Chapter 771: Alone

On hearing this, Zu An's hair stood on end. He had truly been careless; he had just been praising Concubine Bai's pleasant scent, and now he was getting his comeuppance so quickly. However, having weathered many storms, he reacted incredibly quickly. He immediately sighed, "This must be the scent of Jialili, that expert from the Southern Border. Her Spirit Descent technique is simply too hard to guard against; I almost died in her illusion."

"Spirit Descender?" Chu Chuyan's attention was indeed captured. "Legend has it that Spirit Descenders are experts unique to the Southern Border, and their Spirit Descent techniques are elusive, capable of taking lives silently."

"Indeed, during the war between our Great Zhou and the Southern Border, the Spirit Descenders from the Southern Border caused heavy casualties," said Murong Qinghe, who had spent years in the military and naturally knew these things. "'Jialili' sounds familiar. I recall she caused considerable trouble for the imperial court's experts back then. Big Brother Zu, you actually managed to escape her clutches."

Murong Qinghe's eyes sparkled. She had always admired strength, and Zu An's various achievements, both in their skirmishes and recently, filled her with genuine admiration. She secretly pondered, "How wonderful it would be if Brother Chu were this formidable!" She then mentally scolded herself, "Hmm, how could I think that? Brother Chu should just remain a quiet, handsome man. Crude things like fighting and killing—those are my responsibility."

Chu Chuyan eagerly asked about his encounter with Jialili. Zu An then roughly recounted their battle. He worried that she might suffer greatly if she ever encountered a Spirit Descender in the future, so he specifically emphasized their attack methods. Of course, for the part about Yun Yuqing in the illusion, he changed the female lead to Chu Chuyan. Alas, a 'player' needed to refine his craft.

As expected, when Chu Chuyan heard that in the illusion he had defied the whole world, even fighting the emperor, for her sake, she was deeply moved to tears. Chu Youzhao's face flushed with excitement, thinking, "Brother-in-law is so amazing, the best and most formidable person in the world!" Even Murong Qinghe, standing by, had sparkling eyes, glancing at Zu An, then at Chu Youzhao, with a conflicted expression appearing on her face from time to time. Zu An secretly wiped away a bead of sweat. He had been worried that these people, having been raised with loyalist and patriotic ideals, might consider his actions in the secret realm treasonous. He hadn't expected such a love story to be so powerfully appealing to women. No wonder Yun Yuqing had been so tender and gentle when she learned about it. "Bah, bah, bah! Thinking of other women at a time like this? Scoundrel!"

Just then, Zu An noticed the packed luggage nearby and paused, startled. "Why are you carrying all this stuff? Are you going on an outing somewhere?" he asked.

Chu Chuyan's expression darkened. "It's not an outing," she said. "I'm returning to Brightmoon City."

"What?" Zu An immediately became agitated.

Chu Chuyan explained, "I just received a message from my mother a short while ago. Something significant has happened in the Chu clan, and I need to go back to handle it."

Chu Youzhao, standing nearby, added, "Even with time being so urgent, Sister still wanted to come and say goodbye to you before she left. But then she heard about your accident and completely lost her composure, pacing around here like an ant on a hot pan. I've never seen her so anxious my entire life."

Chu Chuyan spat softly, her face slightly flushed. "It's not as exaggerated as you make it sound," she retorted.

Zu An chuckled, and wrapped his arms around her slender, soft waist. "It's only right for a wife to care for her husband," he said. "Come here, give me a kiss."

Chu Chuyan blushed furiously and tried to dodge. "There are others here!" she protested.

"Go on, go on, don't disturb our little world," Zu An waved his hand, impatiently shooing away the two 'lightbulbs' nearby.

"Shameless!" Chu Youzhao and Murong Qinghe giggled and ran out. Although they said that, they secretly admired the affection between the couple. In the capital, they were accustomed to seeing many couples maintain polite distance and formality throughout their lives. There was nothing inherently wrong with that; it was how everyone was raised. However, as women, they always felt that such a dynamic lacked a certain flavor of love and passion. In contrast, Zu An's unconventional way of acting felt refreshingly new to them. They sensed his passion for life and its vibrancy from him.

