Brightmoon City was a commercial hub that was heavily involved in the salt and metal industries, and goods were frequently imported and exported. Most of the trade was facilitated along the river, and so the River Patrol Team was formed. The River Patrol Team dealt with the threat of smugglers, and was also tasked with protecting the shipping of strategic resources and necessities, especially from the ferocious beasts that frequented certain points along the river.

Sang Qian answered Chu Chuyan calmly, “While I’m responsible for the River Patrol Team, it’s also my job to ensure the security of the people. With so many people gathered here today, a sudden disturbance could easily lead to a stampede. Isn’t it only natural for me to drop by and enquire about it?”

“There’s no need to trouble Commander Sang with this matter,” a gentle voice suddenly called out.

A young man holding a paper fan walked in from the entrance, escorted by a group of guards. He had a face that was as fair as white jade, and he gave off a scholarly air.

“Is this person a guy or a girl?”

“Shhh, are you tired of living? He’s the young master of the City Lord Estate!”

… 

Zu An was stunned to see Xie Xiu here. He’d never understood why royal families and nobles liked to rear male concubines, but if they were as beautiful as Xie Xiu, it would be perfectly normal… 

Pui, what the hell am I thinking about?

Sang Qian’s eyes turned grim as soon as he caught sight of Xie Xiu. “So it’s young master Xie! If I recall correctly, young master Xie should be studying in Brightmoon Academy at the moment and has no official position yet. Isn’t it inappropriate for you to issue an order to the guards despite the lack of authority?”

Xie Xiu snapped his paper fan shut and smiled calmly at Sang Qian. “Of course I’m not the one who brought these guards here. I had been drinking at the Heavenly Immortal Tavern just a moment ago when I spied Uncle Pang leading a group of men over. It was merely a moment of curiosity that made me tag along as well. Isn’t that so, Uncle Pang?”

A pot bellied man stumbled into the casino, using one hand to steady his officials’ hat and prevent it from falling off. The man had clearly been in a hurry to get here.

“This man is the vice magistrate of the city, Pang Chun. He’s a fifth rank cultivator, as well as the third-in-charge of Brightmoon City. He’s on good terms with our Chu clan, so you better not run your mouth and insult him by accident." Chu Chuyan hurriedly forewarned Zu An, fearing that he might spew nonsense at any moment.

Zu An nodded vigorously at her, though his features were oddly twisted. A man named Pang Chun? Just what in the world are his parents thinking?

In spite of these distracting thoughts, Zu An managed to glean some important information from Chu Chuyan’s words. The Chu clan shared a close relationship with the city lord, but just a few days ago, Chu Zhongtian had mentioned that the governor Sang Hong had been dispatched to the Linchuan Commandery to deal with them. It was safe to assume that Sang Hong’s appointment represented the will of the royal court.

My gosh, could the Chu clan be harboring thoughts of rebellion? Are they colluding with local officials to undermine the royal court?

Zu An thought that he had grabbed on to a pair of sturdy thighs, but it turned out to be a boat that was on the verge of capsizing. No wonder they weren’t in a position to deal with a mere underworld organization!

Should I find an opportunity to leap off this boat?

If Chu Chuyan had known what he was thinking, she would have thrown him to the ground and beaten him to a pulp.

Pang Chun clasped his fist and greeted Sang Qian with a smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Commander Sang.”

Sang Qian dared not offend the vice magistrate, the third-in-charge of Brightmoon City. He answered quickly, “Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you too, Lord Vice Magistrate.”

The two of them quickly traded pleasantries before turning their attention to Xie Xiu. This seemed to amuse the young man. “What are the two of you looking at me for? I have no official position, so you should deal with the situation here according to the rules!”

Sang Qian could think of more than a few retorts. Don’t pretend that we don’t know you were the one who called Pang Chun here! His loyalty to your father runs deep, so who else would he listen to other than you?

Pang Chun, on the other hand, favored Sang Qian with another smile. “Commander Sang, would you mind if I take over this case?”

Sang Qian forced himself to smile. “This is the jurisdiction of the Lord Vice Magistrate. I dare not to overstep my boundaries.”

