Chapter 243: Unchanging Identity

By this point, the scene had devolved into a brawl. Chu Hongcai thrust his sword, each rapid and unpredictable move like a swift snake emerging from its hole, aiming directly at the red-haired man's vital points.

The red-haired man dared not be careless and quickly shifted several feet to the side.

This allowed Chu Yucheng to avoid the misfortune of being hit directly in the face by the scabbard. However, he was still kicked by his opponent and rolled to the side like a meatball.

He only stopped when he hit a pillar. Due to his immense weight, the entire Divine Immortal Residence seemed to shake.

"Damn it!" Such public humiliation, especially in front of the bear woman he had just befriended, was unbearable for Chu Yucheng. His eyes instantly turned red, and he charged forward with a roar.

Everyone had to marvel; this fatty's defense was truly astonishing. He had fallen so heavily, yet now he seemed completely unharmed?

Zu'an observed coolly. He could roughly tell that Chu Yucheng and Chu Hongcai were of similar cultivation, both appearing to be at the peak of the fourth rank.

However, their styles were vastly different: one focused heavily on defense with light offense, while the other focused heavily on offense with light defense. If the two were to truly fight, and Chu Hongcai couldn't defeat the opponent quickly, the longer it dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for him.

Zu'an secretly sighed. From Qin Wanru's previous words, he could sense that their relationship with the second and third branches was not good, as they were in a state of mutual suspicion.

However, seeing Chu Yucheng and Chu Hongcai fighting together against a common enemy, the relationship between the second and third branches seemed quite good.

Alas, he wondered if Qin Wanru was simply too inept at handling relationships. She really should reflect on it.

The red-haired man's background was unknown. Yet, facing the combined efforts of the two brothers, he seemed to handle it with ease; it appeared his cultivation was much higher than theirs.

"Is he a fifth-rank or a sixth-rank?" Zu'an watched for a long time but couldn't tell. The red-haired man hadn't used any elemental power at all, simply relying on basic physical strength, speed, and combat experience to easily deal with the situation.

At this moment, Wang Yuanlong finally reacted. He also took out his folding fan and charged forward, exclaiming, "Brother Yucheng, I'm here to help you!"

Unfortunately, his cultivation was far inferior to that of the Chu brothers, and the gap between him and the red-haired man was like heaven and earth. How could he possibly help?

"Ah!"

A miserable scream was heard. He had just charged forward when he was kicked out.

He didn't have Chu Yucheng's astonishing defensive fat. This kick and fall seemed to have dislocated his internal organs, and he lay on the ground for a long time, unable to get up.

Just then, with another crisp "thwack," the red-haired man found an opening and struck Chu Hongcai's arm with his scabbard.

Chu Hongcai felt a sharp pain in his arm, almost losing his grip on the long sword.

However, realizing this was Qiu Honglei's Divine Immortal Residence, he somehow found the strength to firmly grip the long sword without letting go.

But the blow had disrupted his internal energy, so he hastily circulated his energy to recover, unable to help for the time being.

Chu Yucheng clearly understood this. He directly blocked the red-haired man, gaining time for Chu Hongcai to recover.

The red-haired man struck Chu Yucheng several times. Normally, an opponent who took several heavy blows like that would have suffered severe internal injuries or broken bones, yet this damn fatty in front of him seemed perfectly fine.

After several exchanges, the red-haired man lost his patience. He directly drew his long saber and snarled, "You damn fat pig, let's see how many slashes that blubber on you can withstand!"

Chu Yucheng's expression changed drastically. They couldn't defeat the opponent even when he wasn't using a weapon; now that he had drawn one, things would be even worse.

No matter how strong the defense provided by his flesh was, it was still just flesh and blood. How could it withstand a master's saber slashes?

But it was too late to back down. He could only brace himself and charge forward, hoping to dodge a few more slashes and wait for Chu Hongcai to recover.

Unfortunately, as soon as the opponent's long saber appeared, his power surged dramatically. Soon, Chu Yucheng's figure was enveloped by flashes of cold light.

Zu'an knew that if he didn't intervene now, Chu Yucheng's blubber would likely be carved into a human stick.

He glanced left and right, grabbed a teapot, and threw it directly at the red-haired man's head.

After the blood and fire experiences in the secret realm, and the body tempering from the "Primordial Chaos Scripture," his strength and speed were now almost equivalent to a fifth-rank practitioner.

