Chapter 284

At this moment, Bao Youru, the doctor from the Chu Mansion, had arrived in a hurry. Just as he was about to push the door open, Qin Wanru stopped him.

"Madam, what is the meaning of this? Isn't the young lady gravely ill?" Bao Youru asked curiously.

Qin Wanru's face flushed. "Well... there's someone inside right now, so it might not be very convenient."

"Oh, could it be that Divine Doctor Ji has arrived first?" Seeing her fleeting bashfulness, Bao Youru instinctively stroked his white beard, thinking the Madam was truly as beautiful as a flower. If he were twenty years younger, he might even fall for her. Lord Chu was quite fortunate, but it was a pity... Alas, fate plays tricks on people.

"No, it's not him. There's someone else. Please wait a moment, Mr. Bao," Qin Wanru explained.

"Oh? Could there be another highly skilled doctor in Brightmoon City? In that case, I must certainly meet them later." Bao Youru looked curiously towards the room.

Qin Wanru felt a bit awkward, wondering how she would explain things later.

Since earlier, Chu Zhongtian had been pacing anxiously. Unable to hold back any longer, he pulled his wife aside and asked, "Madam, is Ah Zu really reliable? Should we perhaps let Mr. Bao take a look, or invite Divine Doctor Ji?" He lowered his voice for the latter part of the sentence, not wanting to offend Bao Youru.

Qin Wanru was also unsure. "I don't know either, but Chuyan seems to trust him a lot. He should be reliable, right?"

Chu Huanzhao, who was standing nearby, immediately piped up, "I trust Brother-in-law too! He'll definitely cure Sister!"

Qin Wanru poked her daughter's head with her finger and snorted, "What are you little pipsqueaks getting involved in!"

Chu Zhongtian listened, dumbfounded. "So you weren't even sure, and yet you dared to let him treat her?"

"Alright, alright," Qin Wanru said, feeling a surge of irritation. "Where did you put that vixen?"

"Vixen?" Chu Huanzhao was taken aback and stared at the two curiously.

Chu Zhongtian quickly said, "The child is still here. What kind of vulgar language are you using?"

Qin Wanru snorted, "Isn't it true? If that woman hadn't shown up, would Chuyan have been so upset?" Although she remained defiant, she changed her wording, not wanting to influence her youngest daughter.

Chu Zhongtian couldn't help but say, "Actually, you can't blame her. She couldn't have known Chuyan was injured. It's just that Ah Zu flirts everywhere, which led to all this."

"Oh!" Qin Wanru immediately grew agitated. "She's not even officially in the family yet, and you're already defending her so quickly? You men really are all the same, completely infatuated just because someone is pretty."

"I didn't!" Chu Zhongtian could only offer a wry smile.

Chu Huanzhao, who was listening nearby, was utterly confused. "Father is taking a concubine?" After all, all the uncles and elders in their circle had multiple wives and concubines, and their status was even lower than her father's. For years, thinking about this, she had felt a little sorry for her father, believing he hadn't done well. She thought this, firstly, because having multiple wives and concubines was normal in the aristocratic circles of this world, and secondly, largely because her mother had been strict and her father kind and gentle throughout her childhood, so she subconsciously favored her father a little. Of course, if Qin Wanru knew what she was thinking, she would certainly teach her what "mother's love is like a mountain" truly meant!

Chu Zhongtian's old face flushed. "What nonsense are you talking about? No such thing! It's your brother-in-law!"

"Brother-in-law!" Chu Huanzhao, who had been eagerly watching the drama unfold, instantly froze upon hearing this news. What was going on?

"Brother-in-law is taking a concubine?" Chu Huanzhao blinked, still struggling to process the information; the news was simply too bizarre.

"Hmph, I've never seen such an arrogant son-in-law-to-be!" Qin Wanru huffed discontentedly, clearly very displeased with the situation.

"Who is it?" Hearing this news, Chu Huanzhao felt an emptiness in her heart, completely lacking the excitement she had felt moments ago when she thought her father was taking a concubine.

"Someone from the Immortal's Dwelling! Aren't they afraid of shaming our Chu family's reputation?" Qin Wanru said, deliberately glaring at her husband, clearly reminding him that the other party's status was unsuitable.

"Is it that Qiu Honglei?" Chu Huanzhao's voice suddenly rose.

"How did you know?" Chu Zhongtian was somewhat surprised, wondering how his daughter knew about the Immortal's Dwelling.

"Hmph, Brother-in-law caused such a stir there before, how could I not know? And now he's bringing someone home so quickly!" Chu Huanzhao glared angrily at Chu Zhongtian. "Father, where did you put that woman?"

"She should be in the guest room, I'm not entirely sure..." Chu Zhongtian answered subconsciously. *Why does it seem like my second daughter is even angrier about this news than my eldest?*

Having received her answer, Chu Huanzhao stormed off in the direction of the guest rooms. Unfortunately, they didn't know that Qiu Honglei was not in the Chu family guest room at that moment, but in the courtyard where Zu An was staying.

"Is this where your son-in-law lives?" Qiu Honglei asked with a slight smile playing on her lips, gazing at the small courtyard before her.

