Chapter 58: She Craves My Body

Chu Chuyan had initially ordered a carriage for their outing, but Zu An stopped her. He suggested that a stroll together amid the night scenery would be a good way to foster intimacy, remarking that a carriage would arrive too quickly and wasn't practical for their intentions.

Chu Chuyan didn't press the matter and agreed to walk.

They hadn't walked far before they began to draw the attention of passersby. Naturally, Chu Chuyan was the primary focus, as she was destined to be the center of attention in any setting.

Xue'er, too, was quite striking, with her delicate charm and eye-catching intricate braids.

Zu An, on the other hand, was merely there to complete the picture. He, however, held a different view, believing his handsome and dashing appearance was quite effective at making women turn their heads.

"Look, look! It's Miss Chu!"

"She truly is as beautiful as a goddess!"

"Her maid is also quite pretty; she looks even more beautiful than many young ladies from prominent families."

"Well, of course, Miss Chu wouldn't have anyone plain or common by her side."

"Then how do you explain that toad next to her?"

"That guy is the good-for-nothing son-in-law! Just by looking at his oily, powdered face, you can tell he's no good."

"Miss Chu may be beautiful, but her taste in choosing a husband is really poor."

"What, you think the husband she chose isn't as good as you?"

"I could do better myself!"

Faintly hearing the passersby's comments, Zu An couldn't help but feel indignant. "You're the toad, your whole family are toads!" To provoke them, he deliberately moved closer to Chu Chuyan, making it appear as if they were intimately leaning against each other.

As expected, a significant number of "Rage points" immediately registered in his system.

"Heh heh, you're all just blatantly jealous, eaten alive by envy!"

Zu An was secretly gleeful. As the saying goes, "Returning home wealthy without showing it off is like walking in silk robes at night." He felt it would be a shame not to flaunt his beautiful wife and earn a wave of "Rage points," especially after enduring so many insults.

"Did you make me walk just to satisfy your trivial vanity?" Chu Chuyan instantly saw through his intentions and felt a twinge of regret, surprised by the depth of his schemes.

"Of course not," Zu An chuckled. "It's simply to bring us closer."

Chu Chuyan was speechless.

Xue'er snorted, "What kind of relationship could the young lady possibly have with you to 'bring closer'? Don't flatter yourself."

Zu An, accustomed to her sharp tongue, paid her no mind and retorted, "When the master speaks, servants should know their place."

Rage points from Qiao Xueying +300!

"You!" Xue'er took a deep breath, thinking, *This guy is forcing me to use my ultimate weapon.* "Some people can only rely on their sharp tongues, especially when they're lacking in other areas."

As she spoke, she cast a sympathetic glance towards his lower abdomen.

To her surprise, Zu An didn't get angry at all. Instead, he retorted, "Whether it 'works' or not, I was the first man to see and touch your body."

Rage points from Qiao Xueying +999!

Xue'er simply couldn't comprehend how thick-skinned he was; he showed no trace of shame even when she brought up that incident.

Chu Chuyan finally couldn't stand it anymore. "Alright, aren't you two ashamed to be arguing loudly in the middle of the street?"

Both of them snorted in unison and turned their faces away.

Seeing their actions so synchronized, Chu Chuyan suddenly felt a strange sense of absurdity, as if they were the couple and she was merely a third party.

Hastily dismissing the thought, she asked, "By the way, I heard you killed dozens of Fierce Black Jackals?"

Zu An was momentarily stunned. "How did you know?"

"Huanzhao told me. She had such a proud look on her face, as if she were boasting about something extraordinary." As she recalled her sister's excited expression, Chu Chuyan's lips curved into a slight smile, as beautiful as melting ice and snow, causing all the men passing by to stare in a daze.

"Of course! Your husband is not the same as before; he's quite a formidable character now," Zu An said proudly, practically begging for praise.

Xue'er couldn't help but scoff, thinking he was as boastful as ever.

Chu Chuyan didn't pay it much mind; after all, he had always been prone to exaggeration. She presumed Ji Xiaoxi, being kind-hearted, had likely helped him out of a bind. As for the Fierce Black Jackals, she suspected Ji Xiaoxi's poison had incapacitated them, allowing the two of them to finish them off together.

"By the way, how did you meet Pei Mianman?" Chu Chuyan recalled another puzzle, one she found most incomprehensible: given Pei Mianman's character, how could she possibly have helped him?

"Well, she was undoubtedly captivated by my dashing looks, fell in love at first sight, and desired my body," Zu An replied casually, knowing he couldn't reveal what truly happened that night.

Rage points from Qiao Xueying +99!Rage points from Passerby A +99!Rage points from Passerby B +99!Rage points from Passerby C +99!

Hearing his utterly shameless remarks, Xue'er and the passing pedestrians all cursed him silently in their hearts.

Chu Chuyan was likewise speechless, though she mused that Pei Mianman, as her close friend, might have offered assistance out of deference to her. Still, one matter remained unexplained: "I heard you mentioned 'a certain night' at the academy. What exactly transpired between you two that night?"

Zu An hesitated. "I'm afraid you won't believe me if I tell you."

Chu Chuyan calmly replied, "How can you know if I'll believe you if you don't tell me?"

