Chapter 33: Hong Yuan  

Pika

Mei Chaofeng laughed heartily upon hearing the news. “What did I tell you earlier? There’s no way Tan Wei could have been Twelve’s match.”

His arrogant laughter could not cover the muffled weeping coming from beneath the table. Without hesitation, he slapped the woman who was there. “What are you crying for? Now that Tan Wei is dead, you’ll be mine from now on. I guarantee you that you’ll have a much better life than before!”

Plum Blossom Thirteen swallowed. I think it’s better if I marry an ugly wife in the future, just to be safe. If I really want to have pretty ladies, I can find them on the streets.

“Report!” Another flustered sect member presented himself at the entrance of the study room. “Sect master, we have found traces of Lord Twelve’s clothes in the vicinity of the Wolf Valley. It’s stained with blood.”

“What?!” Mei Chaofeng rose to his feet and slammed his palm on the table in agitation.

Plum Blossom Thirteen subconsciously averted his eyes. The sight before him was simply a little too disturbing.

Mei Chaofeng pulled up his pants and walked briskly to the doorway. He snatched the tattered and bloodied fabric from the hands of the sect member and examined it closely. He could just about make out the word ‘Twelve’ embroidered on it. “It really belongs to Twelve!”

“The culprit must be Zu An! I’ll kill him right now!” Plum Blossom Thirteen bellowed in rage. He grabbed his dagger and moved to rush out of the room.

“Nonsense! No matter how weak and useless that fellow is, he’s still the son-in-law of the Chu clan in name. Are you so anxious to throw away your life by killing him in the city?” Mei Chaofeng glared at Plum Blossom Thirteen coldly. “Besides, how could Twelve possibly get done in by that piece of trash?”

At these words, Plum Blossom Thirteen regained his composure. No matter how little the Chu clan thought of this son-in-law of theirs, if he were to execute Zu An publicly, they would still exact vengeance in order to uphold the reputation and honor of the Chu clan.

And the Chu clan’s vengeance wouldn’t just stop at Plum Blossom Thirteen. It would fall upon the entire Plum Blossom Sect as well.

That was the reason why Plum Blossom Twelve had initially lured Zu An out to the suburbs and tied him onto a tree to be struck by lightning. It had been a perfect plan. Who could have expected Zu An would be lucky enough to survive that ordeal?

A sudden thought struck Plum Blossom Thirteen. “Godfather, could it be possible that Zu An has been feigning weakness all this while? It doesn’t make sense why the First Miss of the Chu clan would be interested in useless trash like him otherwise.”

Mei Chaofeng brushed it aside with a wave of his hand. “Impossible. I have insider information that confirms he is utter trash through and through. As for why the First Miss of the Chu clan chose him as her husband, the reasoning is complicated and can’t be explained concisely.”

“If he wasn’t the culprit, that leaves only one last possibility,” Plum Blossom Thirteen said in a low voice.

“Where in the world did you catch the bad habit of halting your sentences halfway? Hurry up and spit out whatever you want to say!” Mei Chaofeng hollered impatiently.

Plum Blossom Thirteen continued hurriedly, “I think that Zu An might have powerful experts by his side, guarding him. For him to survive the lightning strike a few days ago, and then to overcome Twelve’s second assassination attempt is too much of a coincidence. There must be an expert helping him from the shadows!”

“An expert helping him?” Mei Chaofeng frowned. “That’s impossible. You should have seen the intelligence on that pathetic piece of trash. There’s no way he could be acquainted with any experts.”

“But earlier today, I saw him together with someone in the academy...” Plum Blossom Thirteen leaned closer to Mei Chaofeng and told him about the woman he had encountered in the gazebo earlier on.

“You did well. While Shang Liuyu isn’t known for her cultivation, she has the academy backing her. That woman is also an enigmatic one, so it’s best not to cross her if possible.” Mei Chaofeng pondered for a moment before shaking his head. “However, based on her personality, it’s unlikely that she would get involved in such a matter.”

