Chapter 928: The One Behind the Scenes
Bi Ziang’s expression changed several times, but it quickly returned to normal. He said with a smile, “I didn’t expect brother Zu to have this kind of skill. I’ll accept this loss.”
But inside, he was upset. When had he ever failed to get something he wanted in his life? And yet today, he had actually ended up being defeated by this brat? He even began to wonder if Zu An never had the ability to count all of the petals, and thus hid one petal so he could add one on top of whatever answer he gave.
After all, the cultivation needed to count all of those petals was definitely quite high. Even though Zu An had an outstanding reputation, in terms of cultivation, how could he possibly compare to someone like himself who had grown up in a distinguished clan and was blessed with endless opportunities and resources?
Even with all of that, he had to rely on his World Creation Sword to barely count the number of flower petals. What did Zu An have?
You have successfully trolled Bi Ziang for +745 +745 +745…
But being upset was being upset; he didn’t show it on the surface. Even Nan Xun was amazed at his courtesy, saying, “Young master Bi truly is a nobleman. There is already a room prepared in the pleasure quarters for you. There are courtesans for the young master to choose from as well.”
Zu An simply smiled without saying anything. Even though Bi Ziang looked calm on the surface, the large amounts of Rage points coming in through the back end gave him away.
Bi Ziang normally didn’t care about other courtesans, but if he just stormed off in a huff, that would tarnish his reputation. As such, he smiled and said with a nod, “Then I’ll have to thank Lady Nan Xun for that.” He was brought away by a maid soon afterward.
Nan Xun turned around and looked at Zu An, saying, “Young master, my humble self is all yours tonight. I hope that you can treat me tenderly.”
Zu An had to admit that these courtesans were too good at what they did. Speaking such gentle words with that aloof and cool elegance of hers was enough to make any man go crazy. Unfortunately, he already knew that there was something odd about her identity. He was just waiting to see what she was going to do.
“Ten minutes during a spring night is worth a thousand jin in gold. Let’s not waste any time,” Zu An said as he pretended to move in to embrace her.
“Ten minutes during a spring night is worth a thousand jin in gold?” The mysterious woman next door mouthed the words. She had to recognize Zu An’s literary talent. Unfortunately, he didn’t use it for more honorable purposes and instead only used it for perverted intentions.
Nan Xun turned around and avoided his hug. She said with a smile, “Young master, please don’t be in such a rush! I had a maid prepare some hot water. I’ll help the young master bathe first.”
Zu An waved his hands and said, “There’s no need. I took a shower before I came precisely to save time.”
Nan Xun’s smile froze on her face. His reply left even her at a loss for what to do. There was nothing else she could do now that he had rejected the offer to take a bath. She pretended to lie down on the bed, then gave Zu An a weak and pitiful look. “Young master, someone like me doesn’t hope to be able to get married in this life, but I’ve always admired the scene of when a newly wed bride has her veil undone by her husband. Today, this is my first night, so can the young master treat my mask as a veil and remove it for me?”
The request was completely reasonable. Together with her tender expression and sweet voice, no man could resist. Zu An was naturally no exception. He said, “I’ll be happy to,” before bending down and slowly removing her mask. Even though this wasn’t the first time he had seen her face, he was still amazed. She really was an incredible beauty!
Suddenly, Nan Xun’s red lips parted and a blast of white smoke came out and sprayed across Zu An’s face. Zu An’s entire body went rigid, and he fell over on his side on the bed.
Nan Xun stood up from the bed. After sorting out her somewhat messy clothes, her usual aloof and cold expression returned. She harrumphed mockingly, “Hmph, you foul man. You didn’t expect this, did you?!”
Zu An had always been on guard, so he naturally hadn’t been poisoned. But he didn’t know what the white smoke did, so he was unsure as to whether he should pretend to faint or if he should just pretend to be completely powerless. When he heard that, he guessed it was probably the latter. He pretended to exclaim in alarm, “What’s going on? Who are you?!”
