“I…” Hong Xingying’s face reddened. I actually got mocked by this fellow!

You have successfully trolled Hong Xingying for 999 Rage points!

He found himself unable to refute Zu An’s words. He had simply bragged too much earlier. However, he quickly shook off his daze and snapped, “You’ll only suffer a more grievous loss than me! At least I was able to fight toe-to-toe against my opponent and only lost on his final strike…”

Zu An clicked his tongue. “A loss is a loss. Besides, who said that I’d definitely lose my duel? I’ll show what a true expert looks like later on!”

“Enough!” Qin Wanru reached the limits of her patience before Hong Xingying could respond. She glared at Zu An frostily and said, “Are you still a member of the Chu clan or not? Instead of motivating your own teammates, you came here to ridicule him!”

Zu An shrugged casually. “He’s already lost his match, so what’s the use of motivating him? Is he going to get into the ring for another duel?”

“Shut your mouth!” Qin Wanru snapped coldly. “Anyone who gives his all in the dueling ring is worthy of the entire Chu clan’s respect. Whether he wins or loses, he’s still a proud member of our Chu clan. If we’re just going to mock anyone who loses, wouldn’t that chill the hearts of everyone else? If you don’t know how to watch your mouth, just keep it shut!”

Chu Zhongtian joined in her rebuke. “Zu An, your actions are indeed inappropriate. Wins and losses are perfectly normal. Our Chu clan is not so narrow-minded and ungrateful as to put down our own people over a loss.”

Zu An frowned. Then didn’t any of you step up for me when Hong Xingying mocked me earlier?

He was just about to argue further when Chu Chuyan tugged on his sleeves. She spoke to him via ki, “Don’t anger my mother anymore. Return to your area and sit back down. We still need to discuss our battle plans for later on.”

She, too, agreed with her father and mother that Zu An was out of line. She had been too concerned with the sequencing of their fighters earlier, and had missed Hong Xingying mocking Zu An.

His actions would affect not only Hong Xingying, but the rest of the Chu clan’s fighters as well. After all, no one could guarantee a win. If they had to suffer such humiliation from their own people for losing a match, their disappointment in the Chu clan would run deep.

After all, despite being a drafted son-in-law, Zu An was still a member of the Chu clan. His attitude could be easily interpreted as the Chu clan’s attitude.

Zu An sighed deeply and returned back to his own seat.

This commotion in the Chu clan area didn’t escape the notice of the crowd. More than a handful gleefully mocked Zu An as he was berated by Chu Zhongtian and Qin Wanru. “See, I knew that a drafted son-in-law couldn’t possibly have any standing in the household at all!”

“How could it be that easy to mooch off your wife? Look at how he was criticized. I reckon even a dog in the Chu clan is treated better than him!”

“That’s why I always say that youngsters like you all shouldn’t think of taking shortcuts. You’re bound to lose more than you gain!”

“But look at how beautiful the Chu First Miss is! I would be willing to suffer any injustice just to wake up to her pretty face every morning!”

“Tsk, you’re a hopeless case… Alright fine, count me in too.”

… 

On the viewing platform, Shi Kun leaned back leisurely in his chair, a satisfied smile on his lips. “It’s just as you said, Snow. That fellow really has no place in the Chu clan. It looks like my worries were unfounded.”

Snow was equally delighted to see Zu An being put down. “Of course! The young miss has never allowed him into her room before. Young master, you don’t have to worry about him taking advantage of the young miss!”

In the Yuan clan holding area, Yuan Wendong frowned a little.

If Zu An doesn’t have any standing in the Chu clan, did I make a mistake by choosing him as my opponent? It would only lower my standing to fight someone far beneath me.

The thought was swiftly quelled by the image of Zu An’s hateful face. He reaffirmed his own decision once more. Later on, I’ll make sure to cripple him for good so that he learns the true price of running his mouth!

Meanwhile, amongst the Zheng clan, Zheng Dan had a hint of a smile on her lips. It looks like Zu An isn’t as close to Chu Chuyan as I thought. I should exploit this opportunity to get to Zu An. As long as I play my cards well, I should be able to find the promissory note easily enough.

