“So what if I messed with you? Are you going to bite me?” Zu An sat leisurely in his seat with an arm hooked around Leng Shuangyue, completely unfazed.

Chen Xuan immediately became furious. His blade left his scabbard with a clean, sharp sound. His expression was treacherous, already seething with killing intent.

You have successfully trolled Chen Xuan for 444 Rage points!

In his heart, Chu Yucheng gave Zu An a thumbs-up. This guy really was nasty. In the past, he had always thought that he was some useless drafted son-in-law. He’d never expected him to actually be such a fierce person!

But that’s what I like to see!

Knowing just how powerless they had been before that red-haired man, he fervently wished for that bastard’s face to be covered in as much dirt and grime as possible.

He tried to drag Chu Hongcai over, out of worry that Chen Xuan would erupt in violence.

Unfortunately, Chu Hongcai was still in a daze. He had shut himself completely off from the outside world, so Chu Yucheng was left to back Zu An up alone.

After some hesitation, Wang Yuanlong stepped forward as well.

Zu An was somewhat surprised. He hadn’t expected these silver-spooned fellows to be this loyal when it really mattered.

Chen Xuan sneered. “Do you think you’re all that just because there are more people with you now?”

As one, his subordinates all rose to their feet, and his side instantly gained the numerical advantage.

Seeing that conflict was about to break out, Qiu Honglei spoke up once more. “I hope that everyone can indulge me this once. Could you all please not cause a disturbance in the Immortal Abode?”

Even the coldest of hearts would melt at her sweet, pleading voice.

Chen Xuan resentfully returned the blade to the sheath. "I'll leave you with your life for now, out of respect for Lady Qiu. We'll settle things once we are outside the Immortal Abode.”

Zu An immediately raised his voice. "How dare you claim to have things to settle with me? Do you know who I am?"

Chen Xuan was stunned at Zu An’s utter lack of remorse. Instead, that fellow had gotten even more cocky! Don't tell me this fellow really is the heir of some bigshot?

"And who exactly might you be?"

When he heard these words, Zu An chuckled. “It's better if you don't know who I am. That way, you can’t find me once we leave the Immortal Abode."

There was a moment of stunned silence, then the whole place erupted with laughter. This guy really was witty.

Chen Xuan was speechless.

You have successfully trolled Chen Xuan for 666 Rage points!

He had been played by this guy over and over again today. How can he possibly endure this? He grabbed his blade and charged at Zu An.

Qiu Honglei hurriedly interposed herself between the two men. She turned a lovely, pitiful expression on Chen Xuan. “Big brother Xuan, you promised me just now!”

She blinked sweetly at him with her large, tearful eyes. Chen Xuan swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. This really is quite the woman. I definitely have to bring her back with me, so that she can take good care of me.

His anger was thus replaced by a deep, yearning desire, and he forgot all about settling his score with Zu An.

He sat back down, a big smile on his face.

“Thank you so much big brother Xuan~” Qiu Honglei smiled. She glanced at Zu An. What was he going to do if I hadn’t stepped in?

In his second-floor room, Xie Xiu sighed. “What a pity! That would have been the perfect chance to gauge Zu An’s strength. Why did Qiu Honglei have to interfere?”

Next to him, Xie Daoyun remarked, “No matter how formidable he is, he is definitely no match for a sixth rank expert, right?”

“That may not be true.” Xie Xiu told her about what had transpired in the mountain behind Brightmoon city, where Zu An had defeated Shi Kun with a single blow of his sword. “This guy’s strength is completely unpredictable. I really am curious as to just how strong he really is.”

He wasn’t the only one who sighed in pity. In her own room, Pei Mianman gently blew out the black flame hovering above her hand. “There’s no way that fella will cause trouble without any confidence.” Her tone became indignant. “What am I getting all worked up for? He’s not even my husband, hmph~”

Qiu Honglei raised her head to gaze towards the second floor. “Young master Xie, you still haven’t answered my question... Could it be that young master truly feels my performance was so discordant?”

Xie Xiu appeared by his windowsill, using his body to hide his older sister. He said with a smile, “Lady Qiu must be joking. I was so stunned by your beautiful melody that I fell into a trance! That’s why I was unable to reply to the lady’s question.”

Qiu Honglei laughed while covering her mouth. “It has always been said that countless girls see young master Xiu as their ideal partner. Indeed, your words are just too sweet.”

“I was only speaking the truth.” In contrast to those crazy men below, Xie Xiu stood casually by the window, his eyes still clear, making him stand out from the rest.

Seeing how the two of them carried on in such a pleasant manner—one, a perfectly beautiful woman, and the other, a stunningly handsome man—the rest of the men in the hall grudgingly conceded that the two of them looked a perfect match.

However, this concession left a sour taste in their mouths, and remembering Xie Xiu’s background only served to lower their spirits further. Few would even consider themselves worthy competition.

Chen Xuan was one who had no such misgivings. His heart burned as he saw this girl, whom he already considered his own exclusive property, conversing so intimately with another man.

Furthermore, this Xie Xiu knew that someone else had impersonated him, and yet he hadn’t said anything, which allowed for Chen Xuan’s embarrassing moment earlier.

These grievances piled up one after another, and he finally couldn’t hold back his anger. “Young master Xie, Lady Qiu wanted you to contribute some constructive criticism. Why are you wasting so much time with all this boot-licking?”

