Ji Xiaoxi stuck out her tongue in response. As she did so, she spied the book on the chair. Out of curiosity, she picked it up and leafed through it. Just seeing the contents of a single page was more than enough to turn her face red as an apple. She ran up to her father, shouting, “Father, how can you read this sort of improper stuff? If my little aunt were to see it, she’ll start arguing with you again!”

It was then that Ji Dengtu remembered that he had left his stuff behind. He quickly snatched the book out of Ji Xiaoxi’s hands and scoffed, “Hmph! I have already parted with your mother a long time ago; your little aunt can’t do anything to me!”

Ji Xiaoxi stomped her foot angrily. “It’s because you always act in such a manner that little aunt doesn’t come here anymore.”

“Pui! Who wants her to come? You don’t know just how carefree I am these days!” Ji Dengtu waved his hands impatiently, dismissing the matter. “You should sleep early tonight. You’ll be returning to the academy tomorrow. Let’s see how you’re going to complain to your little aunt then!”

Ji Dengtu rushed back to his room and closed the door to seek refuge.

Zu An had just gotten back to the Chu clan estate when he suddenly received a notification.

You have successfully trolled Ji Dengtu for 345 Rage points!

Zu An giggled like a small child. It seemed Divine Physician Ji had finally found out who had sold the goubaos to Ji Xiaoxi. To be honest, he did feel a twinge of guilt for scamming that kind young woman.

Back in his room, Zu An fetched himself a bowl of water and washed his face and hands, performing the customary ritual before trying his hand at the lottery. He was interrupted by the sudden entrance of an old man. This old man was dressed tidily; there wasn’t the slightest crease to be seen in his clothes. His white hair was combed neatly in place, reflecting his strict character.

Zu An was startled by his presence. He vaguely remembered this man as the Chu clan’s butler, Hong Zhong. He was a loyal and responsible man who was deeply trusted by the patriarch of the Chu clan.

“Is there something up?” Zu An asked.

Hong Zhong studied Zu An before laying out the reason for his sudden appearance. “By the instructions of the Master, you’re to head to the academy once you have fully recovered from your injuries. Shouping will lead you there tomorrow morning, so I’ll have to ask young master to make the necessary preparations.”

Zu An was dismayed. “But I haven’t recovered from my injuries yet. Aiyoo, it hurts…” You must be kidding me! I still have plenty of things to do! How can I waste my time on studies?

Hong Zhong carried on nonchalantly, “Young master, you need not put on an act. An injured person wouldn’t head out to play for an entire day. This matter isn’t up for discussion. Someone will be escorting you to the academy tomorrow morning.”

Zu An was surprised at how well-informed the old man was. It was then that he noticed Cheng Shouping standing behind the butler, eyes darting about furtively, not daring to meet him in the eye. His rage flared up, as intense as a forge fire. That fellow promised he would keep it a secret, yet he sold me out in less than a day!

Hong Zhong instructed Zu An in a few more matters and departed, leaving Zu An and Cheng Shouping to stare at one another.

“Didn’t you say that you keep secrets like a cork in a bottle?” Zu An clenched his fists so tightly together that his knuckles creaked.

Cheng Shouping rushed to his side and began massaging his back. With a fawning smile, he explained, “The butler dropped by to check on young master’s injuries, but young master wasn’t around. He caught me and started grilling me. What could I have done? I didn’t intend for things to end like this either.”

Zu An scoffed coldly, “But what did you promise me before?”

Cheng Shouping was quick to defend himself “Young master, I didn’t say a single word about you heading to Divine Physician Ji’s place to check on your injuries. No matter how he threatened or bribed me, I didn’t give in at all!”

Zu An was so furious that he almost laughed out loud. “So, I should be thanking you instead, huh?”

“Ahahaha, you don’t need to go that far.” Cheng Shouping replied as he fiddled with his fingers shyly. “However, if you really want to reward me, I’m not against it either…”

Zu An slapped Cheng Shouping on the back of his head. “You really think that I’m complimenting you?!”

Cheng Shouping quickly steadied the two buns on his head to prevent them from collapsing. Full of indignance, he complained, “Young master, can you not hit my head? Like I told you before, this hairdo is incredibly difficult to make.”

“Don’t talk to me in that tone!” Zu An shivered in disgust. “Ah right, where did my wife go?” I’ve been out for an entire day now. I wonder if that lass misses me or not.

“What wife?” Cheng Shouping blinked his eyes in confusion.

Zu An felt like kicking him.

A moment passed, and Cheng Shouping’s eyes widened in realization. “Ah! You’re referring to the First Miss! She went out with the young miss of the Pei clan earlier in the morning. When she returned, she received news that a problem had cropped up with the family business, so she headed out to settle it. The First Miss has been working really hard recently. She supports half of the Chu clan’s businesses by herself, and there are so many things that require her attention. It would have been so much easier if she were a man.”

Zu An’s face darkened. “Are you asking for a beating? If she were a guy, what would I be here for?”

“Young master, that’s not what I mean,” Cheng Shouping protested as he humbly poured a cup of tea for Zu An to apologize for his mistakes.

The urge to pummel Cheng Shouping remained within Zu An. He finally understood why he’d been demoted from serving as Chu Zhongtian’s attendant to working in the kitchens. “Ah right, what’s with Miss Pei?”

He still remembered how that woman nearly caused his death back at the ancestral hall with just a few words, but for some reason, he found it hard to hate her. It was not that he was forgiving, but her chest was simply too big!

“Ohhh~ Young master, you’re such a naughty person. Are you lusting over the First Miss’ friend?” Cheng Shouping favored Zu An with a knowing look as he intentionally stretched his voice out suggestively. “Well, Miss Pei is indeed very attractive. There were no men in our estate who could keep their eyes off her when she visited earlier on. Young master, I’m rooting for you!”

