Chapter 746: 突袭与黑衣女子

"Why?" Mu Rong Qinghe was stunned. Most people would at least find an excuse to decline if they didn't want to help, allowing everyone to save face. But this guy was playing by his own rules, refusing without a hint of mercy?

Zu An said indifferently, "Why would I save a man who approached my wife with ulterior motives?"

Mu Rong Qinghe bit her lip, her voice softening. "Brother Zu, I know my cousin was wrong, but he's learned his lesson this time. And I can assure you, he will never harbor such thoughts again. Otherwise, I'll even help you beat him up."

"From what you're saying, it sounds like you approved of him approaching Chu Chuyan before?" Zu An's expression grew colder.

Chu Youzhao, who was standing nearby, grew anxious. Seeing her childhood friend being 'bullied,' she was about to intercede when Chu Chuyan subtly tugged her sleeve and gave a slight shake of her head.

Chu Chuyan apparently realized something was amiss. Recalling their outing today, Mu Rong Qinghe seemed to have intentionally or unintentionally led them towards Chongwen Gate. At the time, it didn't seem significant, but now it appeared she had been trying to set her up with her cousin.

"I'm truly sorry." Mu Rong Qinghe's primary intention was that if her cousin and Chu Chuyan got together, he would in turn help set her up with Chu Youzhao, thus strengthening their family ties.

Although usually forthright, she was too embarrassed to state this reason in front of the one she admired. She could only repeatedly apologize in shame.

Zu An remained unmoved. He simply sat down beside a chair and picked up his teacup, taking a sip.

Seeing his clear gesture of wanting them to leave, Mu Rong Qinghe felt even more wronged. She wanted to stay but felt awkward; she wanted to leave but worried about alienating the Chu family. She stood there, caught between a rock and a hard place.

Unable to bear it any longer, Chu Chuyan finally spoke. "Qinghe, we've known each other for quite some time. If you have something to say, you can tell me directly. There's no need for these kinds of tricks."

"I'm sorry, Sister Chu. It won't happen again." Mu Rong Qinghe was extremely vexed with herself. She felt as if she had been utterly foolish. She had clearly witnessed how affectionate Chu Chuyan and Zu An were, yet she still believed her idiotic cousin could succeed.

Chu Chuyan smiled faintly, then looked at Zu An. "A'Zu, little Qinghe knows she was wrong. She and Youzhao have been good friends since childhood, and she's a good friend to me too. Let's just let this matter go."

"Since you've put it that way, how can I be so unreasonable?" Zu An's face was also filled with a gentle smile.

"Brother-in-law is the best!" Chu Youzhao had been holding it in for a long time. Torn between her childhood friend and her sister and brother-in-law, she had felt very uncomfortable. Now that both sides had reconciled, she finally felt completely relieved.

"Brother Zu is truly magnanimous," Mu Rong Qinghe said, biting her lip before asking hesitantly, "Then, about my cousin..."

"I can save him, but you must agree to one condition," Zu An said gravely.

Mu Rong Qinghe's heart swelled with joy. "Brother Zu, just name it! Not just one condition, I can agree to even ten or eight!"

"Don't speak too soon," Zu An said with a half-smile. "My condition isn't that easy to fulfill."

Sensing his peculiar smile, Mu Rong Qinghe's heart sank. "What kind of condition?"

Chu Chuyan and Chu Youzhao, standing nearby, also pricked up their ears.

Zu An waved his hand, signaling for the two of them to leave first.

Chu Chuyan's eyebrows slightly rose, but she said nothing, knowing that someone else would be less able to hold back.

Sure enough, Chu Youzhao immediately exclaimed, "Why are you chasing us all out? Are you trying to bully little Qinghe?"

Mu Rong Qinghe gasped and instinctively took a step back, looking at him with a wary gaze.

Zu An was speechless.

"Am I really that deplorable in your eyes?" He felt equally speechless.

Chu Youzhao and Mu Rong Qinghe nodded in unison. The image of him "tormenting" Chu Chuyan almost simultaneously flashed in their minds, making their faces flush.

Zu An said exasperatedly, "I need to negotiate a condition with her. It's best if you familiar faces step aside. Otherwise, how can I negotiate if you keep speaking up for her? And if you don't help, it'll leave a grudge in her heart. It's better if you're not here from the start."

