From her experience of who Zu An was, she knew it was completely possible for this despicable and shameless scum to follow through with his threat. Just thinking of the sheer humiliation she would suffer threw her into a panic.

She opened her mouth to speak, but a new wave of labor pains set in and reduced her words to pained moans.

“You think I dare not do so?” Zu An threatened her. “Let’s try it out then!” He ripped off her outer garment. 

He had searched her room once before, but all he’d found were melon seeds and other tidbits. After having spent some time in the Chu Estate, he was certain that it wasn’t Chu Zhongtian, Qin Wanru, or Chu Chuyan who was out for his life. That suggested that there was someone else behind Snow.

Being under the gaze of an unknown enemy was simply too dangerous—he didn’t even know who to put up his guard against! He was determined to figure out who the mastermind was today. He wouldn’t be able to sleep in peace otherwise.

Ripping off Snow’s outer garment revealed her fair and slender arms. Even Zu An had to admit that her name was fitting for her appearance. Her skin really was as fair as snow

“I’ll definitely kill… Aiyooo~”

You have successfully trolled Qiao Xueying for 998 Rage points!

“Are you still refusing to speak? I must tell you that there isn’t that much left for me to take off… Wait a minute, are you doing this on purpose to seduce me?”

Seduce you? To hell with you!

You have successfully trolled Qiao Xueying for 1024 Rage points!

Snow was on the verge of losing her mind. As if the inhuman pain radiating from her abdomen wasn’t enough, she still had to suffer the torture of his words as well. Just wait until I recover! I’ll surely rip your mouth off!

“If you still refuse to talk, I’m going to rip open your clothes!” Zu An grabbed her collar with both hands, but stopped short of actually going through with his threat. All he wanted was to force her to reveal the mastermind who was trying to kill him.

“You’re the one who forced my hand!” Snow’s voice became chillingly cold, and her eyes began to shine with a strange green glow.

Zu An felt his goosebumps rise. Without hesitation, he summoned Grandgale and instantly moved tens of meters away and out of the room, whipping up a furious wind.

At the same time, Snow’s hair suddenly began to grow, as if a seal had been removed. Strands of hair darted forth in Zu An’s direction like vines.

What the hell! What in the world is this? Zu An was horrified. It was as if the woman in front of him had suddenly turned into Medusa, and he felt a terrifying pressure. 

The force of her hair was strong enough even to pierce through the walls, tearing holes in them. Had he not summoned Grandgale to teleport away, he would have been utterly decimated there and then.

Snow didn’t expect that Zu An would have the means to escape so quickly. She moved swiftly to chase after him.

“Zu wastrel, I’ll tear you into shreds… Aiyo~” Snow collapsed by the doorway, clutching her abdomen.

You have successfully trolled Qiao Xueying for 500 Rage points!

Zu An swallowed in fear. Isn’t this woman much too scary? She’s actually able to withstand the pain of childbirth and attack me! If she comes after me once more, I’ll be in real danger!

The sounds of a disturbance came from not too far away. Someone in the estate had finally sensed the commotion and was rushing over.

Conflict flickered across Snow’s face for a moment. Instead of attacking him, she staggered toward the wall of the estate. As she reached it, she turned around and glared at Zu An hatefully. “I’ll be back!”

Then, she leaped over the wall and disappeared under the cover of night.

Not long after Snow had made her escape, a figure flew over, her white skirt fluttering as she descended like a fairy—Chu Chuyan.

She recoiled in horror as she caught sight of Zu An covered in blood. “What happened? What’s wrong with you?”

Zu An finally heaved a sigh of relief. He flashed her what he thought to be his most charming smile before fainting in her direction.

He was already severely injured, but he had still been forced to deplete all of his ki in order to summon Grandgale and avoid Snow’s ultimate attack. He had been hanging on by sheer will thus far, but Chu Chuyan’s presence melted his remaining tension, causing him to pass out on the spot.

Chu Chuyan’s first reaction toward Zu An falling into her embrace was to push him away, but she hesitated as she took in the extent of his injuries, which bought enough time for Zu An to land softly into her arms.

She thought about how the man had tried similar tricks to take advantage of her in the past, and a furrow formed between her brows. If you’re tricking me this time too… 

However, such thoughts were swiftly banished once she checked his condition with her ki. To her shock, Zu An’s life was really hanging by a thread.

… 

When Zu An finally regained his consciousness, he found himself lying on a bed, surrounded by people. Other than Chu Chuyan, Chu Zhongtian, Qin Wanru, and those from the second branch and third branch were all present. Most of them were examining the marks on the wall caused by Snow’s lashing hair, clicking their tongues in amazement.

It’s fortunate that I kept Poisonous Prick back into the Keyboard. It would have been troublesome if one of them had found it.

Zu An realized that he was bandaged from head to toe. It seems like I’m constantly getting severely injured. This was definitely not the first time he had been bandaged like this.

All of a sudden, he felt a warm handkerchief gently dabbing his face, wiping off his sweat. He tried to focus his gaze, and saw Chu Huanzhao sitting by the bedside, taking care of him with a look of serious concern.

Zu An felt heartened and conflicted at the same time. He noticed Chu Chuyan standing not too far away, a nonchalant look on her face, as if she had nothing to do with all of this. Her attitude made it seem as if he were someone else’s husband. In the end, the one who cared the most for him was still his sister-in-law.

