Chapter 299: Playing Too Far

"Yes, I’m absolutely serious!"

Zu'an grudgingly picked himself up. Being thrown to the ground like that by a woman who usually seemed so delicate was utterly humiliating. "I wasn't ready just now. Again!"

Zheng Dan reached out and helped him up, a sweet smile gracing her face. "Alright," she replied.

Zu'an had to admit, it was no wonder this woman was considered one of the top ten beauties; her looks, figure, and demeanor were undeniably first-rate. On that note, every woman on Mingyue Academy's list of beauties seemed to possess unparalleled allure. Only his sister-in-law seemed a little out of place. However, she was still young; in a few years, she would likely be as captivating as her older sister.

"Are you ready, Azu?" Zheng Dan asked, her face alight with a smile.

"Ready," Zu'an replied, not daring to be careless. His vital energy surged throughout his body, making him feel like a tightly wound spring.

Unfortunately, the same dizzying disorientation followed, leading to another heavy fall to the ground.

"Ow, my back!"

Zu'an wondered if the woman had taken something wrong today, to be striking so viciously. What was more, her smiles were growing sweeter by the moment!

Zheng Dan helped him up once more, stating with an apologetic expression, "I'm sorry, I used too much force just now."

Zu'an was speechless. Was this woman doing it on purpose? Was she even deliberately mocking him?

"Let's do it again!" Zu'an indignantly adopted his stance.

To his surprise, Zheng Dan refused the challenge, shaking her head. "Let's just stop. Your expertise lies in swordsmanship; your unarmed combat skills are too poor. I apologize, I completely forgot that point."

Though her words were full of apology, a flicker of triumph crossed her eyes. She knew full well that everything today had been by design! The Sang family had tasked her with investigating the mysterious expert behind Zu'an. Her previous attempt to probe had almost exposed her, forcing her to be much more cautious and discreet. After much deliberation, she had finally conceived a plan. Her idea was to deliberately make Zu'an lose face today, something she believed no man could tolerate. He would surely try to regain his standing. However, the gap in their unarmed combat skills was simply too vast. Having witnessed his swordsmanship previously, she dared not compare weapons with him, fearing an unexpected misstep. This would compel him to seek help from the master behind him. If that master taught him even a single technique, she could deduce the master's origins based on what Zu'an learned. Even if she couldn't deduce anything, she would at least confirm whether this supposed master truly existed behind him.

Zu'an, however, was momentarily stunned. Her words had reminded him of something; he had heard similar advice just two days prior. Pei Mianman had told him then that if he ever encountered Chen Xuan without a sword, he should use the self-defense method she had taught him. The technique she'd taught him was apparently called the "Feather Robe Silk Binding Hand"! Ah, he almost forgot about it, blame the past two chaotic days.

Zu'an carefully recalled the technique, then felt a surge of confidence. "It's fine," he thought. "This time will definitely be different."

Zheng Dan secretly chuckled. Men, she thought, always struggled to swallow their pride. Unsurprised by his choice, Zheng Dan smiled and extended her hand. "Alright," she said, "let's try again."

The moment she spoke, her hand, like a nimble serpent, coiled around his wrist. She then pulled, intending to use the same trick to throw him again. To her surprise, his hand suddenly moved with the lightness of water, effortlessly slipping from her grasp with a slight flick. Then, in a seamless motion, he seized her wrist.

Zheng Dan's heart jolted. With a twist of her wrist, she retracted her hand in a move that demanded extreme flexibility. "What kind of—" she began. But before she could finish, her opponent gave her no quarter, pressing his attack directly.

Zheng Dan realized his technique was incredibly subtle, with many unexpected moves. She dared not be distracted for a second and quickly focused all her attention on countering him. In a matter of moments, they had exchanged more than a dozen moves. Zheng Dan was utterly astonished. Although she rarely resorted to combat, this particular martial art had virtually no equals; she could usually subdue an opponent within a move or two. Yet Zu'an, using some strange grappling technique she couldn't identify, was no less skilled than her. Several times, he nearly threw her off balance.

Had he used it from the start, she wouldn't have been in such a predicament, as she had been fully on guard back then. However, after easily throwing Zu'an to the ground several times, she became convinced he had little to no unarmed combat skill, and her guard dropped immediately. Consequently, he suddenly unleashed a flurry of bizarre moves, catching her off guard and costing her the initiative. In close-quarters combat, seizing the initiative is paramount. A single step ahead can determine the entire fight. Once she lost the initiative, it became incredibly difficult to regain the upper hand. His attacks came like a relentless tide, wave after wave, leaving her no opportunity to counter. She could only parry his every move.

Zu'an was a little clumsy at first while performing the "Feather Robe Silk Binding Hand," but the longer the fight went on, the more proficient he became. After nearly a hundred more exchanges, Zu'an finally found an opening and twisted her arm behind her back.

Zheng Dan, lacking Zu'an's previous resolve to break his own arm, paled in fright. She swiftly hooked her leg and attempted a scorpion-tail kick backward. Zu'an gave her no such chance. He smoothly embraced her thigh and pushed forward. Zheng Dan lost her balance in mid-air and was immediately pressed against the wall by him. Zu'an pressed her firmly against him with his body, rendering her immobile. Then, with a triumphant smirk, he leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Well, do you admit defeat now?"

"No!" Zheng Dan bit her lip, muttering resentfully. "You attacked first!" Had that not been the case, she wouldn't have been caught, no matter how strange his moves were.

"You clearly made the first move. How is that an ambush on my part?" Zu'an retorted with a smile.

"You're despicable! If you knew such an astonishing grappling technique, why didn't you use it from the beginning? You deliberately pretended to be clueless, which made me drop my guard!" Zheng Dan twisted vigorously, but her vital points were constrained, rendering her utterly immobile. Unless she resorted to elemental power. However, using elemental power in the teachers' dormitories would easily draw attention, and a bigger commotion would only mean more trouble. So she stopped struggling, instead seizing the chance to see if she could extract any information from him.

"Who made me such a compassionate person?" Zu'an chuckled. "I was initially worried about bullying you, so I deliberately held back. Who knew you'd strike so fiercely?" His back still ached faintly; those few throws earlier had been truly brutal.

Zheng Dan bit her lip. "What is the name of that grappling technique you just used? It looks incredibly potent. Could you teach it to me?" If she could get the name, it would be much easier for the Sang family to investigate and uncover details.

Zu'an, remembering Pei Mianman's earlier warning, smiled and replied, "I'm afraid not."

"Not even given our relationship? Is there some reason you can't?" Zheng Dan probed.

Zu'an's eyes narrowed. It seemed this woman truly had ulterior motives, attempting to extract information about the master behind him. Had he not been vigilant from the start, he might have inadvertently revealed something to her.

"You're a naughty one," Zheng Dan suddenly giggled. "You even hid a sword in your robes, probably planning to ambush someone, right?"

"A sword?" Zu'an was taken aback. He glanced down, and his expression turned peculiar.

Zheng Dan's body suddenly stiffened, and she too realized. A flush instantly spread across her pretty face. Feeling the astounding resilience of her body, Zu'an had to admit this woman was truly a stunner.

"Let me go immediately!" Zheng Dan chided, her face flushed crimson.

Having often seen her feign annoyance, Zu'an noticed he wasn't receiving any "anger points" from her. This woman was still putting on an act! Realizing this, he didn't let go; instead, he pressed closer, leaning in to whisper into her ear, "But I don't want to let go. Wasn't this how I 'examined' your leg last time?" As he spoke, his hand naturally settled onto her thigh.