Chapter 53: Framing  

Pika

Seemingly sensing Zu An’s look of disdain, Chu Huanzhao’s face reddened. She exclaimed in frustration, “Why in the world did you borrow so much money from him?!”

You have successfully trolled Chu Huanzhao for 241 Rage points!

Plum Blossom Thirteen let go of the breath he was holding. He’d been worried for a moment there that the girl was really going to pay off Zu An’s debt. His goal here was not money but Zu An’s life, after all!

“We visited a gambling den a while back to try our luck, and he ended up losing more than what he’d had.”

It was best to expose Zu An’s true colors to this beautiful lass to make her think twice about repaying his debt in a moment of hot-bloodedness. Come to think of it, this lass does look quite familiar to me.

“Zu An, you son of a bitch! You actually went to gamble? Don’t you know that that’s a huge taboo in our Chu clan? Just last year, one of my cousins visited a casino and ended up getting his legs broken!” Chu Huanzhao lashed out furiously.

You have successfully trolled Chu Huanzhao for 333 Rage points!

Plum Blossom Thirteen’s heart skipped a beat as recognition finally struck him. This beautiful lass before him was none other than the Second Miss of the Chu clan! This is weird... I thought that the wastrel Zu An isn’t welcome in the Chu clan, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here.

Zu An felt a throbbing between his temples. Plum Blossom Thirteen haunting his every step was annoying beyond belief. “Stop following me around like a vengeful spirit. I’ll pay you back what I owe you, alright?”

As he spoke, he reached into a pouch in his robe and said, “I have seven ki stones. This stuff can’t be bought out there in the market, so they should be at least worth eight hundred silver taels. I have another hundred silver taels here too...”

Cheng Shouping’s eyes popped. He was certain that the young master had been broke just this morning. How did he come by all this money just by spending a few hours in the academy?

Despite putting together everything of value that he had, Zu An was still a little short of the amount he needed. That left him in an awkward position. Fortunately, Chu Huanzhao fished out a ki stone of her own and tossed it over to Plum Blossom Thirteen.

“I have one more here. Keep the change as a tip. Now beat it!”

Plum Blossom Thirteen opened up the pouch Zu An had passed to him, a doubtful look on his face. He frowned in confusion as he verified the contents were, indeed, ki stones. “How did you get so many of them?”

“How is that any of your business? Hurry up and hand over my promissory note,” Zu An demanded, hand outstretched.

“That won’t do. What if you stole these ki stones in the academy? We don’t accept stolen goods,” Plum Blossom Thirteen was starting to get flustered. His true purpose was to take this fellow’s life, but things were starting to go awry. How was he to know that Zu An would stumble upon the means to repay the debt?

“I’m good looking, so people gave it to me of their own accord. If you don’t believe me, you can enter the academy yourself and ask around,” Zu An’s tone dripped with disdain. “You keep on finding excuses to avoid returning the promissory note to me; just what intentions are you harboring? Huanzhao, let’s head back and tell our father about it. The Plum Blossom Sect is really trying to climb over our heads.”

Plum Blossom Thirteen sweated in utter distress. Typical drafted sons-in-law were usually embarrassed to admit their own identity, since it was considered shameful to marry into the bride’s family. Yet, Zu An had no qualms with identifying himself as a fellow member of the Chu clan, and the way he addressed Chu Zhongtian as ‘father’ was so ironically natural.

Shameless!

That being said, the last thing he wanted was for the Brightmoon Duke to get involved in this matter. He could get away with it if Zu An still owed them money, but he had just cleared his debt. By doggedly clinging onto this matter, even a fool would be able to tell that they harbored malicious intentions.

“Enough, enough! I’ll return you your promissory note. Happy?”

Plum Blossom Thirteen took out the note and handed it to Zu An. He had brought it as insurance, in case Zu An made a scene by accusing him of causing trouble in the vicinity of the academy. It would have made the perfect prop to silence any spectators with. How was he to know that it would come back to bite him?

Zu An took the note and examined it closely. It was indeed the one with his thumbprint. “Speaking of which, didn’t you mention that you have made copies? Take them out as well.”

