Chapter 221: Losing Money Goods

Bao Youlu smiled faintly. "So, the son-in-law also understands the art of medicine. May I ask which renowned physician taught you?" Although he was smiling, a faint hint of sarcasm was evident in his tone.

Zu An shook his head. "I don't have a renowned physician as a master."

Just then, Mi Li's cold voice questioned him in his mind, "Then what am I?"

"You're my beautiful Empress sister, not my master," Zu An replied mentally.

"That's more like it," Mi Li scoffed. Although her appearance wasn't visible, one could easily imagine her lips curling slightly upwards.

Qin Wanru, who was standing nearby, was already somewhat displeased by his sudden remark. She had initially thought he possessed some genuine ability, especially since he seemed to have mentioned a mysterious master before. When she heard his denial, she could no longer hold back. "If you don't know, don't pretend you do. You're wasting our time. My lord, quickly go to the neighboring county and find Ji Dengtu. Whatever it takes, you must bring him back."

Chu Zhongtian said gravely, "Don't worry. Our daughter's safety is at stake. I'll swallow my pride and bring him back, even if it means losing face. The household will be in your capable hands, my dear!" Without delay, he flashed out the door and quickly vanished into the night sky.

Zu An shrugged and turned to leave as well. Qin Wanru glanced at him, frowning, but her attention quickly returned to her daughter.

"Why are you out here?" Mi Li's puzzled voice sounded in his ear.

Zu An replied, "It's useless for me to stay here and talk more. Qin Wanru won't believe me, so why bother embarrassing myself?"

"Not saving your wife anymore?" Mi Li's voice was filled with teasing.

Zu An said in a low voice, "I'll think of other ways."

Just then, a graceful figure rushed out. "Brother-in-law, wait!"

Zu An turned to see Chu Huanzhao, and his expression softened. "Oh, it's you, Xiao Zhao."

Chu Huanzhao stared at him with her large eyes. "Do you really have a way to save my sister?" Even though she had been giving him the cold shoulder, what did that matter compared to her sister's safety?

"It should... be possible," Zu An said, recalling the method Mi Li had taught him, which didn't seem like a trick.

"What do you mean 'should'? Is it yes or no?" Chu Huanzhao urged, anxious.

"Yes!" Zu An replied seriously.

"Good, I'll go tell Mother." Chu Huanzhao turned and went back inside. Not long after, a fierce argument erupted from within. From what he could hear, it seemed Chu Huanzhao was insisting he treat her sister, while Qin Wanru adamantly refused.

Finally, Chu Huanzhao ran out, wiping away tears. She quickly told Zu An, "Don't worry, I'll make sure you save my sister." With that, she scurried into the night.

Zu An was bewildered. What did she mean by that?

Just then, Qin Wanru stormed out, enraged. "What kind of bewildering potion did you give Xiao Zhao to make her side with you like this?"

Rage value from Qin Wanru +678!

Zu An spread his hands, an innocent expression on his face as if he'd been wrongly accused. "What are you talking about? Besides, Xiao Zhao isn't a child anymore; she has her own judgment. She's not so easily deceived."

"I despise your glib tongue! First, you don't know how you tricked my Yan'er, and now you want to trick my Xiao Zhao. No way!" Qin Wanru pointed at him, scolding furiously. "I know many people in Brightmoon City have designs on those two sisters. If you dare to harbor such a thought, I'll make sure you have no place to be buried."

Rage value from Qin Wanru +777!

Zu An's expression turned cold. "Are you done talking?" He was losing patience. He wondered if this woman's perpetually bad temper was due to some unfulfilled desire. She always lashed out at him without rhyme or reason, and he had had enough.

"You... you..." Qin Wanru was stunned, clearly not expecting the usually submissive live-in son-in-law to dare speak to her like that. Just as she was about to erupt, a maid's voice called from behind her, "Madam, Miss has woken up!"

Qin Wanru glared fiercely at him. "I'll deal with you later!" With that, she gathered her skirt and quickly ran back into the house.

Zu An hesitated but didn't go in. He quietly asked, "Are you sure Chuyan won't die for now?"

Mi Li hummed in affirmation. "Although she's critically ill, she won't die in the next day or two."

Only then did Zu An feel relieved. He quickly returned to his room, found Cheng Shouping, and asked him to retrieve some necessary medicinal ingredients and supplies from the manor's herb storeroom. As a ducal mansion, these supplies were plentiful.

Then he found a dummy and mentally reviewed everything Mi Li had taught him earlier. Even with his exceptional talent now, he had no prior medical experience. His mind might grasp many things, but his hands wouldn't necessarily follow, so practice was essential to gain proficiency.

"What are you doing?" Just then, a sinister voice spoke.

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. He quickly turned around and saw that Old Man Mi had appeared at the doorway at some point.

"You're here, elder," Zu An quickly greeted him with a bow.

Old Man Mi glanced at the dummy and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Are you studying medicine?"

Zu An chuckled awkwardly. "Just a bit curious, practicing a little."

"Are you thinking of breaking the seal there sooner?" Old Man Mi wore a smile uglier than a grimace. "I heard you have a good relationship with Master Ji's daughter. Don't let her mislead you. External force can't remove your seal. Just follow my instructions to gradually improve your cultivation and reach the Grandmaster realm as soon as possible."

