Chapter 259: Misunderstanding

Zu An suddenly stood up, his whole body poised for attack, but just as he was about to strike, he clearly saw the old face before him, which resembled dried orange peel.

"Senior Mi?" It was Old Man Mi. That guy was like a ghost, appearing and disappearing without a trace all day long. Empress Sister had said he was at least a ninth-rank master, and it seemed her words were true.

"Not bad, your vigilance is increasing," Old Man Mi nodded. Although he was praising Zu An, there wasn't a hint of a smile on his face.

"Senior, why are you looking for me so late?" Zu An asked tentatively. At the same time, he felt extremely frustrated. This guy frequently did things like suddenly appearing out of nowhere.

If he were alone, it would be fine, but if Old Man Mi suddenly appeared next time while he was having an intimate conversation with a confidante, she might be scared to death. Furthermore, as a man, he really didn't want his women to be seen by others, even if the other person was an old man. Unfortunately, the other party's cultivation was far superior to his, and currently, he couldn't find any solution.

"I heard you went to the Immortal's Dwelling? And received the courtesan's favor?" Old Man Mi looked at him with a strange expression.

"Senior, your information is truly well-informed," Zu An chuckled awkwardly. "Perhaps I'm just very charming, with a natural affinity for women, haha." By the end, he even let out a few embarrassed laughs himself.

"You seem to be in a very good mood recently." Old Man Mi frowned.

"I'm alright," Zu An chuckled awkwardly, not understanding what he meant.

"You were so heartbroken before that you wanted to hang yourself. Why are you so relaxed and happy now? Have you perhaps found a new treatment method?" Old Man Mi said, his gaze falling to Zu An's lower abdomen.

Zu An felt a chill between his legs and instinctively shifted his body, avoiding Old Man Mi's gaze. "Didn't Senior say that I could break the seal myself once I reached the Grandmaster realm? With that goal in mind, I'm naturally less depressed." For some reason, Old Man Mi always gave him an inexplicable sense of pressure, making him reluctant to reveal everything. At the same time, he thought to himself, 'I need to be careful from now on. If he sees it one morning, it might not be good.'

"Oh~" Old Man Mi clearly accepted his explanation, withdrawing his gaze and continuing, "Since your body isn't well now, you should focus more on improving your cultivation and less on getting involved with women. Anyway, it's meaningless for you."

Zu An: "..."

'What you said makes so much sense, I'm speechless.' In Old Man Mi's eyes, that part of him was still sealed, so indeed, flirting with women everywhere was meaningless. Moreover, his actions, despite his supposed condition, greatly puzzled Old Man Mi.

"That courtesan from the Immortal's Dwelling is not simple. You're better off not having too much contact with her, lest you invite trouble upon yourself," Old Man Mi warned. She was a chosen "cauldron" for him, so naturally, he didn't want any accidents.

"Senior, do you know Autumn Redtear's background?" Zu An's spirits lifted. Firstly, he was curious about Autumn Redtear's identity, and secondly, he marvelled at how Old Man Mi, who spent all day watering flowers at the Chu Residence, seemed to know all the major happenings in Brightmoon City. He wondered how he managed it.

"I'm not exactly sure, but she's definitely not just a courtesan. Don't provoke her unnecessarily," Old Man Mi paused and glanced next door. "Also, that Miss Pei next door, I don't know how you two got involved, but don't play with fire. If the Chu family finds out and kicks you out, hmph hmph..." Although he didn't specify what would happen, the implied threat was clear.

Zu An's expression became solemn. "I understand."

"And remember what I told you: interact more with the Wei brothers. Report everything that happens in their household, no matter how small, to me." After saying this, Old Man Mi walked away unsteadily. He looked as if a gust of wind could knock him over, but within a few steps, his figure had vanished into the night.

The pressure on Zu An suddenly lightened. The thought of someone secretly watching him at unknown times afterward was incredibly discomforting.

"Why is he so concerned about the Wei family?" Zu An fell into deep thought.

As Zu An pondered, Old Man Mi was clearly also perplexed: "Why does that guy have such good luck with women when he clearly can't perform..." He thought for a long time but couldn't figure out the reason. Finally, he shook his head, too lazy to delve deeper. 'Never mind, it's fine if he has more confidantes. They'll all be mine in the future anyway.'

'By the way, how did that young girl named Pei get so big?'

***

The night passed without incident. The next day, Zu An woke up and hurried next door to find Pei Mianman, only to find the blanket neatly folded and the beauty already gone. Noticing a note on the pillow, Zu An walked over and picked it up. On it was a line of delicate handwriting: "Remember what you promised me yesterday." Smelling the lingering fragrance on the bed, Zu An chuckled wryly. 'Is this woman feeling guilty?'

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Zu An's heart brightened. 'Could it be that she was reluctant to leave and has come back?' He eagerly ran to open the door, but saw a chubby face, and his excitement instantly vanished. "Oh, it's you."

"Who else did Brother Zu think it was?" Chu Yucheng asked curiously. Chu Hongcai, who was behind him, also looked puzzled.

"I thought a fairy from the heavens had come looking for me," Zu An said grumpily.

Chu Yucheng laughed heartily. "Miss Qiu from the Immortal's Dwelling is no worse than any fairy. Last night... how was it?" He said this while winking and grinning, his chubby face looking extremely lewd and comical.

