The battle swiftly reached a climax. Chu Hongcai’s sword flicked out treacherously like a snake, heading straight for the red-haired man’s vitals.

The red-haired man took no chances, and immediately moved several feet to the side.

Chu Yucheng used this chance to escape the misfortune of taking the thug’s scabbard right to the face, but he was not quick enough to dodge the foot that was flying towards him. His opponent’s kick connected, and his body rolled across the floor like a giant meatball, slamming into a pillar. The entire Immortal Abode seemed to shudder from the impact.

You bastard! He’d been humiliated in front of everyone, and especially in front of that bear girl he had just begun to get close to! What dignity did Chu Yucheng have left? His eyes grew even redder and he charged again, screaming at the top of his lungs.

His defensive strength drew sighs of admiration from the onlookers. This fatty had suffered such a heavy impact, and yet he still seemed perfectly fine!

Zu An watched with the cool eyes of a spectator. He could roughly gauge that, in terms of cultivation, both Chu Yucheng and Chu Hongcai were at the pinnacle of the fourth rank.

However, their styles were totally different. The former possessed a powerful defense but a weak offense, while the latter possessed a powerful offense but a weak defense. If the two of them ever fought, Chu Hongcai would have to try to kill Chu Yucheng in one blow. The longer the fight dragged on, the more unfavorable it would be for him.

Zu An sighed. From what Qin Wanru had said earlier, the main branch of the Chu clan had a rocky relationship with the second and third branches, and were always on guard against them.

But when he saw Chu Yucheng and Chu Hongcai fight together like this, he could tell that they were extremely close.

Sigh, I really wonder if it’s because Qin Wanru’s a failure as a person, or something like that. Self-reflection is important!

Also, where did this red-haired dude come from? He has no trouble facing these two brothers at all. His cultivation seems to be much higher than theirs!

Is he fifth rank or sixth rank? Zu An couldn’t tell. That red-haired man didn’t use any elemental power. Instead, he relied on his physical strength, speed, and combat experience, which seemed enough to easily deal with the situation facing him.

Wang Yuanlong finally gathered himself. He took out a folding fan and rushed to join the fray. “Brother Yucheng, let me help you!”

Unfortunately, his cultivation was far inferior even to that of the Chu clan brothers, which meant that there was an astronomical gap between him and the red-haired man. What could he even do?

“Ah…”

There was a miserable cry, and he was kicked away as soon as he charged in.

He didn’t have the powerful defensive fat that Chu Yucheng possessed. The kick, and his subsequent tumble, seemed to have knocked even his internal organs into disarray. He lay on the ground groaning, unable to rise.

A sharp crack rang through the air. The red-haired man had finally found an opening. His scabbard struck Chu Hongcai’s arm.

Chu Hongcai immediately felt intense pain erupt from where he had been hit, and he almost lost his grip on his sword.

Although he just managed to keep a hold of his weapon, the flow of energy within his body was interrupted. He quickly harmonized his breathing, but it would be a while before he could continue the fight.

Chu Yucheng understood what had happened. He interposed himself between his Second Brother and the red-haired man to buy Chu Hongcai some time.

The red-haired man struck Chu Yucheng several times. If he’d been facing an ordinary person, these strikes would have fractured bone ,and perhaps even caused severe internal injuries. However, this damned fatty in front of him seemed perfectly fine.

He landed several more blows before growing impatient. He drew his blade. “Damned porky, let’s see if your body can handle a few strikes from my blade!”

Chu Yucheng’s immediately grew pale. If they couldn’t even defeat their opponent when the latter didn’t use a weapon, what were they going to do now that he had drawn his sword?

No matter how tough his body was, it was still made of flesh and blood. How could it possibly withstand an expert’s blade?

However, an arrow on a bowstring had to be fired. Since he’d chosen his course, he could only brace himself, hoping that he could at least dodge a few attacks until Chu Hongcai recovered.

Unfortunately, the red-haired man’s strength had been amplified several-fold, now that he was using a blade. His figure was quickly shrouded under layers of cold light.

Zu An knew he had to step in now, before Chu Yucheng had a layer of fat sliced off him.

He looked around. Picking up a teapot, he chucked it towards the red-haired man’s head.

After his ordeal in the dungeon and the transformation of the Primordial Origin Sutra, his strength and speed were both already around the fifth rank.

Furthermore, he had timed his attack well by launching a sudden ambush from behind.

