Translator: Pika
“What’s wrong?” asked Zu An in surprise.
“It’s about the slots into the dungeon,” replied Jiang Luofu as she crossed her legs leisurely. It was as if she was unaware of how tempting her casual movements were to men. “Do you want to enter the dungeon as a student or a teacher?”
After Zu An’s feat of defeating Yuan Wendong and Yuan Wenji in the dueling ring, no one would question his qualification to enter the dungeon anymore.
“Naturally, I want to enter as a teacher!” replied Zu An.
It was better being a teacher. It looked good on him, and he could exploit his standing too.
“As a teacher, you’ll have to be responsible for the students’ safety in the dungeon,” said Jiang Luofu.
Zu An was taken aback to hear those words. He was entering the dungeon in order to look for the Evanescent Lotus, so it would be inconvenient for him to have to take care of the other students on top of that. So, he argued, “Isn’t the very purpose of the students entering the dungeon is to challenge themselves? It’s counterproductive to assign teachers to shield them from danger. Those kids would never mature if we keep tucking them under our wings like little hatchlings!”
“Kids?” Jiang Luofu was rendered speechless. That fellow is a student himself too, and he’s trying to preach here like he’s superior to the rest of them.
She exhaled deeply before explaining the matter, “The dungeon is as much of a menace as it is an opportunity. There would always be casualties each time a dungeon opens, which is why the academy is forced to put some restrictions in place in order to manage risk. Only fifth rank and selected fourth rank cultivators are allowed to move freely in the dungeon. As for the rest, they are to follow a group led by a teacher.”
After gaining a rough grasp of the situation, Zu An finally nodded and said, “No problem. It’s not as if any students would select my group anyway.”
“...” Jiang Luofu.
This fellow’s thought process really is different from the others. Haaa, forget it. I’ll just send more teachers in then.
“Alright. Let’s move on to the second matter then,” said Jiang Luofu. “The academy needs you to step forward and take over all of the businesses of the Plum Blossom Sect in our stead. You should be aware that it isn’t apt for us to step forward to handle this sort of matter.”
Zu An was amused. “Didn’t I already hand the debt note to you? You should be the one handling the aftermath, so why are you leaving it to me now?”
“I was planning on making a move, but that lawsuit of yours ended up sending Mei Chaofeng straight to jail. The Plum Blossom Sect is on the verge of collapsing right now, and there are many people eyeing their lucrative businesses right now. It’s just that they are curbing one another at the moment, so no one has been able to make a move yet,” said Jiang Luofu.
“However, it’s different from you. Everyone knows that the Plum Blossom Sect owes you 7,500,000 silver taels, so you have the legitimacy to take over its businesses. On top of that, the academy will be providing you support from the back, so you should be able to handle it with ease.”
“Aren’t you pushing me out to borrow the Chu clan’s name for this matter?” Zu An pointed out.
It was likely that Brightmoon Academy had its own plan to collect the debt, but Mei Chaofeng’s sudden imprisonment messed things up. Everyone’s eyes were on the businesses of the Plum Blossom Sect right now, leaving Brightmoon Academy was in an inconvenient position to make a move here. It was still an academy under the royal court after all, so it wouldn’t look good if it were to get involved directly in such matters. As such, it needed someone to step forward in its place.
The best candidate here was indubitably Zu An. Not only did he have legitimacy, but he also could borrow the name of the Chu clan to pressure the others. Even if he was doing it on his own accord, the other powers would still think he was representing the Chu clan.
Once the other powers realize that the academy had joined hands with the Chu clan, they would have no choice but to back down.
“It isn’t a good thing for a man to be too smart.” Jiang Luofu tapped her brush lightly on the table as she looked at Zu An with a playful smile.
“I won’t do it. It’s not like I’m getting anything out of this anyway,” Zu An rejected it without any hesitation.
“Oh?” Jiang Luofu was unfazed by Zu An’s rejection. “I guess I’ll have to pick another person to take your slot for the Ursae Dungeon then.”
Zu An immediately slapped a smile on his face and replied, “Ahahaha, I’m just kidding. As a teacher of the academy, it’s only right for me to do my part and share the academy’s burden. Besides, I was the one who gave you the debt note in the first place. It’s only right for me to clean up the mess. Leave it to me!”
Jiang Luofu stared at Zu An silently for a long moment before exhaling deeply. “I must say, you’re the most thick-skinned person I have seen in recent years... Speaking of which, you were looking for me?”
Zu An’s eyes immediately gleamed as he began speaking, “Actually, it’s the same matter as what you were saying...”
