Translator: Pika
“I...” Hong Xingying’s face reddened. I actually got mocked by this fellow!
You have successfully trolled Hong Xingying for +999 Rage!
However, he found himself unable to refute Zu An’s words at all. He had simply bragged too much earlier. However, he quickly snapped out of it and argued back, “You’ll only suffer a more grievous loss than me! At least I was able to fight squarely against my opponent and only lost by the final strike...”
Zu An clicked his tongue and grumbled in response, “A loss is a loss. Besides, who said that I’d definitely lose my battle? I’ll show what a true expert looks like later on!”
“Enough!” Before Hong Xingying could respond, Qin Wanru had already come to the limit of her patience. She glared at Zu An frostily and said, “Are you still a member of the Chu clan or not? Instead of motivating your own teammates, you still came here to ridicule him!”
Zu An shrugged casually as he said, “He’s already lost his match, so what’s the use of motivating him? Is he going to go on stage and fight again?”
“Shut your mouth!” Qin Wanru snapped coldly. “Anyone who gives his all on the dueling ring is worthy of the entire Chu clan’s respect. Be it whether he wins or loses, he’s indubitably a member of our Chu clan. If we’re just going to mock anyone who loses, wouldn’t it chill the hearts of everyone else? If you don’t know how to watch your mouth, just keep it shut!”
Chu Zhongtian also interjected too, “Zu An, your actions are indeed inappropriate. Win and loss are perfectly normal. Our Chu clan is not so narrow-minded and ungrateful as to put down our own people over a loss.”
Zu An frowned. Then didn’t any of you step up for me when Hong Xingying mocked me earlier?
He was just about to argue back when Chu Chuyan tugged on his sleeves. She spoke to him through ki transmission, “Don’t anger my mother anymore. You should return to your area and sit back down. We still need to discuss our battle plans for later on.”
She was too concerned with the sequencing of their fighters earlier that she didn’t notice Hong Xingying’s earlier action of mocking Zu An, so she felt that he was acting out of line too.
It was one thing if it was just Hong Xingying, but his actions would chill the hearts of the rest of their fighters too. After all, no one could guarantee their win here. If they had to suffer such humiliation from their own people for losing, they would surely feel deeply disappointed in the Chu clan.
After all, Zu An was still a member of the Chu clan despite being the drafted son-in-law. His attitude could be easily interpreted as the Chu clan’s attitude.
Zu An sighed deeply and returned back to his own seat.
Meanwhile, the commotion over at the Chu clan didn’t escape the notice of the others. Watching as Zu An was berated by Chu Zhongtian and Qin Wanru, quite a few people couldn’t help but mock gleefully, “See, I knew that a drafted son-in-law couldn’t possibly have any standing in the household at all!”
“How could it be that easy to mooch off your wife? Look at how he was criticized. I reckon even a dog in the Chu clan is treated better than him!”
“That’s why I always say that youngsters like you all shouldn’t think of taking shortcuts. You’re bound to lose more than you gain!”
“But look at how beautiful the Chu First Miss is! I would be willing to suffer injustice as long as I can wake up to her pretty face every morning!”
“Tsk, you’re a hopeless case... Alright fine, count me in too.”
...
By the side of the dueling ring, Shi Kun leaned back leisurely on his chair as a satisfied smile crept onto his lips. “Just as you’ve said, Snow, that fellow really has no place in the Chu clan at all. Looks like my worries were unfounded.”
Snow was also delighted to see Zu An being put down. “Of course! The young miss has never allowed him into her room before, so young master, you don’t have to worry about him taking advantage of the young miss!”
Meanwhile, Yuan Wendong frowned a little.
Given that Zu An didn’t have any standing in the Chu clan, did I make a mistake by choosing him as my opponent? It would only lower my standing to fight someone far beneath me.
However, as soon as the thought surfaced in his mind, it was swiftly quelled once Zu An’s hateful face surfaced in his mind. He reaffirmed his own decision once more. Later on, I’ll make sure to cripple him for good so that he learns what’s the price of running his mouth!
Meanwhile, amongst the Zheng clan, Zheng Dan had a hint of a smile on her lips. Looks like Zu An isn’t as close to Chu Chuyan as I thought. I should exploit this opportunity to get to Zu An. As long as I play my cards well, I should be able to find the 7,500,000 silver taels debt note easily enough.
