Chapter 649: Head-to-Head

Zu An quickly rushed to the bedside. "Youzhao, Youzhao?" he called. Seeing her clothes were intact, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did he have the presence of mind to examine her closely. Her skin was fair with a rosy glow, and her long, curled eyelashes made her look like a delicate porcelain doll. Her slightly parted, moist, red lips, as she softly breathed, seemed to exude a silent allure. He mused that it was no wonder Cheng Gang had made a move on a man; who could be as stunningly handsome as this?

As Zu An silently scoffed, Chu Youzhao groggily opened her eyes. Seeing that it was Zu An, a hint of confusion appeared on her face, and her voice was filled with charming innocence as she murmured, "Brother-in-law~"

Standing nearby, Shuangyue felt goosebumps prickle all over her skin. She couldn't believe a man could speak in a voice more alluring than that of a courtesan from the pleasure quarter; it was utterly astonishing.

Zu An detected a sweet fragrance on Chu Youzhao's breath. Frowning, he turned to Shuangyue. "What kind of wine is this?" Shuangyue explained, "It's mixed with a small amount of a special drug from our sect that enhances desire. The dosage is very small and doesn't affect one's consciousness. I never imagined Cheng Gang would be so brazen as to make a move on a man..." She stopped mid-sentence, seeing Chu Youzhao's enchanting appearance. She thought to herself, it was truly astonishing; if even a woman would be tempted by this sight, how much more so a man?

Zu An suddenly realized. Qiu Honglei had previously mentioned that they used drugs to make guests believe Shuangyue was serving them. He surmised this wine was part of that same scheme.

At that moment, Shuangyue's face showed concern. "Young Master," she began, "Cheng Gang's identity is significant. How should we handle this now?" Zu An replied gravely, "You don't need to worry. I will take care of everything here. Just go and inform Honglei." "Alright!" Shuangyue, who had already intended to do so, quickly departed.

"Brother... in-law, why are you here? Am I dreaming?" Chu Youzhao was still in a semi-conscious, half-drunk state.

"Dreaming, dreaming. You almost got taken advantage of and you don't even realize it," Zu An said, somewhat exasperated, as he tried to help her sit up. To his surprise, she seemed utterly boneless; as soon as he let go, she couldn't maintain an upright posture and simply collapsed into his arms.

"Brother-in-law, how could you... do this to me? I... I'll tell my sister... no..." Chu Youzhao lay in his arms, her eyes glistening with moisture, her delicate cheeks flushed as if on fire.

Zu An was utterly bewildered. Judging by her appearance, she still seemed to be caught in a dream.

Exasperated, he directly slapped her on the backside. "At such a young age, dreaming such nonsense instead of learning good things!" he scoffed. With a *smack*, he expected her to sober up. Instead, she giggled foolishly. "Brother-in-law, why did you hit me? Is this how you usually play with my sister?"

Zu An was truly speechless now; the girl still thought she was dreaming. Helpless, he picked up a cup of tea nearby. He initially intended to splash it directly on her face to wake her up, but seeing her delicate, flawless features, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to do it. So, he first helped her drink a few sips of tea, then dipped his finger in the tea and flicked droplets onto her face.

"Hmm... hmm?" Chu Youzhao finally seemed to regain some awareness. "Brother-in-law, is that really you?"

"You should be glad it's me, or you wouldn't even be able to cry right now," Zu An scoffed irritably.

"How are you here?" Chu Youzhao asked, not noticing Cheng Gang lying nearby. She suddenly realized her arms were wrapped around her brother-in-law's neck. With a gasp of alarm, she quickly pushed him away. "You pervert, let go of me!" Zu An was completely bewildered. He was almost amused by her outrage and was about to let his sister-in-law know what 'good intentions' truly meant, when suddenly the window burst open. A fierce sword qi shot into the room, causing the temperature to drop by several degrees.

A chill ran through him. He quickly turned, using his Lingxi Finger technique to grasp the opponent's longsword. Just as he was about to counterattack, he clearly saw the person's appearance: dressed in snow-white robes, with long flowing hair, like a fairy from a heavenly palace. "It's you?" he said. "It's you!" the other person exclaimed simultaneously.