Furthermore, he chose his moment perfectly, launching a sudden sneak attack from behind.

By the time the red-haired man sensed the danger, it was too late to dodge.

With a crisp crash, the teapot shattered into pieces.

The scalding tea inside splashed all over him.

But Zu'an couldn't be happy. He watched the red-haired man with a solemn expression.

He saw light flowing around his body and a transparent film appear, which became particularly clear due to the tea splashing on it.

Suppressed gasps sounded from the private rooms on the second floor.

In the main hall, there were also those who recognized it. Someone shouted:

"A sixth-rank!"

They had initially thought he was some rural bumpkin from who knows where and were purely watching the show. But upon discovering his sixth-rank cultivation, their expressions immediately turned serious.

A sixth-rank practitioner was already considered a top master in Brightmoon City. Many teachers in the academy were only sixth-rank.

The red-haired man turned around and glared fiercely at Zu'an. "Sir, attacking from behind is not the conduct of a true hero."

Zu'an laughed heartily. "Was your earlier act of snatching invitations from others the conduct of a true hero? I am a person who distinguishes clearly between right and wrong. When dealing with heroes, I naturally use heroic methods."

"But when dealing with a scoundrel like you, of course, I must use some despicable methods."

"Haha!"

Laughter erupted around them. Among them, Wei Suo was the most excited, continuously cheering for Zu'an, which caused Wei Hongde to repeatedly press him back into his seat to avoid trouble.

"Who exactly are you?" The red-haired man's face darkened. However, he didn't act impulsively; the skill with which the other party threw the teapot was not that of an ordinary person, so it was better to be cautious.

"I don't change my name when I walk, nor my surname when I sit down. My surname is Xie, and my given name is Xiu!" Zu'an puffed out his chest and declared righteously.

The crowd in the hall exchanged confused glances.

Did he misunderstand the phrase 'I don't change my name when I walk, nor my surname when I sit down'?

Even Chu Yucheng and a few others looked at him askance.

"Pfft!" Xie Xiu, who was drinking tea and watching the show in a private room on the second floor, choked.

What the hell was that just now?

Did I just hear my name?

Xie Daoyun, sitting opposite him, nodded, suppressing a smile. That fellow downstairs was truly surprising.

The thought of having such a shameless younger brother made her face flush slightly; she'd rather die.

Pei Mianman, in a nearby room, rested her chin on her hand, gazing at the figure below with a half-smile. "He's still that shameless little scoundrel I remember," she mused. "I wonder how Chu Yan, with her rigid personality, can tolerate him."

Elsewhere, the stunning woman had already moved to the window, watching the developments below. Hearing Zu'an's words, she couldn't help but smile. "Isn't this fellow a bit too shameless?"

The man beside her was constantly flaring his nostrils, greedily inhaling her fragrance. His hands involuntarily moved several times towards her alluring, shapely buttocks, which were tantalizingly close, but he ultimately dared not actually touch them. "How can such a shameless fellow be entrusted with a great responsibility?" he said. "Junior Sister, it's still not too late to change your mind."

"On the contrary," the stunning woman smiled. "Only such a shameless fellow could possibly accomplish our plan. Hehe, I'm becoming more and more interested in this guy."

Although he knew her words held no romantic interest, hearing such a beautiful woman express interest in another man still made him uncontrollably jealous to the point of madness.

"Oh dear, I should go down, lest the situation below gets out of hand," the stunning woman said, turning to the man beside her, her beautiful, jewel-like eyes gazing at him. "Senior Brother, I need to change."

The man immediately reacted. "I'll go out right away..."

Just hearing that she was going to change made him incredibly excited just thinking about it.

The stunning woman escorted him to the door. Pausing before closing it, she smiled mischievously, "Senior Brother, no peeking~"

The man's old face flushed. He hastily replied, "How could I be that kind of person, Senior Sister!"

To show his resolve, he turned and strode away, quickly disappearing at the stairwell.

"Thank you, Senior Brother~" After the stunning woman closed the door, the charming smile on her face instantly vanished.

A hint of coldness appeared in her eyes. The man's actions behind her just now had not escaped her notice. She let out a cold snort. "Good thing he's sensible."

Meanwhile, in the main hall, the red-haired man frowned. "You are Xie Xiu?"

"Who else?" Zu'an puffed out his chest and said proudly, "In all of Brightmoon City, when it comes to handsomeness, besides the Chu family's son-in-law, who else is as handsome as I am?"