Once outside, the two exchanged glances. Murong Qinghe couldn't help but ask, "Don't you think your brother-in-law and sister might be... again?" Mid-sentence, a faint blush appeared on her tanned skin. Evidently, the scene she had accidentally witnessed that night had left an indelible impression on her young mind. These days, she often dreamt of that scene at night. However, sometimes the female lead in her dreams was Chu Chuyan, and sometimes it was herself. As for the male lead, sometimes it was Chu Youzhao, and sometimes it was Zu An... Each time she thought of this, she would blush profusely. She wondered why she was dreaming of other men. "Hmm, Brother Chu must never know," she thought.

Chu Youzhao also looked peculiar. "It shouldn't be, right?" Her tone wasn't very certain. She knew what kind of flirtatious personality her brother-in-law had.

"Want to take a peek?" Murong Qinghe, who had always been bold, couldn't help but feel eager.

Chu Youzhao was startled. "Don't even think about it! Absolutely not!" She wasn't worried about her sister; there was no harm in Murong Qinghe, another woman, seeing. She just felt that her brother-in-law would be at too much of a disadvantage if he were seen.

While the two whispered and argued outside, the two inside were not doing what they imagined, but were instead holding each other warmly.

"Chuyan, what exactly is so important that you have to go back?" Zu An's voice was filled with reluctance. With Chu Chuyan gone, he truly felt like a stranger in a foreign land in the capital.

Chu Chuyan nestled in his embrace. "I'm not sure either," she replied. "But Mother would never send for me without good reason. Clearly, some major change has occurred in the Chu clan."

Zu An said sternly, "Could it be someone else trying to target the Chu clan again? I'm a prominent figure in the capital now, after all. If I find out who it is, I'll bring people to wipe them out!"

"I know you're formidable," Chu Chuyan couldn't help but chuckle. "But I'll need to go back and investigate the specifics before we can talk further."

"Alright, I really can't bear to see you go," Zu An said, looking at her wistfully.

"A'Zu, I can't bear to see you go either," Chu Chuyan replied, gazing back at him reluctantly. Naturally, they kissed, as if trying to completely meld into each other's bodies.

When Zu An escorted Chu Chuyan to the city outskirts, the flush on her face had still not faded. "A'Zu, I'll come find you as soon as I've dealt with things in Brightmoon City," she said.

"Alright. Contact me as soon as you get back. I can now mobilize many resources in the capital, so we won't be easily bullied like before," Zu An instructed.

Chu Chuyan softly hummed in agreement, then turned to her sister nearby and said, "Youzhao, you must take good care of your brother-in-law during this time."

Zu An, standing by, looked bewildered. "Didn't you get that backward?" he asked.

Even Murong Qinghe looked puzzled. She thought, "My ideal Brother Chu is a quiet, handsome man; how can he take care of this tough, brawny, and combative fellow?"

Chu Chuyan shook her head. "Youzhao has her great-uncles looking after her here, and Qinghe helps her daily, so I'm actually not worried about her. But you, you've encountered so many dangers in the capital recently. You won't always be so lucky."

Chu Youzhao, standing nearby, looked excited and puffed out her chest. "Don't worry, Sister," she said. "I'll definitely take good care of brother-in-law!"

Zu An smiled faintly, touched by her concern. He held her hand and said, "Chuyan, thank you."

They had only intended to escort her to the city outskirts, but they ended up walking several more miles beyond the suburbs. Alas, all partings eventually come.

After returning to the capital, Zu An remained dispirited. Chu Youzhao, knowing he was in a bad mood, didn't disturb him at that moment. She and Murong Qinghe left together, giving him some peace. Zu An lay on his bed, staring blankly. Big Manman was gone, Xue'er was gone, Zheng Dan was gone, Qiu Honglei was gone, and now even Chuyan was gone. A profound sense of loneliness, of being utterly alone in a vast world, filled his heart.

"Do you need someone to drink with?" A cold, crisp voice suddenly came from the window.

Zu An turned his head to look. The first thing that caught his eye was a pair of long, snow-white legs. "Principal Jiang?"