Chapter 72: Unexpected

Volume One: First Foray into Another World

In her mind, this despicable and shameless fellow might actually be capable of such a thing. The thought of such a dreadful outcome truly made her panic.

Just as she was about to speak, another wave of contractions swept over her, turning all her words into agonizing groans.

"I wouldn't dare?" Zu'an sneered, then tore off her outer garment. "You'll see if I dare or not!"

He had deliberately searched her room before, but unfortunately, he found nothing except some fruits and snacks. After their time together, he was certain that the Chu couple and Chu Chuyan were not trying to kill him, making Xue'er's mastermind highly suspicious. Being secretly watched by an unknown enemy was simply too dangerous; he didn't even know who they were! So, today he had to uncover the mastermind, or he would truly never have peace of mind.

With her jacket torn off, the young woman revealed two sections of snow-white, delicate arms. Zu'an had to admit, her name was quite fitting; her skin was truly whiter than snow.

"I'll definitely kill you! Ouch!"

Rage value from Qiao Xueying: 998!

Zu'an frowned, "It's come to this, and you still won't speak? Don't say I didn't warn you, you don't have many clothes on, and... wait, are you intentionally exposing yourself to tempt me?"

Tempt my sister, indeed!

Rage value from Qiao Xueying: 1024!

Xue'er was almost insane at this point. She had to endure the inhuman pain from her lower abdomen while simultaneously being tormented by his words. She vowed to tear his mouth off once she recovered.

"If you don't speak, I really will tear it," Zu'an said, reaching out and grabbing her collar. He didn't actually tear it; his true intention wasn't to take advantage of her, but to use this to force information about the mastermind out of her.

"You forced me!" At that moment, a green glint suddenly flashed in Xue'er's eyes, and her words turned chillingly cold.

Zu'an's hairs stood on end instantly. Without thinking, he directly summoned Great Wind and teleported dozens of yards backward.

Almost simultaneously, all the small braids on Xue'er's head seemed to unseal, instantly growing with the wind, resembling tree vines or agile snakes, striking at him all over his body.

"What the hell is going on?!" Zu'an was terrified. Was this woman performing magic? Her originally delicate braids now resembled Medusa's head, emanating a terrifying pressure.

He watched as the wall, before her braids, seemed like paper, instantly riddled with holes. If he hadn't just summoned Great Wind and used his teleportation skill, he would probably be nothing but minced meat by now.

Xue'er clearly hadn't expected him to retreat so quickly and rushed out in pursuit.

"Zu, you're dead! I'll grind your bones to dust! Ouch!" Xue'er, crouching by the door frame, was about to rush out but couldn't help clutching her stomach.

Rage value from Qiao Xueying: 996!

Zu'an gulped. This woman's nerves must be incredibly strong to endure the excruciating pain of childbirth! If she attacked him again, he would truly be in danger.

Just then, a commotion was heard not far away. Clearly, people from the mansion had finally heard the disturbance and were hurrying over.

A flicker of struggle crossed Xue'er's face. In the end, she tipped her toes and fled outside the mansion. She suddenly stopped on the courtyard wall, turned back, and glared at Zu'an with hatred: "I'll come back for you!"

With that, her figure flashed, and she vanished into the night.

Soon after she left, a graceful figure flew over, her white skirt fluttering like an immortal descending from the heavens. Who else could it be but Chu Chuyan?

Seeing Zu'an covered in blood, she was startled. "What happened to you? What's going on?"

Seeing her, Zu'an finally let out a complete sigh of relief, flashed what he thought was a handsome smile at her, and then, the next second, collapsed into her arms. His injuries were already severe, and summoning Great Wind to evade Xue'er's killing move had completely drained his last reserves of energy. He had been holding on by a thread of willpower, but upon seeing Chu Chuyan, he relaxed and could no longer sustain himself, promptly blacking out.

Seeing him fall directly into her embrace, Chu Chuyan instinctively wanted to push him away. However, seeing him bleeding all over, she hesitated for a moment. In that brief instant, he had already slumped into her arms. Remembering his previous history of faking injury for attention, Chu Chuyan frowned, thinking, "If he dares to deceive me this time..." But as soon as she used her primal energy to examine him, her expression changed drastically. He was, in fact, truly on the verge of death.

When Zu'an woke up, he found himself lying in bed. Quite a few people had gathered in the room: besides Chu Chuyan, there were the Chu Zhongtian couple, and even members of the second and third branches of the family. Many were examining the holes in the wall, which Xue'er's braids had just punctured, marveling at them.

Zu'an secretly thought it was fortunate he had retrieved his 'Death-Certain Dagger' into his keyboard space before fainting, otherwise it would have been quite troublesome if these people had found it. He was now covered in bandages from head to toe. He mused, "Since coming to this world, it seems I'm constantly getting injured. How many times have I been wrapped up like this now?"

Suddenly, he felt a warm, damp handkerchief gently wiping his forehead. He focused his gaze and saw that it was Chu Huanzhao sitting by the bed, her delicate face filled with earnestness and concern. Zu'an felt both touched and inwardly grumbled. In contrast, Chu Chuyan stood nearby as if nothing had happened, as if someone else's husband had been injured. It was his sister-in-law who truly showed concern for him.