The vice magistrate wielded great authority, and was responsible for maintaining security within the city. In essence, he was comparable to a sheriff or police chief.

Pang Chun’s expression grew serious as he considered the other parties gathered in front of him. “What happened here?”

Chu Chuyan stepped forward and explained the chain of events to Pang Chun.

When Pang Chun heard the words ‘seven-and-a-half million silver taels’, he almost jumped in shock, just like the many others before him who’d heard it for the first time. However, he quickly recovered and followed Chu Chuyan’s account to its logical conclusion. “Sect Master Mei, it looks like you’re in the wrong here. Since you opened a casino, it’s only right for you to accept a loss. Otherwise, if all casinos were to operate in the same way as you, the world would be in utter chaos!”

Mei Chaofeng was infuriated to see that Pang Chun was siding with Chu Chuyan, but he still answered with composure. “Lord Vice Magistrate, you are unaware of the full story. This man took only two rounds to win seven-and-a-half million silver taels. That’s beyond the realms of reason. There’s no doubt that he employed some form of trickery. How could we accept such a thing?”

Zu An was amused by the accusation. “Say, don’t you think that it’s embarrassing that a casino owner like you is worried about his customers cheating? Does this show that your skills are lacking, or that you’re just downright shameless?”

“You!!!” Mei Chaofeng furiously pointed his finger at Zu An. If the two of us were alone, I would have smashed this lowly bug with a single finger of mine!

Shit!

You have successfully trolled Mei Chaofeng for 499 Rage points!

Pang Chun agreed with Zu An’s comment. “Sect Master Mei, since you claim that Zu An has cheated, do you have any evidence to back up your statement?”

This was the first time Zu An enjoyed the privileges of having a superior back him up. Every single word uttered was in his favor—although he was indeed on the side of reason this time around.

Mei Chaofeng hesitated a little before answering. “I don’t have any evidence. I was not present earlier. Furthermore, Zu An came here together with Miss Chu. Miss Chu is a fifth rank cultivator, and there’s no way our men in the casino would have been able to tell if she’d tried to pull a fast one.”

Chu Chuyan’s face turned frosty at his slander. “Are you insinuating that I am a cheat?”

Since both sides had already fallen out with one another, Mei Chaofeng had no qualms offending the Chu clan. “Well, that’s hard to tell. He’s your husband after all. Who knows whether the two of you are working together to scam me?”

“Our Chu clan will not accept such slander. I shall challenge you to a duel!” her tone of voice sucked all the warmth out of the air.

Mei Chaofeng refused to back down. “I have addressed you respectfully thus far out of consideration for the Chu clan. Don’t take my consideration as a weakness!”

Zu An could barely contain his excitement as the conflict escalated, eager to witness an incredible duel. He was curious to see how rank five cultivators clashed with one another, to learn how to better protect himself when dealing with one in the future.

As for whether Chu Chuyan would be hurt in the duel… to be honest, he wasn’t worried about that at all. Both Xie Xiu and the vice magistrate were here, and Brightmoon City was still the fief of the Chu clan. There was no way Chu Zhongtian would allow his own daughter to be bullied here.

On top of all that, she had the backing of the Brightmoon Academy as well. 

It was clear that Mei Chaofeng was at a severe disadvantage.

Xie Xiu chose this moment to step forward and defuse the situation. “Please calm down and allow me to speak justice. As everyone in Brightmoon City knows, the Chu clan has always strictly forbidden its own members from gambling…”

All eyes turned instantly on Zu An, which left Xie Xiu momentarily at a loss for words. However, he quickly fashioned a plausible excuse. “Well, Zu An has only just married into the Chu clan not too long ago, so he might be unfamiliar with their rules. However, I trust that everyone in Brightmoon City knows what kind of person Chu First Miss is like.”

“Indeed, how could Chu First Miss possibly cheat?”

“Sect Master Mei, it’s one thing for you to refuse to pay up, but how could you stoop to slandering Miss Chu too?”

“Indeed! Miss Chu would never resort to such despicable tricks!”

… 

A chorus of statements from the crowd backed Xie Xiu up. 

Zu An was surprised by the resounding popularity of his wife. I hadn’t expected so many people to like her. It seems my position is precarious.

