Chapter 368: No Turning Back

"Why?" Qin Wanru asked, her face filled with shock as she stared at the meticulously groomed old man before her. He looked exactly as he usually did, yet at this moment, he seemed utterly unfamiliar.

Hong Zhong let out a long sigh. "I'm truly sorry, Madam. You shouldn't have come to me, of all places."

"Why?" Qin Wanru kept her eyes fixed on him, her gaze filled with fury. She had considered countless possibilities but had never imagined that Hong Zhong would betray her.

Doubt also surged within her. Why would Hong Zhong betray her?

By now, she was poisoned and restrained, fully aware that everything was over. Her only remaining desire was to understand what had happened.

"I was forced to do this..." Hong Zhong immediately shook his head. "It's pointless to talk about it now."

"But I want to know," Qin Wanru said coldly. "The Chu family has always treated you well, and Zhongtian and I have always considered you a friend. What could you possibly gain by siding with Chu Tiesheng? Could he offer you more than everything we've given you?"

"Chu Tiesheng..." A hint of scorn appeared at Hong Zhong's lips. "That man is completely unreliable. If I hadn't diverted the outer guards for him, his presence in your room would have been discovered long ago."

"It was you!" Qin Wanru suddenly understood. No wonder no one had come despite the commotion earlier. "Since it wasn't Chu Tiesheng, then you must have been bribed by Sang Hong. But I don't understand. Anything Sang Hong could offer you, we could also offer. And knowing you as I do, I truly can't imagine what else could have swayed you."

As she spoke, a sudden realization struck her, and a name escaped her lips: "Hong Xingying!"

A hint of bitterness crossed Hong Zhong's brow. "Madam, you know I had my son late in life. I've never had many hobbies, and the only thing I can't let go of is my wayward son."

Qin Wanru couldn't help but say, "Hong Xingying is a good child. He has been dedicated to the Chu family for years, and the Chu family has treated him well. What could possibly make you betray a lifetime of vows and honor for his sake?"

Hong Zhong sighed. "Does Madam truly not know? You must have some idea why Hong Xingying has been so diligent all these years."

Qin Wanru bit her lip. "I know he's liked Chuyan since childhood. I originally thought he was a good boy and intended to take him as a son-in-law. But Chuyan chose Zu An herself, and there was nothing I could do."

She paused, then continued, "And now, it seems Chuyan's judgment is far better than mine."

"Beautiful women have always been the cause of trouble, and Miss is no exception," Hong Zhong said, as if lost in painful memories. "Xingying loved Miss, but he could only watch as the woman he adored married another man."

"If she had married someone superior to him, perhaps it wouldn't have been so bad. But she married a street ruffian, someone inferior to him in every way. His mindset became unbalanced, and it was easy for outsiders to whisper in his ear and lead him astray. Many things, once you take one wrong step, there's no turning back."

"What kind of mistake is so irreversible?" Qin Wanru's heart suddenly jumped. "Was he the one who destroyed the spiritual spring earlier?"

Too much had happened that night: first, the spiritual spring was destroyed; then Zu An ended up in Chu Huanzhao's bed on his wedding night; and during all this, the Chu family was plagued by a thief, resulting in chaos throughout the night.

The destruction of the spiritual spring was the source of all the commotion.

Hong Zhong said in a deep voice, "He naturally didn't want Miss to truly consummate her marriage with Zu An, so he would certainly try to disrupt everything. Of course, he wasn't the only one interested in the spiritual spring; he just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

Qin Wanru wanted to ask who else was involved in destroying the spiritual spring, but considering the current situation, those details were no longer important. "But even if he destroyed the spiritual spring, given your family's contributions to the Chu family, we wouldn't have punished him severely, even if it came to light. Surely that alone isn't why he couldn't turn back?"

Hong Zhong shook his head. "Many things, once they start, lead to a second time. Madam, do you remember when our caravan was ambushed and massacred midway through its journey?"

Qin Wanru's heart jolted in alarm. "Was that also Hong Xingying...?"

