Chapter 272: I Have No Other Skills

As soon as she finished speaking, Pei Mianman began her demonstration.

She was exceptionally beautiful, and since this cultivation method prioritized agility and subtlety, her display looked less like a martial art and more like a dance. It was truly exquisite, like a scene from a celestial realm on earth.

Zu An couldn't help but sigh inwardly. In the past, watching historical dramas, he used to wonder what those court dances were all about and felt pity for ancient emperors and nobles. Now he realized it was mainly because the extras in those dramas weren't attractive enough; otherwise, they would undoubtedly be captivating. Zu An's eyes flickered with Pei Mianman's movements, as if his heart was trembling along with them.

While demonstrating, Pei Mianman explained the cultivation route. When she finished, seeing him staring blankly, she couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. "I'm done demonstrating. How much did you remember?"

Rage from Pei Mianman +233!

"I remembered all of it," Zu An replied subconsciously.

"All of it?" Pei Mianman's brows furrowed instantly. Her earlier remark about only demonstrating once was just spoken in anger. It was impossible to learn it by just watching once; she herself had to watch it three times before even grasping the basics.

"Yes," Zu An said, wiping his mouth, relieved there was no drool. He was glad he hadn't made a fool of himself. As for the Feather-Robe Entwining Hand she had just demonstrated, he was indeed not lying. Ever since eating those Marrow Cleansing Fruits, his mind felt exceptionally sharp, and his memory was astonishingly good. He could basically grasp anything after just one look. Oh, if he'd had this ability in his past life, Tsinghua and Peking Universities would have been his for the taking.

"Then show me how you perform it!" Pei Mianman sneered. No wonder this guy was so disliked by many people; a man full of bluster was never popular anywhere.

"Oh~"

Zu An stepped forward, recalling her movements, and soon performed the "Feather-Robe Entwining Hand" perfectly.

About halfway through the demonstration, Zu An suddenly let out a cry of surprise. Pei Mianman had been utterly shocked to see him perform the "Feather-Robe Entwining Hand" flawlessly. Seeing him stop, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he had finally forgotten something. Still, to remember this much in such a short time was quite remarkable. Just as she was about to offer him some words of comfort, she suddenly heard him say, "I should've said I couldn't remember it. That way, you could've taught me hand-in-hand, and I could've legitimately made physical contact with you. Is it too late if I say I don't remember now?"

Pei Mianman: "..."

Seeing her stern face, Zu An gave an awkward smile. Given what had just happened, he didn't dare push his luck. He quickly finished demonstrating the remaining parts. "So, did I make any mistakes?" Zu An eagerly asked.

Pei Mianman's red lips parted slightly, but she remained silent for a long moment. After a long pause, she finally let out a breath and said, "No mistakes."

Not just no mistakes, it was perfect. Even with her most critical eye, she couldn't find a single flaw. "This guy's talent is surprisingly high!" Pei Mianman was secretly astonished. She thought, no wonder that proud Chu Chuyan chose him as her husband; she must have known all along that he was a hidden gem. As for him joining the Yellow-class at the academy, it must have been a deliberate tactic by the Chu family to mislead others. Who knew Chu Chuyan, who seemed so pure and unassuming on the surface, was actually so scheming deep down? She certainly tricked me well!

"What's wrong?" Zu An couldn't help but ask, noticing her face shifting from pale to flushed.

"Are you and Chu Chuyan conspiring to trick me?!" Pei Mianman suddenly erupted with black flames all over her body. A spiral of black fire enveloped both of them, as if it would incinerate him into ashes the next second. Feeling the terrifying heat so close, Zu An's expression subtly changed. Tensing his body to guard against her potential attack, he swallowed hard: "Trick you about what?"

"You and she conspired to pretend you were out of favor with the Chu family, making me foolishly cooperate and make a deal with you. Is Chu Chuyan secretly laughing at me?" Pei Mianman's willow-like eyebrows shot up. This time, her eyes held not feigned ferocity, but genuine killing intent.

"You've seen my situation in the mansion, haven't you? That Qin Wanru would love to kick me out immediately. What did I lie to you about?" Zu An looked innocent, unsure why she was so furious.

"But you kept telling me to help you pursue Chu Chuyan, and you'd help me find the ledger. Yet, it seems your relationship isn't as distant as you claimed!" Pei Mianman was still unconvinced.

"At first, we were quite distant. I was merely a son-in-law in name only; she didn't consider me her husband at all. It was only during the recent secret realm expedition, because of Shi Kun and his experts chasing us, that we went through a lot together, and our relationship improved. But even so, we're still far from being a true husband and wife." Zu An thought to himself that he wasn't lying. Although they had once consummated their marriage, true husband and wife lived together, and they were indeed still far from that.

"Really?" Hearing him say that, Pei Mianman finally felt relieved.

"Of course, it's true!" Zu An cautiously removed her hand from him. "Speaking of which, you're not pulling your weight as a best friend. You said you'd help me pursue Chuyan, but there's been no progress for so long. I'm faster acting on my own."

"You have the nerve to say that? Did you find the ledger for me? You haven't found a single trace!" Pei Mianman retorted angrily.

Zu An gave an awkward laugh. "It's your fault for giving me no clues. Plus, my status in the Chu family is so low, I can't even access such things."