"You are right, senior," Zu An replied. He didn't tell him about his recovery. For some reason, he felt it was better not to mention it.

"I heard you repelled Young Master Shi with a single move in the academy's backyard. It seems you had quite an adventure in the Yaoguang Secret Realm," Old Man Mi said, scrutinizing him curiously.

Zu An answered respectfully, "I was quite lucky. I found a Trace-Agnostic Illusionary Lotus, which helped me improve my cultivation a bit."

"A Trace-Agnostic Illusionary Lotus!" Old Man Mi's breathing quickened. "Did you eat it all?"

Zu An shook his head. "No, most of it was given to Miss Chu to save her."

"Foolish!" Old Man Mi slapped his thigh in anger, standing up in agitation. "Why didn't you eat it yourself?"

Rage value from Mi Lianying +250!

Zu An was startled. He had thought Old Man Mi was angry because he hadn't brought the Trace-Agnostic Illusionary Lotus back for him. He never expected the old man to be angry because he hadn't eaten it himself. *He actually cares about me this much? Have I misunderstood him?*

"At that time, Miss Chu was on the verge of death, and her elemental meridians were completely destroyed. Since we're husband and wife, I couldn't possibly just let her die, could I?" Zu An replied.

"Husband and wife?" Old Man Mi sneered. "Aren't you clear about your relationship with her? Does anyone in this manor truly consider you their son-in-law?"

Zu An secretly grumbled. In fact, there were some who did, at least Chu Huanzhao and Cheng Shouping. As for Chu Chuyan's true feelings now, he wasn't entirely sure, but since they had already been intimate, he figured they were at least halfway there.

Old Man Mi, exasperated by Zu An's lack of self-awareness, said, "Besides, don't you have any idea about your own physical condition? You can't even perform as a man, yet you're still so sympathetic towards women!"

Rage value from Mi Lianying +666!

Zu An: "..."

*Brother, you don't hit a man in the face.* If this were his old self, he would have been utterly mortified. Fortunately, he had fully recovered now and no longer minded such verbal jabs.

Seeing his continued silence, Old Man Mi lost interest in scolding. "Fine, it's already been given to Chu Chuyan, so there's no use saying more. But remember this in the future: in this world, improving your own strength is the only true path; everything else is fleeting."

"Oh, right. I heard that Wei Hongde also entered the secret realm. How did you complete the task I gave you?"

Zu An said, his face unblushing and his heart steady, "We met candidly in the secret realm and are already good friends." As for whether Wei Hongde considered him a friend, he couldn't care less.

Old Man Mi's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed slightly. "Good. In the future, remember to inquire about any developments in his family, note down every detail, and then report back to me. Make sure he doesn't become aware of it. I think you're clever enough to manage."

"No problem," Zu An readily agreed, then asked curiously, "But what do you need to know about his family for?"

"Don't ask about things you shouldn't," Old Man Mi said coldly. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened, and with a gesture, the Tai'a Sword appeared in his hand.

Zu An panicked. How could this sword fall into another's hands? Unfortunately, the power gap between them was too vast, so he didn't dare to act rashly and was secretly weighing the pros and cons.

"It's actually a Heaven-rank divine weapon. No wonder it could cut through Shi Kun's sword. It seems your gains from the secret realm were indeed substantial." Old Man Mi flicked the sword's blade, then casually tossed it back to him. "Don't worry, I wouldn't stoop to snatching your possessions." He secretly added in his mind: *Anyway, all your possessions will be mine sooner or later.*

"Thank you, senior." After seeing him off, Zu An looked at the Tai'a Sword and said, "You really have no integrity, do you? You just went over when he beckoned?"

Mi Li's ethereal form emerged from the sword, her expression somewhat solemn. "Do you know his cultivation level?"

"What level?" Zu An quickly asked, having always been very curious about this.

"Ninth rank!" Mi Li's red lips parted slightly, and a hint of apprehension appeared on her face. "He's not much weaker than Zhang Han."

"That powerful?" Zu An was dumbfounded. The highest acknowledged cultivator in Brightmoon City was Chu Zhongtian, who was only eighth rank. Yet, a frail-looking flower farmer in their own manor turned out to be ninth rank? But he quickly breathed a sigh of relief. "Even Zhang Han was easily beaten by you. This guy isn't even as strong as Zhang Han, so what's there to fear?"

Caution entered Mi Li's phoenix eyes. "It's different. Zhang Han was seeking death, which is why I won so easily. Besides, I'm currently only a soul form, and my soul has been severely damaged from two host transfers. I might not be his match right now, so you'd best not offend this person. I don't want to die with you."

Zu An: "..."

*Empress sister, you're not as formidable as I hoped!*

Just as he was about to say something, Chu Huanzhao's voice suddenly came from afar, "Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, quickly come with me to treat sister!" Soon, a short-haired girl ran over, panting heavily, her small chest heaving continuously. Clearly, she had run quite a distance.

Zu An looked suspicious. "Did your mother allow me to treat your sister?"

"Of course not, but I drugged her," Chu Huanzhao said with a blush on her small face, delivering an explosive piece of news with an innocent expression.