Chapter 9: Wife's Best Friend

Without the slightest hesitation, he swallowed the Marrow Cleansing Pill directly. He felt a cool sensation spread from his mouth, rushing straight to his head and throughout his body.

Soon after, black impurities slowly seeped from his skin, a process that only ceased half an hour later. When Zu An opened his eyes, he felt his whole body was lighter, and the world, every blade of grass and tree, seemed clearer.

Previously, due to his physical weakness, he had constantly experienced backaches and general soreness. Now, however, he felt invigorated, filled with strength. His palms and soles, which used to be perpetually cold, were now warm, as if his entire body was brimming with vitality.

"This stuff really works?" Zu An exclaimed, a look of pleasant surprise on his face. Though he wasn't sure how much his aptitude had improved, the physical changes were instantaneous.

If only he had drawn this item earlier! With his previous D-minus aptitude, seven lashes from the Wailing Whip were almost enough to fill three spell formations. If he'd had this Marrow Cleansing Pill then, he probably could have filled at least five.

A D-minus aptitude, equivalent to a 'D' in his past life, was indeed quite poor.

Only then did he notice the black sludge on his skin. He instinctively brought his nose closer to smell it, and his expression instantly became a sight to behold. The pungent odor!

He rushed to take a shower, then returned to his room and got into bed. Gazing at the mere 44 anger points left on the keyboard, he mused about visiting the "ATM Princess" again tomorrow to earn more points and see what other good items he could draw.

As the body's memories slowly merged, he recalled that the head of the Chu family was the reigning duke, and Brightmoon City was his fiefdom. The Chu family head had one son and two daughters: the eldest daughter Chu Chuyan, the second daughter Chu Huanzhao, and the heir apparent Chu Youzhao.

The original owner of this body, a commoner whose parents had died, was raised by his aunt and uncle. He was notoriously inept, neither scholarly nor martial, and apart from his good looks, possessed no other redeeming qualities.

Zu An found it puzzling why such a prominent and wealthy family would take on such a good-for-nothing as a son-in-law.

A conspiracy. There had to be one.

However, with the keyboard as his trump card, Zu An felt much more secure. He was no longer as panicked as before and grew increasingly confident about the future. Filled with pleasant thoughts, he soon drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, as he was still groggy with sleep, he was awakened by a commotion:

"Get up quickly! Master and Madam are waiting for you in the ancestral hall!"

"Leave me alone, let me sleep a little longer," Zu An mumbled, still half-asleep and struggling to register the words. He had been up late the night before and was extremely tired. He simply rolled over, intending to go back to sleep.

Unexpectedly, a basin of cold water was suddenly splashed over him. He jolted upright, startled, all traces of sleep vanishing instantly.

Opening his eyes, he saw several house servants standing by with menacing expressions. Another young warrior, holding a brass basin, was smirking coldly at him.

"You poured that water?" Zu An glared at the young warrior. Fragments of the body's memories surfaced; this person was Diao Yang, a junior captain in the mansion's guard detail, who had seemingly always targeted him.

"What if I did?" Diao Yang sneered. "You truly think you're the master of this mansion, don't you? I have no idea what the Young Miss saw in you."

Zu An immediately understood. Given Chu Chuyan's beauty, there were undoubtedly many commoners who aspired to marry above their station, and Diao Yang was likely one of them. While their differing statuses ensured he could never succeed, it didn't mean he could tolerate other "toads" getting the "swan."

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey," he thought. *He* was the toad, and his whole family were toads.

Noticing the mockery in Zu An's eyes, Diao Yang's anger flared inexplicably. "What are you staring at me for? Want to hit me? Go on, if you dare!" he challenged, pushing his face closer.

*This useless son-in-law is weaker than a woman,* Diao Yang thought. *I could take him down with one hand and one foot. It's not like I haven't beaten him before. He's such a coward; even if he's bullied, he won't say a word. That's why I can be so brazen.*

But this time, he miscalculated. He had no idea that the person before him was no longer the same man. All he saw was a swift dark blur striking his nose, and then tears and blood gushed uncontrollably from his face.

Zu An withdrew his fist, shook his head, and remarked, "What's wrong with people in this world? Why do you all love to make such pathetic demands?"

"Bastard! I'll kill you!" Diao Yang's mind went blank for a brief moment. He couldn't believe he had been struck by this good-for-nothing he'd always despised. Enraged, he drew the saber from his waist, ready to strike.

*Wait, how did his strength suddenly become so great?*

"Anger points from Diao Yang: 537!"

Just then, a calm, commanding voice rang out: "What's going on?"

A man as burly as a mountain walked in from outside. The group inside hurriedly bowed to him, exclaiming, "Greetings, Captain!"

Zu An recalled that this man was Yue Shan, the Chu family's guard captain. Diao Yang immediately rushed over to complain, "Captain, we kindly came to summon him to the ancestral hall, but not only did he refuse to get up, he even used his status as son-in-law to punch and kick us! Look, he broke my nose!"

Zu An quietly watched Diao Yang's performance. The man's ability to change his tune so quickly and twist facts was truly remarkable.

Yue Shan frowned, glancing from Diao Yang's bleeding nose to Zu An, who was soaking wet, and the basin on the floor. He quickly pieced together what had just occurred.

