Chapter 473: Being Struck by Lightning for Showing Off

Ding Run's soul nearly fled his body when he saw Zu An's solemn demeanor and the ancient, mysterious aura emanating from his palm. Though the dragon had appeared and vanished in an instant, he was absolutely certain it was a true dragon!

Just by hearing the name "Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms," he knew it could subdue even true dragons. What kind of monster was this guy?

From the start, his full-force attacks had failed to harm Zu An, which had already left him bewildered. Now, with the appearance of the "Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms," he was utterly terrified.

Severely wounded, he no longer dared to fight. He snatched up his blade and fled without looking back.

As an assassin, his primary objective was self-preservation. One could never be too cautious. So he ran, vowing to return and settle the score once his injuries healed.

With a few bounds, his fleeing figure swiftly vanished into the distance.

The remaining people on the scene were bewildered. What was going on? The world-renowned assassin, a top master, had actually been scared off by Zu An?

Zu An breathed a sigh of relief. He had only been bluffing; the "Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms" was just a trick to scare Ding Run. If he were to bring out the red dragon again, his opponent would likely realize it was merely a corpse.

"Ah Zu, you're incredible!" Zheng Dan's red lips were wide open, as if they could fit an egg. She was probably the only one present who knew the truth about the red dragon, but she never imagined he could use it to such effect.

"Oh, you flatter me, you flatter me," Zu An replied, though his tone was far from modest. "I have even more impressive things up my sleeve."

Pei Mianman sighed, "Ah Zu, you always create so many surprises. Compared to you, all those so-called prodigies I've met before pale in comparison."

Zu An's face showed his enjoyment. "Mm, I like hearing that. Praise me more."

"You're annoying!" Pei Mianman giggled, shaking with laughter, which caused other people's eyes to inadvertently follow her movements.

Sang Qian's pretty face flushed slightly, and she silently cursed "foxy seductress" before looking at Zu An with curiosity. "How did you do that?"

Zu An chuckled. "Want to know? Just call me 'good big brother' and I'll tell you."

"Pah!" Sang Qian spat, her face red. In truth, if they weren't in front of others, with her usual temperament, calling him "good big brother" wouldn't be a big deal. But with her own elder brother right there, and clearly at odds with Zu An, she couldn't bring herself to say it.

From the side, Sang Qian (the brother) roared, "You, Zu! Don't you dare harass my sister!"

Received Rage points from Sang Qian +601!

Zu An was displeased. "Which eye saw me harassing your sister? Didn't she ask me herself? Keep spouting nonsense and I'll smack you dead with one palm."

"You!" Sang Qian was so furious he nearly jumped up, but recalling how Zu An had repelled Ding Run and the terrifying giant dragon, he was genuinely afraid of a potential palm strike. So he didn't dare say anything more, though his resentment only grew.

Received Rage points from Sang Qian +444,444,444…

Zu An couldn't help but be amused. This guy had contributed quite a lot of Rage points over the past few days, making him seem almost endearing.

He walked over and helped Pei Mianman and Zheng Dan up. "Are you two alright?"

"We're fine," both women replied, then exchanged a glance.

The two women, actually, were old acquaintances, having seen each other frequently in Mingyue City, and even more so as classmates at Mingyue Academy.

However, back then, they were merely nodding acquaintances with no deep friendship to speak of.

As if oblivious to the strange atmosphere, Zu An said, "You're both injured, yet you say you're fine? Especially you, Big Manman, your chest is stained with blood. Let me help you wipe it off."

"Get lost!" Pei Mianman pushed his "salty pig's hand" away. This guy was always so thoughtless.

Zu An smiled, then took out two pills and put them in their hands. "Quickly heal your injuries. These are Divine Doctor Ji's Jade Marrow Rejuvenation Pills, top-grade healing elixirs."

"Thank you," the two women said. They had heard of the renowned Divine Doctor Ji's medicine and did not decline, immediately putting the pills into their mouths and beginning to regulate their breathing.

Sang Qian, watching from the side, blinked, a little surprised that both women had swallowed the pills without the slightest hesitation.

They were, after all, women, and very beautiful ones at that. For them to casually take and consume something given by a man showed that they trusted him implicitly.

The big-chested woman was one thing, but Zheng Dan was clearly her sister-in-law…

She looked back at Sang Qian (the brother) with sympathy. *My poor brother.*

Just then, Zu An's teasing voice reached her ear: "Miss Sang, do you want some?"

"No," Sang Qian scoffed lightly, turning her face away. This guy was clearly bullying her sister-in-law; how could she possibly accept anything from him?

