Chapter 929: Green Feather

Hearing the woman's voice, delicate and clear, yet laced with both playful petulance and a hint of indignation, Zu An was momentarily stunned. Could such a beautiful voice truly exist in the world?

He had been in this world for quite some time now, and the women he had encountered were increasingly beautiful, each with a pleasant voice. Yet, a voice as exceptionally clear and captivating as this, possessing both the bright clarity of a phoenix or a crane and the melodious smoothness of an oriole, was truly unique. Just listening to her speak was like his ears were receiving a soothing massage.

Although he knew she was a woman from their earlier exchange, he hadn't had a chance to properly observe her. Now, looking closely, he saw a tall, slender figure with a snow-white face and an expression as cold as frost. Her eyes, like autumn waters, glared at him, brimming with indignation and displeasure.

Nan Xun was already a peerless beauty, but standing beside this woman, her own radiance seemed entirely overshadowed. It was a feeling difficult to describe, perhaps attributable to the unique aura the woman naturally exuded.

"I'm a hooligan?" Zu An snorted coldly. "You set up a honeytrap, plotting to harm others, and now you call me a hooligan?" As he spoke, he didn't pause, lunging directly at her. The current Zu An wouldn't show any mercy just because she was beautiful.

The mysterious woman's expression subtly shifted. She quickly made an intricate gesture, and a green light flashed before her. Zu An sensed a dangerous aura and swiftly dodged back a step, avoiding her peculiar attack. Only then did he clearly see that the green light in her hand was a feather, entirely verdant green with hints of black, glowing with a jade-like luster. It was strikingly beautiful.

Zu An was speechless. He truly seemed to have a strange affinity for clashing with green. He had no idea what kind of feather it was, but it was remarkably beautiful.

The mysterious woman attempted to use that strike as an opportunity to escape with Nan Xun. However, although Zu An was momentarily repelled, his presence still firmly locked onto both of them. Knowing she couldn't escape immediately, she said, "Young Master Zu, you've misunderstood. We meant no harm."

"Meant no harm?" Zu An sneered. "Do you take me for a fool? If I hadn't been highly vigilant just now, I'd probably be a walking corpse."

The mysterious woman said apologetically, "Please calm your anger, Young Master. We only sought to gather some information and had no intention of harming you. Afterward, you would have simply remembered it as a dream, with no lasting effect on your body."

Zu An chuckled. She could say whatever she wanted now. Aside from anything else, given the danger of their recent clash, if his cultivation had been lower, he might have died then and there. She wouldn't be speaking to him so patiently.

"Who exactly are you?" Zu An then looked at Nan Xun. "And you, are you human or a ghost?"

Nan Xun's face registered surprise, and she instinctively glanced at the mysterious woman beside her. The mysterious woman's elegant brows furrowed. "You can perceive her presence?" she asked.

Zu An said in a deep voice, "I'm asking the questions now, not the other way around."

The mysterious woman fell silent. After a moment, she said apologetically, "I apologize, but our identities are too sensitive to reveal."

"Heh," Zu An chuckled. "Alright then, I'll just go tell King Qi that his concubine is working as a courtesan in a brothel, entertaining other men." He had actually suspected at first that they were sent by King Qi. But then he reconsidered: even if King Qi wanted to achieve something, he wouldn't send his concubine to a brothel. Wouldn't he be afraid of being thoroughly cuckolded? Furthermore, if this matter were ever exposed, the damage to King Qi's reputation would be unprecedented. From what Zu An knew of him, King Qi would never take such an enormous risk.

Hearing him reveal Nan Xun's identity, both women's expressions changed instantly. A hint of killing intent flashed in the mysterious woman's eyes, which Zu An sharply caught. He couldn't help but sneer, "What, you still want to kill me? Or should I just capture you and hand you over to the Embroidered Uniform Guards for interrogation?"

With that, he activated his Sunflower Phantom Footwork, instantly appearing behind the mysterious woman and seizing her shoulder. The mysterious woman was greatly alarmed. With an incredible twist of her body, she forcibly pulled her arm free. However, a ripping sound indicated her sleeve couldn't withstand the immense force of their struggle. It was torn off, revealing a section of her fair, slender arm.

Rage value from Kong Nanwu +444!

The mysterious woman's eyes blazed with intense killing intent. Her other hand, holding the verdant feather, struck directly at him. Zu An felt a sky full of green light erupt before his eyes. Within the green light, countless eyes seemed to appear, all staring at him. In that instant, a wave of dizziness washed over him, and his eyes felt as if they had gone blind, seeing only green and nothing else.

Though startled, he remained calm. He immediately summoned Bai Ming, and as its piercing shriek echoed, the mysterious woman grunted. Zu An instantly felt the dizziness vanish, and his vision largely returned. Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately seized the wrist holding the green feather. He could feel the threat emanating from it and knew he had to disarm her first.

The mysterious woman snorted coldly. With a flick of her finger, the green feather transformed into a streak of light and instantly reappeared at Zu An's back. In that instant, the soft feather transformed into a sharp flying sword. However, just before it could pierce his back, the mysterious woman suddenly showed a flicker of hesitation. The green feather sword immediately veered three inches to the side, narrowly missing his vital points. Even so, if the strike had landed solidly, it would undoubtedly have incapacitated him temporarily.

To her surprise, Zu An didn't dodge or evade, but took the blow head-on with his body. The sharp flying sword penetrated only an inch before being tightly clamped, unable to advance any further. The mysterious woman was startled. Although she had held back, her weapon was incredibly potent; it should not have penetrated so little. Just how hard was his body?

However, she had no time to ponder this, as she knew she was in danger. She swiftly launched a counterattack, hoping to seize the opportunity to escape his grip. But his hand was like an iron clamp; he twisted her arm behind her back, then tightened his hold on her neck with a large hand. In that instant, her hair stood on end. She knew her vital point was controlled, and with just a slight twist of his hand, she would perish. In that critical moment, she immediately cried out, "Xue'er!"

As expected, Zu An's hand paused upon hearing the name, and he didn't continue his action. The two remained pressed tightly together. The mysterious woman was breathing rapidly, her chest heaving, clearly thoroughly shaken by the sudden, swift exchange.

"Release my mistress!" a pretty maid cried out, half-leaning in the doorway. She bared her teeth at Zu An, their sharp points a clear sign she wasn't human. A layer of snow-white fur gradually sprouted around her ears and neck.

Zu An's expression darkened. "Demon race?"

The mysterious woman took a deep breath. "Hu Hu, don't reveal your true form, or you'll attract the attention of various human experts in the capital."

"But..." The maid looked at Zu An's hand still clasped around her mistress's neck.

"I'm fine," the mysterious woman said, having calmed down after her initial panic. "He's little sister Xue'er's good friend; he won't hurt me."

"Oh," the maid named Hu Hu grumbled, then stood up and reverted to her normal maid-like appearance, though her gaze towards Zu An remained somewhat hostile.

"What 'Xue'er' are you talking about?" Zu An asked, though he already believed her internally, saying it merely to be safe.

The mysterious woman said faintly, "They say human men are the most faithless and heartless. I didn't quite believe it at first, but I didn't expect that after such a short time, he would completely forget his former lover. Oh, Xue'er, you truly are foolish."

Few people knew about his relationship with Xue'er, unless Xue'er herself had told her. With this assessment, Zu An released his grip and asked coldly, "Who exactly are you?"