“If his protector isn’t from the academy, could it be that the Chu clan has assigned a guard to protect him?” Plum Blossom Thirteen asked.

“It’s a waste of resources to protect useless trash.” Mei Chaofeng snorted dismissively. “But that cannot be ruled out. It’s possible The Chu clan assigned someone to protect him in secret. I’ll need to consult the client about this. Before I do, we have to make sure to proceed carefully. We need to kill him using our wits, not brute force.”

Plum Blossom Thirteen’s lips curved in a sinister smile as he took out the promissory note. “I thought that this was useless, but it seems this could play a crucial role in our mission. I’ve already issued him an ultimatum. If he doesn’t fork out the money within three days, even the Jade Emperor won’t be able to stop us from chopping off his hands!”

Mei Chaofeng’s mood lifted instantly. “As expected of someone I’ve groomed with my own hands. You did well! The Chu clan has strict rules that forbid any of their clan members from gambling. I reckon that Chu Zhongtian wouldn’t stand up for that useless son-in-law for a matter like this!”

Oblivious to all of the scheming occurring behind his back, Zu An finally arrived at the Yu clan’s villa, having asked a few passers-by for directions.

In terms of scale and magnificence, it paled slightly in comparison to the Chu Estate. However, it possessed a serene and peaceful air that the Chu Estate lacked.

“Is Second Master Jian in?” Zu An enquired as he approached the guards by the entrance.

He had done his research. Yu Yanluo’s husband, the Cloudmidst Duke, went by the surname of ‘Jian’. Naturally, the brother-in-law who had entered the valley to fetch Yu Yanluo also bore the ‘Jian’ surname.

“Who are you?” The guard eyed Zu An warily.

Zu An tossed a piece of silver over. It was part of what he’d looted from Plum Blossom Twelve earlier.

The guard’s expression softened upon receiving the silver piece, and he favored Zu An with a slight smile. He leaned in closer and replied, “The Second Old Master is out at the moment. He isn’t in the villa.”

Zu An sighed in relief. It was clear to him that there was internal strife within the Yu clan, and Second Master Jian appeared to be on bad terms with Yu Yanluo. What if his act of saving Yu Yanluo had actually foiled Second Master Jian’s plan? If so, he could be walking right into a trap.

It was paramount to know if Second Master Jian was in, and Zu An was relieved to learn that he was not. To the guard, he said, “I wish to meet your Madam.”

The guard was amused. “There are plenty of men in the world who wish to meet our Madam. I’m afraid that this bit of money isn’t enough.”

Instead of wasting his words on the guard, Zu An took out the jade token he had obtained from Yu Yanluo. “Do you recognize this? I am a friend of your Madam. Relay my presence to her, and I’m certain that she’ll meet me.”

Seeing the huge ‘Yu’ word inscribed on the jade token, the guard’s eyes widened in astonishment. “My apologies for failing to recognize an esteemed guest! Milord, how should I address you?”

Zu An let impatience creep into his tone. “Don’t bother with unimportant matters. Hurry up and report my presence!” He was not foolish enough to leave behind any information that Second Master Jian could use to look into his identity.

“Unfortunately, our Madam has gone to the neighboring commandery to handle some affairs,” the guard replied bitterly.

That was unexpected. Zu An tried to hide his dismay. “When will she return?”

“She will be gone for ten to fifteen days,” the guard replied.

Zu An turned and left. What a waste of my time. He was vexed to hear that Yu Yanluo was not around. Was she hiding from him to avoid paying his compensation?

Before he’d taken more than a few steps, Zu An abruptly turned back around. Returning to the guard at the villa entrance, he demanded with an outstretched hand, “Return me my silver piece!”

The guard looked as if he had eaten a fly. How can there be such a stingy person in the world? How dare you take back money that you have already given out! Had it been anyone else, the guard would have surely paid him no heed. However, this man was likely Madam’s friend, so the guard dared not offend him. There was nothing to do but give the silver piece back, however unwillingly.

You have successfully trolled a guard for 66 Rage points!