"Now is not the time for stubbornness. We're not out of danger yet; it's best to recover our combat strength as quickly as possible," Zu An said, pulling her hand without explanation and placing a pill in it.

She had just helped unseal his power and fought alongside Pei Mianman and the others; he owed her this much.

*But I must say, her hand felt quite smooth…*

Sang Qian was startled. She also realized that the immediate priority was indeed to recover from her injuries quickly. Although she had her own medicine, its efficacy wasn't as good as Divine Doctor Ji's.

So she held out her hand. "Give me two more!"

Zu An gasped. This woman was truly impolite. He thought for a moment and said, "I can only give you one more. I don't have any extra beyond that."

Clearly, he wouldn't give such precious medicine to save Sang Qian (the brother).

Sang Qian's delicate brows furrowed. She evidently understood his thoughts and said nothing more. After receiving the pill, she went directly to her father and brother, handing them the medicine and whispering, "Father, Elder Brother, quickly take this healing medicine."

Sang Qian (the brother) took the pill and swallowed it immediately. Sang Hong frowned, "What about you?"

Sang Qian (the sister) glanced at Zu An in the distance. "I have a way."

Knowing his daughter was always resourceful, Sang Hong no longer worried and also took the Jade Marrow Rejuvenation Pill, beginning to seriously regulate his injuries.

However, his injuries had just been aggravated, and even with a spiritual elixir, it wouldn't be easy to recover.

Sang Qian, with her hands behind her back, came and sat down next to Zu An without saying a word, and began to regulate her breathing.

Zu An frowned and looked at her. "You gave the pill to your brother?"

"Mm," Sang Qian nodded, showing little reaction.

"Why didn't you ask me for another one?" Zu An asked curiously.

Sang Qian opened her eyes and slowly replied, "I'm already very grateful that you gave me two elixirs. And you explicitly said you wouldn't give one to my elder brother. Since I chose to give it to him myself, I should bear the corresponding consequence. Naturally, I wouldn't have the face to ask you for another."

Zu An clicked his tongue in admiration. "I didn't expect you, young lady, to be so exceptionally spirited, with a temperament far superior to your brother's. Very well, I've always been considerate towards ladies. I'll give you another one."

"This… that might not be appropriate," Sang Qian said with a hesitant expression, but inwardly, she was delighted. *Just as expected, this guy always softens when he sees a pretty girl.*

Zu An chuckled. "It's fine. We're all in the same boat now, naturally, we should help each other."

So he gave her another Jade Marrow Rejuvenation Pill.

Sang Qian no longer refused, reaching out to take it. "This little sister thanks Big Brother Zu."

Zu An laughed heartily. "You're too kind, too kind."

Watching Sang Qian's retreating back as she returned to Sang Hong, Zu An suddenly realized he'd been completely tricked by the girl. If she truly had no intention of asking for another pill, why did she come to sit beside him to meditate?

However, he wasn't angry; instead, he found it quite amusing. Born to the same father, one brother was reckless and careless, while the sister possessed a keen and resourceful mind.

He shook his head, pushing these thoughts aside, and began to meditate and regulate his breathing. He hadn't taken any healing pills himself. Firstly, his *Grandmist Primordial Scripture* was constantly repairing his body, so he didn't urgently need healing medicine. Secondly, his current gravely wounded state could trigger the berserk effect of the *Phoenix Nirvana Scripture*, and since they weren't entirely out of danger yet, it was better to be cautious.

He was suddenly pleasantly surprised to find that the fifth array in the fifth rank was nearly one-fifth lit. He figured this must be the result of the accumulation from the previous period combined with the recent injuries and beatings.

It was worth noting that the fifth array required a total of 2,178,309 Qi fruits; one-fifth of that was over four hundred thousand, which would translate into even more Rage points.

It seemed that taking a beating was indeed more efficient than drawing Qi fruits. What puzzled him, however, was that the cultivation gains from severe injuries varied each time. For instance, he had been more gravely wounded by Mi Li in the secret realm previously, but the cultivation gained then, converted into Rage points, hadn't been as much.

Could it be that the gains were proportional to his current cultivation level?

Zu An pondered for a long time but couldn't figure out the underlying mechanism.

Still, he felt somewhat fortunate. Although gaining cultivation through beatings was a bit ignoble, he could simultaneously cultivate favor with his female confidantes. Earlier, he had used his body to shield Zheng Dan from a fatal attack, which moved the girl to tears.

Not just her; even Sang Qian, observing from the side, looked at him differently.

As he was secretly reveling, an aged voice suddenly echoed, "Who exactly killed my clansmen?"