Chapter 109: Sour and Tasteless

Ji Dengtu was furtively glancing around, a lecherous expression appearing on his face every time he spotted a beautiful woman. That look made Zu An think of Kogoro Mouri from his previous life.

After observing for a while, he noticed that Ji Dengtu mostly stared at mature women, including the wives of various family heads. Of course, the person he stared at the longest was Qin Wanru, almost to the point of bugging his eyes out.

Zu An felt a pang of discomfort. Should he secretly tell his father-in-law? If not, Chu Zhongtian had been quite kind to him, and it would feel truly bad if he ended up being cuckolded. But if he did tell, Ji Dengtu hadn't actually done anything wrong; a mere glance wouldn't cause any harm. Furthermore, his future happiness depended on Ji Dengtu, so offending him now would be unwise.

However, if Ji Dengtu was so lustful, why didn't he look at Principal Jiang? Even disregarding her unparalleled beauty, Principal Jiang's legs alone could drive any man wild. Even a little brat like Wei Suo was utterly captivated, yet Ji Dengtu seemed not to notice her at all.

It was strange, though. His previous request had mentioned four women—Yu Yanluo, Shang Liuyu, Qiu Honglei, and Qin Wanru—but notably omitted Principal Jiang. This didn't make sense, especially since Shang Liuyu was also from the academy, meaning he couldn't be unaware of Principal Jiang's existence.

There must be a reason for this.

"With Principal Jiang serving as the referee, the fairness of this grand competition is certainly guaranteed." At that moment, Chu Zhongtian and others welcomed Principal Jiang. Jiang Luofu was as cold and elegant as ever, yet these men were inexplicably drawn to her. Their eyes all showed eagerness, and they couldn't help but sneak glances at her legs. Of course, these prominent figures had far better self-control than the general crowd, who looked as if they wished their eyes could bore holes into her skirt.

Among this group, Chu Zhongtian was the only one with clear eyes, showing no hint of desire, which made Jiang Luofu quite appreciative of his gentlemanly conduct. "You flatter me," she said. "The Chu and Yuan families have many students in the academy. I am merely doing my duty."

While that group exchanged pleasantries, Zu An secretly grumbled, "Looks like he's still too afraid of his wife." With Qin Wanru standing nearby, his father-in-law probably dared not show any abnormality.

Coward!

Zu An felt his father-in-law should learn a thing or two from him about managing his wife; after all, Chu Chuyan had already declared she didn't mind him seeing other women.

Of course, if Chu Zhongtian knew he was "bullying" his daughter this way, Zu An would likely get a good beating.

"The City Lord has arrived!"

A group of people entered through the training ground's entrance. Leading them was a slightly plump middle-aged man. Though a slight belly was faintly visible, he still exuded an elegant, handsome, and suave demeanor, clearly a dashingly handsome man in his youth. This must be Xie Yi, the City Lord of Mingyue City.

Xie Xiu, with his feminine features, followed behind him, a faint, elusive smile always playing on his lips. This caused passing women to gasp in admiration, their eyes sparkling.

Zu An immediately felt a pang of jealousy. In terms of looks, Xie Xiu was at most on par with him, so why didn't he receive such treatment wherever he went? Could it be that his usual uninhibited behavior obscured his true charm?

Hmph, these women only judge by appearance and don't appreciate my interesting soul.

Shallow!

Oh, who was that beauty next to Xie Xiu? A new girlfriend? This guy really had good fortune with women; he always had different stunning women by his side, and today's companion was even more beautiful than all the previous ones.

She had willow-leaf eyebrows, an oval face, a radiant complexion, and skin like snow. Dressed in a pale green blouse, her figure appeared even more slender and graceful. A thin belt cinched her delicate waist, making it seem impossibly narrow and her whole posture light and ethereal.

In terms of beauty and demeanor, she was no less than Zheng Dan and Wu Qing, whom he had seen before. Unlike Wu Qing's fiery allure and Zheng Dan's classical charm, her beauty was as gentle and elegant as jade. She seemed to possess an innate ethereal temperament, standing there as tranquil and natural as an orchid in a secluded valley, detached from worldly concerns.

Inner grace refined by scholarship!

For some reason, these words suddenly popped into Zu An's mind.

After observing for a while, he noticed that the woman bore a slight resemblance to Xie Xiu in her features. Just as he was surprised by this, Chu Huanzhao's disgruntled voice came from beside him: "Lecherous brother-in-law, looking at beauties again."

Zu An turned around and saw Chu Huanzhao staring at him with puffed cheeks, and couldn't help but chuckle. "You say I'm lecherous, but aren't you too?" he asked.

"What am I lecherous about?" Chu Huanzhao asked, looking puzzled.

Zu An replied, "You keep staring at your brother-in-law's handsome face. How is that any different from me looking at other women?" Chu Chuyan had just risen to accompany her father in welcoming various dignitaries, as she was now considered a partial representative of the Chu family and often had to make appearances.

That's why he could joke so casually without any reservations.

"Who was staring at you?" Chu Huanzhao's face flushed, and she wished she could run up and bite him.

"If you weren't staring at me, how would you know I was looking at others?" Zu An asked, a smirk playing on his lips as he scrutinized her.

"I..." Chu Huanzhao was momentarily speechless, but her quick wit allowed her to find an excuse. "I just wanted to remind you that the grand competition is about to start, so you should calm down and not look around."

