“What’s up?” asked Zu An in surprise. 

“It’s about the slots granting entry into the dungeon,” replied Jiang Luofu as she crossed her legs leisurely. She seemed blissfully unaware of just how tempting her casual movements were to men. “Do you want to enter the dungeon as a student or a teacher?”

After Zu An’s feat of defeating both Yuan Wendong and Yuan Wenji in the dueling ring, there were none who questioned his qualification to enter the dungeon anymore.

“Naturally, I want to enter as a teacher!” replied Zu An.

It was better to be a teacher. It looked good on him, and he could exploit his standing as well.

“As a teacher, you’ll have to be responsible for the students’ safety in the dungeon,” said Jiang Luofu.

Zu An was taken aback by her words. He was entering the dungeon in order to look for the Evanescent Lotus, and it would be inconvenient for him if he had to take care of the other students on top of that. He immediately offered a counter argument. “Aren’t we letting the students into the dungeon for the sole purpose of challenging themselves? It’s counterproductive to assign teachers to shield them from danger. Those kids would never mature if we keep them tucked under our wings like little hatchlings!”

“Kids?” Jiang Luofu was rendered speechless. 

That fellow is a student himself, and yet he’s trying to preach to me like he’s superior to the rest of them. 

She exhaled deeply before explaining the matter to him. “The dungeon is as much of a menace as it is an opportunity. Casualties are a given each time a dungeon opens, which is why the academy is forced to put some restrictions in place in order to manage the level of risk. Only fifth rank and selected fourth rank cultivators are allowed to roam around freely in the dungeon. As for the rest, they have to go around in a group, led by a teacher.”

Now that he had a rough grasp of the situation, Zu An finally nodded and said, “No problem. It’s not as if any students would choose to be in my group anyway.”

Jiang Luofu was momentarily speechless.

This fellow really thinks very differently from others. Ah, forget it. I’ll just send more teachers in then.

“All right. Let’s move on to the second matter then,” said Jiang Luofu. “The academy needs you to step forward and take over all of the businesses under the Plum Blossom Sect in our stead. You should be aware that it isn’t appropriate for us to be front and center when dealing with this sort of matter.”

Zu An was amused. “Didn’t I already hand the promissory note to you? You should be the one handling the aftermath. Why are you leaving it to me instead?”

“I was planning on making a move, but that court case of yours ended up sending Mei Chaofeng straight to jail. The Plum Blossom Sect is on the verge of collapsing, and many people are eyeing their lucrative businesses right now. Thankfully they’re fighting amongst each other right now, so no one has been able to make a move yet,” said Jiang Luofu. 

“However, you’re a different matter altogether. Everyone knows that the Plum Blossom Sect owes you seven-and-a-half million taels of silver, which grants you legitimate grounds to take over their businesses. On top of that, the academy will provide you with support and backing, so you should be able to handle this with ease.”

“Aren’t you pushing me out in front just to use the Chu clan’s name to help in your endeavor?” Zu An pointed out.

It was likely that Brightmoon Academy had fashioned its own plan to collect the debt, but Mei Chaofeng’s sudden imprisonment had messed things up. Everyone’s eyes were on the Plum Blossom Sect’s businesses right now, leaving Brightmoon Academy in an inconvenient position to make a move. The academy was overseen by the imperial court, after all, so it wouldn’t look good if it were to get involved in such matters directly. As such, it needed someone to step forward in its place.

The best candidate here was indubitably Zu An. Not only did he have legitimate grounds, he also could bank on the name of the Chu clan to pressure others. Even if he were doing it on his own accord, the other powers would still think that he was representing the Chu clan.

Once the other powers came to realize that the academy had joined hands with the Chu clan, they would have no choice but to back down.

“It isn’t a good thing for a man to be too smart.” Jiang Luofu tapped her brush lightly on the table, favoring Zu An with a playful smile.

Zu An rejected her request without hesitation. “I won’t do it. It’s not like I’m getting anything out of this anyway.”

“Oh?” Jiang Luofu was unfazed by Zu An’s rejection. “I guess I’ll have to pick another person to take your slot for the Ursae Dungeon then.”

Zu An immediately slapped a smile on his face and replied, “Ahahaha, I was just kidding. As a teacher of the academy, it’s only right for me to do my part and share the academy’s burden. Besides, I was the one who gave you the promissory note in the first place. It’s only right for me to clean up the mess. Leave it to me!”

Jiang Luofu stared at Zu An silently for a long moment before exhaling deeply. “I must say, you’re the most thick-skinned person I have seen in recent years. Speaking of which, you were looking for me?”

