Zu An frowned. He had been completely focused on drawing Daji, and this was the imperial envoyâs ship, with guards patrolling everywhere. That was why he had ended up lowering his guard a bit.
But even if he had lowered his guard, with his cultivation, it shouldnât have been that easy for ordinary cultivators to approach him at all. And yet, he had only noticed this person after they had already made their move! This person definitely had some special concealment skill.
Zu An didnât dare to show any carelessness. His fingers struck the dagger, and while the other partyâs fingers were trembling, he rammed right against the personâs chest. However, the other person reacted quickly as well, their body bending at an inconceivable angle to evade his attack.
Zu An used the Feathersilk Entangling Art to prevent the other person from widening the distance between them. His opponent was also well versed in techniques, countering right back. They exchanged more than ten moves in a row.
Zu An noticed that the other partyâs figure was graceful and their movements ingenious. They used some evasive maneuvers that even left him in admiration. However, the other personâs cultivation was clearly a bit beneath his own.
That person could still barely keep up at first, but as Zu An began to use his skills, his opponent began to feel pressured. Their figure stopped for a moment. Zu An seized that moment to smash through their defenses, slamming a palm into the personâs chest.
âAhâ¦!â the person cried in a sharp and clear voice, slamming into a wall like a broken sack.
âA woman?â Zu An exclaimed. Both the feeling of her chest and her voice pointed to the fact that the other person was a female assassin. However, he didnât show any mercy just because she was female. Since she had come to kill him, there was no reason for him to hold back.
He was about to walk forward when he felt as if he had stepped on something. When he lowered his head, he discovered with shock that it was a jade token! The shape of the jade token was quite unique, and he could tell right away that it was from the Hub of Freedom.
What was more shocking was that the number on the jade token was actually 333! Zu An thought, Why does she have my jade token?
The jade token seemed to have fallen from the womanâs body. The woman took off her veil and said weakly, âYoung master⦠Itâs meâ¦â
Tang Tianâerâs usual sweet smile was nowhere to be seen. Now, only her pale face and a trickle of blood seeping out from the corner of her mouth were visible.
âWhy did you attack me?â Even though they were acquaintances, Zu Anâs expression didnât change at all. He continued to look at her coldly.
âI didnâtâ¦â Tang Tianâer was about to say something, but her injuries were too severe and she was extremely weak. She fainted before being able to say what she wanted.
Zu An was worried that she was feigning injury to lower his guard, so he didnât relax his vigilance. But a while later, he sensed that her ki was extremely faint, so he then squatted down to examine her.
âShe really is seriously injuredâ¦â He knew that even though he hadnât used all of his strength, his palm strike just then wasnât something anyone could handle.
In fact, it was a miracle that Tang Tianâer hadnât died on the spot. It was probably because of some kind of protective treasure that preserved her life. However, she was still going to die soon if nothing was done.
Someone knocked on his door. âSir Zu? Sir Zu?â The nearby guards had heard the noise and came over to check on him.
âItâs nothing, just a thief who has already been dealt with. You all can withdraw for now.â Zu An showed himself at the entrance. The guards thus felt relieved and resumed their patrol after bowing.
Zu An closed the door and looked at the black clad woman on the ground, muttering, âShould I save her or not?â
The one he was asking was Daji. But unfortunately, Daji stood in place without moving at all. There wasnât even a trace of life coming from her body.
Zu An sighed. He had thought that she was already starting to obtain a soul, but she still didnât react no matter what he tested her with.
âBy remaining silent, youâre saying I should save her, right? Fine, I wanted to know why she came to kill me too,â Zu An said confidently. Daji only continued to stare at him without any sign of pleasure or displeasure.
Zu An lifted Tang Tianâer up. Her body was so soft, it was as if she didnât have any bones. No wonder she had been able to evade in such inconceivable ways. He fed her a pill. He wasnât willing to feed her a Soul Return Pill; rather, he just used some pills Chu Youzhao had given him before. This person had been trying to kill him, so the fact that he was saving her life was already pretty good.
Zu An propped her up on the bed. Unfortunately, she couldnât sit up at all and quickly fell over. He reached out and prodded her body a few times with her finger to keep her in place. Then, he used his Primordial Origin Ki to help her absorb the medicinal strength, as well as simultaneously treating her injuries.
