The crowd cheered wildly. Clearly, they agreed with what Ye Chenliang had said.

Chu Huanzhao’s felt as though her cheeks were on fire. “What nonsense are you spouting?!” Unable to take such humiliation, she flicked her Wailing Whip toward Ye Chenliang.

Ye Chenliang was well prepared. He dodged her strike nimbly, and then threw her a question of his own. “Chu Huanzhao, are you challenging me to a duel?”

“That’s right! I’m challenging you to a duel so that I can rip that foul mouth of yours apart!” Chu Huanzhao tried to strike Ye Chenliang a second time.

“The one I want to challenge is that Zu wastrel! Why are you butting into this as well? Could it be that the two of you are really in a relationship?” Ye Chenliang demanded loudly as he again dodged her attack. He had no desire to fight Chu Huanzhao. Setting aside her background as a scion of the Chu clan, just the pain of being struck by the Wailing Whip was something that he never wanted to experience ever again in his entire life.

Chu Huanzhao’s entire face burned red. She maneuvered her whip dexterously, trying to land a clean strike on Ye Chenliang.

Ye Chenliang dodged frantically as he yelled challenges over his shoulder at Zu An. “Zu wastrel, are you really a man? Are you only capable of mooching off women? If you have guts, fight with me!”

Zu An shrugged in response. “It’s with my own ability that I’m able to pimp myself out. Why should I make a move when I have others to do it for me? If you’re really as formidable as you think, go and find a woman who would stand up for you! Hah! But looking at your face, I doubt anyone will want you even if you paid them!”

You have successfully trolled Ye Chenliang for 233 Rage points!

Chu Huanzhao turned around and glared at Zu An sharply. “You shut up!”

You have successfully trolled Chu Huanzhao for 99 Rage points!

The crowd also turned completely silent. Xie Xiu stared without blinking, his face frozen in a look of bewilderment. Finally, he intoned deeply, “That man has truly reached the zenith of shamelessness!” The crowd around him nodded their heads vehemently.

You have successfully trolled the onlookers for 66 Rage points! … 66… 66… 66… 

Zu An felt his heart soaring to the heavens. I’m striking it rich! If I had known this would happen, I would have come to the academy yesterday as well!

All of a sudden, a figure leaped out to interpose themselves between Chu Huanzhao and Ye Chenliang. “Miss Chu, since Ye Chenliang didn’t agree to your duel, it isn’t appropriate for you to corner him so.”

The figure was wearing a white shirt that fluttered gracefully in the wind. With one hand behind his back, he easily grabbed the Wailing Whip out of the air with the other. He was the spitting image of a gallant and dashing warrior.

A commotion broke out amidst the female students.

“Waaa, it’s Young Master Yuan!”

“Young Master Yuan is truly gallant.”

“To think that he could catch Wailing Whip so easily… He must have reached the fourth rank, right?”

“What fourth rank? He’s already reached the peak of the fourth rank! It probably wouldn’t be long before he makes a breakthrough to the fifth rank!”

“Waaa, he’s so handsome! He’s so much better than that shameless scum whose only talent is hiding behind a woman’s back!”

… 

Zu An’s face slowly turned dark as night. Those women sure are fickle-minded. Just a moment ago they were speaking up for me, but now they’re singing an entirely different tune.

The newcomer spoke with a voice as calm as the surface of a lake in winter. “What you’re doing is an infringement of the academy rules. If this matter blows up, not even the Brightmoon Duke would be able to stop the academy from expelling you.”

“Yuan Wendong, don’t stick your head where it doesn’t belong!” Chu Huanzhao tried furiously to free her whip from his grasp, but it did not budge no matter how much force she exerted.

The white-clothed man known as Yuan Wendong smiled an impeccable smile. “Chu Second Miss, are you intending to get yourself expelled here?”

Chu Huanzhao glared at Yuan Wendong furiously. “Are you threatening me?” 

