Chapter 107: Little Clever Kid

"Disadvantageous for him?" Qin Wanru was stunned and instinctively replied, "What does he have that would make anyone target him? Instead of dwelling on such baseless thoughts, we should focus on tomorrow's match against the Yuan family."

Chu Chuyan looked as if she wanted to speak but held back. Chu Hanzhao, however, couldn't restrain herself: "Mother, my brother-in-law and Yuan Wendong already had a history. This time, to ensure Yuan Wendong picks him tomorrow, he intentionally provoked him again. Yuan Wendong has already sworn to cripple him. And today, he angered Shi Kun, who is obviously a very petty person and will certainly seek revenge."

Qin Wanru responded, "Provoking Yuan Wendong is part of our strategy to pit an inferior opponent against a superior one. If Yuan Wendong falls for it, isn't that precisely what we want? As for his safety, there's no need to worry. First, it's highly likely he won't even need to fight. Second, your father and I will be there watching; do you think we'd just stand by and let anyone from the Yuan family harm him?"

At this point, Chu Chuyan also spoke up: "My concern is that the Yuan family might have a hidden trump card we're unaware of. For some reason, I feel a persistent sense of unease."

"It's best to be cautious. Tomorrow, let's have Hong Xingying go first. He's one of the best among his peers, and while not our Chu family's strongest, he's ideal for leading the charge and probing the Yuan family's strength," Chu Zhongtian said gravely. "I've recalled this group for special training over the past few days, and I believe we won't have much trouble dealing with the Yuan family, or even the Wu family."

Zu An thought to himself, *No wonder I didn't see Hong Xingying in class today. I was quite disappointed then that I missed him. So, he was called back for family training.*

Just then, Qin Wanru suddenly looked at Zu An and said, "I know you and Hong Xingying have had some past grievances. I don't care how you two behave on a normal day, but tomorrow, you are absolutely forbidden from provoking him. We don't want to jeopardize his mood and cause our Chu family to start the competition on the wrong foot."

Chu Hanzhao, standing nearby, immediately retorted, "Mother, isn't he also competing tomorrow? Why aren't you concerned about *his* mood?"

Qin Wanru rolled her eyes. "He's merely there to keep Yuan Wendong occupied; he doesn't need to genuinely participate in a fight."

Chu Zhongtian, standing by, couldn't help but chuckle. "Little An, don't be nervous. If it truly comes to your turn to fight tomorrow, just surrender immediately."

Clearly, even a kind-hearted man like him held the same opinion as his wife.

Zu An, accustomed to such remarks, smiled slightly. "Don't worry. If I'm truly needed to fight tomorrow, it will mean the Chu family is in an extremely perilous situation, and I will certainly step forward to turn the tide."

He felt that it was destiny at play; otherwise, why would he be scheduled last? Aren't protagonists always the grand finale?

"Bah, you jinx! Say something auspicious!" Qin Wanru glared at him fiercely, clearly quite displeased. That man never seemed to utter a kind word.

Finding him irritating, she turned to her daughter: "Xiao Zhao, you should stop worrying about others and start worrying about yourself. You spend all day playing and fooling around, and you're still barely at the third rank. Tomorrow, you'll be scheduled second to last. Your sister and the others will most likely resolve matters in the earlier matches, so you won't even need to participate, thus avoiding injury."

"Oh," Chu Hanzhao pouted, clearly somewhat displeased. However, her mood brightened considerably at the thought of being placed next to her brother-in-law.

Chu Zhongtian then said to Chu Chuyan, "Tomorrow, with you, Hong Xingying, Yue Shan, Chu Hongcai, and Chu Yucheng, those five matches should be secure victories. Winning just one more after that shouldn't be an issue."

Zu An subtly tugged Chu Hanzhao's sleeve under the table and whispered, "Who are Chu Hongcai and Chu Yucheng?"

Chu Hanzhao's face flushed slightly. She glanced up at her mother and sister, feeling as though she was sneaking a forbidden action in class. She quickly explained, "Chu Hongcai is Second Uncle's son and the Chu family's deputy guard captain. He was originally in charge of guarding the family's spiritual spring, but after it was polluted that night, he's been very self-reproachful. He's been secluded for reflection lately, which is why you haven't seen him."

"And Chu Yucheng is Third Uncle's son, a little chubby fellow. He was quite cute as a child, but he's grown progressively fatter and less interesting."

Zu An couldn't help but secretly glance at Chu Zhongtian. *Look, the second and third branches both produced sons, yet you've fathered a bunch of beautiful daughters. This father-in-law seems a bit ineffective.*

This wasn't because he favored sons, but in this society, descendants were crucial for family succession. If Chu Zhongtian had several capable sons, perhaps Chu Chuyan wouldn't have needed to take him as a husband.

*Hmm, now that I think about it, I should actually thank my father-in-law for being so ineffective!*

Just then, Qin Wanru noticed their subtle actions, and her expression immediately darkened. "Xiao Zhao, go back and rest early after dinner. Don't let anything affect tomorrow's competition."

*What's wrong with these two daughters of mine? Their taste is terrible. The elder one is fine, as we originally intended to choose someone unremarkable. But what's going on with the younger one? How is she getting closer and closer to that Zu An boy?*

Chu Hanzhao grumbled, "Didn't you say I wouldn't have to participate tomorrow?"

However, meeting her mother's angry gaze, she reluctantly returned to her room.