Zu An was beyond exasperated. “It’s really a miracle that the Chu clan didn’t send you to the royal palace to serve as a eunuch.”

Cheng Shouping’s smile turned into a sickly grin. “Young master, don’t scare me!”

Zu An couldn't be bothered to waste his breath on him. “Who asked you whether she’s good-looking or not? What I want is information on her!”

“According to rumors, Miss Pei appears to be from Eastriver’s Pei clan. That’s a massive clan with over a thousand years of heritage behind them, boasting a history even longer than our Chu clan. She’s on good terms with our First Miss, and it seems like she’s here to study in Brightmoon Academy,” Cheng Shouping offered.

Zu An was intrigued. “She’s here to study too?” The private academy of the Chu clan actually accepted outsiders as well? He supposed that, considering her close ties with Chu Chuyan, it was not all that surprising.

“Of course! Our Brightmoon Academy is renowned far and wide. Those from the other commanderies often come here in hopes of pursuing an education there!” Cheng Shouping said proudly.

Zu An couldn’t understand why Cheng Shouping was feeling so proud about an academy he wasn’t even involved with, but he was rather surprised at the fame of the Brightmoon Academy. It seemed like his father-in-law was quite a prideful man.

However, this wasn’t important right now. He had to focus his attention on completing the task assigned to him by Divine Physician Ji first!

Damn it, that Ji Dengtu is really a bloody pervert!

Zu An cursed him once more in his heart before he inquired, “Do you know Yu Yanluo?”

“Yu Yanluo?” Cheng Shouping’s eyes lit up. “Of course! She used to be the number one beauty in the capital back in those years! You don’t know how many men view her as their dream lover!”

“For a study companion, you know far too much…” Zu An eyed Cheng Shouping doubtfully.

Cheng Shouping looked around suspiciously before leaning closer to Zu An. “Young master, let me tell you a secret that you mustn’t tell anyone. Master used to be one of Yu Yanluo’s pursuers, but he failed in the end.”

Zu An was floored by this revelation. He didn’t think that there would be such a relationship between Yu Yanluo and Chu Zhongtian. That beautiful woman he’d met in the valley earlier hadn’t looked very old. Yet, she belonged to the same generation as Chu Zhongtian?

“Madam flies into rage every time this matter is mentioned. Master nearly had his ears torn off on several occasions!” Cheng Shouping covered his mouth with both hands to muffle his giggling.

Zu An rolled his eyes. His theory had been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. His father-in-law had shown great mercy in banishing Cheng Shouping to the kitchens. It was no wonder why this fellow was eventually assigned as his study companion. With such loose lips, there was no one in the estate who could possibly tolerate him!

“Young master, you’re the only one that I’ve told this matter to. You mustn’t tell anyone else about this!” Cheng Shouping repeated his warning.

Zu An sneered coldly upon hearing these words. He was willing to bet five copper coins that this was common knowledge throughout the whole estate.

“Where does Yu Yanluo stay in Brightmoon City?” Zu An asked. He had to find an opportunity to visit her. Even if it wasn’t for Ji Dengtu’s task, he should at least claim his compensation for saving her.

“She doesn’t stay in Brightmoon City,” Cheng Shouping replied, perplexed. “She married the Cloudmidst Duke, so she should be staying at the Cloudmidst Commandery.”

“What?” Zu An couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. Is this a scam? Have I been given an empty check?

“However, their clan deals in ki stones, and they have branches in all of the major cities. They have one in Brightmoon City too. Perhaps, she might come by for an inspection one of these days,” Cheng Shouping added.

Zu An let go of the breath he was holding. If he was right, Yu Yanluo should be staying in Brightmoon City for the next few days, which meant that he had some time to collect his money.

He asked a few more questions before sending Cheng Shouping away.

After verifying that no one else was around, he summoned his Keyboard and checked his Rage points balance. He’d had 3000 Rage points left over after drawing all the Marrow Cleansing Pills the last time. Following that, he’d earned quite a bit from the Yu clan guards and the Blackwind Stockade. All in all…

Current Rage Points: 22269.

Woah, I have struck it rich!

Feeling like a tycoon, Zu An immediately began drawing the lottery.

As expected, the first one was ‘Thanks for playing!’.

“It’s fine, I have money!” Zu An thought little of it and continued drawing the lottery.

Thanks for playing… Thanks for playing…

It wasn’t until the thirteenth attempt that the light finally stopped on the ‘4’ key.

Zu An heaved a sigh of relief. He reminded himself that this was the reward for patience and perseverance.

Noticing that the light marker had stopped on a new key, he took a closer look. In front of him was a fruit that glowed golden from its core.

The Keyboard provided a sparse explanation: Ki Fruit. It raises the ki capacity of a cultivator.

Zu An’s great experience with games in his previous life granted him instant insight into the purpose of this fruit. It was a basic experience-boosting consumable.

Such good stuff ought to go into his stomach right away, so that his mind could rest in peace. Zu An immediately took it out and bit into it. Unexpectedly, there was no splatter of juice. Instead, the fruit seemed to melt as soon as it entered his mouth, and a stream of ki swiftly suffused his body. This stream of ki appeared to be drawn in by some unknown force and surged straight toward the fourth formation under his skin.

The fourth formation was much larger than the previous three. Even after the stream of ki had been fully assimilated into the formation, it was only a third of the way full.

“Just this much?” Zu An was dissatisfied with the results. Despite sounding so formidable, its effects were still inferior to the whipping he’d received.

He couldn’t help his frustration. It can’t be that the only way to raise my cultivation level is to be whipped, right? That would be so wrong!