Chapter 381: I’m Just Passing Through

Wei Dan became somewhat exasperated, his voice turning sharp. "Little Yingzi, you are deliberately testing my patience. Are you trying to die?"

"Seeking death?" Old Man Mi smiled sadly. "If one can live, who would choose to die?"

Zu An felt a pang of sorrow. Though he had always been somewhat wary of Old Man Mi's potential ulterior motives, seeing him in such a predicament after knowing him for so long still made him feel a sense of sadness.

Just then, a commotion arose from a distance. It seemed the disturbance had alerted the Chu family, and a group of them were hurrying over to investigate.

Zu An even considered asking the Chu family for help, but after a moment's thought, he decided against it.

Earlier, Hong Zhong, the strongest remaining member of the Chu family, had been instantly killed by Old Man Mi, and Wei Dan was even more formidable.

Qin Wanru was only a sixth-rank practitioner and was unable to fight. While the remaining family members were considered elites, the immense power disparity meant that facing Wei Dan would be like lambs walking into a tiger's mouth.

If Chu Zhongtian had been home, it might have been slightly better, but he was only an eighth-rank cultivator and likely wouldn't be strong enough to make a difference.

Only if the Chu family's Red Robe Army were present might they have a fighting chance.

After arriving in this world, Zu An had always been puzzled by why nations and armies still existed when individual cultivators possessed such immense power.

He later found the answer in a class at the academy: While individual soldiers in this world's armies might not possess cultivation levels as high as many advanced practitioners, armies could utilize special formations. These formations allowed them to distribute a practitioner's attack among every soldier for absorption, while also combining the attacks of all soldiers to confront an enemy.

As a result, even high-level practitioners were no match for a well-organized army.

This is how a certain balance was maintained between the state's organizational structure and individual martial prowess.

As Zu An was pondering this, Wei Dan spoke again. "Hmph, I can't be bothered to waste any more words on you. The Chu family is already approaching, so I'll capture you first."

Old Man Mi burst out laughing. "It won't be that easy!"

With a flicker of his body, he appeared at Zu An's hiding spot. To Zu An's astonishment, he grabbed him and soared into the night.

Clearly, he had long been aware of Zu An's presence.

Zu An wanted to resist, but the power disparity was too vast. The moment the old man gripped his shoulder, all strength drained from Zu An's body.

Zu An looked utterly bewildered. "I was just passing by!"

"Shut up!" Old Man Mi snorted coldly, then flew off into the distance with him.

Wei Dan let out a surprised sound. Someone had been hiding here all along? Why hadn't he noticed?

He didn't have time to ponder it further, quickly giving chase. "Where do you think you're going!"

As the Chu family members arrived, they witnessed the sight of Zu An being taken away. A flurry of shouts erupted from the group:

"Oh, isn't that the old gardener from the estate?"

"Who's that other old man?"

"I don't know who that is, but I think I just saw the young master-in-law being taken by them!"

The group erupted in animated discussion, all clamoring to go and rescue him.

Cheng Shouping jumped forward and declared, "Nonsense! Our young master-in-law possesses unparalleled divine power. How could two old men easily capture him? Clearly, he's turning their trick against them, pretending to be captured so he can ensnare them all in one fell swoop!"

"Brother Cheng makes a good point," the others nodded in agreement. After all, their young master-in-law had previously killed Hong Zhong and Chu Tiesheng. In their minds, he was synonymous with unfathomable power, making it indeed unlikely for him to be so clumsily captured by two old men.

Hearing himself called "Brother Cheng," Cheng Shouping looked smug. He had been at the estate for so many years; when had he ever been treated with such respect?

All of this was thanks to the young master-in-law, so from now on, he must cling tightly to his coattails.

Rumors like someone just spreading that the young master-in-law had been captured must be stopped immediately, lest they tarnish his glorious image!

At that moment, the guard Zhou Lujun, with a grim expression, pulled Cheng Shouping aside. "Are you sure the young master-in-law is playing along? Those two old men are at least ninth-rank."

"Ninth-rank?" Cheng Shouping was startled. "Are they stronger than the Master?"

