Chapter 55: Wearing Clothes and Refusing to Take Responsibility

Zu An thought for a moment and reminded, "Oh, right, remember not to tell anyone in the manor about this."

Cheng Shoubing patted his chest and assured him, "Young Master, have you forgotten my name? I'm Cheng Shoubing, the one who keeps things as sealed as a bottle."

Zu An frowned; why did he have a faint, ominous premonition?

"You go inquire first. I'll rest for a bit. Oh, and when you leave, get me a basin of water to wash my face." Zu An waved him off, thinking about the wave of Rage points he had just earned from Plum Blossom Thirteen. Wouldn't it be wonderful to wash his face and then draw a prize?

"I can see you're in a good mood." A dry, ancient voice suddenly sounded.

Zu An jumped, turning to find Old Man Mi standing behind him. He couldn't help but complain, "Old man, why do you walk so silently? You'll scare people to death!"

Old Man Mi ignored him and asked, "You didn't skip school today, did you?"

"You warned me, how could I dare?" Seeing the expression revealed by the large eye bags under the old man's eyes, Zu An had a feeling that if he had actually skipped school today, his fate would likely have been similar to Plum Blossom Thirteen's.

"That's good," Old Man Mi chuckled ominously twice. "Do you know Wei Hongde?"

Zu An felt a chill down his spine. He thought, *You'd better not smile; it's quite scary.* He replied, "Not yet."

Seeing the old man about to frown, he quickly added, "But I know his younger brother."

"He has a brother?" Old Man Mi looked somewhat bewildered.

"Yes, his brother is named Wei Suo," Zu An briefly described him.

"I didn't expect him to have another son these past few years. Heh heh, he seems to be living quite comfortably," Old Man Mi muttered to himself.

Zu An paused, "What did you say?"

"Nothing," Old Man Mi shook his head and casually tossed him a bag of silver. "Take this money. Treat the two brothers to plenty of food, drink, and entertainment to get closer to them."

Zu An cautiously asked, "What is the purpose of getting close to them? Could you perhaps reveal a little, so I can be more strategic?"

Old Man Mi revealed a chilling smile. "You'll find out in due time." After speaking, he hobbled away.

Zu An looked utterly bewildered, thinking, *You're not going to ask me to steal some 'Sutra of Forty-Two Chapters,' are you?*

He quietly counted the silver in the bag, finding a full hundred taels. Zu An couldn't help but be curious: how could an old gardener in the manor have so much money?

Zu An shook his head, pushing these thoughts aside and focusing on the lottery draw. He calculated that after drawing a prize in the afternoon, he had 54 Rage points remaining. Now he had a total of seven thousand—no, a grand total of 8305 Rage points.

In just a short time, Plum Blossom Thirteen alone had contributed over eight thousand points.

Zu An, however, was a little dissatisfied. "Shearing one person's wool is never as fast as shearing a flock's," he thought, wishing for more villains like her to appear.

After meticulously washing his face with a sense of ritual, just as Zu An was about to start the lottery draw, a servant boy suddenly ran up to report, "Young Master, the Master and Madam are calling for you?"

Zu An was startled. Could it be that they knew about him misleading Chu Huanzhao?

Full of doubts, he followed the servant boy, winding through the manor. Zu An even suspected that the boy might be deliberately leading him into a trap.

Only when they reached a grand hall and he saw several maidservants standing at the entrance did he finally relax. With so many people around, there shouldn't be any trouble.

Noticing one of the maidservants in a green dress, with a slender waist like a willow, and her hair full of delicate little braids, Zu An's heart stirred. He walked over with a grin on his face. "Well, well, I haven't seen you in a few days, Xue'er. Your waist has gotten even thinner. Are you not eating well outside? Come, Young Master will give you a rub." As he spoke, he reached out to embrace the girl.

Rage points from Qiao Xueying: 256!

Zu An was startled. So "Xue'er" wasn't her real name. It was rare for maidservants these days to have proper names, let alone such a well-structured one. It seemed this girl was quite mysterious.

Although he had previously angered Xue'er quite a bit, the Rage Point system hadn't been activated then, so this was the first time he learned her real name.

The young girl merely turned, easily dodging his lecherous hand, then glared at him with a frosty expression. "I haven't seen you in days, and you're still as repulsive as ever."

Zu An's expression became serious. "Now that's going too far! At least, they say 'one night as a couple brings a hundred nights of kindness.' Why do you act like you don't know me after putting your clothes on?"

Xue'er's small face instantly flushed crimson. "You!" The memory of her innocent body being seen by this vulgar man that day was an everlasting pain in her heart.

Rage points from Qiao Xueying: 999!

"Go on, hit me! Hit me!" Zu An looked utterly obnoxious. She had kicked him into the pool before, but back then he wasn't a cultivator and couldn't gauge her strength. Now, however, he could give it a try.

Rage points from Qiao Xueying: 1000!

Xue'er was almost dizzy with rage. She never imagined such a shameless fellow existed in the world. She felt like she could barely suppress the surging primal power within her, and she desperately wanted to beat him to a pulp.

"Stop fooling around and come in!" At that moment, Chu Chuyan's distinctly rhythmic, indifferent voice echoed from inside the room.

Xue'er took a deep breath, calmed her emotions, and coldly said, "The Master, Madam, and Young Mistress are waiting for you inside. Go in quickly."