Only then did Zu An explain, "That night, she and I were locked in a fierce embrace, tumbling around on the ground, which is why she wouldn't want anyone to know."

Chu Chuyan's expression immediately turned cold. "I strongly dislike your unrestrained way of speaking. Can you not survive without telling lies? It's one thing to speak nonsense in front of me, but if Pei Mianman were to hear that, you wouldn't even know what hit you."

Rage points from Chu Chuyan +99!

After speaking, she walked away with a frosty expression. Noticing her young lady's anger, Xue'er linked arms with her and turned back to cast a gloating glare at him.

Zu An secretly sighed. *I told you you wouldn't believe me. What's wrong with this world? When I lie, everyone takes me seriously, but when I tell the truth, no one believes me?*

However, collecting "Rage points" from this "bargain wife" proved quite difficult; she stingily contributed only 99 points, maintaining an icy demeanor like an iceberg all day.

Seeing the two women walk away quickly, Zu An hurried to catch up.

After some time, Chu Chuyan's expression gradually softened. After walking a bit further, she hesitated before asking, "Do you find your stay at the manor disagreeable?"

Zu An was taken aback. "Why do you ask?"

Chu Chuyan replied, "I heard you're looking to buy a house outside."

Zu An was furious. That scoundrel, Cheng Shoubing, had explicitly promised him discretion, yet he had immediately blabbed it to everyone. Zu An had even felt a pang of guilt for forgetting to bring him along this time, especially since he had once pledged to create opportunities for Cheng Shoubing to interact with Xue'er.

Now? He could go eat dirt!

"No, I was just casually looking around," Zu An chuckled awkwardly. He would soon need her assistance, and it wouldn't be wise to irritate her at this moment.

Chu Chuyan simply murmured "Oh" and said no more, walking silently down the street.

Zu An secretly admired her, thinking how perfectly this "bargain wife" blended temperament with appearance. She exuded an aura of cool elegance, and simply walking like this, she commanded an astonishing amount of attention.

They continued until they arrived in front of a resplendent establishment. "We're here; this is it," Zu An announced. People were bustling in and out of the entrance, clearly indicating a thriving business.

Chu Chuyan's expression subtly shifted as she looked at the four bold, sweeping characters "Silver Hook Casino" on the signboard. "You brought me to a gambling house?" she questioned.

Zu An nodded. "That's right."

He had already confirmed that the Plum Blossom Gang was Mingyue City's largest criminal organization. Their revenue streams included protection money and usury, but their most lucrative venture was their gambling house.

As the saying goes, "the economic base determines the superstructure." All conflicts are, in essence, economic battles. Since the Chu family couldn't resolve the issue by wielding their power, he decided to wage an economic war against the Plum Blossom Gang. By destroying their primary source of income, he could cripple at least half of the gang's strength.

Thus, fearing that the gang might resort to desperate measures and physically eliminate him, he invited Chu Chuyan to accompany him. Not only was Chu Chuyan a Fifth-Rank cultivator, but even Plum Blossom Thirteen wouldn't dare harm her due to her status as the Duke's daughter.

While it was true that the Chu family had many reservations about directly interfering in local affairs, if one of their family members were harmed, did anyone truly believe the Duke's private army would stand idly by? Even if the matter escalated to the imperial court, the Chu family would have no fear.

Although his calculations were precise, Chu Chuyan might not be willing to cooperate. Her expression darkened. "Do you know that our Chu family has a long-standing family tradition prohibiting gambling?"

"No, why?" Zu An feigned ignorance, though he was genuinely curious why the Chu family had such a strict rule. Even noble families with the most rigorous upbringing usually didn't forbid gambling entirely.

Chu Chuyan slowly explained, "Because one of our Chu family ancestors became so addicted to gambling that he nearly ruined the entire family. It took several generations of diligent effort for the Chu family to barely recover its strength. Even now, we possess nearly half less of the salt and iron fiefs we held during our prime. Otherwise, Mingyue City would be solely dominated by our Chu family, without the presence of the other prominent families."

Zu An had also come to understand that, apart from the Chu family, Mingyue City's four great families included three major merchant clans: the Zheng family, who dealt in salt, silk, porcelain, and other goods; the Yuan family, who primarily dealt in weaponry; and the Wang family, who managed restaurant chains and grain trade. Although these families didn't possess the same high noble title as the Chu family, their wealth was comparable.

The Yu family, whose main base was not in Mingyue City, was generally not included in this count.

Hearing Chu Chuyan's explanation, Zu An finally realized that a significant portion of the other prominent families' current industries had once belonged to the Chu family. The Chu family's ancestors had truly been wealthy.

Chu Chuyan continued, "Consequently, the Chu family established a strict rule: no descendant of the Chu family is permitted to engage in gambling. Although your surname isn't Chu, you are my husband in name, and therefore you must also abide by this rule."

Zu An muttered inwardly, *Husband is husband, why emphasize 'in name'?* However, he had anticipated such a situation. "I'm not gambling," he argued. "I'm merely being forced to retaliate in self-defense. I doubt the Chu family's rules prohibit striking back when someone pushes you too far, do they?"