Chapter 271: Everyone Is So Familiar Now

Chu Chuyan was speechless. Why did it sound so strange coming from him? Yet, she couldn't refute it at the moment, as treatment required her to undress.

A hint of resentment flashed across her face as she turned away, her clothes slowly sliding down her skin, which was smoother than silk, revealing a pristine, beautiful sight that could drive any man wild.

Zu An thought to himself that this couldn't go on forever; next time, he would have to tell her that acupuncture was needed on the front acupoints. However, to avoid scaring her, it was better not to rush things. With immense willpower, Zu An managed to suppress his nosebleed and finally completed the acupuncture session for the night.

Chu Chuyan, blushing, thanked him, then firmly ushered him out of the room.

"That woman really turns her back on you once she's done," Zu An muttered grumpily after leaving her courtyard. Glancing down at his "little brother" which was clearly showing its displeasure, he thought, "If this continues, my body will be the first to break down. How did that saying go? Solitary yang doesn't last."

Muttering to himself all the way back to his room, he suddenly felt a stir and swiftly darted to the side, dodging an attack from behind the door. "Quick reactions, you've improved since yesterday," a charming, flirtatious laugh echoed from behind the door.

Zu An looked in the direction of the voice to see Pei Mianman leaning against the door, gazing at him with a faint smile. As she chuckled, her body swayed gracefully, causing a prominent ripple across her chest.

"Your eyes are wandering, you scoundrel," Pei Mianman scoffed, noticing his gaze. With a flick of her fair wrist, her hand, as pristine as white jade, shot directly towards his vital points.

Zu An was startled. "We're all so familiar with each other; is one extra glance worth fighting so desperately?"

Pei Mianman's face, usually as delicate as a peach blossom, was now covered in a frosty expression, and her typically smiling eyes revealed a chilling hint of murderous intent.

Zu An's heart tightened; this woman seemed to be serious. He dared not be careless and quickly reached for his Tai'a sword. Unfortunately, the Tai'a sword was only a third of the way out when Pei Mianman lunged forward, pressing his sword back into its sheath. Her other hand seized the opportunity to strike him.

Normally, Zu An would have complimented how soft and smooth her hand was, and perhaps even indulged in a quick touch. But the destructive power emanating from her hand now terrified him, leaving no room for romantic thoughts. He quickly tried to retreat and dodge, but she constantly managed to close within three feet of him, preventing him from creating enough distance. It was known that his true skills lay in swordsmanship; his hand-to-hand combat was quite ordinary, and without his sword, he could only rely on instinct.

In the blink of an eye, he had taken several of her palm strikes. Had Zu An's cultivation not significantly improved, and his body not been tempered and transformed by the Primordial Chaos Sutra, he would have likely been gravely wounded, spitting blood, and lost most of his combat ability by now. Even so, these few blows had his blood churning. From the moment she inexplicably attacked, his confusion had turned into annoyance, and now, he was getting angry.

He immediately unleashed his improved "Sunflower Mirage," and then, suddenly, split into two figures. Pei Mianman was startled, clearly not expecting such a transformation. She quickly sped up her attack, striking a vital point on Zu An's chest. But she felt no joy, because the empty sensation in her hand in that instant made it clear her strike had missed. As expected, the "Zu An" she hit dissolved into countless fragments of light and shadow.

Her heart skipped a beat, and just as she was about to dodge, a cold sensation touched her neck—a sword was already resting on her shoulder. "What exactly are you playing at? Do you concede?"

In fact, during their recent exchanges, Zu An had realized that while her every move seemed powerful, she hadn't used her full strength and had deliberately held back. Therefore, he hadn't gone all out either.

"It's no fun at all, I surrender~" No sooner had the word "surrender" left her lips than she twisted her waist, her body as lithe as a beautiful serpent, and directly lunged into his embrace.

Zu An was shocked and instinctively tried to step back, but it was too late. He felt a numbness in his wrist and could no longer hold his Tai'a sword. As the Tai'a sword clattered to the ground, Pei Mianman twisted and coiled around him, practically instantly twisting Zu An's arms behind his back. Then, with the tip of her foot, she nudged the back of his knee, causing Zu An to lose his balance and drop to one knee. While twisting his arms behind him and pressing her knee into his back, Pei Mianman leaned in, a sweet smile on her face, and whispered into his ear, "Well, do you give up now?"

"I give up... my ass!" Zu An roared, then twisted forcefully, dislocating his arm with a loud crack, thus freeing himself from her hold. Pei Mianman hadn't expected him to be so unyielding. Her face paled, and her other hand instinctively released him.

Zu An was already prepared; he lunged at her like an enraged lion. Pei Mianman tried to dodge, but her feet were tripped, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the ground. This time, Zu An didn't hesitate. He pressed down with his body weight, once again employing the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu move he had seen on TV, pinning her firmly beneath him.

Pei Mianman struggled several times, but the locked position prevented her from using most of her strength. "This trick again~" Pei Mianman pouted, then simply stopped struggling. The last time, in Chu Chuyan's room, when they were still strangers and fighting for their lives, he had used this very move to pin her.