He quickly explained the situation to Jiang Luofu.
“You want to get me to subdue Mei Chaofeng for you?” Jiang Luofu harrumphed.
“I mean, just think about it. Mei Chaofeng definitely knows a lot of secrets surrounding the Plum Blossom Sect, such as its accounting logs, cash flow, procurement of resources, and so on. Even if you take over the Plum Blossom Sect’s businesses, you’ll have trouble maintaining them without such vital information, right?” explained Zu An.
“I guess your words do make some sense. Fine, I’ll accompany you then!” Jiang Luofu finally stood up from her chair, which made her tall stature even more apparent.
Along the way to the gazebo, the two of them began chatting.
“I’m quite curious as to how you managed to defeat the Yuan brothers in the dueling ring the other day. Your swordplay was a little different from our academy’s Elementary Swordplay.”
“It can’t be helped. I’m simply too talented, so my understanding of the sword art goes far deeper than anyone else’s.”
“... You’re obviously on good terms with Shang Liuyu. You still lied to me previously that you don’t know her at all.”
“How could I possibly dare to lie to you? I really didn’t know her back then!”
“How far have you progressed with her? I haven’t seen her allowing anyone to enter her residence for many years now, let alone lending her personal possession to others.”
“Is it really fine for you, the principal of Brightmoon Academy, to gossip about your own subordinates?”
...
Amidst their conversation, they finally arrived in the vicinity of the gazebo. Jiang Luofu kept a distance away while Zu An walked toward the gazebo by himself.
Even from a distance away, he could see a person with long fluttering hair sitting in the gazebo, dressed in an attire that resembled that of Shang Liuyu’s.
But bro, have you ever seen how wide your back is? Even if you wear a woman’s clothes, there’s no one in the world who could possibly mistake you for a lady, let alone someone as beautiful as Shang Liuyu!
Who could have possibly thought that the sect master of the Plum Blossom Sect would actually be a cross-dressing perv!
However, out of consideration that Mei Chaofeng had gone all out to even dress up for the occasion, it would be rude of Zu An not to cooperate with him.
“Big sister Shang, why did you ask me out here?” Zu An called out Mei Chaofeng with a tender voice. Of course, he made sure not to get too close to the gazebo lest the latter OHKO’d him.
“You thought that it was Shang Liuyu, but it’s I, Mei Chaofeng! Hahahaha!” Mei Chaofeng tossed the wig he was wearing aside, ripped up the dress he was wearing on top of his clothes, and turned around to face Zu An triumphantly.
“H-how could it be you? Where’s big sister Shang?!” exclaimed Zu An in horror.
In the shadows, Jiang Luofu rolled her eyes. Wow, his acting sure is horrendous.
“There’s no big sister Shang here. It has been me from the start to the end! Are you surprised? Hahaha!”
The fluster in Zu An’s eyes left Mei Chaofeng feeling so exhilarated that he could moan in pleasure! He had suffered so much due to Zu An over the last few days, and he was finally able to return the favor now!
“It’s you!” Zu An subconsciously staggered backward in fright. “No, this can’t be. How could your arms possibly stretch into the academy too?!”
“It’s all thanks to the young master’s massive influence, or else it would have been hard for me to grab hold of the slippery loach you are!”
Mei Chaofeng was in no hurry to kill Zu An. it’s all due to this bastard that I ended up losing everything. How could I let him off the hook so easily? I need to make him suffer and enjoy his screams of agony in order to placate the wrath boiling in my blood!
“Is the young master you’re talking about Shi Kun?”
Zu An already knew their relationship beforehand, but the same couldn’t be said about the woman listening in to their conversation. He was trying to get Mei Chaofeng to confess to it before her.
“Of course it’s...” Halfway through his words Mei Chaofeng suddenly realized that he was being sounded out here. So, he harrumphed coldly and said, “Hmph, you want to know who the young master is? I won’t let you have your way! I want you to die indignant and ignorant!”
“You want to kill me?” Zu An clasped his head in horror. “I’m the son-in-law of the Chu clan, as well as a teacher of the academy. If you dare to touch me, neither the Chu clan nor the academy will let you off!”
“Hahaha, I might have hesitated over that in the past, but what do I have to lose now? Thanks to you, I’ve lost everything. There’s no way I can remain in Brightmoon City anymore. After killing you, I’ll head to another city and live a carefree life. Once I’m gone, what can the Chu clan or the academy do about me?” Mei Chaofeng laughed coldly.