"Everyone is waiting in the ancestral hall, and you two are causing a ruckus here?" Yue Shan snorted. "Go to the ancestral hall first. We'll discuss other matters later." He couldn't be bothered with this trivial mess.

He knew a thing or two about Diao Yang's character and understood he deserved what he got. Naturally, he had no interest in intervening on Zu An's behalf; he looked down on such a spineless son-in-law and didn't deem him worth offending his colleagues over.

Zu An's eyes darted about, then he suddenly collapsed, groaning, "Oh, I'm gravely injured! I can't get up."

"You're injured?" Yue Shan asked, walking over to examine him. Noticing the whip marks on his body, his expression subtly shifted.

*Good thing I was quick-witted,* Zu An thought, *and slept in that bloodied tunic last night.* He then said aloud, "Yes, yesterday, the second young lady found me and whipped me ferociously with her Wailing Whip."

Everyone in the room changed their expressions. It seemed many had experienced the second young lady's formidable whip firsthand.

Only Diao Yang scoffed, "Nonsense! You had plenty of strength when you hit me just now. You don't look injured in the slightest!"

Yue Shan interjected, "The esteemed guests are growing impatient. Let's go to the ancestral hall first. Whether it's true or not will become clear then. Someone, carry the son-in-law to the ancestral hall."

He simultaneously ordered his men to find a stretcher and told Diao Yang to see a doctor.

To everyone's surprise, Diao Yang refused to go anywhere. After simply bandaging his nose, he insisted on accompanying them to the ancestral hall.

As Yue Shan turned away, Diao Yang leaned close to Zu An's ear and whispered, "Don't get cocky, you brat. Soon you won't be the Chu family's son-in-law anymore. When that happens, I'll show you what it means to wish you were dead."

Zu An was somewhat puzzled. Where did this man get such confidence? Was it simply because he'd climbed into his sister-in-law's bed on his wedding night? Yet, judging by Chu Chuyan's reaction, the Chu family didn't seem to make a big deal out of it, especially since he had even resolved things with the "victim" herself.

Filled with these doubts, he was carried to the ancestral hall.

The ancestral hall was vast. At its head hung a colossal plaque bearing the characters "Zhuimu Hall," written in a steady, resolute script that instantly evoked a sense of solemnity.

Below the plaque, two immense portraits hung on either side. Alongside them were couplets and other inscriptions. Judging by the official attire and signatures, they depicted two ancestors of the Chu family.

Beneath the portraits were an incense altar and spirit tablets, honoring the Chu family's ancestors.

In the two seats before the incense altar sat a middle-aged couple. The man had a face as noble as jade, with a few strands of beard on his cheeks, exuding an air of scholarly gentleness.

The noblewoman beside him had eyebrows like spring mountains and eyes like autumn water. Her hair was styled in a "flying bun," adorned with a golden peacock hairpin whose tail feathers fanned out, perfectly complementing the bun and enhancing her dignified elegance.

Zu An recognized them as Chu Zhongtian, the head of the Chu family, and his wife, Qin Wanru. Upon meeting Madam Chu's gaze, a sense of awe involuntarily arose within him. He surmised that the original owner of this body had harbored extreme fear toward her, and some primal instincts still lingered.

He suddenly noticed that many men in the ancestral hall were involuntarily glancing in a single direction. Only then did he see a girl in a red dress and black skirt sitting beside Chu Chuyan. His first impression of her was pure allure. She had an oval face with skin like solidified cream, and seductive, expressive "peach blossom" eyes that seemed to hold an indescribable, ambiguous sensuality, enough to make any man who saw her begin to fantasize.

"What pure wickedness!" Zu An thought, his gaze settling on her chest. *No wonder everyone's staring at her.*

Seemingly noticing his gaze, the girl didn't get angry. Instead, a faint smile played on her lips. Her bright, infectious smile instantly made people feel a subconscious liking for her.

According to his memory, this woman was Pei Mianman, Chu Chuyan's best friend. She was the young lady of the esteemed Pei family from the capital, and had recently been studying in Brightmoon City, growing quite close to Chu Chuyan.

Other people were also seated in the room, too many for him to fully observe in such haste. He only noticed some had grim expressions, while others wore looks of schadenfreude.

Noticing many in the room glancing at Pei Mianman, Madam Chu's face flickered with displeasure. She cleared her throat, and Chu Zhongtian, as if waking from a trance, quickly spoke, "Zu An, do you know why you are here today?"

"Yes, I do," Zu An replied directly. "Last night, on my wedding night, I climbed into my sister-in-law's bed."

A soft laugh escaped Pei Mianman, who covered her mouth, her cheeks slightly flushed. Clearly, she had not expected to encounter such brazen shamelessness.

The gazes of the others in the hall grew even stranger. Not only had this fellow committed such a shameless act, but he had also made a spectacle of himself before the Pei family. What a scoundrel.

Before Chu Zhongtian could speak, Madam Chu, fuming with rage, smashed the teacup in her hand onto the floor. "Bastard! You did such a thing, and you're proud of it?" she demanded. She had always cherished her two daughters, and now, with her daughter seemingly wronged, this animal spoke with such a casual tone.

Anger points from Qin Wanru: 254!

The entire ancestral hall instantly fell silent. Everyone in the Chu family knew the patriarch was gentle and honest, but his wife possessed a fiery temper.