Zu An attacked instinctively, but a strange force was transmitted through his shoulder, and most of his body instantly went numb. He couldn’t muster any strength.

He was horrified. This person had managed to sneak up behind him silently and restrain him immediately. This level of cultivation was far above his.

“You’re finally back, Ah Zu.” Old Mi’s gloomy voice came from behind him.

Zu An sighed in relief. “So it was you, Elder. You scared the crap out of me.”

Old Mi let go of his shoulder. He coughed twice before asking, “Why is it just you? Where is Madam Chu? How are her injuries?”

Zu An immediately fawned over him. “Senior is truly an all-knowing seer! You even know that Madam Chu was seriously injured.”

Old Mi snorted. “I was there. How else could the two of you get away?”

Zu An remembered the large tree that had fallen to cover their escape. “Thank you, Elder,” he said gratefully.

“You still haven’t answered my question.” Old Mi’s eyes glimmered. He was clearly thinking about something.

Zu An was reluctant to answer. However, after some thought, he figured that Old Mi probably didn’t want anything to happen to Qin Wanru either, especially since he’d saved both of them. As such, he replied, “It was scary, but there was no real danger. Madam Chu’s life is not threatened, but she still hasn’t made a full recovery. That is why we didn’t come back together.”

Old Mi nodded. “Not bad, not bad. It looks like Ji Dengtu has some skills.”

Zu An smiled but didn’t explain. He didn’t want to reveal too much to Old Mi.

“What do you all plan to do now?” Old Mi asked.

“We plan to contact those who are still loyal to Qin Wanru inside the Chu Estate, and recall Yue Shan…” Zu An gave a rough outline of Qin Wanru’s plans.

“That’ll take too long.” Old Mi shook his head. “Yue Shan is too far away. It’ll take way too long for him to come back. He has always been rather uptight as well. I doubt he will be able to defeat Hong Zhong.”

Zu An found it strange that this old man was discussing these things with him. “Then what do you suggest, Elder?”

Old Mi seemed reluctant to share his thoughts, but in the end, he said, “There’s no need for such hassle. I’ll help you deal with Hong Zhong and Chu Tiesheng. If you want to defeat an army, take down their leader. If we get rid of the two of them, everything else can be resolved easily.”

Zu An was shocked and overjoyed. “If Elder is willing to help us, that’s even better!”

He didn’t dare suggest this course of action because Old Mi had always remained low-profile. He never involved himself openly. Zu An hadn’t expected him to be the one to suggest this.

He said as much to Old Mi.

Old Mi chuckled. “That was before. But soon, I won’t have to worry about that anymore.

“Of course, you are not to expose my existence to anyone. Just pretend that you did all of this yourself.”

Zu An was stunned. “Elder, If I do that, I’ll be stealing your thunder! That would be... “

Old Mi gave him a meaningful look. “We don’t need to make a distinction between what’s yours and what’s mine. It’s all the same.”

Zu An flashed him a smile, but his mind remained full of doubt. This guy keeps talking like this. What the heck does that even mean?

Old Mi led the two of them towards the study. Previously, Chu Zhongtian had been the only one allowed to use this study.

Now that Chu Tiesheng had taken over, he was itching to get his hands on everything Chu Zhongtian had. His many years of suppressed resentment were instantly swept away.

Sitting in the seat previously reserved for Chu Zhongtian alone, Chu Tiesheng felt more refreshed than he had ever felt in his entire life.

However, his one regret was that he still didn't have Chu Zhongtian’s woman.

Hong Zhong spared a look for this petty man, his brow furrowing in disdain.

As if sensing his contempt, Chu Tiesheng forced himself to focus on more important matters. He straightened and said, “Based on what we know, Zu An and Qin Wanru are most likely hiding in the Ji clan residence. However, there is no way for us to seize them while they remain under Jiang Luofu’s protection. What do we do?”

Hong Zhong sat down and picked up a teacup. “Don’t worry. Qin Wanru was afflicted by ‘Bull’s Cream’, and even suffered a blow from my Heart-smashing Fist. She is already beyond saving. If Divine Physician Ji had been around, his skills might have been enough to make me doubt her demise, but we’ve already confirmed that he wasn’t in. How could that kid Ji Xiaoxi save her all by herself?”

