Chapter 149: Got Addicted

In that instant, Qiao Xueying understood everything. This guy had recognized her from the start, and everything that had just happened was merely an act, designed to make her drop her guard before he attempted to assassinate her.

She had initially intended to thoroughly mock him, treating him like an idiot. Yet, in the end, she discovered that she was the fool. The immense reversal of roles in that moment would have driven anyone to madness.

Qiao Xueying's Rage +1024!

Tapping her toes, she swiftly gave chase, determined to slice him into a thousand pieces today to sate her burning hatred.

Zu An sprinted, realizing that even with the enhancement of the Sunflower Phantasm, his speed was no match for hers. Had they not been in such a complex forest environment, she would have caught him much earlier.

After running for a bit longer, Zu An used one of her blind spots to discreetly hide in a tree, concealing his presence and silently waiting for her.

Qiao Xueying pursued him relentlessly, but suddenly lost sight of him. Her pace gradually slowed. As she walked leisurely through the woods, she calmly stated, "Zu, I must admit your abilities are truly beyond my expectations. However, your gravest mistake was choosing to flee into this forest."

Zu An was momentarily stunned, recalling how he had previously used the intricate forest environment to defeat Jia Zhengjing and his four men. He had intended to employ the same tactic again.

"Have you forgotten which elemental ability I awakened?" No sooner had Qiao Xueying's voice faded than she made a casual gesture. The fallen leaves on the ground instantly began to move without any wind, each soft leaf transforming into the sharpest blade, all shooting towards Zu An's position.

Zu An was greatly startled, quickly leaping down from the treetop. Holding his sword horizontally across his chest, he looked at her in surprise: "You can sense my presence?"

This time, Qiao Xueying was not in a hurry to strike. Instead, she calmly stated, "Every tree and every blade of grass in this forest serves as my eyes and ears. Where can you possibly hide?"

Zu An's expression finally changed. If what she said was true, then running into the forest was indeed walking right into a trap. But could someone who awakened wood-elemental abilities be this incredibly powerful? He had never heard of anyone else possessing such formidable abilities.

"What was that sword move you just used? Why did it instill a sense of dread even in me?" Qiao Xueying asked in a low voice. This was a question that had utterly baffled her; logically, given the difference in their power, his attack shouldn't even have been able to penetrate her defenses.

"Want to know? Call me 'good big brother' and I'll tell you," Zu An said with a grin, though his mind was rapidly calculating how to respond.

Qiao Xueying's expression turned cold. "After all this time, your mouth is still as irritating as ever."

Qiao Xueying's Rage +400!

Zu An also sighed. "After all this time, your mouth hasn't exactly gotten sweeter either."

Qiao Xueying snorted, slowly raising her fingertips. Leaves began to swirl around her. "I'll break all your limbs. We'll see how defiant your tongue is then."

As soon as she finished speaking, she waved her hand, and four leaves shot towards his limbs, moving with such speed that they reached him in the blink of an eye.

Zu An's figure flickered, narrowly dodging the attack. A cold sweat secretly trickled down his back; if not for his Sunflower Phantasm, he would likely have been riddled with holes by now.

He dared not remain still and endure a passive beating. Instead, he transformed into an afterimage and charged towards her. He had already switched to a normal sword, reserving the 'Dagger of Certain Death' for critical moments. If others were to learn its properties and prepare for it, its threat would be significantly diminished.

"Oh?" His bizarre footwork was so quick that Qiao Xueying couldn't even discern what was happening. She tapped her toes, retreating backward, but his sword relentlessly followed her like a shadow.

Qiao Xueying snorted, then casually scattered something around her. Countless leaves, like dancing butterflies, encircled her, deflecting each of his attacks.

Zu An shifted his attack from countless angles, but he was still unable to break through her green leaf barrier.

Qiao Xueying's voice resonated. "It's clearly the most common basic sword art in the academy, yet it wields such power when used by you. It seems Yuan Wendong's defeat was not unfair after all."

The shock in her heart intensified. Were it not for the significant disparity in their cultivation levels, she might not even be a match for his sword technique in a direct confrontation.

Of course, she wouldn't voice these thoughts aloud, unwilling to give him any more reason to be smug.

"But now, it's all over!"

Hearing Qiao Xueying's voice, Zu An knew something was wrong and rapidly retreated. Countless vines on the ground grew swiftly with the wind, coiling like an enormous snake and surging towards him.

Zu An continuously dodged, relying on his movement technique. Was this the true strength of a fifth-rank cultivator? Indeed, the ability to wield elemental power clearly overwhelmed lower-ranked cultivators.

It seemed that if he hadn't prepared an electromagnet beforehand to counter Yuan Wendong's controlled flying sword during their previous match, his 'Evil-Warding Sword Art,' no matter how miraculous, likely wouldn't have been enough to defeat him.

Zu An's movements grew increasingly rapid, but the forest was full of vines, seemingly alive, weaving together into a vast net. Where could he possibly hide?

As he descended, a branch on the ground suddenly transformed into a rope, causing him to lose his balance unexpectedly. In an instant, his entire body was entangled by countless vines and bound to a large tree.

His sword had long been knocked from his grasp. He exerted all his strength, his face flushed, yet he could not break free.

Qiao Xueying slowly approached him, a faint smile gracing her lips—the smile of victory. "Why aren't you running anymore?"

Zu An, surprisingly composed, replied, "Since you wish for me to stay so much, how could I possibly disappoint your good intentions?"