Chu Chuyan knew he made sense, and said with a smile, "Then we'll wait for you next door."

With that, she pulled the still-protesting Chu Youzhao away.

After the sisters went next door, Chu Youzhao paced nervously along the wall like an ant on a hot pan, occasionally pressing her ear against it, trying to hear something.

Chu Chuyan said impatiently, "What are you worrying about?"

Chu Youzhao huffed, "Who knows what that perverted brother-in-law will do to little Qinghe?"

"Your brother-in-law isn't like that," Chu Chuyan said, then blushed guiltily. She quickly added, "Although he is... a little bit lustful, he knows what's important and won't do anything to little Qinghe. Rather, why are you so concerned? What are your feelings for Qinghe?"

"What feelings?" Chu Youzhao was taken aback.

Chu Chuyan sighed. "Have you forgotten that you're a woman? No matter how good your relationship with her is, you can't marry her in the future. Your initial purpose was just to use her to cover up your disguise as a man. Don't actually fall for her."

Chu Youzhao pursed her lips and said softly, "I know."

Her expression inevitably turned bleak.

Chu Chuyan continued, "It's precisely because we owe little Qinghe that we must try our best to make it up to her. I didn't hold it against her when she conspired with her cousin against me, and I'll discreetly persuade your brother-in-law to help her later."

Chu Youzhao mumbled in acknowledgment, clearly unenthusiastic after being reminded that they had no future together.

Chu Chuyan sighed inwardly. It was truly a cruel fate. The entire responsibility of the Chu family rested on her younger sister's shoulders, potentially ruining the happiness of two young women for life.

Just then, Chu Youzhao's eyes suddenly lit up, and she excitedly said, "I've thought of a way to satisfy both!"

"What?" Chu Chuyan was a little bewildered, not understanding why she was so happy.

Chu Youzhao said, "I can marry little Qinghe!"

Chu Chuyan said exasperatedly, "What are you thinking? You can deceive her now, but how will you keep it a secret after marriage? You won't even get past the wedding night."

"Let brother-in-law go in my place!" Chu Youzhao said matter-of-factly.

Chu Chuyan was dumbfounded.

Chu Youzhao continued, "I believe that given Qinghe's feelings for me, she wouldn't actually mind that I'm a woman. But ultimately, we still need a child, and it would be too unfair for Qinghe to never experience a man's touch in her entire life. So, we can just let brother-in-law help... Ow, Sister, why are you hitting me? Ouch... Ouch, ouch, ouch..."

Meanwhile, Zu An was observing Mu Rong Qinghe. He had to admit, she was truly a beauty. Her honey-colored skin had a healthy glow, and her entire demeanor exuded youthful vitality.

Seeing him size her up like that, Mu Rong Qinghe felt a little unnerved. "Brother Zu, what exactly is the condition?"

Zu An replied, "I'm not some great philanthropist; I have no interest in helping outsiders meddle in tricky situations, unless you become... one of us."

Mu Rong Qinghe gasped in alarm and hastily clutched at her collar. "Brother Chu and I have been childhood sweethearts, and you're his brother-in-law, how could you..."

Zu An impatiently cut her off. "What nonsense are you thinking? Let me ask you, do you like Youzhao?"

Mu Rong Qinghe's face instantly flushed. She shyly glanced towards the next room. A maiden's modesty prevented her from speaking much, but she naturally possessed a tomboyish spirit, making her a bit bolder.

After a moment of hesitation, she let out an almost imperceptible hum of affirmation.

"How much do you like him?" Zu An pressed. "What if, one day, he encounters something and is no longer like he is now... or gets injured and becomes disabled, would you still like him?"

Mu Rong Qinghe immediately interrupted him, a resolute look in her eyes. "I love him for who he is, not for anything else. No matter what he becomes, I will still love him. And I have long since secretly vowed that I will marry no one else but Brother Chu in this life."

Seeing the young woman's resolve, Zu An felt a pang of reluctance. "You're still young; there's no need to make such a decision so early. Youzhao might not be as good as you imagine..."

"Don't you dare speak ill of Brother Chu!" The young girl immediately flared her eyebrows, clenching her fists in an indignant manner.

Zu An was speechless.

Well, he'd worried for nothing. Never mind, a 'lily' romance could be quite interesting too.