“I dare not. I am friends with your older sister, so naturally, I do not wish to see anything happen to Chu Second Miss,” Yuan Wendong said as he finally released his grip.

Chu Huanzhao hastily pulled the Wailing Whip back to her side, but a look of uncertainty flickered across her face.

Seeing that someone was standing up for him, Ye Chenliang puffed out his chest and strutted over to Zu An. “I’ll teach you a lesson today. In the end, this is a world where you can only count on yourself. Someone who relies on external help is bound to fall one day…”

Before he could finish his words, a gentle voice emerged from within the crowd. “T-that’s not it! He… He’s actually really formidable!”

All eyes instantly turned toward the source of the voice, eager to see who was intervening this time around. A young woman with a face no bigger than the size of a palm stepped forward, blushing furiously. She appeared incredibly uncomfortable being the center of attention.

“Oh? Who’s this woman? She’s so pretty~”

“Heh, look at how uncultured you are. That’s called cute!”

“You must be new here, right? How could you fail to recognize the seventh-ranked woman in the Sweetheart Ranking, Ji Xiaoxi? She’s the daughter of Divine Physician Ji, and her talent in pill concoction is second to none amongst her peers!”

“Why is she speaking up for Zu An? Could it be that she also…”

“Don’t spout nonsense! How could a fairy like her possibly have any relations with that human scum?”

… 

The discussions continued fervently. Even Ye Chenliang was taken aback by this development. He quickly put on a kind smile and asked gently, “Junior Ji, what are you doing here?”

He had to tread carefully here. This Ji Xiaoxi had caused a huge stir from the first day she’d arrived at this academy. Due to her adorable looks, some perverts had begun to harbor deviant thoughts toward her. Yet, as soon as they came into contact with her clothes, they found themselves poisoned right away. Many of them ended up suffering for up to half a month.

In the end, all of them were expelled from the academy. Some speculated that it was due to the vast network of connections Divine Physician Ji had built up in his earlier years. Many powerful figures owed him favors, and they did not hesitate to lend a helping hand upon hearing that his daughter had been bullied. However, there were others who claimed Ji Xiaoxi herself had powerful backing within the academy.

Regardless of which one it was, it was clear that she wasn’t someone whom Ye Chenliang could afford to offend.

“I was just passing by when I saw a lot of people gathered here…” Standing before so many people, Ji Xiaoxi felt a little intimidated. Nevertheless, she gathered her courage and declared, “I saw that you all misunderstood big brother Zu, and big brother Zu wasn’t willing to explain himself either. That’s why… I stepped out.”

She really was doing this for Zu An?

More frantic whispering broke out amongst the crowd. It was unthinkable that the drafted son-in-law of the Chu clan, despite being known for his inadequacy, would not only be able to lay his hands on both of the Chu clan’s sisters, but form a relationship with the famous little fairy, Ji Xiaoxi, too!

What in the world is going on here?

Is it because I’m not handsome enough, or am I just not enough of a scumbag? Or is it my cultivation that women take issue with, or perhaps my background isn’t good enough?

The men in the crowd weighed these thoughts carefully, and each came to the same conclusion. Other than their appearances, there was nothing about them that was inferior to that shameless man! A burst of rage was unanimously directed towards Zu An.

You have successfully trolled the onlookers for 99 Rage points! … 99… 99… 99… 

The sudden surge of Rage points assured Zu An that he was right not to sneak out earlier. Choosing to have his lunch in the academy was arguably the best decision he had ever made.

Ye Chengliang swallowed as he watched the situation unfold before him, utterly confused. What is going on here? I was just trying to teach this fool his place! Why are so many women stepping forward to protect him?

Something must be really wrong with this world!

“Junior Ji, what’s your relationship with him?” Ye Chenliang was unable to accept such a reality.

“He…” Ji Xiaoxi looked at Zu An, and she blushed again. “He’s my good friend.”

Her face had reddened as she recalled how they had first met in the river, both of them completely nude. While she now knew that he was deficient below the belt, knowing that her body had been seen by a man still made her feel a little peculiar inside.

