Chapter 54: Wearing Clothes and Refusing to Admit

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Volume One: First Entry into Another World

Zu'an thought for a moment and reminded, "Oh, right, remember not to tell anyone in the manor about this."

Cheng Shoubing patted his chest and guaranteed, "Young Master-in-law, have you forgotten my name? I am Cheng Shoubing, who guards secrets as tightly as a sealed bottle."

Zu'an frowned. Why did he have a faint ominous premonition?

"You go inquire first. I'll rest for a bit. Oh, and when you leave, get me a basin of water to wash my face." Zu'an waved his hand, dismissing him. He thought about the wave of Rage points he had just earned from Plum Blossom Thirteen. A quick face wash and then a lottery draw—wouldn't that be wonderful?

"I can tell you're in a good mood." A dry, aged voice suddenly spoke.

Zu'an jumped, turning to find Old Man Mi standing behind him. He couldn't help but complain, "Old man, why do you walk without a sound? You'll scare people to death!"

Old Man Mi ignored him and simply asked, "You didn't skip school today, did you?"

"You already warned me; how could I dare?" Looking at the expression revealed by the large eye bags under the old man's eyes, Zu'an felt that if he had truly skipped school today, his fate would likely have been similar to Plum Blossom Thirteen's.

"That's good," Old Man Mi gave two sinister, dry laughs. "Do you know Wei Hongde?"

Zu'an felt a chill down his spine, thinking, *Please don't laugh anymore; it's terrifying.* He replied, "Not yet."

Seeing the old man about to frown, he quickly added, "But I know his younger brother."

"He has a brother?" Old Man Mi looked somewhat confused.

"Yes, his brother is Wei Suo..." Zu'an gave a rough description.

"I didn't expect him to have another son all these years. Heh heh, he seems to be living quite comfortably." Old Man Mi muttered to himself.

Zu'an paused. "What did you say?"

"Nothing," Old Man Mi shook his head and casually tossed him a bag of silver. "Take this money. Treat the two brothers to plenty of food, drinks, and entertainment to build a closer relationship with them."

Zu'an tentatively asked, "What is the purpose of getting close to them? Could you perhaps reveal a little, so I can be more targeted?"

Old Man Mi revealed a chilling smile. "You'll naturally find out later." After speaking, he trembled as he walked away.

Zu'an was completely bewildered, thinking, *You're not going to make me steal something like the "Forty-Two Chapters Scripture," are you?*

He quietly counted the silver in the bag and found there were a full hundred taels. Zu'an couldn't help but feel curious. How could an old gardener in the manor have so much money?

Zu'an shook his head, pushing those thoughts aside, and focused on the lottery. He calculated that after the afternoon draw, he had 54 Rage points left. Now he had a total of seven thousand... oh no, a total of 8305 Rage points.

In just a short time, Plum Blossom Thirteen alone had contributed over eight thousand points.

Zu'an was somewhat dissatisfied. Shearing one person's wool was never as fast as shearing a whole flock. He only wished more villains like her would appear.

After washing his face meticulously and with a sense of ritual, Zu'an was about to start the lottery when a servant boy suddenly ran up to report, "Young Master-in-law, Master and Madam are calling for you?"

Zu'an was startled. Could they have found out about him misleading Chu Huanzhao?

Full of doubts, he followed the servant boy, winding through the manor. Zu'an even suspected the boy might be deliberately leading him into a trap.

It wasn't until they arrived at a large hall and he saw many maids standing at the entrance that he finally relaxed. With so many people around, nothing untoward should happen.

Noticing one of the maids in a green dress, with a slender waist and intricate braids in her hair, Zu'an's heart stirred. He walked over with a grin and said, "Oh, I haven't seen you in a few days, Xue'er. Your waist has gotten even thinner. Have you not been eating well outside? Come, young master-in-law will give you a rub." As he spoke, he reached out to embrace the maid.

Rage value from Qiao Xueying: 256!

Zu'an was taken aback. So Xue'er wasn't her real name. It was rare for maids in those days to have proper names, let alone such a well-formed one. It seemed this maid was somewhat mysterious.

Although he had angered Xue'er quite a bit before, the Rage value system hadn't been activated then, so this was the first time he learned her true name.

The young woman simply turned and easily dodged his "roving hand." Then, she looked at him with an icy expression and said, "I haven't seen you in a few days, and you're still as detestable as ever."

Zu'an's expression became serious. "Now that's going too far! At least, they say a night as husband and wife creates a hundred nights of kindness. Why do you act like you don't know me once you're dressed?"

Xue'er's small face instantly flushed crimson. "You!" The memory of that vulgar man seeing her innocent body was an eternal pain in her heart.

Rage value from Qiao Xueying: 999!

"Go on, hit me! Hit me!" Zu'an taunted with a scoundrel-like grin. She had kicked him into the pool before, but at that time, he wasn't a cultivator and couldn't assess her strength. Now, he could give it a try.

Rage value from Qiao Xueying: 1000!

Xue'er was almost dizzy with rage. She never imagined such a shameless person existed in the world. She felt like she was about to lose control of the primal energy within her, desperate to beat him into a pig's head.

"Stop messing around, come inside!" At that moment, Chu Chuyan's cold voice, filled with its unique rhythm, came from within the room.

Xue'er took a deep breath, calming her emotions, and said coldly, "Master, Madam, and Young Mistress are waiting for you inside. Go in quickly."

Zu'an sighed with some regret, then straightened his clothes and strode inside.

