Chapter 282: Backyard Fire

Upon hearing her words, Chu Zhongtian and Qin Wanru, who were nearby, were greatly astonished.

Qin Wanru quickly rushed over and pulled her daughter aside. "Chuyan, don't be impulsive. Let's think of another way."

Chu Zhongtian, meanwhile, looked at Zu'an with a highly complex expression. This son-in-law of his was truly extraordinary. He was clearly a commoner, a good-for-nothing in everyone's eyes. They had thought his marrying their precious daughter was already a sign of extreme good fortune for his ancestors. Yet now, he had even gained the favor of Qiu Honglei, a woman renowned throughout the land for her beauty, who was practically throwing herself at him. His ancestral graves weren't just smoking with good fortune; they must have caught fire! "Sigh, even I, as Duke Mingyue, couldn't take a woman like Qiu Honglei as a concubine unless I resorted to power and force." Why did he feel a little sour thinking about it?

Zu'an, as the protagonist of the current events, was at this moment filled with thoughts of TV dramas from his past life, where the hero would often be captured, and his beloved confidante would have to agree to the villain's terms and yield to them to save him. *Now Qiu Honglei was the villain, and he was the beloved confidante?* But why didn't he feel wronged in the slightest? *Such a good thing—he'd take a dozen!*

At this moment, Chu Chuyan also spoke, "Mother, I know what I'm doing." For years, many of the Chu family's affairs had been managed by Chu Chuyan; in a sense, she was half the master of the Chu household. Hearing her decision, Qin Wanru found it difficult to say anything further. But why did it feel so awkward in her heart? *In all of Brightmoon City—no, in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty—which live-in son-in-law was this audacious?* He had only just arrived a few days ago, and he was already taking a concubine so soon? Was there even such a thing as a live-in son-in-law taking a concubine? And his wife's family was helping him take one! *It felt like anyone could come and bully their Chu family! Who was the ducal residence anyway?!*

Anger value from Qin Wanru +66 +66 +66...

Hearing Chu Chuyan's agreement, the apprehension in Qiu Honglei's heart subsided. Her actions today were somewhat risky; though she was mostly confident, if the Chu family truly disagreed, subsequent issues would be very troublesome. She was sensible and knew her place. Since the other party had agreed, she didn't try any other tricks. She hastily revealed Wang Yuanlong's whereabouts to placate the Chu family's anger: "I received news earlier that Young Master Wang seems to be held in the Jadeite Pavilion."

"Jadeite Pavilion!" Chu Zhongtian and the others thought. No wonder they couldn't find him; Wang Yuanlong was actually hidden in a brothel! They had been searching in remote and secluded places, while he was hidden in plain sight, a "great recluse in the bustling city."

"Yueshan!" Chu Zhongtian quickly ordered. Now that Wang Yuanlong's location was known, the rest was simple. Such a matter didn't require him to go in person; with Yueshan leading a group of the mansion's elite, it would be enough to handle it, even if they encountered Chen Xuan.

Yueshan quickly acknowledged the order and departed. Next, Chu Zhongtian and his wife stared intently at Qiu Honglei. After all, they cared more about their daughter's happiness than Wang Yuanlong.

Chu Zhongtian carefully chose his words. "Miss Qiu, why... why did you take a fancy to Azu? To be honest, I still find it quite unbelievable."

Qin Wanru and Chu Chuyan beside him nodded in agreement. It wasn't that Zu'an was bad, but this matter was simply too bizarre.

"To answer Duke Mingyue, I'm not really sure myself," Qiu Honglei said with a shy expression. "Love came quietly. These past few days, I've had only one thought: to marry him at all costs."

Chu Chuyan shot a fierce glare at Zu'an. *Who knew what tricks this guy had used to fool her?*

Anger value from Chu Chuyan +33 +33 +33...

