Chapter 569: Little Brother-in-Law and Younger Sister-in-Law

Zu'an then noticed the young man's appearance bore some resemblance to Chu Chuyan and her sisters, and he couldn't help but marvel at their family's excellent genes.

However, hearing the young man's words, Zu'an was speechless. "Another brat," he thought, "how dare he speak like that?"

If it had been a young girl, perhaps he would have been more tolerant. But it was a boy, turning a potential sister-in-law into a brother-in-law. The sudden shift in expectation soured his mood, and his tone became less amiable:

“Of course, it’s because I’m handsome and dashing, because I’m as elegant as a jade tree in the wind, and because I don’t casually hurl insults at people I’ve just met, unlike some.”

Catching the sarcasm in Zu'an's voice, the young man's face flushed then paled. “Just as the rumors say,” he sneered, “a glib-tongued, low-class hooligan.”

Zu'an immediately grew angry. “You brat, you see your brother-in-law and don’t even greet him, just spout nonsense. Did you learn nothing at school in the capital all these years?”

“Such foul language!” Chu Youzhao spat. “Not only has my sister divorced you, but even if she hadn’t, I would never approve of a wretch like you.”

Zu'an leaned back casually in his chair. “Your sister approves, your father and mother approve, so who are you to need your approval?”

Thinking about his uncertain future and having recently parted ways with Chu Chuyan and Pei Mianman, Zu'an was already in a foul mood. With this fellow practically spitting fire from the moment he arrived, Zu'an naturally wasn’t in the mood to be polite.

“You!” Chu Youzhao instantly flared up in rage.

He could no longer restrain himself and immediately balled his fist, aiming for Zu'an’s face.

Zu'an’s eyes narrowed. Peak fourth-rank—quite impressive for someone so young.

Unfortunately, Zu'an had recently been fighting masters of the eighth or ninth rank, or even Grandmasters. In his eyes, the young man’s attack, given his cultivation level, was naturally full of openings.

Zu'an simply shifted his body to the side, seized the young man's fist, and with a pull and a push, threw him off balance. Then he casually twisted his arm behind his back and pinned his hand to a nearby table.

“To come out and embarrass yourself with such amateurish skills—it’s a miracle you’ve lived this long,” Zu'an couldn’t help but exclaim.

“I was just careless! If you’re so skilled, let me go and we’ll fight again!” Chu Youzhao was both ashamed and furious. Why was this guy so powerful? Was his cultivation level far superior to his own?

Impossible. Both the teachers at the Royal Academy and the elders in his family had told him his talent was exceptional, only slightly inferior to his eldest sister’s when she was his age.

With such talent, access to vast resources from a young age, and guidance from top-tier teachers, how could he be inferior to a street-bred hooligan?

It must be because he lacked combat experience, while this fellow, having grown up in the streets, naturally had plenty. He was simply caught off guard.

Zu'an casually picked up a decorative scroll from a nearby table. “Alright, brother-in-law is going to teach you your first lesson today:

When you lose, you lose. There are no excuses. Do you think an enemy will give you a second chance?”

With that, he swung the scroll directly at Chu Youzhao’s backside. This fellow clearly grew up pampered and spoiled, accustomed to being arrogant and unruly—he needed a good disciplining.

“You… you dare hit me there!” Chu Youzhao was instantly dumbfounded, his face turning beet red from either shame or anger.

“Should I hit your face instead of your backside?” Zu'an delivered another smack.

He still had to consider the reputations of the Chu and Qin families. Hitting the face could easily leave handprints, which would be an unsightly mess for everyone involved.

Hitting the backside avoided that problem. Even if this fellow went to complain, he wouldn’t dare drop his pants to show people, would he?

“I… I’ll kill you!” Chu Youzhao flailed and struggled, but Zu'an’s grip was too strong, and he couldn’t break free.

“Brother-in-law’s second lesson: When you need to yield, you yield. That’s what it means to be a wise man who knows the times.” As Zu'an finished speaking, he delivered another whack.

“Ah!” Chu Youzhao shrieked. “You scoundrel, how dare you treat me like this! My father, my mother, my sister, and my grandfather—none of them will let you off!”

Zu'an snorted. “Weren’t you so defiant just now? Why are you relying on others’ power now? Brother-in-law’s third lesson: When you’re out, you rely on yourself. Don’t think about bullying others with borrowed authority.”

Chu Youzhao was almost insane with fury. Never in his life had he been treated like this, let alone beaten in such a sensitive spot by a man. Consumed by shame and rage, he continuously cursed at Zu'an.

