Zu An felt that his wife was being needlessly kind to her enemies, and he had a strong feeling that it would backfire on her in the future. Nevertheless, the words that poured out of his mouth ended up being compliments, “Honey, your heart is truly made out of gold. It’s no wonder why others call you a fairy!”

Qiao Xueying shot a glare at Zu An hatefully, “Our young miss is a fairy, but it’s a pity that she married a fellow like you. She’s like a delicate flower that’s been stuck on top of a big pile of cow dung!”

Zu An shrugged off those remarks and said, “It’s no wonder why people say that you’re a long-haired, willow-waisted boor. Don’t you know that cow dung can provide a flower with a lot of nutrients, allowing it to blossom more beautifully than other flowers? In my view, it’s a flower’s greatest blessing to be stuck on top of cow dung.”

Qiao Xueying and Chu Chuyan were both rendered speechless.

“What fate it is to actually bump into young miss Chu here!” 

Refreshing laughter suddenly sounded in the distance. The three of them quickly turned to look, only to see Shi Kun walking over with his entourage.

Admittedly, Shi Kun did look dashing, given the bunch of crooked faces around him, but the more good-looking he appeared, the more Zu An wanted to sink a fist right into his face. It was enough for this world to have a hottie like him; there was no need for another inferior copy!

Qiao Xueying’s eyes widened in astonishment upon seeing Shi Kun. She knew that her failure must have disappointed the young master, but what she was most worried about right now was a conflict breaking out between the young master and the young miss. What was she to do if that were to happen?

Chu Chuyan shot a glance at Shi Kun and said, “Young master Shi, what brings you here?”

“I was just taking a look around the dungeon and happened to pass by. It sure was a stroke of luck for me to stumble upon young miss Chu here,” replied Shi Kun with a smile.

His eyes had been intently fixed on Chu Chuyan all this while, treating Zu An as nothing more than thin air.

“A stroke of luck? That’s hard to say.” 

Chu Chuyan glanced at Shi Kun and the lackeys around him. There were two fourth rank and five third rank cultivators, but it was worth noting that she had never seen any of them in the academy before. It was a wonder how the Shi clan had managed to slip them into the dungeon.

“Young miss Chu, you’re making fun of me.” Shi Kun’s smile remained plastered on his lips, but his heart had already turned cold. Snow is indeed useless. Time and again, she keeps failing me. Now that Zu An has met up with Chu Chuyan, it won’t be easy to take his life anymore.

“I’ll have a chat with you when we’re out of the dungeon. For now, we need to continue exploring the area.” Chu Chuyan turned around and left the area.

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have feared Shi Kun and his lackeys, but for some reason, the injuries she’d sustained from fighting the sixth-ranked Wu Di in the dueling ring the other day weren’t healing well. 

Shi Kun’s cultivation was unlikely to be beneath hers, and he had Snow on his side too. Add to that all of their lackeys as well, and she was definitely at a disadvantage.

“Young miss Chu, please wait for a moment,” Shi Kun called out. “There are all sorts of bizarre phenomena occurring in the dungeon, making it more dangerous than before. Why don’t we group up so that we can look after one another?”

“There’s no need for that,” replied Chu Chuyan. She didn’t even bother to turn around to answer.

“You still don’t get it? She’s telling you not to be a lamppost! Get lost, don’t interrupt our lovey-dovey time.” Zu An waved Shi Kun away in disdain before hurriedly chasing after Chu Chuyan.

Watching their departing silhouettes, Shi Kun clenched his fists furiously, cracking his knuckles.

Damn you, Zu An! You won’t remain smug for long!

You have successfully trolled Shi Kun for 512 Rage points!

Meanwhile, after catching up to Chu Chuyan, Zu An asked curiously, “Honey, it was queer how you coincidentally appeared when I was in a critical situation. Have you been secretly following me out of worry?”

“I’m not that free,” replied Chu Chuyan. “I met Ji Xiaoxi earlier, and she informed me that you were in danger. So I came over to take a look.”

“Is Xiaoxi all right?” asked Zu An anxiously. He had been worrying about Ji Xiaoxi’s fate all this while. He had indeed lured the zombies away, but there were all sorts of other dangers lurking in the dungeon too. It didn’t seem safe for her to be traveling all alone.