But again, it was another question whether Zu An could survive to the end of the day or not. Even if he did manage to survive, it was likely that he would be crippled at the very least. If I show him some concern at a time like this, I should be able to win his sympathy easily, right?
Meanwhile, Pei Mianman was looking upon the situation with an enigmatic smile. The more Zu An struggles in the Chu clan, the more beneficial it is for me. He’ll soon find himself left with no choice but to seek my help, and by then, I can get him to search for the accounting booklet on my behalf.
“Excuse me, this beautiful woman over here...”
All of a sudden, a man approached her with a smile which he himself thought was charming.
In truth, Pei Mianman had been catching the attention of the men around the area for quite a while now. After all, her figure was simply too alluring, such that men would find it hard to tear their eyes away from her. On top of that, she was sitting all by herself, which made it seem as if she didn’t belong to any clan. So, it was inevitable that some would try to get a shot with her.
“Scram!”
Without bothering to look at the man, Pei Mianman raised her hand, revealing a vague flicker of black flame.
“Y-yes!”
Upon realizing that the woman before him was not someone he could trifle with, the man backed off fearfully without the slightest hesitation. At the same time, those who were assessing the situation in search of an opportunity to approach Pei Mianman also hurriedly quelled any intentions they had in mind.
Meanwhile, in the Chu clan’s resting area, Chu Huanzhao noticed that Zu An had an awful look on his face and passed a cup of tea over to him. “Brother-in-law, don’t get angry. Come, drink a cup of tea and cool down a little. Actually, I also don’t like that Hong XIngying fellow either. My father and mother have always been like this. They always treat us strictly, only to be amicable to outsiders. I really can’t stand this at all. Sometimes, I wonder if I am really their child.”
“Yeah, I do doubt that as well.” Zu An burst into laughter as he eyed her chest area, which was unlike her well-endowed mother and older sister.
“...” Chu Huanzhao.
You have successfully trolled Chu Huanzhao for +404 Rage!
“Where’s my whip!” Chu Huanzhao bellowed furiously as she fumbled for her Wailing Whip.
Zu An quickly retracted his smile and said earnestly, “Huanzhao, thank you.”
Hearing the unprecedented sincerity in his voice, Chu Huanzhao suddenly began fidgeting uncomfortably. “D-don’t sweat it! We’re comrades-in-arms working hard to earn money together after all!”
Zu An’s face darkened. He knew that she was referring to the time where they extorted money from Plum Blossom Thirteen. Really, does she have a misconception as to what it means to ‘earn money’?
Soon, the second round began. It was the Chu clan’s Deng Zhaoke versus the Yuan clan’s Zhu Qing!
However, there was a huge disparity in the strength of the two fighters this time around. Deng Zhaoke could barely hold on for a moment before losing to Zhu Qing. With this, the Chu clan had lost two consecutive rounds!
Everyone began muttering amongst themselves as they noticed that something was amiss. In the past tournaments, the Chu clan was always at an advantage against the Yuan clan, sometimes sealing the conclusion by the fifth or sixth round. Yet, the Chu clan ended up losing the first two matches. Did this mean that a new era was about to descend upon Brightmoon City?
Some of the smarter ones thought deeper into it. Be it in terms of standing or accumulation, the Yuan clan was no match for the Chu clan. It was bizarre how they were suddenly able to dispatch two little-known subordinates to subdue the experts of the Chu clan.
Both Chu Zhongtian and Qin Wanru had a tight knit on their foreheads. They hadn’t thought that they would lose two rounds simultaneously just like that. It seemed like things were going to get troublesome for them today.
Chu Chuyan also had a frosty look on her face. She turned to look at her little sister and Zu An, who were chatting with one another at the back. Seeing how relaxed they were made her heart clench tightly. She had arranged them at the very back in hopes that the conclusion would already be determined by the time it came to them, but given the current situation, they might just have to fight as well.
This won’t do. I can’t allow this to happen!
Zu An was completely helpless, and her little sister had barely reached the third rank. They could be said to be the weakest ones on this dueling ring. On top of that, her little sister was a very playful person, such that she hadn’t put in the effort to properly learn combat skills. In a real fight, she stood no hope at all.
Qin Wanru couldn’t help but ask, “Hubby, what if we lose the next match too?”
