Zu An was baffled. What do you mean, it’ll be fine if big brother Chu agrees to it?
Despite being a youngster too, he struggled to understand what was going through the heads of youths nowadays.
Shouldn’t Murong Qinghe be angry at being deceived about her marriage? She looks a bit angry, but she seems to still care for Chu Youzhao a lot. Despite knowing Chu Youzhao is a woman, she still takes her for her lover and husband.
And she’s even willing to let Chu Youzhao get together with other men?
Zu An was confused. Is my understanding of love too narrow?
Seeing Zu An’s reaction, Murong Qinghe realized how culturally shocking her earlier words were. So, she added with a whisper, “You’re an exception. I wouldn’t let big brother Chu be with anyone else.”
“I’m moved by the feelings you have for each other.” Zu An didn’t know how to reply to those words.
“These are my earnest thoughts. I haven’t even told big brother Chu about it.” Murong Qinghe bit her lips. “Brother-in-law, you mustn’t tell big brother Chu about this. I’m still feigning anger at him.”
It took a while before Zu An squeezed out an answer. “Alright.”
This little couple sure knows how to play around.
Murong Qinghe suddenly looked shy. “How much longer are you planning to embrace me, brother-in-law?”
Zu An was speechless.
He impatiently snorted, “I’m treating your injuries!”
Murong Qinghe's injuries from the earlier jolt were so severe that Zu An had only barely stabilized her condition now.
“You’ll have to rest up for the next few days. You mustn’t get into any fights. It shouldn’t take long for you to make a full recovery.” Zu An pulled her to her feet before releasing her. Her body feels young and vibrant, perhaps because she spends her days in the military.
“Thank you, brother-in-law. I was joking with you earlier, though. You can hug me all you want.” Murong Qinghe mischievously blinked at him. She seemed to be in a good mood.
“Scram.” Zu An chased her away with a huff. This lass doesn’t know she’s playing with fire. If it had been in the past, she would have been gushing after being treated by my primordial ki.
Now that Zu An had become the world’s master, he could treat her using the world laws, thus avoiding the primordial ki’s side effects.
Murong Qinghe ran outside. Her head suddenly popped back into the room as she said, “Brother-in-law, don’t forget about our secret agreement.”
Zu An’s eyelids twitched. She looked so wretched earlier that one would have thought she was living in misery all these years, but it looks like she's been enjoying herself in her way.
A smile lingered on Murong Qinghe’s lips even after leaving the room. She murmured, “My dumb brother-in-law.”
What had worried her in recent days wasn't Chu Youzhao, but who it had been that night. Even though Chu Youzhao had implicitly hinted at that person’s identity to her, she dared not believe it until she confirmed it herself. Now that she had confirmed it truly was big brother Zu, it felt as if a boulder had been lifted from her heart. She couldn’t tell if her feeling for him was love, but she wasn’t averse to it.
...
Zu An’s door suddenly opened, and a beautiful figure walked in, asking, “What secrets do you have with little Qinghe?”
Zu An raised his head to see a gorgeous, oval-shaped face. He exclaimed in delight, “Dandan!”
He rushed forth to embrace her. He'd been worried that she had met with danger, because he hadn’t seen her anywhere in Phoenix Pass. Later, he'd learned that she was in charge of transporting rations from Bi Linglong, and wasn’t in Phoenix Pass then.
“Ah Zu!” Zheng Dan hugged him tightly.
It had been three years since they last met. While she was confident in his abilities, she couldn’t stop worrying since he was marching into danger. She had woken up from nightmares countless times, after which she would solemnly pray for him. She had rushed here as soon as she received news that Phoenix Pass was in trouble, only to learn that her lover had descended like a deity and promptly dealt with the rebels. Overjoyed, she headed right over to look for him.
The two of them hugged for a long time before Zheng Dan coyly grumbled, “I can’t catch my breath.”
Zu An was startled. “Was I hugging you too tightly?”
“You’re covered in other women’s perfume.” Zheng Dan’s eyes glimmered. She leaned in and sniffed him. “I smell Linglong’s fragrance. This Hundred Flowers Fragrance smells unfamiliar, but I’m guessing it belongs to that Concubine Bai. Hm? There’s Qinghe’s scent too. Tsk tsk tsk, you’re a beast to go after your sister-in-law.”
“I’m not Giggs,” Zu An huffed. “Don’t talk nonsense. Qinghe was injured, so I was treating her earlier.”
It wouldn’t be good for him to share what had transpired between him and Murong Qinghe, lest he ruin her reputation.
“Your treatment method must have made her swoon.” Zheng Dan knew best just how potent his primordial ki was.
“I'm the world;s master now. I can avoid that side effect when treating others,” Zu An replied awkwardly.
Zheng Dan’s eyes lit up. “I heard from others about how cool you were in that battle, something about you becoming a god. Is it an ability from being this world’s master? Tell me more about it.”
She had been working hard in recent years, evident in the rapid progression of her cultivation, but there was no way she could match the growth of a monster like Zu An. This was a good chance for her to learn about the higher cultivation levels. So, Zu An embraced her and began sharing everything that happened over the past three years with her. Time passed swiftly.
Halfway through, Bi Linglong came in to report about the imperial court’s affairs, only to be quickly drawn in by his stories as well. Her eyes shimmered in excitement, making even the plum makeup between her brows look vibrant. “Compared to what you went through, my life as the empress has been boring. I wish I could have been there with you.”
“Indeed. It feels like everything we've done in the last few years was just playing house.” Zheng Dan felt the same too. She had organized the capital’s underground powers and worked with Little Qien to help Bi Linglong stabilize her position and deal with the rebels. They'd thought that they had done a lot, but compared to what Zu An had faced, it looked like a minor squabble.
“If not for your hard work, the world would have been in chaos. You shouldn’t downplay what you'be accomplished. It hasn’t been easy on you either,” Zu An replied. He had put them through a lot by entrusting everything to them.
“Hmph! I bet you left us here because you didn’t want us getting in the way of you courting other worlds' ladies!” Zheng Dan harrumphed. “I noticed you were vague when talking about the Goddess of Wu Mountain, the Mermaid Queen, and the Sun Goddess... I bet there's something between you and them!”
Bi Linglong nodded in agreement.
Zu An sweated profusely. There was no way to conceal things when someone understood him too well. It took him a long time to placate the two of them.
Bi Linglong suddenly stood up and said, “It’s getting late. I should get going. Dandan, it's been a long time since you last met Ah Zu. There must be many things you’d like to talk to him about, so I won’t impose any longer.”
Unexpectedly, Zheng Dan grabbed her hand and smiled mischievously. “Isn’t it the same for you? There must be many things you would like to say to him as well.”
“Even so, given my identity, I shouldn’t stay here for too long.” Bi Linglong had many sentiments she would like to share with Zu An, but her rational mind held her back. She was now the empress. It wouldn’t do for her to stay over in Zu An’s room under public view, or else the novels in the streets would become even more explosive.
Zheng Dan laughed. “Please! Who doesn’t know you’re the regent’s woman? Now that Ah Zu has displayed his overwhelming prowess, it wouldn’t look out of place for you to be with him. Rather, it would be weirder for you not to be here.”
Bi Linglong’s heart skipped a beat, and her face heated up. She hesitated for a moment before nodding. Then, she stared intently at Zheng Dan.
Having become close friends in recent years, Zheng Dan immediately understood her intention. She angrily lashed out, “Are you chasing me away now? That’s too much! Don’t even think about it. I’m staying here tonight as well!”
Bi Linglong’s face turned bright red. She stood up to leave. “This is improper!”