Chapter 397: Another Side

Zuan collected his thoughts and put everything away. He then thoroughly buried the bodies of Old Man Mi and Wei Dan, letting them rest in peace. To prevent their bodies from being disturbed by wild beasts, he specifically dug the pit very deep and piled a large mound of earth on top.

As for Wu Di, Zuan originally couldn't be bothered with him, but seeing as Wu Di had contributed two secret manuals, Zuan decided to bury him as well.

Naturally, with no money, Wu Di couldn't be buried next to the two Grandmasters.

After completing all this, Zuan finally set out on his journey back to Brightmoon City.

Earlier, when Old Man Mi had taken him, it seemed they hadn't flown for long. But walking on his own two legs was not as easy.

Not to mention the fierce beasts deep in the mountains, it was also difficult to find a path through the dense forests everywhere.

Fortunately, his cultivation had improved, and he had various advantages protecting him. The most powerful Red Dragon in Dragon Concealment Mountain was also dead, so as long as he was careful, there was no need to worry about safety.

It took him almost a day before Zuan finally returned to the Chu clan manor.

"Hmm, why are there so few people in the Chu clan manor?" Zuan wondered, feeling a little strange.

Even the gates of the Chu clan manor were open.

Had something happened?

A sudden alarm struck him, and he rushed inside.

He ended up bumping into someone. It was none other than Cheng Shoubing.

"Young... Young... Young Master?" Cheng Shoubing rubbed his eyes and stammered, calling out in disbelief.

"What, it hasn't been long, and you don't recognize me anymore?" Seeing a familiar face, Zuan's mood brightened considerably.

"Weren't... weren't you captured by two Grandmasters?" Cheng Shoubing asked, dumbfounded.

"Oh?" Zuan was curious. "You knew they were Grandmasters?"

Cheng Shoubing replied, "Feng Danian and the others mentioned it. Everyone was so worried about you, you know, they were Grandmasters!"

Zuan snorted, "What are mere Grandmasters? Can they stop me?"

Cheng Shoubing's eyes lit up. "Young Master, you are indeed unfathomable! My admiration for you flows like an endless river!"

As he spoke, he shouted towards the courtyard, "The Young Master is back! The Young Master is back! The Young Master fought two Grandmasters with punches and kicks and returned without a scratch!"

Hearing his pig-like squeal, Zuan felt a little embarrassed, but being flattered seemed nice. He finally understood why so many important figures enjoyed having sycophants around.

Hearing Cheng Shoubing's voice, the previously quiet Chu clan manor suddenly became lively. Countless people rushed out to see him.

Not long after, a petite figure, carrying a wisp of fragrant breeze, rushed into his embrace. "Brother-in-law, I thought you... I thought you..."

Chu Huanzhao's body trembled slightly, clearly too agitated to speak.

Zuan felt a warmth in his heart. He gently stroked her hair. "With such a lovely Xiaozhao here, how could I bear to be taken away?"

"Brother-in-law is so good!" Faint tear streaks were still visible on Chu Huanzhao's face. Clearly, she had been worrying about him. It was precisely because of this that her current smile, emerging through tears, appeared even more beautiful and charming.

"Ahem, ahem." At this moment, a light cough came from a distance. Qin Wanru was watching the two of them awkwardly from the side. She looked as if she wanted to say something but couldn't, yet not saying anything while seeing her second daughter and son-in-law so affectionate felt strange.

"Greetings, Madam." Zuan gave her a slight bow.

Qin Wanru's face flushed slightly, and she hastily asked, "Are you hurt?"

"Thank you for your concern, Madam. I am not hurt," Zuan replied.

"What about Old Man Mi and the other mysterious expert?" Qin Wanru urgently asked. This was what everyone was most curious about; they simply couldn't fathom how he had escaped from two Grandmasters.

"They're dead," Zuan replied.

"Dead?" Qin Wanru was startled. Not to mention for the Duke's manor, but even across the land, every Grandmaster was a figure whose mere stomp could shake the world. The fall of any one of them was a monumental event. "How did they die?"

"They must have died by the Young Master's hand!" Cheng Shoubing, standing nearby, couldn't help but interject, as if by saying so, he could also bask in some of the glory.

Qin Wanru glared at him. "Don't talk nonsense! Grandmasters aren't that easy to..."

Just then, Zuan said, "Old Man Mi did indeed die by my hand."

Qin Wanru: "..."

The many servants: "..."

Everyone initially found it unbelievable, but Zuan's safe return was a hard fact. Gradually, everyone started to believe him.

If they could have expressed their admiration instantly, the air would have been thick with exclamations of awe.

Just then, a figure rushed over and grabbed him. "You kid, you can kill a Grandmaster? How is that possible!"

Zuan took a closer look. It was Ji Dengtu. And not far away was a shy and well-behaved young girl—who else but Ji Xiaoxi?

"What are you doing here?" Zuan was a bit bewildered, mainly because Ji Dengtu, that lecher, entering the Chu clan manor was always a cause for concern.

