“Try to hurt him?” Qin Wanru was taken aback. She instinctively responded, “What’s so great about him that someone would try to hurt him? Instead of thinking about such meaningless things, why don’t you focus on the fight against the Yuan clan tomorrow?”

Chu Chuyan hesitated, clearly conflicted about whether to bring up the issue. 

Chu Huanzhao, on the other hand, was not as patient. “Mother, did you know that Yuan Wendong has already publicly declared that he would cripple my brother-in-law during the Clans Tournament? As if that wasn’t enough, my brother-in-law also riled up Shi Kun today. That Shi Kun seems a narrow-minded fellow to me, and he would surely try to exact his vengeance!” 

To that, Qin Wanru answered, “Isn’t it perfect that Yuan Wendong has fallen for our plan? We won’t have to worry about Zu An’s safety, since he won’t be entering the dueling ring at all. Besides, your father and I will be there too. Do you think that we would watch quietly as that Yuan fellow harmed Zu An?”

“I’m just afraid that the Yuan clan has some other plans in mind. For some reason, I’ve been feeling a little jittery about this,” said Chu Chuyan.

“Yes, it would be best to be careful. We’ll have Hong Xingying take the first match. He’s one of the stronger ones in his generation, but not the strongest one in our Chu clan. He’ll be the perfect candidate to feel out what the Yuan clan has in store,” said Chu Zhongtian. “I called him back a few days ago in order to train him. I don’t think dealing with either the Yuan clan or the Wu clan would pose much problem for him.”

Zu An wondered why he hadn’t seen Hong Xingying in class earlier today. He’d regretted that as a missed opportunity. Now he knew that he had been called back for special training.

Qin Wanru turned to Zu An and said, “I know that you’ve had your differences with Hong Xingying. I don’t care how you usually treat each other, but you aren’t to provoke him tomorrow! We don’t want him performing below par because of his mood.”

Chu Huanzhao couldn’t stand her mother’s blatant favoritism. “Mother, my brother-in-law is going to fight tomorrow too! Shouldn’t you care about his mood too?”

Qin Wanru rolled her eyes. “He’s just there to stall Yuan Wendong. He won’t even need to get on the field!”

Chu Zhongtian burst into laughter, saying, “Zu An, there’s no need to worry. If it ever gets to your turn, you can just admit defeat.”

Even an honest man like Chu Zhongtian was agreeing with his wife’s view.

Zu An was already used to this, so he replied with a smile, “Don’t worry. If I’m called up to fight tomorrow, it would mean that the Chu clan is in a dangerous position. If that’s the case, I’ll try my best to turn things around.”

Fate had decreed that he was to be the very last fighter. After all, the star of the show usually made their appearance at the very end, right?

“Pui! Don’t you have anything nicer to say?” Qin Wanru glared at Zu An, unhappy at his inauspicious remarks.

Feeling irked, she turned to her second daughter and said, “Huanzhao, instead of worrying about others, you should worry about yourself instead. All you do is spend your days idling and fooling around, and so far your cultivation is only at the third rank. You’ll be the second last one to enter tomorrow. Your older sister should be able to settle the tournament in the first few matches. With luck, you wouldn’t have to join the battle and get hurt.”

“Orh~” Chu Huanzhao pouted in dissatisfaction. However, the thought that she was right in front of her brother-in-law lifted her mood a little.

Chu Zhongtian turned to Chu Chuyan and said, “Tomorrow, you, Hong Xingying, Yue Shan, Chu Hongcai, and Chu Yucheng will be the first five up. These five matches should be ours. As long as we take just one of the other remaining matches, we should be able to clinch the victory.”

Zu An secretly tugged Chu Huanzhao sleeves and asked softly, “Who’s Chu Hongcai and Chu Yucheng?”

Chu Huanzhao snuck a glance at her mother and big sister, the practiced move of a rebellious student checking out if the teacher was paying attention to her. Satisfied that she was in the clear, she whispered back, “Chu Hongcai is the son of my second uncle, and serves as the vice-captain of our guards. He was responsible for protecting our clan’s spirit creek, but it ended up getting polluted the other day. His failure has weighed heavily on him, and he has been quietly reflecting on his actions ever since, which is why you don’t see him around.

“As for Chu Yucheng, he’s the son of my third uncle. He was chubby and quite cute when he was younger, but he simply became fat once he grew up. There’s nothing particularly special about him.”

Zu An glanced at Chu Zhongtian. The second branch and third branch all bore sons, but all you have are daughters. It looks like you aren’t putting in enough effort.

Zu An wasn’t prejudiced against women. However, he knew that it was important for prominent clans to bear sons, in order to continue their bloodline and secure their inheritance. If Chu Zhongtian and Qin Wanru had sons, they wouldn’t have needed to sacrifice Chu Chuyan by marrying her off to him in the first place.

Hmmm, in that case, I should actually be thanking my father-in-law for failing in that responsibility!

Qin Wanru finally caught onto their furtive whispering, and she immediately frowned in displeasure. “Huanzhao, if you’re done with dinner, you should head to your room right away. You need to get plenty of sleep so that your performance tomorrow is not affected.”

Just what is wrong with my two daughters? How can their judgment be so bad? It’s one thing for my older daughter to marry Zu An—she was going for an average person in the first place—but what’s going on with my second daughter? Why is she getting closer and closer to Zu An?

Chu Huanzhao was clearly displeased. “Didn’t you just say that you don’t need me on the field tomorrow?” she murmured.

However, under the unflinching gaze of her mother’s raging eyes, she had no choice but to head to her room reluctantly.

Qin Wanru turned to look at Zu An. “You should head back too. We still need to discuss the details regarding tomorrow’s tournament.”

