Chapter 219: Gods Can't Save

Zu'an emerged from the study with a dejected expression. Alone, he felt a sense of loneliness he had never experienced before.

Mr. and Mrs. Chu were engaged in an intimate conversation with Chu Chuyan, asking for more details about the secret realm.

Chu Hanzhao, though she had just spoken up for him, was still upset that he had forgotten her gift. Even Xue'er was no longer with the Chu family; otherwise, he could have at least bickered with her. As for Cheng Shoubing, that unreliable fellow was out of the question; anything Zu'an told him would surely be spread throughout the world by the next day.

Gazing at the bright moon in the sky, he felt a wave of melancholy.

An ancient poem stated, "Raising my head, I gaze at the bright moon; bowing my head, I long for my hometown." In his previous life, he found it hard to understand such feelings. After all, he could always call his family, video chat, or easily return home by plane or high-speed train. Rapidly advancing technology made it difficult for modern people to understand the homesickness of ancient times, but this changed when he arrived in this new world, especially after Qin Wanru repeatedly targeted him.

He finally understood that the Chu family was not his home after all. Feelings of homesickness welled up in his heart, and Zu'an let out a long sigh. It seemed it was time to consider leaving.

He had considered leaving before, but at that time, he had just transmigrated, knew nothing about this world, and had no money, so a rash departure would not have been a wise choice. But now things were different. He had hundreds of thousands of taels of silver and had officially become a cultivator. Although his cultivation wasn't high, self-preservation shouldn't be an issue, and he had even secured a teaching position at Brightmoon Academy. By all accounts, he could stand on his own feet.

As his thoughts wandered, a pleasant voice suddenly reached his ears. "What are you thinking about?"

Zu'an turned his head to find Chu Chuyan standing behind him; he hadn't noticed when she had arrived. A cascade of long, dark, lustrous hair fell to her waist, further highlighting her snow-white skin. The tranquil moonlight streamed down, enveloping her in a holy glow, as if an immaculate fairy had descended to the mortal world. She was gazing at him with beautiful, misty eyes; her gaze was like a vast expanse of misty waters, yet also like the boundless starry sky.

Zu'an secretly admired her. She truly deserved her reputation as Brightmoon City's foremost beauty; every inch of her skin, every glance, could drive countless men mad.

"Nothing," Zu'an replied. Though struck by her beauty, he wasn't in the mood to tease her as he usually would.

Chu Chuyan's expression was also complex. She had been observing him from the side and noticed that Zu'an was enveloped in a sense of sorrow. She knew he was always a thick-skinned optimist, so for him to show such an expression, it was clear how distressed he must be.

"I'm really sorry about what just happened," Chu Chuyan explained. "My mother didn't mean any harm; she was just overly worried about me, and her temperament has always been like that. Her words were a bit hurtful, so please don't take them to heart."

Zu'an was a bit surprised; he hadn't expected her to say such things. She used to be very cold and proud, rarely speaking to him on her own initiative, much less offering explanations. Thinking of this, a smile appeared on his face. "I'm spending my life with you, not with her, so of course, I won't mind."

Chu Chuyan's face flushed slightly. It seemed her worry for him was unnecessary; this guy was indeed as thick-skinned as ever. For some reason, she had a strange illusion that his words had somehow teased her mother, but she immediately realized how absurd this thought was and quickly dismissed it.

"It's good that you don't mind," Chu Chuyan said. "You've worked hard these past few days. Go back and get some good rest." She then turned and left.

After a moment, she suddenly stopped and turned around with a surprised expression to look at the man behind her. "Why are you following me?"

Zu'an shrugged. "Didn't you tell me to go back and rest?"

Chu Chuyan furrowed her delicate brows. "Then why are you following me? Your room is over there, isn't it?"

Zu'an looked astonished. "Wife, you haven't forgotten, have you? You promised in the secret realm that we'd share a room when we returned. I've been thinking, my room is too small; it would be unfair for you to move there. Your room is bigger, so I'll just move in with you..."

Listening to him ramble on about how to furnish the room and what furniture to move, Chu Chuyan felt a headache coming on. "When did I ever agree... agree to live with you?"

Zu'an looked at her with a strange expression. "You haven't forgotten, have you? No, that's not right. You're a famous cultivation genius who can remember everything you see. It seems you're trying to go back on your word."

"I..." Chu Chuyan finally remembered that she seemed to have said something similar at the time, and her face instantly turned red. "No, the situation was special then, and... and I didn't fully agree."

"That's no fun," Zu'an immediately grumbled. "The esteemed Young Miss Chu going back on her word? How about I find others to judge and let everyone decide what's right!" After speaking, he made to leave.

"Oh, stop!" Chu Chuyan panicked. She had always been thin-skinned, and if this matter were to spread, she would truly want to find a hole to crawl into.