In the main hall, Chu Zhongtian and Madam Chu, along with Chu Chuyan and Chu Huanzhao, were seated around a large round table, which was already laden with various exquisite dishes.

Chu Huanzhao gave him a wink, silently warning him to be careful.

Zu'an thought, *This little girl is truly loyal; I didn't dote on her for nothing.*

Madam Chu's face was grim. "You, Zu'an! How dare you flirt with a maid in the manor right in front of us? Where does that leave Chuyan? Where does that leave us?"

Rage value from Qin Wanru: 447!

How could she not be angry? She was already highly displeased that her daughter had married such a good-for-nothing, and now he was already flirting with the female attendants of the manor. This was outrageous, simply preposterous!

"It's a misunderstanding! I wasn't flirting with her!" Zu'an protested.

Qin Wanru snorted coldly. "Still daring to argue? Do you think we're deaf?"

Rage value from Qin Wanru: 522!

Chu Zhongtian, standing by, coughed lightly and added, "Xiao An, you're not a cultivator, so perhaps you don't know that for us, at this distance, we can hear everything happening outside clearly."

Zu'an thought, *This cheap father-in-law seems to have a good nature.* He replied, "Father-in-law, I truly wasn't lying, because Xue'er is already mine."

As soon as these words left his mouth, the entire room was shocked. Chu Chuyan, who had been leisurely sipping tea and watching the "show," choked directly. She fumbled with her handkerchief to wipe the water from the table, nearly drenching her dress.

Chu Zhongtian looked at him in disbelief, his shocked gaze seemingly mixed with a hint of admiration.

Madam Chu's mouth fell open, as if her brain had momentarily short-circuited.

Chu Huanzhao had been secretly eating. Hearing him, she couldn't help but discreetly give him a thumbs-up, thinking, *My brother-in-law is truly a bit wild; no wonder he messed up Plum Blossom Thirteen so badly before.*

"What nonsense are you spewing, Zu!" Xue'er rushed in, furious and anxious, and began to scold Zu'an vehemently.

Cultivators could hear sounds from outside the door even when inside, so Xue'er, who had been eavesdropping with her ears perked up outside the door, naturally heard the conversation inside.

When she heard Zu'an claim she was "his woman," she nearly went mad!

Rage value from Qiao Xueying: 999!

Madam Chu slapped the table. "Is there no longer any discipline in this household? Get out!"

Xue'er looked wronged. "Madam, I..."

Chu Chuyan, from the side, spoke up, "Xue'er, please go outside first."

Xue'er had no choice but to retreat, glaring fiercely at Zu'an as she left.

Rage value from Qiao Xueying: 400!

Zu'an smiled slightly. *Damn, I really am a genius. A casual remark and another batch of Rage points rolls in.*

After Xue'er left, Madam Chu's gaze turned murderous. "Zu'an, what exactly is going on? As a live-in son-in-law, you secretly flirted with a maid in the manor. Do you not know we have the authority to beat you to death?"

Rage value from Qin Wanru: 587!

Zu'an had to lament that the status of a live-in son-in-law truly afforded no human rights. He calmly replied, "I wasn't flirting secretly. Chuyan gave her to me. She personally told Xue'er to become my bed-warming maid."

Madam Chu frowned and looked at her daughter. "Chuyan, is this true?" She thought, *What's wrong with this girl? What kind of sense does it make to give a woman to your husband? Look at me, all these years, have I ever let your father bring any random women into the house?*

Chu Chuyan's face flushed slightly, and she glared at Zu'an with annoyance before replying, "Mother, I did say something like that at the time, but it was merely a joke. You don't need to listen to his nonsense."

"Really?" Madam Chu looked skeptical.

"Of course it's true," Chu Chuyan glanced at Zu'an. "Sit down and eat. Don't speak carelessly in the future, or you won't even know what killed you."

Zu'an immediately protested, "That won't do! I live by my mouth." How else could he earn Rage points if he didn't speak carelessly?

Chu Huanzhao, from the side, chuckled. "Didn't you say before that you rely on your looks to make a living?"

Zu'an didn't blush or skip a beat. "I rely on both, and both must be strong."

"Alright, stop talking nonsense and eat quickly!" Seeing her second daughter chatting and laughing with that guy, Madam Chu felt an inexplicable irritation welling up in her heart.

After Zu'an sat down, he secretly glanced at Chu Chuyan. This woman was truly kind to him; even in this situation, she didn't expose the secret of his hidden illness. Otherwise, Madam Chu wouldn't have taken his claims about Xue'er seriously.

"What are you looking at me for?" Chu Chuyan didn't turn around, simply saying faintly as she picked up food.

"Because you're beautiful," Zu'an said with a smile. "The books say 'beauty is edible,' and I used to not quite believe it, but now I truly understand the meaning of that phrase." His cheap wife's profile was simply perfect, her skin so delicate it seemed a breath could break it. It was a pity he couldn't steal a kiss.

Chu Chuyan glanced at him, somewhat surprised. "Your mindset seems much better?"

Zu'an knew she was referring to his secret ailment. Last time, she had personally witnessed his despair. "I was originally a bit unhappy, but seeing how beautiful you are, all my worries disappear."

***

Thanks to patrons 'Song Qingshu, who doesn't love young women' and 'Someone else's wife is better' for their support. Why are my readers' IDs always like this...?Thanks to 'September Wild Crane,' 'Little Tadpole Looking for Mom,' and other readers for their support.

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