Chapter 566: Little Brother-in-law and Little Sister-in-law

Zu'an noticed the young man's appearance bore some resemblance to Chu Chuyan and her sisters. He couldn't help but marvel at their family's excellent genes.

However, hearing the young man's words, Zu'an was speechless. "Another brat," he thought, "how dare he speak like that?"

If it had been a young girl, his patience might have been higher. But it was a boy; his potential sister-in-law had become a brother-in-law. This discrepancy made his tone less pleasant:

"Of course, it's because I'm handsome and suave, refined and elegant, and unlike some people, I don't casually hurl insults at strangers."

Recognizing the sarcasm in his tone, the young man's face turned ashen. "Just as the rumors say," he retorted, "a smooth-talking, uncouth hooligan."

Rage from Chu Youzhao +477!

Zu'an immediately became annoyed. "Brat, you don't even greet your brother-in-law, just spewing nonsense. Have all those years of studying in the capital gone to the dogs?"

"Filthy mouth!" Chu Youzhao spat. "Even if my sister hadn't divorced you, I would never approve of someone like you."

Rage from Chu Youzhao +571!

Zu'an leaned casually back in his chair. "Your sister approves, your father and mother approve, so who are you to need your approval?"

With his uncertain future weighing on him and his recent separation from Chu Chuyan and Pei Mianman, Zu'an was already in a foul mood. This guy's sudden belligerence naturally didn't improve his temper.

"You!" Chu Youzhao was instantly furious.

Rage from Chu Youzhao +999!

He could no longer hold back and clenched his fist, aiming a punch at Zu'an's face.

Zu'an narrowed his eyes. Peak fourth-rank—quite impressive for someone so young.

Unfortunately for the young man, Zu'an had recently fought only masters of the eighth and ninth ranks or even grandmasters. The boy's attacks, given his cultivation, were naturally full of openings in Zu'an's eyes.

Zu'an simply shifted his body to the side, grabbed the boy's fist, and with a pull and a push, threw him off balance. Then, he casually twisted the boy's arm behind his back and pressed it onto a nearby table.

"Such pathetic skills, yet you dare to make a fool of yourself. It's a miracle you've lived this long," Zu'an couldn't help but remark.

"I was just momentarily careless! If you're so capable, let me go and we'll fight again!" Chu Youzhao was both ashamed and annoyed. Why was this guy so formidable? Was his cultivation much higher than his own?

Impossible. Teachers at the Royal Academy and elders at home had all praised his exceptional talent, saying that among his peers, he was only slightly inferior to his eldest sister in her prime.

With such aptitude, vast resources available since childhood, and guidance from top-tier teachers, how could he be inferior to a street hooligan?

He must have lacked combat experience, while this guy, having grown up in the streets, naturally had plenty. It was his carelessness that allowed him to be taken advantage of.

Zu'an casually picked up a decorative scroll from a nearby table. "Alright, brother-in-law will teach you your first lesson today: a loss is a loss. Why so many excuses? Do you think your enemy will give you a second chance?"

With that, he swung the scroll directly at the boy's backside. This kid clearly grew up spoiled, used to being pampered, and was in dire need of a lesson.

"You...you dare hit me there!" Chu Youzhao was instantly stunned, his face turning beet red, unsure whether from shame or anger.

Rage from Chu Youzhao +999!

"Should I hit your face instead of your backside?" Zu'an swung the scroll down again.

After all, he still had to consider the dignity of the Chu and Qin families. Hitting the face could easily leave handprints, which wouldn't look good for anyone.

Hitting the backside avoided this problem. Even if the boy went to complain, he wouldn't dare pull down his pants to show people.

"I... I'll kill you!" Chu Youzhao thrashed and struggled, but Zu'an was too strong; he couldn't get up at all.

"Brother-in-law's second lesson: know when to yield. That's what wise men do," Zu'an said, and as soon as he finished, another whack landed.

"Ah!" Chu Youzhao shrieked, "You scoundrel! How dare you do this to me! My father, my mother, my sister, and my grandfather will never let you off!"

Rage from Chu Youzhao +999!

Zu'an scoffed. "Weren't you so arrogant just now? Now you're relying on others' power? Brother-in-law's third lesson: when you're out, rely on yourself. Don't think about bullying others by leveraging influence."

Chu Youzhao was almost driven mad. He had never been treated like this in his life, let alone been hit in such a sensitive spot by a man. Between shame and rage, he continuously cursed at Zu'an.