"Sister!" Chu Youzhao quickly rushed to the other person's side, shrinking behind her, and gazed at Zu An with a wary expression. "Sis... this pervert bullied me." She had instinctively started to call him "brother-in-law," but halfway through, she suddenly realized he had just taken advantage of her, so why would she use that title?

"What happened?" Chu Chuyan asked, looking at Zu An with a puzzled expression. Although she was still angry about the morning's events, she found it hard to believe Zu An would do such a thing.

Seeing that she didn't immediately accuse him, Zu An felt a warmth in his heart, thinking his wife was still considerate of him. He rolled his eyes and irritably pointed at Cheng Gang nearby. "Some people dress as women to come to the pleasure quarter. They get drunk and lie on the bed like dead pigs. But their appearance is so stunning that even disguised as a man, they attract others' lust. Someone secretly came to assault her while she was unconscious, but I stopped it. And then she turns around and accuses me, repaying kindness with ingratitude."

"Cheng... Cheng Gang?" Chu Youzhao finally recognized the person on the ground, and her expression subtly changed.

Chu Chuyan, noticing the bloodstains on Cheng Gang's crotch, roughly understood what had happened. She turned to scold her sister, "What were you thinking? Is a place like the pleasure quarters somewhere you should be?"

Chu Youzhao's face was now ashen. She clearly realized the terrible ordeal she had just narrowly escaped. Now, being scolded by her sister, she stammered, "First Cousin and Second Cousin called me here. They said that men of high status and nobility in the capital couldn't possibly avoid visiting the pleasure quarters, and I was worried about being suspected if I didn't. So I came along... I came to see for myself, thinking that if other men talked about the pleasure quarters later, I would have something to say."

Zu An glanced outside. With such a commotion, he wondered why the Qin brothers seemed completely oblivious to what was happening.

Chu Chuyan was both annoyed and amused. "Even if you were worried about your disguise being exposed, you shouldn't have come to the pleasure quarters! Don't you know what kind of place this is? When I heard you followed your two cousins here, I rushed all the way, but unfortunately, I was still a step late. Thankfully, your brother-in-law was here..." She paused, then looked at Zu An suspiciously. "By the way, why are *you* here?"

Zu An gave an awkward laugh. "I'm investigating a case and was following Cheng Gang. Would an upright and noble person like me possibly come to a place like the pleasure quarters?"

Seeing that he wasn't there for leisure, Chu Chuyan's face showed a faint smile. However, she still jabbed, "Hmph, who was it who went to the Divine Immortal Residence and even provoked the courtesan queen Qiu Honglei back then?" Zu An remained silent. Sensing the deep resentment in her tone towards Qiu Honglei, and realizing she likely hadn't recovered from the morning's incident, he wisely kept his mouth shut.

At that moment, Chu Youzhao walked over, her face flushed. "Brother-in-law, thank you." Zu An scoffed lightly. "I don't deserve your thanks. In some people's hearts, I'm just a despicable person."

Chu Youzhao hugged his arm and shook it. "I'm so sorry, I misunderstood you, Brother-in-law. You're the best person in the world..." A flood of sweet words poured out as if they cost nothing. Even though he knew she was trying to flatter him, he inexplicably found it pleasing. Zu An was speechless.

This girl's ability to act spoiled was truly exceptional; she naturally exuded an aura that made it impossible for anyone to be angry with her. Compared to the frosty Chu Chuyan or the wild and tomboyish Chu Hanzhao, was the third sister the type who was especially good at being cute and charming? Still, he thought, she was currently disguised as a man, and being hugged and pampered like this by another man was still a bit awkward.

At that moment, Chu Chuyan frowned slightly. "Alright, alright," she said, "how old are you now? Still clinging to your brother-in-law like that? Have you no shame?"

A soft, seductive giggle floated in. "Oh, Miss Chu is truly a big jar of vinegar," a voice teased, "you're even jealous of your own younger brother." Zu An's hairs stood on end. While having many confidantes was enjoyable, the "battlefield" that arose when these confidantes met was simply too terrifying.

Chu Chuyan whirled around. "Why are *you* here?" she demanded. Thoughts raced through her mind: Could she and Ah Zu be having a secret rendezvous here? As this thought struck her, her face became covered in frost. Rage points from Chu Chuyan +404+404+404...