Chapter 285: Backyard Fire

Upon hearing her words, Chu Zhongtian and Qin Wanru, standing nearby, were greatly alarmed.

Qin Wanru rushed over and pulled her daughter aside: "Chuyan, don't be impulsive; we'll find another way."

Chu Zhongtian, on the other hand, looked at Zu An with a very complex expression, thinking his son-in-law was truly extraordinary. He was clearly a commoner, a good-for-nothing in everyone's eyes. Chu Zhongtian had thought it was a miracle, like smoke rising from their ancestral grave, that he could even marry his precious daughter. Yet now, he had even gained the favor of Qiu Honglei, a woman renowned for her beauty, who was practically throwing herself at him. Was his ancestral grave just smoking? It must be on fire by now! *Sigh*, even as Duke Mingyue, I couldn't possibly take a woman like Qiu Honglei as a concubine unless I resorted to power and force. Why did thinking about it leave him feeling a bit sour?

Zu An, the protagonist of the moment, was instead filled with thoughts of TV dramas from his previous life, where often the hero would be captured, and his female confidante would have to agree to the villain's terms, sacrificing herself to save him. Now, Qiu Honglei was the villain, and he was the female confidante? But why did he feel no injustice at all? Such a good thing—he'd take a dozen!

At this point, Chu Chuyan also spoke: "Mother, I know what I'm doing." For years, Chu Chuyan had managed many of the Chu family's affairs; to some extent, she was half the master of the Chu household. Hearing her decision, Qin Wanru found it difficult to object. But why did she feel so awkward about it? In all of Brightmoon City—no, in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty—which son-in-law living with his wife's family was so brazen? He had only been here for a few days, and he was already taking a concubine? Seriously, could a live-in son-in-law even take a concubine? And his wife's family was helping him acquire one! It felt like anyone could bully their Chu family. Who exactly was the Duke's mansion here?

Rage points from Qin Wanru: 666666...

Hearing Chu Chuyan's agreement, Qiu Honglei's heart, which she had held in suspense, finally relaxed. Her visit today had been somewhat risky; although she was mostly confident, if the Chu family had truly disagreed, the consequences would have been very troublesome. Being astute and considerate, she didn't try any more tricks once they agreed. She quickly revealed Wang Yuanlong's whereabouts to appease the Chu family's anger: "I previously received news that Young Master Wang seems to be held in the Miaoyu Brothel."

"Miaoyu Brothel!" Chu Zhongtian and the others thought. No wonder they couldn't find him; Wang Yuanlong was actually hidden in a brothel! They had been searching in remote and secluded places, while he was hidden in plain sight, in the heart of the city.

"Yueshan!" Chu Zhongtian immediately commanded. Now that they knew Wang Yuanlong's location, the rest was simple. Such a matter didn't require him to go personally. With Yueshan leading a group of the mansion's elite, even if they encountered Chen Xuan, they would be able to handle it.

Yueshan quickly took the order and left. Chu Zhongtian then stared intently at Qiu Honglei. After all, they cared more about their daughter's happiness than about Wang Yuanlong. Chu Zhongtian carefully considered his words: "Miss Qiu, why did you... why did you take a liking to Ah Zu? To be honest, I still find it quite unbelievable."

Qin Wanru and Chu Chuyan, standing by, nodded in profound agreement. It wasn't that Zu An was bad, but this whole situation was simply too bizarre.

"To answer Duke Mingyue," Qiu Honglei said with a shy expression, "I'm not entirely sure myself. Love comes silently, and these past few days, I've had only one thought: to marry him at all costs."

Chu Chuyan glared fiercely at Zu An, wondering what trick this guy had used to win her over.

Rage points from Chu Chuyan: 333333...

Seeing the stream of rage points accumulating in the background, Zu An secretly chuckled. His wife's jealousy was quite adorable.

