Chapter 586: Recognizing the Wrong Person

Zu'an gently wrapped his arms around her soft waist, saying, "We are one; why speak of formalities between us?"

Chu Chuyan, her face flushed, spat softly and quickly pushed him away. "Don't mess around," she urged, "people outside are really getting impatient."

Seeing her wary look, Zu'an felt a mix of indignation and frustration, thinking, "Am I really that kind of person?"

The two quickly returned to the study. Qin Zheng asked indifferently, "Well, how did your discussion go?"

As he spoke, his eyes were fixed on Chu Chuyan, and he felt a bit anxious. "I hope she doesn't run off with another man like Wanru did back then," he thought. "If this happens twice, I'll surely die of anger."

Chu Chuyan's face still bore the flush from their recent passionate moment. She softly said, "Of course, I'll be staying at my grandfather's house."

Qin Zheng laughed heartily. "Good, good! You truly are my good granddaughter. You, Zu, did you hear that?"

Seeing Qin Zheng's provocative gaze, Zu'an was speechless. "He's so old, yet he acts like a child," Zu'an thought. "If he knew what I just did with his precious granddaughter, he'd probably die of anger right on the spot."

"Hmm, I hope Chu Youzhao isn't a bigmouth," he thought. "Though I have a thick skin, Chuyan couldn't handle it."

He subconsciously glanced at Chu Youzhao. Coincidentally, she seemed to be thinking the same thing and was also looking at him. Their eyes met, and she felt her heart skip a beat, quickly looking away, lost in who knew what thoughts.

Murong Qinghe, who was nearby and deeply smitten with Chu Youzhao, quickly noticed the change.

"Huh, why is Brother Chu's face red?"

"But he's still so handsome."

"Brother Chu has such nice skin, fair with a healthy glow. Unlike me, who's so dark..."

She didn't realize how alluring her healthy, youthful skin was to men. She simply saw that other young ladies in the capital all had fair, delicate skin. Though she usually didn't care, in front of the one she admired, she couldn't help but feel insecure.

"Brother Chu is so fair himself, will he dislike me?"

"When I go back, I'll ask them what kind of powder they usually use."

"But what if those people laugh at me?"

At this point, Zu'an spoke up. "Since this is Chuyan's own choice, I naturally respect her decision," he said. "However, I ask Duke Cheng not to place her under house arrest."

The two had already discussed it: once Chu Chuyan was free, they could still meet anytime, as long as they were careful not to stay out overnight.

Qin Zheng snorted. "My own granddaughter? Do you think I don't care about her? Do I need you to tell me what to do?" he scoffed.

He had placed Chu Chuyan under house arrest because he was worried she might impulsively try to rescue Zu'an. Now that Zu'an was safe, there was no longer any need for her confinement.

"Hmm, I can also have Chuyan subtly probe him about the details of his deal with the Emperor," he thought.

He found it awkward to ask these questions directly, and even if Zu'an answered, he wouldn't trust it.

Once both sides reached an agreement, Zu'an stood up to take his leave; otherwise, it would be quite dull just sitting there, enduring an old man's glares and huffs.

Chu Chuyan, feeling a bit embarrassed about what had just happened, asked her younger sister to see Zu'an out.

Murong Qinghe also wanted to go with them, but Qin Zheng kept her back to ask about her grandfather. She could only pout as she watched the two leave. Even though she knew she would only be apart from Brother Chu for a short while, she still felt a vague sense of displeasure.

And as she watched the two walk away together, why did the sky suddenly seem a little green?

When they reached the main gate, Zu'an finally couldn't hold back. "What kind of look is that?" he asked. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

Chu Youzhao snorted. "Why am I looking at you like this? Don't you have any idea?" she retorted.

Zu'an replied, "You're so young, yet you're already thinking about such messy things instead of studying. Be careful, or you'll get a sty in your eye."

Chu Youzhao was speechless.

"Who's making a mess here?" she thought. "And then he bites back! This guy is truly detestable."

She took a deep breath. "Was it you who brought me back yesterday?"

"Of course," Zu'an replied, not wanting to expose Qiao Xueying.