Seeing his sister-in-law's face turn as red as an apple, Zu An couldn't bear to tease her further. "Alright, alright," he said. "By the way, who is that woman next to Xie Xiu?"

"She's Xie Xiu's older sister, Xie Daoyun, the most talented woman in Mingyue City," Chu Huanzhao mumbled. "Hmph, instead of cultivating properly, she spends all day studying music, chess, calligraphy, and painting — not doing anything productive."

Zu An immediately found it amusing. "You have the nerve to criticize others," he said. "You claim to be productive all day, but is your cultivation higher than hers, or are your scholarly talents better?"

Chu Huanzhao immediately became annoyed. "If you keep this up, I'm breaking off our friendship!" she snapped.

Zu An chuckled heartily, about to say something, when a sweet, charming laugh suddenly echoed. "Looks like a lot of interesting things have happened while I've been away," a voice said.

A refreshing, delicate fragrance wafted over. Zu An turned back and saw a graceful and charming figure standing before him. With those flirtatious "peach blossom" eyes and that proudly prominent chest, who else could it be but Pei Mianman?

"Sister Pei~" Chu Huanzhao greeted her with a bow. The other party had a very good relationship with the Chu family and was Chu Chuyan's best friend, so they were naturally well-acquainted.

Pei Mianman pursed her lips and smiled. "It's only been a few days, and Xiao Zhao's words have become so sweet." She then sat down next to Chu Huanzhao and began chatting with her.

Chu Huanzhao's gaze fell upon the undulating peaks on Pei Mianman's chest, then she inadvertently glanced down at her own unremarkable chest. Her small mouth couldn't help but purse, and she weakly replied, "Sister Pei, why haven't I seen you these past few days?"

"I had some matters to attend to out of town for a few days."

"Oh, my sister is just like you, always like a busy bee."

Seeing Pei Mianman pretending not to know him from start to finish, Zu An thought, "Women are truly natural-born actresses."

However, smelling the subtle fragrance on the young woman and looking at her graceful and voluptuous curves so close by was quite a pleasant experience.

"You promised to help me find the account book. Do you have any leads?"

Zu An was originally enjoying the "eye candy," but was startled by Pei Mianman's voice. He looked closely and found that she was still facing away from him, engrossed in a pleasant conversation with Chu Huanzhao.

This woman is devious! Flirting with her friend's brother-in-law right in front of her sister-in-law?

Zu An couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

"I'm asking you a question, why aren't you answering?"

Zu An knew this was a Spirit Qi vocal transmission, but since he didn't know how to do it, speaking aloud would expose him.

So he extended a finger and wrote on her back: "You also promised to help me pursue Chu Chuyan. Do you have any leads?" He had been overwhelmed with various matters lately and had no energy to help this woman find an account book.

When his finger touched her back, Pei Mianman suddenly stiffened, and a faint black flame flickered around her. Once she realized he was writing on her back, the black flame gradually dissipated.

"You can't use Spirit Qi vocal transmission?" Pei Mianman found it strange. She recalled that night they had truly fought, and she couldn't even subdue him without using elemental abilities. With such cultivation, how could he not know Spirit Qi vocal transmission? Could this kid be intentionally taking advantage of her?

Thinking this, her expression turned cold. Although she continued to smile at Chu Huanzhao, a hint of killing intent lurked deep in her eyes.

Rage value from Pei Mianman +399!

Zu An, being astute, guessed her thoughts and immediately explained, "I'm largely self-taught; my cultivation methods aren't systematic, so I haven't learned that."

Pei Mianman couldn't help but squirm; his fingers tickled her too much.

Hearing his words and recalling his early reputation, she reluctantly accepted the explanation. "Don't touch me again," she said. "I'll teach you the method for Spirit Qi vocal transmission."

"Sister Pei, what's wrong?" Chu Huanzhao asked curiously, noticing her unnatural squirming.

"Nothing, just a sudden itch on my back." Pei Mianman's face flushed. She thought to herself, "Good thing this naive sister is here. If it were Chu Chuyan, I definitely wouldn't be able to hide it from her discerning eyes."

Hmm, it would be quite stimulating to do this with her husband right in front of Chu Chuyan.

What a pity, though. This guy wasn't Chu Chuyan's real husband, which made it a bit unexciting.

And so, while chatting with Chu Huanzhao, she taught Zu An the method for Spirit Qi vocal transmission. The two soon began communicating:

"You find me information about the account book first, then I'll help you pursue Chu Chuyan."

"You help me win Chu Chuyan first, then I'll help you investigate the account book."

"Are you testing my patience?"

"Pfft, worst case scenario, I'll just tell the Chu family, and we'll both go our separate ways."

As the two reached a stalemate, another commotion arose at the training ground's entrance:

"The Prefect has arrived!"

"Lord Yangquan has arrived!"

"Young Master Shi has arrived!"

Even Chu Huanzhao looked over, following the sound. She watched and grumbled, "This Sang Hong was originally the Grand Minister of Agriculture, overseeing salt and iron. Now he's been sent to Linchuan Commandery as Prefect. Since our family primarily deals in salt and iron, it's clear they're coming for us."

"And that Lord Yangquan, that Wu Qing woman's father, has always been at odds with us."

"The Shi family also isn't aligned with our Chu family. It seems they have openly united."

Pei Mianman, standing nearby, wore a half-smile. Such a situation couldn't be better for her.