Chapter 194: Hands Off

"That's right. That incantation is a secret technique I stumbled upon by chance. When she performs it, it's easy for her to completely relax her body and mind, and her consciousness becomes weak, making it much easier for my soul to enter her body." Although she was still in Chu Chuyan's body, her tone and demeanor were exactly like Mi Li's.

"Why did you take over her body? You clearly have your own body, and you're beautiful, and your cultivation is stronger..." Zu An said excitedly, then a thought suddenly struck him, "Could it be that poison Zhang Han just used?"

"Chu Chuyan" nodded, still showing lingering fear. "The 'Xiangfei's Crimson Tears' poison far exceeded my expectations. Even with my cultivation, I couldn't resist that terrifying venom. It spread throughout my entire body in almost no time. Fortunately, I once coincidentally learned a special secret technique that allows my soul to leave my body. Even so, my soul seems to have been tainted by some of the poison, and I am much weaker now than before."

She paused, then added, "Of course, dealing with you is still more than enough."

"So you usurped her body, taking over Chuyan's place?" Zu An thought rapidly, cursing Zhang Han's ancestors for eighteen generations, as he pondered if there was any solution.

"That's right," "Chu Chuyan" said with a half-smile. "I told you earlier that we would meet again soon, but you didn't believe me."

Zu An finally understood why Mi Li had spoken as she did when she left earlier, emphasizing that he might wish he had never seen her again. This was what she meant.

He quickly thought it over and said, "Empress Sister, after all, our previous cooperation was quite pleasant. There's no need for us to become enemies like this, is there? Once we get out, I'll find another host for you. How about you let Chuyan go?"

"Chu Chuyan" shook her head. "I'm very satisfied with this body and don't want to switch to another. Besides, do you think soul fusion is easy? My soul suffered significant damage from that last fusion. If I were to switch back into someone else's body, my soul would suffer irreversible critical damage, possibly even disintegrating completely. How could I take such a risk?"

Zu An's heart sank, realizing their conflict was irreconcilable. His voice grew cold. "You just signed a contract not to harm us. Aren't you afraid of divine punishment?"

"Chu Chuyan" chuckled. Her originally aloof and refined face now held an unusual, enchanting allure. "I've already told you the method to save her, as per our agreement. How is that a breach of contract? Besides, Mi Li is already dead. If there truly was divine punishment, everything would have vanished into thin air."

"Do you think you can hide this from the Way of Heaven?" Zu An mused. If his Rage system could identify her as Mi Li, surely the Way of Heaven could too.

Although he didn't know what the elusive Way of Heaven was, since everyone in this world believed in its existence, it clearly had to be real. His only concern was whether a divine punishment from the Way of Heaven would harm Chu Chuyan's body.

"Are you stalling for time, waiting for the Way of Heaven to punish me?" "Chu Chuyan" seemed to see right through his thoughts. "You don't have to wait. The contract we signed back then is invalid."

"Huh? Invalid?" Zu An was stunned.

"Chu Chuyan" sneered. "Did you really think I wouldn't have any precautions? How could I shackle myself like that? When that contract was signed, I didn't press my handprint myself; you pressed it on for me. Naturally, that doesn't count as my true intention, so the contract isn't recognized by the Way of Heaven."

Zu An: "What?!"

Such a loophole existed?

He had paid for his inexperience!

Zu An was filled with regret.

"Chu Chuyan" slowly raised the sword. "Alright, I've explained all this to you out of consideration for you having lifted my seal, so you can die knowing the truth. Now, everything ends."

"Wait!" Zu An immediately shouted. "I have a proposal!"

"What is it?" "Chu Chuyan" wasn't sure why, perhaps being sealed for a thousand years made her subconsciously want to talk more. With her old temperament, she wouldn't waste so many words on an ant.

Zu An's angry expression vanished, replaced by a cheeky grin. "Well, Empress Sister, how about you continue to live as Chu Chuyan, and we remain husband and wife? After all, my marriage with her was only in name before. If you agree, I'll finally have a real wife, and you'll have someone to help conceal your identity."

"Anyway, you've been lonely for thousands of years, so you must be feeling incredibly empty, lonely, and cold. And since our 'intimate moments' just now were quite harmonious, why don't we just live together from now on?"

Mi Li: "..."

Chu Chuyan: "..."

Rage value from Mi Li +666!

Rage value from Chu Chuyan +999!

Seeing the rage value received from Chu Chuyan in the backend, Zu An's mind was put at ease. It seemed her soul was still present and hadn't been completely extinguished. He had deliberately said all that to test whether Chu Chuyan's consciousness still existed within the other's body.

Fortunately, the result was encouraging.

Mi Li, however, was unaware of this underlying reason. She never imagined such a shameless man existed in the world. She had previously thought their marital love was deep, but in an instant, he had cast his wife aside.

*Ptooey!*

Men!