Then again, it was an open question whether Zu An would survive to the end of the day or not. At the very least, if he did manage to survive, it was likely that he would be a cripple. If I show him some sympathy at such a time, it should be easy to win his gratitude.

Pei Mianman wore an enigmatic smile as she looked upon the situation. The more Zu An struggles with the Chu clan, the more beneficial it is for me. He’ll soon find himself left with no choice but to seek my help. By then, he would be more than willing to search for the accounting booklet on my behalf.

“Excuse me, this beautiful woman over here…”

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden approach of an unknown man. He wore a smile which he obviously thought was charming. 

Pei Mianman had been drawing the attention of the men around the area for quite a while now. After all, her figure was simply too alluring to easily ignore. On top of that, she was sitting all by herself, which made it seem as if she didn’t belong to any clan. It was inevitable that some men would try their luck with her.

“Scram!” 

Without bothering to look at the man, Pei Mianman raised her hand, revealing a tiny flicker of black flame.

“Y-yes!” 

The man beat a hasty and fearful retreat as he realized that the woman in front of him was not someone to be trifled with. Suitably forewarned, the rest of the men who were feeling out an opportunity to approach Pei Mianman hurriedly banished any intentions they had in mind.

Back in the Chu clan’s holding area, Chu Huanzhao noticed Zu An’s awful expression and passed a cup of tea to him. “Brother-in-law, don’t get angry. Come, drink a cup of tea to cool down. Actually, I also don’t like that Hong Xingying fellow either. My father and mother have always been like this. They always treat us strictly, but act so amicably towards outsiders. I really can’t stand this at all. Sometimes, I wonder if I am really their child.”

“Yeah, I do doubt that as well.” Zu An burst into laughter as he eyed her chest, which was unlike that of her well-endowed mother and older sister.

Steam began to issue from Chu Huanzhao's ears.

You have successfully trolled Chu Huanzhao for 404 Rage points!

“Where’s my whip!” Chu Huanzhao bellowed furiously as she fumbled for her Wailing Whip.

Zu An quickly wiped the smile off his face and said earnestly, “Huanzhao, thank you.”

Hearing the unprecedented sincerity in his voice, Chu Huanzhao suddenly began to fidget uncomfortably. “D-don’t sweat it! We’re comrades-in-arms working hard to earn money together after all!”

Zu An’s face darkened. He knew that she was referring to the time they had extorted money from Plum Blossom Thirteen. Really, does she have a misconception as to what it means to ‘earn money’?

Soon, the second round began. It was the Chu clan’s Deng Zhaoke versus the Yuan clan’s Zhu Qing!

However, there was a huge disparity in the strength of the two fighters this time around. Deng Zhaoke barely held on before losing decisively to Zhu Qing. The Chu clan had lost two consecutive rounds!

The spectators began muttering amongst themselves as they noticed that something was amiss. In past tournaments, the Chu clan always held an advantage against the Yuan clan, sometimes sealing the conclusion by the fifth or sixth round. This time, however, the Chu clan had just lost the first two matches. Was a new era about to descend upon Brightmoon City?

Some of the sharper ones were not satisfied with such a conclusion. After all, the Yuan clan was no match for the Chu clan in terms of standing or accumulation. It was bizarre how they were suddenly able to subdue the experts of the Chu clan by dispatching two little-known subordinates of their own.

Both Chu Zhongtian and Qin Wanru had their eyebrows knitted together in identical frowns. They hadn’t expected to lose two rounds in quick succession. It seemed like things were going to get troublesome for them today. 

Chu Chuyan also wore a frosty expression. She turned to look at her little sister and Zu An, who were chatting with one another in the back. Their relaxed manner made her heart clench tightly. She had arranged for them to be at the very back, in the hope that the conclusion would already be determined before their turns arrived. However, given the current situation, they might just have to fight as well.

This won’t do. I can’t allow that to happen!

Zu An was completely helpless, and her little sister had barely reached the third rank. They were surely the weakest ones scheduled to enter the dueling ring. On top of that, her little sister was a very playful person, and hadn’t put in the effort to properly learn any combat skills. In a real fight, she stood no chance at all.

Qin Wanru asked worriedly, “Hubby, what if we lose the next match too?”

“Impossible,” replied Chu Zhongtian. “Yue Shan is up next.”