Zu An’s eyes gleamed immediately as he began to speak. “Actually, it’s related to what you were saying earlier…”

He quickly explained the situation to Jiang Luofu.

Jiang Luofu snorted. “You want me to help subdue Mei Chaofeng for you?” 

“I mean, just think about it. Mei Chaofeng definitely knows plenty of secrets surrounding the Plum Blossom Sect, such as its accounting logs, cash flow, procurement of resources, and so on. Even if you take over the Plum Blossom Sect’s businesses, you’ll have trouble maintaining them without such vital information, right?” Zu An pointed out.

“I guess your words do make some sense. Fine, I’ll accompany you then!” Jiang Luofu finally stood up from her chair, emphasizing her tall stature even more.

On the way to the gazebo, the two of them continued chatting.

“I’m quite curious as to how you managed to defeat the Yuan brothers in the dueling ring the other day. Your swordplay was a little different from our academy’s Elementary Swordplay.”

“It can’t be helped. I’m simply too talented, so my understanding of the sword art goes far deeper than anyone else’s.”

“… You’re obviously on good terms with Shang Liuyu. How could you lie to me previously and say that you didn’t know her at all?”

“How could I possibly dare to lie to you? I really didn’t know her back then!”

“How far has your relationship with her progressed? I haven’t seen her allow anyone to enter her residence for many years now, let alone lend one of her personal possessions to them.”

“Is it really okay for you, the principal of Brightmoon Academy, to gossip about your own subordinates?”

… 

Their idle conversation continued, and they finally arrived in the vicinity of the gazebo. Jiang Luofu kept a distance away while Zu An walked toward the gazebo by himself.

Even from some ways off, he could see a person with long, flowing hair sitting in the gazebo, dressed in a way that resembled that of Shang Liuyu’s.

But seriously bro, have you ever noticed how wide your back is? Even if you wear a woman’s clothes, no one in the world could possibly mistake you for a lady, let alone someone as beautiful as Shang Liuyu!

Who could have possibly known that the sect master of the Plum Blossom Sect would actually be a cross-dressing perv!

However, out of consideration for the immense effort Mei Chaofeng had taken to dress up for the occasion, Zu An figured it would be rude not to go along with him.

“Big sister Shang, why did you ask me out here?” Zu An called out to Mei Chaofeng with a tender voice. Of course, he made sure not to get too close to the gazebo, lest the latter knocked him out in one blow.

“You thought that I was Shang Liuyu, but it’s me, Mei Chaofeng! Hahahaha!” Mei Chaofeng tossed aside the wig he was wearing, ripped up the dress he was wearing over his regular clothes, and turned around to face Zu An triumphantly.

“H-how could it be you? Where’s big sister Shang?!” Zu An exclaimed in horror.

In the shadows, Jiang Luofu rolled her eyes. 

Wow, his acting sure is horrendous.

“There’s no big sister Shang here. It was all me from the beginning to the end! Are you surprised? Hahaha!” 

The fluster in Zu An’s eyes left Mei Chaofeng feeling so exhilarated that he almost moaned in pleasure. He had suffered so much over the past few days all thanks to Zu An, and now, he was finally able to return the favor!

“It’s you!” Zu An instinctively staggered backward in fright. “No, this can’t be! How could your reach possibly stretch into the academy too?!”

“It’s all thanks to the young master’s massive influence. Without him, it would have been difficult for me to grab hold of the slippery loach that you are!” 

Mei Chaofeng was in no hurry to kill Zu An. 

I’ve lost everything because of this bastard. How could I let him off the hook so easily? I need to make him suffer and savor his screams of agony in order to assuage the wrath that is boiling in my blood!

“Who is this young master you’re talking about? Is it Shi Kun?” 

Zu An already knew of their relationship beforehand, but the same couldn’t be said for the woman listening in to their conversation. He was trying to get Mei Chaofeng to confess to it before her.

“Of course it’s…” Halfway through, Mei Chaofeng suddenly realized that he was being sounded out. He cut himself off with a cold snort and said, “Hmph, you want to know who the young master is? I won’t let you have your way! I want you to die indignant and ignorant!”

“You want to kill me?” Zu An clasped his head in horror. “I’m the son-in-law of the Chu clan, as well as a teacher of the academy. If you dare to lay a hand on me, neither the Chu clan nor the academy will let you off!”

“Hahaha, that would have been enough to give me pause before, but what do I have to lose now? Thanks to you, I’ve lost everything. There’s no way I can remain in Brightmoon City anymore. After killing you, I’ll head to another city and live a carefree life. Once I’m gone, what can the Chu clan or the academy do about me?” Mei Chaofeng punctuated his statement with a cold laugh.