Seeing him open his eyes, Chu Huanzhao's eyes filled with joyful surprise. "Father, Mother, Sister, he's awake!"

Chu Zhongtian hurried over to ask, "How are you feeling?"

Zu'an's eyes darted. "It hurts," he said.

Chu Zhongtian nodded. "Chuyan just now used her primal energy to protect your heart meridian, and then the mansion's physician bandaged you up and gave you medicine. We finally saved you."

Zu'an was startled. He looked at Chu Chuyan not far away, seeing her still with an indifferent expression, showing no sign of having saved someone. He realized he had truly misunderstood her earlier.

Qin Wanru also came to the bedside. "What exactly happened? How did you get such severe injuries?"

Zu'an answered directly, "Xue'er just tried to kill me." Unfortunately, he hadn't managed to force out who Xue'er's backer was. However, after spending time with them, he felt that the Chu couple and Chu Chuyan were highly unlikely suspects, so he wasn't afraid to speak out. As he spoke, he observed everyone's reactions, hoping to spot a flaw. To his disappointment, he looked around but saw no one who seemed suspicious.

"Xue'er?" Everyone looked astonished, instinctively turning towards Chu Chuyan.

Chu Huanzhao quickly interjected, "Brother-in-law, how could Sister try to kill you?"

Zu'an rolled his eyes. "I said Xue'er, not your sister."

Chu Huanzhao muttered inwardly, "Xue'er is Sister's personal maid. Of course everyone would suspect her if you put it that way!"

Facing everyone's gazes, Chu Chuyan also slightly frowned. "Since just now, I haven't seen any sign of Xue'er."

Chu Zhongtian said gravely, "Someone! Go find Xue'er and bring her here!" He couldn't simply convict Xue'er based on Zu'an's word; after all, she was his daughter's personal maid, and a confrontation was necessary.

However, a subordinate soon returned to report, "Xue'er is not in the mansion. She can't be found anywhere."

Chu Zhongtian's eyes narrowed. This situation strongly resembled fleeing out of guilt.

"What exactly happened just now? Tell us in detail," Qin Wanru said, sitting by the bed. Her silk dress accentuated her full and graceful waist and hip curves, causing Chu Tiesheng, from the second branch, to repeatedly glance her way.

Zu'an then generally recounted what had just happened, naturally omitting too many of his trump cards.

Qin Wanru's brows furrowed as she listened. Chu Tiesheng, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but interject, "Nonsense! If that Xue'er truly wanted to kill you, you useless... hmph, how could you possibly resist her?"

Zu'an glanced at him, thinking, "Could he be the mastermind? But if he really is, wouldn't it be too foolish to jump out and defend Xue'er like this?"

Chu Huanzhao defended him, saying, "Brother-in-law is more formidable than everyone imagines. Last time, he endured so many of my Whips of Wailing without crying out, and today at the academy, he caused quite a stir, embarrassing those with third-rank and fifth-rank cultivation."

Her words didn't convince anyone; after all, it was too outlandish. A third-rank might be believable, but a fifth-rank? What kind of concept was that?

Chu Yuepo, from the third branch, also chuckled and said, "Xiao Zhao, you're just too kind. What ability does he have to deal with a fifth-rank person? Who would believe that if you told them?"

Chu Tiesheng chimed in, "Exactly. And why do I find you always defending Zu? There should be an appropriate distance between a sister-in-law and brother-in-law; it easily leads to rumors, especially since on the night of the wedding, you two were still in the same bed..."

Qin Wanru, standing nearby, glared with her phoenix eyes. "Silence! Is that how a senior like you speaks? She's still so young, and she's simply acting out of a desire to protect her family. It's not as dirty as you're making it sound!"

Chu Tiesheng sullenly snorted, "I was only thinking of the Chu family's reputation."

Qin Wanru frowned. Although she was displeased, she had to admit that Second Uncle had a point. Her second daughter's attitude towards that Zu'an fellow was indeed a bit too close. Could she actually have fallen for him? The thought had barely arisen before she dismissed it. How could that be? Was there anything about that Zu'an fellow that a woman would find appealing? How could Huanzhao possibly take a liking to him? She knew her daughter was mostly playful, and there had been no one in the mansion to play with her for years. She had merely found a playmate. Even though she knew it was impossible for them, she still considered finding an opportunity to talk to her daughter and tell them not to be so close.

"According to Zu'an's description, Xue'er should be a fifth-rank Wood-element awakened," Chu Zhongtian said in a deep voice, examining the holes in the wall.

"Wood-element?"

Zu'an recalled the chaotic spectacle of Xue'er's hair and thought he had assumed she was Medusa reincarnated.

"Fifth-rank?" The people in the room immediately started murmuring. No one had expected the quiet, elegant maid who loved to snack on melon seeds to be a fifth-rank expert.

Thanks to readers like 'Kexingzhi' for their support.

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