Whatever. If she’s there, then she’s there. It’ll be the perfect time for her to witness my insane skills. She can look for me in the future if she has some menstrual pain or something.

Zu An gave a huff and walked straight in.

It was much easier to sneak around now with this Mirror Mirage concealment skill. It even saved him from using Grandgale this time.

Of course, this was mostly because the guards posted around the main area of the Chu Estate were concerned with preventing outside intruders. None of them expected someone inside to be sneaking around.

He reached Chu Chuyan’s window without incident, and he gently pushed it open. He smiled. It seems like the wife didn’t forget to leave this window open today.

He quietly tiptoed to the bedside. He could vaguely make out a seductive figure lying on her side. However, the room was too dark to clearly make out her face.

This time, he didn’t dare throw himself onto her and grope around. He could brush off what happened the last time as an accident, but if he touched Qin Wanru again, even Chu Chuyan might just decide to chop off his hand. He shuddered to think of what Qin Wanru might do.

“Wife, is that you?” Zu An probed.

A lazy groan sounded. “Who else could it be?”

Zu An let out a sigh of relief. He hurried over to the bedside and sat down. “What about your mom?”

Chu Chuyan immediately moved away from him to avoid being taken advantage of. “She already knows that you have to treat me at night. How would she dare to stay here shamelessly and embarrass everyone?”

Zu An chuckled. “Respected mother-in-law really is considerate.”

“Now you’re calling her ‘respected mother-in-law’? It looked like the two of you were itching to get your hands on one another earlier.” Chu Chuyan said, slightly annoyed. She hadn’t said anything earlier, out of consideration for his emotions, but there was no way she would be pleased that he was clashing with her mother.

“Whatever the case, nothing happened in the end, right?” Zu An’s face became warm. “Okay, okay. At worst, I’ll just ignore her. I won’t retaliate even if she hits me, and I won’t argue back if she criticizes me. Will that do?”

“Really? This isn’t like you at all.” Chu Chuyan’s eyes sparkled like gemstones as they stared into his. They seemed filled with suspicion.

“Of course! But if she scolds me once, then I’ll kiss her daughter once. If she hits me once, then I’ll…” Zu An’s gaze roved about her enchanting figure as he spoke.

“What will you do?” Chu Chuyan’s heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously drew her clothes tightly around her chest. Her cultivation was clearly higher than his, yet, for some reason, she was still subconsciously scared of this fellow.

“Then I’ll spank you! What did you think it was?” Zu An grinned from ear to ear at her somewhat flustered expression.

Chu Chuyan was left speechless.

That’s definitely not what this guy was thinking!

But she couldn’t really blurt that out loud. She glared at him, simmering with rage.

You have successfully trolled Chu Chuyan for 5… 5… 5…

Zu An’s heart trembled as he noticed that her cheeks had puffed out slightly. This was much cuter than her usual coldness! He couldn’t help but scooch over.

Chu Chuyan’s eyelashes twitched. She turned her head bashfully to the side, her small hands clutching the bed sheets. She was struggling inside, not knowing what to do.

Seeing that she wasn’t resisting him immediately, Zu An was overjoyed. It seems like all that effort spent treating her these days wasn’t for nothing! First objective cleared! We’re now already a lot closer.

He was just about to kiss her on the cheek when Chu Chuyan’s expression suddenly froze. She reached out a hand to stop him. In an instant, her bashful expression reverted to its usual icy coldness. “You have the smell of another woman on you.”

Zu An almost slapped himself on the mouth. He’d already made this mistake once before, and it was turning into a repeat of that particular disaster!

“You went to that Qiu Honglei’s place again today?” Chu Chuyan asked, expressionless.

Zu An’s mouth worked silently.

Chu Chuyan snorted before he could even say anything. “Don’t even try to deny it. The smell this time is exactly the same as before! Hmph! You just fought with my mother over her, and then you immediately went to see her. You really are something!”

You have successfully trolled Chu Chuyan for 213 Rage points!

Zu An panicked when he saw her rage steadily climbing. I’m really done for if I let this continue…

He said in a hurry, “I’m being wronged! The reason I went looking for her wasn’t because of what you’re thinking! There just wasn’t anything to eat at home, so I decided to have dinner there…”

His voice grew quiet, and he slowly trailed off into silence.

“If you had just ordered any random servant to bring you something to eat, they would have done so! On top of that, should you really go asking for a meal from another woman even if there’s no food at home?” It might have been better for him if he hadn’t tried to explain himself. Chu Chuyan only grew more incensed at his absurd excuse.

You have successfully trolled Chu Chuyan for 476 Rage points!

Luckily, Zu An’s mind moved quickly. In this short time, he had already come up with something else. “Of course I didn’t go there just for the food! You told me earlier how the illicit salt trade had been giving you a massive headache. I only went to the Immortal Abode because I was worried about you!”

“What does the illicit salt trade have to do with your visit to the Immortal Abode?” Chu Chuyan said with a frown.

Zu An swallowed. He hurriedly explained, “Your Chu clan is a representative of the government, so there are many channels that aren’t open to you. But the Immortal Abode is different! All sorts of people frequent that place, and information spreads quickly over there. Qiu Honglei’s commands a high standing over there, so I figured she might have some useful information.”

Only then did Chu Chuyan’s expression soften. “What sort of information were you able to retrieve?”

“I found out that the biggest illicit salt dealer in Brightmoon City is the Whale Gang. The gang’s leader is incredibly mysterious, and no one even seems to have seen his real face before…” Zu An recounted everything he heard from Qiu Honglei in full detail.

Chu Chuyan didn’t seem impressed by his report. “Apart from some small differences, most of this was already known to us. Was this all you got out of that trip?”

No way, I even got that Mirror Mirage! Of course, he didn’t dare tell her this. It would only end up making her even more furious.

“Of course not! Unfortunately, Qiu Honglei hasn’t paid too much attention to the illicit salt trade. She agreed to help me look into this affair, so I believe we’ll have some new information soon.”

“Does that mean that you’ll be visiting her frequently in the future?” Chu Chuyan was clearly displeased.

“This is all for the sake of the Chu clan’s business! But if my love gives the word, I won’t go even if she calls for me! I’ll just flat out refuse them!” Zu An vowed solemnly.

Chu Chuyan hesitated. She obviously didn’t want him going to that sort of place. However, with the difficult situation facing the Chu clan right now, any useful information that could be gathered from Qiu Honglei would be worth it.

“Why is that Qiu Honglei treating you so well?” She asked instead.

When he saw that she didn’t immediately refuse him, Zu An snickered inside. This girl definitely puts the interests of the Chu clan first.

“Of course it’s because I’m too handsome!” Zu An stuck out his chest. “Even you, the esteemed daughter of a glorious duke, chose me out of an endless sea of candidates! If a simple brothel courtesan like her didn’t fall for me, wouldn’t that reflect poorly on the discerning sight of the young miss from the Chu clan?”

Chu Chuyan had no words to say.

This guy really is too shameless!

She lost the will to argue any further. “Forget it, I won’t stop you from going there in the future. However, please arrange a place for one more the next time you plan to go.”