/
Pfft!
Pian Mianman spewed her tea everywhere.
Just what kind of life did this fella live until now? Wasn’t this a bit too low?
Everyone in the court reacted, immediately exploding with rage.
“Motherf*cking… Don’t stop me, I am going to hack that guy to pieces!”
“Where is my sword?”
“How can there be someone this low in this world?”
“Lady Qiu, do you even know what he is saying? How could you pick a degenerate like him?!”
…
You have successfully trolled Chen Xuan for +999 Rage!
You have successfully trolled Jiang Fan for +999 Rage!
You have successfully trolled Chu Hongcai for +999 Rage!
You have successfully…
Zu An was so happy he was about to go crazy as he watched a new wave of Rage points pour in.
An exceptional person really did have to do exceptional things!
These guys already seemed like they were after his life, so how could he possibly be stupid enough to stay here and let them beat him up?
By the time they reacted, he already escaped without a trace. The furious crowd was stopped by Immortal Abode’s staff.
Sister Hua directed her subordinates to stop the enraged crowd, meanwhile giving his disappearing figure a resentful look. This guy really is good at provoking trouble! Leaving me with this terrible mess to clean up.
Zu An whistled as he followed behind that maid, wondering to himself if he should come to this type of place again.
Of course, with my amazing character, I’m obviously not here for the girls. But it’s just too easy to farm Rage points here!
After just a rough calculation, he found that the amount of points he earned in Immortal Abode was much greater than any other time.
If he could make this much every day, ascending to immortality might not even be a dream.
Suddenly, everything before his eyes went dark. He noticed that he already left Immortal Abode. He was already standing in front of the sparkling Brightmoon River. The sky had already darkened, currently early evening when the lanterns were first lit. The lantern reflections on the water surface made it seem as if there were countless moons.
“Only the liveliness of a brothel street could have this type of scenery.”
Zu An sighed as he asked the maid, “Cute sis, where are we headed?”
He looked around him. This doesn’t seem like Qiu Honglei’s lady chambers?
“Cute sis?” That servant girl was given a fright. She had clearly never heard of this type of address before.[1]
However, compared to the others who didn’t treat maids like her with any respect like they existed to be ordered around, this ‘cute sis’ sounded rather nice.
A happy expression appeared on her face. “The young miss is waiting for you on the boat.”
“Boat?” Zu An was stunned. How did he end up going to a boat?
He only saw the maid squat down, sliding open a wooden door on the balcony-like floor and revealing a stepladder. He could see a small boat stopped nearby.
“Young master, please.” The maid made an inviting gesture.
“So many formalities.” Zu An chuckled. However, this didn’t really bother him. He followed the stairs down.
As soon as he got on the boat, it began to slowly move towards the center of the river.
Zu An frowned. This can’t be some trap, right?
But when he thought it over, he didn’t seem to be worth conspiring against.
Let alone the fact that his cultivation now also increased. The more skilled one became, the more daring they became, so he quickly calmed down.
“What a pity that cute sis didn’t get on as well. I forgot to ask for her name.” Zu An was a bit regretful.
“Young master is different from an ordinary person as expected. You don’t feel any fear.”
At this time, a gentle female voice sounded from within the ship. It was precisely Qiu Honglei’s unique voice.
“What do I have to be scared of? That the lady will devour me?” Zu An said with a smile.
“Young master really knows how to joke around. Shouldn’t I be the one scared of being eaten by you.” Qiu Honglei’s voice was smooth and rich, every word tugging at the heartstrings of men.
“Hurry and come in, the wind is too strong outside.”
…
As they chatted with each other, a voluptuous figure appeared on that Immortal Abode balcony Zu An departed from.
Pei Mianman stomped her feet as she watched that boat depart. “What a crafty vixen!”
They already left by boat, so she couldn’t even listen in on their conversation.
“Forget it, I’ll search her room first. Hopefully I can find something there.”Pei Mianman snorted. Then, her figure quickly disappeared without a trace.
…
When he heard this beauty’s invitation, Zu An raised the curtain entrance of the boat.
He discovered that even though the boat was small, its interior was cozy and warm. There was a small carved table with a few plates of exquisite food. Qiu Honglei was sitting by the table and looking at him with a smile.
Her beautiful eyes seemed to be speaking.
Those who didn’t know anything might think that this was a wife waiting for her husband to return home.
A small and exquisite lantern hung from the wall. As the faint yellow radiance scattered over her body, it was as if her entire body was coated in a layer of honey.
“Young master is staring so intently at that small lantern. Could it be that I am not as pretty as the lantern?” Qiu Honglei spoke in a pouting tone. However, there was no real annoyance on her face.
“I’ve just never seen such a yellow lamp before,” Zu An said while sitting down by the table.
Originally, with his nature, he would have definitely sat next to Qiu Honglei and be as close to her as possible.
But this boat was too small! Having a table like this inside was already the limit. There was no way anyone could sit next to her, so he could only sit down here.
Is this girl doing this on purpose? Who is she even on guard against? Zu An thought resentfully.
“If the young master does not like this lamp, I can put it out.” Qiu Honglei revealed her endlessly seductive waistline.
“No need. This lamp’s yellow light actually makes me feel warm.” Zu An stopped her and said, “I won’t be able to see lady Qiu’s beauty if the lamp goes out either. That would really be a pity.”