Zu An sighed with some regret, then straightened his clothes and strode inside.

In the grand hall, Chu Zhongtian, Madam Chu, Chu Chuyan, and Chu Huanzhao were seated around a large circular table, which was already filled with various exquisite dishes.

Chu Huanzhao subtly winked at him, silently warning him to be careful.

Zu An thought, *This little girl really is loyal. I didn't dote on her for nothing before.*

Madam Chu's face was grim. "How dare you, Zu An! You openly flirt with our maidservants right in front of us? What about Chuyan? What about our family?"

Rage points from Qin Wanru: 447!

How could she not be furious? She was already displeased that her daughter had married such a good-for-nothing. Now, he was already flirting with the manor's female staff! This was outrageous, a complete rebellion!

"It's a misunderstanding! I wasn't flirting with her!" Zu An protested.

Qin Wanru snorted coldly. "Still trying to argue? Do you think we're deaf?"

Rage points from Qin Wanru: 522!

Chu Zhongtian, who was beside them, cleared his throat and added, "Xiao An, you're not a cultivator, so perhaps you don't know that for us, anything happening at this distance outside can be heard perfectly clearly."

Zu An thought, *This cheap father-in-law has quite a good temper.* He replied, "Father-in-law, I'm truly not lying, because Xue'er is already mine."

At his words, everyone in the room was stunned. Chu Chuyan, who had been calmly sipping tea and watching the drama unfold, choked directly, frantically using her handkerchief to wipe the water from the table, almost soaking her dress.

Chu Zhongtian looked at him in disbelief, his shocked gaze seeming to contain a hint of admiration.

Madam Chu's mouth hung wide open, as if her brain had short-circuited for a moment.

Chu Huanzhao, who had been secretly eating, covertly gave him a thumbs-up upon hearing this, thinking, *My brother-in-law is really something; no wonder he tormented Plum Blossom Thirteen so badly before.* "Zu, what nonsense are you spouting?!" Xue'er rushed in, both angry and anxious, and began scolding Zu An.

Cultivators could hear sounds from outside even while inside. Naturally, Xue'er, who had been eavesdropping at the door, could hear the conversation in the room.

When she heard Zu An claim she was his woman, she nearly went mad!

Rage points from Qiao Xueying: 999!

Madam Chu slapped the table. "Are there no rules in this house anymore? Get out!"

Xue'er looked wronged. "Madam, I—"

Chu Chuyan, who was nearby, spoke up, "Xue'er, you should go out for now."

With no other choice, Xue'er retreated, glaring fiercely at Zu An as she left.

Rage points from Qiao Xueying: 400!

Zu An smiled slightly. *Damn, I'm really something.* A casual remark had brought in another batch of Rage points.

After Xue'er had gone out, Madam Chu's eyes turned murderous. "Zu An, what exactly is going on? As a live-in son-in-law, do you know that we have the power to beat you to death for secretly flirting with a maidservant in this manor?"

Rage points from Qin Wanru: 587!

Zu An couldn't help but lament that a live-in son-in-law truly had no human rights. He calmly replied, "I wasn't flirting in secret; Chuyan gave her to me. She personally told Xue'er to become my bed-attendant."

Madam Chu frowned and looked at her daughter. "Chuyan, is this true?" She thought, *What's wrong with this girl? What kind of wife gives other women to her husband? Look at me, for so many years, have I ever let your father bring any random women into the house?*

Chu Chuyan's face flushed slightly, and she glared at Zu An impatiently before replying, "Mother, I did say that back then, but it was only a joke. You don't need to listen to his nonsense."

"Really?" Madam Chu was still skeptical.

"Of course it's true," Chu Chuyan glanced at Zu An. "Sit down and eat. Don't speak carelessly again, or you won't even know how you died."

Zu An immediately protested, "That won't do! I make my living with this mouth." How else could he earn Rage points if he didn't speak carelessly?

Chu Huanzhao, who was nearby, chuckled. "Didn't you say before that you make your living by your looks?"

Zu An, without batting an eyelid, replied, "I'm working on both fronts; both must be strong."

"Alright, enough with the pointless talk, eat quickly!" Seeing her second daughter chatting and laughing with that fellow, Madam Chu felt an inexplicable surge of irritation.

After sitting down, Zu An secretly glanced at Chu Chuyan. This woman was genuinely good to him; even under these circumstances, she hadn't revealed the secret of his hidden illness. Otherwise, Madam Chu wouldn't have taken his affair with Xue'er seriously.

"Why are you looking at me?" Chu Chuyan didn't turn around, simply saying indifferently while picking up food.

"Because you're beautiful," Zu An said with a smile. "Books say 'a beauty so lovely she could be eaten,' and while I used to doubt it, now I truly understand the meaning of that phrase." His cheap wife's profile was simply perfect, and her skin was so delicate it seemed it could break with a touch. What a shame he couldn't kiss her.

Chu Chuyan looked at him with some surprise. "Your state of mind seems much better?"

Zu An knew she was referring to his hidden illness. Last time, she had seen him on the verge of death. "I was originally a bit unhappy, but seeing how beautiful you are, all my worries have vanished."

Thanks to readers such as 'September Wild Crane' and 'Little Tadpole Looking for Mom' for their support.