Chapter 590: Inviting the Wolf Into the House

Sang Qian was still in mid-air, leaving Zu An in an awkward position, unsure whether to let go or hold on.

Zu An swallowed. "What if I told you I mistook you for someone else?" he asked. "Would you believe me?"

Sang Qian's face flushed slightly. She gently pushed him away, then gracefully spun to land steadily on the ground, nimble as a swallow, her movements exceptionally graceful. "Who did you think I was, then?" she asked.

"I thought you were..." Zu An instinctively replied, but stopped mid-sentence, realizing. He couldn't very well say he was looking for Zheng Dan; she was her sister-in-law, after all. Saying that would be quite embarrassing.

He quickly changed the subject, pointing to the white mourning clothes she wore. "Why are you dressed like this?" he asked.

Sang Qian's eyes reddened. "Have you forgotten that my brother was killed by the Mosquito Taoist?" she said. "Because we were imprisoned, we could only hastily bury him in the wilderness before. We only recently sent people to bring his remains back for reburial. We are currently holding a vigil for him."

"My condolences, Miss Sang," Zu An said, sighing. Though he had some past grievances with Sang Qian, he knew that death erased all grudges; it was all in the past now.

"Thank you," Sang Qian replied, her spirits low.

Zu An suddenly remembered something. He took out the Mosquito Taoist's remains from his Glazed Pearl. "This is the culprit who harmed your brother," he said. "I intentionally kept them with me, thinking you might want them."

A lot of time must have passed, and it was normal for the body to have become a dried corpse. So, there was no need to worry that others would suspect the Mosquito Taoist's essence and blood had been drained.

"The Mosquito Taoist!" Sang Qian exclaimed, immediately recognizing her brother's killer. She was instantly surprised and delighted. "How did she die?" she asked.

She had seen the Mosquito Taoist in action before; even her father was no match for her. Vengeance had seemed hopeless, so who would have thought she would actually die?

"She died by my hand through a fortunate coincidence," Zu An said. "I originally intended to burn her to ashes and be done with it, but I thought you might want to see her remains with your own eyes, so I specially kept them."

Sang Qian was perceptive and didn't specifically ask how he had killed the Mosquito Taoist, knowing everyone had their secrets. "Thank you, Brother Zu!" she said. "You are a great benefactor to our Sang family."

The previous "thank you" had been more of a formality; this one, however, was truly sincere.

"I'd be grateful if you didn't hate me already," Zu An said with a wry smile. After all, given his relationship with Zheng Dan, the Sang family would surely not tolerate it.

Sang Qian misunderstood. "Brother Zu, please don't say that," she said. "Before, we were adversaries, but merely serving our respective masters. Victory and defeat depended on our own abilities; if we lost, it simply meant we were outmaneuvered or outmatched. How could we blame you? And strictly speaking, my father was the first to act against you; you merely reacted in self-defense."

Zu An was slightly surprised. "Miss Sang, your open-mindedness truly surprises me," he said.

"Brother Zu, please come inside and take the seat of honor. I'll go inform Father," Sang Qian said, her eyes suddenly lighting up. She gestured behind her. "Sister-in-law, please help receive Brother Zu. I'll take the Mosquito Taoist's remains to show Father first; he will surely be very pleased."

While it was improper for a widowed sister-in-law to receive an outside man, the Sang family had fallen on hard times. There were few servants in the manor, and no suitable person could be found immediately. Furthermore, she was eager to inform her father, so she disregarded the formalities.

Zu An looked back and saw Zheng Dan, dressed in white mourning clothes, standing not far away, looking at him with a surprised and delighted expression.

No wonder the ancient saying went, "For a woman to look her best, she should wear mourning white." Zheng Dan was already beautiful, but this pure white mourning attire made her look even more captivating.

"Alright, Xiao Qian, I'll receive him," Zheng Dan said, trying to keep her voice calm.

"Thank you, sister-in-law," Sang Qian said. She was excited at the moment and didn't think much of it, immediately taking the Mosquito Taoist's remains to tell her father the good news.

After Sang Qian left, Zheng Dan nodded to Zu An. "Young Master Zu, please follow me," she said.

Zu An knew she was worried about being seen by others in the open area. He couldn't help but chuckle silently, as if instantly transported back to their time at Brightmoon Academy. Back then, she had also pretended not to know him well to deceive the teachers and students.

After following him to a room, Zheng Dan did not close the door. In this era, a man and a woman alone in a room with the door closed would invite gossip.

