Chapter 242

By this point, the scene was a chaotic battle. Chu Hongcai thrust out his sword, its movements swift, fierce, and unpredictable, like a spiritual snake emerging from its hole, directly targeting the red-haired man's vital points.

The red-haired man dared not be careless and quickly shifted several feet to the side.

This allowed Chu Yucheng to avoid the misfortune of being directly slapped in the face by the scabbard. However, he was still kicked by his opponent and rolled to the side like a meatball.

He only stopped when he hit a pillar. His immense weight seemed to make the entire Immortal's Abode sway.

"Damn it!" Chu Yucheng couldn't bear such public humiliation, especially in front of the Bear Woman he had just befriended. His eyes instantly turned red, and he roared as he charged forward.

Everyone had to marvel at the fatty's astonishing defense; he had fallen so heavily, yet he now seemed completely unharmed.

Zu An observed coolly from the sidelines, generally discerning that Chu Yucheng and Chu Hongcai were of comparable cultivation, both appearing to be at the peak of the fourth rank.

However, their styles were vastly different: Chu Yucheng focused on defense over offense, while Chu Hongcai prioritized offense over defense. If the two were to truly fight, and Chu Hongcai couldn't kill his opponent at the start, the longer the fight dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for him.

Zu An secretly sighed. From Qin Wanru's previous words, he had sensed that their relationship with the second and third branches was not good, and they were in a state of mutual distrust.

However, seeing Chu Yucheng and Chu Hongcai fighting together against a common enemy, the relationship between the second and third branches was clearly quite good.

Alas, he wondered if Qin Wanru was simply too inept at handling people or something else. She really ought to reflect on it.

The red-haired man's background was unknown. Yet, he handled the two brothers' combined assault with ease, indicating his cultivation was much higher than theirs.

"Is he fifth rank or sixth rank?" Zu An watched for a long time but couldn't discern. The red-haired man hadn't used any elemental power, simply relying on basic physical strength, speed, and combat experience to easily handle the situation.

At this moment, Wang Yuanlong finally reacted. He took out his folding fan and charged over, shouting, "Brother Yucheng, I'm here to help you!"

Unfortunately, his cultivation was far inferior to the Chu brothers', and the gap between him and the red-haired man was even greater, like heaven and earth. How could he possibly help?

"Ah~"

A miserable cry was heard; he had barely charged forward before he was kicked out.

He didn't possess Chu Yucheng's astonishingly defensive fat; the kick and fall seemed to dislocate his internal organs, and he lay on the ground for a long time without getting up.

Just then, with another sharp "crack," the red-haired man found an opening and struck Chu Hongcai's arm with his scabbard.

Chu Hongcai felt a sharp pain in his arm, almost losing his grip on his longsword.

However, realizing this was Qiu Honglei's Immortal's Abode, he found some unknown strength and managed to hold onto his longsword, preventing it from slipping.

But his internal energy was disrupted by the blow. He quickly circulated his energy to recover and wouldn't be able to help for a while.

Chu Yucheng clearly understood this. He directly blocked the red-haired man, buying Chu Hongcai time to recover.

The red-haired man struck Chu Yucheng several times. Ordinarily, an opponent who took so many heavy blows from him would either suffer severe internal injuries or broken bones. Yet, this damn fatty in front of him seemed completely unfazed.

After several attempts, the red-haired man lost his composure. He drew his long saber and snarled, "You damn fat pig, let's see how much of that blubber can withstand a few slashes from my saber!"

Chu Yucheng's expression changed drastically. They couldn't defeat their opponent even when he wasn't using a weapon; now that he was armed, things would be even worse.

No matter how strong the defense of his body was, it was still flesh and blood. How could it withstand a master's blade?

With the arrow already on the string, he had no choice but to act. He could only steel himself and charge forward, hoping to dodge a few more slashes until Chu Hongcai recovered.

Unfortunately, as soon as the opponent's long saber was drawn, his power seemingly surged, and Chu Yucheng was soon enveloped by flashes of cold light.

Zu An knew that if he didn't act now, Chu Yucheng's fatty body would likely be whittled down to a human stick.

He glanced around, grabbed a teapot, and threw it directly at the red-haired man's head.

After the trials of blood and fire in the secret realm, combined with the body tempering from the Primordial Chaos Sutra, his strength and speed were now almost equivalent to a fifth-rank cultivator.

