Chapter 678

One of his subordinates hesitated, saying, "Princely Heir, Zu An is, after all, a baron personally appointed by the Emperor and an official of the Eastern Palace. Killing him openly in the capital would surely cause a huge uproar."

The young nobleman said calmly, "Who said I was going to kill him? Don't worry, I've made arrangements. I'll give him a lesson he'll never forget. How dare he be so arrogant as to contradict my father! My father is magnanimous and wouldn't stoop to his level, but I always repay a grudge."

"Such profound insight, Princely Heir," his subordinates immediately praised.

The young nobleman's face remained impassive: "Is what I asked you to prepare ready? Check it again; there must be no mistakes this time."

"Yes, sir!" A few subordinates quickly withdrew to check.

Meanwhile, at the Imperial Music Bureau, Zu An had already finished dressing in his room and was waiting.

Seeing the slender woman in a long gown enter, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Honglei, every time I see you, I'm struck by your stunning beauty."

"Your mouth must have charmed countless girls," Qiu Honglei rolled her eyes, her face showing no hint of pleasure from the compliment. "Ah Zu, I'm returning to the Holy Sect."

"I know," Zu An's expression also grew somewhat downcast. "Your master already told me."

*What rotten luck*, he thought. These past few days, he'd been separated from one confidante after another: first Da Manman, then Zheng Dan, followed by Qiao Xueying. Now even Qiu Honglei was leaving him. The vast, bustling capital, paradoxically, made him feel even more alone.

"It's hard to meet, and hard to part," Qiu Honglei sighed softly. In her two years as the courtesan queen at the Immortal Dwelling, she had met countless scholars and poets and naturally possessed some talent herself. "We've just confirmed our relationship, and now we must part..."

Zu An pulled her into his embrace and said in a deep voice, "If you can't master that cursed cultivation technique, then don't. I don't need you to become a peerless master. If you're weaker, I can protect you better."

Leng Shuangyue, standing at the door, hesitated to speak. This guy was truly lustful, always hugging and embracing the Saintess. *But Saintess, couldn't she be a little more reserved? Didn't she have plenty of tricks up her sleeve for those men before? Each time, she'd ensnare their souls, letting them see but not touch. But today, how had she lost herself like this?*

*Sigh, if those men at the main altar knew the Saintess was now lying shyly in another man's arms, they'd probably all be so enraged they'd spit blood.*

Leng Shuangyue grumbled internally without end. However, since the Matriarch hadn't said anything, she naturally wouldn't jump out and play the villain. Anyway, a hug wouldn't cause any harm, as long as it didn't escalate into anything more inappropriate.

Qiu Honglei spat lightly. "Hmph, if Master knew you spoke of the *Demonic Allure Sound* like that, she'd certainly slap you a few times."

She naturally knew that relying solely on one's looks to please others wouldn't last. If she gave up cultivating the *Demonic Allure Sound*, how would she compete with those other women in the future?

She was indeed beautiful enough, but were any of the others, like Miss Chu, any less so? If she accidentally encountered someone malicious, she could be killed with nowhere to even cry.

Moreover, as the dignified Saintess of the Holy Sect, how could she not have her own aspirations?

She also wanted to pursue the Great Dao, to shake the world like her master. No, it would be even better to be more powerful than her master.

*Hmph, in earlier years, Master loved to spank her. In the future, I'll try spanking her back.*

As soon as this "disrespecting one's master and annihilating one's ancestors" thought arose, she felt extremely guilty. However, she also felt a little eager to try. After all, coming from the Demonic Sect, her conduct was naturally somewhat unconventional and rebellious.

"I'm genuinely worried about you. Your cultivation method is too sinister, even your master..." Zu An hesitated, still not mentioning that Yun Jianyue was currently afflicted with karmic fire, fearing it would add to her pressure and make her timid in her future cultivation.

Anyway, she's different from Yun Jianyue. As long as she can cultivate to the Grand Completion realm, even if karmic fire appears, I can help her release it. *Hmm, I wouldn't mind being the one to assist her through it.*

Qiu Honglei, however, looked excited. "Ah Zu, don't worry. Master said my talent is among the best of all the Holy Sect's past successors. I will definitely cultivate to the Grand Completion realm as quickly as possible and come back to find you, but you mustn't forget me."

By the end, her voice was filled with a hint of melancholy.

"How could I forget you? I'll think of you every day, dream of you..." Zu An whispered sweet nothings into her ear. Then, he reached out, hooked her smooth, delicate chin, and lowered his head to kiss her.

