Chapter 118: Long Lived but Never Heard Such a Request

“Wu, it seems we’ll really have to fight today!” Chu Zhongtian took a deep breath, his fists cracking audibly.

“Why go to such lengths, both of you?” Sang Hong reappeared between them, a headache forming. “Today is the family grand competition, after all; you two shouldn’t overshadow the main event. Duke Mingyue, speaking fairly, Yuan Wenji already held back. Otherwise, your esteemed daughter might not have survived.”

“Might not have survived?” Chu Zhongtian sneered. “Would he dare?”

Sang Hong offered a sheepish smile, pretending not to have heard, and turned to the other side. “Duke Yangquan, Patriarch Yuan, what Yuan Wenji did was unintentional, but his strike was indeed too heavy. How about the Yuan family provides healing medicine for Miss Chu Er as an apology?”

Yuan Zhengchu naturally took the easy way out. “Certainly, certainly, it’s only right. We’ll also offer ten thousand taels of silver for Miss Chu Er’s recuperation.”

“No need. Our Chu family can afford such minor medical expenses.” Chu Zhongtian let out a heavy snort, turning directly to lead his daughter back to the Chu family’s ranks.

With Sang Hong clearly siding with the Yuan family, Principal Jiang remaining neutral, and City Lord Xie’s stance ambiguous, the Chu family would be at a disadvantage if a conflict broke out. They could only plan slowly and steadily for later.

Seeing him back down, Ji Dengtu in the crowd couldn’t help but shake his head. “Lin Danda, Lin Danda, you’re just too tolerant. To outsiders, you look rather spineless. Qin Wanru, of all the people you could have chosen back then, why did you pick this guy? Wouldn’t it have been better to follow me? You’d be guaranteed a carefree life right now.”

Wu Wei exchanged glances with the patriarchs of the Yuan and Zheng families, seeing the triumph in each other’s eyes. The Chu family’s era, it seemed, was finally over.

Shi Kun also smiled. Losing the weapon market was the first step in dismantling the Chu family. Chu Chuyan would eventually fall into his embrace.

Xie Xiu couldn’t help but whisper, “Father, are we really not going to help the Chu family?”

“We’ll certainly help,” Xie Yi replied, changing his tone. “But *when* to help is a profound matter.”

Jiang Luofu wasn’t interested in these family feuds. She was most curious about Zu An’s next move. Although his talent was extraordinary, it was just potential. He had wasted too much time in previous years, and now he was only a third-rank cultivator. Facing the fifth-rank Yuan Wendong, he was certain to lose.

Although she had told him before to appropriately display his abilities, the current situation was clearly not suitable, considering his opponent was fifth-rank.

At that moment, Chu Zhongtian, with a grim face, was about to lead the Chu family away when Yuan Zhengchu’s voice rang out: “Duke Mingyue, the competition isn’t over yet. Why are you leaving?”

If it were in the past, he certainly wouldn’t have dared to speak to Chu Zhongtian like that, but with Duke Yangquan and Prefect Sang backing him, and victory imminent, his confidence swelled considerably.

“Do we still need to compete?” Chu Zhongtian’s face was as dark as water. The Chu family only had one well-known cultivation waste left. If the other party insisted on competing, wasn’t it clearly targeting him?

Had he been too tolerant over the years, to the point where every Tom, Dick, and Harry dared to step all over him?

Wu Wei chuckled, “Of course, we need to compete. Both of your families currently have 4 wins and 1 draw. We’re just waiting for the final match to decide the victor and the ownership of the weapons market.”

Sang Hong, on the platform, also said, “Precisely. The scores are tied, and no winner has been decided. Since we are here as referees, we must act fairly. If the Chu family leaves now, the distribution of market share might become contentious in the future.”

Firstly, he was cautious by nature and worried that if the last match wasn’t completed, the Chu family might renege on their agreement later. Secondly, he was also curious about the Chu family’s legendary useless son-in-law. Recent intelligence suggested that while Zu An behaved strangely, he didn’t seem as useless as the legends claimed.

At this point, Jiang Luofu, who was nearby, also spoke. “Indeed, no matter what, the final round should be completed.” She, too, was curious about Zu An’s next choice: would he continue to bide his time quietly, or would he try to astound everyone with a single feat?

However, with a fifth-rank opponent like Yuan Wendong in the final round, it would likely be difficult for him to create a sensation.

As she spoke, she shifted her legs, her beautiful legs encased in stockings appearing exceptionally long and well-proportioned, instantly drawing the gaze of every man in the training ground. Although they saw nothing explicit, it didn’t stop their imaginations from running wild.

Hearing the two of them, Xie Yi also chimed in, “Indeed, since it’s a family grand competition, it should naturally be completed. Even if one concedes, the proper procedures must be followed.”

He wasn’t sure why Jiang Luofu suddenly supported Sang Hong. Despite his apprehension, he couldn’t help but subtly remind Chu Zhongtian that they could voluntarily concede.

Shi Kun, who had been watching the show, grew anxious. If the Chu family really conceded, wouldn’t all his previous preparations have been in vain? So he hastily said, “As far as I know, the Chu family’s son-in-law had already agreed to a decisive duel with Young Master Yuan in this grand competition. And it seems they agreed more than once?”

Wu Qing of the Wu family also smiled gleefully. “That’s right, I can attest to that. Zu An challenged Yuan Wendong repeatedly at school, saying he would teach him a good lesson during the family grand competition. I’ve been waiting for this.”

Zu An glanced at Wu Qing, thinking that she was guaranteed to fail her math class this semester. Although he had planned to compete anyway, this woman clearly had ill intentions.

