Chapter 256: Each Harboring Their Own Schemes

Zu An hadn't expected Qiu Honglei to leave so abruptly. In that instant, her strength was immense, even surpassing his own power without activating the berserk effect of the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture.

Caught off guard, he was also pulled into the water.

Once in the water, Qiu Honglei, like a mermaid, twisted her waist and gently kicked her legs, pulling Zu An a great distance through the water.

Concerned about being discovered by the Black Wind Fortress members, she pulled Zu An deep underwater, never surfacing.

As expected, the other members of Black Wind Fortress were constantly searching for them on the surface, but quickly lost their trace.

Zu An looked dejected. "Hey, at least give me some time to prepare!" he thought. "If we had stayed, Pei Mianman and I could probably have defeated Chen Xuan together."

Unfortunately, the moment he opened his mouth, all his words turned into:

"Gurgle... gurgle gurgle..."

"Oh no, am I going to end up like Xue'er did back then?" he thought.

Although he could swim, he had never tried extended free-diving. The crucial point was that he had no psychological preparation; otherwise, if he had taken a deep breath beforehand, he wouldn't be in such a sorry state now.

Noticing he was choking and struggling desperately, Qiu Honglei swam gently towards him, then pressed her lips to his, giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Zu An's eyes instantly widened. He had only seen such a scene in TV dramas before, and at the time, he had wondered about its feasibility. He never expected to experience it firsthand.

He could feel a fresh breath passing from her mouth, and Zu An's struggling movements gradually ceased.

His hands naturally rested at the curve of her waist and hip, and as he felt her alluring body, his resentment vanished instantly.

"Please, more of this!" he thought.

Feeling his hands, Qiu Honglei gently pushed him away, cast him a chiding glance, and then pulled him towards the shore.

A moment later, Zu An started floundering again, frantically pointing to his mouth to signal.

Qiu Honglei's face flushed. Ignoring him, she simply quickened her pace towards the shore.

Finally, they surfaced. Zu An gasped for fresh air, as if reborn.

Qiu Honglei, feeling somewhat apologetic, asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

"How can you even ask that?!" Zu An's voice rose sharply, full of indignation. "I was trying to call for help just now, and you completely ignored me!"

Water droplets slid down Qiu Honglei's face, yet her blush was still evident. "Who told you to behave badly towards me just now?" she retorted.

"Is it 'behaving badly' if I instinctively hugged you? I didn't even use my tongue!" Zu An grumbled petulantly.

Qiu Honglei was speechless.

To be honest, she was starting to regret it, wondering if the sacrifice she was making to complete her mission was too great.

But in that situation, he would likely have drowned if she hadn't given him air.

After his complaints, Zu An eagerly turned to look into the distance, seeing a blaze of fire in the middle of the river and two figures alternately appearing.

"Hmm? It seems this girl Pei Mianman was hiding her true strength," he thought. "She's actually fighting Chen Xuan to a stalemate."

As if sensing his worry, Qiu Honglei parted her red lips slightly. "Don't worry," she said. "That girl practices fire-elemental techniques, while Chen Xuan is metal-elemental. As the saying goes, fire conquers metal, so she has a natural advantage in combat."

Zu An felt a little calmer, but still couldn't help saying, "Even with the elemental advantage, Chen Xuan is a sixth-rank expert. Plus, being in the river is disadvantageous for a fire-elemental practitioner, so my friend is still in danger."

"This is, after all, a bustling area of Brightmoon City. Such a large commotion will quickly draw the city guards, and Chen Xuan won't dare to linger," Qiu Honglei said with a slight smile. "It seems your relationship with that friend is quite deep. She came to save you despite the danger, and you've been constantly worried about her safety."

Zu An smiled faintly. "If you were in danger, I would worry about you just the same."

Qiu Honglei scoffed softly. "I thought you were an honest man, but it turns out you're just a glib talker."

Inwardly, she mused, 'This man is truly extraordinary. Such a beautiful and powerful woman would step up for him. It seems I'm not the only one who's noticed him.'

"I disagree with that," Zu An corrected her earnestly. "You can call me 'glib' because we just kissed, but where does 'slippery tongue' come from? We didn't use our tongues just now."

Qiu Honglei was speechless.

For all her years at the Immortal Abode, she had always been the one to take the initiative and tease men. She never expected to be rendered speechless by this fellow today.

Rolling her eyes at him, she decided not to bother with him any further. She simply used a nearby rock to slowly climb out of the water onto the bank.

She hadn't felt it while in the water, but as she emerged, countless water droplets slid from her body, her dress clinging tightly to her skin, revealing an exquisitely graceful figure. Every inch of her seemed to radiate endless allure.

Zu An felt his nose growing warm. He instinctively touched it, relieved that he wasn't bleeding, which would have been embarrassing.

"Young Master, come up quickly, oh my~" Qiu Honglei turned to pull him up, but then noticed his gaze. She looked down and immediately understood what he was staring at, letting out a small gasp and quickly covering her chest with both hands.

Zu An's old face flushed. Unable to say anything, he sheepishly climbed onto the bank.

To cover his embarrassment, Zu An said, "I'll take you back to the Immortal Abode first, so you can change your clothes."

To his surprise, Qiu Honglei shook her head, saying with some difficulty, "The Immortal Abode is full of people and prying eyes. Going back like this would cause a huge commotion."

"What then?" Zu An was taken aback.