By the time the red-haired man sensed the danger, it was too late to dodge.

*Piang!*

A shrill, clear note rang out. The teapot shattered to pieces.

Scalding hot tea drenched his entire body.

However, Zu An had no time to gloat. His eyes turned grave as he looked at the red-haired ruffian.

A transparent layer of light flickered around his body, the tea flowing along its surface making the barrier especially obvious.

Several cries of alarm came from the second floor, which were quickly suppressed.

There were clearly some well-informed people in the main hall as well. Someone shouted out, “Sixth rank!”

Originally, the onlookers had figured that this thug was just some country bumpkin who had gotten lost, and they had been content to watch things play out for their amusement. However, now that they knew that he was at the sixth rank, their expressions changed drastically.

A sixth rank cultivator would already be considered a top level expert in Brightmoon City. Many teachers in the academy were also at the sixth rank.

The red-haired man turned around, skewering Zu An with a fierce glare. “Attacking from behind isn’t something an honorable person would do.”

Zu An roared with laughter. “So, stealing invitation cards is honorable, then? I am someone who clearly distinguishes my benefactors from my mortal enemies. Show me a hero, and I’ll treat him like one! But against a lowly, despicable character like you, I really have no choice but to stoop to some despicable methods.”

“Haha haha~”

Laughter immediately erupted, none more excited than Wei Suo’s, who enthusiastically cheered Zu An on. Wei Hongde had to push him back into his seat several times to avoid attracting unwanted attention.

“Who are you?” The red-haired man had a face as dark as a thundercloud, but he didn’t act recklessly. This person had thrown the teapot with him with an extraordinary amount of strength, which was beyond what an ordinary person could possess. Remaining vigilant was still the most important thing.

“I would never hide my name no matter what I do! My surname is Xie and my given name is Xiu!” Zu An thumped his chest proudly, his voice filled with conviction.

All around the hall, jaws dropped open in stunned disbelief.

Do you not know what that phrase means?

Even Chu Yucheng and the others around him gave him questionable looks.

“Pfft!” Xie Xiu immediately choked on his tea.

What the hell?

“Did I hear my name?”

Xie Daoyun nodded at her brother, trying her hardest not to laugh. That fellow below really was full of surprises.

But when she thought about having a younger brother this shameless, her face immediately flushed red. If that ever happened, she would probably be better off ending her own life.

In the next room, Pei Mianman rested her chin on her hand, wearing a pensive look as she watched the scene below. “As expected of this shameless little scoundrel… I really don’t know how that frosty Chuyan had ended up taking a liking to him.”

The stunning woman in the third-floor room sat by the windowsill, watching the commotion below. When she heard Zu An’s words, she couldn’t help but smile. “Isn’t this fellow a bit too shameless?”

The man at her side flared his nostrils, greedily sucking in her body’s scent. His hands moved subconsciously towards those endlessly seductive hips several times, but he didn’t dare to actually touch them. “How can a shameless guy like this be entrusted with such an important mission? Junior sister, it’s not too late for you to change your mind.”

“It’s actually the exact opposite.” Her lips spread slightly in a faint smile. “Only a shameless person like this can fulfill our plans. Hehe, I am growing more and more interested in him.”

Even though he knew that her words didn’t carry any romantic implications, just hearing this gorgeous woman express her interest in another man was enough to drive him mad with jealousy.

“It’s time for me to head down before the situation gets out of hand.” The stunning woman turned around, her eyes sparkling like gemstones. She locked gazes with the man beside her. “Senior brother, I need to change.”

The man jumped up immediately. “I’ll leave right away…”

The thought of her changing was enough to arouse his excitement.

The woman saw him out. Just before she closed the door, she paused for a moment, and then said with a smile, “Senior brother is not allowed to peek~”

That man’s face immediately flushed beet red. He stammered in a panicked voice, “This senior is definitely not that type of person!”

To prove it, he turned around and took huge strides down the corridor, quickly disappearing into the stairwell.

“Thanks senior~” She closed the door, and the beautiful smile on her face immediately vanished without a trace.

A hint of coldness crept into her eyes. Her senior’s less-than-subtle movements earlier had not escaped her attention. “At least he isn’t that much of an idiot.”

…

In the main hall, the red-haired man furrowed his brow. “You are Xie Xiu?”

“Who else would I be?” Zu An stuck out his chest proudly. “In all of Brightmoon City, the young master of the Chu clan aside, who else can compare to me in terms of handsomeness?”