"You guys have made me interested in this guy. I'll go to the academy tomorrow and see for myself what he's really like." Shi Kun gazed in the direction of the academy, his tone full of confidence and composure, as if he were just dealing with a trivial matter and didn't take it too seriously.

Xue'er looked ashamed, realizing it was all her fault for not handling things properly, which was why she had to trouble the young master to come in person.

"Young Master Sang is still waiting for me outside. I'll go see him." Shi Kun got up and went to the door, then suddenly stopped and said to Mei Chaofeng, "What's the name of that subordinate of yours who lost 7.5 million taels?"

“Plum Blossom Seven,” Mei Chaofeng replied hastily.

Shi Kun gave an "oh" and said indifferently, "What's the point of keeping such useless things? Chop them up and feed them to the dogs."

"Yes~" Mei Chaofeng felt a chill in his heart, knowing that the other party was making a show of force, actually warning him.

Mei Chaofeng felt extremely aggrieved. After all, he was the king of the underworld of Mingyue City, and his word was law. When had he ever been ordered around like this by a young man?

However, his initial dissatisfaction vanished instantly upon seeing the old man following behind Shi Kun. Shi Kun alone was one thing; if provoked, he might be able to fight back. But this old man's cultivation far surpassed his own, making him dare not have any intention of resisting.

The Shi family has a deep foundation; even a casual servant or guard possesses such powerful cultivation...

A sense of despair flashed through Mei Chaofeng's heart. It seemed that people like them in the martial arts world could only rely on the whims of these powerful families forever.

In the living room outside, Sang Qian was getting impatient when he suddenly saw Shi Kun come out. He immediately changed his expression and smiled, "Young Master Shi, it's been a long time. You are still as handsome as ever."

Shi Kun's face was no longer gloomy as before, but instead full of warm smiles: "Brother Sang, you are still as charming as ever since we parted in the capital."

The two were clearly old acquaintances. After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Shi Kun finally couldn't help but ask, "What exactly is your father's plan this time? He has remained unmoved, which is puzzling to me."

Sang Qian smiled slightly: "My father is preparing some things these days, and the time is not right yet. He said that you can take action first, and the two sides will not affect each other."

"It is said that Sang Sinong always plans carefully before acting, and seeing it today, I can see that the rumors are true." Shi Kun sneered inwardly. Sang Hong was clearly making him take the lead, making it seem as if he, the young master, couldn't deal with the Chu family, and that he would come out to clean up the mess in the end?

"Brother Shi, you flatter me. My father is mainly worried that launching the campaign ahead of schedule will affect your plan to win over Miss Chu. If you can successfully bring Miss Chu into your household, we can save ourselves a lot of trouble." Sang Qian flattered her, but in his heart he felt a pang of jealousy. What man wouldn't like Chu Chuyan's heavenly beauty? However, he knew that although his father was indeed enjoying great success in his official career, the Sang family's foundation was still too shallow and could not compare with those aristocratic families that had existed for hundreds of years.

Therefore, he was destined to be out of luck with a peerless beauty like Chu Chuyan. After all, there were also noble young masters like Shi Kun pursuing her, and how could he possibly compete with them? His only option was to seek a marriage alliance with a local powerful family like the Zheng family.

Fortunately, Miss Zheng's appearance is not much inferior to Chu Chuyan's; she is just a little inferior in status and cultivation. He is already quite satisfied to have such a beautiful woman with a classical temperament as his future wife.

I just don't know how well her plan is going.

I had specifically inquired about it before, and Ms. Zheng did not succeed, but according to her, everything was going according to plan.

Hmph, I wonder if that guy from Zuan got the better of me.

However, considering that Zheng Dan wouldn't even let him hold her hand, he figured she wouldn't let a good-for-nothing like Zu An get close to her either.

Thinking of this, he felt much better.

Hearing this, Shi Kun's anger turned to joy: "Hahaha, thank you for your kind words, Brother Sang. When I take Miss Chu into my household, I will definitely invite you to the wedding banquet."

"You'd be more like asking me to help you into the bridal chamber." Sang Qian sneered inwardly, but his face remained amiable. "We're all working for the royal family. Let's wish each other success. Let's start by toasting Brother Shi with tea instead of wine."

"Of course, it's a pleasure to cooperate." Shi Kun picked up his teacup and clinked it against his in the air. He drank it all in one gulp, but secretly sneered. Although it was all said to be for the royal family, there were still some differences in reality.

The Sang family were the emperor's confidants, while the Shi family belonged to the empress's faction. Although the couple appeared to be no different on the surface, it was mainly because they now shared a common enemy: Prince Qi.

Who knows what might happen in the future? So we can't trust the Sang family too much; we still need to be on guard.

Behind Sang Qian's smiling face, he was clearly also plotting something similar; the two of them perfectly exemplified what it means to have ulterior motives.

The next morning, after a good night's sleep, Zu An was much calmer and no longer as depressed as he had been the night before. He had come to a realization: in this world where cultivation is paramount, strength is the only true path, and everything else is meaningless.

This world is far too dangerous. Having more ways to protect yourself is better than anything else. Although the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual and the Sunflower Manual are not good to talk about, no one in this world has read "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer". What do I have to be afraid of?

Moreover, with the addition of the Sunflower Illusion, my chances of winning the family competition tomorrow, or entering the secret realm to find the unsealing medicine, are much greater. So how could I possibly dislike it?

With this in mind, he began to simulate cultivating the Sunflower Illusion again, memorizing every path of vital energy circulation perfectly.

After breakfast, Chu Huanzhao came running to find him to go to school. Zu An was initially very resistant to going to school, but with such a beautiful sister-in-law as a companion, going to school didn't seem so boring.

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