So he said directly, "In that case, let's formalize your relationship with Youzhao. That way, you'll be considered one of us, and I'll have a reason to help you."

Hearing his words, the usually valiant young girl became a bit shy. She nervously twirled her fingers, fidgeting in place. "This... this might not be good. I don't know if Brother Chu would be willing... Oh, how embarrassing..."

Seeing her girlish bashfulness, Zu An couldn't help but chuckle. Girls in love truly were somewhat endearing.

"We'll know if she's willing by simply asking her to come over." Zu An quickly called the two from next door.

"Huh, Brother Chu, why are you walking while clutching your rear?" Mu Rong Qinghe, who always paid close attention to everything about her beloved, immediately noticed his oddity.

"It's nothing," Chu Youzhao said, giving her sister a resentful glance. That woman had hit her so hard just now. She was only suggesting borrowing her brother-in-law occasionally, not finding him a concubine; was there a need to be so angry?

At this point, Zu An briefly explained the outcome of their discussion. Chu Youzhao was both surprised and delighted. "Of course I like little Qinghe! Little Qinghe is so cute, who wouldn't like her?"

"Oh~" Mu Rong Qinghe pursed her lips, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

Zu An chuckled, "Since that's the case, let's seal the deal tonight. I have plenty of empty rooms here; you two can go have your wedding night and officially formalize your relationship."

"Huh?" Mu Rong Qinghe was dumbfounded. Although she deeply loved Brother Chu, she came from a prominent family, and her upbringing taught her that such an act without a matchmaker was considered a disgraceful and morally corrupt affair.

But if it was Brother Chu...

She secretly glanced at Chu Youzhao's handsome profile, her heart pounding.

If Brother Chu really wanted to, should she refuse him?

Chu Youzhao, however, looked at Zu An with some urgency. "Brother-in-law, you..."

She thought, 'Did brother-in-law forget that I'm a woman? How can he have a wedding night with her?'

'Did he overhear the conversation my sister and I just had?'

At that moment, Chu Chuyan also realized what was happening, and both sisters stared at him with strange expressions.

Zu An, however, was somewhat baffled. What was going on with these two? Why were they looking at him like that?

Chu Chuyan cleared her throat and finally couldn't help but say, "They're still young after all; it's too early to talk about such things."

Mu Rong Qinghe, being a young girl, ultimately couldn't suppress her inner embarrassment. She quickly blurted out, "I'm going back first!"

With that, she blushed and rushed out the door, fleeing with her waiting servants as if escaping.

Watching her leave, Chu Chuyan finally couldn't hold back. "A'Zu, what on earth are you doing? You know Youzhao is... yet you told them to have their wedding night?"

Zu An smiled faintly. "Did you think she would agree?"

Chu Chuyan paused, then realized. How could Mu Rong Qinghe, from a prominent family, agree to a wedding night before marriage?

Only then did Zu An explain, "This way, no one will suspect Youzhao is disguised as a man, and Mu Rong Qinghe will become your most steadfast supporter in the future."

Chu Youzhao suddenly displayed a sadness unbefitting her age. "It's a pity I still deceived her. I don't know how much she'll hate me when she learns the truth."

Zu An thought, 'Does love truly make one mature prematurely?'

At this point, Chu Chuyan also said, "Exactly. We truly owe little Qinghe a lot. That's why, A'Zu, can you please help her? Otherwise, we'll feel terribly guilty."

Zu An smiled faintly. "Don't worry, a mere Mu Rong Luo is nothing to me. I'll try to save him."

Chu Chuyan finally breathed a sigh of relief, looking at him tenderly. "A'Zu, you're so good."

Chu Youzhao, standing nearby, instinctively hugged her arms and rubbed them. "Ugh~ That's sickeningly sweet. Fine, I won't stay here and disturb you two. I'm going to bed now, but can you please keep the noise down a bit?"

After speaking, as if afraid of being hit, she grinned and scurried away, disappearing from sight.

Chu Chuyan was both embarrassed and annoyed. "It's all your fault; you make her tease me every time."

"Tomorrow, I'll spank her to get back at her for you," Zu An chuckled, pulling her into his embrace.

Chu Chuyan, blushing, spat lightly, "You just want to take advantage of her."

Zu An's face stiffened. "You dare question your husband's character? Your husband shall employ family rules to punish you!"

