Chapter 406: Lingxi Finger

Startled by the sound outside, Qin Wanru hurriedly pushed Zu'an back. "Quick, hide!" she urged. "It will be trouble if he calls the imperial guards."

Zu'an still clearly remembered his recent encounter with Liu Yao and definitely didn't want a repeat. So he decided to hide behind the screen first and assess the situation.

As soon as Zu'an had hidden, the door was pushed open from the outside, and Hong Xingying strode in arrogantly.

Qin Wanru quickly brushed a strand of hair from her temple to hide her inner panic. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Long time no see," Hong Xingying said, a smug look on his face. "I've specially come to greet Madam."

"So, you wish to gloat in front of me as a victor?" Qin Wanru said coldly.

"I'm surprised Madam saw through me," Hong Xingying admitted without denial. "As the saying goes, to be rich and not return home is like wearing brocade by night. Your Chu clan didn't recognize my worth before, so naturally, I've come to witness your regret."

"Yes, I do regret it," Qin Wanru snorted. "My biggest regret is not seeing your true colors sooner, and not realizing Ah Zu's worth earlier."

Behind the screen, Zu'an felt a pleasant warmth in his heart. *Madam must be praising me on purpose for me to hear,* he thought.

Hearing Zu'an's name, Hong Xingying couldn't help but fly into a rage. "What is Zu'an? What does he have that compares to me, apart from sheer dumb luck?" His usually handsome face was now completely contorted. Clearly, he, who had always thought highly of himself, had suffered repeated blows from Zu'an, and the latter had become his persistent nightmare.

Qin Wanru sighed. "You still don't even know what makes him better than you; it only proves how foolish you are." In her opinion, the current Zu'an was far superior to Hong Xingying in every aspect.

Hong Xingying was truly provoked. He suddenly stood up and walked towards her. "Didn't Madam used to despise Zu'an the most?" he questioned. "How come you're defending him everywhere now? Everyone says you and Zu'an have something going on, and now it really seems to be true."

"Bastard!" Qin Wanru was furious, never expecting the servant who used to be respectful to her to utter such words.

Hong Xingying snorted. "Who are you trying to scare? Do you think you're still that high and mighty Duchess? Soon, the Chu clan will cease to exist."

"That may not be so," Qin Wanru said, too fed up to waste words with him. "Get out, you're not welcome here."

"Heh heh, you're not in charge of this mansion anymore," Hong Xingying chuckled. Instead of leaving, he took a step closer to Qin Wanru.

"What are you doing?" Qin Wanru's face instantly changed as she saw him approaching, and she hastily backed away.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Hong Xingying's eyes held a hint of madness. "If that Zu'an can do it, why can't I?"

In the past, he certainly wouldn't have dared to harbor such offensive thoughts. But now, with the Chu clan's downfall a certainty, Qin Wanru's Rank-Six cultivation had been restricted, rendering her powerless, and Liu Yao's men were searching everywhere for Zu'an. Thus, Qin Wanru now seemed like a defenseless little rabbit before him. Coupled with the provocation concerning Zu'an, the most wicked thoughts he had suppressed in his heart immediately surfaced.

"Stop!" Qin Wanru's face paled. She tried to dodge, but with her cultivation restricted, she was little different from an ordinary person and had no way to escape. Hong Xingying darted forward, seized her, and reached out to grab her ample bosom.

In previous years, when she was high above him, he wouldn't have dared to harbor any evil thoughts despite her extraordinary beauty. But now the situation had changed, and once this thought emerged, it could no longer be suppressed. As he thought of soon defiling the noble Duchess, especially considering her relationship with the young mistress, a flicker of mad excitement flashed in his eyes.

However, what he touched was not the softness he imagined, but a sharp pain. He looked closely and saw a man standing between them, firmly grasping his hand and looking at him coldly.

"Zu'an!" Seeing him in Qin Wanru's boudoir, Hong Xingying was instantly shocked and enraged. "You two really are having an affair!"

Rage value from Hong Xingying +666!

"What nonsense!" Zu'an slapped him across the face. With a crisp *smack*, Hong Xingying staggered, a red handprint instantly appearing on one side of his face.

Zu'an quickly supported Qin Wanru. "Madam, are you alright?" he asked.

Qin Wanru shook her head and whispered, "Don't let him escape."

Zu'an looked up at Hong Xingying. "Didn't you just say I was inferior to you in every way? Now's your chance. Let's have a one-on-one fight. If you win, Madam is yours today."

Qin Wanru, standing by, silently mouthed, "???"

Rage value from Qin Wanru +213!

Hong Xingying was about to call the imperial guards outside, but upon hearing Zu'an's words, he swallowed them back. "Is that true?" he asked.

Zu'an smiled. "If you can defeat me, who else here can stop you from doing as you please?"

Though Qin Wanru guessed he was deliberately using this to stall his opponent, the thought of him using her as a stake made her both embarrassed and furious.

Hong Xingying's expression shifted erratically. He believed his strength surpassed Zu'an's, especially since his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds after joining the academy, even breaking through to Rank Five not long ago! However, the movement technique Zu'an displayed during the last clan competition still made him somewhat wary. But then he reconsidered. Liu Yao had just said Zu'an was severely injured and that imperial guards were searching everywhere for him, so he was likely at the end of his rope. If he couldn't even defeat a severely injured, dying man, he might as well just bash his head against a piece of tofu and die.

