Chapter 96: Stone Prince

Old Man Mi ignored the comment. How could Moonbright City's infamous good-for-nothing possess good talent? Had everyone else been blind all these years? After much thought, there was only one explanation: "Perhaps your physical condition is perfectly suited for this movement technique. Practice it well and master it; it should be more than enough to defend yourself against Yuan Wendong."

"By the way, don't tell anyone that I taught you this movement technique. Also, it's best not to tell anyone its name, 'Sunflower Phantasm,' to avoid trouble."

Zu An nodded profusely, "I know, I know..."

It seemed this old man was a master of prudence. On second thought, how else could he have remained an obscure flower farmer in the Chu family for so many years if he wasn't cautious?

Seeing him agree, Old Man Mi finally left with a sense of relief.

Zu An then began practicing the "Sunflower Phantasm" he had just learned. As he practiced, a thought suddenly struck him: this movement technique was so strange and swift, it would be too wasteful to use it merely for evasion. What if it were used for attack?

He immediately thought of the "Thirteen Forms of Basic Swordsmanship." This swordsmanship emphasized straightforward attacks, aiming to inflict maximum damage on the opponent with the shortest distance and fastest speed. Although to true masters, its emphasis on offense over defense left numerous openings, what did it matter if the opponent saw the openings if his speed was fast enough?

Thinking of this, he became somewhat excited. He immediately began practicing the "Thirteen Forms of Basic Swordsmanship" in conjunction with "Sunflower Phantasm." While the "Thirteen Forms of Basic Swordsmanship" usually seemed a bit monotonous and dull due to its straightforward nature, combined with the bizarre movements of "Sunflower Phantasm," the courtyard instantly glinted with cold light and crisscrossing sword energy.

If an outsider were to see it, they would only perceive a ghostly figure flashing in and out of sight, perhaps even being frightened.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Zu An, and he quickly retracted his sword. Several guards, hearing the commotion, rushed over. "Young Master-in-law, are you alright?" they asked.

Zu An recognized them as the guards Chu Zhongtian had arranged to protect him after the incident with Xue'er. He couldn't help but grumble inwardly, *Old Man Mi was just here, and you didn't react at all.*

"Nothing, I'm just practicing my sword here," Zu An said, wiping the sweat from his forehead and smiling slightly.

"Oh, then we won't disturb you," the guards said, and seeing nothing amiss, they withdrew.

"The Young Master-in-law is truly so weak," one muttered. "He's already sweating profusely just from practicing basic swordsmanship."

"Our Young Miss is truly pitiful."

"The commotion from over there just now seemed quite significant. Was I really hallucinating?"

"Pah, you're definitely too stressed lately," another scoffed. "How could the Young Master-in-law possibly make such a commotion?"

"That's true," the first guard conceded.

Hearing the distant whispers, Zu An's face darkened. It seemed his image truly needed some improvement.

Originally, he had been somewhat anxious about the family martial arts competition, but after acquiring "Sunflower Phantasm," he felt much more confident. This ghostly movement technique and the Thirteen Forms of Basic Swordsmanship were a perfect match, just like the Evil-Warding Sword Manual from novels.

At this thought, his smile suddenly froze. He immediately realized that the name of this technique included the character "sunflower," and Old Man Mi had just mentioned a major hurdle in cultivating it, claiming normal people couldn't learn it. Moreover, the old man's gaze had drifted towards his crotch...

Oh my god!

This couldn't possibly be the Sunflower Manual, could it?

The moment this thought arose, Zu An was so scared he dropped his sword on the spot.

Will this ever end? He instantly felt the deep malice of this world. Not only was his "little brother" sealed, but now he was even being offered the Sunflower Manual and the Evil-Warding Sword Manual?

With a sour face, Zu An returned and collapsed into bed, no longer in the mood to practice swordplay.

At this moment, someone else was in an even worse mood. In the main headquarters of the Plum Blossom Gang, a valuable official kiln porcelain cup was thrown to the ground with a crash, shattering into pieces.

Mei Chaofeng, half-kneeling on the ground, felt his eyelids twitch. That had been his favorite teacup, one he had gone to great lengths to acquire and cherished daily. If it had been anyone else, not only smashing it but even just touching it would have gotten them dragged away and fed to dogs. Yet at this moment, he felt not a shred of anger, only trembling as he knelt on the ground.

Another person was kneeling beside him: Xue'er, dressed in a green gown with a head full of exquisitely braided pigtails, who had previously been barking orders at him.

Before today, Mei Chaofeng had always found the girl annoying, but now he felt a sense of shared misfortune.

Seated above them was a young master with an imposing bearing. He wore a dark purple brocade robe with a white barbarian-patterned belt cinched at his waist. His features were exceptionally handsome, and his long, black, lustrous hair made him appear even more dashing and elegant.

However, at this moment, his face was grim, and he was looking furiously at the two kneeling figures, lending his entire demeanor a gloomy air.

"You two are truly my excellent subordinates," the young master said, his face holding a smile but his tone utterly devoid of amusement. "Xue'er, I recall you sent me a message not long ago, saying everything was under control and that the good-for-nothing Zu An would soon disappear from this world forever. And now you're telling me your identity has been exposed and you've fled from the Chu family?"

"Please forgive me, Young Master, there were some minor unexpected issues," Xue'er said, biting her lip, her face filled with shame. She had intended to resolve issues for him, but instead, she had completely botched the mission. What made it worse was that her target was supposedly a notorious good-for-nothing.

"Minor unexpected issues?" the young master sneered. "Do you have any idea how many resources I spent and how many connections I leveraged to cleanly infiltrate you into the Chu family? You've been undercover for years, and I've waited patiently for everything to come to fruition. And you've ruined everything!"