"Yes, the son-in-law lives here. He doesn't usually stay with the young lady," the house servant said obsequiously, thinking, *This woman is too beautiful, and she smells so good.*

"Thank you, young man. What's your name?" Qiu Honglei smiled enchantingly.

The servant was immediately flattered and quickly replied, "To answer the young lady, my name is Jin Zhu."

"Jin Zhu?" Qiu Honglei let out a giggle. "That's a very unique name."

The servant's entire body went limp. *She smiled at me, she smiled at me!*

"Please feel free to tell me if you need anything, young lady," the servant named Jin Zhu offered repeatedly.

"Thank you, young Jin," Qiu Honglei said with a smile, dismissing him. Then, she curiously surveyed the small courtyard before her.

"I wonder if his daily living environment holds any secrets," Qiu Honglei mused playfully. She pushed open his door, intending to look around and see if she could find out why Zu An had changed so drastically from a universally recognized good-for-nothing in such a short time.

Suddenly, her expression changed, and she swiftly dodged to the side. At the same time, a sharp gust of wind swept past.

"Oh?" The other party clearly hadn't expected her to evade that sure-hit strike.

Qiu Honglei was secretly alarmed as well. The opponent's timing and angle selection were so precise that she was caught off guard; her previous dodge had been a 120% effort, and she wasn't sure if she could evade another attack like it.

"A woman?" Although the opponent's soft exclamation was fleeting, it didn't escape her ears. "Who exactly is it?"

As there was no time to light a lamp, the room was dark, and the two exchanged a dozen blows instantly in the darkness. *Could it be the second young lady of the Chu family?* This thought was dismissed as soon as it arose. It was widely known that the eldest young lady of the Chu family seemed to have exhausted all the spiritual energy of the Chu family herself, while her younger sister, apart from inheriting her beautiful mother's looks, was considered utterly useless. As for whether she might be hiding her abilities... *Hmph, there aren't that many coincidences in this world. One Zu An is already enough; how could there be another one by chance?*

"Then who exactly is this person? And why are they in Zu An's room?" Qiu Honglei's curiosity grew with her doubts. She decided to capture the person first. She felt as though she was close to uncovering a major secret. Unfortunately, the opponent's cultivation was incredibly high. Qiu Honglei attacked without holding back, yet her strikes were still blocked, and several times she was almost countered. Concerned about alarming the Chu family, Qiu Honglei dared not use elemental powers and thus engaged in a fist-and-foot combat with her opponent. The more she fought, the more alarmed she became!

Equally shocked at this moment was Pei Mianman. She had been waiting for Zu An in the room, though she herself didn't understand why she instinctively kept coming to him these days. Perhaps it was because she had never had many friends growing up, and Zu An was different from others, making her cherish the time they spent together. Of course, her stated reason was to train Zu An to prevent him from being killed by Chen Xuan. She had arrived earlier than usual today. Hearing the commotion outside, she thought Zu An had returned, but to her surprise, it was a woman who entered. Although she couldn't see clearly, the other person's aura was definitely not that of Chu Chuyan, Chu Huanzhao, or any other member of the Chu family. Noticing her furtive manner upon entering, she assumed it was someone sent by Chen Xuan and immediately attacked. She had expected an easy resolution, but to her surprise, the opponent's cultivation was unbelievably high. Their moves were dangerous, and after dozens of exchanges in the dark, neither could gain an advantage over the other. Several times, Pei Mianman almost couldn't resist using her Dark Flame, but she forcibly held back, not wanting Chu Chuyan to know she frequently came here. So, with their own intentions, the two women engaged in close combat, exchanging blows.

Zu An, of course, was unaware of the intense battle raging in his room. He was fully focused on treating Chu Chuyan's injuries. At first, Chu Chuyan instinctively resisted, but she also knew how futile her resistance was.

A moment later, she suddenly stiffened, her face flushing crimson. "You bastard!" With that, she bit down hard on his shoulder. She wanted to return all the pain she felt to him!

Zu An gasped, not from pain, but from the genuine cold. *Who said that no matter how cold a woman seems, her body is warm inside? It was true last time.* But today's experience felt like entering a world of ice and snow. If not for his body being tempered by the Primordial Chaos Scripture, making him naturally gifted, an ordinary man would likely have instantly shriveled from the cold, and perhaps even suffered irreparable damage for life.

Zu An gently stroked her disheveled hair, saying with tenderness, "Your body is so cold. You've been pretending to be strong all this time; it must have been very difficult to bear."

Chu Chuyan's eyes instantly reddened. These words seemed to shatter her hard shell, revealing her most vulnerable side.

"Are you hurt?" After her initial shame and anger, Chu Chuyan now felt a touch of apology.

Zu An chuckled, "This is something I've longed for; how could I be hurt?"

"You bastard!" Chu Chuyan, enraged, pinched him hard again. However, he truly felt as though the other person was like a burning sun, radiating endless warmth.

"Is that comfortable?" Zu An suddenly asked.

Chu Chuyan was speechless. *How could this man ask such a shameless question? How am I supposed to answer that?* So she simply turned her face away, biting her lip and saying nothing.

Noticing her expression, Zu An realized she had misunderstood. He explained with a wry smile, "I was asking if you feel better now. I'm using Primordial Qi to warm your body. If anything feels wrong, you need to tell me immediately so we can heal your internal injuries as quickly as possible."