Volume One: First Entry into Another World
As if understanding his contempt, Chu Huanzhao became exasperated. "What exactly did you do to owe him so much money?!"
Chu Huanzhao's Rage Value: 241!
Plum Blossom Thirteen, standing nearby, let out a sigh of relief. He was truly afraid someone would help Zuan pay back the money, as that would be troublesome. After all, his goal wasn't the money; it was Zuan's life!
"He came to our gambling house to gamble some time ago, and in the process, he lost all this money." Plum Blossom Thirteen thought it would be better for this little beauty to know Zuan's true colors, lest she truly be swept away by love and help him pay back the money. Hmm, this young girl looks a bit familiar.
"Zuan, you scoundrel! How could you gamble? Don't you know that our Chu family detests gambling the most?! Last year, a cousin in our family gambled and had his legs broken!" Chu Huanzhao immediately bristled.
Chu Huanzhao's Rage Value: 333!
Plum Blossom Thirteen was startled. He finally realized that this young girl was the Chu family's second young lady. That's strange. Wasn't it said that Zuan, this good-for-nothing, was not well-regarded in the Chu family? This doesn't seem to be the case.
Zuan also had a headache at this moment. Being constantly hounded by Plum Blossom Thirteen like a persistent ghost was very annoying. "Stop hounding me like the grim reaper every day. I'll pay you back."
With that, he pulled a bag from his pocket. "Inside are 7 primeval stones. This stuff is valuable but rare on the market. At the very least, they're worth eight hundred taels. And here's another hundred taels..."
Cheng Shoubing, standing nearby, stared wide-eyed. His young master-in-law had been penniless when he arrived today. How did he get so rich after just one day of schooling?
However, Zuan was a bit embarrassed at this moment. He had scraped together what he could, but he was still short by several dozen taels from the one thousand. Fortunately, Chu Huanzhao, who was next to him, pulled out a primeval stone and threw it to him. "Here's one more. Consider the extra money a tip for you. Now hurry up and scram."
Plum Blossom Thirteen doubtfully took the bag. Inside were indeed genuine primeval stones, and he couldn't help but be stunned. "Where did you get so many?"
"It's none of your business where I got them," Zuan said, extending his hand, palm open, towards him. "Now, give me back the IOU."
"No, that won't do. What if you stole these from school? We don't accept stolen goods." Plum Blossom Thirteen quickly said. Their goal was this guy's life; they never expected him to be able to pay back the money.
"Can't it be that someone gave them to me because I'm handsome? If you don't believe me, go ask at the school yourself," Zuan snorted. "You're dragging your feet and deliberately refusing to return my IOU. What exactly are you trying to do? Huanzhao, go back and tell our dad that the Plum Blossom Gang is bullying our Chu family now."
Plum Blossom Thirteen's face cramped up. Those other live-in sons-in-law are ashamed to admit their status, but you, on the other hand, keep saying "our Chu family" and even calling him "dad." Have you no shame?
However, he also worried about alarming Duke Mingyue. If Zuan owed them money, it would be fine. But the money had been paid back, and if they still held onto the IOU, anyone would suspect them of having ulterior motives.
"Alright, alright, I'll return the IOU to you." Plum Blossom Thirteen pulled out the IOU, regretting why he had brought it out in the first place. He had originally brought the IOU to prevent people from the academy from accusing them of causing trouble, ensuring they had nothing to say. He never expected to end up shooting himself in the foot.
Zuan took it and saw that it was indeed the previous one. "Didn't you mention there were copies earlier? Bring them all out."
Plum Blossom Thirteen mumbled in a muffled voice, "I said that before to deliberately trick you. How could an IOU possibly have copies? Even if it did, it wouldn't be legally binding."
Zuan showed the IOU to Chu Huanzhao, confirming that the other party wasn't lying. He then raised his hand and tore the IOU into shreds, constantly rubbing it between his hands until it was crushed into powder. He now possessed the strength of 143 adult men, so crushing a piece of paper was no difficulty at all.
However, he was still not very satisfied. Thinking of the black flames that coiled around Pei Mianman, he thought that was much cooler. A flick of a finger and a flame would solve the problem; why bother crushing it like an idiot here?
"Since the IOU is destroyed, I'll be leaving." Plum Blossom Thirteen thought about quickly returning to discuss with the gang leader. Since the IOU was no longer an option, they'd have to find another way.
"Wait, don't leave." Zuan suddenly called out to him. Plum Blossom Thirteen was startled and hadn't yet reacted when he heard the other party shout, "Help! Help! The Plum Blossom Gang is robbing us!"
Plum Blossom Thirteen looked at him with a bewildered expression. What is this guy doing?
But he quickly understood. A gust of wind swept by, and a middle-aged man with a bald spot in the middle of his head appeared nearby, looking at them with a somber expression.
"What exactly happened?" The person who arrived was naturally Lu De, the school's Dean of Instruction. He was responsible for security at the school gate after dismissal and immediately rushed over when he heard the commotion.
Zuan had deliberately shouted because he had just seen him nearby. Seeing that he indeed rushed over upon hearing the noise, Zuan quickly rattled off, "Reporting, teacher! This person robbed us of our primeval stones. Those were given to us by the school."
Plum Blossom Thirteen, standing nearby, was almost angered to the point of spitting blood. He quickly argued, "You're talking nonsense! I didn't!"
Plum Blossom Thirteen's Rage Value: 666!
Zuan said, "If you don't believe me, teacher, you can check his bag. He just snatched our primeval stones. They were issued by the school, and each one has a serial number engraved on it."
