Chapter 117: Longer than this, I've never heard of such a request

"Wu, it seems we're really going to fight today!" Chu Zhongtian took a deep breath, his fists cracking.

"Why must you two go to such lengths?" Sang Hong reappeared between them, a headache forming. "Today is the Clan Grand Competition, after all. You two shouldn't steal the show. Duke Mingyue, to be fair, Yuan Wenji showed restraint just now; otherwise, your daughter's life might have been in danger."

"Her life might have been in danger?" Chu Zhongtian scoffed. "Does he dare?"

Sang Hong gave an awkward smile, pretending not to hear, then turned to the other side. "Duke Yangquan, Patriarch Yuan, Yuan Wenji claims it was unintentional this time, but his attack was indeed too heavy. How about the Yuan clan provides healing medicine for Miss Chu Er as an apology?"

Yuan Zhengchu naturally went along with it: "Certainly, that's only right. We will also offer ten thousand taels of silver for Miss Er's recovery."

"No need. Our Chu clan can afford this small sum for medicine," Chu Zhongtian snorted heavily, turning directly to lead his daughter back to the Chu clan's side.

Now that Sang Hong was clearly protecting them, combined with Principal Jiang's neutrality and City Lord Xie's ambiguous stance, the Chu clan would be at a disadvantage if a conflict truly erupted. They could only plan their next move carefully later.

Seeing him yield, Ji Dengtu in the crowd couldn't help but shake his head. "Lin Danda, Lin Danda, you are too tolerant. In the eyes of outsiders, you look somewhat spineless. Qin Wanru, out of all people, you had to choose this fellow back then. Wouldn't it have been much better if you had followed me? You'd be free and easy now."

Wu Wei, Patriarch Yuan, and Patriarch Zheng exchanged glances, all seeing the triumph in each other's eyes. The era of the Chu clan, it seemed, was finally over.

Shi Kun also smiled. Losing the weapon market was the first step in dismantling the Chu clan. Chu Chuyan would eventually fall into his arms.

Xie Xiu couldn't help but whisper, "Father, are we really not going to help the Chu clan?"

"We will definitely help," Xie Yi's tone shifted, "but *when* to help is a profound question."

Jiang Luofu, however, was not interested in these clan disputes. Her greatest curiosity now was Zu An's next move. Although he had extraordinary talent, it was merely potential. He had wasted too much time in previous years and was currently only a third-grade cultivator. Against the fifth-grade Yuan Wendong, he was sure to lose.

Although she had previously told him to appropriately display his abilities, today's situation was clearly not suitable, given that his opponent was a fifth-grade cultivator.

Just then, Chu Zhongtian, with a gloomy expression, was about to lead the Chu clan away when Yuan Zhengchu's voice rang out: "Duke Mingyue, the competition isn't over yet. Why are you leaving?"

In the past, he certainly wouldn't have dared to speak to him like that, but now with Duke Yangquan and Governor Sang backing him, and victory imminent, his confidence had significantly increased.

"Is there still a need to compete?" Chu Zhongtian's face was grim. The Chu clan only had one publicly known cultivation 'waste' left. For the other side to demand another match was clearly targeting him.

Had he been too tolerant over the years, allowing every Tom, Dick, and Harry to take liberties?

Wu Wei smiled, "Of course we have to compete. Both your clans now have 4 wins and 1 draw. We're just waiting for the last round to determine the winner and the ownership of the weapon market."

Sang Hong, on the stage, also said, "That's right. The scores are tied, and no winner has been decided yet. Since we are here as judges, we must handle things fairly. If the Chu clan leaves early now, the future allocation of market share could become unclear."

Firstly, he was inherently cautious, concerned that if the last match wasn't completed, the Chu clan might renege on their agreement later. Secondly, he was also somewhat curious about the Chu clan's legendary 'waste' son-in-law. Recent intelligence suggested that while the man acted strangely, he didn't seem as useless as rumored.

At this point, Jiang Luofu, who was nearby, also spoke: "Indeed, no matter what, the final round should be completed." She was equally curious about what Zu An would choose to do next: continue to keep a low profile, or make a surprising splash.

However, with a fifth-grade cultivator like Yuan Wendong as his opponent in the final round, it would likely be very difficult for him to make a surprising splash.

As she spoke, she shifted her legs, the shapely limbs encased in silk stockings appearing exceptionally long and well-proportioned, immediately drawing the gaze of every man in the training ground. Although they saw nothing explicit, it did not prevent their imaginations from running wild.

Hearing them, Xie Yi also agreed, "That's right. Since it's a clan grand competition, it naturally should be completed. Even if one concedes, the proper procedures must still be followed."

He wasn't sure why Jiang Luofu suddenly supported Sang Hong. Besides his internal apprehension, he couldn't help but secretly prompt Chu Zhongtian, reminding him that they could voluntarily concede.

Shi Kun, who had been watching the show, grew anxious. If the Chu clan actually conceded, wouldn't all his previous preparations be in vain? So he hastily said, "As far as I know, the Chu clan's son-in-law had already arranged a match with the Yuan clan's young master to determine victory in this competition, and it seems they agreed more than once?"

Wu Qing of the Wu clan also laughed gleefully: "That's right, I can attest to this. Zu An challenged Yuan Wendong repeatedly at school, saying he would teach him a good lesson during the Clan Grand Competition. I've been looking forward to it."

Zu An glanced at Wu Qing, thinking, *Your arithmetic class is definitely going to fail this semester.* Although he had originally intended to go on stage, this woman clearly had ill intentions.