Chu Tiesheng was annoyed. When Chu Zhongtian had sat in this same seat, Hong Zhong had always stood respectfully to one side, receiving orders silently. Why wasn’t this butler treating him as the new clan master at all?

“What if Zu An starts spreading the news about what happened today and stirs up suspicion?” Chu Tiesheng sighed in pity. It really was such a huge waste for Qin Wanru to die just like that! It was all because his lust for her had muddled his thinking, and she had managed to escape.

Hong Zhong gave a dismissive sniff. “That’s of no concern. We’ve already begun to circulate slanderous rumors about him, so even if he tries to say anything against us, everyone will only believe that he’s trying to get revenge. Besides, even if someone harbored suspicions, that’s all they will have. There’s no way they can obtain concrete proof. If you hold onto your position as clan master, and with my support, everyone will choose to trust you.”

*Pah! Pah! Pah!*

Slow clapping came from outside before Chu Tiesheng had a chance to reply. He saw Zu An walking over, giving them a round of applause.

“What a great plan! It turns out our butler Hong, who everyone praises for being upstanding and honest, is capable of such vicious scheming!”

“Zu An!”

The two of them were shocked when they saw him walk in. They shot to their feet immediately.

“How did you get in here?!” Chu Tiesheng looked outside. The ones guarding the study were all trusted aides. How did this kid manage to sneak in here?

Hong Zhong cursed his men for being idiots. If Zu An was inside, that meant that the guards outside had already been dealt with.

Then again, even though he’d witnessed Zu An’s skills not long ago, he’d only gotten the impression that the kid was fast. That alone wouldn’t have been enough to deal with all of those guards outside without making any noise.

“I walked in, obviously. I’m the young master of the Chu clan. Do I need your permission to come home?” Zu An said calmly.

“Young master? Hah! A sparrow flies up a single branch, and he suddenly thinks he’s a phoenix? You’re nothing without Chu Chuyan! Who actually thinks of you as the young master of the Chu clan?” Chu Tiesheng sneered.

Hong Zhong frowned and said, “Stop wasting time. Capture him first.”

Chu Tiesheng’s breath caught. How dare you order me around?! Who is the clan master here?!

However, Hong Zhong seemed to have no intention of stepping forward. In the end, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and do as the man said. Damn it, why does his cultivation have to be higher than mine?

Zu An didn’t move at all as Chu Tiesheng rushed at him. He only looked at him with a sneer.

Seeing Zu An standing there calmly with his strange grin, Chu Tiesheng felt the hairs on the back of his neck begin to rise. However, he possessed six levels of cultivation, and Hong Zhong was close by to lend a hand as well. How much could this kid do?

Just as his palm was about to strike Zu An, a finger suddenly appeared behind him.

That finger was old and shriveled, looking for all the world like a rotten tree branch. It seemed as if it would snap from a single touch.

“Pull back!” Hong Zhong cried out in alarm.

Chu Tiesheng felt his fine hairs stand on end. Unfortunately, there was no time for him to react. The finger had already struck him squarely between his brows.

His entire body went rigid. His face still retained its previous expression, but his eyes had gone completely vacant. His body fell heavily to the ground.

Hong Zhong was about to rush over and help him, but he froze at once when he saw that Chu Tiesheng had been killed instantly.

His cultivation was higher than Chu Tiesheng’s, but it was not high enough that he could instantly kill him. This old man’s cultivation was clearly far higher than his.

Not only that, he also couldn’t understand how that single finger had been able to strike Chu Tiesheng down. It seemed an incomparably profound skill. If he’d been in Chu Tiesheng’s place, he would probably have been unable to dodge either.

“Old… Old Mi?” Hong Zhong had already recognized who the attacker was. As butler, he was naturally familiar with everyone in the estate, no matter their station. This old man, who always seemed like he would be blown over by a gust of wind… wasn’t he just the gardener?