Chapter 54: You call them and they obey?

Lu De frowned, feeling that something was amiss.

At this point, Zu An spoke again, "Even if, for argument's sake, it really was a gambling debt I owed, where's the IOU? Show it to everyone."

Plum Blossom Thirteen anxiously said, "I already returned the IOU to you!"

Zu An raised both hands, "Director, to prove my innocence, please search me and see if I have any such fabricated IOU on me."

"You just tore up the IOU!" Plum Blossom Thirteen finally understood why Zu An had acted that way earlier; he had intended to trick him all along.

Zu An replied, "Even if it was torn, there should still be some scraps of paper left on the ground, right?"

"You just ground it into dust, and it's already been blown away by the wind," Plum Blossom Thirteen hastily retorted.

Zu An sighed, "Can't you come up with a more convincing excuse? Everyone in Brightmoon City knows I'm a notorious good-for-nothing. If I had the ability to grind an IOU into dust without a trace in such a short time, would I still be in the Yellow Class?"

"But it really was him..." A chill ran down Plum Blossom Thirteen's spine, and he hastily tried to explain himself to Lu De.

"Enough!" Lu De's face darkened. "Your Plum Blossom Gang has always acted recklessly, and we usually don't interfere. But coming here to bully our students is unacceptable! Today, I'll break both your legs. Go back and tell Mei Chaofeng that if any other reckless individuals come here next time, I won't show any mercy."

With a flick of his sleeve, the disciplinary ruler, as if it had eyes, suddenly appeared at Plum Blossom Thirteen's knees and struck twice. Plum Blossom Thirteen's tall frame collapsed, and he clutched his legs, screaming in pain.

Zu An noticed that Plum Blossom Thirteen's legs were twisted like pretzels, indicating at least a comminuted fracture. He gasped. Wei Suo had often spoken of how painful it was for students to be hit by Lu De's ruler, but compared to Plum Blossom Thirteen's fate, it was clear that Lu De had been merciful on other occasions. What surprised him even more was how Lu De had used the ruler. He hadn't held it with his hand; instead, it flew automatically to Plum Blossom Thirteen's legs, struck, and then flew back, much like the God-Beating Whip wielded by Jiang Ziya in *Investiture of the Gods* that Zu An had seen before.

"That thing is a magic artifact," Zu An thought. "I'd better make sure it never lands on me, or I'd die without even knowing how."

Rage points from Plum Blossom Thirteen: 567!

Plum Blossom Thirteen, groaning on the ground, glared at Zu An with extreme malice. Such was human nature: he dared not blame Lu De, who was far too powerful, but he could freely vent his anger on someone weaker than himself. He thought that once his injuries healed, he would break all of Zu An's limbs – no, all five of them – then slowly dismember him and throw him into Jackal Valley!

Lu De tossed the primeval stone in his hand to Zu An and said in a deep voice, "Keep it safe. You are too weak; you should understand the principle of not flaunting your wealth."

Zu An nodded repeatedly, "The director is right, the director is right. But this guy just robbed me of my silver too. I hope the director can help... hehehe..."

Lu De frowned, thinking this guy was full of complaints. However, since Zu An was a student of the academy, he snorted and made a grabbing motion in the air towards Plum Blossom Thirteen. The man's money pouch flew into Lu De's hand.

"How much money did he take from you?" Lu De asked.

Zu An took the silver pouch. "All of this was stolen by him. Thank you, Director, thank you."

Lu De frowned. He wasn't without suspicion, but considering Plum Blossom Thirteen's usual criminal activities and the unlikelihood of the money being clean, he decided not to bother and simply tossed the money pouch to Zu An.

Plum Blossom Thirteen, standing by, was so enraged he almost spat blood. "That silver is mine! You just gave me over a hundred taels, and the remaining eight hundred taels were all hard-earned savings from years of work!" He hadn't expected Zu An to be so shameless, not only framing him for stealing the primeval stone but now even robbing him of his own money? He had never trusted anyone but himself, always carrying all his valuables with him, only for years of hard work to now benefit someone else!

Rage points from Plum Blossom Thirteen: 1000!

"You say this is your silver?" Zu An heard him, then dangled the money pouch in front of him. "Then call out to it. Let's see if it answers."

Plum Blossom Thirteen could no longer hold back. Overwhelmed by rage, a sweetness rose in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of old blood.

Damn it, who's the villain here?!

Rage points from Plum Blossom Thirteen: 1000!

Lu De gave him an indifferent look, too lazy to concern himself further with the situation. He waved his hand at the onlookers, "Everyone, disperse. Go home."

Zu An also waved goodbye to Plum Blossom Thirteen, then left with Chu Hanzhao and the others.

"Just you wait, Zu An! Our Plum Blossom Gang will never let you off!" Plum Blossom Thirteen's shrill curses echoed from behind.

Rage points from Plum Blossom Thirteen: 1000!