Chu Zhongtian was also dumbfounded. After a long silence, he sighed: "If Wang Yuanlong is successfully rescued, when does Miss Qiu plan to leave the Divine Immortals Abode? I'll arrange for someone to redeem you."

Qin Wanru, standing by, discreetly stomped on her husband's foot under the table, leaving Chu Zhongtian bewildered. He hastily sent a telepathic message: "What's wrong, my dear?"

Qin Wanru replied telepathically: "Why are you so eager? Can't wait to bring her back to the mansion?"

Chu Zhongtian quickly explained: "What are you saying, my dear? We gave our word first, after all. The Chu family has been trustworthy for hundreds of years; I don't want our reputation ruined on our watch."

"Do you still care about our daughter or not? You're so eager to bring this vixen back to the mansion to compete with her," Qin Wanru's foot pressed harder. "Are you getting her for Zu An or for yourself?"

Chu Zhongtian gave a wry smile: "My dear, you know my situation; how could I possibly have such thoughts?"

Qin Wanru's face flushed. She knew her jealousy was unreasonable, but her nature was always like this, and she wasn't willing to back down. She continued to grumble: "Even if you can't touch her, just looking at her must be a pleasure. That foxy enchantress, even I, a woman, feel captivated by her, let alone you men!"

Chu Zhongtian: "..." He realized that reasoning with his wife was truly unwise; the more he said, the more mistakes he would make. So, he simply shut his mouth.

Qiu Honglei glanced at the two, as if guessing their conversation, and smiled subtly: "I wouldn't presume to trouble Duke Mingyue. I actually have some savings from these past years, and I've already made arrangements with Madam Hua at the Divine Immortals Abode. Redeeming myself won't be an issue."

The others looked at each other in astonishment; even Qin Wanru felt a sense of admiration. They had seen women give themselves away for free, but never like this. Originally, when they married their daughter to Zu An, they thought the Chu family had given up too much. But compared to Qiu Honglei, that was nothing. However, the thought of a courtesan sharing a man with her daughter made Qin Wanru even more displeased. She said coldly: "The Chu family can certainly afford that amount. If Miss Qiu had to pay for her own redemption, others would laugh at our Chu family."

Qiu Honglei shook her head: "Madam Chu, I'd like to clarify one thing: I'm not marrying into the Chu family, nor am I a member of the Chu family. I belong to Ah Zu. Therefore, I wouldn't presume to let the Duke and Madam incur such expenses."

Qin Wanru: "..."Chu Zhongtian: "..."Chu Chuyan: "..."

Even Zu An couldn't help but exclaim, "Honglei, you're really too good to me."

"Shut up!" Chu Chuyan and Qin Wanru both glared at him simultaneously.

Rage points from Chu Chuyan: 250!Rage points from Qin Wanru: 250!

Zu An wisely shut his mouth. Gloating after getting a good deal indeed made him look like he was asking for a beating.

Qiu Honglei seemed startled as well, looking timidly at Zu An, then her gaze shifted back and forth between the Chu family members, her expression as pitiful as could be. Chu Chuyan felt a surge of annoyance, thinking, *I'm not scolding you, so who are you putting on this act for?* Qin Wanru was also very displeased, as it made them look like cruel villains bullying someone, but such things were difficult to explain. It was all Zu An's fault! Both of them simultaneously glared at Zu An again.

Rage points from Chu Chuyan: 444!Rage points from Qin Wanru: 444!

Seeing the newly acquired rage points in the background, Zu An suddenly had an epiphany: he had found another way to earn rage points. It seemed that having more female confidantes not only made their many admirers contribute a lot of rage points but also made the confidantes themselves jealous, contributing another wave. Those who built harems worried about disharmony among their women, but it was different for him. The more they fought among themselves, the better, because then they would get angrier, and he would get more rage points. He was a damn genius!

Chu Chuyan suppressed her anger and said calmly: "Miss Qiu may not wish to be a member of the Chu family, but Ah Zu is. Putting aside other matters, where do you plan to stay, Miss Qiu?"