“They have already put out a warrant for you. You could have simply left the city, but you chose to take a risk in order to assassinate me. Someone must have promised you a new life elsewhere if you managed to successfully rob me of my life!” Zu An continued his attempts to probe deeper. 

“Does it make a difference? You are an eyesore to me. I should have sliced you to pieces right from the start!” Mei Chaofeng sneered. “Why don’t you try falling on your knees and begging me for mercy? I might just consider being merciful, and bestow upon you a quick death!”

Of course, even if Zu An really pleaded for mercy, there was no way he would grant Zu An an easy death. He wanted to humiliate Zu An by making him beg like a dog before plunging him into despair by going back on his words. 

Seeing this, Zu An sighed softly and said, “What makes you so certain that you’d be able to kill me?”

“You must be bursting with confidence after defeating Yuan Wendong in the Clans Tournament yesterday,” Mei Chaofeng scoffed. “You must be unaware that Yuan Wendong is a mere weakling who only barely managed to claw his way to the fifth rank. Despite his weakness, he still let himself become complacent and ended up falling for your tricks, resulting in his defeat. Before me, however, you stand no chance at all!”

As those words left his mouth, he took a step forward and unleashed his powerful aura. He eyed Zu An intently, hoping to bask in the terror he expected to be reflected in his eyes.

Unfortunately, Zu An wasn’t giving him what he wanted. “I see now why you’ve ended up serving others your entire life. The scope and depth of your thoughts have been narrowed by your long years of subservience. All you can think of are minor schemes, and pitting your life against others. However, those in positions of power like myself don’t even have to lift a finger to deal with someone like you.”

Jiang Luofu’s mouth fell open.

Mei Chaofeng was taken aback by his words, and anxiously scanned the surroundings. After confirming that there was no one else around, he laughed disdainfully. “Don’t even bother with that pathetic act of yours. The Chu clan’s guards are currently waiting at the entrance of the academy, so there’s no way they’ll be able to make it here in time. Even if they did come to your rescue, they aren’t a match for me either.”

“Who said that I’m talking about them?” Zu An shrugged. “Shouldn’t you have looked into my background before assassinating me? You should know that my nickname in the academy is ‘Moochlord’. Except for special cases like the Clans Tournament, I wouldn’t even bother dirtying my hands with my enemies’ blood!”

“You’re the most shameless man I’ve ever seen. You don’t even have the slightest sense of shame for mooching off other women!” scoffed Mei Chaofeng.

“Mooching off others is a special skill in its own right—what do I have to be embarrassed about?” replied Zu An disdainfully. “If you’re jealous, why don’t you try mooching off a woman too? If you can, that is.”

You have successfully trolled Mei Chaofeng for 514 Rage points!

“I…” Mei Chaofeng choked at Zu An’s remark. It took him quite a while before he was able to compose himself. “Yuan Wendong might be trash, but he did get one thing right—it’s futile to rely on women. In the end, the only one whom you can really count on is yourself. Look at the current situation—who can you summon to save you now? Chu Chuyan? Pei Mianman? Or Shang Liuyu? Try calling them here now, then.”

The Shi clan had already done its homework. Chu Chuyan and Pei Mianman were both not in the academy today, and Shang Liuyu wasn’t known for her cultivation. As for Chu Huanzhao, Ji Xiaoxi, and the others, they didn’t pose a threat to him at all.

“Try calling a woman out right now, then. Aren’t you proud of your mooching skills?” sneered Mei Chaofeng.

Zu An shook his head and said, “Someone like you is destined to never understand the frustrations of a popular man like me. Forget it, then. I’ll fulfill your wish just this once. Gorgeous principal, come out!”

“Gorgeous principal? Jiang Luofu?!” Mei Chaofeng gasped in horror.

If Zu An wasn’t lying, this spelt disaster for him. A cultivator of Jiang Luofu’s level could slaughter him as easily as squashing an ant. He scanned his surroundings again in a panic, but to his relief, nothing happened at all.

“Hahaha, you’re making me laugh my head off! You actually thought that you could mooch off Principal Jiang? Who do you think you are? Stop daydreaming!” Mei Chaofeng was finally able to set his heart at ease. “However, you did remind me that we are too near to the academy right now. Someone might just come by if I continue to dawdle. Since that’s the case… meet your death!”

Blue lightning crackled around Mei Chaofeng’s fist as he dashed forward and sent it flying at Zu An. The sheer force of his attack was so great that, even before it landed, Zu An already found himself suffocating under the tremendous pressure.

“Holy shit!” Seeing that Jiang Luofu wasn’t making a move at all, Zu An realized that he might have finally gone too far this time.