Pei Mianman huffed, then her gaze suddenly shifted to the side. "Oh, that's a nice sword." Seeing the Tai'a Sword plunged directly into the floor tiles as if cutting through tofu, she was visibly impressed.

Just as she was about to step forward to examine it, Zu An, worried she might discover something, quickly said, "Uh... aren't you worried that elemental fluctuations might attract the attention of the Chu family?" The first time they met in Chu Chuyan's room, she hadn't used her black flames even when fighting for her life, precisely to avoid alarming the mansion's experts. But with the sudden burst of aura just now, it was impossible not to draw attention.

Sure enough, Pei Mianman's expression changed. "It's all your fault!" After glaring at him fiercely, she tapped her foot and vanished into the night sky.

Remembering her playful glance and charm as she left, a gentle smile couldn't help but appear on Zu An's face. Why did he kiss her just now, as if possessed? What was even more baffling was that she didn't seem to react much... No, actually, her reaction was quite significant...

When Yue Shan, the Chu family commander, arrived with a group of guards, he found Zu An looking into a mirror and hurriedly asked: "Young Master-in-law, has there been any enemy intrusion here?"

"No," Zu An replied easily.

The guards searched the vicinity for a long time but found nothing. Just as they were about to leave, Yue Shan finally couldn't help but ask: "Young Master-in-law, what exactly are you looking at?" The other guards shared the same confusion; a grown man looking into a mirror in the middle of the night seemed odd no matter how one looked at it.

"I'm checking if I'm handsome enough. Otherwise, why would so many women fall for me?" Zu An replied instinctively. First Shang Liuyu, then Chu Chuyan, and later Qiu Honglei and Pei Mianman—each one, upon learning he was assassinated by Chen Xuan, rushed to send him various items and skills. This couldn't help but give him an inflated sense of confidence in his appearance.

Yue Shan: "..."

The guards: "..."

*Excuse us, we'll take our leave now.*

*Why do I feel so nauseous?*

The group of guards left with strange expressions on their faces.

Seeing a string of rage points accumulating in the background, Zu An thought to himself, "These people are so petty; it's pure, unadulterated jealousy."

Early the next morning, Zu An was still in a deep sleep when he was jolted awake by a series of banging on his door.

"Who is it?!" Zu An was grumpy from being woken up. Who was so thoughtless as to come banging on his door so early in the morning? He turned over, intending to ignore it, when suddenly the main door was kicked open.

"Lazy pig brother-in-law, the sun's already up, why aren't you awake yet?" Chu Hanzhao's unique voice, a mix of childishness and mischievousness, reached him.

Staring at the broken door bolt in the distance, Zu An's face darkened. "You're a young lady; can't you be a bit more ladylike? Be careful, or you won't get married."

"Whether I get married or not is none of your business!" Chu Hanzhao retorted. Seeing him still wrapped in his blanket, she couldn't help but say, "Hurry up and get out of bed! If you don't get up now, I'm going to pull off your blanket!" As she spoke, her small hands reached for his blanket.

Zu An was startled and quickly said, "I'm not wearing any clothes underneath. Go ahead and pull it off if you want."

"Big pervert!" Chu Hanzhao recoiled as if she'd touched something electric.

Zu An was speechless, thinking, *I'm sleeping in my own room, you break in, and I'm the pervert?*

"Why aren't you going to school today?" Chu Hanzhao asked, her face slightly flushed, turning her back to him.

"How did you know?" Zu An was a little surprised.

"My sister told me," Chu Hanzhao huffed. When she heard her sister say Zu An wasn't going to school today and that she didn't need to wait, she immediately ran over to confirm.

"Yes, I have important business today." With her commotion, he couldn't continue sleeping, so Zu An got up and began to get dressed.

"Hmph, what important business could you possibly have?" Hearing the rustling sounds of him getting dressed behind her, Chu Hanzhao's face grew even redder. At the same time, she wondered what her brother-in-law looked like without clothes on. As soon as the thought popped into her head, she was startled and quickly spat out "Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey."

"What's wrong with you?" Zu An was a bit curious.

"Nothing, never mind, I'll go by myself!" After saying that, Chu Hanzhao ran off guiltily, as if afraid he would figure out what she had just been thinking if she stayed any longer.

Zu An was puzzled. *Why is this girl so jumpy? A young girl's thoughts are truly hard to guess.*

Not long after, Chu Chuyan sent someone to inform him that the money was being prepared and that he could arrange the meeting in advance. Zu An thought about it. Since he had only met Wang Yuanlong once, he decided to ask Chu Yucheng to act as an intermediary, as Chu Yucheng often dealt with Wang Yuanlong. Chu Chuyan figured that since the Third Branch of the family was also responsible for the Chu family's salt business, she had no objections.

Soon, Chu Yucheng arranged the meeting, and by the afternoon, a few people gathered at the Immortal's Abode.

Watching Qiu Honglei play the zither behind a light gauze and beaded curtain, Wang Yuanlong couldn't help but exclaim, "Brother Zu truly has great influence! Otherwise, how could I be so lucky to enjoy Master Qiu's wonderful zither music up close?"

Zu An chuckled, "You flatter me, you flatter me. I don't have many other talents, but I've always been popular with women, haha~"