Ji Xiaoxi, standing nearby, said softly, "Brother Zuan, when you were captured, we rushed over to help and to continue Madam Chu's treatment."

A smile appeared on Zuan's face. "Truly my good sister; you rushed here the moment you knew something happened to me."

Ji Xiaoxi bashfully lowered her head, her hands fiddling with the hem of her clothes as if not knowing where to put them, and her pretty face was flushed.

Chu Huanzhao snorted inwardly. This woman might look well-behaved, but she was actually a seductive vixen. However, remembering that she had treated her mother, Chu Huanzhao felt too embarrassed to curse her in her heart, leaving her extremely conflicted.

Ji Dengtu, however, jumped in and stood between the two of them. "Brat, what's with all this 'brother' and 'sister'? Are you and Xiaoxi that close?"

Seeing his overprotective father act, Zuan wisely closed his mouth.

"You still haven't answered me. How could you possibly kill a Grandmaster?" Ji Dengtu pressed on.

"I..." Zuan was about to speak, but he was interrupted by Qin Wanru.

"Let's go to the study and talk through what happened slowly. Everyone else, return to your posts, and also call back the people who were sent out to look for the Young Master." There were too many people and too many mouths here; she was worried that something disadvantageous to Zuan might leak out.

Zuan finally understood why the Chu clan manor had seemed so quiet earlier. It turned out they had all been sent out to look for him.

It seemed Madam really cared for him.

At this point, Ji Dengtu, rubbing his hands, went up to Qin Wanru with a fawning smile. "Excellent, excellent! You always think of everything."

Seeing his obsequious manner, Zuan was speechless. He was clearly a master, yet he insisted on living like a sycophant.

Qin Wanru frowned slightly but said nothing, instead leading the way towards the study.

Zuan followed her into the study and roughly recounted what had happened in the mountains. Naturally, he omitted anything about the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra, after all, that was related to his life and fortune.

Even so, everyone who heard him was full of exclamations of surprise, all marveling at his extraordinary fortune.

"So, two Grandmasters fought, one died, and one was injured, which allowed you, kid, to take advantage," Ji Dengtu said, finally feeling relieved.

Chu Huanzhao, standing nearby, said somewhat indignantly, "Even if they were injured, they were still Grandmasters. So my brother-in-law still killed a Grandmaster. Do you have that ability?"

"I..." Ji Dengtu's breath caught in his throat. He really couldn't refute it.

Rage points from Ji Dengtu: 228!

He couldn't get angry with the little girl, so all his anger was directed at Zuan.

Zuan didn't mind. He wished Ji Dengtu would contribute more rage points.

At this moment, Qin Wanru blamed herself. "I always thought Old Man Mi was just an ordinary flower farmer. I never expected him to be a Grandmaster. I didn't notice anything for all these years."

Ji Dengtu said, "It's not your fault. If a Grandmaster wants to hide, it's indeed very difficult to find any flaws."

Qin Wanru frowned slightly. "But what was his purpose for hiding in the Chu clan manor? And what was the identity of that mysterious expert, and why did the two fight to the death?"

Ji Dengtu analyzed, "In my opinion, Old Man Mi's anonymous presence in the Chu clan manor wasn't about plotting against the Chu clan. More likely, he was hiding from an enemy, and that mysterious expert was probably his adversary."

Hearing several people express their opinions and discuss the hidden conspiracies, Zuan secretly sighed. Since it involved royal secrets, it was better not to let them know, lest it invite calamity.

Qin Wanru was just recovering from severe injuries. Seeing Zuan return safely, she could no longer fight off the wave of drowsiness. Chu Huanzhao then helped her back to rest.

Ji Dengtu and his daughter saw that she was fine and that Zuan had also returned, so they bade farewell and left.

Zuan hurriedly chased after him. "Senior, do you have any Yuan Gathering Pills or anything that can help cultivators improve their cultivation? I'll buy as many as you have."

Ji Dengtu's face darkened. "No!"

With that, he flicked his sleeve and walked away.

Rage points from Ji Dengtu: 361!

Zuan was taken aback. What was that anger about?

Ji Xiaoxi, standing nearby, explained, "Brother Zuan, please don't mind. My father swore never to refine pills again because of an incident that happened years ago, as they could help cultivators kill people. So he only refines medicines that can save lives."

Zuan was surprised. He never expected the usually lecherous Ji Dengtu to have such a noble side.

"Then can you refine pills?" Zuan asked, unwilling to give up.

Ji Xiaoxi shook her head. "No, my father never taught me any of that."

Zuan immediately felt dejected. He had originally thought he could get pills from Ji Dengtu, but now it seemed he would have to rely on himself and depend entirely on that ancient Yuan Gathering Scroll.

I had something come up today, so there's only one chapter for now. I'll make it up tomorrow. I'm also keeping track of the chapters owed before. It's just that a part of the plot later on hasn't been completely sorted out yet, so I can't speed things up even if I want to.