an accident, it was clear the mastermind didn't dare to kill him openly. Hmm, in that case, he'd take a gamble.

He lowered his head and pressed his ear against Xue’er's chest. Discovering no heartbeat, he was startled and quickly prepared to perform CPR.

As soon as he unfastened the front of her clothes, a pile of snacks, like melon seeds and candies, tumbled out, leaving him utterly dumbfounded. This person eats so much, why is she still so thin?

He quickly put those thoughts aside, placed his hands on her chest, and began resuscitation.

After pressing her chest more than twenty times with no reaction, he leaned down, intending to give her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, when a cold voice came from behind him: "What are you doing?"

Zu An turned around and saw Chu Chuyan standing not far away, her face a mask of frost. He instinctively glanced at Xue’er beside him, whose hairpins were loose, temples disheveled, and tunic untied, faintly revealing her brightly colored *dudou* and fair skin beneath. His own hand was still pressed against her chest.

"Uh, would you believe me if I said I was saving her?" Zu An replied earnestly, instinctively pressing down once more as he spoke.

Chu Chuyan walked over with an indifferent expression. "Move aside." She assessed Xue’er, then her slender fingers rapidly tapped various points on Xue’er's body, leaving only blurs in their wake.

Zu An couldn't help but rub his eyes. My goodness, he hadn't expected this cheap wife to be a martial arts master too! However, remembering that Xue’er also possessed martial skills, he felt a sense of relief.

Was she the one who wanted to kill him?

"Wife, how skilled are you in martial arts?" Zu An probed.

"Ugh!" Just then, Xue’er suddenly coughed violently, spitting out several mouthfuls of water. She was clearly revived. Chu Chuyan gently patted her back while turning to look at Zu An. "What did you call me?"

"My lady?" Zu An's heart tightened, and he quickly changed his address.

Chu Chuyan's expression turned cold. She said flatly, "I told you before we married, call me Miss Chu from now on, or Chu Yan is also acceptable. You are not to use those two words again."

"Alright, my lady." Zu An readily agreed. "How skilled are you in martial arts, exactly? Where do you rank in the world?"

"Martial arts? Do you mean cultivation level?" Chu Chuyan's delicate brows furrowed slightly, but she still answered, "The world is vast, with countless masters. How could anyone possibly know their own ranking?"

Zu An let out an "Oh," then remarked, "So, you're not even ranked then."

Chu Chuyan gasped, stifled, before she could reply. Zu An continued, "But we're family, so I don't mind. How about you teach me martial arts? Do you have any divine secret manuals that let you achieve ten years of progress in one? Or any quick-mastery techniques would work too."

The fact that someone in this manor wanted to kill him filled him with a sense of urgency. Besides, learning some martial arts would make it easier to find those "Unknowable Lands" in the future.

"There are no such cultivation methods," Chu Chuyan said coldly. "And even if there were, you wouldn't be able to learn them."

"How is that possible?" Zu An immediately protested. "With my extraordinary, one-in-a-million talent, how could I not learn? You just don't want to teach me, do you?"

Chu Chuyan replied, "People generally begin cultivating from a young age by refining their bodies, which requires a significant amount of *yuan* stones. Once adult, the skeletal structure is fixed, and no one would waste resources. Furthermore, your aptitude is barely considered 'Ding-rank lower grade,' so even if you had started training as a child, there wouldn't be much hope." She shook her head slightly as she spoke.

What level was "Ding-rank lower grade?"

It clearly wasn't a good ranking, but Zu An didn't take it seriously. After all, weren't protagonists in those novels always starting with a trashy physique, only needing to find the right cultivation method? In a way, having the classic "useless protagonist at the start" trait meant he was already halfway to success.

Seeing Xue’er had woken up, Chu Chuyan couldn't be bothered with him anymore. "Xue’er, what exactly happened just now?"