Qiao Xueying's expression turned cold. She picked up his long sword from the ground. "Hmph, still so glib-tongued even when facing death. I'll cut off that annoying tongue of yours first, and then we'll see if you're still so smug."

"You can cut it, but you'll need to be able to reattach it afterward," Zu An said, unable to help but swallow nervously.

Qiao Xueying couldn't help but smile. Perhaps it was because victory was already firmly within her grasp, but she suddenly found this man somewhat amusing, still so quick-witted even when facing death. "Forget cutting off your tongue and putting it back. Even if I chop you into pieces, this lady can still heal you. Do you believe me?"

"I believe you, I believe you! There's no need to test that," Zu An said with an awkward smile.

Qiao Xueying snorted. "No, this lady has taken an interest, and it's not up to you."

Zu An suddenly sighed, his playful grin vanishing as his expression turned serious. "Xue'er, have you perhaps forgotten what it felt like to be pregnant last time?"

Hearing this, Qiao Xueying instinctively recoiled a few steps. The bone-deep pain still left her with lingering trepidation; she had woken from nightmares countless times in the dead of night since then. "What do you mean? Was that... really your doing last time?"

This matter had always been a lingering question in her mind. Afterwards, she had herself examined by doctors, who found absolutely nothing wrong with her body. So what exactly had caused that strange, inexplicable sensation back then?

Furthermore, the doctors had told her that the sensation she described was precisely what women experience during pregnancy and childbirth, which had left her, as an unmarried woman, feeling both mortified and furious.

"I told you I'd let you experience the feeling of being pregnant, and yet you kept chasing me. Don't tell me you've become addicted to pregnancy?" Zu An had already decided to use 'Glare of Pregnancy.' Although its uses were precious, he had no choice but to deploy it now.

Last time, his moment of soft-heartedness resulted in a wasted use. This time, he absolutely could not make the same mistake.

Just then, he suddenly froze, looking past Qiao Xueying. "Wife, you're here?"

Qiao Xueying didn't move, letting out a cold scoff. "Do you think I'd fall for your trick again?"

Suddenly, her entire body stiffened, and a thin layer of ice appeared on her, as if she had been frozen solid.

Chu Chuyan slowly emerged from behind her. "So you are Xue'er. I should have realized it sooner."

"Mi... Miss." Qiao Xueying's heart fluttered. It really was her. It was all Zu An's fault, she thought; if he hadn't distracted her, she wouldn't have been so easily subdued.

She then shot a furious glare at Zu An.

Qiao Xueying's Rage +530!

Zu An was immediately amused. What was wrong with this girl? Chu Chuyan was the one who subdued her, what did that have to do with him?

Chu Chuyan calmly stated, "Miss, I can no longer accept that title from you."

As she spoke, she approached Zu An. With a delicate sweep of her slender hand over the vines, a biting frost instantly spread, causing the inherently tough vines to become brittle and fragile. With the slightest touch, they snapped into segments.

Zu An's face lit up with excitement, and he went straight in for a big hug. "This is fantastic, wife! To meet you here! Come here for a loving hug."

Chu Chuyan promptly sidestepped, ignoring his request, and her gaze fell upon Qiao Xueying.

Qiao Xueying's expression shifted between conflicted emotions before she finally let out a long sigh. "Miss, I am immensely grateful for your care over the years. However, we each serve our own masters, and I hope you can forgive me."

"Who exactly is this 'master' you speak of? Is it Shi Kun?" Chu Chuyan pressed.

Qiao Xueying shook her head. "Please forgive me, Miss, but I cannot reveal that information."

Chu Chuyan frowned slightly, momentarily unsure how to proceed. Zu An, standing beside her, chuckled, "This is simple. Ask her a question. If she doesn't answer or lies, I'll remove one piece of her clothing. If she continues to refuse, I'll strip all her clothes off and hang her naked from a large tree at the entrance for everyone to admire."

Chu Chuyan: "..."

Qiao Xueying trembled with uncontrollable rage. "You scoundrel!"

Qiao Xueying's Rage +1024!

Zu An sighed. "You also know that everyone serves their own master, so you should be well aware of what happens when you fall into enemy hands, shouldn't you? You should have been mentally prepared for how I would treat you. If you don't speak, I'll begin."

As he spoke, he lightly probed at her collar with his sword.

Chu Chuyan, standing nearby, stopped him. "Enough. She is a young woman after all; you can't humiliate her like that."

Zu An mumbled, "It's just us few here. It doesn't matter that you're a woman. And as for me, it's not like I haven't seen it before, so how is that humiliating?"

Chu Chuyan was momentarily taken aback. Every time this man spoke nonsense with a straight face, he somehow managed to make it sound partially logical.

Qiao Xueying's eyes practically blazed with fire as she glared at Zu An. That incident had always been a shadow in her heart, and this guy just kept bringing it up at every opportunity.

Qiao Xueying's Rage +512!

Chu Chuyan swept her hand, melting the ice on Qiao Xueying. "You may go."

Qiao Xueying was startled. "You're letting me go?"

Chu Chuyan calmly replied, "Although your intentions were impure, you have been like a sister to me for many years. I cannot bring myself to kill you. Take care of yourself."

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Thanks to the Alliance Masters who gave rewards: Bu Ai Shao Fu Song Qingshu, Heshang Bian Chang Dian, Zongjiao Caipan Suo 001, and Sancai Milin.