“I said that to pressure you. How can something like a promissory note be copied that easily? Besides, a copy carries no legal power at all,” replied Plum Blossom Thirteen grudgingly.

Zu An passed the debt note over to Chu Huanzhao for a second opinion. After confirming that Plum Blossom Thirteen wasn’t lying, he quickly tore the debt note into pieces before rubbing it between his both hands, reducing it into dust.

For someone who wielded the strength of 143 grown men, crushing a piece of paper into dust was a piece of cake.

Despite the outcome, he still wasn’t satisfied. He thought of the dramatic black flames wielded by Pei Mianman. With a simple snap of her finger, the problem would have automatically resolved itself. He, on the other hand, still needed to squeeze the paper with all his might like a fool.

“Since your debt has been erased, I’ll be leaving now.” Plum Blossom Thirteen had to inform his sect leader that the plan to deal with Zu An through his debt had not succeeded.

“Wait, don’t go!” Zu An suddenly exclaimed. There was still time for a twist. Before Plum Blossom Thirteen could make sense of the situation, Zu An yelled at the top of his lungs, “Help me! Save me! The Plum Blossom Sect is trying to rob me here!”

Plum Blossom Thirteen stared at Zu An as if he had lost his mind. What is this scoundrel up to?

He did not have to wait long for the answer to arrive.

A slight breeze brushed across them, heralding the sudden appearance of a middle-aged man with a bald spot. He gazed down at the three of them, his face dark.

“What’s happening here?”

The new arrival was none other than the discipline master Lu De. He had been diligently patrolling the area, and had rushed over as soon as he’d heard the commotion.

Zu An had banked on Lu De being around, which was why he’d intentionally shouted. He was thankful for the discipline master’s swift intervention. Without hesitation, he launched into his sob story. “Teacher, this man stole the ki stones we received from the academy!”

Plum Blossom Thirteen nearly spurted blood. He waved his hands frantically in denial. “You’re lying! I didn’t take your stuff!”

You have successfully trolled Plum Blossom Thirteen for 666 Rage points!

“Teacher, if you don’t believe me, you can check his pouch! The ki stones he stole from us were distributed by the academy, so there’s an index number inscribed on every single one of them.”

In order to prevent corruption within the various academies, the royal court had a strict quota as to the amount of cultivation resources each student was entitled to. This was enforced by inscribing an index number on each of the ki stones so that they could be traced if anything were to occur.

In order to avoid trouble when dealing with such ki stones on the black market, both parties would sign an agreement to certify that it was a fair trade. If not, they would at least make sure to erase the index numbers on the ki stones. However, Plum Blossom Thirteen wasn’t familiar with the ki stone market, and he had been too preoccupied with getting back his sect master to report his failure, so he’d ended up getting careless.

“Bastard, you scammed me!”

Plum Blossom Thirteen finally caught on to what was going on. No wonder that fellow had been so forthright in handing his money over to him. As it turned out, he had devious plans in mind!

You have successfully trolled Plum Blossom Thirteen for 777 Rage points!

You aren’t as dull-witted as I thought. Zu An was tempted to say it out loud to earn another wave of Rage points, but Lu De was standing right there. Instead, he played the part of a wronged victim and cried, “Are you saying that I’m lying? How awful! I’m lucky that there’s an eyewitness here who saw everything that happened earlier! He can testify for me!”

He grabbed Cheng Shouping’s arm and pulled him forward, “Am I right?”

Feeling the immense force on his arm, Cheng Shouping immediately volunteered, “Indeed, this fellow stole our young master’s ki stone! Uwaa, young master, why do you lead such a tough life? You get bullied no matter where you go!”

Cheng Shouping’s convincing act surprised Zu An. He’d been worried that Cheng Shouping would let him down at this critical moment, but it seemed this fellow was a born actor!

I shall give him an extra chicken drumstick for dinner!

“Of course he’s going to speak up for you; he’s your servant!” Plum Blossom Thirteen cried out anxiously. This master-servant pair is the true embodiment of shamelessness!

A frown creased Lu De’s forehead. Instead of questioning Cheng Shouping further, he turned to Chu Huanzhao and asked, “Chu Second Miss, is that really the case?”

