Zu An didn’t even have to look to know that the person protecting Shi Kun was Shi Lezhi. The Rage points flooding in told him all he needed to know.

You have successfully trolled Shi Lezhi for 444 Rage points!

That very instant, Zu An found himself unable to breathe. The gap between the two of them was too huge; in his current state, an eighth rank cultivator was beyond his ability to handle.

He wanted to dodge, but the pressure his opponent exerted made it hard for him to even move his fingers. Left with no choice, he could only channel the Primordial Origin Sutra in a hurried attempt to temper his body, hoping that it would be enough to withstand Shi Lezhi’s incoming attack.

Just then, a white silhouette flashed across his vision.

If there was anyone who knew in advance that Zu An was going to make a move, that person would be none other than Chu Chuyan. She knew that the other party was doing it in order to exact vengeance for her.

She’d been forced into a corner where she had no choice but to collapse her own ki meridians, and it was only by chance that they found the Evanescent Lotus, allowing her to barely cling on to life. If not for all of the fortuitous encounters they’d had afterwards, she would have already been a cripple by now.

On top of that, Shi Kun had even dared to lust after her flesh even when he knew that her life was withering away.

In truth, even if Zu An hadn’t made a move earlier, she would have settled the scores with Shi Kun. So, when she saw him make a move, she prepared herself as well, knowing that Shi Lezhi was likely in the vicinity.

*Bam!*

A loud explosion rocked the area. Shi Lezhi stood steadfast in front of Shi Kun, whereas Chu Chuyan, holding Zu An in her arms, was sent skidding back over thirty meters before she finally regained her footing. A trail of blood seeped from one corner of her lips.

Even though she was already nearing the seventh rank, she was still more than a cultivation rank weaker than Shi Lezhi.

Zu An hurriedly asked, “Are you all right?”

What am I to do if she gets herself severely injured just after I barely managed to treat her injuries? Oh… Doesn’t that mean that I have another reason to get snu snu… cough, I mean treat her once more?

Chu Chuyan shook her head and replied, “The injuries are superficial.”

“Oh…” Zu An was disappointed.

His reaction confused Chu Chuyan, and she wondered what was wrong with him. He looked so unhappy that she was all right.

The surrounding crowd quickly recovered from their initial shock, and started whispering amongst themselves.

“As expected of the strongest expert of our academy. To think that she’s actually able to stand her ground against eighth rank cultivators!”

“Isn’t it obvious that the expert of the Shi clan went easy on her? An eighth rank cultivator would surely be able to slaughter a fifth rank cultivator as easily as butchering a chicken.”

“Yes, it does look like the Shi clan has gone easy on Miss Chu.”

Several indignant voices within the crowd also made themselves heard.

“You speak as if the Chu clan would really dare to touch Miss Chu! We’re in Brightmoon City right now! If the Shi clan dares to lay a finger on Miss Chu, they will not only incur the wrath of Brightmoon Duke, and even the academy wouldn’t let this matter slip so easily!”

Meanwhile, Shi Lezhi stared at Chu Chuyan with a shocked look on his face. He clearly knew that he hadn’t gone easy on Zu An, since this was a rare opportunity for him to take Zu An’s life. However, Chu Chuyan had actually managed to bear the brunt of his attack and got away with only a few light injuries. Is she really a fifth rank cultivator? Why does it seem like she’s already approaching the seventh rank instead?

“What are you doing?” a cold voice suddenly sounded.

“Principal Jiang!”

The teachers and students of the academy quickly bowed to her, including Bai Susu and Lu De, who both heaved visible sighs of relief at her presence. 

The only exception was Zu An, whose first reaction was to look at her thighs. Wow, her legs are still as long and slender as ever. Ahh, they’re absolutely perfect. She isn’t wearing her usual stockings, but her skin is glistening with such radiance that it stands out even more than ever.

Zu An was glad that he didn’t have a stocking fetish like Wei Suo, who was only satisfied when he saw them on her. Just a pair of pretty and well-proportionate legs was enough to leave him feeling refreshed.

“Principal Jiang, I don’t wish to cause trouble, but that scoundrel tried to kill our young master earlier. Based on what I know, isn’t making an attempt on the life of another student punishable by death?” asked Shi Lezhi.

Jiang Luofu nodded in response. “Yes, it is indeed punishable by death. Zu An, what do you have to say for yourself?”

The other students also began gossiping amongst themselves.

“That Zu An is really getting ahead of himself! How dare he try to kill young master Shi?”

“Indeed! Doesn’t he know that he’s just a mere ant before young master Shi?”

“So what if he’s big down there? A man should count on his own strength!”

… 

Most of the male students nodded in agreement. So what if you are blessed with a giant stick that allows you to conquer a couple of inexperienced young ladies? Why don’t you try that with the mature Principal Jiang too?

Zu An was rendered speechless by the steady stream of Rage points coming in. Seriously, shouldn’t you all be envious of Shi Kun instead? Why are you hating on me here?

Despite his retort, he was still fairly happy about it. After all, these were all precious Rage points to him!

“Principal Jiang, I agree wholeheartedly with what he said. An attempt on a student’s life warrants the death penalty,” replied Zu An.

Jiang Luofu gave a cold snort. “Are you admitting to your crime?” 

Ji Xiaoxi and the others were anxious to hear the chilling edge to Jiang Luofu’s voice, but Zu An understood that Principal Jiang was giving him a chance to explain himself, despite her sharp tone. If she had really wanted to end him, she could have simply pinned the crime on him right away.