Qiu Honglei bit her lip, then said coyly, "How about we go to your home, Young Master? You could just find some men's clothes for me there."

This was seduction, pure and simple!

With Qiu Honglei's peerless beauty and her suggestive words in such a situation, probably no man under heaven could resist.

Unfortunately, Zu An was no ordinary man. He refused, saying, "This place is too far from the Chu family estate, and there's a high chance of being seen on the way. Besides, you know my status in the Chu family; it wouldn't be convenient to take you back."

"You're the esteemed son-in-law of the Chu family. Can't you even decide for yourself when it comes to hosting a guest?" A faint smile touched Qiu Honglei's lips. This was exactly the effect she wanted: to make him realize the inconveniences within the Chu family, so that dissatisfaction would fuel his ambition to rise, allowing her to cater to his desires.

Zu An rolled his eyes. 'Are you an ordinary guest? If I brought you, the renowned courtesan of Brightmoon City, back, not only would that tigress Qin Wanru explode, but even Xiao Zhao would probably break off our friendship.'

Moreover, this woman's background was unclear, and her motives impure. With Chu Chuyan severely injured, bringing her back to the estate would not be a wise choice.

Directly ignoring her attempts at instigation, Zu An said, "How about this, let's just get a room."

"'Get a room'? What does that mean?" Qiu Honglei was confused.

"It means finding a room at an inn. Then I'll go find some clothes for you to change into," Zu An explained earnestly.

"Never mind," Qiu Honglei said with a smile, pursing her lips. "I always feel like your suggestion has an ulterior motive."

Just then, a commotion arose in the distance, and many people carrying torches hurried towards them.

"It seems to be people from the Immortal Abode," Qiu Honglei said after a glance, a hint of hesitation in her voice.

"Perfect then. I'll feel relieved if you go back with them," Zu An said, smiling.

"But in my current state, I don't want anyone other than you to see me," Qiu Honglei said, her large, dewy eyes looking pitifully at him.

Zu An inwardly gasped at her skill. This woman truly missed no opportunity to tempt him; in his previous life, she would undoubtedly have been a master of seduction.

He took off his jacket and wrapped it around her. Being closer, he could increasingly smell her enchanting fragrance. "This should work," he said.

His jacket was long, and he was considerably taller than her, so it completely covered her revealing form.

Qiu Honglei tightened the jacket around her, saying with a complex expression, "Young Master, do you know how much of a stir it would cause if I were seen in this state, wearing a man's clothes?"

Zu An chuckled. "Didn't you decide you wanted to marry me? This is a perfect opportunity to announce that you are already taken. Isn't that good?"

Qiu Honglei was stunned. She hadn't expected him to turn her own tactic against her, and for a long moment, she couldn't find a retort.

"I'm leaving now!" Zu An waved his hand. It was only after she mentioned the Chu family that he remembered Chu Chuyan's cold qi needed to be expelled daily by his acupuncture, especially during these first few days. If the sessions were missed, the cold qi could easily backfire, causing more severe injury.

The thought filled him with an urgent desire to return.

Sensing his haste to leave, Qiu Honglei couldn't help but call out to him: "Ah Zu~"

Zu An had only walked a short distance when he heard her and turned back. "What is it?"

Qiu Honglei's face was full of resentment. "Am I so annoying to you that you're in such a hurry to leave?"

"I have urgent matters to attend to. We'll meet again next time," Zu An said, waving to her before his figure gracefully disappeared into the night.

Soon, the madam Hua Weimian arrived with a large group of guards. "Honglei, are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Qiu Honglei shook her head, her gaze drifting in the direction Zu An had left.

Hua Weimian was about to say more, but then noticed the man's jacket on her. Her expression subtly changed, and she quickly ordered her subordinates: "No one is to speak of what you saw today. If I hear even a whisper outside, no matter who leaked it, I will have every single one of you beaten to death."

The guards shuddered inwardly and quickly nodded in affirmation.

The Immortal Abode wasn't far, and the group quickly escorted Qiu Honglei back.

Back in her room, maids and servants had already prepared hot water. Qiu Honglei took off her wet outer garment, revealing her exquisitely beautiful body that could drive any man wild, and slowly stepped into the bathtub.

Lying in the tub, she extended a snow-white arm, and with a gesture, Zu An's jacket, which was hanging on a screen, flew into her hand. She rummaged through the clothes for a while, then couldn't help but let out a soft huff. "This guy is really stingy; he didn't even have any banknotes on him."

Although she didn't find any banknotes, she did find a beautiful conch shell.

"Oh?" With her knowledge, she naturally knew that this item could store music.

Soon, the classic BGM from "God of Gamblers" resounded in the room!

Qiu Honglei felt her blood begin to boil. After a long while, she finally let out a drawn-out sigh. "Naughty Ah Zu, you said 'The Swordsman' wasn't composed by you. You're such a liar."

Just then, a soft sound came from the window.

Qiu Honglei's expression changed. She quickly grabbed Zu An's jacket to cover herself and glared sternly at the figure beyond the screen. "Who let you in?!"

Gu Yueyi's voice drifted in: "I just came to check on my junior sister's safety. I didn't expect you to be bathing." Though he said this, he showed no intention of stopping.

One could even vaguely hear the sound of him swallowing with difficulty.

Qiu Honglei's face turned cold. She extended her hand, and with a gesture, a delicate bamboo pole holding a small lantern materialized in the room. Bathed in the bright yellow light, Gu Yueyi discovered, to his horror, that he couldn't move a muscle.