Chapter 483: Strategic Victory

The two women were momentarily stunned by his words. They instinctively exchanged glances, then said, "Alright then, Ah Zu, please take care of yourself."

Pei Mianman even shot Qiu Honglei a deliberate glare. "You, surnamed Qiu, had better take good care of him. If anything happens to him, I will kill you."

Qiu Honglei rolled her eyes. "Hmph, you probably can't even beat me. Don't think a big chest gives you the right to boast."

Sang Qian, who hadn't run far, couldn't help but glance back at Qiu Honglei's chest. She secretly cursed, thinking how annoying it was that Qiu Honglei, despite being well-endowed herself, pretended to be jealous. "What about us genuinely flat-chested people?" she wondered.

Pei Mianman snorted, "If you've got the guts, tell these guys to step aside and let's fight one-on-one!"

Qiu Honglei glanced at Pei Mianman's wounds, shook her head, and said with a half-smile, "Let's not. You're injured today, so even if you lost, you probably wouldn't accept it. And if I were to hurt you anywhere, someone would probably feel quite distressed."

Seeing Qiu Honglei's gaze constantly flicking towards Zu An, Pei Mianman's face flushed. She also knew that in her current state, she truly couldn't defeat her opponent, so she didn't insist further.

Zu An also took the opportunity to persuade them, "Alright, alright, you two should go quickly. Rest up, heal your injuries, and protect yourselves."

Pei Mianman hummed in acknowledgment, then pulled Zheng Dan away.

Many of the Eight Wanderers watched the two women leave, feeling a sense of regret. Both women were exceptionally beautiful, and letting them go seemed like a great pity.

The Devil Cult was a mixed bag of people, and naturally, they didn't have as many moral restraints in this regard. So, upon seeing the stunning beauty of Pei Mianman and Zheng Dan, some harbored ill intentions.

In the past, they would have undoubtedly secretly kidnapped them to enjoy themselves, but this time, they were burdened with the Grand Master's important task. Furthermore, with so many eyes watching, no one dared to take the risk.

Sensing her comrades' thoughts, Wanderer Lei snorted in displeasure and secretly cursed them as tempting enchantresses. It was better that they left.

Once the two women had left, Qiu Honglei looked at Zu An and said, "Please."

At that moment, Wanderer Lei produced a set of chains, intending to bind Zu An. Zu An couldn't help but frown. "Didn't you say you wanted to recruit me? Is this how your esteemed cult treats its guests?"

Qiu Honglei stopped Wanderer Lei. "Young Master Zu is an esteemed guest of the Grand Master, and he's staying voluntarily, so there's no need to bind him."

Wanderer Lei frowned. "What if he takes this chance to escape?"

Qiu Honglei looked at Zu An. "I'm sure Ah Zu won't make things difficult for me."

Looking at her large, seemingly speaking eyes, it seemed no man could ever bear to disappoint her.

However, Zu An was accustomed to seeing all kinds of beautiful women, and his resistance was now higher than that of ordinary people. "That's not necessarily true. So, to ensure I don't escape, Miss Qiu will need to keep a close watch on me."

"Absurd!" Wanderer Lei roared in fury. "How dare a man defile our cult's Saintess!"

Zu An was speechless for a moment. "Who arranged for Qiu Honglei to go to the Immortal Dwelling in the first place? There are far more flirtatious people there, yet I didn't see you taking a sledgehammer to demolish the place!"

At this point, Qiu Honglei smiled faintly. "Wanderer Lei, you're overthinking it. Zu An and I are friends. He just likes to joke around; there's no need to take him seriously."

Hearing the Saintess speak up for Zu An repeatedly, the other Wanderers' expressions became intriguing. It was well-known that countless men in the cult admired Qiu Honglei for her unparalleled grace, and many high-ranking members openly pursued her. However, no one had ever heard of her being genuinely close to anyone.

Furthermore, given her special status, even some influential figures in the cult didn't dare to use overly aggressive methods. Thus, she had always been an unapproachable figure in everyone's hearts.

Now, she was acting so intimately with this young brat. If news truly got back to the cult, even if the Grand Master was magnanimous enough to spare him after getting the *Phoenix Nirvana Scripture*, a large number of the Saintess's admirers would likely want him dead.