Unfortunately, every curse was met with another whack from the hard stick.

Zu'an was amused. "Do you have a masochistic streak, kid? Are you cursing so hard just to make me hit you?"

"You!" Chu Youzhao's voice choked. This time, he really didn't dare to curse. The sound of the repeated smacks had genuinely scared him.

The crucial thing was that while it hurt a lot at first, each subsequent strike from the stick inexplicably brought forth a strange sensation from the depths of his soul, a feeling that made his heart pound.

Noticing the tear marks at the corner of his eyes, Zu'an was speechless. "A grown man, crying like this? Fine, fine, call me 'brother-in-law' and I'll let you go?"

Chu Youzhao turned his face away, biting his lip tightly, a stubborn expression on his face.

Zu'an wasn't so perverse as to insist a man call him "brother-in-law." Seeing his reluctance, he didn't push it and instead asked another question, "How did you get in here?"

This place was heavily guarded, and he himself was a designated criminal. How had this guy just strolled in?

Chu Youzhao initially didn't want to answer him, but seeing Zu'an make a move to strike again, and realizing this wasn't as shameful as calling him "brother-in-law," he replied, "Grandfather asked me to come. He gave me one of his tokens. He has high prestige in the army, and also, my sister... well, she asked me to bring you a message. In a way, we are family, so the guards outside didn't stop me."

"Where's your sister? Why isn't she here? And what message did she send?" Zu'an pressed eagerly.

Chu Youzhao scoffed. "My sister, of course, couldn't be bothered to see you. She sent me to tell you to stop your wishful thinking. Your ties have long been severed... Ouch, why did you hit me again?"

Rage from Chu Youzhao +233!

"How could your sister send such a message to me? Clearly, you're making this up, so you deserve a beating." Zu'an naturally didn't believe him. "I suppose your sister must be under house arrest by the Qin family and can't come herself."

"How did you know?" Chu Youzhao blurted out.

Zu'an hummed twice. Hadn't he seen enough melodramatic plots like this in those cheesy TV dramas?

Chu Youzhao said, "That's right. My sister wanted to ask grandfather to save you, but he refused. The Emperor wants your life, so how could grandfather save you? Anyway, you're as good as dead. If you truly care about my sister, then harden your heart and write her a breakup letter. Better a short pain than a long one. My sister is such an extraordinary person; how could she waste her life on you... Ouch, why did you hit me again!"

Zu'an sneered, "You're instigating a breakup between your sister and her brother-in-law. Don't you deserve a beating for that?"

"Nonsense! You're clearly just addicted to hitting me!" Chu Youzhao's voice was tinged with a whimper.

"You're not a pretty little girl. Am I some kind of pervert to be addicted to hitting you?" Zu'an released him with a look of disdain. "A grown man, constantly weeping and acting like a girl."

"I..." As soon as Chu Youzhao was free, in his overwhelming shame and fury, he wanted to rush forward for revenge. But the moment his gaze met Zu'an's, he instantly backed down, quickly saying, "I'm doing this entirely for my sister's sake! You can't be so selfish and ruin her life with your greed."

"Don't you get cold standing on such a high moral ground?" Zu'an gave him a cold look. "Say another word of that nonsense, and I'll hit you again."

"You!" Remembering the recent humiliation, Chu Youzhao could no longer restrain himself and charged forward again. "I'll fight you to the death!"

Just then, a cold glint flashed from outside the window. Seeing Chu Youzhao charging directly into its path, Zu'an quickly placed a hand on his chest and pushed him away. "Watch out!"

Chu Youzhao stumbled backward and landed on his bottom. Where the two had just stood, a dark feathered arrow quivered, making it clear what fate awaited anyone hit by such a shot.

Zu'an, however, looked at his own hand in a daze, then back at Chu Youzhao. "So you are..."

The softness and resilience he had just felt couldn't be faked. What man had such exaggerated chest muscles?

Zu'an was momentarily dumbfounded. It turned out that the Chu family's young master was actually a girl. He wondered if Chu Zhongtian was competent or not, to have three daughters in a row.

He had been in this world for quite some time and knew the Great Zhou Dynasty's system of noble succession. Without a son, Chu Zhongtian's title would likely be revoked by the imperial court. No wonder he had gone to such lengths to pass off his youngest daughter as a boy.