Translator: Pika
Zu An didn’t even have to look to know that the person protecting Shi Kun was Shi Lezhi as he had received an advanced notification from the Rage points coming in.
You have successfully trolled Shi Lezhi for +444 Rage!
That very instant, Zu An found himself unable to breathe. The gap between the two of them was too huge; it was beyond his means to deal with an eighth rank cultivator at the moment.
He wanted to dodge, but it was hard for him to even move his fingers under the other party’s pressure. Left with no choice, he could only channel the Primordial Origin Sutra so hurriedly temper his body so as to withstand Shi Lezhi’s incoming attack.
It was then that a white silhouette flashed across.
If there was anyone who knew in advance that Zu An was going to make a move, that person would be no other than Chu Chuyan. She knew deep well that the other party was doing it in order to exact vengeance for her.
She was forced to a point where she ended up collapsing her own ki meridians, and it was only by chance that they found the Evanescent Lotus that she was able to barely survive. If not for all of the fortuitous encounters they had afterward, she would have already been a cripple by now.
Not to mention, Shi Kun even dared to lust for her even when he knew that her life was already withering away.
In truth, even if Zu An hadn’t made a move earlier, she would have settled the scores with Shi Kun. So, upon seeing him make a move, she prepared herself as well, knowing that Shi Lezhi was likely in the vicinity.
Bam!
A loud explosion sounded. Shi Lezhi stood steadfast before Shi Kun whereas Chu Chuyan, holding Zu An in her hand, was sent skidding back over thirty meters before she finally regained her footing. A trail of blood seeped from the edges of her lips.
Even though she was already nearing the seventh rank, she was still more than a cultivation rank weaker than Shi Lezhi.
Zu An hurriedly asked, “Are you alright?”
What am I to do if she gets herself severely injured just after I barely managed to treat her injuries? Oh... Doesn’t that mean that I have another reason to get snu snu... cough, I mean treat her once more?
Chu Chuyan shook her head and replied, “It’s just some superficial injuries.”
“Oh...” Zu An was disappointed.
His reaction confused Chu Chuyan, wondering what was wrong with him that he looked so unhappy that she was alright.
The surrounding crowd also swiftly snapped out of their daze and started whispering amongst themselves.
“As expected of the strongest expert of our academy. To think that she’s actually able to stand her ground against eighth rank cultivators!”
“Isn’t it obvious that the expert of the Shi clan went easy on her? Otherwise, an eighth rank cultivator would surely be able to slaughter a fifth rank cultivator as easily as butchering a chicken.”
“Yes, it does look like the Shi clan has gone easy for Miss Chu.”
There were also some indignant voices mixed into the crowd too.
“You speak as if the Shi clan would really dare to touch Miss Chu here! We’re in Brightmoon City right now! If the Shi clan dares to touch Miss Chu, putting aside the wrath of the Brightmoon Duke, even the academy wouldn’t let this matter slip easily!”
Meanwhile, Shi Lezhi stared at Chu Chuyan with a shocked look on his face. He knew deep well that he hadn’t gone easy on Zu An since this was a rare opportunity for him to take Zu An’s life, but Chu Chuyan actually managed to receive his attack and got away with just light injuries. Is she really a fifth rank cultivator? Why does it seem like she’s already approaching the seventh rank instead?
“What are you doing?” a cold voice suddenly sounded.
“Principal Jiang!”
The teachers and students of the academy quickly bowed to her, including Bai Susu and Lu De. The latter two visibly heaved a sigh of relief at her presence.
The only exception was Zu An, whose first reaction was to look at her thighs. Wow, it’s still as long and slender as ever. Ahh, I can’t pick a single flaw with it. She isn’t wearing her usual stockings, but her skin is glistening with such radiance that it stands out even more than ever.
Zu An was glad that he didn’t have a stocking fetish like Wei Suo, who was only satisfied when he saw one. Just a pair of pretty and well-proportionate legs was enough to leave him refreshed.
“Principal Jiang, it’s not that I want to cause trouble, but that scoundrel tried to kill our young master earlier. Based on what I know, isn’t it the death penalty to make an attempt on the life of another student?” asked Shi Lezhi.
Jiang Luofu nodded in response. “Yes, it’s indeed the death penalty. Zu An, what do you have to say for yourself?”
The other students also began gossiping amongst themselves.
“That Zu An is really getting ahead of himself! How dare he try to kill young master Shi?”
“Indeed! Does he not know just that he’s just a mere ant before young master Shi?”
“So what if he’s big down there? A man should count on his strength!”
...
A lot of male students nodded in agreement. So what if you are blessed with a giant stick that allowed you to conquer a couple of inexperienced young ladies? Why don’t you try that with the mature Principal Jiang too?
Zu An was rendered speechless by the steady stream of Rage points coming in. Seriously, shouldn’t you all be envious of Shi Kun instead? Why are you hating on me here?
Despite his retort, he was still fairly happy about it. After all, these were all precious Rage points to him!
“Principal Jiang, I agree deeply with what he said about an attempt on a student’s life warrants a death penalty,” replied Zu An.
“Are you admitting to your crime?” Jiang Luofu harrumphed coldly.
Ji Xiaoxi and the others were anxious to hear the chilling edge to Jiang Luofu’s voice, but Zu An knew deep well that Principal Jiang was giving him a chance of explain despite her sharp tone. If she had really wanted to do him in, she could have simply pinned the crime on him right away.