Seeing the anger values continuously rolling in on the backend, Zu'an secretly chuckled. *His wife's jealousy was quite cute.*

Chu Zhongtian was also dumbfounded. After a long while, he sighed, "If Wang Yuanlong is successfully rescued, when does Miss Qiu plan to leave the Immortal's Dwelling? I can then send someone to redeem you."

Qin Wanru, beside him, stomped hard on her husband's foot under the table, leaving Chu Zhongtian utterly bewildered. He quickly transmitted a message, "What's wrong, madam?"

Qin Wanru transmitted back, "Why are you so eager? Impatient to bring her back to the mansion?"

Chu Zhongtian hastily explained, "Madam, what are you saying? We did give our word first, after all. The Chu family has been trustworthy for centuries; I don't want our reputation ruined in our hands."

"Do you still care for our daughter? You're so eager to bring this vixen back to the mansion to compete with her for favor," Qin Wanru's foot pressed harder. "Are you getting her for Zu'an or for yourself?"

Chu Zhongtian gave a wry smile. "Madam, you know my situation; how could I possibly have such thoughts?"

Qin Wanru's face flushed. She knew her sudden jealousy was unreasonable, but her temperament had always been like this, and she wouldn't back down. She continued to grumble, "Even if you can't touch her, just looking is a pleasure, isn't it? This seductive vixen, even I, a woman, feel my heart stir when I see her, let alone you men!"

Chu Zhongtian: "..."

He realized arguing with his wife was unwise; the more he said, the more wrong he would be, so he simply shut his mouth.

Qiu Honglei glanced at the two of them, as if guessing their conversation, and smiled subtly. "I wouldn't dare trouble Duke Mingyue. Actually, I have some savings from these past years, and I've already settled things with Mama Hua at the Immortal's Dwelling. Redeeming myself is no problem at all."

The others looked at each other, speechless. Even Qin Wanru was impressed. They had seen women offer themselves freely, but never like this. When they had married their daughter to Zu'an initially, they felt the Chu family was making a huge sacrifice, but compared to Qiu Honglei, that was nothing. However, the thought of a woman from a brothel having to share a man with her daughter made Qin Wanru even more displeased. She said coldly, "The Chu family can certainly afford this small amount of money. If Miss Qiu has to pay for her own redemption, others will laugh at our Chu family."

Qiu Honglei shook her head. "Madam Chu, I want to clarify something: I am not marrying into the Chu family; I am not a member of the Chu family, but rather Azu's person. Therefore, I truly wouldn't presume to let the Duke and Madam incur such an expense."

Qin Wanru: "..."Chu Zhongtian: "..."Chu Chuyan: "..."

Even Zu'an couldn't help but exclaim, "Honglei, you are truly too kind to me."

"Shut up!" Chu Chuyan and Qin Wanru both glared at him simultaneously.

Anger value from Chu Chuyan +250!Anger value from Qin Wanru +250!

Zu'an wisely shut his mouth. *Being smug after getting a good deal indeed made him seem a bit annoying.*

Qiu Honglei seemed startled, looking timidly at Zu'an, her gaze flickering between the Chu family members, her expression utterly pitiable. Chu Chuyan felt a surge of irritation. *She wasn't being fierce to her, so who was that reaction meant for?* Qin Wanru was also very displeased. It made them look like cruel bullies, but such a situation was difficult to explain. *It was all Zu'an's fault!* Both of them, by prior agreement, glared at Zu'an again.

Anger value from Chu Chuyan +444!Anger value from Qin Wanru +444!

Seeing the newly acquired anger values in the backend, Zu'an suddenly had an epiphany; he had found another way to earn anger values. *It seemed that having more confidantes not only made their many admirers contribute a ton of anger values but also made the confidantes themselves jealous of each other, contributing another wave.* *Those who maintained harems were all afraid of disharmony among their women, but it was different for him. The more they fought among themselves, the better; that way, they would get angrier, and he would get more anger values.* *He was a goddamn genius!*

Chu Chuyan suppressed her anger and said faintly, "Miss Qiu doesn't wish to become a member of the Chu family, but Azu *is* a member of the Chu family. Leaving aside other matters, where do you plan to live then, Miss Qiu?"