“They have already put out a warrant for you. You could have simply left the city, but you chose to bear the risk in order to assassinate me. Someone must have promised you a new life elsewhere if you successfully take my life!” Zu An continued trying to probe deeper.
“Does it make a difference? You’re an eyesore to me. I should have sliced you into pieces right from the start!” sneered Mei Chaofeng. “Why don’t you try kneeling down and begging me for mercy? I might just consider having mercy on you and bestow upon you a quick death!”
Of course, even if Zu An really pleaded for mercy, there was no way he would let Zu An die an easy death. He wanted to humiliate Zu An by making him beg like a dog before plunging him into despair by reneging on his words.
Seeing this, Zu An sighed softly and said, “What makes you so certain that you’d be able to kill me?”
“Your confidence must be bursting after defeating Yuan Wendong in the Clans Tournament yesterday,” scoffed Mei Chaofeng. “You must be unaware that Yuan Wendong is a weakling who has only barely managed to reach the fifth rank. Despite his weakness, he still got complacent and fell for your tricks, resulting in his defeat. But before me, you stand no chance at all!”
Right after saying those words, his powerful aura burst forth as he took a step forward. He eyed Zu An intently, hoping to relish in the terror reflected in the latter’s eyes.
Unfortunately, Zu An wasn’t giving him what he wanted. “It’s no wonder why you ended up serving others your entire life. The scope and depth of your thoughts are narrowed by your long years of subordination. All you think of is minor schemes and pitting your life against others. However, for those who are in positions of power like me, we don’t even have to lift a finger to deal with someone like you.”
“???” Jiang Luofu.
Mei Chaofeng was taken aback by those words. He anxiously scanned the surroundings, and after confirming that there was no one around, he laughed disdainfully. “Don’t even bother with that pathetic act of yours. The Chu clan’s guards are currently waiting at the entrance of the academy, so there’s no way they’ll be able to make it here on time. Even if they did come to your rescue, they aren’t a match for me either.”
“Who said that I’m talking about them?” Zu An shrugged. “Shouldn’t you have looked into my background before assassinating me? You should know that my nickname in the academy is ‘Moochlord’. Except for special cases like the Clans Tournament, I wouldn’t even bother dirtying my hands with my enemies’ blood!”
“You’re the most shameless man I’ve ever seen. You don’t even have the slightest sense of shame for mooching off other women!” scoffed Mei Chaofeng.
“It’s a capability in itself to be able to mooch off others; what do I have to be embarrassed about?” replied Zu An disdainfully. “If you’re jealous, why don’t you try mooching off a woman too? If you can, that is.”
You have successfully trolled Mei Chaofeng for +514 Rage!
“I...” Mei Chaofeng choked at Zu An’s remark. It took him quite a while before he was able to compose himself. “Yuan Wendong might be trash, but he did get one thing right—it’s futile to rely on women. In the end, the only one whom you can really count on is yourself. Look at the current situation, who can you summon to save you now? Chu Chuyan? Pei Mianman? Or Shang Liuyu? Try calling them here now then.”
The Shi clan had already done its homework in advance. Chu Chuyan and Pei Mianman were not in the academy today, and Shang Liuyu wasn’t known for her cultivation. As for Chu Huanzhao, Ji Xiaoxi, and the others, they didn’t pose a threat to him at all.
“Try calling a woman out right now then. Aren’t you proud of your mooching skills?” sneered Mei Chaofeng.
Zu An shook his head and said, “Someone like you is destined to never understand the frustrations of a popular man like me. Forget it, I’ll fulfill your wish this once then. Gorgeous principal, come out!”
“Gorgeous principal? Jiang Luofu?!” Mei Chaofeng gasped in horror.
If Zu An wasn’t lying to him, it would really be disastrous. A cultivator of Jiang Luofu’s level could slaughter him as easily as squashing an ant. Out of fright, he quickly scanned the surroundings, but to his relief, nothing happened at all.
“Hahaha, you’re making me laugh my head out! You actually thought that you could mooch off Principal Jiang? Who do you think you are? Stop daydreaming here!” Mei Chaofeng was finally able to set his heart at ease. “However, you did remind me that we are too close to the academy right now. Someone might just come by if I continue to dawdle here. Since that’s the case... meet your death!”
Blue lightning crackled around Mei Chaofeng’s fist as he charged forward and smashed it toward Zu An. The sheer force of his attack was so great that even before it landed, Zu An already found himself suffocating under its might.
“Holy shit!” Seeing that Jiang Luofu wasn’t making a move at all, Zu An realized that he might have gone too far this time around.
😉