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Chu Chuyan was planning to order the servants to prepare a carriage, but Zu An stopped her. He felt that it wasn’t a bad idea for the two of them to stroll under the moonlight and nurture their feelings for one another. It wouldn’t be as romantic on a carriage, especially since they would arrive at their destination in a jiffy.
Chu Chuyan also didn’t insist on the carriage either, so the two of them ended up walking out onto the streets together.
It didn’t take long for them to draw the attention of the passers-by, though it was mostly due to Chu Chuyan. She had an appearance and disposition that would put her in the spotlight no matter where she went.
Snow looked not bad either. She had an adorable face, which was further accentuated by her little ponytail. Some of the surrounding eyes were directed toward her too.
As for Zu An, he was more or less just a sidekick meant to highlight the two beauties. Of course, the man himself vehemently disagreed with that opinion. He felt that his suave and dashing appearance had a fair chance at catching the eyes of the women around.
“Look, look! That’s the First Miss of the Chu clan!”
“Oh my, she’s really as beautiful as a fairy!”
“That maid standing next to her doesn’t look bad either. She looks much more beautiful than most young misses of prominent clans!”
“Of course! How can someone subpar be worthy of serving Miss Chu?”
“Oh? How would you justify that toad standing by her side then?”
“Ah, that fellow must be the renowned useless drafted son-in-law of the Chu clan. Just look at his oily face, it’s obvious that he’s nothing good.”
“Miss Chu is pretty, but I must say that she doesn’t have an eye for people.”
“Are you saying that the son-in-law chosen by the Chu clan is no match for you?”
“Haaa? Even I would beat that fellow with ease!”


The discussions coming from the crowd sounded extremely jarring to Zu An’s ears.
You’re the toad, your whole family are toads!
In order to further disgust those people who were talking bad about him, he intentionally stuck closer to Chu Chuyan, making it appear as if they were very intimate with one another.
And just as he had expected, it immediately brought him a huge wave of Rage points.
Gahahahahaha! Envy me more! I hope all of you die of envy!
Zu An’s heart bloomed with happiness. Wealth and a beautiful wife were meant to be flaunted. He would be letting down all of his haters if he didn’t use such good resources he had on hand to earn some additional Rage points!
“Did you bring me out on a walk just to satisfy your shallow pride?” Chu Chuyan saw through Zu An’s intent right away, and she felt deep regret for choosing to go along with the latter. How was she to know that he would have such plans in mind?
“Of course not. I’m just trying to nurture our feelings,” Zu An replied with a smile.
“
” Chu Chuyan.
Snow harrumphed coldly from the back. “What kind of feelings could possibly be nurtured between you and our young miss? Stop putting yourself on a pedestal!”
Zu An was already used to Snow’s poisonous tongue, so he disregarded her remarks and rebuked her mercilessly, “Your masters are speaking over here. Servants should know when to excuse themselves.”
You have successfully trolled Qiao Xueying for +300 Rage!
“You!!!” Snow pointed a finger at Zu An furiously. You are really forcing me to use my ultimate technique, huh? “I guess heaven gave you a big mouth to compensate for what you’re lacking there.”
As she spoke, she shot a pitiful glance at his crotch.
But surprisingly, Zu An didn’t lose his anger at all. Instead, he choked her back with a “Regardless of whether I’m lacking or not, it doesn’t change the fact that I’m the first man who saw and touched your body.”
You have successfully trolled Qiao Xueying for +999 Rage!
Snow really couldn’t understand how this man could be so thick-skinned. Even while he was talking about her body, he showed no signs of embarrassment at all.
Chu Chuyan finally reached the limits of her patience and berated the two of them, “Enough! Don’t the two of you find it embarrassing talking about such matters on the street?”
The two of them turned their faces to the sides with a cold harrumph in unison.
Seeing how the uncanny resemblance in their movements, Chu Chuyan suddenly had a ridiculous thought that these two were the real couple, and that she was no more than a third wheel here.
She quickly evicted the thought from her mind and said, “Speaking of which, I heard that you killed dozens of Assrip Wolves?”