"Of course," Feng Daniu, who was nearby, asked in surprise. "It's common knowledge that ninth-rank practitioners can fly. Those two old men just flew away with the young master-in-law. Don't you even know that basic fact?"

"Of course I know that!" Cheng Shouping insisted stubbornly, though his heart was filled with dread. He continuously prayed to all the gods and Buddhas, "Young master-in-law, please return safely! Otherwise, my good days in the Chu family are surely over."

Meanwhile, Zu An was being carried through the air by Old Man Mi, watching the houses below shrink to the size of matchboxes. He couldn't help but swallow. "If you two want to fight, then fight! Why are you dragging me into this?"

The moment he opened his mouth, a gust of cold wind rushed in, making his words unintelligible.

Old Man Mi snorted coldly. "You're involved in this matter too, so you can hardly remain uninvolved."

"What does that have to do with me?" Zu An began, then suddenly realized he also knew the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra, which indeed made him relevant. "Then you'd better hold on tight; if I fall, I'm done for."

"Don't worry," Old Man Mi said with a humorless smile. "Falling would at most cripple you, but you wouldn't die. In fact, it might even increase your cultivation."

Zu An was speechless.

He knew Old Man Mi was referring to the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra, which increased cultivation through physical punishment, but he certainly didn't want to increase his power that way.

At that moment, Wei Dan's voice came from behind. "Little Yingzi, how exactly did you detect this kid just now? Even I didn't sense his presence."

Old Man Mi chuckled. "I have my ways."

Zu An was startled. He had assumed that the vast cultivation gap between them had rendered his "Bright Mirror Not a Stand" ability ineffective, but Wei Dan's words indicated that wasn't the case.

What, then, had allowed him to be detected?

"Even if you don't say it, I can guess," Wei Dan sighed. "Most likely you placed a spiritual mark on him. I never imagined you'd value this kid so highly. Did you even teach him the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra?"

Old Man Mi hadn't answered yet, but Zu An's heart skipped a beat.

Little did Zu An know, that subtle change in his heartbeat had already been detected by Wei Dan. "Just as I thought," Wei Dan mused. "If I'd known this earlier, why go through so much trouble? I could have just interrogated him directly."

Old Man Mi snorted. "It's too late for regrets now."

"Not at all," Wei Dan said, a faint smile appearing on his face. "I'll just capture both of you later and interrogate you together. I was worried that your mouth would be hard to open, but this kid should be easy enough."

Having been treated as if he weren't there the entire time, Zu An looked displeased. "Are you two done playing? Can't you chat after we've landed? Is it really that enjoyable to be blasted by the wind up here?"

His cultivation was far inferior to theirs, and at such a high altitude, the cold wind made him shiver.

"Oh, so the little fellow is scared," Wei Dan chuckled. "It's quite normal for ordinary people to be a bit afraid the first time they fly so high. There's no need to feel ashamed."

Zu An was speechless.

"You think this little bit of height can scare me?" Zu An retorted indignantly. "I used to fly tens of thousands of meters high all the time. Did I go around bragging about it?"

"Tens of thousands of meters!"

Both Old Man Mi and Wei Dan were startled by this declaration.

But the two quickly recovered. Old Man Mi was so annoyed he almost threw Zu An off. "You brat, your bragging isn't very convincing."

Rage points from Mi Lianying +666!

Wei Dan deeply sympathized. "Little Yingzi, how did you end up with such an unreliable fellow as your successor?"

Rage points from Wei Dan +666!

What a joke! The higher one flew, the fiercer the strong winds became. Even the world's most powerful emperor might not reach such a height, let alone a mere youth like him.

Zu An curled his lips. "Ignorance is ignorance. A summer insect cannot speak of ice."

He truly wasn't lying; back when he used to fly on planes, he was always tens of thousands of meters up.

Seeing Zu An truly committed to his pretense, Wei Dan didn't bother to respond further, redirecting his attention to Old Man Mi. "Little Yingzi, there's one thing I'm curious about: why haven't you used the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra yet?"