This situation had Old Mi experiencing blue balls. Ah, that’s not quite right, since I don’t have my balls anymore. Well, it’s something like that, anyway.

He had only taught the Sunflower Phantasm to Zu An because his search for a suitable host body had been arduous enough, and he didn’t want Zu An to come to any mishap before he finally possessed him.

However, he hadn’t expected Zu An to actually grasp the Sunflower Phantasm so quickly. There were nine levels to the Sunflower Phantasm, and the first level allowed one to maneuver freely even when encircled by cultivators of the same rank. The skill was also able to keep one safe against a single opponent one or two ranks above them. If one could master it to the ninth level, even opponents at the Master stage would find it hard to even nick their sleeves.

Most people took several months just to grasp the first level. With just a few nights available to practice the Sunflower Phantasm, Old Mi thought that it would just barely give Zu An the ability to protect himself during the Clans Tournament.

However, Zu An was unexpectedly talented in the movement skill, and had mastered the first level in a flash. In fact, he might have already reached the second level. If he were to use it in the dueling ring, it could spell trouble for Old Mi. While it was unlikely that anyone in Brightmoon City would be able to identify the movement skill, it was still better to be safe than sorry. 

The more Old Mi thought about it, the more nervous he felt, and so he decided to come over to warn Zu An in advance.

Seeing Zu An’s shock in response to his warning, he carried on, “I’ll teach you another trick to alter the ki pathway a little. That way, it won’t be easy for others to identify the origin of your movement skill.”

Zu An was delighted to hear that. “Elder, you’re incredible! I didn’t know you had the ability to change such a formidable movement skill so easily!”

In his heart, however, he was alarmed to know that his movement skill was a taboo in the world of cultivation. Not only had Old Mi warned him not to reveal the name of his movement skill, he was now worried about him even executing the skill, to the extent that he had come over specifically to make some modifications. Just what could Old Mi be hiding?

I must be more careful. Otherwise, I might just get done in by him one day.

While Zu An was practicing the newly revised version of the Sunflower Phantasm, Cheng Shouping strolled by the major gambling parlors in the city before finally choosing one that had slightly better odds on Zu An losing.

If he finds out that I’ve changed his bet, will he beat me to death? Cheng Shouping was suddenly having second thoughts.

However, he soon persuaded himself otherwise. 

I’m only doing this out of concern for the young master. This way, he won’t lose his money along with his pride. There are some things that our masters cannot say to us as it undermines their pride, and it’s at times like these that we servants have to deduce their true intentions.

To this day, he still couldn’t understand why Madam had gotten angry at him when he’d so caringly brought those fine ladies to meet her. She’d clearly said she wanted to bring in some concubines for the Master!

Anyway, having convinced himself that this was the right thing to do, he bet all ten thousand silver taels on Zu An losing.

Shortly after he had left, a man and a woman walked out of the gambling parlor. He was tall and possessed a dashing appearance, while she looked dignified and elegant. They were a well-matched pair.

“Young master, young miss.”

The attendant who was in charge of taking bets bowed to the couple. If Zu An were here, he would have immediately recognized the two of them.

They were none other than Sang Qian and his fiancée, Zheng Dan.

“Are you sure that man is Zu An’s study companion?” Sang Qian looked at Cheng Shouping’s departing silhouette and asked quietly.

After the incident at the Silverhook Casino, he had secretly supported the Zheng clan to establish a new gambling parlor in the city. The Zheng clan was already dabbling in the gambling business, and the timely support from the Sang clan further reinforced its foundations, allowing them to swiftly rise to power.

“Yes, he definitely is,” the attendant replied. “His name is Cheng Shouping, and he’s Zu An only servant.”

“He bet on Zu An losing earlier?” Sang Qian couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Yes, he bet ten thousand silver taels on it,” reported the attendant.

Zheng Dan frowned. “How could a servant like him possibly have ten thousand silver taels? He must have done it under Zu An’s instructions. Still, I hadn’t expected Zu An to actually bet on his own loss.”

Sang Qian laughed heartily. “From the way he kept provoking Yuan Wendong time and time again, it seemed likely that he might have some trump cards up his sleeves, so we made sure to keep an eye out for his movements. Who knew that he had already resigned himself to his loss? Hah, I guess we were expecting too much out of someone who came from the streets. Even after becoming the young master of the Chu clan, he still can’t kick off his habit of going after every small advantage.”

Zheng Dan frowned a little at his words. She thought about the gentlemanly young man who had refused to take advantage of her despite her attempts at seduction, as well as the imposing fellow who overwhelmed everyone who had stood in his way.

All the evidence she had seen thus far suggested that Zu An was no ordinary person.

“Send someone to inform Shi Kun that his worries are unfounded. That fellow is no threat at all,” Sang Qian said with a smile. “Also, make sure to tamper with the bet the study companion made earlier.”

The attendant nodded in response, “Don’t worry, I’ve already tampered with it. The betting slip was written using a special ink. Tomorrow, the surface ink will recede, and the underlying layer will surface. The slip will show that he had bet on Zu An winning instead.”

“Well done!” complimented Sang Qian. “You want to take advantage of your loss in the dueling ring through your betting? Dream on! I won’t allow you to!”

He frowned as a sudden, disturbing thought arose. “Wait a moment, why did that fellow only bet ten thousand silver taels? Doesn’t he have much more money than that?”

Zheng Dan put on a tender smile and said, “Big brother Sang, have you forgotten? Most of what he earned from Silverhook Casino is just an empty cheque. He can’t possibly take it out to gamble.”

