Chapter 333: 提前

"It's really hard to get out now," Pei Mianman's voice whispered in his ear.

Zu An jumped, "You got dressed so fast?"

Pei Mianman smiled charmingly. "I can take them off even faster. Do you want to see?"

It was clear that, dressed again, she had recovered her usual mesmerizing charm.

Zu An was speechless. "I'm going to tell my wife you were seducing me."

Pei Mianman casually draped an arm over his shoulder and said with a wry smile, "Go ahead and tell her. We'll see if Chu Yan believes you or me."

Zu An was silent.

He was well aware of his own reputation; anyone would choose to believe Pei Mianman over him.

"Well, if you want to take them off, I certainly don't mind watching. Go on then." Zu An stared back, not backing down.

Pei Mianman scoffed, removing her arm and stepping back a little. "I was just testing you for Chu Yan, and you immediately showed your true colors! Hmph, you scumbag!"

Zu An watched her, smiling and chatting, thinking what a troublesome little temptress she was... no, a big temptress!

After a few playful exchanges, their attention quickly returned to serious matters.

Pei Mianman looked at the shifting shadows outside, a hint of worry clouding her brow. "If I hadn't been injured, perhaps I could have forced my way out, but now..."

She didn't finish, but her unspoken meaning was clear: it was probably impossible to get out now, and if they alerted that mysterious master again, it would be a dead end.

Zu An thought for a moment and said, "I have a way to distract everyone for you. You must seize that brief window of opportunity to escape."

Pei Mianman was startled and quickly shook her head. "No, don't. If anything happens to you because of this, Chu Yan will never forgive me."

Zu An smiled slightly. "Don't worry. I have my own methods; there won't be any danger."

Seeing his confident tone, and recalling everything she'd learned about him since they met, Pei Mianman no longer doubted him. She hummed in acknowledgment, "Then be careful yourself."

Zu An nodded, quietly slipped out the window, and stealthily made his way to a pond he remembered passing by earlier.

Then he summoned the Blue Duck. The water in the pond suddenly exploded, sending massive waves dozens of meters high.

The huge commotion immediately alerted everyone in the Wei manor. The guards who were searching nearby rushed toward the sound.

Zu An, meanwhile, quietly retreated, but halfway back, his body suddenly froze. A thin, wiry old man was flying directly towards him.

The terrifying aura emanating from the man instantly made him realize this was the person who had been hiding in the house and injured Pei Mianman.

My goodness, don't tell me I'm this unlucky?

As the man's gaze swept over him, Zu An broke out in a cold sweat.

The old man frowned slightly. Just as he was about to make a move, Wei Dabao arrived and quickly said to him, "Godfather, this is a guest of the manor, Chu Clan's son-in-law, Zu An..."

Hearing the name Zu An, the old man's eyes lit up. "You are Zu An?"

"Zu An greets this senior!" Zu An's heart pounded. From the man's tone, it seemed he had heard of his name.

This was not good news at all. Being on the radar of such a terrifying master was enough to make anyone lose sleep and appetite.

"Not bad, not bad." The old man looked at him a few times but said nothing more.

At this moment, Wei Dabao couldn't help but ask, "Nephew, why are you here?"

Zu An was quick to react and soon had an explanation. "I couldn't sleep just now, so I decided to take a stroll. Who knew I'd suddenly hear a loud bang, so I came to check it out."

He had clearly just come from the pond, yet he claimed he was going towards it. Thanks to his excellent acting skills, he didn't reveal a single flaw.

Wei Dabao smiled apologetically. "The manor is a bit chaotic today; I apologize for disturbing your rest, Nephew."

"You're too kind, Uncle. What exactly happened at the manor?" Zu An asked, feigning confusion.

"Just a petty thief broke in, nothing serious," Wei Dabao said with a smile. "Nephew, please go back and rest."

"Then I won't trouble you any further." Zu An bowed and headed back.

Watching his retreating back, Wei Dabao quietly asked, "Godfather, do you think he might have caused that commotion?"