Qin Wanru heaved a sigh of relief. Yue Shan was the captain of the Chu Estate’s guards, and he was in charge of the Red Cloak Army. Most importantly of all, his cultivation had already reached the pinnacle of the fifth rank. With his standing, he was usually not expected to participate in the Clans Tournament or other such events. However, the interference from the Wu clan made this an exceptional circumstance. 

The Chu clan had added his name into the list for some extra insurance. In hindsight, it was fortunate that they had done so. The Chu clan would have been in trouble otherwise.

Yue Shan’s opponent was one of the offspring of the Yuan clan. Needless to say, he easily clinched the victory, drawing loud cheers from the Chu clan’s camp.

However, Chu Chuyan’s brow remained furrowed. The best-case scenario was for Yue Shan to clear away one of the top experts of the Yuan clan, which would lighten the pressure on the remaining fighters. However, his opponent turned out to be weaker than the fighters that had been sent out by the Yuan clan in the previous two rounds. It seemed the Yuan clan had somehow deduced their sequence of fighters.

In the fourth round, the Chu clan’s Chu Yucheng faced off against the Yuan clan’s Yuan Bao.

Despite Chu Yucheng’s adorably chubby appearance, he was a fearsome monster in the dueling ring. He barreled around the ring like a mini tank, and it didn’t take him long to knock over his opponent.

In the fifth round, the Chu clan’s Chu Hongcai was faced with the Yuan clan’s Yuan Ya.

Chu Hongcai’s swordsmanship was sharp and decisive. He swiftly overpowered Yuan Ya, forcing the latter to yield.

Three consecutive wins from the Chu clan drew agreeable nods from the crowd. The world had been restored to its rightful state. Indeed, the Chu clan is still the dominant power in Brightmoon City!

Despite this, Chu Chuyan’s frown grew tighter and tighter. The victories scored by the Chu clan were against the weaker offspring of the Yuan clan, who had been forced to join the battle because of the rules of the tournament, which stated that every junior in the main branch had to participate. Because of this, the Yuan clan had been unable to substitute them with someone else from the Wu clan.

They had obviously chosen to pit their weakest fighters against the strongest ones… Is this a coincidence…? 

As feared, the most worrying situation came about. In the sixth round, the Chu clan suffered a loss.

With that, the score was tied at three wins each!

With the seventh round looming, Chu Chuyan gave the Chu clan’s fighter, Lan Likang, a special pep talk to motivate him. If he were to lose the match, a victory for Chu Chuyan in her own match would be meaningless. It would still fall to her little sister and Zu An to determine the outcome of the tournament. If that happened, the Chu clan would be doomed.

Chu Chuyan was especially well-regarded within the Chu clan. Almost all of the juniors viewed her as their goddess. Her personal pep talk left Lan Likang all pumped up, and his fighting prowess immediately soared to 120%!

Unfortunately, the cultivator sent by the Yuan clan was a step stronger than him, and he was overpowered in every single exchange. In the hope of meeting up to Chu Chuyan’s expectations, he gritted his teeth and summoned his inner cosmos to grind down his enemy, sustaining grievous injuries in the process. Both he and his opponent tumbled out of the dueling ring together.

It was a draw!

Shocked gasps sounded from the crowd. The duels between the two clans had never cut so close before, especially in the seventh round. It was turning into a truly bloody battle, with neither side holding back. The crowd was completely overwhelmed by the tenacity of the fighters.

Even the powerhouses present could sense the tension in the air. They sharpened their focus on the dueling ring. If a casualty occurred under their watch, it would be a severe blow to their reputation.

Chu Zhongtian, accompanied by one of the Chu Estate’s physicians, was performing emergency treatment on the severely injured Lan Likang. Despite his wounded state, Lan Likang had tears in his eyes. He looked at Chu Chuyan with shame written on his face. “I’m sorry, First Miss. I’ve let you down. I wasn’t able to win the match.”

Chu Chuyan replied gently, “His cultivation was higher than yours. You did well fighting him to a draw. Focus on your recuperation and put everything else aside. Leave the rest to us.”

It was time for her to take to the field. Her opponent was the Yuan clan’s Wu Di, a young man with a ghastly-pale complexion.