Chapter 225: Not a Single Drop Left

The other person now clearly saw his face, stopping their attack. Their voice held a mix of surprise and delight: “Is that you?”

Before him stood a young woman with red lips and white teeth, a delicate oval face framed by lovely braids tied with light blue ribbons. She looked particularly charming and captivating. Who else could it be but Qiao Xueying?

“Why are you suddenly at the Chu family estate? Did you miss me?” Although Zu An joked, he was very puzzled. Logically, she had fled from the Chu family, so it was highly unlikely for her to be here.

As he spoke, he noticed that her face was unusually flushed compared to normal.

Qiao Xueying evidently realized something at that moment, a hint of panic appearing on her face: “Quick… quick, go get Duke Mingyue!”

“What’s wrong?” Zu An sensed the terror in her voice and didn’t dare to delay. He helped her up while secretly concentrating and remaining vigilant.

“It’s no use. I just received word that Duke Mingyue is no longer in the estate.” A mocking voice sounded, and then an elderly figure stood on the wall, hands clasped behind his back, watching Qiao Xueying with an expression like a cat playing with a mouse.

“Shi Lezhi!” Zu An was startled. Although the person had deliberately covered their face, he recognized them instantly.

The elder was surprised, his gaze darkening immediately: “How did you recognize me?”

Zu An shielded Qiao Xueying behind him and smiled faintly: “Your sinister gaze and lewd demeanor gave you away completely.”

Shi Lezhi was speechless.

Rage value from Shi Lezhi +598!

“I’ve long known you’re a glib-tongued bastard, but soon I’ll make you understand that this world isn’t about witty remarks. You’ll deeply regret ever having a mouth,” Shi Lezhi said with an icy voice.

Zu An’s expression became serious. He spoke in a strange voice: “My usual joking and scolding are just a pretense. Do you really think I’d be so reckless if I were merely a third-rank? Since that’s the case, I’ll stop pretending. Let me show you my true strength.”

Sensing his aura, Shi Lezhi’s pupils contracted. He quickly channeled his inner energy throughout his body, secretly preparing for battle. What this guy said did make some sense. He was clearly only a third-rank cultivator, yet he had always acted so ostentatiously. Any other person would have died countless times by now, but he was still alive and well.

He and Shi Kun had been wondering why the assassination in the secret realm failed. So many fourth and third-rank masters surrounded Zu An alone; each of them had higher cultivation than him. It should have been an easy capture, but the result was their complete annihilation.

They had never figured out what happened.

Now, hearing Zu An’s words, a thought suddenly struck Shi Lezhi. Could this guy actually be a high-level cultivator who had merely used some secret technique to suppress his cultivation and deceive those around him?

He recalled how, in the back mountains, Zu An had severed Shi Kun’s weapon with a single sword stroke. If he hadn’t intervened, his young master might have been instantly killed.

What third-rank had such an ability?

Forget third-rank; even fourth or fifth-rank cultivators absolutely could not instantly kill his young master with a single blow.

It now seemed most likely that he had hidden his true strength.

To defeat the young master, he must be a sixth or seventh-rank, surely not an eighth-rank, right?

Shi Lezhi’s expression was grim. The opponent was so young yet possessed such high cultivation; he couldn’t help but be wary.

At this moment, Qiao Xueying also looked at Zu An with surprise, wondering if this guy was truly some kind of super expert.

In the storybooks she and her young mistress used to read, similar plots often appeared: wealthy young masters pretending to be commoners to work, or super sword immortals disguising themselves as ordinary men to pursue mortal women...

Could he be like that too?

Just then, Zu An grabbed her hand, turned around, and ran: “What are you staring at? Run!”

With that, he directly summoned “Great Wind,” instantly appearing dozens of yards away.

Qiao Xueying: “…”

Shi Lezhi: “…”

The stark contrast in his behavior bewildered Qiao Xueying. After a moment of slight astonishment, Shi Lezhi finally reacted. The thought of having been scared into full defensive mode by a mere third-rank nobody filled him with shame and burning rage.

“You bastard, I’ll tear you to shreds!”

Rage value from Shi Lezhi +1024!

He pushed off the ground, his body shooting after them like an arrow from a bow. To his surprise, an eighth-rank’s speed should far exceed a third-rank’s. Even if a fifth or sixth-rank had a head start, he should still catch up quickly.

Who knew that after chasing at full speed for a while, he still couldn’t catch them!

“How is that possible!”

Shi Lezhi was filled with doubt and alarm. Could this guy truly be hiding something?

Zu An, meanwhile, ran and shouted: “Help! Murder!”

The piercing sound carried far into the night sky, attracting significant attention.

Qiao Xueying’s lips curved slightly upwards. She used to think this guy had no master-like demeanor whatsoever, but now she found his methods quite practical. At least the estate guards rushing over from nearby proved his shouting was effective.

The two guards saw them and drew their swords: “What are you doing?”

Zu An quickly yelled: “I’m your young master-in-law! The person behind me is a thief who infiltrated the Chu family!”

