Chapter 232: Gentle and Amiable

Zu'an, however, had no doubts. After all, Mi Li's powerful aura and invincible figure in the underground palace had deeply imprinted themselves on his mind, and to him, this was only natural.

"I'll try again."

His competitive nature surged, so he calmly resumed practicing the movement technique he had just learned.

Unfortunately, he tried several times. Each time he attempted to conjure a third figure, his breathing would become chaotic, and he would stumble awkwardly, falling to the ground in a most undignified manner.

Finally, after picking himself up from the ground, he sighed deeply: "It seems I really can't compare to Queen Sister. Oh, I'll definitely practice harder in the future and strive to reach four figures like Sister did back then."

"Actually, you're not bad at all. With diligent practice, you'll slowly improve," Mi Li consoled him, adopting the air of a seasoned master. Yet, inwardly, she was filled with admiration.

Transcendent aptitude truly lived up to its legendary reputation. Not only did his essence blood possess extraordinary effects, but his learning ability far surpassed that of ordinary people.

One must remember that her own aptitude was considered exceptional. Back then, it took her a month to manifest two figures, which had already astonished countless people. Yet, this prodigy learned it after just one explanation.

Such comparisons were truly disheartening.

However, seeing his dejected expression, Mi Li worried that she might have misled him, causing him mental distress or even spiritual deviation, so she quickly tried to guide him.

Only then did Zu'an feel a little relieved. "By the way, Queen Sister, what's the name of this movement technique?"

Mi Li shook her head. "There's no benefit in knowing many things too early. When you can conjure nine figures simultaneously, I'll tell you then. For now, since it's combined with your Sunflower Phantoms, just keep calling it Sunflower Phantoms."

"Alright," Zu'an replied, feeling a bit disappointed. After all, the words "Sunflower Phantoms" made him feel a little unnerved when he used them; just thinking about Old Man Mi made him uncomfortable. The beautiful Queen's movement technique was much more appealing.

Ah, he was truly a slave to beauty. Old Man Mi had been quite good to him, even if his motives were a bit strange...

"Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock."

A series of knocks sounded at the door.

"Young Master-in-law! Young Master-in-law! The Master has invited Physician Ji!" Cheng Shoubing's distinctive voice rang out.

"I will go into hibernation now. I shouldn't wake up again for a while," Mi Li said, looking at him deeply with her phoenix eyes. "The 'Xiang Fei Red Tears' poison has already affected my soul. I must focus on neutralizing its effects. Remember, to become strong, never unconsciously rely on others. All difficulties and dangers, you must face and resolve them yourself."

"Then when can we meet again?" Although Zu'an secretly thought it strange that she'd wasted a whole night observing him if she needed to detoxify, the thought of not seeing her for a long time made his heart fill with reluctance.

"That's hard to say. Perhaps a few months, perhaps a few years." Mi Li's usually sharp phoenix eyes softened slightly. "Be extremely careful during this time. As long as you don't court death, the movement technique I taught you should be more than enough for self-preservation."

"Hahaha, am I the kind of person who courts death?" Zu'an thumped his chest, promising.

Mi Li: "..."

Why did she feel this guy's words were completely unreliable?

"I hope you keep your word, otherwise, you're responsible for two lives now."

Mi Li let out a soft hmph, and with a flash of light, she disappeared into the Tai'a Sword.

"Young Master-in-law! Young Master-in-law!" Cheng Shoubing's knocking grew louder.

Zu'an went and put away the Tai'a Sword. As he opened the door, a figure tumbled into his arms.

He pushed down on Cheng Shoubing's head, which was topped with two char siu bao-like hair buns. Zu'an, looking wary, exclaimed, "Don't touch me!"

"Oh," Cheng Shoubing said, stepping aside a little aggrievedly. "Young Master-in-law, don't you dote on me anymore?"

Zu'an: "..."

"Don't talk to me in that effeminate tone. Your Young Master-in-law here is a straight man of steel," Zu'an said, his expression growing increasingly grim. "You don't lust after my body too, do you?"

Cheng Shoubing grinned and said, "It's just a pity that I'm not a woman, otherwise I'd surely come warm Young Master-in-law's bed every day."

Seeing his fawning expression, Zu'an snorted. "What are you shouting about so early in the morning, like you're wailing at a funeral? What does Physician Ji's arrival have to do with me?"