"I will definitely atone for my mistakes, please have mercy, Young Master!" Xue'er cried, immediately kowtowing with her head touching the ground, her delicate body trembling violently.

The young master didn't even glance at her, turning instead to Mei Chaofeng. "And you, Xue'er is young, a woman, and inexperienced, so it's understandable that she's unreliable. But you're an old hand, a criminal overlord! How could you also fall into the hands of that good-for-nothing? You actually directly lost 7.5 million taels of silver," he sneered. "Have all the tributes you've given me over the years even amounted to that much?"

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Mei Chaofeng. *From the young master's words, it seems Xue'er's punishment is more bluster than substance, being handled lightly. Is he making an example of me now?* He quickly defended himself: "This was all due to my subordinates' incompetence. By the time I received the news, it was already too late. No matter how hard I thought, I couldn't have imagined anyone winning 7.5 million taels in just two rounds."

"And, furthermore, I originally didn't intend to acknowledge those 7.5 million taels, but Miss Qiao made me agree, so I had no choice but to write the IOU."

He couldn't help but be so nervous and flustered. The man before him was Shi Kun, the Sixth Young Master of the Shi family in the capital. His father was the Grand Marshal of the current dynasty, and the Shi family was one of the capital's top families. Shi Kun himself was not only handsome and dashing but also a recognized genius, well-liked by everyone in the Shi family, and often entrusted with important responsibilities.

He was in charge of some of the Shi family's clandestine affairs. As far as Mei Chaofeng knew, organizations like the Plum Blossom Gang existed in many prefectures across the country, all secretly supported and controlled by the Shi family.

Although the Plum Blossom Gang appeared glamorous on the surface, in reality, most of the profits from their various businesses had to be handed over to the Shi family. That was probably why the young master was so angry upon learning Mei Chaofeng owed 7.5 million taels.

"Oh? Xue'er made you write it?" Shi Kun said, looking at Xue'er. "Are you an infiltrator for our Shi family, or for the Chu family?"

Xue'er quickly recounted the situation. "Young Master, under those circumstances, refusing to write it would have been difficult to resolve. I also didn't want to cause further complications, and I thought I could easily retrieve the IOU later, so I didn't think much of it."

Shi Kun let out a heavy snort. "It's a shame you've been trained by the Shi family for so long; your vision is still so narrow. In that situation, I don't believe the Chu family would truly dare to mobilize the Crimson Robe Army. If he dared to make a move, he would invite a thunderous strike from the imperial court the very next day."

Xue'er lowered her head. "I did not consider it thoroughly."

Shi Kun then asked, "Even if that's the case, why did you fail when you later went to kill Zu An?"

Xue'er replied, "That guy has been hiding his true capabilities. On the surface, he's a good-for-nothing, but in reality, he's a cultivator."

"A cultivator? What rank!" Shi Kun immediately sat up straight.

"At most around the third rank, but his combat strength is a bit strange..." Xue'er said with some uncertainty. His vital energy fluctuations indeed only appeared to be just above the third rank, but when they actually fought, it seemed like more.

"You, a fifth-rank cultivator, couldn't even kill a third-rank one?" Shi Kun laughed in exasperation. "Have you been living like a dog all these years?"

Xue'er's face flushed. "At that time, I don't know what happened, but I suddenly had severe abdominal pain..."

She had consulted many doctors afterward, and they found nothing wrong with her body. According to her description, all the doctors said it was the kind of pain experienced during pregnancy and childbirth. But how could she, an unmarried virgin who had never been with a man, possibly be pregnant? Moreover, the symptoms had vanished without a trace afterward, leaving her completely baffled.

"Abdominal pain at a crucial moment—you're truly useless!" Shi Kun let out a cold snort, his face turning extremely grim. "Since this Zu An isn't a good-for-nothing, that proves everything he did before was intentional. And it turns out it was effective, lowering the Chu family's guard, and allowing him to successfully become their son-in-law."

"If he were a good-for-nothing, I wouldn't be worried at all," Shi Kun continued. "But if he's been hiding his true capabilities, then he might genuinely win the heart and soul of Miss Chu!"

The thought of Chu Chuyan's peerless beauty gently lying in Zu An's arms filled Shi Kun's heart with maddening jealousy.

Xue'er naturally knew his thoughts and quickly said, "Young Master, don't worry. They sleep in separate rooms, and the Young Miss doesn't like Zu An at all. She won't let him succeed."

"Not for now, but who knows about the future?" Shi Kun suddenly stood up. "No, this trouble must be resolved quickly. By the way, what was your previous plan?"

Mei Chaofeng glanced at Xue'er and said with some schadenfreude, "Originally, Miss Qiao said she had arranged for someone to expel Zu An from Moonbright Academy, and then I could easily find an opportunity to kill him outside. But unexpectedly, the person she found not only failed to expel Zu An but was expelled himself instead."

Shi Kun truly laughed in exasperation. "If I hadn't rushed over because the Yaoguang Secret Realm opened, I probably wouldn't have known so many 'exciting' things happened here. Tell me, what exactly happened!"

Xue'er's face was also filled with awkwardness. "I used your connections in Moonbright City and asked Registrar Yang to help expel Zu An from the academy. Who knew that fellow Zu An's proficiency in arithmetic was even better than Registrar Yang's? In the end, Registrar Yang was expelled from the school instead."

"What? How is this guy good at everything?" Shi Kun was instantly shocked. Was this still the good-for-nothing mentioned in the previous intelligence reports?

Xue'er's face flushed slightly as she thought, *That guy is at least bad at one thing.* But she had no intention of telling the young master about it.