His Primordial Origin Sutra had already been cultivated to the fourth layer. As long as it wasnât a life-threatening injury, he could treat a patient. Strands of true ki left his finger and entered her body.
Tang Tianâer groaned, already starting to react somewhat. As the primordial ki flowed through her body, her entire body began to heat up. Then, she began to release white steam.
Just like that, after an hour passed, Tang Tianâerâs brows gently flickered. Zu An retracted his hand and said indifferently, âI know youâre already awake.â
Tang Tianâer thus opened her eyes, saying, âI wanted you to treat me for a while longer⦠Iâm still far from recovered right now.â There was another more embarrassing reason that she didnât want to mention, which was that when his ki moved through her body, it was warm and felt really good. She really didnât want him to stop.
âNot dead and still capable of speaking is already pretty good. You still want me to treat you further? Perhaps you donât understand the current situation?â Zu An couldnât help but laugh.
âThe current situation? Isnât it just you touching my body all over, then making my entire body all wet?â Tang Tianâer replied while pulling up her clothes to show him how she was completely soaked in sweat.
Zu An was speechless. Can you not use such ambiguous words? Otherwise, other people might think I did something to you!
Tang Tianâer was blushing, because her sweat had made her clothes a bit transparent. What she had done just then only made her body even more visible. In order to get rid of her awkwardness, she quickly let go of her clothes and looked around her.
âHuh? Where did that woman from earlier go? Iâve never seen a woman that beautiful before!â she exclaimed. That was a sincere question she had. She hadnât had much time to look at the woman in detail while they were hiding, but she had been shocked from just that glance. There was actually a woman as beautiful as that in this world? And that woman had been in the same room as Zu An in the middle of the night? She was growing more and more curious about this man.
Zu An had already recalled Daji. He didnât feel like replying to her and instead said, âStop beating around the bush. Tell me why youâre here, and then Iâll decide whether Iâll spare you or not.â
Tang Tianâerâs charming face fell. She could only say, âI heard that guest 333 came to the Hub of Freedom and thought it was you. I went over in high spirits to meet with you, but then I saw that it was two different people. I was so upset I took the jade pendant from them and came to give it back to you.â
Zu An had a strange expression. I wonder how embarrassing it will be later for Pei You when he finds out that he lost his jade token and that this trip wonât be free⦠But he obviously wouldnât trust everything she said, and replied, âDo you think Iâd believe that?â
Tang Tianâer pursed her lips and said, âFine, Iâll tell you the truth. I was curious about your identity, so I came to see if it was you or not.â
âSo this is how your Hub of Freedom treats your jade token guests, by investigating them?â Zu An was getting a bit thirsty from treating her for so long. He left the bed and poured a cup of tea for himself.
âI want some too!â Tang Tianâer had just lost a lot of blood. Together with her injuries, she was extremely thirsty.
âAnswer my question first.â Zu An ignored her.
âStingy.â Tang Tianâer harrumphed. Then she said, âOf course we donât investigate normal guests, but youâre different! How can I not even know the real identity of a man I spent a night of happiness with? Otherwise, if I get pregnant and my child asks me who the father is, I wonât even know what to tell him.â
Her expression suddenly changed and she exclaimed, âOh no, do you think our child died from your palm strike just now?â
Zu An was speechless. What the hell is wrong with this woman? But he really did admire her acting ability. Anyone else might really have been fooled by her.
âYou still have your virginity, so why do you insist on putting on this charming and seductive act?â Zu An handed over the tea cup in his hands when he saw her gulp her saliva several times.
Tang Tianâer had a grateful expression on her face. She immediately took the teacup and drained it in one gulp. âI want more~!â she said, raising her head and giving Zu An a pitiful look.
Zu An didnât feel like pouring her a cup and just picked up the entire teapot, saying, âOpen your mouth!â
âAh~â Tang Tianâer was cooperative too and just opened her mouth, gulping down the tea. But she began to choke on it soon afterward. âSlow down a bit~!â She gave Zu An a resentful look.
Zu An completely ignored her and said, âYouâve had your fill now too. Isnât it time for you to speak?â
Tang Tianâerâs expression became complicated. She said, âI just wanted to test you a bit. Now, I know you werenât knocked out back then after all, and that I looked like a complete dummy in your eyes.â
Zu An narrowed his eyes, retorting, âAre you not scared that youâll be silenced forever after telling me these things?â