Zu An was breathing heavily; the immense burst of power just now had left him more exhausted than running three kilometers in his previous life: "Woman, do you surrender?"

"Yes, yes, I surrender," Pei Mianman said, casting a resentful glance at him. "You, a grown man, just have to push me like this." The painful lesson he just learned made Zu An wary; he didn't dare release her, but instead kept her pinned as he asked, "What exactly are you doing? Why did you suddenly attack me?"

"Mainly, I wanted to train your reaction speed. Aren't you being targeted by Chen Xuan for assassination? As a friend, of course, I want to train you in advance," Pei Mianman replied, her eyes, as captivating as peach blossoms, full of a deep, knowing smile, as if she didn't take their current predicament seriously at all.

"Is that truly all?" Zu An asked, still suspicious.

"Of course, there's a bit of personal interest too. I wanted to use the opportunity to test your hidden trump cards, to see what makes you so audacious normally," Pei Mianman admitted without hesitation.

Zu An fell into thought. He was about eighty percent convinced. Although her previous attacks had been fierce, they hadn't truly carried murderous intent. Otherwise, when he had painfully dislocated his arm to escape her control, she wouldn't have instinctively released his hands.

Seeing him remain motionless, Pei Mianman finally grew annoyed. "Get up quickly! How long do you plan to keep pinning me? Does it give you a great sense of conquest to pin your wife's best friend down?"

It would have been fine if she hadn't said that last part. Zu An's blood was already boiling from his time with Chu Chuyan. Stirred by her suggestive words, his entire body instantly stiffened.

"What's pressing against me?" Pei Mianman frowned delicately. "I didn't expect you to have a hidden weapon on you, you really do have trump cards I haven't uncovered yet." Zu An's old face flushed crimson. How was he supposed to answer that? For a moment, he didn't know what to say. Pei Mianman instinctively glanced back, and suddenly her alluring face flushed scarlet. She instantly understood what was happening.

"You brat, get up quickly, or I'll burn you with dark flames!" Pei Mianman said, biting her lip. At the same time, she raised a finger, and a wisp of black flame flickered. Had she spoken nicely, Zu An would have gotten up. But hearing the threat in her tone, his stubbornness flared up. "I won't let go! If you're so capable, burn me! But before I die, I'll drag you down with me, so we can be a pair of ill-fated lovers," Zu An declared. Fearing she might break free, he instinctively pressed her down even tighter.

"You... rogue~" Feeling the oppressive pressure, Pei Mianman finally began to panic. She couldn't possibly burn him for such a trivial matter, could she? *But if he dared to go further, even if he was Chuyan's husband, I would definitely burn him!* Pei Mianman continuously set boundaries for herself in her mind.

Seeing the usually alluring woman in such a state of panic, Zu An found it quite amusing. He carefully observed the woman beneath him, noting that her face, usually as fair as snow, was now tinged with peach, her expression shy and exquisitely beautiful. His heart stirred, and he lowered his head to kiss her cheek.

"Ah~" Pei Mianman gasped in surprise, clearly not expecting such a sudden move from him. Her entire body trembled, and the black flame between her fingers flickered a few times before completely extinguishing. He heard her voice tremble slightly, and a faint mist even appeared in her peach-blossom eyes.

Zu An was startled. How could her body be so sensitive? The room quickly fell into an eerie silence, broken only by their heavy, ragged breaths.

After a long while, Pei Mianman finally calmed down. Her disheveled hair obscured her face, making her expression unreadable. "Get up!"

That impulsive act left Zu An secretly regretting it. Feeling guilty, he certainly didn't dare to continue pinning her down, and hastily scrambled to his feet. "About what just..." Zu An was about to apologize, but in his heart, he was lamenting, *What good would an apology do after something like that?*

Who knew Pei Mianman would cut him off directly: "The reason I tested you just now was to fully understand your abilities so I could teach you effectively. Your movement technique and swordsmanship are quite good, but your hand-to-hand combat is too poor. I'll teach you a set of Feathered Silk Hand techniques, so that if Chen Xuan tries to assassinate you again and you can't use your sword, you'll still have a way to protect yourself."

Zu An blinked. What did that mean? Was she just pretending nothing had happened? Seeing him remain silent, simply staring intently at her, Pei Mianman couldn't help but feel annoyed. "Are you listening to me?!"

Zu An swallowed. "I heard you, but just now..."

"There are no 'buts.' Nothing happened just now. And what I teach you today... don't tell Chuyan, understand?" Pei Mianman glared at him, her eyes full of warning.

"Understood!" Zu An finally realized. Since she didn't want to mention it, he wouldn't be so tactless as to bring it up again. Besides, he hadn't lost anything.

"Watch carefully. I'll only demonstrate it once. If you don't learn it, then that's that!" Pei Mianman's face was slightly flushed, clearly aware that her pretense was a bit self-deceptive.