"Good!" Hong Xingying drew his sword and sneered. "Today, I will return the humiliation you've inflicted upon me these past days tenfold, a hundredfold, back upon you!" No sooner had he spoken than his sword darted out like a venomous snake.

Although he didn't think Zu'an had much combat power left, he believed in using full strength even when a lion hunts a rabbit. Furthermore, seeing his enemy made him particularly furious, and his sword strike unleashed 120% of his power. A powerful sword aura surged in the room. Qin Wanru, standing far away, felt a stinging sensation on her face as if it were being scraped.

Although her cultivation was sealed, Qin Wanru's eyesight was still keen. At this moment, the sword strike appeared lightning-fast in her eyes; she couldn't find any flaws in it. Moreover, a faint circle of blue electric light seemed to ripple along the sword blade. It appeared he had broken through to Rank Five, awakening the lightning element ability, known for its speed and attack! Hong Xingying indeed possessed extraordinary talent. He had been held back at the Chu clan, but after joining the academy, his cultivation truly advanced by leaps and bounds. What a pity his intentions were impure!

Immediately, her heart filled with worry for Zu'an. Although she had seen his opponent's cultivation, Zu'an was severely injured, and his enemy was a Rank-Five lightning elemental practitioner skilled in speed and attack. Zu'an's movement technique would be somewhat suppressed... Her thoughts hadn't finished when suddenly she froze. The incomparably sharp sword aura in the room instantly subsided. The two stood mere feet apart, unmoving, like two statues. She subconsciously rubbed her eyes before she could clearly see that the lightning-fast sword strike had been gently held by Zu'an's two fingers. No matter how red Hong Xingying's face became, he couldn't advance an inch.

"What kind of sorcery are you using?" Hong Xingying stared at him, both surprised and fearful.

Zu'an didn't answer, but simply exerted force with his fingers. With a crisp *clink*, the sword was snapped. Without the slightest pause, he directly squeezed the broken sword tip and flashed past Hong Xingying.

"You... you..." Hong Xingying clutched his neck, staring at him in disbelief. The martial art the other party had just displayed was so miraculous, and his primordial qi strength and speed surpassed his own by countless times—it was a complete and utter crushing defeat. But how was this possible? *Did I step out on the wrong foot today...?* he thought. To his dying breath, he couldn't understand what had happened. *Right, my damn lightning elemental ability... I hadn't even had a chance to use it,* he realized. *I regret it so much, I hate it so much!*

Rage value from Hong Xingying +1024!

...

Zu'an's expression was calm as he looked at Hong Xingying, whose eyes were still wide open in death. His true combat power was already higher than his opponent's, and with the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra's buff triggered while he was severely injured, dealing with a mere Hong Xingying was naturally effortless.

"What kind of martial art was that you just used?" Qin Wanru felt as if she were in a dream. She knew perfectly well that it wasn't just casually holding it with two fingers, but an extremely profound finger technique.

"Of course, it's Kato... *cough cough*, Spirit Rhinoceros Finger," Zu'an replied. (He always felt the name "Sunflower" was unlucky, so he simply switched it to Lu Xiaofeng's famous technique.)

"Spirit Rhinoceros Finger?" Qin Wanru was startled, then couldn't help but praise, "That name really sounds good."

"Of course!" Zu'an couldn't help but feel a little smug.

"You should leave quickly," Qin Wanru urged. "The elemental fluctuations from your fight just now won't escape the notice of experts; someone will come to investigate soon." No sooner had she spoken than hurried footsteps could be heard in the distance.

"Madam, be careful!" Zu'an didn't dare to delay. He turned to leave, and as he passed Hong Xingying's corpse, he swiftly stored it in his Glazed Pearl, lest Liu Yao see it and grow suspicious.

He headed out of the city towards the Red Robe Army's camp in the suburbs. On the way, he threw Hong Xingying's corpse into the mountain forest, figuring it wouldn't take half a day for wild beasts in the forest to dispose of the body without leaving a trace. After dealing with the body, he then took out his audio-visual mirror and dialed Chu Chuyan's mark.

Soon, Chu Chuyan's face, like a secluded orchid in an empty valley, appeared in the mirror. "Ah Zu, are you injured?" she asked.

Zu'an felt a warmth in his heart. "Don't worry," he said, "it's just a minor injury, nothing serious." He then hurriedly recounted his experiences at the Chu clan, also expressing his concerns. "That crucial ledger is now in the hands of the imperial court. I'm afraid we're really going to become outlaws next. Do you know where Black Wind Stockade is? Or should we go somewhere else to establish ourselves as king and queen of the mountain, becoming a pair of desperate lovers?"

"Who wants to be a mountain king?" Chu Chuyan spat and quickly asked, "Is that book I gave you last time... that *Sweet Pet Adorable Wife... Dominant Sword Immortal's Ninety-Nine Days of Passion* still with you?" She clearly found the book title a bit embarrassing, stammering as she said it.

Zu'an's face darkened. "At a time like this, you're still concerned about such things?"

"Just answer me first," Chu Chuyan's tone was a bit urgent, "is it still there or not?"

"Of course, it is," Zu'an snorted. "Who else would read such an embarrassing book besides you?"

Chu Chuyan's face instantly softened like melting ice and snow. "Then it's alright," she said, "because that's the real ledger."