Furthermore, he chose his moment precisely, launching a sudden sneak attack from behind.

By the time the red-haired man sensed the danger, it was too late to dodge.

Bang!

With a sharp crack, the teapot shattered into pieces.

The scalding tea inside splattered all over him.

But Zu An couldn't feel happy. He watched the red-clad man with a solemn expression.

He saw light flowing around the man's body, and a transparent film emerged. The tea pouring over him made the film exceptionally clear.

From the private rooms on the second floor, several suppressed gasps could be heard.

In the main hall, there were also discerning individuals. Someone cried out:

"Sixth Rank!"

Initially, everyone thought he was just some country bumpkin and were simply watching the show. But upon discovering his sixth-rank cultivation, their expressions immediately turned solemn.

A sixth-rank cultivator was already considered a top master in Mingyue City; many teachers in the academy were only sixth rank.

The red-haired man turned around and glared fiercely at Zu An. "Sir, ambushing someone from behind is not the conduct of a true hero."

Zu An chuckled. "Were you acting like a hero when you snatched those people's invitations earlier? I'm someone who distinguishes clearly between right and wrong. When dealing with heroes, I naturally use a hero's methods;

"But against a despicable scoundrel like you, of course, I'll use despicable methods."

"Haha~"

A burst of laughter erupted around them. Among them, Wei Suo was the most excited, continuously cheering for Zu An, forcing Wei Hongde to push him back into his seat multiple times to avoid drawing trouble.

"Who exactly are you?" The red-haired man's face darkened, but he didn't act rashly. The power behind the teapot throw just now was not that of an ordinary person, so it was better to be cautious.

"I go by my given name and surname, Xie Xiu!" Zu An thumped his chest, proclaiming confidently.

The people in the hall: "???"

Everyone in the hall wondered if he misunderstood the meaning of "I go by my given name and surname." Even Chu Yucheng and the others glanced at him sideways.

"Pfft!" Xie Xiu, who was drinking tea and watching the show in a private room on the second floor, directly choked on his tea.

"What the hell was that just now? Did I just hear my name?"

Xie Daoyun, across from him, nodded, suppressing a smile. That fellow downstairs was truly surprising.

The thought of having such a shameless younger brother made her face flush slightly; she'd rather die.

In a nearby room, Pei Mianman rested her chin on her hand, gazing at the figure downstairs with a half-smile. "He's still that shameless little rascal I remember," she mused. "I wonder how Chu Yan, with her rigid personality, puts up with him."

On the other side, the stunning woman had already come to the window, watching the events unfold below. Upon hearing Zu An's words, she couldn't help but smile. "Isn't this fellow a bit too shameless?" she mused.

The man beside her was constantly flaring his nostrils, greedily inhaling her fragrance. His hands involuntarily reached several times towards her alluring, shapely buttocks, radiating endless charm nearby. Unfortunately, he ultimately dared not actually touch her. "How can such a shameless fellow be entrusted with such an important task?" he said. "Junior Sister, it's not too late to change your mind."

"On the contrary," the stunning woman smiled, "only such a shameless fellow can possibly accomplish our plan. Hehe, I'm growing more and more interested in him."

Although he knew her words didn't imply romantic interest, hearing such a beautiful woman express interest in another man still made him insanely jealous.

"Oh, I should head down before the situation below gets out of hand." The stunning woman turned around, her beautiful, gem-like eyes looking at the man beside her. "Senior Brother, I'm going to change clothes now."

The man immediately reacted. "I'll go out right away..."

Just the thought of her changing clothes made him incredibly excited.

The stunning woman escorted him to the door. Before closing it, she paused and smiled, pursing her lips. "Senior Brother, no peeking now~"

The man's old face flushed. He quickly said, "How could I be that kind of person!"

To show his resolve, he turned and strode away, quickly disappearing at the stairwell.

"Thank you, Senior Brother~" After the stunning woman closed the door, the sweet smile on her face instantly vanished.

A hint of coldness appeared in her eyes. The man's actions behind her just now had not escaped her notice. She let out a cold snort. "He knows what's good for him."

Meanwhile, in the main hall, the red-haired man frowned. "Are you Xie Xiu?"

"Who else?" Zu An puffed out his chest, saying proudly, "In all of Mingyue City, when it comes to handsomeness, besides the Chu family's son-in-law, who else could be as good-looking as me?"