The old man shook his head, looking at the pond nearby. "That commotion could only have been caused by at least a sixth or even seventh-rank water element cultivator. He doesn't have that level of cultivation yet."

Wei Dabao then let out a sigh of relief.

Just then, the old man suddenly asked, "I heard he performed brilliantly in the recent clan competition between the Chu and Yuan families?"

Wei Dabao was a little curious, surprised that his godfather was interested in Zu An, but he still replied, "That's right. He even defeated Yuan Wendong, a fifth-rank cultivator, which truly shocked a lot of people."

"Fifth-rank? But his aura fluctuations suggest he hasn't reached fifth-rank yet," the old man said in a deep voice.

"Yes, at the time, his sword technique... well, or rather, his movement technique seemed a bit strange," Wei Dabao replied.

"Movement technique..." The old man's smile was a little strange, as if he had known all along. "Do you know who his master is?"

Wei Dabao shook his head. "I haven't heard of him having any master. I only know he learned some things at Brightmoon Academy."

"Could it be Brightmoon Academy..." the old man muttered to himself, falling into deep thought.

"By the way, Godfather, why are you so interested in him?" Wei Dabao asked tentatively.

"Just asking," the old man said nonchalantly.

After speaking, he turned and went back. He had originally thought some powerful expert had invaded, but now that the threat was ruled out, he naturally couldn't be bothered with mundane affairs.

"Just asking?" Wei Dabao naturally didn't believe him, but since his godfather wouldn't say, he didn't dare to press further.

Only after walking a safe distance away did Zu An finally breathe a sigh of relief. His undershirt was completely soaked—an instinctive reaction to the pressure from a powerful expert.

Sigh, still too weak.

When will I be able to make my words reality, able to instantly defeat anyone I encounter?

Zu An returned to his room and found that the beautiful woman had already vanished. However, a note was left in the bed, with the words 'Thank you' written in delicate handwriting.

At the same time, a faint red lip print was left on the note.

"This temptress really doesn't miss any opportunity to charm someone," Zu An chuckled. Having been busy all night, he was also quite tired. Lying on the bed, smelling the faint lingering scent of her body in the bedding, he gradually drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Zu An got up and bid farewell to the Wei family. As soon as he returned to his room at the Chu manor, Old Man Mi came knocking. "I heard you went to the Wei family yesterday?"

"Yes," Zu An replied, surprised. This guy stays indoors all day; how is he so well-informed?

"Did you find the item?" Old Man Mi's eyes showed a hint of eagerness.

Zu An took an awkward step back. Why did the old man's expression look so... creepy? "I searched around, but then I ran into a mysterious master with terrifying cultivation, so I didn't dare to do anything else."

"A master? How powerful?" Old Man Mi eagerly asked.

"Several stories tall," Zu An vaguely gestured.

Old Man Mi was speechless.

He suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, "What did that person look like?"

"Thin and wiry..." Zu An roughly described the person's appearance.

After listening, Old Man Mi's expression changed dramatically, and he instantly grabbed Zu An's arm. "Did you use your movement technique in front of him? Did you!"

His fingers, like pincers, dug painfully into Zu An. "No, I didn't. Yesterday, I entered the Wei manor under the pretense of escorting a drunk Wei Suo home, so there was no need to display my movement technique."

Old Man Mi finally breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good, that's good. Remember, never expose your movement technique in front of that person in the future, and never mention anything related to me, or it will invite a deadly disaster."

"Okay..." Zu An nodded blankly, but in his heart, he was pondering: It seems the person the Wei family master is looking for is most likely Old Man Mi.

What exactly is Old Man Mi looking for?

And what is Old Man Mi's true background? Why is he so afraid of that man?

As Old Man Mi turned to leave, a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes: It seems the body-snatching plan will have to be moved up. I'm just short two more materials, then everything will be ready...

I don't know why, but I'm incredibly sleepy today, so this is all for this chapter. I'll update three chapters tomorrow. I wonder if I'm setting myself up for failure...