“I attacked him out of rage earlier because Shi Kun sent his subordinates after me earlier in the Ursae Dungeon, nearly taking my life,” replied Zu An calmly.
“Utter rubbish! Only the students of Brightmoon Academy are allowed to enter the dungeon, and Principal Jiang is the one who personally chooses them. How could any clan possibly slip their subordinates into the dungeon? Are you trying to cast doubt over Principal Jiang’s character?”
Before those from the Shi clan had replied, Wu Qing had already interjected in. For some reason, she found Zu An absolutely abhorrent, possibly because he was Chu Chuyan’s husband or that he had bullied her once before.
Even though Wu Qing wasn’t particularly popular in the academy, her words did make perfect sense and won the agreement of many students.
Toward that, Zu An replied, “Of course, there’s no way I would cast doubt over Principal Jiang’s character. However, what if the Shi clan bribes our students beforehand? Many of those who attacked me earlier were students from the Earth class, and it’s obvious that they are following the orders from the same person.”
“Is that so?” Jiang Luofu frowned. She had already received a report that there had been a disproportionately higher number of casualties as compared to previous times. This could be considered as a severe incident, such that she would have to report this matter to the Ministry of Rites personally in the future.
Wu Qing also fell silent too. Having born from a major clan, she did know some of the underground deals that were often going on. Putting aside the Shi clan, even the Wu clan had some subordinates in the academy too. After all, there were plenty of students that had no power and background, making them easy to win over.
By this point, Shi Kun had also finally recovered from his shocked state to begin his retaliation. “A load of rubbish! Our Shi clan has never done such a thing before! You must have encountered some sort of valuable treasure with those students in the dungeon, which piqued your greed. So, you made use of that opportunity to kill them off and pin the blame on me!”
Many of the close acquaintances of the Shi clan voiced their agreement with Shi Kun’s statement. Other than Xie Xiu, Pei Mianman, and Zheng Dan who knew the truth, most of the students found Shi Kun’s statement rather credible too.
After all, their impression of Shi Kun was a refined gentleman whereas Zu An was like an unruly hoodlum. Subconsciously, they would rather believe Shi Kun’s words more.
Zu An frowned upon hearing those words. He had no proof of what happened in the dungeon since most of those who went after his life was already dead. In the first place, Shi Kun had decided to make a move in the dungeon because he knew that there would be no evidence left behind.
Qiao Xueying opened her mouth to say something, only to be stopped by Zu An. He knew that the Shi clan definitely had some leverage over Qiao Xueying so as to ensure that she was under their control, so he didn’t want to put her in a spot.
Besides, it wouldn’t matter even if Qiao Xueying testified on his behalf. Shi Kun could just deny it the same way too.
On the other hand, Shi Kun’s eyes turned sharp when he noticed that Qiao Xueying was still alive, but he knew that this wasn’t the time to confront her yet. He chose to focus his efforts on Zu An instead, saying, “If you hadn’t taken them off guard, how could a third rank cultivator like you possibly injure those fourth rank seniors form the Earth class?”
Zu An was amused to hear those words. “You really do have the cheek to say that. If I recall correctly, you’re a fifth rank cultivator, no? But if your servant didn’t step in to save you earlier, you would have been slaughtered like a helpless chick under my blade.”
“You!” Shi Kun’s face reddened. Till now, he still hadn’t made sense of what had happened earlier on. He viewed it as a huge humiliation to be cornered by Zu An before such a huge crowd.
You have successfully trolled Shi Kun for +888 Rage!
Meanwhile, Shi Lezhi’s eyelids twitched upon hearing the word ‘servant’. He was well aware that he was indeed a servant of the Shi clan, but no matter what, he was still an eighth rank cultivator. Even the Shi clan would treat him with respect. Yet, this fellow actually used such a derogatory term on him!
“You brat! You’re courting death!” With a furious roar, he charged forward.
You have successfully trolled Shi Lezhi for +999 Rage!
Jiang Luofu casually stepped forth to stand between the two of them. She didn’t say a word at all, but her intention was made clear. She wouldn’t allow an outsider to deal with a member of the academy without her permission.
Shi Lezhi was enraged. Even though they were both eighth rank cultivators, he knew deep well that Jiang Luofu was still young and had great potential in her, giving rise to a huge gap in their standings. He dared not to offend this mysterious woman, so he had no choice but to back down here.
It’s no wonder why Zu An is known to be a moochlord in the academy. He always has a woman to stand up for him!
Of course, he didn’t really believe that Zu An would be able to mooch off the great Jiang Luofu.
Chu Chuyan also stepped in and spoke up too, “I can testify for what happened in the dungeon. I didn’t see with my own eyes how those students chased after Ah Zu, but Shi Kun did attempt to kill the both of us afterward.”
Meanwhile, Zu An shook his head in dismay at how honest his silly wife was. She could have just insisted on whatever she wanted, and everyone would have simply sided with her without any hesitation.
A huge commotion broke out amidst the crowd. If they were just enjoying the drama a moment ago, the knowledge that Chu Chuyan had been in danger earlier evoked their anger.
How dare you make a move against our goddess? We won’t let you off the hook no matter how handsome you are!
Xie Xiu opened his fan and walked out of the crowd, saying, “Miss Chu, based on what I know, young master Shi should be slightly weaker than you. Even if he had assistance from his subordinates, it doesn’t seem likely that he’ll be able to pose a threat to you.”
This was the same doubt shared by many present. They directed doubtful gazes in Chu Chuyan’s direction.
😉