Zu An frowned. The Plum Blossom Gang had tried to target him repeatedly. It seemed he would have to find a way to deal with them permanently, for it's impossible to guard against thieves for a thousand days when they can strike any day.

Once they were out of earshot, Cheng Shoubing could no longer hold back and ran over with a fawning expression. "Young Master, Young Master, my admiration for you is like the surging river, endless..."

"Enough with the flattery," Zu An said, pushing his face away. He simultaneously pulled out a silver ingot from Plum Blossom Thirteen's money pouch and handed it to him. "Here's a reward for you. You were quite observant just now."

"Thank you, Young Master!" Cheng Shoubing fondled the silver ingot in his hand, his face beaming with joy.

"What about mine?" Chu Hanzhao, standing nearby, extended a hand towards him, her small hands as delicate as white jade.

Zu An also tossed her a silver ingot, but Chu Hanzhao's eyebrows shot up. "Is this all you're giving me? Are you treating me like a beggar?"

Cheng Shoubing's smile froze beside them, clearly offended.

Zu An had a headache. "Then how much do you want?"

"At least half!" Chu Hanzhao said excitedly. She used to cause mischief in the manor, but no one dared to argue with her because she was the Second Miss. She had never felt such a sense of accomplishment as she did today.

"Half? Are you robbing me?!" Zu An jumped up instantly.

"Hmph, if I hadn't covered for you, do you think that 'Bright Peak' would have believed you so easily?" Chu Hanzhao puffed out her chest. "I risked the Chu family's reputation to help you act. What's wrong with taking half?"

"A third at most," Zu An said, rubbing his temples, then handed her a few more silver notes.

Only then did Chu Hanzhao relent. She repeatedly counted the silver notes in her hand, her eyes seemingly sparkling.

"Don't tell me you're that desperate," Zu An said with a look of disdain. "You're the Second Miss of a Duke's manor. Do you really need to act like this for a few hundred taels of silver?"

"That's different. Before, it was all given to me by my parents. This time, I earned it myself. My first time earning money is definitely worth celebrating," Chu Hanzhao said with an exceptionally sweet smile.

Did this girl misunderstand the meaning of earning money? If her parents found out he had led their precious daughter astray like this, would they flay him alive? The thought sent shivers down Zu An's spine. He quickly pulled her along and said, "Don't tell your parents about this when we get home."

"Why? I earned money for the first time; they should be happy, right?" Chu Hanzhao blinked, her eyes full of innocent confusion.

"Uh..." Zu An thought for a moment, then tried explaining in a different way. "Based on what you know about them, do you think they'd agree to you continuing to earn money this way if they found out?"

"That's true. Alright, I won't say anything then," Chu Hanzhao said, carefully tucking the silver notes into her bosom. Then she patted his shoulder. "Remember to call me next time something good like this happens."

Zu An didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This girl was simply a mischievous imp.

Back at the Chu manor, the two parted ways, as their residences were in different directions.

After returning to his small room, Zu An pulled Cheng Shoubing over. "Little Bottle, do you know how much it costs to buy a small courtyard in the city?" Living under someone else's roof at the Chu manor wasn't very pleasant, especially with someone secretly trying to kill him within the family. It would be much more comfortable to live in his own house. Before, it couldn't be helped, but now he had several hundred taels of silver and seven primeval stones that could be cashed in. All in all, he was worth over a thousand taels. In his previous life, which man didn't dream of going back to ancient times to be a dissolute young master, with beautiful wives and maids at home, and going out to bully men and women... *cough*... just casually stroll around town? Now that he was in this world, he had the chance to fulfill his former dream. He could put aside thoughts of a beautiful wife for now, but a charming bed warmer was definitely an option!

Cheng Shoubing immediately looked wronged. "Young Master, are you abandoning me?"

"Speak properly, don't act like I'm going to abandon you after using you," Zu An said, his face darkening. "I just want to acquire a residence so I'll have a place to stay if things don't go well. If you're willing, you can follow me then. Oh, and how much does a pretty little maid cost?"

Upon hearing "little maid," Cheng Shoubing's eyes lit up, and he began to analyze for him. "A small courtyard in the city would probably cost a few hundred taels; some dilapidated ones might go for as little as a hundred. However, pretty little maids are a bit expensive. Slave brokers have them ranging from dozens to thousands of taels."

Zu An secretly rejoiced that this era was unlike his own world, where housing prices were skyrocketing. Otherwise, a thousand taels, which would convert to only 180,000 in his time, would probably only be enough to buy a toilet.

"The price of maids varies so much?" Zu An was surprised. "Why are those costing thousands of taels so expensive?"

"I heard they're proficient in all four arts—music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—and each is as beautiful as a celestial fairy..."

Cheng Shoubing was interrupted before he could finish. Zu An waved his hand. "Alright, alright, I'm not starting a girl group. Why do I need so many talents? Just find some pretty ones with gentle personalities. Those skills aren't important."

Cheng Shoubing hummed in response, secretly grumbling to himself, "If you can't afford it, just say so. Don't pretend you don't need it."