Chapter 36: Strong Wind

Volume 1: First Entry into a Different World

Chu Zhongtian gave a wry smile. “My dear, you know our daughter’s nature. Since she’s set her heart on someone, even if he’s a good-for-nothing, she won’t change her mind. Do you want her to be a remarried woman?”

Qin Wanru’s face was also filled with bitterness. “Though Chuyan has never said why she chose such a useless man, don’t we, as her parents, understand? She was worried that bringing in someone too strong and capable would make them covet our Chu family’s assets, making it difficult for her to mediate between us later. She considers us so much, how can I, as her mother, not consider her as well? At the very least, we need to cultivate Zu An into a more normal person. That’s why I’m always so strict with him.”

Chu Zhongtian suddenly understood. “So your strictness with him has that underlying reason.”

“Of course,” Qin Wanru rolled her eyes. “Otherwise, why would I let him copy the family rules? Is our Chu family’s family rules something just anyone can copy? It’s to let him know that I already consider him a part of the Chu family and to encourage him to turn over a new leaf and strive for self-improvement.”

“But I heard you also made Cheng Shoubing copy them. Do you consider him family too?” Chu Zhongtian asked.

“Bah, I just can’t stand him, so he got roped in,” Qin Wanru fumed, recalling how Cheng Shoubing had once led a bunch of alluring hussies to her, all with fawning smiles, asking her to help her husband pick concubines. “Besides, a hundred copies are far too many. Without help, Zu An couldn’t finish even if he stayed up all night.”

“I didn’t realize my wife was so considerate,” Chu Zhongtian chuckled. After a moment of hesitation, he couldn't help but add, “But Zu An has always been a bit dull. Given his aptitude, he might not appreciate your good intentions.”

Qin Wanru was speechless. She realized there was a high possibility… no, it was a certainty. Otherwise, that fellow wouldn’t have become the city’s renowned good-for-nothing.

“How about I go play the ‘good cop’ for you and give him a hint?” Chu Zhongtian tentatively suggested.

Qin Wanru feigned hesitation for a moment before humming in agreement. “Bring some snacks along, so it doesn’t seem too abrupt.”

“Alright.” Chu Zhongtian smiled. Everyone said he had married a shrew, ridiculing him for being henpecked. But only he truly knew that his wife was a typical ‘tough talk, soft heart’ person, infinitely better than those hypocritical, seductive women outside.

He had a servant bring a pastry box and then made his way to the quiet room. Outside the door, he saw a figure writing furiously by the window and nodded in satisfaction. “This young man is teachable.”

“Tired from copying, are you? Take a break first. Chuyan’s mother asked me to bring you some…” Chu Zhongtian pushed the door open, his words cut short, and the smile on his face froze. He was astonished to find that only Cheng Shoubing was in the quiet room, while Zu An was nowhere to be seen.

Cheng Shoubing, overcome with emotion, lunged forward and hugged his leg, tears streaming down his face. “Master, you truly haven’t forgotten me! All those years I diligently served you weren’t in vain. To think you’d specially send me food in the middle of the night, Master, I’m so touched!”

Chu Zhongtian suppressed the urge to kick him away and asked patiently, “Where’s the son-in-law?”

As if a painful memory had been triggered, Cheng Shoubing burst into tears. “The son-in-law, he came, saw how many words were in the family rules, and dumped them all on me! He made me copy them alone here, Master, my hands are broken from writing!” He didn't hesitate to sell Zu An out, since Zu An wasn't there.

“Outrageous! This is simply preposterous!” Even Chu Zhongtian, usually such a good-natured man, was enraged. Especially when he thought of his wife’s painstaking efforts being completely wasted on that fellow, he felt even more annoyed.

He turned to find Zu An and settle accounts, but then his brow furrowed. He looked back at Cheng Shoubing, who was following closely. “What are you doing following me?”

“I… I’ll lead you to the son-in-law, Master.” Cheng Shoubing admired his own quick wit. In such a hurry, he had found a perfect excuse. Not only could he avoid copying the family rules, but he could also get closer to the Master. He was truly a genius.

Chu Zhongtian snorted. “No need, I’ll go myself. You just keep copying.” It was this fellow who had spread the news of him getting his ear pulled by his wife, otherwise, he wouldn't have been mocked by the whole city for being henpecked. So, he couldn't help but feel a surge of anger just looking at him.

Cheng Shoubing’s eyes widened. “???” Master, do you truly not favor me anymore? Master, what did I do wrong? Master… Fortunately, the Master left the food box behind. It seemed he still cared about him.

Meanwhile, in his room, Zu An was enduring his injuries when he suddenly noticed a message from the keyboard interface:

Rage from Chu Zhongtian +283!

Huh, what’s going on with his cheap father-in-law? Even a good-natured person like him was angry?

Just as he was wondering, an enraged figure stormed in. “You brat, you really are here!”

“Greetings, Father-in-law,” Zu An said, feigning a difficult attempt to get up from the bed. “Please forgive me, Father-in-law, I am injured and cannot rise to pay my respects…”

Hearing the words “Father-in-law,” Chu Zhongtian’s eyelid twitched. He felt a strange discomfort hearing those words, but he immediately noticed the other part of Zu An’s sentence and was surprised. “You’re injured?”

