Chapter 36: Exchange  

Pika

Clearly, this woman had never taken him seriously before! As the good-for-nothing son-in-law of the Chu clan, she didn’t think that his name was worth remembering. She only knew him as the ‘useless husband of my close friend’.

Of course, that was to be expected. The gulf between the two of them was as great as the distance between the clouds in the sky and the dirt on the ground. No wonder she couldn’t be bothered to remember his name.

“My name is Zu An. Get it deep inside your head!” Zu An snapped angrily. Just because it was understandable didn’t mean he would accept it meekly! To think that he had assumed his dashing appearance and eloquent speech had left this beautiful woman with a lasting impression of him!

“Yes yes, I remember it now,” Pei Mianman replied through gritted teeth. After the intense physical brawl they had, it was hard for her to forget. “What are you doing here?”

“Isn’t that the question I should be asking you?” Zu An harrumphed.

Pei Mianman’s complexion darkened. “You said that we can cooperate with one another. I would like to hear what thoughts you have in mind.” She flicked her finger lightly, and a spark of flame began dancing on her fingertip.

“You are here in search of something, right?” Zu An asked.

“Indeed.” Pei Mianman knew that he must have seen her earlier actions, so it would be meaningless to deny it now.

“Judging from your expression, I’d say that you haven’t found what you’re looking for yet. I can help you,” Zu An said.

Had Zu An said this in the past, she would have laughed her head off and dismissed his offer immediately. However, he had managed to overcome her in the physical brawl earlier. It would be foolish of her to continue viewing him lightly. “What do you want?”

Zu An replied, “Since you’re Chu Chuyan’s close friend, you should know of my awkward position in the Chu clan. The two of us are only a couple in name. I want you to help me gain recognition as the real son-in-law of the Chu clan. In return, I’ll help you find what you need.”

Pei Mianman stared at him in stunned silence, then burst into laughter. “I didn’t expect you to be serious about chasing her. But then again, Chu Chuyan is indeed a gorgeous beauty. Even a woman like me isn't immune to her charms. Very well, it’s a deal then!”

“You agreed to it so easily?” Zu An was surprised by how candid her acceptance was, and began doubting her sincerity.

“Are you worried that I’d renege on this agreement once you release me?” Pei Mianman scoffed coldly. She raised her hand up before him. “If I hadn’t been moved by your offer, you would have been reduced to ashes by now.”

Only then did Zu An notice the black flame flickering on her fingertip, and he almost jumped in shock. This woman was a fifth rank expert! No wonder he’d almost lost his life to her!

Pei Mianman observed coldly, “Was it very exhilarating for you to take advantage of your wife’s close friend? Hurry up and let go!”

As her finger drew closer to him, Zu An hurriedly released her and backed away into a corner.

Pei Mianman quickly smoothed out her messy clothes, which were now cloaked in layers of dusty fingerprints. Just thinking about the physical contact they’d had with one another brought cold anger to her eyes, and she wondered if she should just kill him anyway.

Noticing the menacing look on her face, Zu An quickly changed the topic. “What are you looking for?”

Pei Mianman hesitated for a moment. “An accounting book.”

“What accounting book?" Zu An was a little surprised. He didn’t think that a mere book of accounts warranted so much effort.

She chuckled softly, but didn’t answer his question. “I’ll tell you more once you gain some standing in the Chu clan.” Her first thought was not to honor the alliance between them. However, she’d infiltrated the Chu clan twice so far, and both times, she’d failed to turn up even a single clue. Perhaps having this man as an insider wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Of course, this man had to be qualified first before he could participate in her plans.

A thought came to her, and she narrowed her eyes at him. “You haven’t told me what you’re doing here in the middle of the night.”

Zu An laughed awkwardly. “Would you believe me if I tell you that I’m just here for a stroll?”

Pei Mianman rolled her eyes. As she did so, she spied a silk cloth peeking out from under Zu An’s robe. “Hm? What’s this?”

Zu An tried to stop her, but she was too fast. The item he’d tried so hard to hide was snatched away in an instant.

Pei Mianman looked at the female undergarment in her hand and shook uncontrollably with laughter. “You snuck here in the middle of the night just to steal your wife’s undergarment? I have never felt more disdain for anyone in my entire life!”

Zu An felt his face heat up. He rushed forward and clawed the undergarment back into his arms. “It’s none of your business!”

Pei Mianman gaze grew more bizarre. “As expected of the man who climbed into his sister-in-law’s bed on his wedding night. I never expected you to be this brazen, but it seems there’s no limit to your shamelessness.”

From what she’d said, Pei Mianman wasn’t the one who tossed him into Chu Huanzhao’s bed. If so, who else could be the culprit?

Zu An went along with Pei Mianman’s remark. “Forget sisters-in-law. I find the close friends of my wife much more appealing.”

Pei Mianman maintained her usual graceful smile, but a dangerously sharp glint flashed across her eyes. “There are plenty of men who have flirted with me over the years, it did not end well for any of them. If you aren’t afraid, you can give it a try too.”

Zu An shook his head. “Forget it then. I had a taste earlier, anyway.”

“What did you say?” Pei Mianman’s face darkened.

You have successfully trolled Pei Mianman for 256 Rage points!

“Nothing much. Anyway, we should leave quickly, especially after the commotion we created. We wouldn’t want to alarm the others from the Chu clan.” Zu An glanced at Pei Mianman in disappointment. Despite her open and flirtatious appearance, she wasn’t the type who could take a joke.