Qiu Honglei let out a soft moan, melting completely into his embrace, and gently responded to his desires.

Leng Shuangyue at the door widened her eyes, looking at Qiu Honglei with disbelief.

*My Lady, aren't those just scoundrels' tricks? Haven't you heard such words countless times back at the Immortal Dwelling? Back then, you even secretly mocked which foolish women would be deceived by such words. So how did you become a naive fool yourself now?*

*And can the two of you please not kiss so passionately? There's still someone else here!*

*And you, Zu, where are you putting your hand?*

*My Lady, where is your usual decorum? Have you forgotten that the Saintess of the Sect is supposed to preserve her purity?*

Her face was a tangled mess. She hesitated whether to stop them, but the two hadn't reached the final step yet, and she worried she'd just make herself unwelcome if she stepped out. However, with the passionate pace between them, she was very concerned it would quickly escalate to the final step.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before Qiu Honglei came to her senses. She pushed Zu An away, and while tidying her disheveled clothes, she looked on the verge of tears. "You being intimate with me was indeed just because you're interested in my body..."

As she spoke, two streams of clear tears, like broken pearls, fell down, her expression extremely sorrowful.

Zu An immediately panicked. "Of course not! If I only lusted after your body, I wouldn't have stopped the previous few times. And I certainly wouldn't have let your master take you back. Although your master is a Grandmaster, she's currently injured, and this is the capital. If I wanted to keep you, I'd have countless ways. It's only because I couldn't bear to ruin your future that I agreed to your master's conditions..."

Seeing his hurried explanation and panicked expression, Qiu Honglei finally broke into a smile through her tears. "Ah Zu, you're so good to me..."

Seeing the two embrace again, this time without a hint of lust, purely a warm hug, Leng Shuangyue secretly sighed with emotion. *A Saintess is a Saintess; I thought she had turned into a naive simpleton. Her 'green tea' tactics are truly masterful.*

*Hmph, for women of our Holy Sect, how can one not be a bit scheming?*

She finally completely relaxed, realizing her earlier worries for the Saintess had been for nothing.

One must know that among the many candidate disciples in the sect back then, for her to stand out among thousands and become the sole Saintess, how could she possibly be a naive simpleton to be completely taken advantage of by some scoundrel?

***

After Zu An and Qiu Honglei had finally said their goodbyes, he left the Imperial Music Bureau feeling utterly dejected.

One by one, they had all left, all departing from him...

Although he knew this separation wasn't permanent, Zu An still felt a sense of loneliness. The bustling capital before his eyes, in his perception, resembled a scene of "withered vines, old trees, evening crows, the setting sun, and a heartbroken man at the world's end."

He walked on, not knowing for how long, when suddenly, shouts of alarm came from not far away.

Zu An turned his head to look and saw an exceptionally majestic, tall horse charging towards him like a mad beast. Its charging momentum was like that of a small tank.

*In a cultivation world, even horses are so much stronger than those in my previous life?*

Zu An, taken aback, turned sideways to dodge. With his current cultivation, how could a runaway horse possibly hit him?

The horse galloped wildly, immediately throwing the street into chaos. Everyone scattered in panic.

Just then, a slowly approaching carriage appeared not far away. The coachman, a scruffy old man, seemed frozen in terror at the sight, paralyzed in place.

The carriage didn't look luxurious; in fact, it was quite old, likely belonging to an ordinary family. With the charging horse's momentum, a collision would surely result in the carriage's destruction and death.

Zu An frowned. In his previous life, having transmigrated, he had seen several famous news reports online of out-of-control cars hitting innocent pedestrians. Back then, as an armchair critic, he could only express his indignation online. Now in this world, with his current abilities, he naturally wouldn't stand by and watch a tragedy unfold.

He let out a loud shout and charged forward in a swift stride. With his speed, he managed to reach the runaway horse before it could advance further. He reached out and firmly gripped the reins on the horse's head.

With his current cultivation, he possessed immense strength. Although the horse was powerful, it was still just a horse.

His feet dragged two lines on the ground, but he ultimately brought the startled horse to a halt.

Yet the horse continued to snort loudly, stomping its hooves in place, clearly agitated.

"Uncle Fu, what happened?" Just then, a soft, pleasant voice suddenly came from inside the nearby carriage, like a clear spring dripping, or the harmonious call of a mythical phoenix.

Zu An was startled. He felt he had heard this voice somewhere before, but couldn't recall it immediately.

"Reporting, Madam, a frightened horse charged over, but someone stopped it," the old coachman replied.

The soft voice from inside spoke again: "Since nothing happened, let's go."