Chu Hongcai, standing nearby, also pricked up his ears, clenching his fists tightly, clearly quite nervous inside.

"Of course, it was unbelievably good," Zu An replied, giving him a knowing look.

Chu Yucheng listened with great delight, but Chu Hongcai, on the other hand, was nearly fuming. He snorted and was about to turn and leave.

Rage points from Chu Hongcai +999!

Chu Yucheng quickly pulled him back and said to Zu An, "Ah Zu, you know he's a huge fan of Autumn Redtear. He might find this hard to accept at the moment, so don't take it too personally. He's not targeting you."

Zu An chuckled. "Don't worry, I was just teasing you. Yesterday, Autumn Redtear and I went boating on the river, and who knew we'd suddenly encounter the bandit leader from Black Wind Stronghold? We barely escaped with our lives; it was absolutely terrible luck."

"Ah? What about Miss Qiu?" Chu Hongcai, standing by, grew anxious.

Zu An couldn't help but say, "You ungrateful fellow who prioritizes beauty over loyalty! Shouldn't you be concerned about me first?"

Chu Hongcai grumbled, "Aren't you fine here?"

"Don't worry, your Miss Qiu is fine. A mysterious person appeared halfway through and saved us. Later, the city guards arrived, and the bandit Chen Xuan retreated," Zu An explained, mixing truth with fiction.

"Chen Xuan came himself!" Chu Yucheng exclaimed. "That guy has robbed our Chu family's caravans multiple times, and the Chu family tried to encircle and annihilate him several times without success. How dare he be so bold as to come into Brightmoon City!" After leaving the Immortal's Dwelling last night, Chu Hongcai, heartbroken, went to drown his sorrows, and Chu Yucheng accompanied him. The two later got drunk and only returned near dawn, so they weren't very clear about what happened last night.

Chu Hongcai also nodded in agreement. "I've even participated in a few encirclement campaigns. Unfortunately, that guy appears and disappears without a trace, as slippery as a loach. To this day, no one has ever seen his true face."

Zu An's expression was strange. "Actually, you two have met him."

"We have?" Both looked bewildered.

"Not only met, but also fought," Zu An said with a smile. "It was the red-haired guy you fought with in the building last night."

"It was him!" Both exclaimed in unison.

Chu Yucheng cursed, "That guy looked like no good. I never expected him to be the notoriously evil Chen Xuan."

Chu Hongcai, on the other hand, was excited. "This Chen Xuan is truly asking for death, daring to openly come into Brightmoon City! Before, no one knew what he looked like, but now that we do, it won't be so easy for him to escape! This guy must have lost his mind or something."

Zu An rubbed his nose. 'The guy you're calling insane came to get revenge on me,' he thought, but there was no need to tell them that. "Right, why are you two here so early in the morning?"

"Look at my memory," Chu Yucheng slapped his forehead and brought out a food box. "Buns from Cai's and tofu pudding from He's—both are the most famous in the city and usually hard to get. We returned early today, so we brought a portion for you too. Let's eat together."

'Offering courtesy without cause indicates mischief or theft,' Zu An thought. 'These two aren't going to poison me, are they?'

Chu Yucheng's expression stiffened. He quietly said, "Last night, Hongcai drank himself silly, thinking that Miss Qiu had been... hehe, ruined by you. So I specifically dragged him over to ask you for news. It wouldn't be good to come empty-handed, right? I didn't expect Hongcai to have been overthinking things last night, haha." He also realized that what he said sounded a bit gleeful, so he quickly arranged bowls and chopsticks. "Eat it while it's hot, it won't taste as good when it's cold."

Seeing that both of them were also eating, Zu An finally relaxed. He scooped a bowl of tofu pudding. 'Mmm, it smells so good! I haven't tasted something like this in a long time.'

As the group walked towards the main hall, he continued to praise it profusely: "It's truly white, tender, and smooth. I definitely have to try it again next time."

"Haha, Ah Zu, you're truly one of us. I'll take you next time."

Just then, an angry voice suddenly rang out from not far away: "Despicable, shameless, vile!"

Zu An looked up and saw Chu Huanzhao glaring at him, her face flushed red with anger.

Rage points from Chu Huanzhao +444!

Chu Yucheng said gleefully, "Ah Zu, when did you offend our Xiao Zhao?"

"And you, you dead fatty, you're no good either! My brother-in-law has been led astray by you two!" After saying this, she stomped her foot and huffed away.

Chu Yucheng looked bewildered. 'What does your brother-in-law's character have to do with us? We were just discussing tofu pudding.'

"Young Master, Young Master, it's time for school. Your horse has been prepared," Cheng Shoubing said eagerly, appearing from out of nowhere.

Only then did Zu An realize that the three-day holiday after the secret realm had ended, and today was indeed a school day. His face fell at the thought of school, but then he remembered the beautiful Headmistress, the lovely Teacher Shang, and the classmates who provided rage points, and his mood instantly brightened significantly.

"Why are you so obsequious today, kid?" Zu An asked curiously as he walked towards the main gate.

"I've always been so devoted to Young Master..." Cheng Shoubing rattled off a string of nonsensical phrases before finally changing his tune. "It would be even better if Young Master could take me to the Immortal's Dwelling next time to see the world."

"You dog slave, how dare you incite your master to go to such a sordid place!" Just then, a whip whistled through the air and snapped, followed by Cheng Shoubing's shrill scream.