Chapter 359

Qin Wanru: "..."Qin Wanru's fury surged."How could such an obnoxious person exist in this world!" she thought.She longed to press his head into the ground, grinding it repeatedly, and then stomp on it a few times.With a heavy snort, she turned and walked away, worried that if she exchanged any more words with him, she wouldn't be able to resist attacking him.She purposely walked very fast, hoping to shake off the annoying fellow, but each time she looked back, she saw him following unhurriedly."This guy's cultivation isn't impressive, but he's surprisingly fast," Qin Wanru thought, a little astonished. She suddenly remembered Chu Chuyan's advice and had to admit that her daughter was indeed better at judging people than she was.

The two returned to the Chu residence, one following the other.Zu An had originally intended to hand over the salt certificates to her, but since they had been together constantly, producing a pile of salt certificates out of thin air at that moment would be difficult to explain. So he returned to his own courtyard to rest. He had originally thought of sleeping in Qingyin Pavilion, knowing that Chu Chuyan's fragrant bed would be infinitely more comfortable than his own dog's kennel of a room. However, fearing that Old Mi might notice something amiss, he dismissed the idea. He had now guessed the other party's identity: a eunuch. If he kept showing him public displays of affection with Chu Chuyan, there was no telling if the eunuch would become psychologically twisted. Moreover, he still hadn't told him about his physical recovery.

Oh, and Qiu Honglei really did let him go this time. It seems that young woman is quite loyal and compassionate; he should visit her another day to express his gratitude...After a day of running around, he quickly drifted off to sleep with these jumbled thoughts in his mind.

Early the next morning, Zu An went to find Qin Wanru. It wasn't that he woke up so early on his own, but rather because Qin Wanru would surely be worried about the salt certificates. She couldn't very well ask while she was still fuming last night. What if she came directly to him early in the morning? How could he conjure them out of thin air for her then?He first went to Qingyin Pavilion, took the large chests out of the Glazed Pearl, and then went to find Qin Wanru. Just as he arrived, he saw her hurrying out of her courtyard, without even a maidservant accompanying her. It was clear she hadn't had time to put on much makeup; compared to her usual vibrant allure, she looked more simply elegant without it. However, there was a hint of weariness between her brows, suggesting she hadn't rested well last night.

Seeing Zu An, she was startled. "I was just about to come find you! I'm really uneasy about the salt certificates. Where did you put them?"Zu An inwardly thought, 'Good thing I got up early.' He quickly told her, "I was just about to come report to you." He then led her to Qingyin Pavilion, pointing to the chests piled in the inner room. "There, they're all there."Qin Wanru rushed over to open the chests and inspect them. Seeing the neatly stacked piles of salt certificates inside, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Excellent, these are indeed the salt certificates that were stolen! The Chu family is saved, Zhongtian is saved..." She couldn't help but turn and look at Zu An, thanking him sincerely. "Ah Zu, thank you."Zu An smiled slightly. "It's what I should do."

Qin Wanru opened her mouth, thinking of his words from last night. She pondered what to give him as a reward, but after much thought, she couldn't come up with anything. He wasn't short on money, and her most cherished daughter was already his. She couldn't possibly give him Xiao Zhao as well, could she?"Oh, by the way, I forgot to return this mask to you yesterday," she said, changing the subject. "This is a rare treasure, so make sure to keep it safe.""Thank you for the reminder, Madam," Zu An said, taking back the mask that was as thin as a cicada's wing. "By the way, now that the salt certificates are back, does Chu Chuyan still need to go on that dangerous mission?"

Qin Wanru shook her head. "The Sang family has been meticulously scheming against us. Constantly defending ourselves is useless. We should seize this opportunity to launch a decisive counterattack and eliminate future troubles once and for all. However, we can inform Chu Chuyan to put her mind at ease.""How do we inform her? With a carrier pigeon?" Zu An was momentarily stunned.Qin Wanru rolled her eyes at him. She took a mirror from her sleeve and activated her primal energy. Soon, ripples appeared on the mirror's surface, which then became covered with a layer of mist. After a moment, the mist gradually dispersed, revealing a beautiful face in the mirror. Zu An's eyes immediately widened, for the person in the mirror was none other than Chu Chuyan!