“That’s true.” Sang Qian nodded. “Even so, he should have forty to fifty thousand on him at the moment. And yet, he could only bring himself to take out ten thousand silver taels to place this bet. I guess he simply can’t rid himself of the miserly nature he’s picked up from the streets.”

Zheng Dan found herself disagreeing with Sang Qian’s words. Somehow, she couldn’t associate that man she had been trying to seduce with the word ‘miserly’. She hesitated for a moment before saying, “Is it possible that he’s spreading out his betting over several gambling parlors?”

Sang Qian nodded in realization. “Yes, that is possible. Send someone to look into it right away. He might be placing a smaller bet with us to lull us into letting down our guard, while betting more elsewhere.”

“I don’t think he has the connections to know that this parlor is operated by us,” said Zheng Dan.

“While the possibility is low, it’s better for us to be safe than sorry,” said Sang Qian. “Speaking of which, what’s your progress with him so far?”

Zheng Dan’s face reddened. She shook her head and said, “I’ve had two encounters with him thus far, but I can’t figure out where he’s hiding the promissory note.”

She had searched him from head to toe, but hadn’t been able to find the note anywhere. Where could he be hiding it? Could it be in the Chu Estate?

“You need to hurry up with your search. Once we get our hands on the promissory note, we’ll be able to put the Silverhook Casino and the Plum Blossom Sect under our thumb anytime we want,” said Sang Qian.

“I know that.” Zheng Dan wondered if she should find a chance to drop by the Chu Estate, but she knew that such a move could draw the Chu clan’s suspicions.

“Did that fellow take advantage of you?” Sang Qian suddenly asked. His voice was full of suspicion, and he eyed her nervously.

Zheng Dan immediately thought of the sensation of Zu An’s rough hands on her leg, and her heart skipped a beat. However, she replied calmly and with a straight face, “Rest assured. How could I possibly allow that fellow to take advantage of me?”

“That’s good.” Sang Qian heaved a sigh of relief.

… 

Meanwhile, in the Yuan Estate, a group of people huddled in a secret meeting room, their faces grave. Someone knocked on the door, and one of them—Yuan Wendong—stepped outside. When he finally returned, there was a smile on his face.

“Sang Qian just sent word that Zu An has no trump cards at all. He’s secretly placed a bet on his own loss.”

The crowd burst into laughter. They turned to look at a beautiful woman sporting a ponytail. “As we said, Miss Snow, you’re getting worried over nothing!”

Snow had been sent by Shi Kun to warn the Yuan clan about Zu An, since it was inconvenient for the former to make a move on his own.

“He bet on his own loss?” Snow was confused.

No matter what others thought they knew, she was deeply convinced that Zu An had been hiding his true abilities thus far.

“Young master Yuan, you should still be careful. Even though Zu An is only a third rank cultivator, his fighting prowess far surpasses that. You mustn’t let your guard down.”

Her own assassination attempt on Zu An had failed despite her going all out. While it was partly due to the sudden pain in her abdomen, Zu An’s surprisingly great strength had played a large part as well.

Yuan Wendong shrugged off her concerns. “No matter how powerful he might be, he’s still just a third rank cultivator. No matter what tricks he tries to pull off, there’s no way he can turn the tables on a fifth rank cultivator like me!” 

The others in the room agreed with Yuan Wendong. In their view, there was a limit to how powerful a third rank cultivator could be.

One of the elders in the secret meeting room chimed in, “If Zu An has no trump cards prepared, isn’t it overkill to send our young master after him? It seems like an awful waste.”

Yuan Wendong was having none of that. “That bastard Zu An has humiliated me many times now. I have to settle the grudge with him, to prevent others from seeing me as a pushover. Besides, even though that fellow appears to be a wastrel on the surface, his true capability surely far surpasses that. He must have some tricks in mind. Even Miss Snow has come all the way here to warn us that there is more to him, so I believe that there’s a need to be warier. 

“Whatever the case, I’ll make sure to trample him into the ground tomorrow. I’ll show him that a good-for-nothing will always be a good-for-nothing. He might think he’s smart for concealing his true ability, but I’ll show him that his little tricks are nothing more than jokes before true prodigies like me!”

“But if you were to go up against him, the rest of us might not be enough to deal with the experts of the Chu clan,” someone said worriedly.

“Rest assured, we have someone to deal with Chu Chuyan. May I invite Mister Wu in!” Yuan Wendong stood up as he gestured toward a side wall.

The wall slid open, and a middle-aged man walked in slowly. Even the usually-composed Snow felt the blood drain from her face. This pressure… This fellow is a sixth rank cultivator?

Yuan Wendong bowed at the middle-aged man before introducing him to the crowd, “May I introduce to you Elder Wu Di from the Wu clan. He’s a sixth rank cultivator. No matter how powerful Chu Chuyan is, she’s still no more than a fifth rank cultivator. As we all know, there’s a huge gap between the fifth rank and the sixth rank. With his help, we’ll surely be able to win the battle tomorrow!”

While a fifth rank cultivator could tap into the elemental energies of the world, a sixth rank cultivator could morph them into a defensive layer around him. This enhanced ability was more than enough for any sixth rank cultivator to defeat any fifth rank cultivator.

The Yuan clan was overjoyed to see a sixth rank cultivator joining their line-up. With this, they were certain of their victory.

Snow, however, was still not convinced. “This is the Clans Tournament. Both sides are sending their juniors to participate. Considering this elder’s age, not even the city lord would approve, let alone the Chu clan.”