Chapter 401: Seeing People Clearly

So much had happened recently. The Chu family had endured various upheavals, and Zu An had been caught in a vast conspiracy, nearly losing his life.

These days, he had lived in constant tension, his mind never truly relaxing. Even after the dust settled yesterday, he still woke up in the middle of the night while sleeping at the Chu family's estate, haunted by dreams of being hunted. It wasn't until today, as Zheng Dan's tenderness and charm gradually dissolved the negative emotions in his heart, that Zu An slowly began to recover.

Seeing her, like a red flower after a storm, Zu An felt a touch of apology. "I'm sorry, I was too rough just now."

"You just realized that?" Zheng Dan gave him a resentful look. After quickly putting on her clothes, her legs buckled as soon as she stepped onto the floor.

Zu An chuckled and reached out to pull her. "Don't go. There's still a long time until class ends."

Zheng Dan straightened her disheveled hair and said, "Quite a few people saw me come to find you just now. If I stay too long, rumors are bound to spread."

Having been together for so long, Zu An understood her nature. She could be as wild as she wanted in private, but she cared deeply about her reputation in the eyes of the world and her family's honor. She certainly wouldn't want any blemish on her name, so he didn't force her to stay.

"The medicine Sang Hong asked for, I'll give it to you another day," Zu An said, not wanting Sang Qian to recover too quickly.

Zheng Dan smiled sweetly. "As you wish. I really must go." With that, she leaned in to kiss his cheek before leaving with a radiant smile.

Once outside the gate, the spring in her brows quickly vanished, replaced by her usual classical elegance. One couldn't tell at all what kind of intense activity she had just experienced.

Zu An took a short nap in the room, then, unable to wait for class to end, went to find Ji Dengtu. It would have been more convenient to ask Ji Xiaoxi directly, but he felt it was inappropriate to ask such a question to a young girl.

Upon hearing his request, Ji Dengtu's eyes widened. "I've heard of men buying aphrodisiacs to boost kidney function, but I've never seen a man buy medicine to cause impotence. Do you have some special fetish?"

Zu An's face darkened. "Cut the nonsense. Do you have it or not?"

Ji Dengtu lay back leisurely in his armchair, waving his hand dismissively. "No, I, Ji, heal people and save lives. How could I make such a medicine?"

Zu An said in a low voice, "I'll pay more!"

Ji Dengtu's eyes lit up, and he instinctively sat upright. However, after a moment of hesitation, he lay back down in his chair. "Don't try to tempt me. The education I received since childhood doesn't support me doing such things. You've come to the wrong person."

Zu An silently pulled out a storybook. "The sequel to the last story."

Ji Dengtu's pupils contracted, and his expression became quite serious. Just as Zu An thought he was about to get angry, his entire face suddenly broke into a wide smile. He snatched the storybook from Zu An's hand. "You're a good judge of character!"

Zu An was speechless.

Ji Dengtu eagerly flipped through the storybook, simultaneously tossing a small green bottle from his怀. "Three drops will achieve your goal."

Zu An thought the color was quite festive. "Is this medicine permanent? It won't wear off after a while, will it?"

Ji Dengtu looked displeased. "Are you doubting my professional integrity? How could medicine made by me, Ji, be ineffective? Of course, it's permanent! If I want someone to be impotent by 3 AM, they won't last until 5 AM."

Zu An couldn't help but look at him suspiciously. "What exactly do you plan to do by making such malicious medicine?"

Ji Dengtu's old face flushed. He puffed out his beard and glared. "Of course, it's for academic research! Am I supposed to take it myself?"

Zu An's expression was odd. "You're not researching it to use against my father-in-law, are you?" Given Ji Dengtu's intentions towards Qin Wanru, Zu An had good reason to suspect this.

"Am I that kind of person?" Ji Dengtu was clearly feeling guilty. "Go, go, go! You're interrupting my reading!"