“Young master’s mouth really is sweet. No wonder you were able to please my maid so easily.” Qiu Honglei said with an alluring expression.
“Do you have clairvoyance or something?” Zu An jumped in fright. How did she know about his actions from so far away?
Qiu Honglei smiled. She didn’t explain anything either, only pointing at the two pots beside her. “Does the young master wish to drink tea or alcohol?”
“Obviously alcohol!” Zu An said without hesitation.
“That is what I assumed as well. Anyone who can compose such an impassioned ‘Smiling, Proud Wanderer’ is naturally a heroic man who loves alcohol.” Qiu Honglei picked up the pot and poured a cup for him.
Out of worry that her long sleeves would touch the food on the table, she gently moved them to the side, revealing her beautiful arms that were even finer than white jade.
Zu An couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. Some people really were blessed at birth. Every single part of her body is a work of art.
“That’s actually not the reason why I drink. I just want an excuse to justify any reckless actions after I drink.”
Qiu Honglei’s smile froze, but she quickly recovered. “If it was before, I would have definitely thought of the young master as a pervert. I might have even chose to immediately chase you out.”
“Then why aren’t you doing the same now?” Zu An asked in curiosity.
“Because anyone who can write that type of song is definitely a lofty and unsullied knight rich with talent. Those actions that abandon all restraint should just be a type of camouflage.” Qiu Honglei raised her cup with a smile. “I am really happy to share a friendship with the young master through music. This humble girl offers the young master a toast.”
Feeling the fragrance in the air, Zu An couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. “Who says those who have talent can’t be perverts?”
Ji Dengtu’s vulgar smile appeared in his head. He immediately felt disgust and shoved that scene out of his head. “Also, that song isn’t my work. I just shared the achievements of another.”
Zu An immediately became a bit dejected when he thought about how he might never be able to return to his past world again. He raised his cup and drained it in one go.
Qiu Honglei lowered her cup, leaving behind a light lip stain mark. “The young master is too modest. Even though Honglei is foolish, I am familiar with all types of songs. This is the first time I’ve heard of this ‘Smiling, Proud Wanderer’. If it wasn’t written by the young master, then who else could it have been written by?”
Zu An wanted to say something, but he hesitated. In the end, he still gave up on explaining. He couldn’t tell her that he transmigrated here, right?
There really is something wrong with this world! Whenever I speak the truth, no one believes me, but they don’t question my lies at all!
To hell with it!
“May I ask the young master a question?” Qiu Honglei’s beautiful eyes looked at him calmly.
“Please don’t keep calling me young master, just call me Ah Zu in the future,” Zu An replied. “What does the lady want to ask me?”
Qiu Honglei said, “To be honest, I have already heard quite a few rumors about the young master. None of them were too good.”
“That I am just a piece of trash? You don’t need to worry about my feelings.” Zu An laughed in a completely unconcerned manner. “I’ve already gotten used to it.”
Qiu Honglei’s face became a bit red. She sized him up with a bit of curiosity. “Yet only today have I discovered that the young master is actually an extremely outstanding man. Why do you normally… treat this entire world like a game?”
She really couldn’t find any words to portray how Zu An carried himself. The word ‘lowly’ seemed quite fitting, but that was too indecent. How could she say that in this type of setting?
“I am not pretending though? I really am this type of person.” Zu An said in a carefree manner.
Qiu Honglei refused to believe him. She said with a wronged expression. “Seems like the young master still does not treat me as one of your own.”
Zu An cursed silently. Are we husband and wife or something? We haven’t even gone to bed and you have the nerve to say this?
“Is the young master concerned that being too outstanding might instead make the Chu clan feel uneasy?” Qiu Honglei asked this probingly when she saw him remain silent.
Zu An stared blankly. “What does the Chu clan have to feel uneasy about?”
Qiu Honglei said with a slight smile. “Brightmoon Duke currently has two daughters and a son. The son is serving in the capital as a… he is studying, while his second daughter is a publicly known…”
“Publicly known tantrums throwing uncontrollable brat. She can’t help out the family’s matters at all.”
Zu An burst out laughing inside. You wanted to say a publicly known straw bag idiot, right? You were so used to saying it that you were about to blurt that out.
Honestly though, that little fella and me actually makes a good duo. Straw bag and trash, haha~
A hint of an awkward expression also flickered past Qiu Honglei’s face. She continued, “Close to half of Chu clan’s affairs are managed by first miss Chu. First miss Chu is pretty and extremely talented. She is the Chu clan’s most suitable heir, but she is unfortunately a woman.”
“That’s why the situation with her husband becomes a bit awkward. If he is too competent, then he might just take over the Chu clan like a turtledove seizing the nest of a magpie.”
“That is why first miss Chu would specially choose a… chose someone like you without any background. On the surface, they picked someone who didn’t have a single good point as her husband. I thought that I guessed miss Chu’s intentions correctly, but after meeting the young master today, I found that I was gravely mistaken.”
“Did you deliberately deceive young miss Chu, or did the young miss choose you as her husband because she knew right form the start?”
Zu An gently swayed the cup in his hands, casually leaning against the wall of this boat. With an ambiguous expression, he said, “This doesn’t seem like something a courtesan should be concerned with, no? Just who exactly are you?”
1. I translated xiao jie jie as cute sis here, but this is actually what modern people call young women. It is not perverted or disgusting, but rather a type of casual address and praise. This is also true for young men, who would be called xiao ge ge.