Zu An collected his thoughts and put everything away, then proceeded to properly bury Old Mi and Wei Dan. He even dug the grave a little deeper, so the wild beasts wouldn’t be able to get to them, and then covered them up with dirt.

He’d been reluctant to give Wu Di the same respect, but out of gratitude for the two secret manuals, he still buried him.

Of course, there was no way he would bury him next to those elders since he was broke.

Only after completing all this did Zu An head back to Brightmoon City.

It hadn’t taken Old Mi long to fly to the middle of nowhere, but Zu AN only had his two poor legs to rely on to make the return journey.

Leaving aside the vicious beasts that roamed the depths of this mountain, just the density of the trees alone made navigation difficult.

Fortunately, his cultivation had increased, and he had all types of cheats at hand. The dangerous crimson dragon in Hidden Dragon Mountain was dead as well, so he didn’t have much to worry about as long as he was careful.

Zu An finally returned to the Chu Estate a day later.

“Huh? How come there's so few people here?” Zu An was surprised.

The gates of the estate had been left open as well.

Did something happen?

He ran inside in shock, and ended up running into someone. It was actually Cheng Shouping.

“Young… young… young master?” Cheng Shouping rubbed his eyes. He cried out in complete disbelief.

“What? Have you already forgotten who I am that quickly?” Zu An’s mood improved significantly at the sight of a familiar face.

“You… weren’t you captured by those two masters?!” Cheng Shouping asked with a dumbfounded expression.

“Oh?” Zu An was taken aback. “You could tell that they were master rank?”

Chegn Shouping replied, “I heard Feng Daniu and the others say this. Everyone was worried about you. Those are master rank cultivators we are talking about here!”

Zu An snorted. “What’s so special about master rank? Did you somehow think that they could stop me?”

Cheng Shouping’s eyes lit up. “I knew that young master was unfathomably awesome! This humble one’s respect for young master gushes forth like the relentless tides of the river!”

He held back his torrent of praise for Zu An long enough to yell, “The young master has returned! The young master has returned! The young master beat up two master rank cultivators and returned completely unharmed!”

Even Zu An felt a little embarrassed at his display. This young man was squealing like a pig! However, being showered with praise did feel pretty good. He finally understood why so many people loved having their boots licked.

The sleepy Chu Estate came alive as Cheng Shouping’s hollering echoed around. People rushed out one after another.

In a moment, a petite figure charged straight into his arms. “Brother-in-law! I thought that you were… that you were…”

Chu Huanzhao was shaking all over. She was so emotional that she didn’t even know what to say.

Zu An’s heart softened. He patted her head. “How could I afford to let myself be captured when I have such a cute little Huanzhao waiting for me back home?”

“Brother-in-law is so awesome!” Tears still glistened in Chu Huanzhao’s eyes. She had been extremely worried all this time, and it was precisely because of this that her current smile was so beautiful.

“Ahem, ahem…” A light cough interrupted them. Qin Wanru looked at the two of them awkwardly. She looked as though she wanted to say something, yet didn’t know what to say. However, there was no way she could observe the two of them acting so intimately without doing anything about it.

Zu An turned to greet her. “I pay my respects to Madam.”

Qin Wanru’s face grew red. She quickly said, “Are you injured?”

“Thank you Madam for your concern. I am not injured,” Zu An replied.

“What about Old Mi and that mysterious expert?” Qin Wanru asked anxiously. This was the question on everyone else’s lips as well. They really couldn’t figure out how he’d escaped from their clutches.

“They’re dead,” replied Zu An.

“Dead?” Qin Wanru was shocked. Master rank cultivators were individuals who instilled fear wherever they went. The death of any one of them was a big deal. “How did they die?”

“They obviously died at the young master’s hands!” Cheng Shouping couldn’t resist blurting this out, desperately trying to steal a piece of the limelight for himself.

Qin Wanru shot him a look. “Nonsense. How could a master rank…”

Zu An spoke as well. “Old Mi did perish at my hands.”

Qin Wanru trailed off, her objection left unsaid.

Everyone else in the estate stared at him, utterly speechless.

This was truly inconceivable to all of them. However, Zu An had returned perfectly unharmed, so they had no reason to disbelieve him.

If there had been a ‘Like’ button around, all of them would have been smashing it right then.

A figure reached out and grabbed him. “Brat, you managed to kill a master? How?!”

Zu An turned around and saw that this was Ji Dengtu. A shy and obedient young lady stood nearby. Who else could this be but Ji Xiaoxi?

Zu An was stunned. “Why are you guys here?” He just couldn’t relax while a pervert like Ji Dengtu was lurking around the Chu Estate.

Ji Xiaoxi’s gentle voice came in reply. “Brother Zu, we rushed over to help out when we heard that you were captured. In the meantime, we also gave Madam Chu some treatment.”