Unfortunately, for every insult he hurled, a hard stick responded.

Zu'an was amused. “Do you have a masochistic streak, kid? Are you deliberately cursing so fiercely just so I keep hitting you?”

“You!” Chu Youzhao’s voice choked up. This time, he truly didn’t dare to curse. The repeated smacks had genuinely terrified him.

The crucial thing was that while it hurt intensely at first, with each subsequent strike, he felt a strange sensation rising from deep within his soul, a feeling that inexplicably made his heart pound.

Noticing the tear streaks at his eyes, Zu'an looked exasperated. “A grown man, crying like this? Alright, alright, just call me ‘brother-in-law’ and I’ll let you go.”

Chu Youzhao turned his face away, biting his lip tightly, his expression full of stubborn defiance.

Zu'an wasn’t so perverse as to force a man to call him brother-in-law. Seeing his unwillingness, he didn’t press the matter and instead asked another question, “How did you get in here?”

This place was heavily guarded, and he himself was a designated criminal. Yet this fellow simply strode in?

Chu Youzhao initially didn’t want to answer him, but seeing Zu'an make a move as if to strike him again, and realizing this wasn't as shameful as calling him brother-in-law, he replied, “Grandfather sent me here. He gave me one of his tokens. He holds very high prestige in the military, and besides, my sister… also asked me to convey a message to you. In a way, we are family, so the guards outside didn’t stop me.”

“Where is your sister? Why didn’t she come herself? And what message did she send?” Zu'an pressed anxiously.

Chu Youzhao snorted. “My sister, of course, couldn’t be bothered to see you. She sent me to tell you to stop your deluded fantasies. You two have long since cut all ties… Ah, why are you hitting me again?”

“How could your sister possibly send such a message to me? Clearly, you’re making it up, you deserve this beating.” Zu'an naturally didn't believe him. “It must be that your sister is under house arrest by the Qin family and can’t come, right?”

“How did you know?” Chu Youzhao blurted out.

Zu'an chuckled softly. Hadn’t he seen enough melodramatic TV shows with this kind of plot before?

Chu Youzhao said, “That’s right. Sister wanted to ask Grandfather to save you, but Grandfather refused. The Emperor wants you dead; how could Grandfather possibly save you? Anyway, you’re as good as dead. If you truly care about my sister, then harden your heart and write her a letter breaking off all ties. Better a short, sharp pain than prolonged suffering. My sister is an extraordinary person; how could she waste her life on you… Ah, why are you hitting me again?!”

Zu'an sneered, “You’re instigating a breakup between brother-in-law and sister—don’t you deserve a beating for that?”

“Nonsense! You’re clearly just addicted to hitting me,” Chu Youzhao said, a hint of a whimper in his voice.

“You’re not a pretty young girl; do you think I’m some kind of pervert, addicted to hitting you?” Zu'an released him with a look of disgust. “A grown man crying and whimpering at the slightest provocation, how effeminate.”

“I…” As soon as Chu Youzhao was free, mortified and furious, he wanted to rush back and take revenge. But the moment his gaze met Zu'an’s, he immediately cowered again and hastily said, “I’m doing this entirely for my sister’s good. You can’t be so selfish and ruin her life with your personal greed.”

“Don’t you feel cold standing on such a high moral ground?” Zu'an gave him a cold look. “Say another word of that nonsense, and I’ll hit you again.”

“You!” Remembering the recent humiliation, Chu Youzhao could no longer hold back and charged again. “I’ll fight you to the death!”

Just then, a cold gleam shot in from outside the window. Seeing Chu Youzhao charging directly into its path, Zu'an quickly placed a hand on his chest and pushed him away. “Look out!”

Chu Youzhao stumbled backward, landing on his backside. Where they had just been standing, a dark feathered arrow quivered violently. One could easily imagine the fate of anyone struck by such an arrow.

Zu'an, however, looked at his hand somewhat distractedly, then back at Chu Youzhao. “So you’re…”

The softness and elasticity he had just felt couldn’t be faked. What man had such a conspicuously large chest?

Zu'an was momentarily dumbfounded. This “Young Master” of the Chu family was actually a girl. He wondered if Chu Zhongtian was capable or not, to have had three daughters in a row.

He had been in this world long enough to know the Great Zhou Dynasty’s system of noble inheritance. Without a son, Chu Zhongtian’s title would likely be revoked by the imperial court. No wonder he had gone to such lengths to pass off his youngest daughter as a boy.