Chapter 409: Lingxi Finger

Hearing the sound outside, both were startled. Qin Wanru hastily pushed Zuan back, saying, "Quick, hide! It'll be trouble if he calls the Imperial Guards."

Zuan still vividly remembered his recent encounter with Liu Yao and truly didn't want to go through that again.

So, he decided to hide behind the screen first and observe the situation.

As soon as Zuan was hidden, the door was pushed open from outside, and Hong Xingying swaggered in.

Qin Wanru quickly brushed a strand of hair from her temple to hide her inner panic. "What are you doing here?"

"Long time no see, Madam. I've come especially to pay my respects," Hong Xingying said, looking triumphant.

Qin Wanru said coldly, "What, do you intend to flaunt your victory in front of me now?"

"I didn't expect Madam to see through me," Hong Xingying didn't deny it. "As the saying goes, 'to return wealthy to one's hometown is to parade in embroidered robes at night.' The Chu family didn't recognize my worth before. Now, of course, I've come to see your regret."

"Indeed, I do regret it," Qin Wanru snorted. "My biggest regret is not seeing your true colors sooner, and regretting not realizing Ah Zu's goodness earlier."

Behind the screen, Zuan felt delighted. "The Madam must be praising me on purpose," he thought.

Hearing Zuan's name, Hong Xingying became furious. "What is Zuan, anyway? Besides his sheer luck, what does he have that's better than me?!"

His once-handsome face was now completely contorted. Clearly, he, who had always thought highly of himself, had suffered repeated blows from Zuan, who had become his lingering nightmare.

Qin Wanru sighed. "You still don't even know where he surpasses you. That only proves how foolish you are."

In her eyes, Zuan was now far superior to Hong Xingying in every aspect.

Hong Xingying was truly provoked. He abruptly stood up and walked towards her. "Didn't Madam used to despise Zuan the most? Why are you defending him at every turn now? Everyone says you and Zuan are involved. It seems the rumors are true."

"Bastard!" Qin Wanru was furious. She couldn't believe that a subordinate who had always been respectful to her would say such a thing.

Hong Xingying snorted. "Who are you trying to scare here? Do you think you're still the high and mighty Duchess? Soon, the Chu family will cease to exist."

"That's not necessarily true." Qin Wanru couldn't be bothered to waste words on him. "Get out, you're not welcome here."

"Heh heh, you're no longer in charge of this manor now." Not only did Hong Xingying not leave, but he also advanced step by step towards Qin Wanru.

"What are you doing?" Seeing him approach closer and closer, Qin Wanru's expression immediately changed, and she quickly retreated.

"What do you think I'm going to do?" There was a hint of madness in Hong Xingying's eyes. "If Zuan can do it, why can't I?"

In the past, he would never have dared to harbor such offensive thoughts. But now, the Chu family's downfall was a foregone conclusion. Qin Wanru's sixth-grade cultivation had been suppressed, making her unable to use it. And Liu Yao's men were searching everywhere for Zuan.

So, Qin Wanru was now like a defenseless little white rabbit before him. Coupled with the provocation from the matter concerning Zuan, the most wicked thoughts he had suppressed deep down immediately resurfaced.

"Stop!" Qin Wanru's face turned pale. She tried to dodge, but her cultivation was sealed. She was now little more than an ordinary person; how could she evade him?

Hong Xingying lunged and seized her, his hand reaching out towards her full bosom.

In previous years, she had been high above him. Although she was extraordinarily beautiful, he hadn't dared to harbor any wicked thoughts. But now the situation had changed. Once this thought surfaced, he could no longer control himself.

Thinking of soon enjoying the noble Duchess, especially considering her relationship with the Eldest Miss, a trace of wild excitement flashed in his eyes.

What he touched was not the softness he imagined, but a sharp pain. He looked closely and saw a man standing between them, gripping his hand and staring coldly at him.

"Zuan!" Seeing him in Qin Wanru's private chambers, Hong Xingying was instantly shocked and enraged. "You two really are involved!"

"What nonsense!" Zuan slapped him.

With a crisp slap, Hong Xingying stumbled, and a red handprint immediately appeared on half of his face.

Zuan quickly supported Qin Wanru. "Madam, are you alright?"

Qin Wanru shook her head and whispered, "Don't let him escape."

Zuan looked up at Hong Xingying. "Didn't you just say I was inferior to you in every way? Now's your chance. We'll have a one-on-one fight. If you win, the Madam is yours today."

Qin Wanru, standing by, thought: "???"

Hong Xingying was just about to call the Imperial Guards outside, but hearing Zuan's words, he immediately swallowed what he was going to say. "Is that true?"

Zuan smiled. "If you can defeat me, who here could stop you from doing whatever you want?!"

Although Qin Wanru, standing by, guessed he was deliberately using this to stall the other party, the thought of him using her as a stake in a bet filled her with both shame and anger.

Hong Xingying's expression kept changing. He believed his strength surpassed Zuan's. Especially after he joined the academy, his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds. He had even just broken through to the fifth-grade not long ago!

However, Zuan's movement technique displayed during the last family competition still made him somewhat wary.

But then he thought, Liu Yao had just said that Zuan was severely wounded and that the Imperial Guards were searching for him everywhere. So Zuan was probably at his weakest. If he couldn't even defeat a severely wounded, dying person, he might as well buy a block of tofu and bash his head in.

