Chapter 374: Ghostly Hand

"No, Madam's current physical condition doesn't allow for any fighting," Ji Xiaoxi said, her expression uncharacteristically serious. "Brother Zu barely managed to pull Madam back from the brink of death. If you disregard your own safety and your injuries worsen to the point of being incurable, would that be fair to Brother Zu's efforts?"

"Ah Zu..." Qin Wanru's face flushed. Thinking of her earlier misunderstanding, and how she wasn't as angry as she thought she'd be after realizing it, her heart began to pound.

She used to scold him at the slightest provocation, but now she barely dared to look at him.

Just then, Ji Dengtu stumbled back, clutching several herbs in his hand. He looked distressed, muttering to himself, "Should I add this herb or that one? I'm not confident about either..."

Suddenly, he saw Qin Wanru sitting on the bed, her face rosy. She looked completely different from when he had left, and he was stunned. "You... how are you...?"

Before Qin Wanru could answer, Ji Xiaoxi shook the bottle in her hand and proudly praised Zu An as if presenting a treasure. "Daddy, Brother Zu saved her! Madam was in critical condition just now, but Brother Zu brought a miraculous medicine that got her out of danger."

Ji Dengtu remained silent, rushing to the bedside to take Qin Wanru's pulse. His face was filled with disbelief. "She's actually out of danger!"

Although Qin Wanru was still badly injured, with his medical skills—even Xiaoxi's—it was manageable now.

He turned to Zu An. "Brat, where did you get this medicine?"

Zu An blinked. "I found it in the secret realm last time."

He didn't know how to explain "Believe in Brother Chun," so he came up with a plausible excuse.

"Such miraculous things exist in the secret realm? Now I want to explore it too!" Ji Dengtu said enviously.

Jiang Luofu, who was nearby, interjected, "You can't go to the secret realm. You're not from the academy."

Ji Dengtu snorted. "Who cares about your academy's secret realm? Can't I go to other secret realms?"

After speaking, both of them simultaneously turned their heads away, avoiding each other's gaze.

Zu An found it strange. He remembered Ji Xiaoxi mentioning that Jiang Luofu and Ji Dengtu didn't get along well because of Jiang Luofu's sister. It certainly seemed that way now.

At this point, Qin Wanru spoke up. "No, I truly can't stay here. I can't just stand by while the Chu family is usurped by villains. Even if I don't fight, I can still expose the truth to the Chu family members once I return."

"Ah Zu, take me back quickly!"

Hearing her firm resolve, the others found it difficult to say anything more. Zu An said gravely, "Even if you want to go back, there's no rush. Let Doctor Ji and Xiaoxi treat you first, stabilize your injuries, and then we'll return."

Qin Wanru nodded. "Alright~"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she was slightly stunned. Shouldn't he be listening to her? When had she started listening to him so readily?

Next, Ji Dengtu and Ji Xiaoxi consulted together, performing acupuncture and applying medicine. Ji Dengtu also channeled vital energy to aid her recovery.

Meanwhile, Zu An pulled Jiang Luofu into the courtyard. "Beautiful Headmistress, could I ask you for a favor?"

"No," Jiang Luofu replied, shaking her head directly.

Zu An was dumbfounded. "You said no before I even said anything?"

Jiang Luofu walked to the doorway and looked outside. With her long legs and high heels, she walked with truly graceful steps. "I know you want me to help suppress the Chu family's rebellion, but this matter, while seemingly a revolt by Chu Tiesheng and Hong Zhong, is actually a power struggle between various factions. If I'm not mistaken, Sang Hong is behind them, and behind Sang Hong is the Emperor's will."

"Since its founding, the academy has always maintained neutrality and does not participate in any power struggles. I cannot allow this rule to be broken under my leadership."

Zu An opened his mouth, wanting to say many things, but when the words reached his lips, he realized they would be meaningless. So he simply gave up. "Fine, I won't force you."

Jiang Luofu hesitated, then said, "Given the current situation, the Chu family is destined to decline. You shouldn't get too deeply involved. If things become impossible, you can return to the academy. Even if Sang Hong himself comes, he won't be able to harm you."

Zu An smiled faintly. "Thank you for your kind offer, beautiful Headmistress, but I am already deeply involved."

Thinking of Chu Chuyan, Chu Hanzhao, and Qin Wanru... in a way, he was already part of the Chu family.

Seeing his mind was made up, Jiang Luofu stopped trying to persuade him and returned to the house to help Ji Dengtu treat Qin Wanru. Although she wasn't very skilled in medicine, her vital energy was abundant.

Zu An took this opportunity to continue the lottery drawing he had paused earlier.

To his surprise, the fifth draw yielded another 10 Vitality Fruits and 1 bottle of "Believe in Brother Chun."

It seemed his luck was really good today.

The last 19 draws even produced another bottle of "Believe in Brother Chun."

His luck was so good it was unbelievable.

It seemed washing his face multiple times really did work!

In total, this drawing yielded 47 Vitality Fruits and 3 bottles of "Believe in Brother Chun." It was truly an incredibly lucky streak.

The Vitality Fruits were one thing, but of the three bottles of "Believe in Brother Chun," one had saved Qin Wanru, and the remaining two meant two extra lives.

