Chapter 103: You Fight Me How

"What the hell is going on? Isn't that Zu'an on stage?"

Shi Kun rubbed his eyes, thinking he was mistaken.

Many others shared his thought. Everyone in the classroom stared wide-eyed at the figure on stage.

"How did he get that hairstyle? It's quite flashy. Maybe I should try it someday? And what's with this music? It's pretty energizing," Xie Xiu mused.

"He actually looks quite handsome right now, much more commanding than his usual slovenly self," Zheng Dan thought.

"Why does he look slightly more appealing than before? I must be out of my mind!" Wu Qing snorted inwardly, her face darkening.

After the initial shock, Chu Chuyan finally realized the person on stage was her husband. Her usually cool demeanor melted away, her cheeks flushed, and she wished the ground would open up and swallow her.

"What on earth are you doing?" she hastily questioned him via a telepathic message.

Zu'an glanced at her but didn't respond.

Chu Chuyan bit her lip and continued, "Stop messing around, go back!" She had never been so mortified in her life. Everything was usually under her control, and at school, she always maintained an air of detachment.

But now, she truly felt as if she were on pins and needles, sensing that all eyes were on her, ready to mock the Chu family.

Zu'an, now fully on stage, noticed Chu Chuyan's flushed face. He adopted a serious expression and said, "Student, pay attention to classroom discipline. No whispering to the teacher during class."

"Oh~" A wave of teasing murmurs immediately rippled through the room. Clearly, they had guessed the two were communicating telepathically, and given their marital relationship, everyone found immense amusement in the spectacle.

Of course, not everyone was so amused.

"Flaunting their affection in public, how shameless," Wu Qing snorted inwardly, her hands clenching the hem of her clothes so tightly they almost tore.

Zheng Dan also furrowed her delicate brows. "It seems their relationship is quite strong. My future plans might be a bit complicated."

At this point, Chu Chuyan was close to covering her face. She felt she had never been so utterly mortified in her life. What exactly was wrong with Zu'an?

Wait, did he just say "teacher"?

At that moment, Shi Kun also launched his attack. "Zu'an, look up. This is the Heavenly Class, not a place for someone from the Earthly Class like you."

He was also secretly annoyed. He had just signaled his henchmen to speak up, but they all avoided his gaze, forcing him to step in personally, which was truly beneath his dignity.

Hmph, this batch of subordinates is truly useless!

"Oh? You're saying this isn't where I belong?" Zu'an looked at him composedly.

"Of course. It's important to know your place. There's nothing wrong with being in the Earthly Class; it just means fate decreed your cultivation aptitude isn't good. But it's utterly improper for you to forcibly try to blend into another social stratum," Shi Kun thought, deciding to publicly humiliate Zu'an today and see if the Chu family would still tolerate such a useless son-in-law. "All your efforts today, with your music and your elaborate hairstyle, are just for show. To people like us, you're merely a clown seeking attention."

After speaking, he frowned, noticing the peculiar reactions of others in the classroom. Their gazes were off, and even Yuan Wendong wore an unreadable expression.

What was happening? Shi Kun suddenly felt an ominous premonition.

Chu Chuyan abruptly stood up and looked at him coldly. "Young Master Shi, Zu'an is my husband. Whether he is good or bad is not for you to judge."

Although she wasn't fond of Zu'an, she couldn't simply stand by while someone publicly insulted her husband.

Seeing Chu Chuyan openly stand up to defend him, a shadow flickered in Shi Kun's eyes, though he maintained a perfect smile. "Miss Chu, you misunderstand. I mean no disrespect to your Chu family. I merely feel a pity for you. Someone as exceptional as you naturally deserves a dragon among men. How could a fellow like him possibly be worthy of you?"

"A dragon among men?" Chu Chuyan scoffed. "Worldly standards mean nothing to me. I actually think he's perfectly fine as he is."

She was already exceptional enough and didn't need her husband to be exceptional as well. In fact, a husband who was too outstanding might not be good for her.

Zu'an was quite touched, thinking, "Is my usually cold wife actually this warm-hearted?"

