Chapter 377: Ghostly Hand

"No, Madam's current physical condition does not allow for combat," Ji Xiaoxi said, her expression unusually serious. "Brother Zu just managed to pull Madam back from the brink of death. If you disregard your own safety and your injuries worsen and become untreatable, how would you face Brother Zu's efforts?"

"Ah Zu..." Qin Wanru's face flushed. Thinking about her recent misunderstanding, especially how she wasn't as angry as she expected afterward, her heart pounded fiercely.

She used to scold him at the slightest provocation, but now she barely dared to look at him.

Just then, Ji Dengtu stumbled back, holding several herbs. He looked troubled, muttering to himself, "Should I add this herb or another? I'm not really sure..."

At that moment, he suddenly saw Qin Wanru sitting on the bed, her face rosy, completely unlike when he had left. He was stunned. "You... how did you..."

Before Qin Wanru could answer, Ji Xiaoxi shook the bottle in her hand and praised Zu An as if presenting a treasure. "Daddy, Brother Zu saved her! Madam was almost gone just now, but Brother Zu brought a miraculous medicine that pulled her out of danger."

Ji Dengtu fell silent, then rushed to the bedside to take Qin Wanru's pulse, his face full of disbelief. "She's actually out of danger!"

Although Qin Wanru was still seriously injured, with his medical skills—even Xiaoxi's—they could handle it now.

He turned to look at Zu An. "You brat, where did you get this medicine?"

Zu An blinked. "I found it in the secret realm last time." He wasn't sure how to explain "Believe in Brother Chun," so he came up with a plausible reason.

"There's such a magical thing in the secret realm? It makes me want to explore it too," Ji Dengtu said, full of envy.

Jiang Luofu, standing nearby, spoke up, "You can't go to the secret realm. You're not part of the academy."

Ji Dengtu scoffed. "Who cares about your academy's secret realm? Can't I go to other secret realms?"

After speaking, both turned their heads away, no longer looking at each other.

Zu An felt it was strange. He had heard Ji Xiaoxi mention before that Jiang Luofu didn't get along well with Ji Dengtu because of her sister, and it certainly seemed to be the case now.

At this point, Qin Wanru spoke. "No, I really can't stay here. I can't stand by and watch the Chu family be usurped by villains. Even if I don't fight when I return, I can still expose the truth to everyone in the Chu family."

"Ah Zu, take me back quickly!"

Hearing her resolute attitude, the others found it inconvenient to say more. Zu An said in a deep voice, "Even if you want to go back, there's no rush. Let Divine Doctor Ji and Xiaoxi treat you first, stabilize your injuries, and then we can return."

Qin Wanru nodded. "Okay." As soon as she spoke, she was momentarily stunned. Shouldn't he be the one listening to her? When did she start listening to him so much?

Next, Ji Dengtu and Ji Xiaoxi consulted together, performing acupuncture and applying medicine. Ji Dengtu also channeled vital energy to aid her recovery.

Zu An pulled Jiang Luofu into the courtyard. "Beautiful Principal, can I ask you a favor?"

"No," Jiang Luofu directly shook her head.

Zu An was dumbfounded. "You're saying no before I've even said anything?"

Jiang Luofu walked to the doorway, looking outside. Her long legs, paired with high heels, made her walk gracefully. "I know you want me to help suppress the Chu family's rebellion. However, while it appears to be Chu Tiesheng and Hong Zhong rebelling, it's actually a power struggle between various factions behind the scenes. If I'm not mistaken, Sang Hong is behind them, and behind Sang Hong is the Emperor's will."

"Since its founding, the academy has always remained neutral, not participating in any power struggles. I cannot allow this rule to be broken under my leadership."

Zu An opened his mouth, wanting to say many things, but realizing they would be meaningless, he simply gave up. "Alright then, I won't force you."

Jiang Luofu hesitated for a moment, then said, "Given the current situation, the Chu family is destined to decline. You shouldn't get too deeply involved. If things become impossible, you can return to the academy. Even if Sang Hong comes personally, he won't be able to harm you."

Zu An smiled slightly. "Thank you for your kindness, beautiful Principal, but I'm already deeply involved." Thinking of Chu Chuyan, Chu Hanzhao, and Qin Wanru... in a way, he was already a part of the Chu family.

Seeing his resolve, Jiang Luofu stopped trying to persuade him and went back inside to help Ji Dengtu treat Qin Wanru. Although she wasn't skilled in medicine, her vital energy was abundant.

Zu An took this opportunity to continue the unfinished lottery draw. To his surprise, the fifth draw yielded another 10 Vitality Fruits and a bottle of "Believe in Brother Chun." It seemed his luck was really good today. The remaining 19 draws also yielded a bottle of "Believe in Brother Chun." His luck was so good it was unbelievable. It seemed that washing his face more often really did work!

In total, he drew 47 Vitality Fruits and 3 bottles of "Believe in Brother Chun" from this lottery session. His luck could be described as phenomenal. The Vitality Fruits were one thing, but those three bottles of "Believe in Brother Chun"—one had saved Qin Wanru, and the remaining two meant two extra lives.