"Alright!" Hong Xingying drew his sword and sneered, "Today, I will return all the humiliation you've inflicted upon me these past days, tenfold, a hundredfold!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the sword in his hand thrust out like a venomous snake.

Although he didn't think Zuan had much fighting capability left, even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit.

Furthermore, seeing his enemy made his eyes burn with rage, and this sword strike of his unleashed 120% of his power.

A powerful sword qi surged through the room. Even Qin Wanru, standing far away, felt her face stinging as if scraped.

Although her cultivation was sealed, Qin Wanru's eyesight was still keen.

At this moment, this sword strike appeared incredibly fast to her. She couldn't find any fault with it.

Especially since a faint blue electrical glow seemed to emanate from the sword. It seemed he had broken through to the fifth grade and awakened lightning element abilities, known for speed and attack!

This Hong Xingying indeed possessed extraordinary talent. He had been held back in the Chu family, and his cultivation had indeed advanced rapidly after joining the academy.

What a pity his heart was not pure!

Immediately, her heart began to worry for Zuan. Although she had seen his cultivation, he was severely wounded at the moment. Moreover, his opponent was a fifth-grade lightning-element practitioner, skilled in speed and attack. His movement technique would also be somewhat restrained...

Before her thoughts could fully form, she suddenly froze. The unparalleled sharp sword qi in the room instantly subsided. The two stood only a few feet apart, motionless as if they were two statues.

She instinctively rubbed her eyes. Only then did she clearly see that the incredibly fast sword strike had been lightly pinched between Zuan's two fingers. No matter how red Hong Xingying's face turned, he couldn't advance an inch.

"What kind of sorcery are you using?" Hong Xingying stared at him, both astonished and terrified.

Zuan didn't answer. Instead, he exerted force with his fingers.

With a crisp *clink*, the sword was snapped between his fingers. He didn't hesitate for a moment, and, still holding the broken sword tip, he flashed past Hong Xingying.

"You... you..." Hong Xingying clutched his neck, looking at Zuan with a face full of disbelief. The martial skill the other party had just displayed was so miraculous. Moreover, his vital energy intensity and speed surpassed his own by an unknown number of times. It was a complete and utter crushing defeat.

"But how could this be? Did I step out of the wrong side of the bed today...?"

Until his dying breath, he couldn't understand what had happened. "Oh right, I didn't even get to use my damn lightning element abilities."

"I regret it so much, I hate it so much!"

Zuan's expression remained calm as he looked at Hong Xingying, who died with his eyes open. His true combat power was already higher than the opponent's, and with the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra's buff activated while he was heavily wounded, dealing with a mere Hong Xingying was naturally effortless.

"What martial art was that you just used?" Qin Wanru felt as if she were in a dream. She knew very well that what had just happened was not simply pinching with two fingers; it was an extremely profound finger technique.

"Of course, it's the Kato... *cough cough*, Spirit-Link Finger." Zuan always felt the words "Sunflower" were unlucky, so he simply changed it to Lu Xiaofeng's ultimate skill.

"Spirit-Link Finger?" Qin Wanru was surprised and couldn't help but praise, "That name really sounds nice."

"Of course!" Zuan couldn't help but feel a little smug.

"You should leave quickly. The elemental fluctuations from your fight just now won't escape the notice of experts. Someone will come to investigate soon." No sooner had Qin Wanru finished speaking than hurried footsteps could be heard in the distance.

"Madam, be careful yourself!" Zuan didn't dare to delay. He turned to leave, and passing by Hong Xingying's corpse, he directly stored it inside his Glazed Orb to prevent Liu Yao from seeing it and becoming suspicious.

He rode out of the city towards the Red-Robed Army camp in the suburbs. On the way, he threw Hong Xingying's body into the mountains. He figured it wouldn't take half a day for the beasts in the forest to dispose of the body without leaving a trace.

After dealing with it, he then took out his video mirror and called Chu Chuyan's imprint.

Soon, Chu Chuyan's face, like an orchid in an empty valley, appeared in the mirror. "Ah Zu, are you hurt?"

She immediately noticed that his condition was not right.

Zuan felt a warmth in his heart. "Don't worry, it's just a minor injury, nothing serious."

Then he quickly told her about his experiences in the Chu family this time and also expressed his concerns. "That crucial ledger is now in the imperial court's hands. I'm afraid we're truly going to become outlaws next. Do you know where Black Wind Stockade is? Or perhaps we should find a place to become mountain kings, a pair of desperate lovers?"

"Who wants to be a mountain king?" Chu Chuyan scoffed and hastily asked, "Is that book I gave you last time... that book, 'Sweet and Doted Wife... Overbearing Sword Immortal's Ninety-Nine Days of Passion', still with you?"

Clearly, she also found the book title somewhat embarrassing and hesitated while saying it.

Zuan was speechless. "At a time like this, you're still concerned about such things."

"Just answer me first, is it still with you?" Chu Chuyan's tone was somewhat urgent.

"Of course it is," Zuan snorted. "Who else would read such an embarrassing book besides you?"

Chu Chuyan's expression instantly thawed like melting snow. "Then it's alright, because that's the real ledger."