Chapter 296: Playing Too Far

“Yes, of course I’m serious!” Zu’an begrudgingly got to his feet, feeling utterly humiliated at being thrown by a woman who usually seemed so frail. “I wasn’t ready just now. Again!”

Zheng Dan reached out and helped him up, a sweet smile gracing her face. “Alright.”

Zu’an had to admit it was no wonder this woman was listed among the ten great beauties; her looks, figure, and demeanor were all top-notch.

Speaking of which, it seemed everyone on the Brightmoon Academy’s Beauty Ranking was of stunning allure. Only his sister-in-law seemed to be there just to make up the numbers. However, she was still young; in a few more years, she would likely be as captivating as her older sister.

“Are you ready, A’Zu?” Zheng Dan’s face was full of smiles.

“Ready,” Zu’an replied, not daring to be careless. His vital energy flowed throughout his body, making him feel like a tightly wound spring.

Unfortunately, what followed was the same dizzying spin, the same heavy fall to the ground. “Ouch, my old back!”

Zu’an wondered what had gotten into this woman today, to be so brutal. The key was that her smiles were sweeter each time!

Zheng Dan helped him up again, saying apologetically, “My apologies, I was a bit too rough just now.”

Zu’an was speechless. Was this woman doing it on purpose? Was she intentionally mocking him?

“Again!” Zu’an reset his stance, indignant.

To his surprise, Zheng Dan didn’t accept the challenge. She shook her head. “Never mind. Your skill lies in swordsmanship; your hand-to-hand combat is simply too weak. I just forgot that point; my apologies.”

Though her words were full of apology, a flicker of triumph showed in her eyes. She knew this whole situation was deliberate!

Previously, the Sang family had tasked her with investigating the mysterious master behind Zu’an. Her last attempt to probe almost exposed her, forcing her to be more cautious and secretive.

After much thought, she finally found a method. Deliberately making Zu’an lose face today, she figured, would be intolerable for any man. He would surely try to reclaim his dignity. But the difference in their hand-to-hand combat skills was simply too vast. Having witnessed his swordsmanship before, she didn’t dare to compete with weapons, fearing an unexpected defeat.

This way, he would have to seek help from the master behind him. As long as that master taught him even a single move, she could deduce the master’s origins based on what Zu’an learned. And even if she couldn’t deduce it, she could at least confirm whether there truly was such a master behind him.

At this moment, Zu’an was momentarily stunned. Her words reminded him of something; he had heard similar advice just two days prior. Back then, Pei Mianman had told him that if he ever encountered Chen Xuan without his sword, he should use the method she taught him to protect himself.

The technique she had taught him seemed to be called “Feather Robe Entwining Hands!” Alas, there had been too much going on these past two days; he had almost forgotten about it.

Zu’an carefully recalled the details, then felt a surge of confidence. “It’s alright, this time it will definitely be different.”

Zheng Dan secretly chuckled. Men were always like this, so reluctant to lose face. Not at all surprised by his choice, Zheng Dan extended her hand with a smile. “Alright, let’s go again.”

No sooner had she spoken than her hand, like a nimble snake, wrapped around his wrist. She pulled, intending to use the same trick to throw him. But to her surprise, his hand suddenly became as fluid as water, easily slipping out of her grasp with a gentle sway. Instead, he seized her wrist.

Zheng Dan was startled. She twisted her wrist, retracting her hand in a move that demanded extreme flexibility. “What kind of…” Before she could finish, however, he gave her no chance to breathe, launching a direct follow-up attack.

Zheng Dan found his technique incredibly subtle, with many moves completely unexpected. Daring not to be distracted for a moment, she quickly focused on countering. In an instant, they exchanged more than a dozen moves.

Zheng Dan was utterly shocked. Although she rarely used her skills, this particular technique had virtually never met its match; she could usually subdue opponents in one or two moves. Yet, Zu’an was using some bizarre grappling technique that was in no way inferior to hers, almost causing her to lose her balance several times.

If he had used it from the start, she wouldn’t have been so flustered; she had been on full alert then. But after easily throwing Zu’an several times, she had confirmed his lack of hand-to-hand combat skills and promptly relaxed her guard. As a result, he suddenly unleashed a series of strange moves, catching her off guard and costing her the initiative.

In close combat, the initiative was paramount. One step ahead meant being steps ahead. After losing the initiative, recovering the disadvantage became quite troublesome. His attacks, furthermore, were like a tide, wave after wave, giving her no chance to counter. She could only parry.

Zu’an was a bit unpracticed when he first employed “Feather Robe Entwining Hands,” but the longer he used it, the more proficient he became. After nearly a hundred more exchanges, Zu’an finally found an opening and twisted her arm behind her back.

Zheng Dan, however, didn’t possess Zu’an’s previous resolve to break his own arm. Her face drained of color, she quickly hooked her leg and attempted a scorpion kick backward. Zu’an wouldn’t give her such a chance. He immediately embraced her thigh and pushed it forward.

Zheng Dan finally lost her balance in mid-air and was directly pinned against the wall by him. Zu’an pressed her firmly against the wall with his body, rendering her completely immobile. Only then did he lean in triumphantly and whisper into her ear, “How about that? Do you concede now?”

“No, I don’t,” Zheng Dan retorted, biting her lip resentfully. “You attacked first!” If not for that, even with his strange moves, she wouldn’t have been caught off guard and captured.

“You were clearly the one who made the first move, so how is it that I ambushed you?” Zu’an said with a chuckle.

“You’re despicable! If you knew such a wondrous grappling technique, why didn’t you use it from the start? You deliberately feigned ignorance, causing me to lower my guard!” Zheng Dan struggled a few times, but alas, her vital points were restrained by him, leaving her utterly unable to move. Unless she resorted to elemental power. But using elemental power in the teachers’ dormitory area would easily draw others, escalating the situation and making it even more troublesome.

So she stopped struggling, opting instead to see if she could coax any information out of him.

“Well, I’m always one to cherish and protect pretty women. At first, I was worried about bullying you, so I deliberately held back. Who knew you’d be so ruthless?” Zu’an’s back still throbbed faintly; those falls were truly brutal.

Zheng Dan bit her lip. “What’s the name of that grappling technique you just used? It looks incredibly powerful. Could you teach it to me?” If she could get the name, it would be much easier for the Sang family to investigate and find something.

Mindful of Pei Mianman’s earlier warning, Zu’an chuckled, “Oh, no, I can’t do that.”

“You can’t teach it, even with our relationship? Is there some difficulty?” Zheng Dan probed.

Zu’an’s eyes narrowed. It seemed this woman truly had ulterior motives, trying to probe for information about the master behind him. If he hadn’t been vigilant from the start, he might have inadvertently let something slip.

“You’re such a scoundrel! You actually hid a sword in your embrace. Were you planning to ambush someone?” Zheng Dan suddenly giggled.

“A sword?” Zu’an was startled. He looked down, and his expression turned a little strange.

Zheng Dan’s body suddenly trembled as she, too, realized what was happening. Two flushes of red instantly appeared on her pretty face. Feeling her incredibly yielding body, Zu’an had to admit this woman was truly a siren.

“Let me go, quickly!~” Zheng Dan chided, her face flushed crimson.

He was used to her feigning anger, yet Zu’an noticed he hadn’t received any ‘fury points’ from her. This woman was still acting! Thinking this, he not only didn’t release her but pressed closer, leaning in to whisper a warm breath into her ear, “But I don’t want to let go. Last time, I think I examined your leg like this, didn’t I?” As he spoke, his hand naturally rested on her thigh.