"What family rules?" Chu Chuyan's cool eyes now glistened, and a gentle smile played at the corners of her lips.

"The whip!" Zu An leaned close to her ear and lightly kissed her cool, smooth earlobe.

Chu Chuyan trembled, her entire body softening.

That guy, always touching her sensitive spots.

The fairy who was as cold as ice in front of others had now completely melted and fallen into the mortal world.

Early the next morning, Zu An left home feeling refreshed and headed towards the palace. Chu Chuyan was truly a woman who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Everyone thought she was an aloof and powerful woman, given her reputation from managing the Chu family all these years.

But only he knew the tenderness concealed beneath her hard exterior.

In truth, she was a woman full of girlish charm and various romantic fantasies; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so engrossed in romance novels like "The Tyrannical Sword Immortal's Ninety-Nine Days of Obsessive Love" back then.

Thinking of Chu Chuyan's captivating moans and whispers from the previous night, a gentle smile appeared on Zu An's face.

"Huh, why is the street so deserted today? Has no one woken up yet?" He noticed that the usually bustling street was desolate. As he pondered this, a sudden alarm rose in his heart, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a dark streak of light shooting towards him.

He quickly dodged sideways, but the dark streak of light was incredibly fast, much faster than the crossbow bolts fired by the Night Elf ambushers he had encountered on his way to the capital.

Even so, with his current cultivation, he could have dodged it, though perhaps a bit awkwardly.

But just as he was about to dodge, he felt a sudden sharp pain in his mind, as if someone were pricking him with a needle.

Although it lasted only a moment before he recovered, in that instant, the dark streak of light had already reached him.

He then saw that it was a massive arrow, more like a bolt, much thicker and longer than a regular arrow, almost the thickness of an adult's arm!

A siege crossbow bolt!

A word flashed in Zu An's mind. He couldn't understand why such a heavy military weapon would appear here.

In his haste, Zu An could only try his best to avoid vital points, and the massive bolt struck him directly in his right chest.

Boom!

The immense force in that instant felt as if he had been directly hit by a speeding train.

He was sent flying by the tremendous power and then pinned directly against the nearby wall.

"Hmph, they said this guy was so formidable, yet wasn't he taken care of by a single siege crossbow bolt?"

"Quickly dismantle the siege crossbow; don't leave any evidence. The rest of you, go cut off his head."

"Huh, this guy's body is really tough. Usually, a cultivator hit head-on by a siege crossbow would have half their body shattered."

...

Voices gradually drifted from the surroundings. Zu An did not open his eyes; instead, he used his Jade Tablet to observe everything through several birds perched on a distant tree.

Not far away, a hole appeared in a second-story window of a civilian house, revealing a massive ballista. Several figures in black cloaks were faintly visible.

A few remained there, rapidly dismantling the ballista, while two other black-clad figures, armed with knives, hurried towards Zu An.

Zu An's brows furrowed. The force of that strike was simply too immense, especially since the siege crossbow bolt itself had various runes flashing on it, clearly indicating it was enhanced with special formations.

Fortunately, Zu An's body had been tempered by the "Primordial Chaos Scripture," making it incredibly resilient. It hadn't been torn apart by the initial impact and was now rapidly mending his injured areas.

Although his life was saved, the enormous impact was ravaging his meridians, and it would likely take more than ten seconds to fully regain his fighting ability.

Normally, this amount of time would pass in the blink of an eye, but now it felt incredibly long.

Watching the two black-clad figures with knives approach, Zu An no longer cared about revealing himself. He decided to summon Daji to fight, as for Zhu Xie Chixin and others suspecting him afterward, that could only be dealt with later.

At the same time, he was also ready to use "Key Come" at any moment to buy himself those ten-plus seconds for recovery.

The two black-clad figures reached him, raising their gleaming knives to strike at his neck.

Just then, another black-clad figure suddenly flew in from an angle, striking the two with lightning speed, hitting their chests with two resounding thuds. The two figures screamed and were sent flying, their fates unknown.

"Who's there?" Just then, more than a dozen figures appeared from the side, surrounding the newly arrived black-clad person.

Each of those dozen figures possessed a profound aura, clearly indicating they were masters.

Zu An had now recovered his mobility. He subtly and discreetly observed the black-clad figure protecting him. Although entirely shrouded in black, the figure was graceful and had soft lines, clearly indicating it was a woman.