"Mother, has something urgent happened at home for you to use the audio-visual mirror to contact me?" Chu Chuyan's voice was filled with concern.Qin Wanru quickly said, "Chuyan, you don't need to worry. On the contrary, it's good news. We've found the batch of salt certificates that Chen Xuan stole." As she spoke, she aimed the mirror at the chest containing the salt certificates.Zu An watched, clicking his tongue in amazement. Wasn't this just like a video call from his previous life? Since arriving in this world, he had noticed many things achievable in a technologically advanced world were accomplished here through cultivation and runes, achieving the same effects.

"Really? How did you find them?" Chu Chuyan's voice was full of joyous surprise."Of course, it was thanks to your handsome, dashing, and graceful husband!" Zu An chimed in, leaning closer and grinning at the mirror.Chu Chuyan immediately blushed deeply. "Don't speak without restraint; Mother is still here."A hint of a smile also appeared on Qin Wanru's face. "Ah Zu is right, he did find them. Your judgment is good."Zu An looked at her in surprise. 'The sun must have risen from the west today; she's actually praising me to my face?'"Those words are pleasant to hear, Madam. Would you care to offer a few more compliments?" Zu An said, still grinning.Qin Wanru: "..."In the mirror, Chu Chuyan pressed a hand to her forehead, clearly exasperated by his roguish behavior.

Qin Wanru ignored him and said directly, "Chuyan, proceed with the original plan. I'm telling you this mainly to put your mind at ease and so you don't take overly risky actions."Chu Chuyan nodded. "Alright! Please thank Ah Zu for me."Qin Wanru acknowledged, and then ripples appeared on the mirror's surface again, before it reverted to a normal mirror.Zu An was taken aback. "I still had so much to say to Chuyan! Why did you hang up?"Qin Wanru irritably replied, "The audio-visual mirror consumes a massive amount of primal stones for each communication. Once used, it cannot be used again for a month, and each call has limited time. Therefore, it can only be used in extremely urgent situations, not for you to chat idly!"Zu An's face showed disappointment. "Tsk, I overestimated you. It's truly a backward world after all."Hearing his tone, Qin Wanru looked displeased. "It's no wonder you don't appreciate it, seeing this precious item for the first time. You'll understand how rare it is later. There might only be one like it in the entire Brightmoon City, obtained by a serendipitous chance by a Chu family ancestor long ago.""Only you people treat this useless thing like a treasure," Zu An scoffed. "Back in my hometown, everyone has one, and they can chat for as long as they like."Qin Wanru: "Heh, how ignorant."Zu An: "..."Ah, life was truly as lonely as snow. Every time he spoke the truth, these people simply wouldn't believe him.

Next, Qin Wanru asked him to keep the salt certificates a secret for now. She needed to meticulously plan how to maximize their effectiveness. Zu An was naturally content with the newfound leisure. With a major issue resolved, he felt completely relaxed. He went to school as usual, playfully teasing Xiao Zhao on the way, and flirting with female teachers at the academy. Life was incredibly pleasant.The only regret was that when he later went to Immortal's Abode to find Qiu Honglei, intending to thank her for that night's events, he was met with a surprise. Upon arriving at Immortal's Abode, he was told that Qiu Honglei had already left. As for where she went, no one knew. He hadn't expected that night to be their last. He wondered if they would ever meet again, and thinking of the time they had spent together, he couldn't help but feel a sense of profound loss.

However, it wasn't long before Zu An understood why she had left. One day, Qin Wanru found Zu An privately, her tone somewhat grave. "I don't know the background of those masked men, to actually dare to try and kill Sang Qian.""He died?" Zu An was also startled."Not quite," Qin Wanru replied. "But he was severely injured. Sang Hong even invited Divine Doctor Ji to treat him, but he could only temporarily preserve his life. Whether he can ultimately recover and be out of danger is still a fifty-fifty chance.""With Divine Doctor Ji on the case, he should be fine, right?" Zu An clicked his tongue in amazement. What kind of power did Qiu Honglei's group wield to be so audacious? Could it be that they were venting their anger on Sang Qian because of the lost salt certificates?"Not necessarily. The Sang family is even planning for him to marry Zheng Dan early to bring him good fortune, which proves the situation is far from optimistic," Qin Wanru said."What?" Zu An abruptly stood up.