Zu An chuckled. “I know of a way that won’t mess up your clothes and hair.”
Zheng Dan felt her heart sway. She shot him a look, but still moved over to him.
…
When they arrived at Sang Estate, Sang Hong was already waiting by the gates to welcome them.
The life and death of his son was tied to this, so he couldn’t be bothered with maintaining the propriety that his status required. He had to show the other party some respect.
“I don’t deserve to have Lord Governor welcome me personally like this,” Zu An said as he faced the bearded middle-aged man in front of him. Even though this man looked gentle and refined, he reminded himself that he was actually a vicious viper.
“I’m not acting in my official capacity today. Just treat this like a normal meeting between two clans.” Sang Hong laughed heartily and said, “You are an outstanding youngster after all! Brightmoon Duke has found himself an excellent son-in-law.”
You have successfully trolled Sang Hong for 444 Rage points!
His various schemes to take down the Chu clan had been so meticulously planned. He had taken into account so many different factors, and had been full of confidence in his success. Yet, in the end, this little devil had popped out of nowhere and ruined all of his plans.
Zu An noticed the Rage points flowing in, saw the smile on this middle-aged man’s face, and immediately cursed inside. He really was a hypocritical old fox.
He laughed in reply and said, “Sir Sang also found a good daughter-in-law! Miss Zheng really is great.”
Sang Hong was stunned. He didn’t know why Zu An would describe Zheng Dan in such a strange manner.
Zheng Dan’s face reddened. She wanted to scream at Zu An right now! She knew that this future father-in-law of hers was a meticulous person. She immediately greeted him, worried that he might suspect something. “I pay my respects to Uncle Sang.”
Sang Hong gestured for her to stand back up. “Dan’er, your complexion seems quite good today.”
Zheng Dan’s complexion was much rosier and brighter than usual. Sang Hong figured she was just overjoyed that there was a chance his son would be saved.
Zheng Dan bit her lip. She didn’t dare say anything else, in case she blew her act.
Zu An wasn’t used to putting on all this pretense in front of a wily old fox, and said directly, “Lord Sang, there is no need for us to waste time. When does Lord Governor plan to release my father-in-law?”
Sang Hong smiled. “This young brother is rather straightforward. Let’s get straight to the point. Actually, we’ve already released Brightmoon Duke the moment you walked through the Sang Estate’s main gates.”
Zu An’s eyes brightened. “Lord Sang knows what he is doing after all. Since my father-in-law has already been released, I will bid you farewell. I must go to see him.” He turned around to leave.
Sang Hong glared at his back, his mouth agape.
This kid just refused to behave as others expect him to!
You have successfully trolled Sang Hong for 512 Rage points!
He said coldly, “I fear that the journey from the prison to Brightmoon City is long, and the roads are treacherous.”
Zu An turned around at once. “I was just joking with Lord Sang to liven up the atmosphere! Since I’m already here, how can I not pay Brother Sang a visit?”
Off to the side, Zheng Dan pursed her lips and kept in a laugh. This guy really was a rascal!
The way she was brought up had made her dislike such rascals. However, watching Zu An behave in such a fashion again and again, she had slowly developed an attraction to it.
Sang Hong forced a smile. “Thank you for taking the trouble.”
Zu An quickly followed him into a bedroom. As soon as he entered, he was overcome by a strong medicinal smell.
Sang Qian was lying on the bed, lacking his usual high-spirited appearance. He was haggard and weak, and the medicine applied to him made him look even more wan and sallow. He seemed to have aged considerably since their last meeting.
Sang Hong sighed. “I’ve already tried everything I could, but I’m only just barely keeping him alive. If you can save him, aside from releasing Brightmoon Duke, I promise that I will never act against the Chu clan again. At the same time, you will be considered a friend of the Sang clan. You can request anything you wish of us.”
Would you give me your future daughter-in-law then? The thought instantly popped into his brain.
He resisted the urge with great difficulty. Instead, he coughed lightly and said, “I haven’t thought of anything yet.”
Sang Hong smiled. “That’s fine. This favor will never expire. As long as it is within my ability, I will surely not turn you away.”
Zu An had an ambiguous smile on his face. “To be honest, I am worried that Lord Sang might go back on your words.”
“This is but a trifling issue.” Sang Hong had already predicted his doubts. “I can make a solemn vow. I’m sure you know that vows are quite powerful in this world.”
Zu An was stunned. He hadn’t expected that this middle-aged man would dare make an oath.
Seeing no opposition from Zu An, Sang Hong made a serious vow over the conditions he had just laid out.
Zu An was finally convinced. “There was no need for Lord Sang to go so far! How could I possibly have doubted your honored self? Hahaha….”
Sang Hong cursed him in his heart. Why didn’t you stop me before I made that vow then?
This kid really is a cunning little fox!
He snorted inwardly, but remained unfazed on the surface. “If you would, young brother.”
Zu An wasn’t in the mood to walk over to him. He tossed a red bottle to him instead. “Give this to him, and he should be able to regain his life.”
Sang Hong’s breathing became rushed as he accepted this bottle of red liquid. His son’s life was tied to this, after all!
He looked at the physician beside him, then handed the bottle to him.