Swallowing the 47 Vitality Fruits, Zu An found that the first magic array showed almost no change. He then remembered that the first magic array of the fourth rank required a total of 4181 Vitality Fruits; 47 wasn't even enough for a fraction of that.

Zu An instantly felt a bit disheartened. If the first stage of the fourth rank was already this demanding, the amount needed in the future would be astronomical. How could he ever get so many?

Gathering his thoughts, Zu An saw that Qin Wanru's treatment was nearly complete. According to Ji Dengtu, as long as she didn't engage in combat or use her cultivation, her injuries shouldn't worsen.

"Ah Zu, take me back," Qin Wanru said again.

Zu An assented, went over, and gently lifted her into his arms, then bid farewell to Ji Dengtu and the others.

As they rushed towards the Chu family residence, Qin Wanru's heart pounded furiously, perhaps due to the lingering effect of the earlier misunderstanding. She couldn't help but speak, "I'm sorry, I misunderstood and hit you earlier."

Zu An smiled faintly. "It's alright. Your hand was very soft, and you didn't use any strength at all."

Qin Wanru grew anxious. "Don't misunderstand. I was truly angry then, not holding back. It's just that I was too weak to exert any force."

"I know," Zu An hummed in acknowledgment.

Qin Wanru turned her head away. "By the way, where did you get that miraculous medicine just now?"

A mischievous thought suddenly crossed Zu An's mind. He smiled and said, "There was no miraculous medicine. That was just an excuse I used to hide things from Ji Xiaoxi and Jiang Luofu."

Qin Wanru: "..."

Her heart thumped wildly, and her voice trembled slightly. "Then how did you save me?"

"Guess?" Zu An smiled, remaining silent.

Qin Wanru's mind exploded, and she was utterly dumbfounded.

The parts of her body in contact with him felt intensely hot. She quickly struggled to get down. "Let go of me, put me down quickly!"

Just then, her voice abruptly froze as they ran directly into several Chu family guards.

Zu An's body tensed, and just as he was about to make a move, he heard the guards shout in surprise and delight, "Young Master-in-law, Madam!"

"Oh, it's you three?" Zu An recognized them as Jiao Shanhe, Feng Dani, and Zhou Lujun. "Are you here to arrest me?"

The three of them waved their hands in unison. "Of course not! We came looking for you and Madam, to see if we could help."

"Chu Tiesheng has rebelled, but unfortunately, our voices are too weak to do anything."

"And Hong Zhong, those two have publicly announced that Young Master-in-law intended to harm Madam, even implying that Madam and Young Master-in-law had already..."

As they spoke, the guards suddenly froze. The sight of the two embracing, with Madam's face flushed with embarrassment, made them wonder if the rumors were true.

Zu An cleared his throat and quickly explained, "Madam was harmed by those two scoundrels and can't use her cultivation right now. I'm carrying her like this to quickly get back to the Chu family."

The guards nodded profusely, wearing expressions that clearly said, "I understand, I understand."

Then Jiao Shanhe suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "Madam, you really shouldn't go back. The Chu family residence is now surrounded by Hong Zhong and Chu Tiesheng's confidants. They've issued an order to kill anyone who approaches, so you won't be able to return to the Chu family to explain the truth."

Zu An paused, wondering what to do.

Qin Wanru then spoke. "Jiao Shanhe, you're a scout and quick on your feet. Go quickly to the neighboring county and inform Yue Shan to return."

"Feng Dani, Zhou Lujun, you two return to the Chu family. Contact those inside who are still loyal to me, and try to win over the neutral parties. Then wait for the right moment."

At this point, Zhou Lujun said, "Madam, Butler Hong and his people are guarding the Chu family residence tightly. We can't get back in."

Zu An then said, "How about this: the two of you stay here to look after Madam, and I'll go back to contact those people."

Qin Wanru had witnessed his cultivation level, so she wasn't worried about his ability to sneak in. She agreed to his suggestion.

She directed everyone to a secret Chu family outpost to settle down, then said to Zu An, "Ah Zu, I have something to tell you."

Feng Dani and the other guard discreetly moved outside.

"What's wrong, Madam?" Zu An asked.

Qin Wanru's face alternated between red and pale. After a long silence, she finally sighed. "Since it has already happened, there's no point in saying more. But this matter must not be told to anyone else, or else you, I, and the entire Chu family will be ruined."

"Furthermore, you must completely forget about this, and never bring it up again. We will be just like before! Do you understand?"

By the end, her voice had become inexplicably stern.

Zu An was stunned. He hadn't expected her to take his casual joke seriously.

Just as he was about to explain, Qin Wanru waved her hand. "You can go now. I don't want to talk right now."

With that, she closed her eyes, feigning sleep.

Zu An gave a wry smile. He figured it was fine for now. The priority was to contact the Chu family members; he could slowly explain things to her after dealing with the Chu family's affairs.

"Then rest well, Madam!"

Zu An quickly vanished into the night. The Chu family's defenses were indeed tight, but with his Gale Teleportation skill and the aura-concealing "Bright Mirror Not a Stand," sneaking in was not difficult.

He was contemplating visiting Chu Hanzhao, who was probably terrified right now.

Just then, he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. A hand had pressed down on him from behind, sending a shiver down his spine.