To prevent each academy from embezzling funds, the imperial court stipulated resources for students of various qualification levels. At the same time, each issued primeval stone had a recorded serial number, which made it easy to investigate if any problems arose. Generally, in black market transactions involving these primeval stones, to avoid trouble, both parties would sign an agreement as evidence, or the numbers would be erased upon transfer. Plum Blossom Thirteen was not a professional in this line of work after all. He was so preoccupied with going back to discuss countermeasures with the gang leader that he was momentarily careless.
"You son of a b****, you tricked me!" By now, how could Plum Blossom Thirteen not understand what was happening? No wonder this guy was so quick to pay him back the money; it turns out this was his intention all along.
Plum Blossom Thirteen's Rage Value: 777!
Zuan really wanted to retort, "You just figured that out?" to earn another wave of rage points. But considering Lu De was nearby, he put on a specially wronged expression. "You're actually trying to blame me?! Fortunately, there are witnesses here! They both saw everything from start to finish and can testify for me!"
As he spoke, he pulled Cheng Shoubing over. "Isn't that right?"
Feeling the immense force on his arm, Cheng Shoubing reacted quickly. "Yes, that's right! This guy robbed our young master-in-law of his primeval stones! Oh, young master, why is your life so hard? You get bullied everywhere you go."
Zuan's eyes went wide. He had been worried this guy would mess up, but who knew this guy was a natural-born actor? He'd give him extra chicken drumsticks when they got back.
"He's your servant, of course, he'll testify for you!" Plum Blossom Thirteen was anxious. This master and servant pair were practically cut from the same cloth in their shamelessness.
Lu De indeed frowned and didn't ask Cheng Shoubing. Instead, he looked at Chu Huanzhao. "Second Young Lady Chu, is this really the case?" Inside the school, he could address her by her given name, but now that they were outside the school gate, he still needed to show Duke Mingyue the proper respect.
"Yes, this person named Plum Blossom not only robbed him of his primeval stones but also took mine. Teacher, if you don't believe me, you can check his bag; it also has the serial number of my primeval stone..." Chu Huanzhao spoke eloquently, adding embellishments to the recent events. Combined with her beautiful appearance, her words evoked more pity and indignation than Zuan's.
Many students who had just finished classes gathered to watch. After hearing only a few sentences, they wished they could rush onto the scene and tear Plum Blossom Thirteen, the culprit, to shreds.
Zuan's jaw nearly dropped. None of the arguments he had prepared were needed, and he had been a bit worried. Who knew this sister-in-law would cooperate with him so seamlessly? Watching her pitifully accuse Lu De of how she had just been bullied, Zuan almost saw a pair of devil's horns faintly appearing above her head. He thought to himself that he could offend anyone in the future, but he absolutely must not offend this little girl.
Plum Blossom Thirteen was almost spitting blood. This Second Young Lady Chu looked so beautiful, yet she could tell lies without batting an eyelid. What about the etiquette that noble young ladies were supposed to uphold?
Damn it, Godfather was indeed right: so-called nobles are nothing but a bunch of scoundrels and sluts.
Seeing Lu De turn to him, Plum Blossom Thirteen hastily explained, "It's not like that..."
He was interrupted by Lu De before he could finish. "More words are useless. A check of your bag will reveal the truth."
Plum Blossom Thirteen wanted to say more, but the other party's disciplinary ruler pressed on his shoulder like a massive mountain. He could barely breathe, let alone resist. He was horrified. He knew that among the Plum Blossom Gang's Thirteen Protectors, he was the one with the highest cultivation. In underworld conflicts, he was always successful; he was considered the Plum Blossom Gang's sharpest blade. Yet this bald man, with just a casual disciplinary ruler, made him completely unable to resist.
No wonder the gang leader had repeatedly warned them never to provoke anyone from the academy.
But I didn't provoke anyone, damn it!
He had done many bad things in his life, never afraid to leave his mark. But only this time did he feel so stifled and wronged, all because of that cursed fellow.
Plum Blossom Thirteen's Rage Value: 888!
Zuan noticed Plum Blossom Thirteen glaring at him. He quietly gave him a shy smile, which made the other party so angry that he contributed another wave of rage points.
Lu De spread out the eight primeval stones in his hand. He looked coldly at Plum Blossom Thirteen. "These primeval stones belong to the academy, and according to their serial numbers, they were only issued today. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Feeling the disciplinary ruler on his shoulder loosen its grip slightly, Plum Blossom Thirteen finally poured out his grievances. "I'm innocent! These were what they paid me back! Zuan owed me a thousand taels in gambling debt, and they used these primeval stones to pay it off."
Zuan, standing by, said coldly, "You can't even come up with a good excuse. Who in Mingyue City doesn't know that the Chu family strictly forbids its members from gambling? Just last year, someone who gambled had their legs broken by Duke Mingyue. Me, a live-in son-in-law? Do you think I'd be bold enough to gamble? And owe a thousand taels in gambling debt?"
"Exactly! Our Chu family is famously against gambling!" Chu Huanzhao put her hands on her hips and chimed in. "If you're going to extort people, shouldn't you at least do your homework first?"
"Damn it!" Plum Blossom Thirteen almost spat out a mouthful of old blood. "This adulterous pair!"
Plum Blossom Thirteen's Rage Value: 999!
Thanks to the Second Boss of Cloud Stack Cave for the reward!
Chapter List
[15 seconds from now] Chapter 855: Sectarian Beginnings
[5 minutes ago] Chapter 1488: Soul River Finale
[9 minutes ago] Chapter 1652: Exchange of Cultivation Methods
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