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Snow’s face reddened. She felt embarrassed to have actually failed to deal with someone of Zu An’s caliber. “I’m also not sure what happened, but I suddenly felt unbearable pain in my abdomen. That fellow is simply too lucky to have encountered me in such a state.”
As she said those words, she couldn’t help but remember that this wasn’t the first time that she was done in by Zu An.
“Yeah, that fellow does have oddly good luck,” replied Mei Chaofeng. Could someone who had won 7,500,000 silver taels from his casino in two rounds possibly have bad luck?
Women really can’t be trusted. Snow acts as if she owns the world, but she ended up messing everything up as soon as she gets down to business. If only I had known that she was this untrustworthy, I would have never written down the 7,500,000 silver taels debt note back then!
It was out of trust in Snow that she would be able to easily take the debt note back from Zu An’s hands that Mei Chaofeng relented and wrote the debt note back then. Yet, who could have thought that Snow would actually fail in her mission, leaving a huge pile of mess for him?
“Looks like I have to make a move personally then!”
A glint flashed across Mei Chaofeng’s eyes.
The 7,500,000 silver taels debt was like a curse that constantly plagued his mind no matter what he was doing. He couldn’t help but worry about complications that could arise as a result of it. Things would still be manageable if the debt note remained in Zu An’s hands, but what if Zu An were to pass it on to someone else?
Snow hurriedly advised, “You mustn’t act recklessly. After the recent incidents, the Chu clan would surely tighten its security and assign some personal guards to protect Zu An. Even if you make a move, the chances of success would be slim at best.”
“What should I do then?” Mei Chaofeng was exasperated. In the end, it was still this woman’s fault for alarming the Chu clan. “We can’t touch him in the Chu Estate, and it’s even more impossible in the academy. In fact, I suspect that Plum Blossom Twelve’s death might be the doing of the academy.”
He suddenly recalled the report from Plum Blossom Thirteen that he saw Zu An chatting amicably with Shang Liuyu in the gazebo, and he couldn’t help but think deeper into it, especially considering everything that had happened recently. He simply couldn’t understand how a trash like Zu An managed to obtain the help of so many distinguished individuals.
A smile crept onto Snow’s pale face as she said, “Don’t worry, I’ll arrange something soon. It won’t take us long to drive him out of the academy.”
Mei Chaofeng knew that Snow was a special envoy the young master had dispatched to Brightmoon City, so she had a lot of resources she could tap into if required. Thus, he didn’t harbor any doubts about the credibility of her words.
“As long as you can get that scum expelled from the academy, I’ll personally make a move to ensure his death.” After all that had happened, Mei Chaofeng dared not to delegate the matter to his subordinates anymore. He felt that there was a need for him to personally handle this problem so as to ensure that there was no more mishap.
Snow also heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing that. “With Sect Master Mei making a move personally, that fellow’s days are numbered!”
She was confident of dealing with Zu An by herself too, but that excruciating abdominal pain she had suffered earlier on had left her traumatized. It was an experience she never wanted to go through ever again. Thus, she couldn’t help but feel relieved to hear that Mei Chaofeng would be making a move personally.


The following morning, Zu An woke up to the sight of a beaming Cheng Shouping standing right next to his bed. He recoiled in shock before asking warily, “What are you up to?”
“Young master, the Master has told me to inform you that you don’t have to head to the academy today. You may stay at home to recuperate from your injuries,” replied Cheng Shouping with a delighted smile.
Zu An nodded in response before asking, “Is that why you have that silly look on your face?”
“I’m just feeling happy on young master’s behalf. It looks like the Master and Madame regard you very highly. They even sent professional guards to your side in order to ensure your safety. This is a special treatment that even the young miss doesn’t enjoy!”
As Zu An became more valued in the Chu clan, Cheng Shouping, as Zu An’s study companion, would become more valued as well. It looks like a brilliant future awaits me. I’ll become the person everyone respects among the servants, and the maids will be desperate to fawn upon me. Even Snow

Thinking about Snow, Cheng Shouping’s smile suddenly froze in place. “Young master, was it really Snow who injured you last night? It’s hard to imagine that such an adorable girl would actually be so ferocious.”