"I had fainted then. How did you bring me back?" Chu Youzhao's jade-like cheeks had a faint blush.

Zu'an had to admit that this girl was indeed very handsome when disguised as a boy, and it was no wonder that silly Murong Qinghe was so smitten with him. "Of course, I carried you," he said. "How else? For cultivators like us, carrying a person, or even a pig, is effortless. You don't need to be overly grateful."

"You truly are a pervert!" Chu Youzhao stomped her foot and immediately turned and ran back inside.

Zu'an was bewildered. "I explicitly told you not to be grateful, so why are you still cursing me?" he wondered.

However, he quickly dismissed this small incident, as he had important matters to attend to.

After all, Chu Chuyan wasn't the only one worried about him.

Pei Mianman had returned to her hometown and was not in the capital, so he couldn't notify her. However, with the Emperor's announcement to the world, she should know soon enough.

As for another person in the capital, it was Zheng Dan, who had traveled to the capital with the Sang family father and daughter.

He had already found out that after Sang Hong and his son arrived in the capital, the Emperor, pitying Sang Hong's old age and loss of his son, minimized their past crimes and now had him confined to his home.

Other families who had grievances with Sang Hong, seeing that he was destined to have no heir, felt a sense of schadenfreude but were also reluctant to displease the Emperor. Thus, everyone tacitly accepted this outcome.

"What's the point of marrying a beautiful daughter-in-law if she can't bear him a grandson?" they thought. "Besides, Sang Hong is old; he doesn't even have the capacity for it anymore. He's destined to have no descendants."

"Since he wanted to be an isolated minister loyal only to the Emperor, let him be truly isolated," they thought.

The Sang family was quite well-known in the capital. Zu'an knew the general direction and, after asking a few passersby, quickly reached his destination.

Having just seen the magnificent Qin family estate, the Sang family residence seemed incredibly humble in comparison. Not only was its overall footprint much smaller, but the entrance was also covered in fallen leaves, as if it hadn't been cleaned in a long time.

A sense of desolation and decay permeated the air.

Zu'an originally intended to enter through the main gate, but he noticed some watchful agents hidden in the shadows. He figured that house arrest was a form of punishment, and it would be impossible for there to be no one keeping watch.

He didn't want to expose his relationship with Zheng Dan, lest it bring unpredictable danger to both of them.

He circled around to a secluded section of the courtyard wall and then, with a light push of his toes, leaped over it.

With his current cultivation, the watchers outside wouldn't be able to detect him.

Upon entering the Sang residence, he found that there were few servants inside, let alone guards. It didn't resemble the mansion of a former high-ranking official at all.

It seemed that with Sang Hong's downfall during this period, the people in his household had scattered like rats abandoning a sinking ship.

Zu'an couldn't help but feel a little emotional. Although he had once been an adversary of Sang Hong, it was merely due to opposing factions. Privately, he had always admired Sang Hong's methods and capabilities. Seeing him reduced to such a state, Zu'an couldn't help but feel a touch of sympathy.

He walked further inside and found what appeared to be the back garden, though it wasn't particularly large.

From a distance, he saw a white figure swaying there.

Recalling the desolation and decay he had seen on his way, Zu'an's heart skipped a beat. "Could it be a female ghost?" he wondered.

However, he quickly chuckled to himself. This was a world of cultivation; he had encountered zombies, skeletons, and female ghosts in secret realms before. Why was he still clinging to his pre-transmigration mindset?

He rounded the corner and finally got a clear view of the white figure. It was a woman dressed in white, sitting on a swing with her back to him, swaying idly as if lost in thought.

Zu'an quietly approached her. "Little lady," he whispered, "are you lonely and forlorn all by yourself? Would you like some company?"

Whose familiar back could this be, if not Zheng Dan's?

The woman started, turning around with a wary expression, but she forgot she was on a swinging swing. Losing her balance, she tumbled directly off.

Zu'an quickly moved to catch her. The woman immediately raised her palm to strike him, but upon seeing his face, she froze. "It's you?" she exclaimed.

Zu'an's face turned green. The girl in his arms was not Zheng Dan; it was clearly Sang Qian, the eldest daughter of the Sang family.