The two of them jumped in fright when they heard this. Qin Wanru pushed Zu An behind her. “Hide! It’ll all be over if he alerts the Imperial Guard.”

Zu An’s battle with Liu Yao was still fresh in his memory. He really didn’t want to repeat that experience.

As such, he decided to hide behind a screen and assess the situation.

The door opened just as Zu An slipped into hiding, and Hong Xingying strutted in.

Qin Wanru adjusted her hair to hide her alarm. “Why are you here?”

“It’s been a long time! I obviously came to give Madam my greetings.” Hong Xingying was clearly in high spirits.

Qin Wanru sneered. “What? Are you here just to rub it in?”

“I didn’t expect Madam to see through me so quickly!” Hong Xingying made no attempt at denial. “As our ancestors said, ‘If riches and glory are not brought home, it’s the same as taking a stroll at night in expensive clothes’. Your Chu clan doesn’t know how to treat your own people properly. I obviously had to seize this chance to take a good look at the regret on your face.”

“You’re right. We do feel a lot of regret.” Qin Wanru snorted. “I most regret not realizing what kind of person you really were, and not realizing earlier just how much better Zu An was!”

Zu An, who was hiding behind the screen, grew elated when he heard this. Is Madam complimenting me on purpose for me to hear?

Hong Xingying was infuriated when he heard Zu An’s name. “Zu An? He is just a lucky bastard who is good for nothing! How can any part of him compare to me?!”

His previously handsome face had become completely twisted with anger and hate. He, who always thought quite highly of himself, had been beaten down again and again by this Zu An. Zu An had already become a nightmare that he could never rid himself of.

Qin Wanru sighed. “The fact that you still cannot see all the ways he is superior to you only serves as further proof of your stupidity."

In her opinion, Zu An was more outstanding than Hong Xingying in every respect.

Hong Xingying was well and truly provoked. He suddenly began to stalk towards her. “Didn’t Madam always loathe Zu An? Why are you suddenly protecting him? There are rumors floating around that there was something going on between the two of you. It seems like they are true!”

“You are absolutely despicable!” Qin Wanru was furious. She never expected a servant who used to be so respectful to her to speak in such a manner.

Hong Xingying snorted. “Who are you trying to scare? Do you think you are still a glorious and untouchable duchess? Soon, your Chu clan will cease to exist.”

“That may not be so.” Qin Wanru was in no mood to entertain her any further. “Get lost. You are not welcome here anymore.”

“Heh, I fear that you are not the one in charge of this estate anymore.” Not only did Hong Xingying make no move to leave, he instead closed in on Qin Wanru, one step at a time.

“What are you doing?” Qin Wanru’s expression changed at once when she saw him getting closer and closer. She backed away in panic.

“What do you think I’m doing?” A crazy expression appeared in Hong Xingying’s eyes. “If that Zu An could do it, why can’t I?”

He wouldn’t have dared to harbor such thoughts before, but the Chu clan’s destruction was already inevitable. Qin Wanru’s six ranks of cultivation had even been sealed off, while Liu Yao’s men were all out searching for Zu An.

Qin Wanru looked exactly like a harmless rabbit in his eyes, and she had even provoked him by bringing up Zu An. Some of the evil thoughts that he had suppressed within his heart began to surface.

“You’d better not!” Qin Wanru was horrified. She tried to dodge him, but her cultivation had been sealed away. In her current state, she was no different from an ordinary person. How could she escape?

Hong Xingying caught up to her with a single step. His hand reached out towards her well-rounded chest.

In his eyes, Qin Wanru had always been untouchable. Even though she was exceptionally stunning, he never dared to entertain any such thoughts about her. Now, however, the situation was different. Once these thoughts had been unleashed, he could no longer control himself.

A feverish excitement began to burn in his eyes when he thought about how he was going to enjoy this glorious duchess all by himself. He grew even more stimulated when he thought about how she was related to the first miss.

However, his outstretched hand was not greeted by the soft sensation that he had imagined. Instead, there was an intense pain. A man was standing between them, squeezing his hand and staring at him coldly.

“Zu An!” Hong Xingying was both alarmed and furious to see him in Qin Wanru’s room. “The two of you really are having an affair!”

You have successfully trolled Hong Xingying for 666 Rage points!

“Shut the hell up.” Zu An smacked him in the face.

A loud, crisp crack rang out. Hong Xingying was hit so hard that he stumbled. A huge red imprint of a hand covered half his face.

Zu An supported Qin Wanru up at once. “Madam, are you all right?”

Qin Wanru nodded and said in a hushed tone, “Don’t let him get away.”

Zu An looked at Hong Xingying. “Didn’t you say that I’m worse than you in every way? Here’s your chance. Fight me one-on-one! If you win, then Madam is yours today.”

Qin Wanru’s mouth fell open.

You have successfully trolled Qin Wanru for 213 Rage points!

Hong Xingying was just about to call the guards, but he swallowed his words when he heard what Zu An said. “Really?”

Zu An laughed. “I mean, if you take me out, who will be around to stop you from doing bad things?”

Even though Qin Wanru more or less understood that Zu An was deliberately stalling Hong Xingying, being used as a gambling chip still left her feeling ashamed and angry.

Hong Xingying’s expression flickered several times. He always believed that his strength was greater than Zu An's, and he had improved considerably since joining the academy. He had even broken through to the fifth rank not too long ago!

