Chapter 582: Orange and Fragrant

Zu An instantly felt depressed. Were all beautiful women this hot-tempered?

However, the whistling leg whip coming his way left him no time to think. He quickly raised his hand and directly grabbed her ankle. "Hmm, the energy fluctuation suggests she's already a fifth-rank practitioner," he thought. "To have this level of cultivation at such a young age, she can certainly be considered a genius."

At that moment, Murong Qinghe's shock far surpassed his. "What's going on?" she wondered. "How did he so easily block a kick that I was certain would land? How high is his cultivation?"

"It's impossible for someone so young! Besides, rumors say Miss Chu married a mere street ruffian. How could this kid be so strong? It must be that I subconsciously held back, which allowed him to block me so easily."

Feeling the warmth from his palm on her ankle, she felt both embarrassed and annoyed.

Murong Qinghe's Rage Value +444!

With a twist of her waist, she leaped into the air, simultaneously kicking with her other leg towards him. This kick, leveraging her airborne momentum and the full force of her body, was far more powerful than the previous one.

Zu An hadn't expected her to devise a countermeasure so quickly. Her combat reflexes were truly impressive.

Faced with the swift kick, he had no choice but to release her ankle and take a step back.

The moment Murong Qinghe broke free, she moved like a dragon unleashed, her long legs striking him with the force of a storm.

Her movements were elusive, attacking him relentlessly from all directions.

Zu An secretly mused, "This woman's leg techniques are sometimes like the Shadowless Kick of Foshan, and other times like the Wind God Leg. No wonder she doesn't wear skirts."

He even admired his own ability to let his mind wander so much, thinking about such irrelevant things in the middle of a fight.

As her attacks grew more frantic, he raised a finger, pinpointed an opening, and struck.

The Spiritual Finger!

When he struck, he had instinctively aimed for her weakness, but after making contact, he inwardly groaned. The soft yet elastic sensation clearly indicated he had touched her inner thigh.

Murong Qinghe gasped and tumbled to the side. She instinctively tried to get up, but a tingling, sore sensation spread through her legs, causing them to go weak and making her nearly lose her balance. Her expression instantly became extremely peculiar.

Zu An was contemplating whether to offer an explanation, but then he thought, "She was the one who came at me, wanting to fight and kill. Why should I be the one explaining things? That would be pathetic."

Just then, Murong Qinghe spoke, her phoenix-like eyes fixed on his finger with immense curiosity. "What do you call that move?"

Zu An was taken aback. She wasn't crying, making a scene, or enraged, feeling he had defiled her purity?

What was with this reaction? She was actually asking about his move's name with an inquisitive expression.

"Is this the legendary 'martial arts fanatic' trait?"

Nevertheless, he subconsciously replied, "The Spiritual Finger."

"'The Spiritual Finger?'" Murong Qinghe murmured a few times. "Good name, good move. But you'd better be careful from now on."

As she spoke, she drew two short spears from behind her waist. Previously, out of arrogance, she hadn't used her weapons, thinking her leg techniques would be enough to deal with him. But now, realizing he was a master, she dared not be careless.

"Heh!" she grunted, charging forward without hesitation. Her two short spears, one in each hand, virtually sealed off all his escape routes.

Even from a distance, he could feel the fierce aura emanating from the spearheads, a unique characteristic seemingly forged from long exposure to enemy blood on battlefields.

Zu An had noticed the two short staffs behind her waist from the start, initially thinking they were strange decorations. He hadn't expected them to be such formidable weapons.

"This girl, despite her young age, is someone who has survived long periods in brutal battlefields?"

His mind raced, but his movements didn't stop. He took a step to the side, executing the Sunflower Phantom.

Murong Qinghe had believed her two spears had him locked down, but in the blink of an eye, he vanished.

When she realized he was already at her side, she panicked, quickly sweeping her short spear back to defend herself. Just then, his finger poked out, striking the shaft of the spear.

