“I’m starting to get interested in this fellow now that I’ve heard what you said. I’ll be heading to the academy tomorrow to check him out myself.” Shi Kun gazed in the direction of the academy as he spoke. His tone was confident and composed, as if speaking of a trivial matter.

Snow hung her head in shame. It’s due to my incompetence that the young master has to make a move personally.

“Young master Sang is still waiting for me outside. I’ll speak with him now.” Shi Kun stood up to take his leave, but halted just as he reached the doorway. He turned to Mei Chaofeng. “What’s the name of your subordinate who lost seven-and-a-half million silver taels?”

“Plum Blossom Seven,” replied Mei Chaofeng fearfully.

Shi Kun nodded silently, then said calmly, “There’s no use keeping useless things by your side. Dice him up and feed him to the dogs.”

“Y-yes!” Mei Chaofeng’s heart chilled a few degrees. 

He knew that this was Shi Kun’s way of sending him an indirect warning, and it left him rather indignant. He was supposed to be the king of Brightmoon City’s underworld, a powerhouse possessing unquestionable authority. When had a youngster ever dared to threaten him like this before?

However, his immense displeasure dissipated as he saw the old man who followed Shi Kun out. Shi Kun was no threat to him—the youngster was unlikely to even be a match for him—but the old man, on the other hand, was far stronger than him. 

It looks like the Shi clan is a force to be reckoned with. Even a guard of theirs possesses this much strength.

A sliver of despair seeped into Mei Chaofeng’s mood. It was the sad fate of those in the pugilistic world like him to be led around by the nose by these prominent clans.

In the lounge outside, Sang Qian was getting impatient from all the waiting. However, as soon as he saw Shi Kun walking over, a welcoming smile spread across his face. “Young master Shi, it has been a long while. You still look as handsome as before.”

Shi Kun’s angry visage was replaced by a similarly warm smile. “It has indeed been a while since we parted ways at the capital, but you still look as awe-inspiring as ever.”

The two of them were acquainted with each other. After trading some pleasantries, Shi Kun finally got around to the topic at hand. “May I ask what your father’s intentions are? He has yet to make a move despite having been assigned to the Linchuan Commandery. I’m unsure of the nature of his plans.”

Sang Qian smiled in response. “My father has been taking the time to make the necessary preparations. He says that if young master Shi wishes to make a move, you may proceed. Your plans will not interfere with ours.”

“I’ve heard that Governor Sang Hong is a man who believes in meticulous preparation before taking action. It looks like this is truly the case.” 

In his mind, however, Shi Kun sneered coldly. He’s just trying to push me to the front so that I can take the brunt of the impact. Are you going to make it look as if I can’t deal with the Chu clan, so that you can step out at the last moment to ‘clean up the mess’?

“Brother Shi is too polite. My father is just worried that your plans to conquer Chu First Miss may be disrupted if he makes the first move. If you can successfully bring Chu First Miss over to your side, that would save us a lot of trouble.”

Sang Hong’s words were polite, but his heart was filled with envy. No man could be uninterested in Chu Chuyan having seen her ravishing looks firsthand. Unfortunately, while his father had been rising through the ranks, the foundations of the Sang clan were still unstable, and they lacked the dignity of the other well-established clans that had centuries of history behind them.

Not only was his clan on a lower footing than the Chu clan, but others like Shi Kun were also pursuing Chu Chuyan. Because of these reasons, Sang Hong knew that he stood no chance at all. Thus, he had to make do with the Zheng clan.

It was fortunate that Zheng Dan was also beautiful, although her cultivation and standing were slightly lacking. Despite that, he was still satisfied with having such a woman as his wife.

Thinking about Zheng Dan reminded him of the honey trap he had entrusted her to set a while back. He had checked in with her to see how it was going, but she had yet to report success. However, according to her own words, ‘everything is going according to plan’.

Hmph, I just hope that she doesn’t get taken advantage of by that Zu An.

He thought about how Zheng Dan wouldn’t even allow him to hold her hand, and that went a long way in assuaging his worries. There’s no way she would allow that piece of trash to get close to her.

Meanwhile, Shi Kun was clearly pleased by Sang Hong’s flattery. “Hahaha, I’m sure things would go well with Brother Sang’s words of blessing. Once I manage to capture Chu First Miss’ heart, I’ll make sure to send you a wedding invitation, and we’ll have a good drink together!”

Hah, you just want to rub it in my face, huh? Sang Qian maintained an amiable expression, mindfully hiding his mental sneer. “We’re all working for the royal family. Allow me to propose a toast to Brother Shi with this cup of tea in place of wine. To our success!”

“Of course, of course. To our success!” Shi Kun lifted his teacup as well, and touched it to Sang Qian’s with a clink. He, too, had other thoughts in mind. You sure know how to phrase your words well. For the royal family, huh?

In truth, the Sang clan worked as aides for the emperor, whereas the Shi clan was part of the empress’ faction. On the surface, the royal couple seemed on good terms, but that was only because they had a common enemy at the moment—King Qi.

Who could know what would happen in the future? Naturally, each clan was wary of being too trusting of the other.

His thoughts were perfectly mirrored in Sang Qian’s mind.

… 

The following morning found Zu An in a much calmer state of mind. He’d had some time to cool down and think things through. In this world of cultivation, where strength determined almost everything, he had to prioritize his strength over his dignity.

This world hadn’t been very kind to him. Having already been through several dangerous situations, there was no way he could cling stubbornly to his pride and refuse to practice this new technique just because it was something a eunuch trained in. It was much better to obtain another means to ensure his safety. I mean, while it does sound bad that I’m learning the Sunflower Manual, it’s not as if people in this world have watched The Proud, Smiling Wanderer. What do I have to fear?[1]

He would definitely need the Sunflower Phantasm, be it for tomorrow’s Clans Tournament, or for entering the dungeon to unseal ‘little Zu An’. 