She led Zu An behind the door, to a spot where they couldn't be seen by outsiders. No longer able to suppress her feelings, she rushed into his arms, a faint fragrance accompanying her, and said, somewhat choked up, "A'Zu, are you really alright?"

Although he had mentioned several times before that he had a way, the other party was, after all, the world's most powerful emperor. Even with all her confidence in him, she dared not believe he could truly pass through this ordeal safely.

"Yes, I'm alright. Everything is over," he said. Feeling her trembling body, Zu An knew she must have been terribly worried and scared during this time.

Soon, his collar was wet with tears. Zu An couldn't help but marvel that Zheng Dan truly lived up to being a water-elementalist; she was indeed made of water.

The two of them spoke of their longing for each other, while also exchanging details of what had happened since they parted.

"Why are you wearing these clothes too? Is it to observe mourning for Sang Qian?" Zu An asked, a pang of jealousy in his voice.

Zheng Dan let out a soft laugh. "Of course not!" she said. "I originally didn't want to wear them, but then I thought... never mind, it's unlucky to say it."

Zu An's heart warmed. "I know what you mean," he said. "You were worried about me meeting with disaster today, so you wore them specifically for me."

"It's a good thing you're alright," Zheng Dan said, straightening his disheveled collar, feeling a little embarrassed to see it dampened by her tears.

Feeling her tenderness, Zu An's heart stirred, and he leaned down to kiss her.

Zheng Dan let out a soft moan. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and responded passionately. Compared to the shy and tender Chu Chuyan, she was much more proactive. They had done such things countless times before at Brightmoon Academy, so they were already well-versed.

Zu An had been interrupted by Chu Youzhao at the Qin residence earlier, and in such a rushed situation, he couldn't fully enjoy himself. Now, seeing Zheng Dan in her mourning clothes, looking like a delicate widow, his heart was even more aroused.

Just then, a soft cough came from not far away, followed by Sang Qian's voice: "Young Master Zu, my father would like to speak with you."

Zheng Dan was startled and quickly pushed him away.

Zu An was also a little awkward, but he had always been thick-skinned and quickly regained his composure. He walked directly out. "I also wanted to see Lord Sang," he said. "Oh, Miss Sang, why is your face so red?"

Sang Qian glared at him impatiently, opened her mouth as if to speak, but in the end said nothing, only replying, "Perhaps it's because I ran here, causing my blood to rush."

Of course, Zu An knew she was lying. With her cultivation, even sprinting that short distance wouldn't make her face red or cause her to sweat. Could it be that she had discovered something?

But that shouldn't be the case. If she had truly seen something, she would have surely turned hostile on the spot. That was her sister-in-law, after all.

Zu An was lost in thought on the way and soon arrived at the Sang family's main hall. Sang Hong had already come out to greet him. "Benefactor," he said, "please accept my bow."

Zu An was startled and quickly supported him. How could he let him truly bow? "Lord Sang, you exaggerate," he said. "There's no need for this."

Sang Hong sighed. "My son perished at the hand of the Mosquito Taoist," he said. "Her cultivation was supreme, appearing and disappearing without a trace. Countless people in the world wanted to corner and kill her, but it was all in vain, like drawing water with a bamboo basket. I thought vengeance would be hopeless in this life, yet she died by your hand. If you're not our benefactor, then what are you?"

"The Mosquito Taoist's cultivation far surpassed mine," Zu An said. "My killing her was merely a coincidence."

Sang Hong didn't inquire further about how he killed her. "So this is fate ordained by heaven," he said. "Since you are unwilling to accept my bow, Xiao Qian, please kowtow to our benefactor on behalf of your father and brother."

Sang Qian bit her lip, her small face crimson like blood. It was originally only right for her to kowtow, but having just witnessed that scene, she truly couldn't bring herself to bow her head.

She was a perceptive and clever person, and knowing her father had already been very sad lately, she decided it was better not to let him know about this. *Sigh,* she thought, *let me bear this burden alone.*

So she awkwardly stepped forward to Zu An. "Benefactor..." she began.

Zu An quickly moved to support her. "Please don't do this," he said. "The reason I brought the Mosquito Taoist's remains was not to demand repayment for a favor. It's just that we traveled to the capital together, fought side by side, and shared hardships as friends. That's why I specifically brought them to you. Your actions here would only make me feel uncomfortable."

Sang Qian blinked. *This man isn't as bad as I thought,* she mused.