Chapter 1942: A Tough Question
Zu An was stunned, asking, “Who's looking for me?”
It wasn’t too surprising for the major clans to want to visit him after what had happened the previous day. Even though he'd never returned to his own manor, he had still received quite a few messages about it. However, he'd figured that he’d just let Qin Wanru deal with it.
Qin Wanru was still a duchess, for better or for worse. Entertaining guests and other such things weren’t too difficult for her. Even though she had looked troubled on the surface and asked Zu An to return and deal with it himself as early as possible, Zu An had sensed that she couldn't hold back her joy. As a member of the noble circles, who wouldn’t want a chance to show off a bit? The amazing regent was her son-in-law! Thee higher-level clans in the capital normally didn’t give the Chu clan a second glance, but now, they had to approach her with as much goodwill as possible. Even though she knew that they likely weren't completely genuine and sincere, the feeling of showing off a bit in front of the capital’s most noble upper-class women still truly felt incredible. She had even already begun to imagine how she would return to Brightmoon City in glory, and how her old friends would be so shocked that their jaws dropped.
The representatives of those clans would likely go to the marquis manor to look for Zu An, but it wasn’t too likely for them to come all the way to the academy. This was a place dedicated to learning, and ever since its founding, it had always refused the visits of influential officials.
“It’s a young woman who seems to be someone’s maid,” Jiang Luofu said. “She wasn’t willing to speak when we asked her which clan she was from. But seeing the bad condition she was in, we invited her in first. It’ll depend on the libationer if you wish to meet her.”
“Let’s take a look at the situation,” Zu An said, feeling a bit confused. He said a few things to Zheng Dan and Yan Xiangu, then went to a small room on the mountaintop.
Soon after, Jiang Luofu and Qi Yaoguang brought the maid up. The lesser servant was quite cute, but her hair and clothes were a bit messy. However, she didn’t seem to be concerned with that.
“What is your name? What did you want to see me for?” Zu An asked in an amicable manner. He always remembered that he had once been an ordinary person just like her, so he didn’t put on any airs in front of her.
The maid gave Jiang Luofu and Qi Yaoguang a troubled look. The two women didn’t seem to understand what she was suggesting, though. The maid had unknown origins. Even though the libationer’s cultivation was extraordinary, they still didn’t feel at ease leaving the two of them alone; that wasn't even considering the fact that they were really curious about where she had come from.
Zu An said, “They're all my people, so please say what you think.”
Jiang Luofu and Qi Yaoguang both rolled their eyes at him.
When did we become your people?
But after thinking about it, they were all a part of the academy, so it did seem to make some sense.
The maid could only say helplessly, “Madam Dai told me to pass on a message, that she wished to meet with the regent.”
After what happened the previous night, the people from King Dai Manor and the Meng clan had already been detained. Meng Chan naturally couldn't personally visit. But she was still from a large clan, so it wasn’t too hard for her to find a maid to send a message.
Zu An frowned and said, “I will not meet her!”
Most of the things that had happened back then were because of that woman. What was there for him to talk to her about?
The maid immediately panicked, saying, “Respected regent, Madam Dai said that she had something you would definitely be very interested in.”
She had never encountered such a thing in all of her years. Whether it was her master’s appearance or status, they were the very best among the capital’s noble circles. Whenever she wanted to meet with someone, they had always rushed over enthusiastically. There were some who had gone to seek some sort of relationship with her, and there were others who harbored impure motives toward her beauty… But never had there ever been anyone who was completely uninterested like this. Fortunately, the madam had already warned her of such a possibility and specially entrusted her with a few messages.
“Not interested,” Zu An said. He didn’t believe that Meng Chan could have anything that would be of interest to him. It was probably just a deceitful trick to convince him to meet her.
The maid wanted to say something else, but Zu An waved his hand and a gentle force sent her down the mountain, saying, “See the guest out!”
The disciples standing guard at the foot of the mountain quickly escorted the maid out.