With that, he turned his focus to studying the Sunflower Phantasm once more, making sure to take careful note of every ki pathway.

After breakfast, Chu Huanzhao knocked on his door to invite him to accompany her to the academy. Zu An had been quite resistant to the idea of going to the academy, but he was less put off by it, now that he had such a beautiful sister-in-law escorting him.

However, today was a little different. Chu Chuyan, for the first time in forever, was going to the academy too.

Zu An felt that it was unfair how vastly different Chu Chuyan was perceived, compared to him. Although she hadn’t been to the academy in ages, everyone still treated her like a model student. On the other hand, if he simply skipped school for one day, others would condemn him as a hopeless delinquent.

Due to Chu Chuyan’s bewitching appearance, she usually traveled around in a carriage. This helped to prevent any unnecessary congestion on the streets.

The soft cushions of the carriage and the faint fragrance lingering in the air reminded Zu An of the first time he had ridden in this carriage, when he had just arrived in this world. So much had happened since then.

“Honey, do you have any news about Snow?” asked Zu An.

As usual, his way of addressing her left Chu Chuyan with a resigned look on her face. She had tried to correct him several times now, but he simply refused to budge on this. Admittedly though, she was starting to get used to it too, so she ended up letting him have his way.

“I haven’t found her yet. It’s as if she has disappeared into thin air. Why? Do you miss her?”

“Me? Miss her?” Zu An nearly leaped to his feet in sheer disbelief. “That woman tried to kill me multiple times! Do I look like a masochist to you? Why would I miss her?!”

“Speaking of which, you mentioned that this wasn’t the first time she tried to kill you. Why didn’t you tell me about that earlier?” asked Chu Chuyan.

Zu An rolled his eyes. “How could I be sure who was the one trying to kill me? She was your personal maidservant, after all. What if you had some boy toy outside, and wanted to kill me so that you could get together with him?”

Chu Chuyan’s cheeks flushed red. “What do you mean by ‘boy toy’? You really should , learn to keep your mouth in check!”

“Brother-in-law, your situation sure is pitiful. You must have been incredibly worried all this while,” Chu Huanzhao chimed in.

Zu An felt warmth surge through his heart. He glared at Chu Chuyan. “Look! It’s my sister-in-law who cares the most about me in the end. You should learn more from her example!”

Chu Huanzhao was oddly amused by that remark. Back at home, her parents were always telling her to learn from her big sister. For the first time, someone was actually telling her big sister to learn from her instead. It felt awfully good to have the tables turned, for once.

Chu Chuyan, on the other hand, disregarded his words entirely. “Feel free to tell me anything from now onward. We’re a family now, though…”

She gave her little sister a hesitant look, then changed what she was about to say. “… In any case, I’ll make sure to protect you well, so don’t worry.”

Zu An’s eyes lit up. “That’s perfect! If anyone dares to bully me from now onward, I’ll make sure to summon you so that you can plant their heads in the ground!”

Chu Chuyan gave him a level look.

“I’m not saying this just so that you can mess around.”

“I know, I know~” Zu An laughed. “I must say though, your Chu clan isn’t as formidable as I thought it would be. Despite being a ducal clan, you can’t even deal with a single underworld sect. Heck, you can’t even find a mere maidservant, either. I really think you all should work on that.”

Chu Chuyan was unfazed by his accusations. “Now that you’re a member of the Chu clan as well, there are some things that I ought to tell you. While we are a ducal clan, our situation isn’t as rosy as it looks from the outside. To put it bluntly, we’re currently caught in the middle of a battle over the throne.

“According to the promise made by the preceding emperor, the crown should be passed on to King Qi. However, His Majesty instead wishes to pass the position on to his own son, the current crown prince. Under normal circumstances, the officials would be more inclined to respect His Majesty’s decision—albeit grudgingly—since he’s the only Earth Immortal stage cultivator at the moment. However, the crown prince is far lacking in aptitude, and is nowhere close to matching King Qi. 

“Many officials and clans were already displeased with His Majesty for reneging on his promise earlier, and the crown prince’s insufficiency has further deepened their disapproval. King Qi made use of this opportunity to rally these officials over to his side, resulting in two major factions in the royal court.

“As powerful as His Majesty is, he’s already very old, and the crown prince is incompetent and incapable of holding his own. This has left the two factions equally matched with one another. In order to gain the upper hand, both factions are trying their best to win over all the notable clans throughout the country. Our Chu clan controls the salt and arms trade in Brightmoon City, which makes us a key target for both factions.

“However, our Chu clan doesn’t wish to get involved in this struggle, which is why we have refused to side with either of the factions. This has frustrated both factions simultaneously. His Majesty is worried that we would choose to side with King Qi, so he has appointed the Vice Minister of Finance, Sang Hong, as the governor of the Linchuan Commandery. As the Vice Minister of Finance, Sang Hong regulates the salt and arms trade, and this appointment was surely a direct move against our Chu clan.

“Currently, King Qi seems content to watch from the sidelines. It’s likely that he’s waiting for Sang Hong and the others to wear us down, before riding in to offer a helping hand, to coax us into joining his faction. Speaking of which, the city lord of Brightmoon City is a member of King Qi’s faction. You should have sensed it back at the casino too.”

Zu An finally understood how complex the situation was. That explains why I’ve been the target of such ire ever since I became the drafted son-in-law of the Chu clan, and why there are people openly coming after my life. I had put it down to them coveting Chu Chuyan’s beauty, but it seems like it’s the entire Chu clan they’re after.