Xie Xiu raised his hand to calm the crowd down, then continued. “Also, as everyone knows, I’m someone with hardly any strengths, and spend my days idly… I dare not claim knowledge in any other field, but I admit to being proficient when it comes to matters concerning gambling. To my knowledge, all the tools used in casinos are specially inscribed by runemasters in order to prevent cultivators from tampering with the outcomes by using their ki. It’s false to claim that Miss Chu was cheating just because her cultivation is higher.”

As he watched events unfold, Sang Qian had also become annoyed at how Mei Chaofeng had chosen—of all things!—to drag Chu Chuyan’s name through the mud. In such a situation, he had no choice but to speak up. “Indeed. I can vouch with my life that Chu First Miss wouldn’t cheat either. She…”

Before Sang Qian could finish his sentence, Zu An muttered contemplatively, “Honey, if you admit that you were cheating right now, will we be able to get that guy over there to commit suicide?”

There was the sound of crickets chirping. Sang Qian, Xie Xiu, Pang Chun and Mei Chaofeng all stared at him, their expressions ranging from stunned disbelief to outright fury.

It’s just a figure of speech, are you really taking it literally?!?! What the hell? Just what kind of son-in-law did the Chu clan draft into their household?

You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 213 Rage points!

Chu Chuyan’s face had also darkened. “Be quiet. Don’t talk nonsense.”

Sang Qian pretended to have missed Zu An’s remark, and tried to continue on. Wait, where was I at earlier? Damn that fellow!

“Miss Chu would never cheat, but as for young master Zu, I trust that everyone in the city is familiar with his personality, as well as his… talent. It’s impossible for him to win seven-and-a-half million silver taels here within two rounds. That only leaves a single possibility—he has bribed Plum Blossom Seven ahead of time to scam the casino of its money!”

Sang Qian had fallen just short of openly claiming that Zu An was trash.

Mei Chaofeng’s eyes lit up. His earlier accusation had contained many loopholes, but Sang Qian’s argument demonstrated firmly that Zu An had used illegitimate means to obtain the seven-and-a-half million silver taels. Not only that, this provided the perfect platform to turn the tables on Zu An and go on the offensive.

As expected of someone who had come from the capital! What an ingenious ploy!

“Wuuuuu~” Plum Blossom Seven, who had been watching from the sidelines, was scared out of his wits. He hadn’t expected to be dragged into this shitshow. Unfortunately, with his lower jaw broken, there was little he could do to defend himself.

*Pah~ Pah~ Pah~*

Slow applause rang out. All eyes turned to find the source, only to see that it was Zu An. “Commander Sang, could you possibly be one of the bosses behind this Silverhook Casino?”

Sang Qian’s face immediately darkened. “What rubbish are you talking about? Slandering an official of the royal court is a heavy crime!”

You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 200 Rage points!

“If you aren’t one of the bosses of the Silverhook Casino, why haven’t you stopped speaking up for them ever since you stepped in here?” Zu An asked.

Sang Qian sniffed coldly. “I’m just making a logical deduction based on the facts here.”

“As you said, it’s only a deduction. So, based on how you’ve been speaking up for Mei Chaofeng, I’m just making a logical deduction that you are in cahoots with the Plum Blossom Sect. May I know if my deductions can be entered as evidence?”

“You!!” Sang Qian turned his face away. “I can’t be bothered to argue with someone like you.”

You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 100 Rage points!

Sang Qian was slowly calming down. Given the disparity in their standings, it was  beneath him to argue with Zu An in public.

Zu An let him be, and turned to the plump Pang Chun instead. “Lord Vice Magistrate, in your many years of experience dealing with such cases, I trust that you have a clear idea as to what’s going on here?”

Sang Qian countered, “Lord Pang, please don’t allow the threats of another man to affect your judgment.”

“This…” Pang Chun found himself in a tight spot. Sweat droplets were falling from his forehead. 

Of course, the current situation was crystal clear. However, the Plum Blossom Sect had been ‘offering tributes’ to the various administrative departments in the city over the last few years, and their backers had been hard to pin down. Since Sang Qian was already openly backing the Plum Blossom Sect, could it mean that the Plum Blossom Sect was backed by none other than Sang Hong?