Lu De could still address Chu Huanzhao by name in the academy, but now that they were outside the academy walls, he had to show some respect to the Brightmoon Duke.

“That’s right! Not only did this Plum Blossom-something steal his ki stone, but he also stole mine as well! Teacher, if you don’t believe my words, you can check his pouch. One of the ki stones in there should have my index number...” Chu Huanzhao used her sharp words to further fan the flames. Her beautiful appearance was much more efficient at evoking pity than Zu An’s. No man could resist the desire to stand up for a damsel in distress.

A couple of students who had just gotten off classes overheard Chu Huanzhao’s declaration. A strong urge came over them, and they almost dashed forward to tear the vile criminal, Plum Blossom Thirteen, into shreds.

Zu An’s jaw nearly fell onto the floor. Fearing the worst, he had prepared a long, passionate monologue to convince Lu De. However, his partners turned out to be much more reliable than he’d given them credit for.

As Chu Huanzhao pitifully complained to Lu De about how she was bullied, Zu An thought that he saw a pair of devil’s horns flicker above her head. He sternly reminded himself that no matter who he offended in the future, he could never, ever offend this young lady.

Plum Blossom Thirteen could feel his head throbbing. The pressure was so great, he feared he would suffer a hemorrhage.

Despite this Second Miss Chu's innocent appearance, she’s able to lie so smoothly without batting an eyelid! Aren’t ladies of noble clans supposed to be upright and dignified?!

My godfather was right! Nobles are all downright shameless scum who have no qualms engaging in deception!

Plum Blossom Thirteen felt a shiver run down his spine as Lu De turned his menacing gaze on him. “It’s not like that...” he stammered weakly.

Before he could explain anything, Lu De had already cut him off. “There’s no need for words here. The truth will come out once we check your pouch.”

Plum Blossom Thirteen still had plenty to say, but a ruler as heavy as a mountain landed between his shoulder blades, pressing him down and squeezing the air out of his lungs. He struggled to even breathe, and explaining himself was out of the question.

This sudden development alarmed him. Of the Thirteen Guardians of the Plum Blossom Sect, he was the strongest. He was the sect’s sharpest knife when it came to fights in the underworld, and rarely had he ever failed a mission. And yet, this bald man had rendered him completely powerless with a simple ruler.

No wonder the sect master had warned him strictly not to mess with those in the academy.

But I didn’t do anything at all!

Plum Blossom Thirteen had done a lot of bad things in his lifetime, and he was fully prepared to face any enemies who tried to get back at him. Yet, this was the one time where the situation left him so frustrated. It was all that scoundrel’s fault!

You have successfully trolled Plum Blossom Thirteen for 888 Rage points!

Zu An noticed that Plum Blossom Thirteen was glaring at him furiously. He responded with an embarrassed smile, which brought another offering of Rage points.

Lu De examined the eight ki stones in the pouch carefully, then angrily cast them aside. His cold gaze fell on Plum Blossom Thirteen. “These ki stones are from our academy, and the index numbers indicate that they have only been issued earlier today. What do you have to say for yourself?”

The ruler pressing down on him finally lifted a little, giving Plum Blossom Thirteen a chance to catch his breath and explain himself. “I was wronged! The two of them gave the ki stones to me on their own accord! Zu An owed me a thousand silver taels from gambling, and they were using the ki stones to offset the debt!”

Zu An retorted with a cold sneer, “Don’t you think you should at least try harder when searching for an excuse? All of Brightmoon City knows that the Chu clan punishes their clan members harshly for gambling! Just last year, a fellow got his legs crushed by the Brightmoon Duke for fooling around in a casino. How would I, as a drafted son-in-law, dare to dabble in gambling, let alone incur a debt of a thousand silver taels? No matter how brazen I am, I would never do something like that!”

“Indeed! Who doesn’t know that our Chu clan is extremely strict on clan members gambling?” Chu Huanzhao placed her hands on her waist as she agreed sassily. “At least do your homework first before coming up with a lie!”

“Bloody hell!” Plum Blossom Thirteen nearly suffered a stroke right there and then. This shameless, adulterous couple!

You have successfully trolled Plum Blossom Thirteen for 999 Rage points!