Zu An was surprised to hear that. “Where did you hear that from?”
“Huanzhao told me about it. She was so gleeful that it almost looked like she was boasting about something incredible.”
Recalling the excited look on her younger sister’s face, Chu Chuyan’s lips curled up into a briliant smile. It was almost like the first crack of spring revealing itself before an eternal winter. All of the men that were watching her at that very moment fell into a daze.
“Of course. Your hubby is no longer the same person as he used to be. I’ll let you know that I’m quite a formidable figure now!” Zu An replied with a proud expression that was practically screaming ‘Praise me more! Praise me more!’.
Snow burst into laughter. This fellow just can’t stop his bragging, huh?
Chu Chuyan, on the other hand, didn’t pay any heed to Zu An’s words. She knew that Zu An had a tendency to boast, so she attributed the matter to Ji Xiaoxi coming up with a white lie to save him from the quandary he was in. Most likely, those Assrip Wolves were already knocked out by Ji Xiaoxi’s poison before the two of them moved on to kill them.
“But speaking of which, how did you get acquainted with Pei Mianman?” Chu Chuyan suddenly recalled a matter and asked.
This was the greatest doubt she had in mind at the moment. Given Pei Mianman’s personality, it was impossible for her to offer her help to this fellow.
“Naturally, it’s because she was charmed by my looks. She fell in love with me at first sight and lusted over my body!” Zu An couldn’t possibly mention the encounter they had with one another that night, so he simply came up with something on the spot.
You have successfully trolled Qiao Xueying for +99 Rage!
You have successfully trolled Passerby A for +99 Rage!
You have successfully trolled Passerby B for +99 Rage!
You have successfully trolled Passerby C for +99 Rage!


Those shameless remarks provoked murmured cursings from Snow and the passers-by.
Chu Chuyan was also rendered speechless by Zu An’s shamelessness. She was more inclined to believe that Pei Mianman had helped him in view of their friendship. However, there was still one more matter that didn’t make sense under that explanation.
“I heard that you mentioned some night between the two of you back at the academy. What happened?”
Zu An hesitated a little. “I’m afraid that you won’t believe me.”
Chu Chuyan replied calmly, “How would you know that if you don’t give it a try?”
Hearing that, Zu An sighed deeply and said, “That night, the two of us were hugging tightly with one another, rolling all over the ground. She doesn’t want others to know about that.”
Chu Chuyan’s face immediately turned cold. “I really don’t like how you spout lies one after another so easily. Does it hurt you to speak the truth for once? It’s one thing for you to run your mouth before me, but if Pei Mianman were to hear those words, you can be sure that she’ll kill you in a heartbeat.”
You have successfully trolled Chu Chuyan for +99 Rage!
After saying those words, Chu Chuyan proceeded ahead with a frosty face. Seeing that her young miss had lost her temper, Snow quickly rushed forward to grab Chu Chuyan’s arm before turning her around to direct a gleeful smile at Zu An.
Zu An could only sigh deeply to himself. Told you that you wouldn’t believe it. Just what is wrong with this world? Everyone takes my lies at face value, only to doubt all of the truths I reveal!
But speaking of which, it sure was difficult to earn his wife’s Rage points. Despite even hinting at an extramarital affair, she was still so stingy as to only give him 99 Rage points. It was almost as if she was really born a glacier mountain.
It was then that Zu An realized that the two women were far ahead of him, so he quickly rushed forward to catch up with them.
It took a while before Chu Chuyan’s expression finally alleviated a little. She hesitated for a bit before asking, “Are you not having a good time at the Chu Estate?”
Zu An was surprised by those words. “Why would you ask that question?”
“I heard that you’re planning to buy a residence outside,” Chu Chuyan answered.
Zu An suddenly felt something snap in his head.
That darned bastard Cheng Shouping! He promised me to keep it a secret, but he still ended up rambling all about it to the entire world! I was still feeling guilty for forgetting to bring him out together with me, especially since I did promise to help him get together with Snow.
But now? Eat shit, you twat!