Zu An smiled. “You really are a good little sister. You rushed over as soon as you heard something happened to me.”

Ji Xiaoxi lowered her head in embarrassment, her hands clutching the hem of her skirt. Her face was completely red.

Chu Huanzhao snorted loudly. That girl looks so obedient on the outside, but she’s also a cunning fox demon! However, this girl had treated her mother’s injuries, so she couldn’t bring herself to curse her. Chu Huanzhao was in quite the dilemma.

Ji Dengtu jumped between the two of them. “Brat, what do you mean, speaking as though you two are brother and sister? Are the two of you even that close?”

Zu An knew that it was time to shut up, now that this demon of a helicopter dad had intervened.

“You still haven’t answered my question. How did you kill a master rank cultivator?” Ji Dengtu asked again.

“I…” As soon as he began to speak, Qin Wanru interrupted him.

“Let’s talk in the study. Everyone else, return to your posts. Recall everyone who has gone out looking for Zu An.” There were too many people around, and she was worried that some sensitive information might leak out.

Zu An finally knew why the Chu Estate seemed so desolate. Apparently, many of the guards and clan members had been dispatched to look for him!

It looks like Madam really does treat me pretty well.

Ji Dengtu rushed over to Qin Wanru’s side and said with a smile, “Indeed, indeed. Madam is most wise.”

Zu An was completely speechless by the behavior of this disgusting simp. Ji Dengtu was clearly a powerful cultivator, yet he was acting like a complete bootlicker!

Qin Wanru frowned but said nothing. She lead the small group of them towards the study.

Zu An followed her into the study, where he roughly explained the events that had transpired in the mountain. Of course, he didn’t mention the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra at all, since his life hung in the balance when it came to that.

Despite this omission, his story was already incredibly shocking to all who were present. His incredible tale was met by a constant stream of excited gasps.

“So, of the two masters, one ended up dead, and the other injured, and you nipped in to take advantage of the situation,” Ji Dengtu said with a hint of disdain when he finally understood what had happened.

Chu Huanzhao was clearly unhappy with his tone. “An injured master rank cultivator is still a master rank cultivator! Brother-in-law really did kill a master rank cultivator! Can you boast about having such skill?”

“I…” Ji Dengtu felt his breath catch in his throat. There was no refuting that logic!

You have successfully trolled Ji Dengtu for 228 Rage points!

He couldn’t take his anger out on a little girl, so the best he could do was to redirect it at Zu An.

Zu An didn’t really mind. To be honest, the more Rage points, the better.

Qin Wanru clearly blamed herself for her oversight. “I always thought Old Mi was just a normal gardener. Who knew he was a master rank cultivator! I can’t believe I didn’t notice this, even after so many years.”

Ji Dengtu consoled her. “It’s not your fault. It’s extremely difficult for others to notice a master rank cultivator if they wish to go into hiding.”

Qin Wanru frowned. “But then, why was he hiding out in the Chu Estate? Also, who is that other elder, who was also at master rank? Why would the two of them fight to the death?”

Ji Dengtu offered his analysis. “In my opinion, Old Mi might not have been scheming against the Chu clan when he was hiding in the Chu Estate. He was probably just hiding from an enemy. It’s highly likely that the other mysterious expert was that enemy.”

…

Zu An exhaled softly as he listened to the debate surrounding this possible new conspiracy. This matter involved the emperor’s secrets, and he felt it was best if he didn’t mention anything further. He didn’t want to invite disaster upon himself.

Qin Wanru had yet to recover from her injuries. Now that Zu An had come back safely, she couldn’t suppress her fatigue any longer. With Chu Huanzhao supporting her, she headed back to her own chambers for some much-needed rest.

Ji Dengtu and his daughter were satisfied that her condition was stable, and that Zu An was safe. They took their leave as well.

Zu An quickly chased after them. “Elder, do you have any Ki Gathering Pills that can increase cultivation? I’ll buy your entire stock!”

Ji Dengtu’s face darkened. “I don’t have any!”

With that, he stormed off in a huff.

Zu An was stunned. What did I do to tick you off so badly?

Ji Xiaoxi explained, “Big brother Zu, please don’t mind him. Something happened to my father before, and that experience made him vow never to concoct such pills again, because doing so would only help cultivators take more lives. That is why he has vowed only to make life-saving medicines.”

Zu An was stunned. He didn’t expect that pervert Ji Dengtu to have such a noble side.

“Then, do you know how to concoct those pills?” Zu An wasn’t willing to give up just yet.

Ji Xiaoxi shook her head. “I don’t. My father never taught me how.”

Zu An felt his spirits slump. He’d been banking on being able to grab a batch of these pills from Ji Dengtu, yet now, it seemed as though he could only rely on himself. He could only place all of his hopes on that Ki Gathering Scroll.