“It’s my turn to ask the questions now. You have no right to ask me anything,” Nan Xun said as she looked down on him from above. “You only have your bad luck to blame. My original targets were Yu Nan and Bi Ziang, but you just had to join in.”
Zu An quickly asked, “Aren’t they still here? You can still go after them right now!”
“Hmph, I almost thought that you were an outstanding hero from our previous interactions, but I didn’t expect you to be such a craven coward,” Nan Xun said with disdain when she saw his reaction. “I won’t be able to visit the two of them tonight, but I have some questions for you to answer.”
Nan Xun was extremely confident. It sounded as if she were doing this to break through Zu An’s will as quickly as possible. She said, “Don’t try to resist it. The substance you just inhaled will make you answer all of my questions.”
Zu An almost laughed out loud. He had been wondering how he should pretend to be poisoned, but now, she had spilled all the beans without him doing a thing. As such, his expression slackened, and he began to mumble, “What do you want to ask about?”
“How disappointing!” Nan Xun hadn’t expected him to surrender so quickly. She thought to herself, This pervert’s willpower was weak as expected. “What happened when you entered the Royal Academy’s secret dungeon that time?”
Zu An shivered inwardly. Don’t tell me she’s actually someone from King Qi’s side? Was her ‘death’ just an act she coordinated with King Qi? However, he didn’t dare to show any carelessness. He gave a rough recount of what had happened in the dungeon.
Nan Xun frowned. She was clearly dissatisfied with his answer and said, “What I want to ask is what really happened, and not what the court told the world.”
“That’s really what happened! Don’t tell me King Qi didn’t tell you yet, miss concubine?” Zu An replied, suddenly smiling.
Nan Xun was stunned, and her entire body trembled. She quickly flew backward. Unfortunately, she was too slow. With Zu An’s current cultivation, how could she possibly escape?
Zu An grabbed her shoulder in an instant. However, just as he was about to strike her major acupoint, he unexpectedly discovered that his hand passed straight through her body. It was almost as if this woman didn’t have a tangible body.
Nan Xun sneered and said, “Hmph, it’s still far too early for you to try to catch me.” Then, she slipped through the door crack. Soon, only the ends of her dress and her feet remained in the room.
Someone else might have cried out in horror if they saw such a scene. But Zu An was already used to such things. He remarked with a chuckle, “Aren’t you just a ghost? It’s not as if I haven’t encountered any before.” He used his true primordial ki, then he reached out and grabbed her ankle. Even though Nan Xun’s body was still incorporeal, he actually grabbed her.
Nan Xun screamed as she was pulled right back. There was a pitch-black scorch mark around her ankle, as if she had been burned. She was no longer as arrogant and complacent as before. Instead, her eyes were filled with terror. She continued to cower toward the corner of the room, as if there were some terrifying aura around Zu An’s body and she wanted to stay as far away from him as possible.
Zu An looked at her with an indifferent expression, saying, “I’m sure you also understand that I can turn you into nothing at any time. That’s why now, I’ll ask the questions, and you’ll answer me!”
Just then, the window slammed open. A figure rushed in and attacked Zu An.
“You’ve finally appeared!” Zu An had been able to sense that there was someone secretly watching him even when he was still outside. In that instant, he was even able to keenly sense the killing intent she erupted into.
He had known that with Nan Xun’s current condition, there definitely had to be someone else controlling her. Now, that person finally showed themselves. He didn’t show any signs of fear or happiness. With his current cultivation and combat experience, he didn’t have to be scared of anyone apart from those old freaks.
Zu An still had to capture them for interrogation, so there was no technique more suitable than the ‘Feathersilk Entangling Art’.
As Zu An’s cultivation climbed, his strength had also increased several fold. The newcomer wanted to escape with Nan Xun at first, but she discovered that Zu An’s cultivation was even more profound than she had expected. She couldn't avoid his palm strike. Even her own safety was hard to guarantee. She dodged from side to side, but on several occasions, she was almost trapped in his arms.
She panicked and shouted angrily, “You scoundrel!”