Qin Wanru then looked at Zu An. "You should go back too. We still need to discuss the details of tomorrow's grand competition."

Clearly, she didn't believe Zu An was qualified to participate in such discussions, and since he was merely intended as cannon fodder to tie up Yuan Wendong, there was indeed no need for him to be too involved.

Zu An shrugged. There was no point in staying, so he might as well return early.

As he closed the door, he faintly heard discussions from within:

"The strongest among the Yuan family should be Yuan Wendong; the others are not worth worrying about. As for the Wu family, their younger generation can't compare to ours, so there shouldn't be much of an issue..."

After leaving the room, Cheng Shoubing, wearing a fawning smile, greeted him. "Young Master, have you finished your meal?"

Zu An suddenly thought that having such a fawning subordinate wasn't bad at all. He then remembered something, put his arm around Cheng Shoubing's shoulder, and pulled him aside. "With the family competition tomorrow, are there any betting parlors open in the city?"

Cheng Shoubing nodded instinctively. "Yes, most of them are still favoring our Chu family, like the odds for the Eldest Young Lady to win..."

Zu An interrupted him directly. "Forget everyone else. What are my odds?"

Cheng Shoubing's expression turned odd. He quietly extended one finger.

"1 to 10?" Zu An frowned. "A bit low, but still pretty good."

He was about to pull silver notes from his robe when Cheng Shoubing quickly cut him off. "Young Master, it's not 1 to 10; it's 1 to 100."

Cheng Shoubing had expected the prideful young master to be furious upon hearing the news, but to his surprise, he was ecstatic. "Hahaha, 1 to 100? This is simply heaven's blessing! I'm going to be rich!"

Cheng Shoubing blinked, thinking, *Has the Young Master gone mad from the shock?*

Zu An suddenly realized something and quickly asked, "Who's running the betting parlor? It's not Silver Hook Casino again, is it?"

Last time, Silver Hook Casino lost 7.5 million taels of silver to him and couldn't pay up. If it happened again this time, they wouldn't be able to cover it even if they sold everything they owned.

Cheng Shoubing shook his head. "No. After your win last time, Young Master, Silver Hook Casino suffered a massive loss and its reputation was severely damaged. Business has been declining steadily. Other families and forces in the city have quietly launched their own gambling operations."

Zu An's eyes lit up. "Excellent! Here, take 20,000 taels. Go bet on me to win!"

As soon as he produced the money, he felt something was off. After a moment's thought, he took back 10,000 taels. "Never mind, just bet 10,000 taels."

The level of arithmetic in this world was indeed abysmal, evident from the betting parlors' odds. Their risk management was simply terrible; a real upset would be enough to bankrupt them, as demonstrated by Silver Hook Casino's 7.5 million tael loss in a single bet.

He was therefore concerned that the same problem might arise again. Winning a large sum only for the other party to be unable to pay would be pointless. It was better to win a smaller amount, within their capacity to pay, ensuring he would receive cash. That's why, after much consideration, he decided to bet only 10,000 taels.

Cheng Shoubing, however, quickly interjected, "Young Master, even if we have plenty of money, we shouldn't squander it like this. Isn't making such a bet just throwing money away?"

"What do you know? Just do as I say. I can't go out right now, so you go place the bet for me," Zu An scoffed.

Cheng Shoubing mumbled to himself, *If you're so confident, why did you suddenly take back 10,000 taels? Does anyone ever complain about winning too much money? Ultimately, he lacks confidence and just wants to minimize his potential losses.*

"What did you say?" Zu An glared at him with an annoyed expression.

"Nothing," Cheng Shoubing said with an awkward smile, then stated seriously, "Young Master, the Chu family strictly forbids gambling. I wouldn't dare violate that rule."

"Can't you just keep it to yourself?" Zu An said, slipping a 100-tael silver note into Cheng Shoubing's clothes. "There, that's your errand fee. I'll give you a cut of the winnings later."

Cheng Shoubing's eyes lit up, and his demeanor instantly changed. "Alright, I'll go take care of it for you right away!" With that, he scurried out.

Zu An watched, dumbfounded. *Would that guy run off with my money?* But then he remembered that servants in this world had contracts of servitude, and the outside world was full of dangers. Where could he possibly go?

Meanwhile, as Cheng Shoubing walked toward the betting parlor, he secretly mused, *The Young Master clearly heard that no one favored his odds and was a bit embarrassed, so he deliberately bet 10,000 taels on himself. After all, he has 7.5 million taels, so 10,000 is a trivial amount to him, and it's worth it to save face.*

*However, as the Young Master's attendant, it's my duty to solve his problems. How can I simply watch him lose money? Humph, I've decided: I'll bet on his opponent to win. That way, even if the Young Master loses, he'll still get some silver, and he'll surely praise me for being sensible.*

*Haha, I truly am a clever one.*

As Zu An returned to his courtyard, he was startled to find Old Man Mi already waiting there.

"Senior, you're here?" Zu An was as docile as could be at that moment, showing none of his usual troublemaking demeanor.

Old Man Mi hummed in response and said, "Your progress was so swift last time that in my astonishment, I forgot to remind you. The 'Sunflower Phantasm' I taught you earlier must absolutely not be used during tomorrow's grand competition, unless it's an unavoidable matter of life and death. Otherwise, it could easily bring about your demise."

"Huh?" Zu An was instantly dumbfounded. Had his diligently practiced Evil-Ward Swordplay been for naught?