“That makes sense,” Pei Mianman nodded in agreement. “Let’s part ways. However, if I were to hear any rumors about tonight floating around, know that I wouldn’t hesitate to cut out your tongue.”

Zu An immediately covered his mouth. “Don’t worry, the only ones who will know about what transpired here are you and me.”

Pei Mianman sniffed coldly. “You better forget everything that happened today.”

She leaped out of the window, then turned around. Under the moonlight, her figure looked more entrancing than ever. “Speaking of which, what kind of skill did you use earlier? Why did your strength suddenly surge?”

Zu An had found that equally confusing. “I don’t know either. Perhaps it’s a manifestation of my potential in the midst of a crisis.”

“If you aren’t willing to tell me, so be it. Keep your secrets.” Pei Mianman scoffed. Her beautiful silhouette vanished into the night.

Zu An smiled bitterly to himself. He really had no idea how it happened, but this wasn’t the best time to brood. Afraid that someone would come to check on the commotion, he dashed back to his room.

Once he was in the safe confines of his room, he took out a bottle and swallowed the pill inside.

He had learned from his previous lesson, and had no intention of allowing history to repeat itself. The effects of the Heiress Ball of Delights were time-limited, and once the effects wore off, the sudden onslaught of pain and frailty could be unbearable enough to kill him outright.

This bottle of pills wasn’t the Faith in Brother Spring he had drawn from the Keyboard. It was the recovery medicine he’d obtained from Ji Dengtu before heading off to the Wolf Valley.

Could he be scamming me, though? The possibility worried Zu An. In the end, he supposed the man was still a divine physician, and he wouldn’t be underhanded enough to tamper with his own medicine. Besides, as the father of someone as pure and kind as Ji Xiaoxi, surely he couldn’t be that evil of a person?

Zu An felt that he was flirting with disaster, but after swallowing the medicine, he could feel a surge of warmth suffusing his body, gently repairing his wounds.

This put Zu An’s heart at ease. He had to admit that Ji Dengtu’s medicine was indeed formidable. While it didn’t provide instantaneous healing like Faith in Brother Spring, it was still as effective at bringing a person back to peak condition. The effects were just more gradual.

As expected of the medicine from a divine physician!

He’d quaffed the pill just in time. The effects of the Heiress Ball of Delights had begun to wear off, and Zu An began to feel aching pain all over his body.

“This really is an incredible item.” Ignoring the pain, Zu An stared at the Heiress Ball of Delights in his hand. If not for this item, he would have lost his life earlier on.

He hadn’t been too impressed when he’d used it to deal with the Wailing Whip. After all, he had only experienced its pain immunity effect back then. This was the first time he was testing out its ridiculous immunity-from-death effect, and it was really as overpowered as it sounded.

It was no exaggeration to say that he would have died ten times over in the fight with Pei Mianman, had it not been for the Heiress Ball of Delights. Just thinking about how he spent one use of it on a mere bet filled him with self-reproach. What a huge waste that had been! He only had one use of it left, and who knew how long it would take before he drew an item like this again?

Zu An suddenly remembered the requirement for the activation of this item. The other party must be a woman richer than him in order for the item to take effect. He felt intensely relieved that Yu Yanluo had been absent from her villa today. If he had received the 10,000 gold taels from her, it would have drastically reduced the number of women in the world who were richer than him. It would be difficult to rely on the Ball of Delights in that case.

It looks like I shouldn’t claim my compensation for the time being.

Zu An felt severely conflicted. Was he actually doomed to living the life of a pauper?

You have successfully trolled Qin Wanru for 3 rage points! ... 3... 3...

Zu An was stunned. Had he somehow offended Madame Chu again? She seemed to get angry far too often. Could this be an effect of the hormonal imbalances caused by premature menopause?

In a room inside the duke’s estate, Chu Zhongtian poured a cup of tea for his wife. “I heard that you punished Zu An by making him copy the family rules a hundred times. Isn’t that a bit too much?”

QIn Wanru scoffed in anger. “That fellow will never become anything great if we don’t push him hard! Do you know what he did today? He actually played truant! No, that’s not right. I received news from the academy that he didn’t even step through the gates of the academy! Isn’t this ridiculous?”

Chu Zhongtian nodded in agreement. “That fellow has indeed gone overboard. However, you need to take his circumstances into consideration too. He is someone with low self-esteem, and having to marry into our Chu clan must have placed great pressure on his shoulders. I heard that many in the estate look down on him. If you punish him so harshly, wouldn’t you just breed ill-will in him? That could really cause great disturbances in the family in the future.”

Qin Wanru glared at her husband. “It’s all your fault! Chuyan wouldn’t have had to choose such an inept man as her husband otherwise. I can’t do much for her as her mother, but the least I can do is to help her keep her husband in line. Even if Zu An has no talent for cultivation, it isn’t a bad idea for him to study hard and learn some management skills, so that he could take on some responsibilities in the future. At the very least, people won’t make our Chuyan out to be a laughingstock.”

“Wanru, does this mean that you have accepted him as Chuyan’s husband?” Chu Zhongtian couldn’t help asking.

“Pui!” Qin Wanru spat out coldly. “If you had just given me your approval, I’d have driven that fellow out of our clan in a heartbeat."