Chapter 55: Lower-Class Horse

**Volume One: First Entry into Another World**

Chu Chuyan's face flushed slightly. While many people had praised her beauty over the years, their compliments were either whispered behind her back or delivered with extreme tact when spoken directly. None were as blunt and enthusiastic as this fellow, which made her feel quite uncomfortable.

Beside her, Madam Chu listened, her brows furrowing. This glib-tongued man seemed to grow more annoying with every passing moment.

Chu Zhongtian, who was nearby, cleared his throat and reminded them, "Do not speak while eating, nor while sleeping."

Zu An took the hint. The group ate in silence, finishing their meal quickly. Afterwards, servants brought salt water for rinsing and cleared away the dishes.

Zu An felt a bit puzzled. Previously, his meals were always sent to his room, but today he had been called to the main table to eat with them. Could it be that he, as the live-in son-in-law, had finally gained their acceptance?

As he was pondering this, Chu Zhongtian spoke up, "Chuyan, how was your trip to Luling?"

Zu An was startled. It seemed they were about to discuss serious matters, and they were letting him listen. Were they truly not treating him as an outsider?

Chu Chuyan replied, "I investigated, and it seems the Black Wind Stronghold members were responsible for intercepting our previous shipment. Unfortunately, when I led a team to sweep through their territory, they had vanished as if into thin air, leaving no trace."

"Black Wind Stronghold?" Zu An was taken aback. He recalled encountering Black Wind Stronghold members when he rescued Yu Yanluo in the valley outside the city. He scoffed, getting annoyed at the thought. That woman, Yu Yanluo, had just given him a worthless promise and left. Were the most beautiful women truly the most deceitful?

Chu Zhongtian sighed, "That's the nature of the Black Wind Stronghold. They come and go like the wind. As soon as our main forces arrive, they retreat into Dragon Hidden Mountain. It's impossible for us to send a large escort for every shipment. It's a real headache." He paused, then continued, "I heard they ambushed the Yu family's caravan a few days ago, and many died. I wonder if there's an opportunity to join forces with the Yu family and completely eradicate the Black Wind Stronghold, this cancerous growth."

"I think you're just pining after Yu Yanluo," Madam Chu scoffed. "The Yu family has plenty of their own troubles right now. How would she have the energy to deal with the Black Wind Stronghold?"

Chu Zhongtian's old face reddened. He quickly tugged at his wife's sleeve, "It's not what you think. Besides, the children are present..."

Madam Chu simply turned her head away, completely ignoring him.

Zu An revealed a knowing smile. So, Master Chu had once pursued Yu Yanluo back in the day. It wasn't surprising; that woman was indeed extraordinarily beautiful.

Chu Chuyan cleared her throat, stepping in to alleviate her father's embarrassment. "Our family's armory business is facing some trouble. The spiritual spring was previously polluted, which means our weapons have lost their greatest advantage. The Yuan family recently seems to have found a formidable Rune Master. Their weapons are no worse than ours in quality, yet they sell for less, and they've already captured a significant portion of our market. If this continues, it could undermine our foundations."

Zu An's heart stirred upon hearing this. Rune Masters. He had previously seen some faint blue glowing array lines on Chu Chuyan's and Yu Yanluo's carriages, which must have been the work of these Rune Masters she mentioned. They could add many auxiliary functions, making weapons inscribed with them naturally more powerful than ordinary ones.

The rotten school he attended only taught etiquette and laws every day. If they taught more of this kind of knowledge, he wouldn't find it so boring.

In reality, he misunderstood Brightmoon Academy. As the best school in the nearby prefecture, the teachers for these courses were top-notch. It was just that because he was in the Yellow Class, such lessons were rare. Anyway, they had no talent for cultivation, so attending such classes would be a waste of time. Perhaps there were one or two cultivation lessons a week, just to give them some general knowledge. Conversely, other classes, especially the Heaven Class, mostly focused on cultivation, with very few etiquette and law courses.

"Where did the Yuan family find a Rune Master?" Madam Chu frowned. "Do they have such a background?"

Chu Chuyan replied, "They don't, but the Wu family in the neighboring prefecture does. Their patriarch is also a duke, and they have always coveted our Chu family's market share. I've also confirmed this time that the Wu family is secretly backing the Yuan family; otherwise, they wouldn't dare to be so blatant."

"Exactly, exactly! That Yuan fellow at school today was incredibly arrogant. He even told brother-in-law that he'd teach him a good lesson during the clan competition!" Chu Hanzhao, who had been impatiently trying to interject earlier, finally had something she knew about and eagerly spoke up to show her presence.

"This Yuan family is simply too much! Even a servant or a dog from our Chu family shouldn't be bullied by them!" Madam Chu slammed the table, her face contorted in rage. "Come on, let's go to the Yuan family and have a word with them!"

Zu An gave her a pointed look, indicating he felt offended.

"My dear, calm down, calm down. The new prefect, Sang Hong, has already taken office, and he's just looking for an excuse to deal with us," Chu Zhongtian quickly pulled her back. "At this stage, a small impatience can ruin a great plan."

Zu An's eyebrow twitched as he listened. It seemed the Chu family's prestige was merely superficial; there appeared to be many underlying crises.

Chu Zhongtian, while comforting his wife, turned to Zu An. "Xiao An, that Yuan Wendong troubled you. Are you alright?"

Before Zu An could answer, Chu Hanzhao had already interjected, "Not just Yuan Wendong, but even Hong Xingying went against him! He's clearly one of our Chu family's people, yet he bites the hand that feeds him. He's absolutely despicable!"