Seeing Zu'an's firm resolve to leave, her heart raced. She felt a surge of coldness rise to her throat, and then, with a gasp, she spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

Noticing her unusual state, Zu'an was startled and rushed back to support her. "What's wrong with you? I was just joking. You don't have to get so flustered that you'd spit blood, do you?" He then noticed several unmelted ice shards in the blood on the ground, and he was stunned for a moment. Just as he was about to ask her about it, he found her body suddenly go limp, and she started to collapse to the side. He quickly caught her in his arms, only then noticing that her lips were completely devoid of color and her entire body was icy cold.

"Wife, what's wrong?" Zu'an asked frantically.

"I... I'm fine, it's an old problem..." Chu Chuyan said weakly. She was about to explain that she had suffered from this condition for years and that it had worsened after the last family martial arts competition, but before she could finish, she fainted.

"Don't worry, wife, I'll take you to a doctor," Zu'an said, panicking. He lifted her into his arms, about to go inform Chu Zhongtian and the others.

"Don't bother with futile efforts. Ordinary doctors can't cure her at all."

At this moment, a female voice with a unique timbre rang out. The voice carried an innate haughty indifference while also revealing a charming languor, making it instantly recognizable as Mi Li's.

"Empress Sister, you're awake?" Zu'an asked with a surprised look.

Mi Li snorted coldly. "I woke up a long time ago. After all, I needed to check your current surroundings for any potential life-threatening dangers, lest I accidentally get implicated by you."

"So, did you find anything?" Zu'an asked eagerly, curious himself.

"Not yet, but..." Mi Li changed her tone and said coldly, "I clearly saw the scene where that woman named Qin Wanru humiliated you. I thought you were someone important, but I didn't expect your status in their household to be so lowly."

"What can I do?" Zu'an also said with a dejected expression. "She's the mistress of the Chu family, and also Chuyan and Hanzhao's mother, after all."

"No, the more I think about it, the angrier I get," Mi Li said, her tone rising several notches. "It felt as if she was scolding me just now. How can a mere duchess be so arrogant? In my time, even princesses and empresses didn't dare breathe heavily in my presence. Hmph, how about I capture her and discreetly eliminate her? It would remove a hidden danger and prevent any future trouble."

Zu'an's safety meant her own, so any potential threat had to be nipped in the bud. As for Qin Wanru's life or death, Mi Li wouldn't care; she was the type who would rather kill a thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go.

Zu'an was horrified. "No, absolutely not!" Although he didn't like Qin Wanru, killing her just for that was too extreme.

"Oh, I see," Mi Li nodded. "That Qin Wanru does have some charm and allure. I didn't realize you, a lecherous fellow, preferred mature women. Very well, I'll capture her and let you do as you please with her. You can kill her once you get tired of her; it's all the same."

Zu'an was speechless.

You understand? You don't understand anything at all!

"Why do you have these bizarre ideas?" Zu'an said, feeling utterly exasperated. "She's my wife's mother..."

He was interrupted before he could finish. Mi Li snorted coldly, "That's just because your status is too low to encounter such things. Think of the historical royal families; were there ever a shortage of sordid affairs? Between siblings, marrying mothers and daughters, killing brothers to seize their wives... There's no telling how many such things occurred. What you're saying is nothing."

Zu'an was speechless.

The sheer amount of information was too much for him to process at once. After a long moment, he exhaled deeply. "Your circle is truly chaotic," he muttered.

"Your rank is too low; you can't even get into this circle. You're just sour grapes," Mi Li sneered.

Zu'an was dismayed by her words. The crucial thing was that, given her identity and status, it was indeed the truth, to the point where he couldn't refute it.

"Let's talk about those things later," Zu'an said. "What's wrong with my wife? Why did you say ordinary doctors can't cure her?" He felt the woman in his arms getting colder and colder.

"The cultivation method she practices inherently has flaws, or rather, it's a common problem with ice-element cultivation methods. To cultivate ice-element abilities, one must allow cold qi to enter the body, and over time, the meridians, body, and internal organs will be invaded by cold qi."

"Although various ice-element scriptures have their own ways to counteract the resulting negative effects, they cannot be completely eliminated. Cultivation, after all, goes against the natural order, so some penalties are normal."

"Since cultivating ice-element abilities has such major flaws, why are there still so many ice-element cultivators in the world?" Zu'an asked, puzzled.

"Although ice-element cultivation causes great damage to the body, its power is also immense, offering unparalleled advantages in many aspects," Mi Li explained. "Many people in this world are willing to sacrifice some things to gain greater power."

"Most ice-element cultivators, however, either have a shorter lifespan than normal cultivators or find it difficult to procreate, but generally, their lives are not in danger. Your wife's situation, however, is likely due to her cultivating too fast, and her ice-element cultivation method takes an unusual approach. Although it offers greater power and faster progress, its negative effects are also far greater than other ice-element methods."

"Then, in the underground palace, the Traceless Illusionary Lotus you gave her to consume forcibly elevated her by a major cultivation realm, leading to an unstable foundation and completely amplifying the hidden dangers in her body. Earlier, when she exchanged a palm strike with Old Man Shi in the academy's back mountains, the injury she sustained, though not severe, caused the hidden dangers within her body to fully erupt. Now, the cold qi has spread into her five vital organs and six viscera. I'm afraid even immortals cannot save her."