Her tone made it abundantly clear that Zu An was unqualified to participate in the discussions. After all, Zu An’s only duty was to tie down Yuan Wendong. There was no need for him to participate in any further discussions.

Zu An gave her a casual shrug. There’s nothing meaningful here for me anyway. I might as well retire early.

As he closed the door, a few vague words drifted out. 

“The most formidable one in the Yuan clan should be Yuan Wendong. The others aren’t a threat at all. As for the Wu clan, most of their juniors aren’t able to compete with us, so they aren’t a threat either…”

As soon as Zu An walked out from the hall, Cheng Shouping rushed to his side with a fawning smile. “Young master, did you have a pleasant meal?”

Zu An was suddenly glad to have such an attendant by his side. An idea flickered across his mind. He grabbed Cheng Shouping’s shoulder and pulled him to the side. “Are there any bets going on in the city about the outcome of the Clans Tournament tomorrow?”

Cheng Shouping nodded in response. “There are. It looks like the majority are optimistic about our Chu clan’s chances. They’re staking their bets on our First Miss’ win…”

Zu An quickly interrupted, “Let’s not talk about the others. What are my current odds?”

Cheng Shouping raised a single finger, a bizarre look on his face.

“Ten-to-one?” Zu An frowned. “That’s a bit low, but I guess it’s not too bad.”

He was just about to grab some banknotes from his robe when Cheng Shouping interrupted him, “Young master, it’s not ten-to-one but a hundred-to-one.”

Cheng Shouping expected the prideful young master to be angered, but surprisingly, he began laughing heartily. “A hundred-to-one? Hahahaha! It looks like heaven is on my side! I’m going to strike it rich!”

Cheng Shouping blinked his eyes in bewilderment. What’s going on? Did the young master suffer too many shocks recently and go insane?

Zu An quickly noticed a possible snag in his plan. “Who are the bookies? The Silverhook Casino can’t be the only ones taking bets, can they?”

The Silverhook Casino couldn’t even pay him the seven-and-a-half million silver taels that they owed him. It was unlikely that they could fork out the money to pay him if he were to make a killing from them once more.

Cheng Shouping shook his head and replied, “Nah. The Silverhook Casino suffered a huge blow from the loss against you. Their finances are in trouble, and they have sullied their reputation as well. Their business is doing badly at the moment. The other clans in the city are making use of this opportunity to silently push out their own gambling businesses.”

Zu An’s eyes lit up. “That sounds perfect! Here, take twenty thousand silver taels. I want you to bet on my victory!”

A moment later, he changed his mind and took back half of it. “Forget it, it’ll do for you just to bet ten thousand taels.”

Based on what he had seen thus far, this world was woefully bad at mathematics. The odds offered by the casinos proved that. There were no measures in place to safeguard against freak accidents, or to prevent someone who was exceptionally lucky or skilled to potentially bankrupt the casino. His experience at the Silverhook Casino was the perfect example.

Zu An was worried that the same thing would happen this time around. Instead of risking the bookie defaulting on the payment altogether, he would rather reduce his winnings to something that they were still able to accept. This way, he would at least be able to get his money.

His words sent Cheng Shouping into a panic. “Young master, you shouldn’t squander money away like that, even if you have the means to do so!”

“You don’t know anything at all. Just do as I say! It’s not convenient for me to head out right now, so I need you to do it in my place,” Zu An scoffed.

Cheng Shouping grumbled under his breath, “If you’re really that confident, why did you take ten thousand silver taels back, then? Would anyone be worried about winning too much money? In the end, you’re just afraid of losing and want to cut your losses.”

“What did you say?” Zu An glared sharply at Cheng Shouping.

“N-nothing much!” Cheng Shouping replied with a beaming smile. “Young master, the Chu clan strictly forbids gambling. I dare not break the rules.”

“All you have to do is to make sure that no one finds out, no?” Zu An stuffed a hundred silver taels into Cheng Shouping’s robe. “Here, this is your bonus for running an errand for me. I’ll give you some dividends after I collect my winnings on this bet.”

Cheng Shouping’s eyes lit up. His attitude did a one-eighty, and he was suddenly all smiles. “Sure thing! I’ll get it done right away!”

With that, he rushed right out of the room. 

Zu An was surprised at just how motivated he was. That fellow won’t try to run away with my money, would he? Then again, the servants in this world have contracts on them, and the outside world is dangerous as well. He doesn’t have anywhere to run to.

… 

Meanwhile, Cheng Shouping made his way toward the gambling den, deep in thought. 

Our young master simply wanted to bet ten thousand silver taels on himself because he’s dissatisfied with how everyone looks down on him. He has seven-and-a-half million silver taels on him anyway, so losing ten thousand silver taels is no big deal.

However, as the young master’s study companion, it’s my duty to share his worries. How can I bear to watch as he loses money? All right, I’ll bet on the young master’s opponent winning then! Then, when the young master loses the duel but still receives the money, he’ll praise me for my sharp wits!

Hahaha, I sure am smart!

Meanwhile, Zu An reached his residence and leaped upward in shock. Old Mi was waiting for him inside.

“Elder, you’re here.” Zu An was as obedient as a man could be. He didn’t dare to put on his usual unruly act.

Old Mi nodded in response before saying, “Your progress last night was too swift. I was distracted, and forgot to remind you of something. You mustn’t use the Sunflower Phantasm that I taught you unless you are left with no other choice. Otherwise, it will likely bring you danger.”

“Ah?” Zu An’s mouth fell open. 

I spent so much effort learning my ‘Bixie Swordplay’. All of a sudden, you’re telling me that I can’t use it anymore?