“Nah, I’m just a little interested in the property market,” Zu An replied sheepishly. He needed her help for what that was going to happen right after, so it wouldn’t do for him to anger her now.
Chu Chuyan replied with a nod before falling silent once more. Just like that, the group of three trudged down the streets with nary a word.
With nothing much to do, Zu An looked around him and noticed that many of the passers-by couldn’t resist directing a second and third glance at Chu Chuyan, some of their gazes lingering on even after she had passed them. It appeared that his wife’s outstanding disposition and beautiful appearance were almost universally attractive.
A while later, the three of them arrived at the entrance of a resplendent-looking store. Zu An turned to Chu Chuyan and said, “We’re here.”
A huge crowd was constantly entering and leaving the store, a testimony to its good business.
Chu Chuyan glanced at the plaque above with the words ‘Silverhook Casino’ written elegantly, and her face darkened a little. “You brought me to a gambling den?”
Zu An nodded. “Indeed.”
He had previously heard that the Plum Blossom Sect was the largest underworld organization in Brightmoon City. Their sources of income included protection fees from the nearby stores and high-interest loans, but their most lucrative business was still no other than their casino.
Money was the foundation of all organizations, and most conflicts stemmed from monetary disagreements too. Since the Chu clan was unable to utilize its authority to resolve the problem, he could only wage an economic war against the Plum Blossom Sect and ruined their source of income. If so, the Plum Blossom Sect would be pretty much crippled.
However, such a course of action risked severe backlash from the Plum Blossom Sect. If he accidentally riled them up too much, they might just screw it all and make an outright attempt on his life. Thus, he had to bring Chu Chuyan along with him.
Given Chu Chuyan’s rank five cultivation and her identity as the First Miss of the Chu clan, the Plum Blossom Sect wouldn’t dare to act too recklessly.
It was true that the Chu clan’s hands were tied on many matters, but if someone were to dare hurt their family members, one could be assured that the ducal clan would make its military might known. By then, even if this matter got to the royal court, the Chu clan had nothing to fear.
But even though Zu An had it all planned out, it would be for naught if Chu Chuyan refused to cooperate with him. The latter’s face darkened as she said, “Don’t you know that our Chu clan strictly forbids its clan members from engaging in gambling?”
“Does it? Why?” Zu An feigned ignorance.
In truth, he was also quite curious as to why the Chu clan had such a rule. There were also noble clans that were very firm on their discipline, but they never went to the extent of outright forbidding gambling.
Chu Chuyan answered the question calmly, “Our Chu clan had a patriarch who was obsessed with gambling and nearly gambled the clan’s fortunes away. It took many generations of wise leadership and diligence before the Chu clan finally built itself back up. Nevertheless, our business and fief are still less than half of what they used to be. If not for that, the only dominant power in Brightmoon City would have just been our Chu clan.”
Zu An nodded in realization. The four major noble clans in Brightmoon City consisted of the Chu clan, Zheng clan, Yuan clan, and Wang clan. The Zheng clan dealt in salt, silk, and potteries; the Yuan clan specialized in arms trade; the Wang clan had taverns and was mostly involved in food industries.
While none of them had as high of a noble position as the Chu clan, none of them paled in comparison in terms of fortune.
As for the Yu clan, its base of operation wasn’t in Brightmoon City, so it wasn’t taken into account here.
After hearing Chu Chuyan’s words, Zu An finally understood that many of the industries that were now taken by the other clans used to be monopolized by the Chu clan. It turned out that the Chu clan had quite an illustrous history after all.
“So, the Chu clan inscribed it into their family rules that no offspring of the Chu clan is allowed to gamble. While you aren’t strictly considered an offspring of the Chu clan, you’re still my husband in name. Needless to say, you need to abide by this rule as well.”
A husband in name is still a husband; do you need to emphasize on ‘in name’ that much?, Zu An retorted.
That being said, he had predicted this situation beforehand, and he had a script in place just for this. “But I’m not here to gamble. I was forced to a corner and had no choice to retaliate in order to protect myself. I believe that the Chu clan doesn’t have a family rule that forbids us from fighting back even when an enemy has climbed over our heads, right?”