It was dark, making it hard to see Zu An’s identity, but Shi Lezhi, dressed in dark night clothes, clearly looked suspicious. The two guards instinctively swung their blades to block him: “Who are you!”

Unfortunately, no sooner had they spoken than Shi Lezhi seized them by the neck, twisted their wrists, and with a crisp snap, the two vigorous guards breathed their last.

Zu An felt his hair stand on end. This guy’s methods were incredibly ruthless. Those two guards were also third-rank, yet they were instantly killed without any resistance.

Although he had some unusual methods and couldn’t be measured as a normal third-rank, he estimated he could only last one or two more seconds against an eighth-rank.

He ran desperately. At first, he was leading Qiao Xueying, but after the effect of “Great Wind” wore off, Qiao Xueying ran faster, and she ended up leading him instead.

Shi Lezhi’s eyelid twitched. Earlier, he had been ordered to capture Qiao Xueying alive, as the young master intended to toy with her. Therefore, he had held back somewhat, which allowed her to find an opportunity to escape.

At the time, he thought she would run to the academy for help, but instead, she feigned a move and ran towards the Chu estate.

He pursued her this way, wary of Chu Zhongtian. It wasn’t until he recently received a message stating that Chu Zhongtian had hastily left the city that he dared to pursue them without reservation.

Even so, he still didn’t want to alert the Chu family and had deliberately worn a mask to pursue them. Who would have thought that Zu An would immediately start shouting without hesitation?

If it had been anyone else, they would have been killed before they could make a sound. But for some unknown reason, he couldn’t catch up to Zu An’s instantaneous speed, even though he had pushed his own speed to the limit, resulting in him alerting the Chu estate guards.

A ruthless glint flashed in Shi Lezhi’s eyes. Since things had come to this, he had no choice but to quickly capture Qiao Xueying and, while he was at it, kill that bastard Zu An. This would prevent more people from the Chu family from being alerted, which would be troublesome if his identity were recognized.

Although the Shi family wasn’t afraid of the Chu family, he was merely a guest elder and couldn’t represent the Shi family.

The head of the Shi family would also never agree to a direct confrontation with the Chu family like this.

Feeling the pursuers getting closer behind him, Zu An grew increasingly anxious. Normally, there were so many guards in the estate, so why had only two appeared after such a long time today?

It turned out that due to Chu Chuyan’s critical illness, the Chu couple were worried about any news leaking out. They had deliberately sealed off this area, not only expelling many people but also specifically instructing others not to intrude, no matter what they heard.

So, although some people on the outskirts of the Chu estate detected the commotion, they strictly obeyed the master and madam’s orders, none daring to trespass.

“Zu An, what in the world are you howling about?” Just then, a sharp rebuke came from nearby. Qin Wanru stood there, glaring at him with her phoenix-like eyes.

It turned out that the effects of the medicine had just worn off, and she had felt a little strange upon waking. However, Chu Chuyan and her sister had both unanimously claimed that she had merely fallen asleep from overwork and excessive worry.

Although she felt somewhat puzzled, how could she have expected her own daughters to drug her, much less that they would conspire to deceive her?

Then Chu Chuyan told her that she felt a bit better. Qin Wanru initially didn’t believe it, thinking it was just her comforting herself.

However, when Chu Chuyan took her hand, she was astonished to find that her daughter’s hand was much warmer than before. At the same time, she noticed that her spirits were also much improved, and she quickly sent for Bao Youlu to examine her.

Not long after, she heard a commotion outside. She told her second daughter to stay and accompany her sister, and came out herself to investigate.

She happened to see Zu An holding the hand of a beautiful young woman, which enraged her beyond measure.

“Well, Zu An, my daughter just had an incident, and here you are being so intimate with another woman outside?”

“Is this how you treat Chuyan? Or do you simply not respect our Chu family?”

Rage value from Qin Wanru +999!

Zu An quickly pointed behind him: “There’s a villain who broke into the Chu family with ill intentions!”

He didn’t expose Shi Lezhi’s identity, fearing that the man would become desperate and turn murderous.

Qin Wanru frowned, following his gaze. She saw the masked Shi Lezhi, and her slender eyebrows shot up: “Who are you, sir, daring to trespass into the Chu family estate!”

Shi Lezhi’s eyes lit up. He looked at the woman’s graceful, full figure and secretly admired her:

“What a stunning beauty!”

At any other time, encountering such a beautiful woman, his nature would compel him to use any means necessary to capture and toy with her.

Unfortunately, he had already recognized her as Duke Mingyue’s wife. He could only suppress that thought, sighing inwardly: “Duke Mingyue is truly blessed with beauty. No wonder he hasn’t taken any concubines for so many years. With such a captivating wife, he probably has nothing left to give, so how could he possibly have the energy for concubines?”

Sensing the disrespect in his gaze, Qin Wanru became enraged: “You’re looking for death!”

She raised her palm and attacked him.

Zu An, worried she might suffer a great loss by being caught off guard, quickly warned: “Be careful, he’s an eighth-rank!”