Cheng Shoubing leaned closer and whispered, "Don't you want to go see Young Lady and show some concern? After all, the Eldest Young Lady is the Master and Madam's most beloved daughter. You should at least make an appearance. Who knows, if the Master and Madam are happy, they might even betroth the Second Young Lady to you."

Zu'an couldn't help but sigh with emotion. "To have a servant like you, it's truly a great fortune for the Chu family."

"Young Master-in-law, you flatter me," Cheng Shoubing said, rubbing his hands together with a smugly pleased expression.

Grumbling aside, Zu'an also realized that he should go and check on her, both out of courtesy and reason. Although he knew Chu Chuyan would be fine as long as he continued to administer acupuncture daily, the Chu couple didn't know that.

Especially since Qin Wanru always disliked him, if he didn't go, she would surely seize the opportunity to make a fuss.

Zu'an made his way to the courtyard outside Chu Chuyan's boudoir. After the commotion last night, the guards along the way were much stricter than before.

Naturally, there were no guards around Chu Chuyan's own courtyard. Clearly, the Chu couple still didn't want Chu Chuyan's situation to become public.

From a distance, he saw several people gathered at the entrance. One of them had very prominent dark circles, while another was round and plump, looking very prosperous. They were none other than Chu Tiesheng from the Chu family's second branch, and Chu Yuepo from the third branch.

"Greetings, Second Uncle, Third Uncle," Zu'an said, cupping his hands in a respectful salute. Even though both of them had kicked him when he was down during the last incident in the ancestral hall, he still had to maintain outward courtesy.

Chu Tiesheng responded with a lukewarm grunt. In comparison, Chu Yuepo was much more enthusiastic, his fleshy face all smiles as he said, "Little An..."

Before he could finish, Zu'an interrupted him. "Please call me Ah Zu."

"Uh," Chu Yuepo responded, slightly taken aback before quickly recovering. "Ah Zu, what exactly happened to Chuyan? Why did you suddenly need to invite Physician Ji in such a hurry?"

Zu'an's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected the Chu couple to keep even them in the dark. Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to tell the truth. "I'm not sure either."

"How could you not know? You're husband and wife, after all. And you just returned from the secret realm together, so you must know something, right?" Chu Yuepo pulled him aside. Even Chu Tiesheng pricked up his ears.

Before Zu'an could answer, a soft voice suddenly sounded nearby. "Ah Zu, you're here. Come in quickly."

The few of them looked in the direction of the voice. They saw a graceful and charming lady emerge from the courtyard. Who else could it be but Qin Wanru?

"Greetings, Madam." Zu'an was a little flattered; he had never seen Qin Wanru so amicable towards him before.

Chu Tiesheng, who had been standing nearby with somewhat listless eyes, suddenly had a strange gleam in them as he looked at Qin Wanru's graceful figure. But he quickly masked it and walked over naturally, asking, "Sister-in-law, what's going on? They won't even let us in."

"Exactly," Chu Yuepo echoed. "We heard Chuyan was unwell, so we came to check on her, but the guards at the gate wouldn't let us in."

Qin Wanru smiled slightly. "I was the one who gave the order not to let anyone in. After all, Chuyan is suffering from some issues specific to young ladies, and it wouldn't be very convenient for the two of you to observe."

Hearing her say this, the two naturally found it hard to insist. So one took out a thousand-year-old ganoderma, and the other produced some more ganoderma, saying, "We can't be of much help, so we just brought some tonics to help Chuyan recover."

Qin Wanru curtsied slightly. At the same time, she gave Zu'an a look. "Thank you, Uncles. Ah Zu, hurry and take them."

Zu'an reacted quickly, accepting the gifts and thanking them.

"Please return home, Uncles. Chuyan is not in any serious danger. Moreover, Physician Ji is here." Qin Wanru at this moment appeared exceedingly dignified, proper, graceful, and noble, making people feel as if they were basking in a spring breeze. She was indeed worthy of being a Duchess.

Zu'an secretly grumbled, wondering why she was a completely different person when dealing with him on a normal day.

After seeing the two off, Qin Wanru led Zu'an into the courtyard.

Zu'an followed behind her. As he watched her gracefully swaying back, he secretly pondered that if Chuyan ate more in the future, she could also become so feminine.

Just then, Qin Wanru's cold voice reached his ears. "You didn't say anything inappropriate to them just now, did you?"