However, the movement technique that Zu An had displayed during the Clans Tournament made him slightly nervous.

Then again, he knew that Zu An was seriously injured from Liu Yao's earlier attack, and he’d had to evade a number of guards afterwards as well. Zu An had to be close to giving out. If he couldn’t even defeat a seriously injured Zu An, he might as well just hang himself.

“Fine!” Hong Xingying drew his sword. He continued with a sinister smile, “Today, I am going to return the humiliation you made me experience a hundredfold!”

His sword thrust out like a viper as soon as he finished speaking.

Even though he didn’t believe that Zu An had much fighting strength left, a lion would still chase down a rabbit with all of its strength.

Seeing the object of his bitter hatred had driven him completely mad. His sword strike flew towards Zu An with a hundred and twenty percent of its usual strength.

An exceptionally powerful streak of sword ki surged across the room. Even Qin Wanru could feel the stinging pain from its sharp winds.

Even though her cultivation was sealed, her vision remained.

This sword thrust was as fast as lightning, and the technique was utterly flawless.

The sword even seemed to flicker with a ring of blue lightning! Clearly, he had awakened the lighting attribute when he reached the fifth rank, an element that excelled in speed and power!

Hong Xingying’s aptitude was exceptional after all! His progress had been delayed while he was still serving the Chu clan, but it had advanced greatly after joining the academy.

It really was a pity that someone so outstanding had ended up straying from the righteous path.

She immediately grew worried for Zu An. She had seen his cultivation before, but he was seriously injured right now. His opponent also wielded the lighting element, which boosted his speed and power, and would make his own movement technique less effective…

Her mind suddenly froze, her train of thought left unfinished. All the chaotic sword ki had calmed instantly. The two combatants stood facing each other just a few feet apart, still as statues.

She rubbed her eyes to make sure they weren't deceiving her. The tip of the speeding sword was clasped between Zu An’s two fingers! Hong Xingying’s face was entirely red, yet the sword wouldn't move forward at all.

“What sorcery is this?!” Hong Xingying was equal parts frightened and alarmed.

Zu An didn’t reply. He squeezed his fingers against the blade.

A clean, crisp note rang out, and the sword snapped. He didn’t stop there. He rushed past Hong Xingying, the tip of the sword still held between his fingers.

“You… you…” Hong Xingying clutched at his throat, looking at Zu An in disbelief. That finger-based martial skill he had displayed was incredibly profound, and both Zu An's speed and strength exceeded his many times over! This was an utterly one-sided demolition!

How is this possible? Did I get off on the wrong side of the bed today…?

He went to his death without ever comprehending. Wait, I didn’t even use my bloody elemental skill…

What a pity!

You have successfully trolled Hong Xingying for 1024 Rage points!

…

Zu An was completely unfazed as he watched Hong Xingying die. He was stronger than Hong Xingying to begin with, and together with the buff that the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra gave him, getting rid of him was just too easy.

“What sort of martial skill was that?” Qin Wanru felt as if she was still dreaming. However, she knew that that finger clasp wasn't as easy as it looked. It was definitely an extremely profound finger technique.

"It’s the culmination of a thousand years of… Ahem, ahem, it’s called Shining Finger.” Zu An really didn’t like the word sunflower anymore, so he changed the name.

“Shining Finger?” Qin Wanru was stunned. “That’s a pretty good name,” she praised.

“Of course it is!” Zu An felt a little proud of himself.

“You should leave. The guards will surely have sensed the elemental fluctuations, and come here to investigate.” The sound of hurrying footsteps came from outside as soon as Qin Wanru finished speaking.

“Madam, please be careful!” Zu An wasted no time either and left quickly. On the way out, he collected Hong Xingying’s corpse using the Brilliant Glass Bead, to avoid drawing Liu Yao’s suspicion.

He headed straight towards the outskirts of the city, where the barracks housing the Red Cloak Army was located. He flung Hong Xingying’s corpse into the forest along the way. The vicious beasts of the forest would deal with his corpse in less than half a day.

After taking care of it, he took out the mirror and called Chu Chuyan.

Chu Chuyan’s beautiful face appeared on the surface of the mirror soon afterwards. “Ah Zu, you’re injured?”

She could immediately tell that something was off.

Zu An felt a surge of warmth. “Don’t worry, these minor injuries won’t bother me too much.”

He then repeated everything he’d seen and heard in the Chu Estate to her. At the same time, he told her about his own worries. “That account book is in the court’s hands right now, so we might really end up as refugees soon. Do you know where the Blackwind Stockade is? Why don’t we head over there and become kings of the mountain? We can wander the wilderness as a couple.”

“Who wants to become the king of the mountain?” Chu Chuyan scoffed. She quickly followed up with a question. “The book I gave you last time… that ‘Sweet Pampered Wife: Dominating Sword Immortal’s Ninety-Nine Days of Searching For Love’... do you still have it?”

Bringing up this book clearly left her embarrassed as well. Just saying the title out loud made her want to throw up.

Zu An’s face darkened. “Can’t you tell what kind of situation we’re in? Why are you bringing up something like this now?”

“Just answer me. Do you still have it?” Chu Chuyan’s tone was urgent.

“Of course! Who else would read something like that apart from you?” Zu An sniffed.

A smile immediately broke across Chu Chuyan’s face. “Then all is well. That is the real account book.”