“I attacked him out of rage earlier, because Shi Kun sent his subordinates after me in the Ursae Dungeon, nearly taking my life,” replied Zu An calmly.

“Utter rubbish! Only the students of Brightmoon Academy are allowed to enter the dungeon, and Principal Jiang is the one who personally chooses them. How could any clan possibly slip their subordinates into the dungeon? Are you trying to cast doubt over Principal Jiang’s character?”

Wu Qing jumped in before anyone from the Shi clan could reply. For some reason, she found Zu An absolutely abhorrent, possibly because he was Chu Chuyan’s husband, or because he had bullied her once before.

Even though Wu Qing wasn’t particularly popular in the academy, her words made perfect sense and won the agreement of many students.

“Of course, there’s no way I would cast doubt over Principal Jiang’s character,” Zu An replied. “However, what if the Shi clan bribes our students beforehand? Many of those who attacked me earlier were students from the Earth class, and it was obvious that they were following orders from the same person.”

“Is that so?” Jiang Luofu frowned. She had already received a report that there had been a disproportionately high number of casualties as compared to previous excursions into the dungeon. This could be considered a severe incident, one that she would have to report to the Ministry of Rites personally. 

Wu Qing also fell silent too. Having been born into a major clan, she knew of such underground deals that often went on. Setting aside the Shi clan for the moment, even the Wu clan had some subordinates in the academy too. After all, there were plenty of students without any power or upstanding family background, which made them easy to win over.

By this point, Shi Kun had finally recovered from his shock, and went on the offensive. “A load of rubbish! Our Shi clan has never done such a thing before! You must have encountered some sort of valuable treasure with those students in the dungeon, which stirred your greed. So, you made use of that opportunity to kill them, and pin the blame on me!”

Many of the close acquaintances of the Shi clan voiced their agreement with Shi Kun’s statement. Other than Xie Xiu, Pei Mianman, and Zheng Dan who knew the truth, most of the students found Shi Kun’s statement rather credible.

After all, they saw Shi Kun as a refined gentleman, whereas Zu An seemed to them like an unruly hoodlum. Therefore they subconsciously chose to believe Shi Kun’s words.

Zu An frowned. He had no proof of what had happened in the dungeon, since most of those who had been after his life were already dead. After all, Shi Kun had decided to make his move in the dungeon because he had known that there would be no evidence left behind.

Qiao Xueying opened her mouth to say something, only for Zu An to stop her. He knew that the Shi clan definitely had some leverage over Qiao Xueying to make sure that she was under their control, so he didn’t want to put her in a bind.

Besides, it wouldn’t matter even if Qiao Xueying testified on his behalf. Shi Kun could just deny it in a similar fashion.

On the other hand, Shi Kun’s eyes turned deadly when he noticed that Qiao Xueying was still alive, but he knew that this wasn’t the time to confront her yet. He chose to focus his efforts on Zu An instead, saying, “How else could a third rank cultivator like you possibly injure those fourth rank seniors from the Earth class, unless you took them off guard?”

Zu An was amused to hear those words. “I’m surprised you have the cheek to say that. If I recall correctly, you’re a fifth rank cultivator, no? But if your servant hadn’t stepped in to save you earlier, you would have been slaughtered like a helpless chick under my blade.”

“You!” Shi Kun’s face reddened. He still couldn’t make sense of what had happened earlier on, even after all this time. Being cornered by Zu An in front of such a large crowd was a terrible humiliation.

You have successfully trolled Shi Kun for 888 Rage points!

Meanwhile, Shi Lezhi’s eyelids twitched upon hearing the word ‘servant’. He was well aware that he was indeed a servant of the Shi clan, but no matter what, he was still an eighth rank cultivator. Even the Shi clan treated him with respect. Yet, this fellow had actually used such a derogatory term to describe him!

“You brat! You’re courting death!” With a furious roar, he charged forward.

You have successfully trolled Shi Lezhi for 999 Rage points!

Jiang Luofu casually stepped forward to stand between the two of them. She didn’t say a word at all, but her intention was made clear. She wouldn’t allow an outsider to deal with a member of the academy without her permission.

Shi Lezhi was enraged. Even though they were both eighth rank cultivators, he understood that Jiang Luofu was still young and had great potential in her, which meant that there was a huge gap in their standings. He dared not offend this mysterious woman, so he had no choice but to back down.

No wonder Zu An is known to be a moochlord in the academy. He always has a woman standing up for him!

Of course, he didn’t really believe that Zu An would be able to mooch off the great Jiang Luofu.

Chu Chuyan also stepped in and spoke up. “I can testify to what happened in the dungeon. I didn’t see with my own eyes how those students chased after Ah Zu, but Shi Kun did attempt to kill the both of us afterward.”

Zu An shook his head in dismay at how honest his silly wife was. She could have just insisted on whatever she wanted, and everyone would have sided with her without any hesitation.

The crowd exploded in a huge uproar. They might have been enjoying the drama a moment ago, but the knowledge that Chu Chuyan had been in danger riled them up.

How dare you make a move against our goddess? We won’t let you off the hook no matter how handsome you are!

Xie Xiu opened his fan and walked out of the crowd, saying, “Miss Chu, based on what I know, young master Shi should be slightly weaker than you. Even if he had assistance from his subordinates, it doesn’t seem likely that he’d pose a threat to you.”

His doubts were shared by many of those in the crowd. They directed doubtful gazes in Chu Chuyan’s direction.