"Huh, why do you need paper to read a storybook?"

"Don't you have any idea what you wrote?!"

Leaving the Ji family, Zu An rushed back to the Chu family to report his deal with Sang Hong to Qin Wanru. Qin Wanru was initially a bit flustered when she saw him, but after listening to what he said, she became agitated. "Sang Hong, that despicable man, actually plans to harm Zhong Tian even while in prison!"

Zu An said in a low voice, "Precisely. We submitted the salt certificates so long ago. Logically, they should have released Father-in-law by now. The delay is clearly Sang Hong's doing, so I couldn't treat his threat lightly. I naturally had to agree. We'll deal with everything once Father-in-law is out."

"A'Zu, thank you for everything you've done for the Chu family. I... I don't know how to thank you." Qin Wanru's expression was quite complex.

"It's what I should do," Zu An chuckled. "Of course, if Madam truly wants to thank me, why not give Xiao Zhao to me? I find her quite adorable."

Qin Wanru was stunned for a moment, then her face flushed crimson. She picked up a feather duster nearby, ready to hit him. "You scoundrel, you were indeed thinking of that!"

[Rage from Qin Wanru +666666...]

Zu An dodged while pleading, "Ouch, I was just joking! Madam, why are you taking it seriously?"

The two chased each other around the central pillar, while the guards outside exchanged bewildered glances.

"What's going on?"

"Why is Madam hitting the son-in-law?"

"You wouldn't understand. This means she truly considers him one of her own, which is why she acts so unreservedly."

"I see, brother, you truly see things clearly."

After a while, the two chasing each other in the room finally stopped. Qin Wanru leaned against the pillar, panting, her chest heaving. Clearly, having just recovered from severe injuries, she was quite exhausted by the exertion.

Zu An quickly said, "Madam, you're still injured. Don't overexert yourself."

Not knowing what she thought of, Qin Wanru's face flushed slightly, and she let out a humph. This guy's movement technique was really fast. Although I'm physically weak, I'm still a sixth-rank expert. In this confined space, I couldn't catch him at all. No wonder he could escape from a Grandmaster.

Fearing she would continue to press the matter, Zu An quickly changed the subject. "The most worrying problem now is, even if we agree to Sang Hong's terms, what if he goes back on his word and harms Father-in-law?"

Qin Wanru said, "I'll go arrange things with those above right away. Our Chu family still has some connections from these past years. Additionally, I'll send Yue Shan himself to go there and provide secret protection throughout."

Zu An breathed a sigh of relief. "Then I'll be at ease."

Qin Wanru hesitated slightly. "That spiritual medicine of yours must be very precious, after all, it has the effect of bringing people back from the brink of death." She had initially mistaken Zu An for saving her in another way, but after calming down, she quickly realized the truth. As someone experienced, she could distinguish from her physical condition whether she had been intimate with a man. Today, hearing him mention it, she was even more certain that it was the spiritual medicine that had saved her that day.

This fellow is truly disrespectful, making such a joke. He made me worry for a long time...

[Rage from Qin Wanru +333...]

Zu An was startled. You're thanking me, so why are you getting angry? Besides, if you're going to be angry, can't you be a little more angry? What's the use of these scattered points? Where was your charm that used to contribute hundreds of points at the slightest provocation?

Despite his silent complaints, Zu An replied, "To save Father-in-law, everything is worth it."

Qin Wanru opened her mouth but didn't know what to say. After a long silence, her words finally condensed into three: "Thank you."

A few more days passed. Once Qin Wanru had arranged everything at the prison, Zu An finally notified Zheng Dan.

On this day, Zheng Dan personally came to pick up Zu An. Seeing the carriage before him, Zu An unceremoniously climbed in. "You're not taking a sedan chair today. Is it because a carriage makes it easier for me to get in?"

Zheng Dan's face flushed. She pulled down the carriage curtain and quickly said, "We're going to the Sang family soon. Don't mess around."