"Sister is right to chastise me; I was too presumptuous," Qiu Honglei said with a slight smile. "As for where to stay, naturally, I'll live wherever Ah Zu lives. However, if Ah Zu normally resides with Sister, then just disregard what I said, and a small room for me would suffice."

Chu Chuyan felt a surge of indignation. This woman clearly knew that she and Zu An didn't live together, so saying this was clearly meant to provoke her. "That Ah Zu must have been complaining to her, otherwise, how would she know so much?" Chu Chuyan glared bitterly at Zu An.

Rage points from Chu Chuyan: 666!

Qin Wanru, standing by, sneered inwardly. This woman truly lived up to her origins from a place like the Divine Immortals Abode; her tactics were remarkably clever. Her daughter, as pure as a white flower, was no match for her. No, she would have to support her daughter more in the future.

Zu An quickly stepped in to ease the tension: "Actually, it doesn't matter where I live, haha." He thought to himself that all three of them could live together, but to keep his head, he wisely decided not to voice that thought.

Qin Wanru spoke: "Miss Qiu, it's getting late today. Let's discuss these matters leisurely another time." The older one was indeed wiser. She planned to first issue a polite dismissal to get this woman to leave, and then they could discuss what to do among themselves.

To her surprise, Qiu Honglei said with a slight blush: "Actually, I don't have to go back. After all... I'm already Ah Zu's woman."

"Zu An!" Chu Chuyan abruptly stood up, no longer able to contain herself. An intensely cold aura suddenly spread out from her.

Rage points from Chu Chuyan: 1024!

Just as she was about to say something, her face suddenly flashed with an abnormal crimson, and then she spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, collapsing weakly. Before the blood hit the ground, it had already turned into ice crystals.

"Wife!" Zu An exclaimed in shock, abandoning his previous playful demeanor as he hurriedly embraced her.

Qiu Honglei's expression changed. Rumors in the pugilistic world claimed Chu Chuyan had suffered severe internal injuries, but others said she was fine. Now, seeing this, who would have thought her injuries were even more serious than rumored.

"Get out! It's all your fault she's like this! How dare you touch her!" Qin Wanru was both angry and anxious, reaching out to push him away.

Rage points from Qin Wanru: 678!

Zu An said coldly: "Only I can save her now. Do you want to vent your anger, or do you want to save Chuyan?"

Qin Wanru froze. Remembering her daughter had mentioned that he had indeed been treating her recently, she found herself unable to retort for a moment.

Zu An picked up Chu Chuyan and hurried towards her room, with Qin Wanru following anxiously behind. Chu Zhongtian saw that Zu An said he would save Chuyan and his wife raised no objection. He understood there must be some information he was missing, but he trusted his wife's judgment. He stayed behind to handle the aftermath: "Miss Qiu, it's getting late, and the city hasn't been peaceful lately. Why don't you rest here at the mansion tonight?"

Qiu Honglei knew he was worried she might reveal Chu Chuyan's true injuries if she left. She bowed slightly: "Thank you, Duke Mingyue. I'm truly sorry about what happened today."

"It's not your fault," Chu Zhongtian said, waving his hand somewhat irritably. "Someone, take Miss Qiu to rest." He was worried about Chu Chuyan's injuries and eager to check on her, so he had no mind to deal with Qiu Honglei.

"Yes." Soon, a house servant came to lead Qiu Honglei away.

On the way, Qiu Honglei suddenly smiled enchantingly: "Young man, which room are you taking me to?"

"A guest room, of course," the servant replied, his soul nearly leaving his body, dazzled by her brilliant smile.

"Why don't you take me to your Young Master-in-law's room instead?"

"Wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

"Didn't your master and madam just tell you? That's how they arranged it."

"Oh, is that so? Alright then."

An ordinary house servant was no match for Qiu Honglei's charm. With a little effort, she made him obediently follow her instructions.