Zu An glared at Cheng Shouping impatiently and berated, “Do you think that I’d lie to you about that? My father-in-law and my wife have already investigated the matter, and they concluded that Snow has infiltrated the Chu clan with ulterior motives. She’s serving another master. Hm? It can’t be that you have some sort of special relationship with her, right?”
Cheng Shouping’s expression immediately stiffened. He hurriedly waved his hands and said, “No no no, please don’t misunderstand. I am completely unrelated to Snow. I knew that she wasn’t a good person right from the start. Despite being the First Miss’ maidservant, she dresses herself up and throws tantrums about as if she’s the mistress of the estate. It looks like I was right after all; she’s indeed a spy. If I were to see her on the street in the future, I’ll surely bring her before you so that you can punish her accordingly!”
Zu An was shocked by how Cheng Shouping was able to change his tune faster than even the most experienced of opera singers. If you really met Snow, all she needs to do is to whip her hair back and forth, and you’ll be a goner. Tsk, you’re really all say.
“Cough cough~”
A series of light coughing suddenly sounded. Zu An raised his head, and when he saw Chu Chuyan standing by the doorway, a smile broke out on his face. “My wife does dote on me the most. She’s the first one of the entire estate to specially come over and pay me a visit.”
Cheng Shouping stared at Zu An grudgingly as he thought, Am I not a human to you? Of course, he dared not to put himself on the same pedestal as the First Miss, so he quickly stepped aside and invited Chu Chuyan in, “First Miss, please.”
Chu Chuyan was staring at the two of them by the doorway with a complicated look on her face. She heard the conversation between the two of them loud and clear. Birds of the same feather do flock together.
Instead of walking into the room, she spoke by the doorway, “Divine Physician Ji will be coming over to treat you later on. He’s an eccentric person, so I came over to warn you to rein yourself in before him. Make sure that you don’t offend him with your words.”
From the time they had spent together, she concluded that Zu An was a troublemaker through and through. It was as if his vile mouth existed for the sake of infuriating everyone around him. It would have still been fine if it was anyone else, but Divine Physician Ji was no ordinary man. She was worried that Zu An would land himself in a bad position before the Divine Physician Ji, so she came over to drop him a piece of advice.
“Divine Physician Ji? That’s great!”
Zu An was stunned for a moment before exploding in joy. He was still wondering if he should slip out today to look for Divine Physician Ji so as to enquire about how the preparations for the treatment of ‘little Zu An’ was coming along. However, the personal guards assigned to him were truly, in every sense of the word, personal. He couldn’t shake them off at all! At the same time, he couldn’t find any legitimate excuse for him to leave to Chu Estate too.
But to his surprise, while he was feeling deeply frustrated over this matter, the Chu clan actually invited Divine Physician Ji over for him.
Chu Chuyan was stunned for a moment before realization struck her. “Ah, I nearly forgot that you’re acquainted with Ji Xiaoxi. There should be no problem then.”
She had already heard about the matters that had transpired in the academy.
“Honey, Ji Xiaoxi and I are only friends. There’s nothing going on between us.”
“Hm? Why are you clarifying that to me?” Chu Chuyan was baffled.
“There’s no need to be shy about that.” Zu An chuckled. “An amazing man like me is bound to attract the attention of women no matter where I go, but honey, there’s no need to get jealous. I swear that you’re the only one I like. I’d never do anything to let you down!”
“
” Chu Chuyan.
“
” Cheng Shouping.
“Speaking of which, honey, were you the one who specially invited Divine Physician Ji over for me? Ahh, my wife is really the best!” Zu An walked over and made use of the moment to hold her hands.
In the end, Chu Chuyan left the room with a livid face. I should have never dropped by this fellow’s room!
Menawhile, Cheng Shouping stared at Zu An with a complicated look in his eye. A long while later, he muttered, “Young master, I finally understand how you were able to marry the First Miss.”
“Is that even a question at all? It’s naturally due to my suave looks!” Zu An harrumphed smugly.
Cheng Shouping shook his head. “No, it’s because you’re thick-skinned.”