Qiu Honglei then said to Zu An, "Ah Zu, are you reassured now?"

Zu An looked at her with a touched expression. "Honglei, you're truly too kind to me. I don't know how to repay you. Perhaps I could offer myself..."

"Cough, cough," Qiu Honglei, knowing his tendencies, quickly interrupted him. "Alright, alright, it's time to set off. We need to return to the cult as quickly as possible."

Zu An chuckled and casually asked, "Honglei, is your Grand Master a man or a woman? What are their hobbies? Or what do they dislike? How many meals do they eat a day...?"

Qiu Honglei felt a headache coming on. "Why are you asking such specific questions?"

"So I don't accidentally offend him and get killed, of course," Zu An replied matter-of-factly. "And I can also prepare some gifts beforehand to get on his good side."

Qiu Honglei couldn't help but snort. "The best gift you can give is to obediently hand over the *Phoenix Nirvana Scripture*."

"Naturally," Zu An agreed without hesitation. "Also, I hope your Grand Master is a woman. I've always been quite popular with women; men tend to dislike me out of jealousy."

Qiu Honglei was speechless.

The Wanderers were speechless.

This fellow's shamelessness truly exceeded everyone's imagination.

Wanderer Lei couldn't help but snort. "Then why don't I like you? I find you detestable when you're being so glib."

Zu An eyed her towering, muscular physique, then swallowed hard. He instinctively replied, "You're a bit... different from most women."

Wanderer Lei exploded in anger. "What did you say?!"

Being looked at strangely by men was the greatest taboo in her life.

Zu An quickly changed his tone. "I meant you're a heroic woman! You must admire a peerless hero, and naturally, someone like me, a scoundrel, wouldn't catch your eye."

"That's more like it!" Wanderer Lei snorted. A hint of shyness suddenly appeared on her face, as if she were imagining her own peerless hero.

The other Wanderers nearby felt their stomachs churn, but none dared to show it, clearly aware of her volatile temper.

As their group departed into the distance, on the other side, Pei Mianman and Zheng Dan were discussing how to rescue Zu An.

Sang Qian, who hadn't gone far, saw this and ran over. "Are you two alright?"

Pei Mianman rolled her eyes, too lazy to bother with him. Zheng Dan initially thought it inappropriate to ignore him since he was her nominal husband, but then she remembered how he had repeatedly framed Zu An, and her desire to engage him vanished.

Feeling both ashamed and annoyed by the cold shoulder, Sang Qian was fortunate when Sang Qian approached with their father, easing his awkwardness.

"Miss Pei, Sister-in-law, are you discussing how to rescue Zu An?" Sang Qian asked.

Clearly, Pei Mianman's identity was no longer a secret after all this time.

"Yes. I've heard you're quite resourceful, Miss Sang. Do you have any suggestions?" Having just fought alongside each other, Pei Mianman naturally had a different attitude towards Sang Qian.

"We could notify the local officials and also contact King Liang and his people. They could step forward and reclaim Zu An," Sang Qian suggested.

Pei Mianman shook her head. "No, that won't work. We'd just be jumping from the wolf's den into the tiger's mouth."

Although Zu An had said he had a plan for the capital, it was hard to believe how he could contend with the invincible Emperor.

Therefore, she didn't want him to fall into the hands of King Liang and his associates again.

Sang Qian hesitated. "Then we'll have to rescue him ourselves. I brought some subordinates with me on this trip, originally planning to arrange a jailbreak from an inn over there. I came out to scout for information and learned someone was attacking my father here, so I had to act alone. I thought those arrangements would go to waste, but now I realize that manpower can be perfectly used to save Zu An."

"Sister!" Sang Qian was somewhat displeased. He wished Zu An dead and really didn't want to save him.

Sang Hong, standing nearby, transmitted a message through qi: "Qian'er, we are still under imperial displeasure on this trip. If we can save Zu An, it would be considered an act of atonement. When the Emperor is pleased, our charges might even be completely dismissed."

Hearing this, Sang Qian finally understood. He murmured an "Oh," though he still felt a bit awkward inside.

Zheng Dan, standing beside them, couldn't help but ask, "Those demonic cultists are highly skilled. Can we really deal with them?"

Sang Qian smiled faintly. "Sister-in-law, many things in this world don't require brute force; they can be achieved through strategy."