At this moment, Yuan Wendong also spoke. “Indeed, Brother Zu challenged me several times before, and I’ve been waiting for today to experience Brother Zu’s excellent moves. Now that the time has finally come, I hope Brother Zu won’t disappoint me.”

Then, people from the Wu and Yuan families also chimed in, “Everyone heard it just now! Zu An even issued a challenge before the official competition. Why is he chickening out now?”

“Fight! Fight!”

The other spectators in the training ground loved to watch a good show and wished for blood and gore on the stage. Especially after seeing Zu An boisterously cheering on his wife earlier, they had all been holding a grudge.

Chu Zhongtian frowned, thinking how tough this was on Zu An. It was actually they who had instructed him to do this as a strategy—using a weaker contender against a stronger one—but others didn’t know and he couldn’t explain, leaving Zu An to bear it all alone.

He sighed inwardly. He couldn’t truly let Zu An take such a risk. He began, “For this match, we con…”

Before he could finish, Zu An quickly interrupted him. “Father-in-law, there’s no need to concede. Just let me go on stage.”

Chu Zhongtian was startled, completely surprised that Zu An dared to go on stage under such circumstances. Qin Wanru, however, had a fiery temper and was the first to glare at him. “What are you going on for? Don’t you know your own limitations? At a time like this, you still can’t change your bad habits!”

Chu Zhongtian also said, “Indeed, Yuan Wendong hates you to the bone. It’s too dangerous for you to go up there.”

Chu Chuyan also came to Zu An’s side. “I know you want to do something for the Chu family, but now is not the time to act impulsively. Yuan Wendong clearly intends to use this opportunity to retaliate against you on the stage. Wouldn’t going up now be exactly what he wants? Don’t take those rumors to heart; we all know the contributions you’ve made to the Chu family.”

“That’s right, brother-in-law, it’s too dangerous for you to go up now,” even Chu Hanzhao, lying down, opened her eyes and said weakly.

Zu An crouched beside her. “Originally, it didn’t matter whether I went or not, but the Yuan family is going too far. They struck so viciously and injured you so badly. They deserve a lesson.”

Hong Xingying, standing nearby, rolled his eyes, thinking how foolish this guy was to still be boasting at a time like this. Of course, having learned his lesson, he wasn’t stupid enough to jump out and challenge him now.

Chu Hanzhao’s small face flushed slightly when she heard him. She quietly glanced at her mother and quickly said, “I know you want to help me, but you can’t even beat me. You’d only get taught a lesson if you went up there.”

Zu An smiled faintly. “Have you forgotten that last time you whipped me seven times with the Howling Whip and I was fine? I’m not as weak as you think.”

Qin Wanru couldn’t listen anymore. “Enough, enough. Men shouldn’t casually promise things they can’t do.”

At a time like this, he still wanted to deceive her daughter! She had already warned Xiao Zhao before, yet she was still so close to this fellow.

Zu An couldn’t be bothered to look at her and directly addressed Chu Zhongtian. “Father-in-law, just let me try. The worst outcome is just losing, and frankly, the Chu family is certain to lose today anyway.”

Chu Zhongtian frowned. “We’re not worried about losing; we’re worried about your safety.”

Zu An shook his head. “In broad daylight, the Yuan family wouldn’t dare to kill. At worst, they’ll take the opportunity to break my arms and legs. If that happens, our Chu family will actually have a reason to make trouble, and then we can renegotiate the market share.”

Chu Zhongtian was momentarily stunned, not expecting Zu An to have this idea. If Zu An were intentionally severely injured by the Yuan family on the stage, combined with Xiao Zhao’s previous injury, the Chu family would indeed have a strong case. Then, whether and how to allocate the market share would allow for much more room for negotiation.

Even Qin Wanru was surprised. She had always thought her son-in-law was incompetent and loved to boast, and she disliked him considerably. But she never expected his insistence on going on stage this time was to sacrifice himself to gain the upper hand at the negotiating table for the Chu family. For a moment, she couldn’t help but regret if she had been too harsh on him just now.

Yueshan and others from the Chu family also felt admiration, and their impression of him greatly improved. Knowing it was impossible but doing it anyway—this son-in-law was truly brave.

Only Hong Xingying secretly sneered. This guy had no real ability, just a silver tongue, managing to conjure up such a good excuse.

At this moment, Chu Chuyan still shook her head. “In the past, this might not have been impossible, but now Yuan Wendong hates you to the bone. It’s likely he wants more than just to seriously injure you; he might intend to completely cripple you.”

Zu An spread his hands and gave a wry smile. “I’m already useless enough. How much more useless can I get?”

Chu Chuyan was momentarily stunned. She thought about how he had no cultivation talent, so there was little difference between being crippled or not. And his condition was already… Thinking of what happened that night, a slight blush appeared on her fair cheeks.

“Have you two been discussing this for half a day and still not finished?” Yuan Wendong’s lazy voice drifted over, sounding impatient. “Zu, are you a man or not? Are you trying to back down from the fight? If you want to retreat, fine, but declare publicly that you’re not a man and apologize to me openly. Then, as a great man, I’ll overlook the wrongs of a small man and reluctantly forgive your previous offenses.”

“Are you so eager to be humiliated by me? How can I not fulfill your wish?” While the Chu family members were momentarily stunned, Zu An directly leapt onto the stage.

“Excellent!” Yuan Wendong’s eyes lit up. Fearing the Chu family might change their minds, he instantly flew onto the stage as well, his posture many times more elegant and graceful than Zu An’s. “You want to slap my face? Come on, slap me, slap me…”

As he spoke, there was suddenly a crisp slap. His entire head buzzed, and he didn’t react for a long time.

Zu An looked at his hand, shook his head, and sighed. “I’ve never heard such an insulting request in my life. I had no choice but to grudgingly fulfill your wish.”