Seeing her indignant expression, Zu An felt a secret touch of warmth. This sister-in-law seemed to care more about him than his wife did.

"Hong Xingying?" Chu Zhongtian's brows furrowed.

Madam Chu, who was nearby, spoke up, "I know that boy. He's always been proud by nature, and he used to like your sister. So, it's natural he wouldn't have much affection for Zu An. Young people, it's normal for them to be unable to control their temper."

Chu Hanzhao was anxious. "But he..."

"Enough," Madam Chu stopped her from continuing. "That boy has been diligent in the Chu family all these years, and his father has been fiercely loyal to our Chu family for decades. Don't bring up these minor matters again, lest you dishearten them."

Chu Hanzhao pouted, her cheeks puffing out. She was clearly quite displeased, as if thinking, *You're afraid of disheartening the Hong family father and son, but what about my brother-in-law?*

Zu An, however, was indifferent. After all, a useless son-in-law was indeed less important than Butler Hong and his son in Madam Chu's eyes. He recalled Cheng Shoubing mentioning rumors that Madam Chu had originally intended to choose Hong Xingying as her son-in-law, and it now seemed those rumors weren't groundless. He instinctively glanced at Chu Chuyan. *Hm, good. My nominal wife's expression showed no change, clearly indicating she had no interest in that Hong fellow.*

Chu Chuyan finally spoke, "More than anything else, I'm concerned about the clan competition in half a month."

Madam Chu frowned, "Haven't we always won every time before? Besides, with you there, who from the Yuan family could be your opponent?"

Chu Zhongtian shook his head. "The Yuan family's strength is not to be underestimated. They are among the four wealthiest merchants alongside our Chu family. It's just that they didn't have a corresponding noble title before, so they didn't dare to offend us too much, which made the clan competition somewhat of a formality. But this time, with the Wu family's backing, they will undoubtedly go all out. Furthermore, I suspect someone from the Wu family will secretly participate this time." He paused, then looked at Zu An with a complex expression. "And this time, he's participating too. We've already lost one round before the fight even begins."

Zu An was dumbfounded. *I was just enjoying the drama, why am I suddenly dragged into this?* "Um, I'm not a cultivator, do I have to compete?"

Chu Zhongtian replied, "According to the rules of the clan competition, every family's younger generation must participate. You are, after all, our family's son-in-law now. Even if we didn't send you to compete, the Wu and Yuan families wouldn't agree, and the Prefect would also intervene. The reason we called you here today was to tell you about this and prepare you mentally."

Chu Hanzhao immediately grew anxious. "Today at the academy, Yuan Wendong kept saying he would cripple him! Sending brother-in-law up there, isn't that just sending him to his death?"

"That would be perfect," Chu Chuyan replied.

Zu An was startled, thinking, *Even if you're unhappy with me, you wouldn't resort to murdering your own husband this way, would you?*

Chu Hanzhao was also stunned, looking at her with disbelief. "Sister, you..."

Chu Zhongtian, however, interjected, "Let her finish. Chuyan never speaks without reason."

Chu Chuyan then slowly explained, "Among the Yuan family's younger generation, Yuan Wendong is the most outstanding. I hear he recently broke through to the fifth rank. While I don't fear him, none of our other family members are his match. The Yuan family won't be foolish enough to pit him against me; that would guarantee him a win. Rather than wasting other capable fighters, it's better to let this fellow go up. He's going to lose no matter who he faces anyway, and by fighting Yuan Wendong, he can buy time for the rest of us to gain an advantage."

Zu An largely understood. She was using the strategy of Tian Ji's horse racing: using their inferior horse against the opponent's superior one... *Pah! I'm certainly not an inferior horse. If I were a stud, I might reluctantly consider it.*

Chu Hanzhao grew anxious. "But wouldn't that be very dangerous for him?"

Madam Chu, standing nearby, slightly furrowed her brows. *Why is my second daughter showing so much excessive concern for that good-for-nothing today?*

Chu Chuyan replied, "Don't worry, I'll arrange for him to be the last one to compete. By the time it's his turn, the overall situation will already be decided, so whether he competes or not won't matter. That round naturally won't even need to be fought."

Chu Hanzhao blinked. "What if the outcome still hasn't been decided by the time it's his turn?"

Chu Chuyan was momentarily stunned, then shook her head. "Don't worry, it won't be that coincidental."

*You're just tempting fate!* While silently scoffing, Zu An still said, "Even if the outcome hasn't been decided, it doesn't matter. The protagonist always makes a grand entrance last. When the time comes, I will certainly bring victory back to the Chu family."

In just a few days, he had cultivated from a good-for-nothing to the third rank. With half a month remaining, his strength would definitely increase further. Even if he couldn't reach the fifth rank, with his 'cheats,' he could surely devise a strategy to win.

Hearing his words, Madam Chu's brows instantly furrowed. "Zu An, since Yan'er is already married to you, I won't say much about past matters, but can you please change this terrible habit of yours of boasting? A man isn't feared for lacking ability, but for not being down-to-earth. Who is Yuan Wendong? He's already reached the fifth rank of cultivation, a powerful expert who can manipulate elements. You want to fight him, and you even think you can win against him? Hmph!" Having said that, she flicked her sleeve and left directly.

Qin Wanru's anger surged, registering 763 points!

Zu An shrugged, offering no defense. It seemed Madam Chu still held considerable prejudice against him. The thought made him wince. People always said mothers-in-law grew fonder of their sons-in-law the more they saw them, so why was it completely different in his case?