Chapter 50

In the end, Ye Chenliang could only stand there, dazed, and charge headlong into the opponent.

Witnessing dozens of energy-infused swords instantly vaporize, Ye Chenliang was seized with fear. The black flames from the other side could melt iron; would he not be sending himself to his death if he charged in with his mortal body?

However, he had not anticipated that Yuan Wendong's swords would be so useless. Even a stone thrown into water would make a splash, but so many precious swords were gone in an instant?

By the time he realized it, it was already too late to stop. He could only watch helplessly as he charged into the black flames.

At that moment, a middle-aged man with a balding head suddenly appeared between the two, pressing his hand on Ye Chenliang's head and instantly stopping him.

"A mere Third Rank dares to charge at a Fifth Rank? Have you learned nothing these past years?" the balding middle-aged man scolded, then glared at Pei Mianman, "And you, is it necessary to be so ruthless among classmates?"

Pei Mianman retracted the black flames from her body: "I didn't move at all. If he wants to charge to his death, what can I do?" She then ignored the feared headmaster of the school and turned to leave.

Those who had just witnessed her power fearfully made way for her.

Zu An secretly sighed, grateful that Pei Mianman hadn't used elemental power last night. Otherwise, wouldn't he have been vaporized like those swords? No matter how powerful "The Happy Ball of the Rich Lady" might be, it couldn't possibly save his life after he was burned to ashes, right?

Headmaster Lu De glanced at Pei Mianman's back but said nothing. Turning to Ye Chenliang, his face changed: "Were you the one causing trouble?"

Ye Chenliang, seized with fear, quickly pointed at Zu An: "Teacher, it wasn't me, it was him!"

Lu De frowned and turned to Zu An: "Was it you?"

Zu An shrugged: "I didn't move from the start. They were the ones who came to provoke me. You can ask the people around here if you don't believe me."

The people around him all chimed in. Initially, they had all disliked this freeloader, but after seeing him reach this level of freeloading, with four of the most beautiful women from the Red Beauty List being associated with him, including the top two, Chu Chuyan and Pei Mianman, everyone now felt deep admiration and respect, hoping he could teach them a thing or two.

Zu An didn't know that decades later, the school would still be spreading the legend of the "King of Freeloading," and some people would even refer to him as "that man" out of reverence.

Seeing the students point fingers, Lu De's face turned cold, and he started beating Ye Chenliang with the ruler in his hand: "I've heard you form gangs and bully the weak. Today, I'll teach you what it means to win with virtue!"

The ruler in the headmaster's hand was even more severe than Chu Hanzhao's "Whip of Lamentation," causing Ye Chenliang to scream in pain. He felt extremely wronged, as Yuan Wendong was the main culprit, yet he was the only one being beaten.

However, he dared not say this aloud. Yuan Wendong, though seemingly refined, was extremely ruthless and had now advanced to Fifth Rank, which he couldn't afford to offend.

Lu De then picked up Hong Xingying, who was lying on the ground: "And you, causing trouble on your first day of school. Don't think I won't dare to beat you just because you're from the Chu family. Today, I'll teach you the school rules."

Hong Xingying was almost in tears. He was the one who had been beaten the most. Not knowing the situation, he instinctively pointed at Yuan Wendong: "Teacher, why don't you punish him?"

Yuan Wendong's eyes turned cold, but Lu De snorted: "He's Fifth Rank, what about you? I'll say it openly: students who break through to Fifth Rank are top-notch talents in the world. Such people are treasured wherever they go. If any of you break through to Fifth Rank in the future, as long as you don't commit major offenses, the school will turn a blind eye."

Zu An was secretly shocked. It seemed that in any world, strength was the ultimate truth. The students around him, who were used to this unwritten rule, showed no surprise.

After saying this, Lu De dragged the two screaming students away, and the people around them all drew in a sharp breath.

Wei Suo, who was clinging to Zu An's leg, swallowed hard: "Boss, when you defied him, I was on the edge of my seat. You know, anyone who falls into the hands of 'Bright Peak' will be skinned alive."

Zu An smiled: "Since Teacher Lu talks about winning with virtue, he must also be reasonable."

"Only you would dare to reason with him." Xie Xiu walked over with a smile, "I thought I was the one who had seen it all, but compared to Brother Zu, I'm just a novice. To win the favor of four beauties from the Red Beauty List at the same time, I truly feel inferior. We should get closer and exchange some insights."