Chu Huanzhao noticed that Zu An had opened his eyes and exclaimed in delight, “Father, mother, big sister, he’s awake!”

Chu Zhongtian quickly rushed to his side and asked, “How are you feeling?”

Zu An took a look around before murmuring, “It hurts~”

Chu Zhongtian nodded in sympathy before adding, “Chuyan used her ki to sustain you earlier, buying enough time for our physician to treat and bandage you. You were really in grave danger for a moment there.”

Zu An was a little surprised to hear that. He took another look at Chu Chuyan, but her face remained as impassive as ever. It was impossible to tell that she was the one who had saved his life. But still, it looks like I’ve misread her.

Qin Wanru walked over and asked, “What happened? How did you land yourself in such a state?”

“Snow tried to kill me earlier,” replied Zu An.

He regretted not being able to force Snow to reveal the identity of her master, but his interactions with Chu Chuyan and her parents had given him confidence that it was unlikely to be one of them. Thus, he wasn’t afraid to reveal the truth out loud. 

As he spoke, he watched the reactions of the others around him closely, hoping to discern something. Unfortunately, no one looked exceptionally suspicious to him.

“Snow?” Zu An’s words shocked everyone, and all eyes turned to Chu Chuyan.

Even Chu Huanzhao was panicked at that revelation. “Brother-in-law, how could my big sister possibly make an attempt on your life?”

Zu An rolled his eyes in response. “I’m quite certain I said Snow instead of your big sister.”

Chu Huanzhao could think of a fair number of retorts. Snow is my big sister’s personal maidservant. Wouldn’t everyone suspect her if you say it in such a pointed manner?

Chu Chuyan frowned under the sudden scrutiny. “I haven’t seen Snow around for quite a while.”

“Men, bring Snow over!” Chu Zhongtian ordered. 

He wasn’t going to assume Snow’s guilt just because of what Zu An had said. After all, Snow was his daughter’s personal maidservant. There was a need to investigate this matter properly.

The servants soon returned with news. “Snow is not in the estate at the moment. We aren’t able to find her anywhere.”

Chu Zhongtian’s face darkened. It seemed Snow had managed to escape from the estate after being exposed.

Qin Wanru sat down by the side of the bed. “What happened earlier on? Fill us in on the details.” Her silk dress flowed along the gentle curves of her waist and buttocks, drawing glances from the leader of the second branch Chu Tiesheng.

Zu An briefly laid out his encounter with Snow, though he wisely chose to conceal his abilities.

The frown on Qin Wanru’s forehead tightened as she heard the story. Chu Tiesheng remarked, “Sounds like a load of nonsense. If Snow really intended to kill you, how could a piece of trash… I mean, how could you have possibly been able to fend her off?”

Zu An shot him a searching glance. He wondered if Chu Tiesheng could be the one pulling Snow’s strings. However, if that were really the case, it was foolish of him to speak up for Snow at a time like this.

Chu Huanzhao stood forward and spoke on Zu An’s behalf, “My brother-in-law is more formidable than you know. He suffered several strikes from my Wailing Whip without even letting out a cry, and he even subdued a group of third rank and fifth rank cultivators in the academy earlier today.”

No one in the room believed in her words. It was simply too ridiculous. It was one thing for Zu An to be able to stand his ground against third rank cultivators, but she had roped in fifth rank cultivators as well!

Third branch leader Chu Yuepo burst out laughing. “Lil’ Zhao, you’re simply being too kind! How could he possibly have the strength to deal with a fifth rank cultivator? Would anyone even believe that?”

Chu Tiesheng nodded in agreement. “Indeed. I see that you have been speaking up for Zu An all this while. I think that you should maintain an appropriate distance from him, so as not to encourage any rumors. This is especially important given how the two of you shared a bed during his wedding night…”

Qin Wanru immediately glared at Chu Tiesheng and bellowed, “Watch your mouth! Are these words that should be coming out from the mouth of an elder? She’s still young, and she’s only speaking up for Zu An as a fellow family member. Don’t try to twist her words with that dirty mind of yours!”

Chu Tiesheng turned his head away in a huff, his cheeks coloring in embarrassment. “I was just worried about the Chu clan’s reputation.”

As much as Qin Wanru disliked Chu Tiesheng’s words, she had to admit that there was some sense in what he had said. Her second daughter had indeed been too close to Zu An in recent days.

She couldn’t possibly have fallen in love with him, right?

She dismissed the thought as quickly as it had come. How could that be possible? Zu An doesn’t have a single quality that could win a woman’s heart! How could Huanzhao possibly fall for him?

Qin Wanru knew that her second daughter was a rowdy one, so Zu An’s antics probably just looked interesting to her. After all, Chu Huanzhao hadn’t had anyone to play with in the Chu Estate over the years. 

While Qin Wanru doubted that the two of them would ever strike up a serious relationship, she resolved to find some time to talk to her second daughter about this. It was probably best if they kept some distance between them.

Meanwhile, Chu Zhongtian had been examining the marks on the walls. “Based on Zu An’s earlier description, Snow should be a fifth rank wood element cultivator.” he declared in a deep voice.

Wood element?

Zu An recalled how Snow’s hair had wreaked havoc around the room. For a moment, she had seemed like Medusa’s incarnation.

“Fifth rank?” Chu Zhongtian’s statement sparked a huge commotion. 

None of them could have imagined that obedient little lass who was often caught snacking on melon seeds was actually a fifth rank cultivator.