“Yes,” Zu An said with a wronged expression, looking at him.

Chu Zhongtian hastily examined him. “You’re so badly injured! How did this happen?”

Zu An thought to himself that most of his injuries had already been healed by Ji Dengtu’s spiritual medicine. If Chu Zhongtian had seen him earlier, he would have been scared to death. “I don’t know either. I was walking along the road when a man in black suddenly jumped out and beat me mercilessly. If it weren’t for the estate guards being alerted, I might have lost my life.” He spoke half-truths, thinking that since someone in the estate wanted to kill him, he might as well let Chu Zhongtian investigate. If they found the person who kept trying to kill him, everything would be great.

Initially, he had intended to pin the blame on Plum Blossom Thirteen, thinking it would be a good opportunity to have the Chu family eliminate the Plum Blossom Gang. However, he immediately recalled what Cheng Shoubing had mentioned earlier: the Chu family strictly forbade its members from gambling. Once, a young master from a collateral branch gambled and incurred debts that led the bookmaker to their door, which infuriated Chu Zhongtian, who then directly broke both his legs. Zu An remembered that the Plum Blossom Gang still held his IOU and really didn’t want to test their patience.

“Such a thing actually happened?” Chu Zhongtian frowned deeply, clearly considering many possibilities. “Don’t worry, I will strengthen the estate’s security to prevent such incidents from happening again.”

“Thank you, Father-in-law!” Zu An looked immensely grateful, on the verge of tears.

Chu Zhongtian nodded, then instructed his attendant to summon the estate’s physician. After that, he said, “You don’t need to worry too much; your injuries aren’t fatal. With some rest, you’ll be fine. I’ll go investigate the person who attacked you. You take good care of yourself.”

“But I still have family rules to copy. I must go back to work…” Zu An struggled to get up, acting like a diligent laborer.

The guards beside Chu Zhongtian looked at him disdainfully, thinking, *Who are you trying to fool? Who doesn’t know what kind of person you are?*

However, Chu Zhongtian harbored no suspicions. “Don’t worry, leave those to Cheng Shoubing to copy. You don’t need to bother.” With that, he hurried away. He had suspected earlier that someone was targeting Zu An, and now that it was confirmed, he needed to return immediately and discuss it thoroughly with his wife.

Zu An could only express sympathy for Cheng Shoubing. *Better you than me, you poor soul. You’re in for a tough time.*

Not long after Chu Zhongtian left, someone brought a physician who prescribed medicine for him and bandaged his wounds.

Zu An knew he didn’t actually need any of this; Ji Dengtu’s medicine was very effective, only requiring time to recover. However, he couldn’t say this directly, so he simply let them do their work.

After a while, these people finally left, and Zu An at last had time to check his physical condition.

He hadn’t had the energy to check earlier because his injuries were too severe, but now, upon closer inspection, he discovered that all nine arrays on his skin were completely filled. Immediately afterward, another nine arrays appeared in the muscles throughout his body.

What was going on? He clearly remembered only six arrays were full before.

Zu An could hardly believe his eyes. He rubbed them hard before confirming that he hadn’t misread it.

Could it be because of his fierce battle with Pei Mianman just now? Throughout the entire process, he had received countless heavy blows, enduring numerous punches and palms. His ribs were broken in who-knows-how-many places from her elbow strikes. If it weren’t for the existence of the “Rich Woman’s Joyful Ball,” his injuries would probably have been enough to kill him ten times over.

He knew that the characteristic of the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra was that the heavier the injury received, the faster the cultivation progress. But he hadn’t expected it to be this fast. Based on his previous estimations, filling the seventh array would require 13 Qi Fruits, the eighth array 21, and the ninth array 34. This one brutal beating he endured was equivalent to a whopping 68 Qi Fruits! Converted into rage points, even if he got one per 10 draws, it would still require at least 68,000 rage points.

Compared to that, earning rage points to upgrade was far slower and less efficient than upgrading through being beaten.

Should he get beaten up more often in the future? Although this idea felt a bit perverse, the high returns were hard to resist.

However, after a brief moment of excitement, Zu An dismissed the idea. After all, today’s massive gain was predicated on the “Rich Woman’s Joyful Ball.” Without it, he would have died countless times. Moreover, the “Rich Woman’s Joyful Ball” could only be used one more time. What then? Without its protection, firstly, being beaten would be excruciatingly painful, and secondly, a slight misstep could lead to death. Zu An didn’t believe his luck was good enough to consistently sustain sufficient injuries while preserving his life.

It seemed this could only serve as an auxiliary effect. The main method still had to be Qi Fruits; though slower, it was stable and sustainable in the long run.

As he observed more closely, he suddenly noticed some lines between the nine arrays on his skin. When put together, they vaguely formed the pattern of a strange, large bird. It seemed ready to fly, its body pure white, its tail feathers crimson, interspersed with yellow spots resembling eyes. Even more striking was its head, which was neither entirely tiger-like nor demon-like, making one feel fierce and terrifying at first glance, causing goosebumps to rise all over.

“What is this?” Zu An was startled. He suddenly noticed what looked like a seal at the bottom right corner of the strange bird pattern, with two characters written in small seal script: “Dàfēng” (Great Wind).

Chapter List