Swallowing the 47 Vitality Fruits, Zu An found that the first magic array showed almost no change. He then remembered that the first magic array for the fourth rank required a total of 4181 Vitality Fruits; 47 was barely a fraction of that. Zu An suddenly felt a sense of existential doubt. If the first stage of Rank 4 was already this demanding, future stages would require astronomical numbers. How could he possibly obtain them?

Composing himself, Zu An saw that Qin Wanru's treatment was almost complete. According to Ji Dengtu, as long as she didn't engage in combat or use her cultivation, her injuries shouldn't worsen.

"Ah Zu, take me back," Qin Wanru said again.

Zu An assented, went over, picked her up in his arms, and then bid farewell to Ji Dengtu and the others.

The two hurried towards the Chu family residence. Perhaps it was due to the earlier misunderstanding, but Qin Wanru's heart was pounding fiercely. She couldn't help but find something to say: "I'm sorry, I misunderstood and hit you earlier."

Zu An smiled faintly. "It's nothing. Madam's hand was very soft; you didn't use any force at all."

Qin Wanru grew anxious. "Don't misunderstand, I was truly angry then. I wasn't holding back; I just couldn't exert any strength because I was too weak."

"I know," Zu An hummed.

Qin Wanru turned her head away. "By the way, where did you get that miraculous medicine just now?"

Zu An suddenly felt a bit mischievous and smiled, saying, "What miraculous medicine? That was just an excuse I used to hide things from Ji Xiaoxi and Jiang Luofu."

Qin Wanru: "..."

Her heart pounded wildly, and her voice trembled slightly. "Then how did you save me?"

"Guess?" Zu An smiled and remained silent.

Qin Wanru's mind exploded, and she was completely stunned. At that moment, she felt the parts of her body touching him grow intensely hot. She struggled urgently to get down. "Quickly, let go of me, put me down."

Just then, her voice suddenly froze because they had run right into several Chu family guards.

Zu An's body tensed, and just as he was about to make a move, he heard them call out in surprise and delight, "Young Master-in-law, Madam!"

"Oh, it's you?" Zu An recognized them as Jiao Shanhe, Feng Daniu, and Zhou Lujun. "Are you here to arrest me?"

The few of them waved their hands in unison. "Of course not! We came to find Young Master-in-law and Madam, to see if we could help."

"Chu Tiesheng rebelled, but unfortunately, our words carry little weight, so we couldn't do anything."

"And Hong Zhong, those two announced publicly that Young Master-in-law had improper intentions towards Madam, even implying that Madam and Young Master-in-law had long ago..."

As they spoke, the few guards froze. The two were currently in an embrace, and the Madam's face was flushed with embarrassment. Could the rumors actually be true?

Zu An coughed and quickly explained, "Madam was harmed by those two scoundrels and can't use her cultivation now. To get back to the Chu family quickly, I'm carrying her like this."

The guards nodded repeatedly, their expressions clearly saying, "I understand, I understand."

Then Jiao Shanhe suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "Madam, you really shouldn't go back. The Chu family is currently surrounded by Hong Zhong's and Chu Tiesheng's trusted associates. They've issued an order to kill on sight, so you won't be able to return to the Chu family to explain the truth."

Zu An was taken aback. What should they do then?

Qin Wanru spoke at this moment. "Jiao Shanhe, you're a scout and quick on your feet. Go quickly to the next county and inform Yue Shan to return."

"Feng Daniu, Zhou Lujun, the two of you return to the Chu family. Contact those who are still loyal to me inside, and also win over those who are neutral, then wait for the opportune moment."

At this point, Zhou Lujun said, "Madam, Steward Hong and his people are guarding the Chu family very strictly now. We can't get back in at all."

Zu An then spoke, "How about this: you two stay here to look after Madam, and I'll go back to contact those people."

Qin Wanru had witnessed his cultivation, so she wasn't worried about whether he could sneak in. She agreed to the suggestion.

She directed them to a secret Chu family hideout to settle down, then said to Zu An, "Ah Zu, I have something to tell you."

Feng Daniu and the other naturally excused themselves and went outside.

"What's wrong, Madam?" Zu An asked.

Qin Wanru's face alternated between red and pale. After a long moment, she sighed. "Since it has already happened, there's no point in saying more. But you absolutely cannot tell anyone else about this, or you, I, and the entire Chu family will be ruined."

"Furthermore, you must completely forget about this matter and never mention it again. We will be just like before! Do you understand?" By the end, her voice had become strangely stern.

Zu An was dumbfounded, never expecting his casual joke would be taken seriously by her. Just as he was about to explain, Qin Wanru waved her hand. "You can leave now. I don't want to talk." After saying that, she closed her eyes, feigning sleep.

Zu An smiled wryly, thinking, "So be it." The immediate priority was to contact the Chu family; he could slowly explain things to her after the Chu family matters were resolved.

"Then please rest well, Madam!"

Zu An quickly vanished into the night. The Chu family's defenses were indeed strict, but with his Great Wind Teleportation skill and the "Bright Mirror Not a Stand" ability to conceal his presence, sneaking in was not difficult. He was considering visiting Chu Hanzhao, who was probably terrified right now.

Just then, he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. A hand had been placed on his shoulder from behind, sending chills down his spine.