“Impossible,” replied Chu Zhongtian. “Yue Shan is up next.”
Upon hearing that it was Yue Shen up next, Qin Wanru heaved a sigh of relief. Yue Shan was the captain of the Chu Estate’s guards, and he was in charge of the Red Cloak Army. Most importantly of all, his cultivation had already reached pinnacle fifth rank. With his standing, he usually wouldn’t attend this sort of Clans Tournament-kind of events, but it was different if the Wu clan had gotten involved as well.
It was for additional insurance that they added him to the name list. Thinking back, it was fortunate that they did so, or else the Chu clan would have been in trouble this time around.
Yue Shan’s opponent was one of the offspring of the Yuan clan. Needless to say, he easily clinched the victory, bringing loud cheers to the Chu clan’s side.
However, Chu Chuyan’s eyebrows remained furrowed. The best-case scenario for them was for Yue Shan to clear off one of the top experts of the Yuan clan. This would lighten the pressure on the remaining fighters. Yet, his opponent turned out to be weaker than the fighters sent out by the Yuan clan the previous two rounds. Somehow, it felt like the Yuan clan had read their sequencing.
In the fourth round, the Chu clan’s Chu Yucheng was faced against the Yuan clan’s Yuan Bao.
Despite Chu Yucheng’s adorably chubby appearance, he was a fearsome monster in the dueling ring. Like a mini tank, he rammed all around the place, and it didn’t take him long to knock his opponent down the ring.
In the fifth round, the Chu clan’s Chu Hongcai was faced with the Yuan clan’s Yuan Ya.
Chu Hongcai’s swordsmanship was sharp and decisive. He swiftly overpowered Yuan Ya, forcing the latter to surrender.
Three consecutive wins from the Chu clan made the crowd nod in agreement, as if it ought to be the case. Indeed, the Chu clan is still the dominant power in Brightmoon City!
Only Chu Chuyan’s frown was growing tighter and tighter. The victories scored by the Chu clan were against the weaker offspring of the Yuan clan, who were forced to join the battle due to the rule stating that every junior in the main branch had to participate in the Clans Tournament. Due to that, the Yuan clan was unable to substitute them with someone else from the Wu clan.
It was obviously a pairing of putting the weakest against the strongest... Is this a coincidence or what...
As expected, the most worrying situation had happened. In the sixth round, the Chu clan suffered a loss.
With this, the score was tied at 3:3!
For the seventh round, Chu Chuyan specially gave the Chu clan’s fighter, Lan Likang, a pep talk to motivate him. If he were to lose the match, even if Chu Chuyan were to win her match, it would still fall onto her little sister and Zu An to determine the winning round. If so, the Chu clan would be doomed.
Chu Chuyan carried fairly high prestige within the Chu clan. Almost all of the juniors viewed her as their goddess. Having received her personal pep talk, Lan Likang was all pumped up. His fighting prowess immediately soared to 120%!
Unfortunately, the cultivator sent by the Yuan clan was a step stronger than him, causing him to be overpowered in every single clash. In hopes of meeting up to Chu Chuyan’s expectations, he gritted his teeth and summoned his inner cosmos to grind down his enemy even at the expense of getting injured himself. In the end, both he and his opponent tumbled down the dueling ring together.
It was a draw!
Shocked gasps sounded from the crowd. It had never cut so close for the two clans before, especially for the seventh round. It was truly a bloody battle with both sides going all out against one another. The crowd was completely overwhelmed by the tenacity of the fighters.
Even the powerhouses present could sense the tension in the air. They perked up their attention to pay greater focus to the dueling ring. Otherwise, if a casualty occurred under their watch, it would be a blow to their reputation.
At this very moment, Chu Zhongtian, accompanied by one of the Chu Estate’s physicians, was performing emergency treatment on the severely injured Lan Likang. Despite his wounded state, Lan Likang had tears in his eyes as he looked at Chu Chuyan with an ashamed look on his face. “I’m sorry, first miss. I’ve let you down. I wasn’t able to win the match.”
Chu Chuyan replied gently, “His cultivation was higher than you. You have already done well fighting him to a draw. Just focus on your recuperation and don’t think about anything else. Leave the rest to us.”
It was time for her to get on the field now. Her enemy was the Yuan clan’s Di Wu, a young man with a ghastly pale complexion.
😉