Now that someone had taken the lead, everyone else began to echo in agreement. Everyone came to a brothel to see girls. In such a place as this, all men viewed themselves as equal, no matter their social standing. Besides, this Brightmoon City didn’t belong to the Xie clan. Many of the men brazenly called Xie Xiu out, their courage fueled by the alcohol that they had consumed.

Xie Xiu remained completely unperturbed by their baseless accusations. He continued, “As for Lady Qiu’s performance, there was indeed a slight flaw.”

At those words, a displeased chorus of hisses came from around the hall. Here was another idiot, offering up more vulgar claptrap.

Chu Hongcai had just embarrassed himself earlier, and now this idiot was following in his footsteps.

Qiu Honglei’s smile stiffened as well. “Oh? I’d love to hear more.”

Even though she asked everyone to voice any criticisms they had, she was more than confident in her own skills. She didn’t believe that there were any real complaints to bring up.

The constant stream of praise that had been showered upon her by her other adoring fans had also subconsciously inflated her ego. As such, his comments left her feeling slightly resentful.

At her invitation, Xie Xiu continued, “Young miss Qiu’s melody truly moved me to tears. Your ability to imbue emotions in your playing is truly magnificent. In this respect, there really isn’t anything to pick at.”

Chu Hongcai’s face paled upon hearing this. He now understood what his greatest mistake was.

It was common knowledge that Xie Xiu was the foremost practitioner when it came to the art of picking up girls, even though his cultivation wasn’t anything to write home about. His words confirmed that Qiu Honglei’s performance had been full of emotion.

No wonder my words had only angered her. Sigh, I shouldn’t have tried to come on so strongly, or made such a risky comment.

As he chastised himself, Xie Xiu continued, “Lady Qiu has already reached perfection in the art of imbuing emotions. However, there are some slight flaws in your technique.

“Towards the end of your song—perhaps because you were too focused and caught up in the emotions of it all—the ‘zheng’ note was held slightly longer, while the ‘yu’ note was played slightly too early. This created a slight disharmony in the music.”

The ‘zheng’ note was equivalent to the ‘F’ note in the modern world’s understanding of music. The ‘yu’ note was equivalent to the ‘A’ note, which was a higher pitch than the ‘zheng’ note. This note excelled in expressing anger and other intense emotions.

Qiu Honglei was stunned. She closed her eyes and replayed her own performance in her mind. Only after a long time did she open her eyes again.

“There is a saying among the courtesans of Brightmoon City: ‘a mistake in the song results in endless gratitude for the consideration of our guests’. Today, I’ve finally increased my knowledge.

“Thank you, young master Xie, for your pointers. Otherwise, I would have been left self-satisfied, yet unaware of my own shortcomings.” Qiu Honglei offered him a deep bow.

Xie Xiu hurriedly returned her show of respect. “Young miss Qiu is too hard on herself.”

As he bowed, his heart secretly burned with shame. Even though he did dabble in the zither, he only knew just enough to deceive other girls. His skills paled in comparison to those of a true master like Qiu Honglei. There was no way he could have picked up this slight flaw.

He had only been repeating what his big sister Xie Daoyun had told him.

Qiu Honglei’s high praise drove everyone mad with jealousy, which in turn served to inflate Xie Xiu’s ego. Now that he had earned her full respect, he wondered if he would be the one chosen.

Xie Daoyun’s voice came quietly from behind him, interrupting his musings. “Don’t forget what you promised. You have to bring me with you when you’re invited.”

Xie Xiu immediately felt his head begin to ache. Why in the world did I bring my big sister to a brothel? I’m probably the first one to do something this stupid!

Qiu Honglei’s gaze began to roam the hall, sweeping across those gathered there.

All the men instantly stood straighter, puffing out their chests, hoping that they might receive the similar sort of attention as Xie Xiu.

However, there was nothing left to say that hadn’t already been said. No one had any confidence in giving any better critique.

Seems like that bastard Xie Xiu is the one getting lucky tonight.

The atmosphere in the hall began to sour.

Unexpectedly, Qiu Honglei suddenly said, “I heard that distinguished young master Zu of the Chu clan has also arrived. I wonder where he is right now?”

When they heard her words, everyone’s eyes instantly turned to Zu An. The grape that Leng Shuangyue had just fed him dropped out of his mouth.

“What is this woman playing at?” In her room on the second floor, a dangerous glint flickered across Pei Mianman’s peach-blossom eyes. Her heart mysteriously grew suspicious.

All who were present shared her puzzlement. After all, there were plenty of men who stood higher than Zu An.

Put nicely, he was the young master of the Chu clan.

Put bluntly, he was nothing more than a lowly Chu-clan leech.

Why didn’t Qiu Honglei, the crown jewel of the Immortal Abode, bat an eye towards any of them, yet suddenly chose to pay such special attention to him?

Zu An’s brow furrowed as he felt the heat of the guests’ collective glares. He knew that this woman already recognized him, given the Rage points he’d received, and yet she insisted on pretending that she didn’t.

This is really strange!

“You are Zu An?”

Before he could even say anything, there was the sound of gnashing teeth.

You have successfully trolled Chen Xuan for 1024 Rage points!

Zu An was completely shocked as he turned to look at the now-fuming Chen Xuan. Those who provided him with 1024 Rage points in one go were usually those who wanted him dead.

Did I accidentally kill this guy’s dad or sleep with his wife or something?

Why in the world are you reacting like this for?

Zu An sighed. “I already tried to keep a low profile so as not to steal anyone’s thunder. I left you all to do your thing, but I still somehow ended up becoming the star. Someone as outstanding as me really can’t avoid attention no matter where I go…”