“Other than her sprained leg, she’s fine,” replied Chu Chuyan. She paused for a brief moment before remarking once more, “She seems to be very anxious about you. The two of you don’t seem to be ordinary friends.”

“Ah, I didn’t think that you would figure it out so quickly.” Zu An laughed heartily. “It’s not that I want to brag about my charisma, but people used to call me ‘Kidnapper of Ladies’ Hearts’, ‘Widow’s Bane’, ‘Bewitcher of Aunties’…  Any woman who gets to know me will find themselves falling deeply in love with me… Ahhhh, don’t go!”

Chu Chuyan snorted coldly. “Why didn’t Snow fall for you then?”

“She might look desperate to kill me on the surface, but this is what you call ‘a loving, quarreling couple’[1]. Love and hate are two sides of the same coin. Who knows? Her feelings for me might just flip the next moment!”

Chu Chuyan shook her head and kept on walking.

“But honey, you don’t need to get jealous! No matter how many women come to love me in the future, none of them can possibly dislodge you from the position you hold in my heart!” Zu An patted his chest confidently.

“You sure are confident in yourself,” remarked Chu Chuyan.

“Of course! The key to a man’s charm is his confidence!” answered Zu An.

Chu Chuyan couldn’t be bothered to argue with him about this. Her eyes fell upon his chest, and she exclaimed in astonishment, “How did you get this wound? Did Snow cause it?”

“How could she have the ability to do so? It was caused by Shi Kun’s other lackeys.” 

Zu An quickly filled her in on the fight he’d encountered in the forest previously.

Even someone as calm as Chu Chuyan was shocked by the news. “A late fourth rank cultivator, two middling fourth ranks, and an early fourth rank cultivator were chasing you, but you still managed to turn the tables on them?”

“I’m incredible, aren’t I?” replied Zu An gleefully.

“But how could that be possible?” Chu Chuyan couldn’t come to terms with it.

Zu An was only a third rank cultivator at the moment. While he had managed to defeat Yuan Wendong in the dueling ring previously, everyone could tell that his victory was, to a huge degree, down to luck. There was no doubt that he was indeed stronger than most third rank cultivators, but he shouldn’t have been strong enough to defeat four fourth rank assassins!

“There’s still a lot to me that you don’t know of, but it’s fine. Time will eventually reveal them to you,” said Zu An with a mysterious smile.

“Then how did you get caught by Snow earlier?” asked Chu Chuyan.

Zu An scratched his head sheepishly as he replied, “Well, we just happened to be in the forest. She is a wood element cultivator, and I happened to get careless.”

Chu Chuyan nodded in understanding before falling silent.

“Oh, right, why did you turn your back on Shi Kun earlier on? Those were assassins that Shi Kun brought into the dungeon to kill me. As my wife, shouldn’t you stand up for me?” asked Zu An. There was a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone.

Chu Chuyan’s face reddened. It took her a long while before she finally answered, “I can’t defeat them.”

“You can’t defeat them?” Zu An was taken aback by her unexpected answer. “But you’re the number one prodigy of Brightmoon City! Your words just shattered the majestic impression I have of you in my heart.”

“Shut up!” snapped Chu Chuyan. Then, she exhaled deeply and explained, “Shi Kun’s cultivation is not beneath mine, and he had Snow and a huge group of lackeys with him. How were we supposed to stand up to them in the earlier situation?”

“But you have me on your side too!” grumbled Zu An in discontentment.

Honestly, he would have loved more than anything to get rid of Shi Kun. The latter had made many attempts on his life in the past, and there was little doubt that he would continue to do so in the future as well. 

To cut out the root of the problem, Zu An would have to eventually deal with Shi Kun, and this dungeon presented the greatest opportunity for him. Otherwise, once they were out of here, it would be hard to touch Shi Kun, especially since he had powerful experts constantly guarding him.

“It’s precisely because of you that I’m unable to defeat them!” Chu Chuyan rebutted him coldly.

Zu An was left speechless for a long while. He never knew that this cold wife of his was actually so good at arguing.

