Chapter 265: Catching in the Act

"Master?" Zu An was taken aback. "What master?"

Zheng Dan smiled, pressing her lips together. "You're quite tight-lipped, aren't you? All your skills couldn't have come from nowhere."

Zu An chuckled. "I'm naturally gifted; of course, I'm self-taught. Is Miss Zheng trying to fish for information? Your methods aren't very sophisticated."

"Never mind, then," Zheng Dan huffed. "You... I was just concerned about your safety, and you suspect me like this."

Zu An scrutinized her from head to toe. After a long moment, he said, "If I'm not mistaken, Miss Zheng has an engagement, doesn't she? Coming to find me like this makes it hard not to be suspicious."

Zheng Dan sighed faintly. "Just as I thought, everyone sees it that way, even you."

As she spoke, she walked to the side, gazing blankly at the distant sky. "My father arranged the marriage with the Sang family. Although our family is nominally one of the four prominent families in Mingyue City, we are, in essence, just a merchant family, incomparable to truly top-tier families."

"So, when they learned that the Sang family was interested in a marriage alliance, all the elders in our family went absolutely crazy with joy, agreeing almost without hesitation."

"Although the Sang family has a shallower foundation, they are a new power in the capital, favored by the Emperor. In another one or two hundred years, they should also be able to grow into one of those top-tier families. Precisely because their growth takes time, they choose to intermarry with families like ours. How could the elders of the Zheng family miss such a good opportunity?"

"But why did no one ever ask for my opinion, from beginning to end? If I liked the person, or if I was willing to marry him."

As she spoke with growing emotion, a faint sheen of tears welled in her eyes.

Even Zu An couldn't tell if she was genuinely emotional or feigning it. "Actually, you don't need to be so resentful. Since you've enjoyed all the advantages of being the Zheng family's eldest daughter from childhood, it's only natural that you should bear the corresponding responsibilities. In a large family, many things are indeed not up to you."

Zheng Dan looked at him with some surprise. "No one has ever told me that. Even my closest friends usually just comfort me and lament the unfairness of fate with me. Your perspective is truly unique."

"I always speak my mind. It's fine as long as you don't hate me for it," Zu An replied.

A complex expression flickered in Zheng Dan's eyes as she looked at him. "To be honest, you are truly quite special."

Zu An raised an eyebrow, looking very pleased. "Is it because I'm exceptionally handsome?"

Zheng Dan spat lightly, her face flushing. "Hmph, exceptionally shameless, you mean."

The two then continued to chat aimlessly. Because of the previous interlude, their conversation now lacked any specific purpose.

Their topics of conversation were wild and imaginative, and paradoxically, they both felt a unique sense of ease.

Before they knew it, the class bell rang. As she was leaving, Zheng Dan reluctantly turned back. "Ah Zu, you really must be careful. Don't let that Chen Xuan truly harm you."

Zu An said with a grin, "Don't worry, I still have many things I want to say to Miss Zheng. Before that, how could I bear to let anyone harm me?"

Zheng Dan gave a shy smile. "Pah, you're so improper. You already have a wife, yet you're still flirting around."

Zu An burst out laughing. "Don't you have a fiancé too? Our situations make us a match made in heaven, don't they?"

Unable to withstand his bold advances any longer, Zheng Dan spat lightly, her face flushed, and scurried away.

Turning a corner, she leaned against the wall, pressing a hand to her chest, feeling her heart pound. For a moment, she felt a bit lost.

*I* came here to tease *him*, but it feels like our roles have been reversed.

The rest of the day's classes passed quickly. When school was dismissed, Chu Huanzhao appeared out of nowhere.

She huffed resentfully. "What did that woman surnamed Zheng want with you?"

Zu An was a little surprised. "You're quite well-informed."

A hint of pride showed between Chu Huanzhao's brows. "Of course! This girl has many followers at school..."

Just as she was about to boast about her accomplishments, she suddenly realized her mistake and quickly huffed, "Don't change the subject! What exactly did that slut want with you?"

Zu An couldn't help but say, "You're just a child, yet you keep using words like 'slut, slut.' It's really quite unrefined."

"I've always been like this! She clearly knows you have a wife, yet she still actively comes to you. What else would you call her if not a slut?!" Chu Huanzhao's eyes reddened as she spoke, as if greatly wronged. "What's wrong? Are you already feeling sorry for her?"

Seeing the young girl on the verge of tears, Zu An's heart softened. He quickly said, "Of course not. She mainly came to me because she heard about Chen Xuan trying to assassinate me and was a bit worried about my safety."

"When did your relationship become so close that she'd care about you that much?" Chu Huanzhao's eyes gleamed with a dangerous light, and she instinctively reached for the Crying Whip at her waist.

Zu An's expression changed slightly, and he quickly explained, "After all, I saved her before, and as a classmate, it's quite normal for her to show some concern, isn't it?"

"That woman acts all gentle and frail normally; it all looks fake. Anyway, I don't like her," Chu Huanzhao huffed.

Zu An felt a headache coming on. "Yes, yes, yes. I'll interact with her less in the future, alright?"

Sure enough, women have too much drama between them. His sister-in-law was still so young, yet these tendencies were already appearing.