"Sister is right, I was too presumptuous," Qiu Honglei said with a slight smile. "As for where to live, of course, I'll live wherever Azu lives. However, if Azu usually lives with Sister, then just disregard what I said and arrange a small room for me instead."

Chu Chuyan felt a surge of exasperation. *This woman clearly knew that she and Zu'an weren't living together; wasn't saying this just openly provoking her?* *"It must be that Azu fellow complaining to her, otherwise, how would she know so clearly!"* Chu Chuyan glared fiercely at Zu'an.

Anger value from Chu Chuyan +666!

Qin Wanru, on the side, secretly sneered. *This woman truly lived up to her origins from a place like the Immortal's Dwelling; her methods were highly skilled. Her daughter, pure as a white flower, was no match for her. No, from now on, she had to support her daughter more.*

Zu'an quickly stepped forward to lighten the mood. "Actually, it doesn't matter where I live, haha~" He thought to himself that the three of them could even live together, but to keep his head, he wisely refrained from saying it aloud.

Qin Wanru spoke up, "Miss Qiu, it's getting late today. Let's discuss these matters later." *Experience triumphs; she planned to issue a polite eviction notice to get this woman to leave, and then they could privately discuss what to do.*

Who knew that Qiu Honglei would say, her face slightly flushed, "Actually, I don't have to go back. After all... after all, I'm already Azu's person."

"Zu'an!" Chu Chuyan suddenly rose, unable to restrain herself any longer. A chilling aura instantly spread out.

Anger value from Chu Chuyan +1024!

Just as she was about to say something, a sudden unnatural flush appeared on her face, and then she coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood, collapsing weakly. Before the blood hit the ground, it had already turned into ice crystals.

"Wife!" Zu'an exclaimed in shock, his playful demeanor gone. He quickly embraced her.

Qiu Honglei's expression changed. Rumors in the martial arts world said Chu Chuyan had suffered severe internal injuries, but others claimed she wasn't seriously hurt. Now, seeing her, who knew she was even more gravely injured than rumored.

"Get away! You're the reason she's like this; how dare you touch her!" Qin Wanru, both angry and anxious, reached out to push him away.

Anger value from Qin Wanru +678!

Zu'an said coldly, "Only I can save her now. Do you want to vent your anger, or do you want to save Chuyan?"

Qin Wanru froze, remembering her daughter had mentioned that he had indeed been treating her during this period. For a moment, she couldn't refute him.

Zu'an picked up Chu Chuyan and rushed to her room. Qin Wanru, consumed with anxiety, followed close behind.

Chu Zhongtian saw that Zu'an said he could save Chuyan and his wife had no objection. He understood there must be some information he was missing, but he trusted his wife's judgment. He stayed behind to handle things. "Miss Qiu, it's getting late now, and the city isn't very peaceful lately. Why don't you rest here at the mansion tonight?"

Qiu Honglei knew he was worried she might reveal Chu Chuyan's true injuries if she left. She bowed slightly. "Thank you, Duke Mingyue. I'm truly sorry about today's events."

"It's not your fault," Chu Zhongtian said, waving his hand somewhat irritably. "Someone, take Miss Qiu to rest." He was worried about Chu Chuyan's injuries and was eager to check on her; he had no mind to deal with Qiu Honglei.

"Yes~"

Soon, a servant came to lead Qiu Honglei away. On the way, Qiu Honglei suddenly smiled enchantingly. "Young man, which room are you planning to take me to?"

"The guest room, of course." The servant was so dazzled by her brilliant smile that his soul almost left his body.

"Why not take me to your young master-in-law's room instead?"

"Wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

"Didn't your master and madam just tell you? That's how they arranged it."

"Oh, is that so? Alright then."

...

An ordinary servant was no match for Qiu Honglei's alluring charm. With a slight display of her skill, she made him completely obedient.