“Hahaha, I heard from Elder Shi that young miss Chu suffered significant injuries in the dueling ring, but it looks like your injuries are more severe than I thought.”

A peal of laughter reached them from a distance away. Shi Kun walked out with a paper fan in his hand. He was accompanied by his group of lackeys, and Qiao Xueying was standing amidst them, a complicated look on her face.

Chu Chuyan immediately turned to him with a deep frown. “You were eavesdropping on us?”

Shi Kun snapped his paper fan shut before continuing, his smile growing wider. “Young miss Chu, are you unaware that I practice a wind element cultivation technique? There’s a skill amongst wind cultivators known as ‘Whisking Wind’ that allows one to amplify any sounds in the area, and we just happen to be standing downwind from you.”

Chu Chuyan glanced at the lackeys, who had spread out around the area, and asked, “What do you intend to do? Are you trying to pick a fight with me?”

Shi Kun shook his head. “Young miss Chu, you misunderstand me. I’ve admired you for a very long time, so you need not fear that I’ll make things hard for you. The only one I’m after is Zu An.”

Zu An’s heart sank. So Chu Chuyan is still injured. No wonder her face still seemed so pale over the last few days.

“Zu An is my husband. Your actions are no different than if you provoked me directly,” replied Chu Chuyan.

Zu An was stunned. He hadn’t expected Chu Chuyan to say such words. Her usual cold attitude had made him doubt if they were really a family, but she actually openly acknowledged him to be her husband at such a critical moment.

What’s going on? Why do I feel so touched?

Shi Kun’s charming face twisted upon hearing those words. He began pacing around in irritation before snapping furiously, “Just how in the world is this scoundrel qualified to be your husband? Young miss Chu, you’re a woman bestowed by the heavens with utmost beauty and top-notch cultivation talent. Only the most outstanding man in the world is qualified to stand by your side! That man over there is nothing but trash…”

You have successfully trolled Shi Kun for 256… 256… 256… 

Zu An interjected before Shi Kun could even finish his words. “Hold it there for a moment, Brother Shit Kun, could you be referring to yourself when you mentioned ‘the most outstanding man in the world’?”

“So what if I am?” replied Shi Kun arrogantly.

Zu An chuckled softly. “Oh? If I’m not mistaken, the most outstanding man in the world should be His Majesty. If you really mean what you say, could it mean that you think that even His Majesty isn’t as powerful and outstanding as you are?” 

“I…” Shi Kun nearly choked right there. He never thought that Zu An would pick out such a fault from his words. “Of course that’s not what I mean. Stop trying to twist my words to slander me!”

No matter how arrogant Shi Kun was, there was no way he would dare to disrespect the emperor. If the emperor were to hear of this matter, it would bring down not just him, but his entire clan as well. As a scion of a prominent clan in the capital, he had grown up listening to stories about the emperor, so he naturally knew how terrifying the emperor was.

You have successfully trolled Shi Kun for +444 Rage!

“If that’s the case, weren’t you just boasting about your own capabilities?” scoffed Zu An. He looked at Shi Kun, his eyes dripping with disdain.

Shi Kun wanted to scream.

At this rate, the refined and gentlemanly image he had painstakingly built up over the years was going to be ruined at the hands of this scoundrel! Why is this bloody rascal so hateful?!

You have successfully trolled Shi Kun for 512 Rage points!

Chu Chuyan also chipped in at this moment. “I’m choosing a husband, not a scholar or a general. It just so happens that Zu An fits my criteria, so I’m afraid that I’ll have to turn down your feelings for me.”

Zu An’s eyes lit up. He reached out to grab Chu Chuyan’s cool yet tender hand and said, “Honey, I knew that you were fond of me!”

Chu Chuyan eyed his hand sourly.

Her instinctive reaction was to shake off his hand, but considering the situation, it didn’t seem right for her to do so. 

This fellow sure knows how to take advantage of me! 

Looking at their tightly-linked hands, Shi Kun’s expression turned completely livid. “Chu Chuyan, I’ve always thought of you as a pure maiden. How dare you hold the hand of another man? Are you such a loose woman?!”

You have successfully trolled Shi Kun for 999 Rage points!