Yet Zu An seemed oblivious to her anger and continued, "Empress Sister, although you are powerful, you've been sealed for a thousand years. As the saying goes, 'the world changes with time,' and much has changed. This is no longer the Great Qin of old. You're unfamiliar with many things in this world, and you'll find it difficult to navigate. What if you reveal a flaw and others realize you've taken over a body? All the cultivators in the world would rise against you. Even with your high cultivation, wouldn't that be a lot of trouble?"

Mi Li's expression flickered between shades of light and dark. She couldn't help but sneer, "I must admit, there's some convincing truth to what you're saying. But you are utterly shameless, even more so than Zhao Gao was back then."

Zu An looked annoyed. "Can you please stop comparing me to that guy? It's creepy."

Mi Li's heart suddenly skipped a beat. This fellow was indeed unlike Zhao Gao, at least in a certain 'convenient' ability that Zhao Gao lacked.

The thought was fleeting, and she quickly recovered, saying indifferently, "Are you done talking? If so, then you can die in peace."

"Not yet!" Zu An urgently called out. "Empress Sister, are you really not going to consider it? It's not even your own body, so you lose nothing, and you could even enjoy... *cough, cough*... not what you're thinking. I mean, you could enjoy my care and I could help you get familiar with this new world."

Mi Li: "..."

Chu Chuyan: "..."

Rage value from Chu Chuyan +1024!

Zu An secretly rejoiced. This was it; hopefully, it would awaken Chu Chuyan's consciousness and allow her to regain control of her body.

Mi Li took a deep breath. "Your shamelessness truly defies belief. Fine, since I've taken over her body, I'll eliminate you, this utterly despicable man, for her sake."

Zu An immediately retorted, displeased, "You're the one who usurped her body and ruined our loving relationship! And now you're standing on the moral high ground to accuse me? Your audacity is truly astounding!"

Mi Li was furious. "You're asking for death!"

Rage value from Mi Li +730!

Her long sword instantly flew from her hand, shooting towards Zu An like an arrow released from a bowstring.

Zu An had already prepared to dodge after provoking her. Seeing the attack, he hastily activated the Sunflower Mirage technique to evade. However, as soon as he circulated his vital energy, he felt an unbearable heat in his lower abdomen. His vital energy suddenly churned, causing his movements to become significantly slower than usual.

He suddenly recalled how Old Man Mi had been vague when teaching him this movement technique. Connecting it with the movies and shows he had watched in his previous life, he instantly understood what was happening.

It seemed that a heaven-defying movement technique like the "Sunflower Mirage" could only be cultivated by eunuchs. Since his lower region had been sealed previously, he had, to some extent, met the cultivation requirements, which was why he had progressed so efficiently.

Now that the seal was lifted, and he had become a true man, he no longer met the "Sunflower Mirage" cultivation requirements. Therefore, circulating his energy as before caused his internal qi to churn, which in turn affected the technique's effectiveness.

In the brief moment of his distraction, Mi Li subtly twirled her finger, and the flying sword abruptly changed direction, piercing straight through his chest.

"Ugh~" Zu An was sent flying by the immense impact, impaled against the nearby stone wall just like Zhang Han had been earlier.

Mi Li glanced at him from a distance and said indifferently, "When you get to the underworld, remember not to talk so much."

She turned to leave, but then heard a strained voice from behind her. "When I'm out in the world, I rely on two things: my looks and my mouth. How can I not talk?"

Mi Li spun around abruptly, staring at him in shock. "You... you're not dead yet?"

Just moments ago, Zhang Han had died from her single sword strike. While a large part of it was due to Zhang Han's own death wish, he was still a Ninth-Rank cultivator. How high was Zu An's cultivation in comparison?

"As the saying goes, 'a single day as husband and wife creates a hundred days of kindness.' It seems Empress Sister, remembering our recent 'kindness,' unconsciously held back, allowing me to keep my life." Zu An chuckled, slowly pulling the long sword from his chest. In his heart, he was secretly relieved, fortunate that he had summoned and used his Wealthy Matron's Orb earlier, which had averted the fatal blow.

Previously, he had been a little worried. He now had a net worth of millions of taels of silver. What if the other party wasn't as wealthy as him? Then not only would he have wasted the Wealthy Matron's Orb's last use, but he would also have died.

He had never hated being rich so much. Fortunately, it turned out he had overthought it. No matter how rich he was, he wasn't as rich as his opponent.

Mi Li, after all, was the empress of Great Qin, second only to one person and above ten thousand. Even though Great Qin had fallen, the entire underground palace was her burial treasure, and its value was incalculable.

Even Chu Chuyan, as the eldest daughter of the Chu family, responsible for various family businesses, surely had a net worth far exceeding a million taels.

So, regardless of whether the Wealthy Matron's Orb used Mi Li or Chu Chuyan as its standard, both were wealthier than him, successfully activating its HP lock function.

Mi Li was momentarily dazed, thinking, *Could it be that I truly fell for him and subconsciously held back some of my strength during the attack?*

*Impossible!*