At this moment, Yuan Wendong also spoke: "Indeed, Brother Zu has challenged me several times before, and I've been waiting for today to experience Brother Zu's formidable moves. Now that the time has finally come, I hope Brother Zu won't disappoint me."

At this, people from the Wu and Yuan clans chimed in: "Everyone just heard it! Zu An even issued a challenge before the official match. Why is he chickening out now?"

"Fight! Fight!"

The other spectators in the training ground also loved a good show, hoping for a bloody battle on stage. Especially after Zu An had been so smugly cheering for his wife, these people had long been simmering with resentment.

Chu Zhongtian frowned, thinking how difficult this was for Zu An. All of this was actually their scheme to use a weaker player against a stronger one, and they had instructed him to act this way. Unfortunately, others didn't know and couldn't be told, forcing him to bear it all alone.

He sighed inwardly. He couldn't truly let him take such a risk. He began to say, "For this match, we con—"

Before he finished, Zu An quickly interrupted him: "Father-in-law, there's no need to concede. Just let me go up there."

Chu Zhongtian was stunned, truly not expecting him to dare to step onto the stage under such circumstances. Qin Wanru, however, had a fiery temper and was quick to glare at him: "What are you going up for? Don't you know your own limits? At a time like this, you still can't change your terrible habits!"

Chu Zhongtian also said, "Indeed, Yuan Wendong hates you to the bone now. It's too dangerous for you to go up."

Chu Chuyan also came to Zu An's side: "I know you want to do something for the Chu clan, but now is not the time to act impulsively. Yuan Wendong is clearly taking this opportunity to retaliate against you on the stage. Wouldn't you be playing right into his hands by going up now? Don't pay attention to those rumors; we all know the contributions you've made to the Chu clan."

"Yes, brother-in-law, it's far too dangerous for you to go up now," even the reclining Chu Huanzhao opened her eyes and said weakly.

Zu An crouched beside her: "Originally, it didn't matter to me whether I went up or not, but the Yuan clan has gone too far. They attacked so viciously and injured you so badly. They deserve a lesson."

Hong Xingying, standing nearby, rolled his eyes. *How did this guy's brain work? At a time like this, he's still boasting.* Of course, given past lessons, he wasn't foolish enough to jump out and challenge him now.

Chu Huanzhao's face flushed slightly upon hearing him. She secretly glanced at her mother, then quickly said, "I know you want to help me, but you can't even beat me. You'll just get taught a lesson if you go up."

Zu An smiled faintly: "Have you forgotten how you hit me with seven Whips of Lamentation last time, and I was fine? I'm not as weak as you think."

Qin Wanru, however, couldn't listen anymore: "Alright, alright. Men shouldn't casually promise things they can't do."

*At a time like this, he's still trying to trick my daughter. I warned Xiao Zhao before, but she still got so close to this guy.*

Zu An ignored her and spoke directly to Chu Zhongtian: "Father-in-law, just let me try. The worst outcome is simply losing, and the Chu clan is already destined to lose today anyway."

Chu Zhongtian frowned: "We're not worried about losing; we're worried about your danger later."

Zu An shook his head: "In broad daylight, the Yuan clan wouldn't dare to kill someone. At worst, they'd take the opportunity to break my limbs. If that truly happens, our Chu clan would then have a legitimate reason to make a fuss, and we could negotiate the market share again."

Chu Zhongtian was startled, never expecting him to have this in mind. If Zu An were deliberately severely injured on the stage by the Yuan clan, coupled with Xiao Zhao's earlier injury, the Chu clan would indeed have grounds for complaint. Afterward, there would be room for maneuver regarding whether and how to yield the market share.

Even Qin Wanru was taken aback. She had always thought this son-in-law was incompetent and prone to boasting, and she strongly disliked him. But she never imagined that his insistence on competing now was a willingness to sacrifice himself to gain the Chu clan leverage at the negotiating table. For a moment, she couldn't help but regret if she had been too harsh on him just now.

Yueshan and others from the Chu clan also felt admiration. Their impression of him greatly improved. Knowing it was impossible yet still doing it—this son-in-law truly was courageous.

Only Hong Xingying secretly sneered. *This guy has no real ability; he's just good with his mouth, fabricating such a convenient excuse.*

At this point, Chu Chuyan still shook her head: "In the past, this might have been acceptable, but Yuan Wendong now hates you to the bone. It's likely not as simple as just severely injuring you; he might intend to completely cripple you."

Zu An spread his hands, smiling wryly: "I'm already useless enough. How much more useless can I get?"

Chu Chuyan was startled, realizing that since he had no cultivation talent, being crippled or not made no real difference. And his 'there'... Remembering what happened that night, a blush appeared on her fair cheeks.

"Have you finished discussing this or not? Zu, are you still a man, or are you trying to back out now? Backing out is fine, just admit publicly that you're not a man and apologize to me openly. Then I, being the bigger person, will reluctantly forgive your previous offenses." Yuan Wendong's lazy voice drifted over, sounding impatient.

"You're so eager to be slapped by me? How can I not fulfill your wish?" While the Chu family was still stunned, Zu An directly flipped onto the stage.

"Excellent!" Yuan Wendong's eyes lit up. Afraid the Chu clan would change their minds, he instantly leaped onto the stage, his posture many times more graceful and elegant than Zu An's. "You want to slap my face? Come on, hit me, hit me, hit me..."

As he was speaking, there was a sudden crisp *smack*. His entire head buzzed, and he didn't react for a long time.

Zu An looked at his hand, shaking his head and sighing: "I've never heard such a debased request in my life. I had no choice but to reluctantly oblige you."