Hong Zhong wore a sorrowful expression. "Yes, someone incited him to cause trouble with the caravan to lure Miss there so he could have a chance to be alone with her... That foolish child had no idea he was falling into someone else's trap. When all those caravan brothers died, he truly had no way to turn back."

Qin Wanru fell silent. Chu Zhongtian was always benevolent, but there were a few exceptionally strict family rules, one of which was that anyone who betrayed a companion, leading to their death, must pay with their own life.

Therefore, while the spiritual spring incident was serious, it likely would have been overlooked out of consideration for the Hong family's contributions. However, with so many family members dying in the caravan incident, even the Hong family's past merits couldn't absolve him.

Hong Zhong gazed at her intently. "At my age, I finally had this precious son. His mother even died during childbirth. How could I just stand by and do nothing for him? Madam, do you understand my predicament now?"

Qin Wanru suppressed the strange sensations continuously rising within her, maintaining her last shred of composure. "What's the point of talking about this now? All it means is that my husband and I put our trust in the wrong person."

Hong Zhong also noticed her unusual state and said in a deep voice, "Madam has been poisoned with 'Bull's Milk.' This poison is extremely depraved. To repay the master and madam for their many years of kindness, I will personally see you off, so you won't fall into the hands of that despicable Chu Tiesheng and be defiled."

A faint smile of relief finally appeared on Qin Wanru's crimson face. "Thank you!"

She knew the defeat was absolute. Dying with her honor intact was the best possible outcome now.

Meanwhile, Zu An was cultivating in his room when a figure suddenly appeared inside.

He didn't know when the person had arrived, but he was accustomed to their elusive appearances and quickly cupped his hands in greeting. "Senior!"

"I didn't expect you, a slippery fellow on the surface, to be so diligent in secret," Old Man Mi nodded with satisfaction. "Which stage of Phoenix Nirvana have you reached?"

"Perhaps the third stage," Zu An said, his heart pounding. He knew that normally, given the disparity in their cultivation levels, it would be difficult to hide his true strength from the old man.

But a subconscious voice told him not to reveal his true cultivation to the other party, as it could pose a danger.

He didn't understand why he felt this way; it was just an intuition. He was always cautious, so he preferred to believe it was true rather than dismiss it.

Fortunately, the Bright Mirror Not a Stand technique that Qiu Honglei had taught him could conceal his aura, so he decided to take a chance.

Old Man Mi couldn't help but exclaim, "I didn't expect you to be such a cultivation genius, reaching this realm in such a short time. It seems the time is almost right."

"Almost right for what?" Zu An was taken aback.

"Nothing," Old Man Mi chuckled. "More than your cultivation, I'm pleased that you didn't lie to me."

Zu An's heart tightened. He quickly forced a smile and said, "Senior, you have fundamentally reshaped me; how could I dare to hide anything from you?"

Thankfully, Bright Mirror Not a Stand proved reliable! Next time he saw Qiu Honglei, he definitely had to give her a big, grateful kiss!

"Good, very good," Old Man Mi nodded with satisfaction. "Then I'll give you another chance to prove yourself."

"What kind of chance?" Zu An asked curiously.

Old Man Mi looked in a certain direction within the Chu family estate. "Something has happened to Qin Wanru. Go rescue her now."

In his plan, after taking over Zu An's body, he would live as Zu An. But if Chu Tiesheng successfully seized power, what status would Zu An have?

Most likely, he would soon be cast out of the family.

In that scenario, his original plan of staying in the Chu family as a son-in-law, having a stunning wife, and enjoying endless wealth and honor would all vanish.

Of course, he couldn't allow that to happen!

However, Wei Dan was also in Brightmoon City now, making it inconvenient for him to show his face. He could only send Zu An.

This way, Zu An would become a meritorious hero who quelled the rebellion, and his position in the Chu family would become even more secure in the future.

And in his view, Zu An's glory was his glory, Zu An's wife was his wife, and everything Zu An possessed was his!

Zu An knew nothing of this, only feeling that the other person's gaze was perhaps a little too fervent.

However, upon hearing that something had happened to Qin Wanru, he dared not delay for a second and instantly rushed out.