Hmm, what's with this sudden influx of rage points?

Zu'an suddenly noticed a large stream of rage points accumulating in the system. He looked up in confusion, only to see all the male students in the class glaring at him with fiery eyes.

"Is he truly blessed by his ancestors? To receive such favor from the goddess!"

"I finally understand why I can't win over the goddess. It turns out I'm too exceptional."

"Who knew Goddess Chu had such particular taste? She prefers ordinary men over exceptional ones."

"Pfft, what's your idea of 'excellence' compared to Chu Chuyan's standards? Anyway, none of you are as 'exceptional' as he is!"

"Then what about Young Master Shi? He's exceptional enough, isn't he? Did Miss Chu even give him the time of day?"

...

Hearing the murmurs in the classroom, Shi Kun's eyelid twitched. This woman had openly defied him, yet why wasn't he angry? Instead, he found himself thinking that she was distinctly different from the usual "flamboyant hussies" he encountered.

Hmph, it's all because of Zu'an. What virtues or merits do you possess to be worthy of such a blessing!

Zu'an cleared his throat. It was about time. While "living off his wife" from behind her back felt rather pleasant, that fellow Shi was simply too annoying.

"You just claimed that among 'people like you,' I am merely a clown. I'm curious, who exactly do you include in 'people like you'?"

Shi Kun was delighted. Chu Chuyan's intervention had originally foiled his plans, but this fellow had foolishly put himself forward. Hmph, truly an ignoble wretch who gets arrogant with the slightest bit of pride.

"Naturally, it's people like us, those born into esteemed noble families or possessing exceptional cultivation talent," Shi Kun said, sweeping his gaze across the classroom. "In the eyes of everyone in this classroom, you are nothing but a clown."

"Is that so?" Zu'an beckoned to Xie Xiu. "That male student over there who looks like a girl—yes, you, stop looking around—do you think I'm a clown?"

Xie Xiu looked dejected, thinking, *Why are they dragging me into their divine quarrel?* He glanced at Shi Kun's menacing gaze, then at Zu'an, and finally, with a sigh, said, "Of course not."

Aside from his "acquaintance" with Zu'an, his family belonged to the Qi King's faction, while the Shi family was aligned with the Empress's. They were already at odds. Furthermore, Zu'an was now a teacher at the academy, so Xie Xiu couldn't possibly side with Shi Kun.

Zu'an gestured for him to sit down, then called on someone else. "And you, the pretty female student in the front, do you think I'm a clown?"

Seeing him point at her, Zheng Dan was quite pleased to be publicly complimented on her beauty. However, the thought of opposing Shi Kun made her scalp tingle. She could only respond vaguely, "Of course not."

Her fiancé was Sang Qian, who was supposedly aligned with Shi Kun's faction. But setting aside her recent "intimate contact" with Zu'an, even considering his current status as a teacher, she wouldn't dare publicly declare him a clown in school.

Shi Kun seems sharp. Does he not even know this?

Zu'an nodded with satisfaction, then turned to Wu Qing. "Miss Wu, do you think I'm a clown?"

Wu Qing gritted her teeth, itching to nod yes. But she remembered how he had just gotten the better of her and wasn't about to fall for another trick so easily. Besides, Xie Xiu had already stated his stance; how could she possibly go against "Brother Xiu"? So she could only reluctantly grunt, "I wouldn't dare."

Chu Chuyan's beautiful eyes widened. "What is going on today?" she wondered. "Why are all these people siding with Zu'an?"

Furthermore, some of them were usually at odds with her, and she couldn't fathom why they would help Zu'an.

Suddenly recalling the odd, incoherent words Wu Qing had just said to her, a thought abruptly struck Chu Chuyan: *This guy hasn't gotten involved with Wu Qing too, has he?*

At that moment, the most astonished person besides Chu Chuyan was Shi Kun. He truly couldn't comprehend what was wrong with these people, how they would all defy him for a mere good-for-nothing.

Zu'an finished his questioning, dropped his smile, and, looking at the dumbfounded Shi Kun, said, "Go stand outside the classroom."

