Chapter 99: Several Meanings

Shi Kun held his breath. Despite all his precautions, he had still fallen into the trap.

If he claimed he hadn't investigated, he would seem intellectually inferior, just as his opponent suggested. If he admitted he had investigated, it would confirm that their previous "chance" encounter at school was deliberate, making him appear exceptionally malicious. He couldn't accept either outcome.

Fortunately, someone intervened to help him out of his predicament. Yuan Wendong spoke up, "Zu An, did you pick up this habit of showing off your glib tongue when you were mingling in the markets a few years ago? Young Master Shi is a noble character; he always conducts himself like a gentleman and rarely argues with anyone, so of course, he wouldn't be able to talk you down. But who would ever think Young Master Shi lacks ability?"

"For years, Young Master Shi's talent has been well-known throughout the capital. He's also a natural prodigy in cultivation; I hear he's already approaching the threshold of the sixth rank at such a young age. And what can you do? Oh, I remember, you only know how to hide behind women and live off them, only capable of this verbal posturing."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shi Kun's many retainers burst into laughter, clearly eager to seize this opportunity to vent their master's frustrations.

Zu An tilted his head, examining Yuan Wendong. "Do you enjoy gnawing on bones?"

Yuan Wendong had expected him to fly into a rage, so this calm reaction caught him off guard. He instinctively replied, "No, I don't."

As a young master from a prominent family, he naturally had plenty of fine food to eat; there was no need for the trouble of gnawing on bones.

"If you don't like them, then why are you wagging your tail behind Shi Kun like a dog, trying to curry favor?" Zu An asked with disdain. "When I first met you, though we had some unpleasantness, you at least had a certain arrogance that commanded respect. But where is your arrogance now, where is your self-respect? I'm embarrassed for you."

"I..." Yuan Wendong's face instantly flushed crimson. He hadn't realized the other party had dug such a massive pit for him to fall into, and he had foolishly cooperated.

His composure shattered!

Rage value from Yuan Wendong +888!

The key was that he truly felt awkward. In school, others had always flocked around him. He wasn't quite used to his new role now, but the Shi family was simply too powerful, far beyond what the Yuan family could compare to. So, despite his discomfort, he was trying hard to ingratiate himself with Shi Kun.

Being called out by Zu An directly was utterly humiliating; he wished he could just vanish into a crack in the ground.

"Don't mind him, Brother Yuan. That fellow can't do anything else but talk big. If you stoop to his level, you'll lose," Shi Kun said, offering thoughtful comfort.

Given an out, Yuan Wendong immediately gave him a grateful look.

Recovering his wits, he glared at the instigator, itching with hatred. "Young Master Shi is right! You only know how to run your mouth. This is a world of cultivation. If you've got the guts, come fight me! If I don't beat you until your own mother doesn't recognize you, I'll change my surname from Yuan!"

Zu An immediately ducked behind Chu Chuyan. "Darling, this fellow dares to threaten me! Help me beat him up!"

Chu Chuyan felt a headache coming on, wondering if she had made a mistake in choosing this husband. He was simply too troublesome.

However, she kept her purpose for coming in mind and cooperatively stated, "Yuan Wendong, Zu An is, after all, our Chu family's son-in-law. Outsiders are not permitted to bully him. If you can defeat me, then you can go after him."

As she took a step forward, Yuan Wendong instinctively retreated. He felt utterly frustrated. If I could defeat you, would I need to endure this humiliation? Would I need to bow and scrape beside Shi Kun?

But he couldn't vent his anger on Chu Chuyan, so he turned to Zu An. "You, surnamed Zu! Every time you hide behind a woman, are you even a man?"

Thinking of the last time he was taught a lesson by Pei Mianman, his face darkened.

Zu An spread his hands. "If finding so many powerful and beautiful women doesn't make me a man, then what does that make someone like you, who can't find even one?"

"I..." Yuan Wendong's breath hitched. Why was he feeling so suffocated?

Rage value from Yuan Wendong +642!

At that moment, Shi Kun's lips moved slightly. Yuan Wendong seemed to hear something, and his eyes immediately lit up. He looked at Zu An with triumphant amusement. "Go ahead and gloat now. You can hide behind women on a normal day, but let's see what you do during tomorrow's family martial arts competition."

Zu An sighed. "I've never seen anyone so eager to be beaten, like a duck being herded forward. Fine, I'll stop pretending. The cards are on the table. Tomorrow, during the family martial arts competition, I'll show you this young master's true strength. Don't cry then."

"Your 'true strength'?" Yuan Wendong seemed to have heard the funniest joke. The group burst into laughter, bending over backward. "Alright, tomorrow I'll witness Young Master Zu's amazing skills! Hahahaha."

Shi Kun, standing nearby, also smiled. This Zu An certainly seemed to be hiding his true capabilities, but according to Xue'er, he was only a third-rank cultivator. He couldn't be that strong. Although Yuan Wendong had only just reached the fifth rank, he would be more than enough to deal with him.

Of course, to be absolutely safe, he would still find an opportunity to remind Yuan Wendong.