The physician was just about to remove a drop to test the medicine’s effects, but Zu An stopped him immediately. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you! This medicine is incredibly precious. The patient has to ingest all of it. If it fails to save him just because you wasted a drop, heh…”
The physician’s hand trembled. How could he dare to proceed with testing the medicine? If the young master ended up passing away because of what he did, all the blame would fall on his shoulders! He would be done for!
Sang Hong’s brow furrowed. He was clearly weighing his options.
He was clearly uncertain, but asked anyway. “I made a vow just now to make you feel at ease. Would you be willing to make a vow as well?”
Zu An sneered. “There was no way for us to immediately verify those conditions of yours, so of course we needed you to take an oath! However, we’ll see the results of my end of the bargain soon enough. Why do we need to go through all of that? If the medicine doesn’t work, you can immediately take your revenge.”
Sang Hong was in full agreement. If the medicine didn’t work, he would just rip this kid to shreds on the spot.
With that out of the way, he personally supported his son and poured the medicine drop by drop into his mouth. Using careful control of his ki, not a single drop was wasted.
He noticed that a trace of green was mixed in together with the red liquid, all of which entered his son’s body.
He watched his son nervously after administering the medicine. Zheng Dan also got up on her toes and looked over.
She felt extremely conflicted. She was worried that Sang Qian wouldn’t be able to recover, and that Sang Hong would kill Zu An. However, if Sang Qian did recover, then what would the two of them do after she got married?
In a few moments, a hint of red returned to Sang Qian’s cheeks, and his complexion visibly improved.
“Divine medicine! This is simply divine medicine!” The physician beside him was stupefied.
Sang Hong was also full of excitement and anticipation. His arms were even shaking in his sleeves. “Qian’er, Qian’er?”
A while later, Sang Qian opened his eyes. “Dad!”
He’d clearly hung on to a strand of consciousness after he’d been seriously injured. However, it hadn’t been enough for him to be completely aware.
Now, when he called out to his dad, he suddenly felt as though could move. He subconsciously crawled out of bed. The physician was so shocked, his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.
He was the one who understood most clearly how close Sang Qian was to death! Yet now, a little weakness aside, Sang Qian looked no different from a normal person.
“Physician, how is Qian’er’s condition?” Sang Hong demanded immediately.
The physician took a moment to check Sang Qian’s pulse, then said with a smile, “Congratulations, Lord Governor! The young master is doing well. He should make a complete recovery after a few days of rest.”
“Excellent, excellent!” Sang Hong was incredibly excited, and hurriedly said to Zu An, “Thank you, young brother!”
“You?” Sang Qian’s eyes fell on Zu An, and a wave of annoyance washed over him.
“Your dad is addressing me as ‘young brother’. You should be calling me uncle,” Zu An said in a dissatisfied tone, picking idly at his ears.
Sang Qian stared at him, utterly speechless.
Even Sang Hong and Zheng Dan, standing by his bed, were stupefied.
The Rage points streaming in almost made Zu An burst out in joyous laughter.
“You damn brat, what did you say?!” Sang Qian had never gotten along with Zu An to begin with. His taunting only made him immediately erupt with anger.
Zu An sighed. “Is this how you speak to the one who saved your life?”
Sang Hong immediately cut in. “Qian’er, don’t be rude. Quickly, thank young master Zu. He saved your life.”
He was still worried that Sang Qian’s condition had yet to stabilize completely, so he didn’t dare to offend Zu An at that moment.
Sang Qian clearly resented the idea. “Dad!”
Sang Hong glared at him. “Do what I say!”
Only then did Sang Qian unwillingly clasp his fist towards Zu An. “Thanks.”
Zu An purposely leaned his ear in closer. “What are you thanking me for?”
Sang Qian forced himself to remain silent.
Why was this kid so petty?
You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 444 Rage points!
Sang Hong also grew annoyed. “Young master Zu, Qian’er has just recovered and needs rest. Please, do not get him too worked up.”
Worried that father and son might really go after him if he pushed further, Zu An rose and bid them farewell. “Since things are pretty much settled, I’ll take my leave.”
Sang Hong nodded. “Dan’er, please see young master Zu out.”
He didn’t dare call Zu An young brother again, afraid that it would somehow come back to haunt him.
Zheng Dan got up and bowed towards him with a smile. “Understood.”
“Miss Zheng is so pretty. It’s such a delight to have such a beauty accompany me.” Zu An’s eyes roamed all over her body, and he gave Sang Qian a smug look.
Sang Qian frowned at him.
This brat’s gaze… Why does it give me such a bad feeling? Something is definitely amiss.
Zheng Dan was desperately alarmed by his roving gaze. She was afraid that father and son would realize the truth.
Only Zu An could read their real thoughts. The more he acted like this, the less chance there was of them growing suspicious. Besides, it earned him a good chunk of Rage points.
As Sang Qian watched the two of them leave, he was reminded of Zheng Dan’s endless charm, and his breathing grew rushed. His own fiancée seemed so much more seductive than before.
He swallowed, then said unhappily, “Dad, why did you have to make Dandan accompany that guy?”
The thought of his own fiancée accompanying another man made him feel extremely uncomfortable.
“I just want to make sure Dan’er keeps an eye on him when he leaves. I wouldn’t feel at ease if it were anyone else,” said Sang Hong. “There are some things I need to talk to you about.”