Zu An was secretly amazed. Her change of tactics just now was as elusive as a mountain goat hanging by its horns, leaving no trace. Although her cultivation wasn't high, her combat reflexes and practical experience far surpassed those of her peers.

He recalled how he had almost instantly killed the previous few sixth-rank assassins from the Shadow Pavilion. Yet, this fifth-rank young woman had exchanged so many moves with him.

While it was partly due to him holding back, her responses were truly commendable.

Murong Qinghe, however, felt a numbing ache in her arm. The force from his finger, transmitted through the short spear, made her lose her grip, and it flew out of her hand.

Zu An thought, "I've disarmed her. She should concede now, right?"

To his surprise, Murong Qinghe swung her other short spear to the side, precisely catching the one he had knocked away. With a click, the two short spears connected, forming a single long spear.

Zu An's eyes widened. "There's such a move?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Murong Qinghe thrust the long spear forward like a silver dragon emerging from the sea, aiming for him.

Seeing the countless spear shadows before him, Zu An frowned slightly. He simply extended a finger, and all the spear shadows vanished, leaving only the spearhead gently gripped between his fingers.

Murong Qinghe's face flushed crimson. She strained with all her might but couldn't break free even an inch. A sense of dread filled her. "How can this man's finger strength be so immense? What if he had struck my body?"

"Don't bother, you can't break free," Zu An said nonchalantly. "If you want your spear back, you can ask me. Maybe I'll return it." He mused, "Along this journey, I've encountered eighth or ninth-rank masters, or even grandmasters. I can tolerate being bullied by them, but if I, Brother Zu, were bullied by a mere young girl, how could I ever face anyone again?"

"Dream on!" Murong Qinghe retorted furiously.

Murong Qinghe's Rage Value +999!

Perhaps anger granted her strength, for she loosened her grip on the long spear, then rapidly rotated her forearm around it.

A spiraling force emanated, and the long spear began to spin rapidly.

Even Zu An couldn't maintain his grip and quickly released his fingers.

A smile formed on Murong Qinghe's lips as she prepared to retrieve her spear, but then her smile froze.

Because the other party had extended two fingers again, clamping her long spear. Simultaneously, his fingers slowly caressed it, while he remarked, "Good spear!"

"Let go!" Murong Qinghe exclaimed, filled with shame and anger. She had been practicing spearmanship since childhood, and after more than ten years, she had achieved a spiritual connection with this spear. It was like an extension of her own body.

What difference was there between him holding her spear and holding her body?

In truth, it wouldn't have mattered much if he had actually touched her body. Given her long military career, physical contact with enemies on the battlefield was perfectly normal for her.

But this spear was her source of pride and honor. Normally, when it was drawn, it either reaped enemy lives or subdued opponents. Now, to have it held and toyed with in his hand like this, filled her with an inexplicable sense of shame.

Seeing her body tremble slightly, Zu An initially thought she was shaking from anger, but quickly realized it wasn't. As someone now experienced, he immediately recalled that Qiao Xueying had trembled similarly when she was aroused last night.

Zu An looked utterly bewildered. "Really? Just by touching your spear, you're getting off?"

"What kind of strange setting is this?"

Just then, the gates of the Qin family residence opened, and a startled voice cried out, "What are you two doing?"

Murong Qinghe seemed to have received a great pardon. She abandoned her long spear and scurried over to the person, pointing coquettishly at Zu An. "Brother Chu, this guy is bullying me."

Zu An's eyes nearly fell out of his head. Just moments ago, she was a majestic woman, wielding her spear like a dragon, so fierce and cool. How could she suddenly change her demeanor?

"A tomboy instantly turns into a docile girl?"

Seeing her, who was clearly a bit taller than Chu Youzhao, feigning a delicate and clinging appearance, with heart-shaped eyes gazing at Youzhao, Zu An's expression became incredibly nuanced. "Is this woman mistaken about something? Does she like Chu Youzhao, who's disguised as a man?"