"I'm not afraid to tell you my order in advance. I'll be the grand finale. Don't chicken out when it's time to face me," Zu An said directly.

Yuan Wendong laughed heartily. "Don't worry, I'll definitely beat you on the arena stage!"

How could he not see through the Chu family's plan? They probably intentionally placed him last to protect him, thinking that once the victor was decided, he wouldn't need to fight. Hmph, do they think the Yuan family is still the same as a few years ago? They'll definitely be in for a big surprise.

Watching Zu An's current bluster, Yuan Wendong couldn't help but chuckle as he imagined the terrified expression on Zu An's face when he realized he had to fight tomorrow.

This idiot!

Yuan Wendong and Zu An, without prior agreement, had the same assessment of each other.

Seeing that her objective had been achieved, Chu Chuyan didn't want to linger and pulled Zu An away.

Shi Kun's eyes narrowed. Chu Chuyan's relationship with that guy didn't seem as distant as Xue'er had claimed. Could it be that their relationship had progressed further recently?

The thought that his head seemed to be faintly glowing green filled Shi Kun with a surge of malicious anger.

Rage value from Shi Kun +222!

At this moment, Zu An had no time to worry about the rage values he was receiving in the background. His attention was entirely on Chu Chuyan's hand, which was cool, soft, and smooth. He was pleasantly surprised that she had taken his hand voluntarily.

However, after they left the crowd, Chu Chuyan naturally let go. "You did very well just now, successfully provoking Yuan Wendong's anger. It seems he'll definitely choose you tomorrow."

Zu An was somewhat smug. "I can't say much else, but when it comes to annoying people, I, Zu An, have never been inferior to anyone in my life."

"I can tell," Chu Chuyan remarked, a faint smile playing on her lips as she recalled how exasperated Xue'er had been with him earlier.

Chu Huanzhao, standing nearby, spoke with some concern. "Sister, what if Brother-in-law really has to face Yuan Wendong tomorrow? That Yuan is already a fifth-rank cultivator, and he hates Brother-in-law so much, he'll definitely fight dirty."

Chu Chuyan replied, "Don't worry. According to our previous arrangements, the first few rounds should be enough to decide the outcome. He won't even have a chance to enter the arena in the end."

"But there's always a 'what if'," Chu Huanzhao fretted.

"If there really is a 'what if', he can just concede," Chu Chuyan replied. "Besides, Father and I will be watching closely; nothing will happen."

Chu Huanzhao frowned. "But Brother-in-law has already made such boasts. If he doesn't fight, that's one thing, but if he has to go on stage and then forfeits, how will he face people afterward?"

Chu Chuyan replied, "Is face more important, or is life?"

She then turned to Zu An. "I'd also like to remind you of something: I've noticed you have a strong tendency to provoke others. So far, you've been lucky, but that luck won't last forever. You need to change your temperament, or one day you'll provoke someone you shouldn't, and it'll be too late for regrets."

"Don't worry, I only provoke people I can handle," Zu An thought to himself. If he didn't provoke more people, where would the rage points come from? Besides, he wasn't blindly courting disaster; he never provoked those he shouldn't.

For example, had he ever intentionally earned rage points from Old Man Mi? Or from Ji Dengtu? So, while he might seem to be courting death on the surface, he was actually very clear-headed.

Of course, once his "little brother" was successfully unsealed, he would have to find an opportunity to earn back those rage points, otherwise, his thoughts wouldn't be clear, hmph!

These words, however, meant something entirely different to Chu Chuyan. She simply assumed he hadn't listened and secretly sighed, too weary to offer further advice.

"I'm going to my classroom. See you after school," Chu Chuyan said, then left, preoccupied, her thoughts unknown.

After she left, Chu Huanzhao let out a long breath. "I was stifling! Several times, I almost couldn't hold back from telling her."

Zu An looked at her with a strange expression. "Is it really okay for you and me to conspire to deceive your sister like this?"

"It's more fun this way, hiahiahia~" Chu Huanzhao chuckled slyly, her eyebrows dancing. "Sister said 'see you after school,' so what kind of expression do you think she'll have when she sees you in the classroom later?"

"I want to know too," Zu An said, equally excited by her. "How do you think I should meet her in class later to make it more dramatic?"

"Isn't that what you're best at? Why ask me?" Chu Huanzhao snorted. "Just look at Yuan Wendong and Ye Chenliang—you're the worst. You're a genius at playing tricks on people."

"Actually, I'm a very honest person," Zu An said, feeling a little embarrassed by her praise.

"You, honest?" Chu Huanzhao looked at him with a half-smile. "I wonder who's always secretly peeking at people's legs. Be honest, have you ever thought about having both sisters?"

"No, absolutely not!" Zu An was startled. This sister-in-law was truly bold to ask such a question directly.

"Hmph, don't pretend I don't know. Don't all you men have that kind of complex?" Chu Huanzhao snorted. "You'd better not let my mother or sister find out you have such thoughts, or they might just flay you alive."

With that, she tipped her chin up and skipped back to her own classroom, humming a tune.

Zu An was left standing there, bewildered. What did this little girl mean by suddenly saying all that to him?