So few Rage points... It’s no wonder why you don’t even deserve a name! For someone who had once collected over 20,000 Rage points, collecting such pocket change was almost beneath him. Almost.

After leaving the Yu clan villa, Zu An spent some time strolling around Brightmoon City to familiarize himself with the surroundings. Good decisions could only be made with a good understanding of the context, and he knew that his knowledge of his surroundings was too limited.

He spent half a day in careful observation as he meandered through the streets and alleys. His efforts helped him gain a rough understanding of the layout of Brightmoon City and the locations of several major facilities. At the very least, he wasn’t utterly ignorant anymore.

The sun dipped below the horizon, prompting Zu An to return to the Chu Estate.

A brief moment questioning the servants revealed that Chu Chuyan had yet to return, and it didn’t seem like she would be returning anytime soon. This left him feeling a little distressed.

He had planned to borrow some money from her to tide him through this crisis. After all, she had been forthcoming in lending him three hundred silver taels back at the ancestral hall.

Don’t I feel embarrassed asking money from a woman? Absolutely not! A lady-moocher should have some self-awareness of his own position. Since I’ve suffered so much scorn and disdain by becoming the drafted son-in-law of the Chu clan, it’s only natural that I should enjoy the privileges that come with it!

In truth, Zu An had always been envious of the male lions he’d seen on the National Geographic Channel, lounging about on the grasslands of the African Continent. Other than fighting one another from time to time, they barely needed to do anything at all. They could count on their huge harem of lionesses to hunt for them while they idled in their dens.

All right, I’ve made up my mind. I can’t just be content with mooching off the Chu clan; I need to be more ambitious than that. I shall become the Moochlord of this world!

However, when Zu An thought about that disappointing little brother of his below, tears of bitterness began flowing down his cheeks.

“Why are you crying?” an old voice came from behind him.

Zu An jolted in shock. He whipped around and saw Old Mi standing by the doorway. “Are you a ghost? Do you not make a sound when you walk?”

Ignoring Zu An’s questions, Old Mi posed one of his own. “Have you just returned from the academy?”

“Yeah.” Zu An replied. I’m not really lying. I did go to the academy earlier in the day. It’s just that I left right away.

“Did you meet Wei Hongde?” Hunched over in the doorway, Old Mi stared levelly at Zu An, waiting patiently for a response.

“It was my first time there today. I couldn’t find him.”

Old Mi nodded in response before reminding him, “You need to hurry up.”

“Got it!” Zu An’s cheeks colored slightly in embarrassment. He reminded himself to look into that fellow so that he could at least be accountable to Old Mi for this.

“All right. You should get some rest.” Old Mi turned and left the room.

A fiery red figure whirled into the room. “Oi, Zu An! Why didn’t I see you in the academy today?”

Needless to say, it was the Second Miss of the Chu clan, Chu Huanzhao.

Hearing those words, Old Mi spun around and eyed Zu An intently.

“Where did your manners go? You should be calling me brother-in-law instead!” Zu An’s heart skipped a beat, but he put on a brave face and glared back at Chu Huanzhao.

You have successfully trolled Chu Huanzhao for 24 Rage points!

Chu Huanzhao was about to blow her top, but she suddenly remembered the bet they’d had with one another that night. She had no choice but to reluctantly obey him. “B-brother-in-law, why didn’t I see you in the academy today?”

Noticing Old Mi’s intent look, Zu An laughed sheepishly. “The academy is so big. It’s not surprising that you couldn’t find me.”

Chu Huanzhao shook her head. “That’s not right. I searched all of the first grade classes, but I couldn’t find you. There’s no way you were assigned to the higher grades having just joined the academy, right?”

You have successfully trolled Mi Lianying for 99 Rage points!

From the sharp glare that Old Mi was directing towards him, it was clear that he had figured out the truth. Zu An sensed a beating on the way. As the tension grew, yet another figure barged into the room.

“Damn you, Zu An! We were kind enough to send you to the academy to get an education, but you actually dared to play truant!”