Jiang Luofu revealed a look of surprise. The level of control Zu An had just displayed was inconceivable. To throw someone straight down a mountain, and yet not injure them in the slightest from start to finish… even if her teacher, the late libationer, were still around, he probably wouldn't have been able to surpass such a feat.
How could she have known that after the great battle with the Meng clan and killed countless experts, even including an earth immortal, Zu An’s experience bar had already advanced a good chunk? Even though he hadn’t crossed the level 75 mark, it was already infinitely close. It wasn’t just the late libationer; even if he faced Zhao Han at his strongest, he would still have a fighting chance.
Qi Yaoguang was more interested in something else. She said, “That Madam Dai is known for her beauty in the capital. If I recall correctly, in the past, she even fought the crown princess for her position. Who knows just how many young masters admire and long for her normally? You’re not interested at all when such an incredible beauty wants to meet with you?”
Zu An said in annoyance, “Am I someone so shallow that I only care about appearances…”
He immediately noticed that both Qi Yaoguang and Jiang Luofu were looking at him with strange expressions before he even finished his sentence. After all, the women at his side were all incredibly beautiful, so his words really weren’t all that convincing.
“He harmed the Qin clan, and the Murong clan, and I even killed her father. Her husband’s clan was reduced to ashes as well. Do you still think anything good would come from meeting with her?” Zu An eventually replied.
“If you're worried about something like that, then there might not be a need to,” Jiang Luofu explained. “Those of the highest-level clans very rarely consider selfish, personal emotions. In the end, they make decisions based on interests. The grudge from her father’s death isn’t that big of a deal. Historically, there have been many instances where, despite the monarch killing some important ministers, those dead ministers’ posterity still devoted their lives to the ruler, remaining faithful and true. Even if different clans shared a blood grudge with each other, as long as there was a chance for them to be united in the future, they could become inseparable.”
Zu An was stunned, replying, “There was actually something like that?”
In the past, even though he had served as a monarch in the Yinxu secret dungeon, that was more like being the leader of a primitive tribe. The concept of a nation hadn't been very mature yet, so he wasn’t as familiar with such matters as people who had lived in the great clans ever since they were little.
“What’s the big deal with that?” Qi Yaoguang replied with a smile. “If you agreed to help her retain the Meng clan’s authority, she wouldn’t even mind being your secret lover, and she'd even be the deeply grateful sort. The entire Meng clan would even really want her to do that. How could they let those who are already dead affect the ones still living?”
Zu An was speechless. Noticing that she said such things as if they were just another topic to gossip about, he couldn't help but sigh deeply. He'd thought that he had already prepared himself for this world, but who would have thought that it could still exceed his wildest imaginings?
Jiang Luofu finally couldn't take it anymore and interrupted, “Junior sister, what kind of nonsense are you saying? Stop trying to lead him astray.”
Qi Yaoguang almost laughed out loud, replying, “Senior sister, are you treating him as an academy disciple? It’s fine if he doesn’t teach us anything, but how could we teach him?”
Jiang Luofu was in a bit of a daze too. When she recalled how Zu An unleashed a great slaughter in the Meng manor, she figured that he indeed didn’t need anyone teaching him anything. But for some reason, in her mind, this young man was still that naughty brat who shamelessly called her 'gorgeous principal' and 'big sis principal' in Brightmoon City.
“Brother-in-law!” came a voice, accompanied by sounds of cheering that could be heard halfway up the mountain.
The group followed the source of the sound, and they saw several young ladies. In the lead was none other than Chu Huanzhao, who waved excitedly in their direction, her small leather skirt constantly reminding everyone just how great of a mood she was in right now. Next to her, a pretty young man rolled her eyes, as if he were looking down on some eyesore in front of him. There was also a tan-skinned young lady who looked at that young man with a big smile.
“Sigh, I actually had some astrology questions to consult you on, but it seems they'll have to wait until next time,” Qi Yaoguang grumbled.
The young women were all Zu An's family, so she naturally wouldn’t tactlessly stick around like a sore thumb. Jiang Luofu wasn’t a fan of such bustling and enthusiastic settings, so she followed Qi Yaoguang and said goodbye.