Worried she would continue to dwell on the issue, Zu An quickly diverted her attention, pulling out a small, exquisite bottle from his pocket. "Xiao Zhao, didn't I promise to give you a gift? I hadn't decided what until recently, when I got something interesting. Look what this is!"

Gazing at the bottle filled with green liquid, Chu Huanzhao was momentarily stunned. "It's not perfume, is it? I never use such things, but if it's from you, Brother-in-law, I'll reluctantly try it."

Zu An's face darkened. "What the hell kind of perfume? Have you ever seen green perfume in this world?"

"I guess there isn't that color," Chu Huanzhao chuckled apologetically. "So what is it?"

"A paralysis poison bottle," Zu An explained its general effects, then added, "For anyone below rank five, it ignores defenses. If hit, they will definitely be completely paralyzed and lose the ability to resist."

"This thing is good! Much more interesting than perfume," Chu Huanzhao's eyes sparkled with extreme excitement. She snatched it and began to play with it, clearly enchanted.

Seeing that she liked it, Zu An secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The paralysis poison bottle was a bit useless to him at his current level, and since he needed a gift for his sister-in-law, he gave it to her.

He had initially worried that such a gift might be strange for a girl, but considering Xiao Zhao's mischievous nature, it seemed to be exactly to her taste.

Chu Huanzhao played with it for a while, then carefully put it away in her pocket, and looked at Zu An. "Brother-in-law, what rank are you now?"

Zu An hesitated. His current cultivation rank, according to common standards, was peak Rank Three, eighth stage, but his actual combat power was far greater.

As he learned more about this world and acquired more cultivation knowledge at the academy, he had clearly assessed:

Even without the tempering and strengthening of the Grand Genesis Scripture, by filling array after array according to the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture, his strength was significantly greater than others of the same rank.

This was also why each array in the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture was so difficult to complete.

Seeing his hesitation, Chu Huanzhao didn't dwell on it. She just needed to confirm one crucial point: "In any case, you're not Rank Five yet, right?"

"No, I'm not," Zu An answered subconsciously.

"Good," Chu Huanzhao showed a foxy smile.

Zu An suddenly felt a vague sense of unease. "What's going on? Why are you asking that?"

"Nothing," Chu Huanzhao hummed lightly, her previous gloomy mood gone. Humming a tune, she swung her small hands and skipped ahead.

Zu An: "..."

Why did he feel like he had shot himself in the foot?

Arriving at the school gate, they saw that besides Jiao Shan and a few others, there was an additional team of Chu family guards led by Chu Hongcai.

"Oh, Brother Hongcai, what brings you here?"

Although this guy usually wore a stern expression, after seeing him transform into a celebrity fanatic at the Celestial Pavilion last night, Zu An suddenly found him much more agreeable.

"The patriarch heard about your ambush on the road, so he sent me with a team to protect you after school." Knowing that Zu An hadn't slept with his goddess last night, Chu Hongcai's gaze towards him softened somewhat.

His identity was the deputy commander of the mansion guards. He was previously responsible for guarding the spiritual spring, but after the spring was defiled, he felt guilty and resigned.

However, in the hearts of the Chu family, he had always been quite reliable, so they assigned him this task.

"Then I truly trouble you, Brother Hongcai, and everyone." Zu An knew that at this moment, the Chu couple's primary concern was Chu Chuyan's safety. Coupled with the previous incident of an eighth-rank master breaking in, Commander Yue Shan had to stay at the Chu residence to protect Chu Chuyan.

Sending the deputy commander this time was already a great gesture of respect.

Although none of these individuals could match Chen Xuan in a one-on-one fight, they were all elite Chu family guards. Together, it would be very difficult for Chen Xuan to overcome them.

Unless he brought a large group of subordinates, but after yesterday's incident, the Chu family and the City Lord's mansion were already scrutinizing strangers everywhere. It was one thing for him to hide alone, but gathering a team in the city would truly be courting death.

After returning to the Chu residence, Cheng Shoubing was already waiting at the entrance. Seeing Zu An, he immediately waved a card in his hand, approaching excitedly. "Young Master-in-law, Young Master-in-law, Qiu from the Celestial Pavilion..."

As he was about to speak, he suddenly saw Chu Huanzhao blocking the view behind Zu An. His smile instantly froze, and he quickly tucked the item behind his back. Clearly, the whipping from that morning was still fresh in his memory.

Although he had received a reward from the Young Master-in-law for it, the pain caused by the Crying Whip was something he, as greedy as he was, did not wish to experience again.

"What about the Celestial Pavilion?" Chu Huanzhao looked at him suspiciously.

"Nothing!" Cheng Shoubing quickly said.

"Is that so? What are you hiding behind your back?" Chu Huanzhao tiptoed to peek behind him.

Cheng Shoubing hastily replied, "Second Miss, you must be mistaken, there's really nothing."

Just then, he suddenly felt his hand lighten as something was pulled away. He immediately panicked, turning to ask for it back, only to find his own madam, Qin Wanru, standing behind him. His flood of words instantly choked back.

Qin Wanru ignored him and calmly opened the invitation card. Her expression then turned cold, and she stared intensely at Zu An. "Heh heh, so it's an invitation from Qiu Honglei of the Celestial Pavilion, is it? Well, well, well!"