Zu An narrowed his eyes sharply. “Oh? Are you done copying the family rules?”
Cheng Shouping immediately cowered out. He put on a fawning smile and replied, “Ah
 Hahaha, not yet. I’m still on my break.”
“Break, my ass! Hurry up and finish copying them!” Zu An bellowed. “I already gave you the money. You were the one who chose to scrooge out and not hire any helping hands!”
“I’ll head over right now
” replied Cheng Shouping hurriedly. The young master is not just thick-skinned, he’s narrow-minded too. I must pay heed to never offend him.
Shortly after the grumbling Cheng Shouping left the room, the butler, Hong Zhong, brought Ji Dengtu into Zu An’s room.
“Divine Physician Ji, this way please!”
Hong Zhong was an austere person, and this was further highlighted by how he dressed. His hair was combed neatly in place such that not a single loose strand could be found, and his clothes were devoid of wrinkles. All of these gave him quite an imposing presence.
But at his very moment, he was conducting himself humbly and respectfully.
Zu An couldn’t help but remember how Chu Chuyan had specially dropped by to warn him earlier. From the looks of it, it would appear that this licentious physicians was really quite a big deal.
“Young master, this is Divine Physician Ji. He boasts incredible medical skills, so please do not offend him.” Hong Zhong began introducing to the two men to one another. “Divine Physician Ji, this is young master Zu An of our Chu clan. He was severely injured by a fifth rank cultivator last night. We’ve already treated him on the manor last night, but we’d like for you to take another look just to be safe.”
“Oh~” Divine Physician Ji replied perfunctorily as he stroked his beard. His attitude was a little arrogant. However, when he finally caught sight of Zu An on the bed, his eyes immediately widened in astonishment.
Hong Zhong was a little surprised by his reaction, so he quickly asked, “What’s wrong, Divine Physician Ji? Is there a problem here?”
Divine Physician Ji coughed lightly to conceal his surprise before saying, “I’m going to diagnose him now, and I need some privacy.”
“Yes, please go ahead. We’ll be right outside, so feel free to give us a call if you have any need of us.” Hong Zhong knew that Divine Physician Ji had quite a lot of rules when it came to treating a patient, so he didn’t say anything about it. With a wave of his hand, he gestured for the other servants in the room to head out.
Once they were all gone, Divine Physician Ji walked over to the bedside and sat down. He smacked his hand down on Zu An’s thigh and said, “Not bad! I didn’t think that you would be able to escape from a fifth rank cultivator. You sure are a bag of surprises, aren’t you?”
His smack tugged at Zu An’s wounds, causing the latter to gasp in pain.
Zu An had a strong feeling that Divine Physician Ji was doing it on purpose. Didn’t I just earn a few silver taels from your daughter back then? Do you really need to go this far?
“It was just luck. She fled in a fluster when she noticed that the experts in the estate were rushing over. I only survived by a hair’s breaddth,” said Zu An in a mixture of truth and falsehood. There was no way he would reveal his trump cards to others.
Divine Physician Ji nodded understandingly, “Dumb Chu is an eighth rank cultivator after all. It’s normal for the assassin to fear him.”
Hearing how Divine Physician Ji addressed Chu Zhongtian as ‘Dumb Chu’, he couldn’t help but wonder if the two of them had some conflict with one another. Considering that perverted request Divine Physician Ji had made, could it be that
 he had pursued Qin Wanru in his earlier years, only to have Chu Zhongtian beat him to it?
That isn’t right though. If that was the case, why would the Chu clan invite him over to treat him?
Forget it, I have nothing to do with whatever grudges they have. What’s important right now is for me to ask about that matter.
“Divine Physician Ji, have you found a cure yet?”
“Why don’t you go on the street and check out who I am? How could I possibly be unable to cure you?” Divine Physician Ji harrumphed. “Don’t worry, I already brought it here!”
Zu An looked out of the door, and he could see Butler Hong and the other guards standing not too far away. He was a little hesitant to talk about in the presence of so many outsiders.
Divine Physician Ji said, “Don’t worry, they won’t be able to hear what we’re saying.”