"Brother Xie, you flatter me. Don't you have one at home?" Zu An replied.

"Wait, I didn't know that?" Xie Xiu was taken aback. While he had beautiful women around him, none of them reached the level of the Red Beauty List.

"Isn't your sister on the Red Beauty List? When can you introduce her to us?" Zu An asked.

Xie Xiu almost choked: "That... I have some things to do, I'll take my leave." Despite Zu An's attempts to retain him, he hurriedly left without looking back.

Zu An was puzzled: "What's wrong with him, did he see a ghost?"

Wei Suo, full of admiration, said: "Boss, my admiration for you is like a river, endless and unstoppable. Having four of them is not enough for you; you even want to pursue Xie Gongzi's sister. You truly dare to think and do what others can't."

"Full of clichés, are you planning to take the entrance exam?" Zu An, feeling nauseated by his flattery, pushed him away and said to Ji Xiaoxi beside him: "Miss Ji, thank you for your help just now."

Ji Xiaoxi hadn't had a chance to respond when Chu Hanzhao immediately objected: "What do you mean? I was the first to help you."

Ji Xiaoxi, her face slightly red, said: "It's nothing, just a small favor. I'll be going now." Clearly, she was not used to being the center of attention.

After running a few steps, she suddenly stopped and turned back: "By the way, when you have time, come to my house. My father has something to say to you."

"Oh~"

The people around them looked at the two with a strange, ambiguous gaze. Ji Xiaoxi, realizing the ambiguity, blushed and ran away.

"That woman, how dare she flirt with you right in front of me!" Chu Hanzhao said, her chest heaving cutely.

Zu An rolled his eyes: "You're not my wife, why do you care so much?" He knew what Ji Xiaoxi meant, probably about his hidden illness. He needed to buy a belly band to fake it and see if he could fool Ji Dantu.

"I... I can't watch over you for my sister?" Chu Hanzhao's cheeks puffed up, "My sister just left, and you're already flirting with others."

Zu An said calmly: "Ask your sister if she needs you to watch over me."

His "wife" looked at him like a stranger, even worse than a stranger. He didn't need to keep her honor... Ah, what nonsense.

"Hmph, stop flirting," Yuan Wendong said with a dark face, "Zu, I don't believe you can hide behind women forever. The family competition is coming soon, and when we face off on the stage, will you still have women to fight for you?"

Zu An was taken aback and turned to Chu Hanzhao: "What family competition?"

Chu Hanzhao pouted but still answered: "The Yuan family and our Chu family both run weapon shops, and the competition is intense. To avoid conflict, we agreed to a family competition every three years. The results of the competition determine the market share for the next three years."

"Do I have to participate?" Zu An couldn't help but ask.

Chu Hanzhao nodded: "All the children of both families must participate. In the past, it was my sister, me, and some cousins from the second and third branches. Now that you're a son-in-law, you should participate too."

Zu An felt depressed. As a son-in-law, he couldn't enjoy the rights but had to bear the obligations: "Is the Yuan family also a dukedom?"

Chu Hanzhao shook her head: "Not exactly. They have a title but no fief, so they're still inferior to my father."

Zu An couldn't help but say: "Your family, a prestigious dukedom, has to decide market shares with a small family through a competition. Isn't that embarrassing?"

Before Chu Hanzhao could respond, Yuan Wendong said with a dark face: "The Moon Duke may be high in rank, but our Great Zhou Dynasty is a place of reason, and there are more than just one duke in the world."

Zu An said: "I understand your meaning. You have a powerful backer, which is why you're so aggressive."

Yuan Wendong's anger increased by 321 points!

Seeing the school staff approaching from a distance, Yuan Wendong took a deep breath: "You're just good at talking. I won't argue with you today, but on the day of the competition..." He leaned close to Zu An and whispered: "I'll break your hands and feet and completely cripple you!"

Zu An sighed: "I think you should worry more about how to compensate for their swords."

Due to Lu De's intervention, most of the onlookers had dispersed, but a dozen or so remained, looking at Yuan Wendong with hesitation. Yuan Wendong had used their swords to attack Pei Mianman, and they were all burned to ashes by her black flames. They were heartbroken but dared not ask Yuan Wendong for compensation.

Hearing Zu An's words, they finally couldn't hold back and started shouting:

"Compensate for our swords!"

"My sword cost so much money!"

"My sword is a masterpiece by a certain master, able to cut through iron like butter..."

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