Soon after, Chu Huanzhao and the others arrived at the small courtyard atop the mountain.
When he heard their chattering, Zu An took out a few booklets, feeling a bit of a headache. He said, “These are the basic cultivation methods of the academy’s rear mountain disciples. Don’t judge them too quickly based on the names; it’s all good stuff. Make sure to establish a good foundation, so your future cultivation will yield twice the results with half the effort.” He was now the academy’s libationer, so it naturally wasn't too hard for him to get his hands on these kinds of things at all.
Murong Qinghe and Chu Youzhao’s eyes lit up, and they received them enthusiastically. As people who usually lived in the capital, they naturally knew just how precious such things were. The foundational cultivation technique of the Royal Academy was easy enough to get with their family backgrounds, but it wasn't much better than the cultivation skills of their own clans. However, this was something only the disciples from the rear mountains could cultivate. Every single disciple in the rear mountain was the best of the best across the land. The skills they cultivated were naturally also the cream of the crop. This manual was something that the late libationer had personally created to evaluate those top-tier disciples. It was rumored that the teachers of the academy’s rear mountain had also used it when they first studied under the late libationer.
Only Chu Huanzhao couldn't help but say, “Brother-in-law, you know how much I hate reading. I get a headache just from looking at the words in this book. It makes me want to doze off already…” Then, she stuck to Zu An and asked, “Brother-in-law, can you personally teach me? And a crash course if possible, the type that can make me the strongest in the world if I just cultivate it a few days.”
Zu An was speechless.
Chu Youzhao said with a sneer, “You really are an idiot. Where would you find a cultivation skill like that, where you can reap without sowing? You want to become strong, and yet you don’t want to work hard. That’s something only a delusional woman in the boonies might think.”
Chu Huanzhao harrumphed. “Who says there isn’t any such thing? Brother-in-law was just like me back then, on the bottom rung of Brightmoon City’s yellow class. I’ve never seen him cultivate all that hard; if he wasn’t eating and sleeping, then he was sleeping and eating. Oh, right, he also went around teasing pretty girls all day. But didn’t he still end up getting this strong?”
Chu Youzhao opened her mouth, and yet nothing came out.
You make so much sense that I really don’t even know what to say in response.
“Alright, alright. I have a way for you guys to increase your cultivation quickly, but I need to work on it a bit more,” Zu An said.
He thought to himself that Little Huanzhao, who had a bit of an M-type personality, was pretty suited to the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra. As long as she was fine with getting beaten up, she could become stronger. But cultivating that kind of secret skill was too dangerous, and she didn’t have his cheat skills. It would be hard to make it out alive if she cultivated that way, and she would get in trouble because she had something too valuable for her to protect. If she were exposed, it would easily bring her trouble.
I should continue with the original plan…
Chu Huanzhao immediately became happy. She clung to his arm and harrumphed at Chu Youzhao. “Didn’t I say that brother-in-law had a solution?”
Chu Youzhao became so angry that she gritted her teeth. However, Murong Qinghe quietly muttered to her, “Big brother Chu, I feel as if before your second sister came along, you would also have clung to your big brother Zu and called him brother-in-law like that.”
Chu Youzhao immediately became even angrier when she heard that.
Zu An was getting a headache from their fighting, so he had them play in his courtyard first. Meanwhile, he went inside. He looked at the Marrow Cleansing Pill in his hands with a worried expression. Ever since he gained transcendent level aptitude, he had stopped being able to pull Marrow Cleansing Pills. He could only buy them from the store, and they had initially cost 10,000 points. However, each time one was purchased, the price increased tenfold. He had fed Snow one in the past, and now, one pill cost him 100,000 Rage points. The next one would cost a million points. The exponential increase in price made it so that it wasn’t realistic at all to purchase many of them.
More importantly, Little Huanzhao’s aptitude really was too lacking. Not even a single pill would be enough for her! Furthermore, there were so many other sweethearts of his to worry about, so he felt really reluctant to feed it to anyone…
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