Shi Kun, enraged, burst into sarcastic laughter. "What gives you the right to order me?"

Chu Chuyan also looked perplexed. *This guy seems a bit off today,* she thought. *No, everything feels a bit off today.*

Zu'an sighed. "Brightmoon Academy has clear regulations: students who contradict a teacher during class will face severe punishment. In serious cases, they can even be expelled. Do you think I have the authority to order you?"

Of course, he knew that while school rules were fixed, people were adaptable. The academy would certainly never expel the illustrious Sixth Young Master of the Shi family for such a minor incident, but a degree of disciplinary action would be tolerated.

"You? A teacher?" Shi Kun looked as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. Just as he was about to speak, Yuan Wendong quickly tugged his sleeve.

"He really is the school's new arithmetic teacher."

Shi Kun's immediate thought was that Yuan Wendong had gone mad. But when he saw the others nodding in sympathy, the smile on his face instantly froze.

"Damn it, why didn't you tell me earlier!"

Shi Kun's eyes practically blazed with fire. Even though he always prided himself on his graceful demeanor, he couldn't help but blurt out a curse.

"You didn't ask us."

Yuan Wendong also felt wronged. *Everyone in the school knows this,* he thought. *How was I to know you wouldn't?*

Shi Kun felt like spitting blood. *Why didn't Xue'er, Mei Chaofeng, and the others mention this to me?* He'd lost so much face, made himself a laughingstock to the entire class. No wonder the classroom atmosphere had felt so strange from the start.

However, he was quick to react and immediately said, "I just transferred here today, and ignorance is no crime. Besides, you didn't even introduce yourself when you came in, so you can't blame me."

Zu'an nodded. "Fair enough. I suppose you wouldn't agree to stand outside as punishment just like that. How about this: since I'm the arithmetic teacher, I'll give a pop quiz. Anyone who can't answer goes outside to stand. No problem?"

Upon hearing he was going to ask a question, everyone's expressions in the classroom changed. The memory of Yang Wei being unable to answer even a single question was still fresh in their minds.

Shi Kun paused, then readily agreed. "Of course, no problem!" He prided himself on being proficient in both scholarly and martial arts. How could these questions stump him? Besides, he was confident he was superior to everyone else in the class. If he couldn't answer, it was even more impossible for others. Surely, he wouldn't make everyone stand outside? His wife was even in here!

"Alright, listen carefully," Zu'an began. "Imagine two people, A and B. Person A always lies and never tells the truth; Person B always tells the truth and never lies. However, when answering questions, they only respond by nodding or shaking their heads, without speaking. One day, you find yourself facing two paths, A and B. One path leads to the capital, and the other leads to a small village. Standing before you are Person A and Person B, but you don't know which is which, nor do you know if a 'nod' means 'yes' or 'no.' You must now ask one question to determine which path leads to the capital. What question should you ask?"

Everyone in the classroom gasped, just as expected. This man's questions were truly formidable!

Shi Kun was also dumbfounded, barely comprehending the question even after a long pause. After a moment, his face flushed, he declared, "I don't know, but I don't believe anyone else can answer it either. Why don't you let *her* try!"

He pointed at Chu Chuyan. He had already calculated his move: if Chu Chuyan had to join him outside as punishment, it would actually be a pleasant outcome. Then Zu'an would have effectively shot himself in the foot and practically delivered his wife into Shi Kun's arms, which he would gladly accept.

Zu'an walked over to Chu Chuyan and quietly looked at her. Chu Chuyan felt a surge of panic. She hadn't fully recovered from the initial shock, and more importantly, she had no idea how to solve this problem!

As the top student and a renowned prodigy at the academy for so many years, being unable to solve a simple question and being sent out for punishment would be an utter humiliation.

Taking in the panic and apprehension in her eyes, Zu'an smiled slightly. "Are you ready? I'm going to ask you a question."

"Mm~" Chu Chuyan had never been so nervous in her life. Her mind was a blank slate as she frantically tried to solve the previous problem.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Zu'an spoke: "Your question is, what does 1 plus 1 equal?"