Those gathered around mistook her reaction for shyness and embarrassment, and their hearts turned cold. How can this be? Even our beloved little fairy has been snared by that man’s demonic clutches!

Oblivious to their misunderstanding, she began to explain herself. “I once went to the Hidden Dragon Mountain, and there I saw him kill dozens of Assrip Wolves with my own eyes. Even their leader was not spared.”

All of the men nearly burst into tears. It’s all over. Our little fairy actually went into the Hidden Dragon Mountain together with him. A man and a woman, all alone in the middle of the wilderness. The mountains must have awakened their primal instincts and compelled them to… Goddamnit!

“That man actually monopolized three of the top ten beauties in the Sweetheart Ranking! Don’t hold me back, I’m going to duel him!”

“No one is holding you back, go ahead and fight him! If he really managed to kill dozens of Assrip Wolves, you’re just going to be cannon fodder to him.”

“Hmph! I’m only waiting for Ye Chenliang to be done with him. I’ll have you know that I am not in the habit of ganging up on others!”

“Tsk.”

… 

As he heard her tale, Ye Chenliang felt droplets of cold sweat form on his forehead. He spared a look at Zu An, lounging in a disinterested manner, before turning to face Ji Xiaoxi with disbelief painted on his face. “He killed dozens of Assrip Wolves? Are you serious?”

Ji Xiaoxi nodded. “I wasn’t able to make sense of how he was able to do it, but he did. If you don’t believe me, you can go and ask my father. He can testify to this matter.”

A chorus of despairing groans rang out from the onlookers. Holy shit! They have even gotten to the stage where they have met the parents!

Off to the side, Xie Xiu’s mind was working on a different matter. Ji Xiaoxi specializes in pill concoction, and so her cultivation is weaker compared to her peers. However, she’s still a third rank cultivator. Despite this, even she was unable to tell how Zu An managed to kill those Assrip Wolves. Does this mean that he has attained an unimaginable level of speed?

It wasn’t just Xie Xiu who had such thoughts in mind. 

Many others, including Ye Chenliang, had also grasped the hidden meaning in Ji Xiaoxi’s words. It was hard to imagine that she was lying, especially since she’d even brought Divine Physician Ji into the picture. Ji Xiaoxi was known to be an extremely good-natured person, and hardly anyone had seen her lie before. She would never put her father’s reputation on the line over something like this!

While every word she’d said was true, the way she had worded her statement had unintentionally led them astray. 

“I told you! My brother-in-law is a formidable man, but all of you refused to believe me! Hmph!” Chu Huanzhao’s voice was full of vindication as Ji Xiaoxi turned the tables on those naysayers. Despite this, she still turned around and narrowed her eyes at Zu An. She was curious as to when this fellow had managed to hook up with other women outside.

This won’t do. My big sister isn’t around these days, so I need to help her keep him in line. I can’t let those whor… Chu Huanzhao’s eyes fell on the innocent-looking Ji Xiaoxi, and she was unable to finish the word. That really went against her conscience.

The expressions of those gathered there slowly changed as they processed all of the information revealed thus far. Earlier on, Chu Huanzhao’s claim that Zu An had taken seven strikes from the Wailing Whip without crying out had seemed an exaggeration to them. But now, with Ji Xiaoxi providing her testimony, they started to wonder if Zu An could truly be an incredible expert of some sort.

As their minds churned, Zu An walked up to Ye Chenliang and shook his head in sympathy. “Allow me to teach you a lesson too. The only reason why you think mooching is unreliable is because you aren’t handsome enough. That’s why you lack the imagination to fathom just how charming a man like me can be. You can’t even deal with either of the two women standing by my side right now, and you still dream of dueling me?”

Chu Huanzhao’s jaw dropped to the floor, followed by Ji Xiaoxi’s. 

Everyone around was staggered by his proclamation. Their eyes had been opened to a new height of shamelessness.