Right at that moment, Wu Wei and Yuan Zhengchu turned around to observe the outcome of the duel, expecting to see Yuan Wendong crippling Zu An. However, the sight that greeted them instead left both their mouths agape.

Yuan Zhengchu stared in disbelief, which was quickly overtaken by a surge of uncontrolled rage. With a ferocious look on his face, he leaped toward Zu An, roaring, “How dare you hurt my son? Die!”

You have successfully trolled Yuan Zhengchu for 1024 Rage points!

Even though Yuan Zhengchu’s cultivation was beneath that of the two dukes, killing Zu An would still be a walk in the park for him. Without holding back in the least, he struck with such powerful momentum that Zu An couldn’t dodge even if he wanted to.

However, there was no need for Zu An to dodge at all, for a towering figure instantly appeared in front of him. Chu Zhongtian stopped Yuan Zhengchu’s attack, and with a mocking smile on his lips, he said, “Patriarch Yuan, this is a fight between the juniors. Don’t you think that it’s beneath you to interfere?”

Being able to return these words to the dastardly Yuan Zhengchu was like a soothing balm for his soul. He was fundamentally a good person, but that didn’t mean that he let anyone trample over him. The Yuan clan had been acting smug for the entire day now, and it was time for them to suffer the consequences of their actions.

“You!” Yuan Zhengchu was infuriated, but his cultivation was lower than Chu Zhongtian’s, and he couldn’t breach the duke’s defense.

Wu Wei chose this moment to step forward. However, instead of making a move toward Chu Zhongtian, he walked over to Yuan Wendong’s to stem his bleeding. As he examined the wound, his expression turned livid.

Out of fear of Zu An’s safety, the Brightmoon Duke positioned himself to ensure that neither Yuan Zhengchu nor Wu Wei could hurt Zu An without having to go past him.

With his rash attack on Zu An foiled, Yuan Zhengchu also rushed over to his son’s side to tend to him. He took out a few recovery pills and popped them into Yuan Wendong’s mouth. He turned to Zu An and bellowed, “Don’t the rules of the Clans Tournament state that the fighters shouldn’t deliberately harm their opponents? Yet, you viciously crippled my son! How vile is your heart?!”

You have successfully trolled Yuan Zhengchu for 999 Rage points!

Zu An shrugged casually and replied, “I’m afraid I don’t understand what you’re saying. There’s only a fine line between winning and losing in a fight between cultivators. It was just moments ago that I witnessed the glorious splendor of young master Yuan’s swordsmanship. I was afraid he might have some other trump cards that he hadn’t utilized yet. As a third rank cultivator, you can’t expect me to hold back against a fifth rank cultivator. How was I to know that young master Yuan would be far weaker than I thought? Hah! I shouldn’t have put him on the same pedestal as my wife, Chuyan!”

These were the very words that Yuan Wendong had said mockingly earlier on when Yuan Wenji intentionally injured Chu Huanzhao. Zu An was just being gracious and returning the favor.

“You!” Yuan Wendong bellowed in fury before abruptly passing out from the severity of his injuries and his agitation.

You have successfully trolled Yuan Wendong for 1024 Rage points!

“You bastard! You dare to…” Yuan Zhengchu was mad with rage, but couldn’t find a good way to rebut Zu An’s argument.

You have successfully trolled Yuan Zhengchu for 1024 Rage points!

Chu Zhongtian was not done with him. “Patriarch Yuan, Zu An is the son-in-law of our Chu clan, not a bastard. Out of consideration for your injured son, I’ll let it slide this time. But, know that our Chu clan won’t tolerate anyone insulting the members of our family!”

“You!” Yuan Zhengchu’s face flushed red, but he was far beneath Chu Zhongtian in terms of both standing and cultivation. As angry as he was, there was no way for him to make a move.

Wu Wei took up his mantle and turned to the judges of the tournament. “Judges, it’s a rule of this tournament that fighters aren’t to hurt their opponents intentionally. Although Yuan Wenji had harmed Chu Huanzhao in their duel earlier, her injuries aren’t severe, and she will recover with some time. However, Zu An has viciously crippled Yuan Wendong in this round. I ask you to disqualify him and declare it as the Chu clan’s loss!”

“What a load of rubbish!” Chu Zhongtian bellowed. “Wu Wei, do you take everyone to be blind? It was Yuan Wendong who had tried to exploit the duel to cripple Zu An, but fell to a counterattack instead. His fate is nothing more than an act of karma that he brought upon himself. He has no one else to blame for his plight!”

A few of the spectators who had clearly seen what had happened earlier voiced their agreement. “That’s right! It was Yuan Wendong who tried to cripple Zu An first!”

However, the supporters of the Yuan clan immediately retaliated. “Rubbish! Why would young master Yuan do that? A fifth rank cultivator like him needs not to pick on a third rank cultivator like Zu An! Zu An exploited his moment of carelessness to deal a vicious blow! What a sinister person he is!”

In truth, most of the spectators were ordinary mortals or low rank cultivators, and they hadn’t had a clear picture of what had transpired earlier. They had to rely on the analyses of their betters to help them decide who to support.

Instead of expressing his stance first, Sang Hong turned to Xie Yi and Jiang Luofu and said, “City Lord Xie and Principal Jiang, what do the two of you think?”

Wily old fox, Xie Yi thought in his mind. If he expressed his stance at a moment like this, he would only end up offending one side no matter what. However, as someone who had dabbled in politics for many years, he knew how to maneuver around such situations too. “Pardon my weakness, but I’m unable to tell how young master Zu managed to strike young master Yuan first with the most basic Elementary Swordplay. I have to ask Governor Sang to enlighten me on this.”

His words echoed the doubts harbored by many of those present. Anyone could tell that Yuan Wendong had been in an advantageous position earlier on. How had the tables been turned on him at the last moment?

“That trash! Why did Yuan Wendong answer Zu An’s question at that critical moment? He deserves to be crippled!” Shi Kun gulped down a cup of tea, but his agitated heart refused to calm down. He had made many preparations in order to ensure that Yuan Wendong would be able to get rid of Zu An, but his brilliant plan now lay in ruins.

Snow tried to console him, “It could be that Zu An is simply too hateful, and Yuan Wendong failed to hold himself in check.”

“A piece of trash indeed!” Shi Kun tightened his grip, crushing the teacup in his hand.

Seeing this, Snow immediately fell silent. There was no way she would let herself be caught up in Shi Kun’s wrath right now.

Amidst the crowd, Ji Dengtu narrowed his eyes. 

That lad sure has a potent mouth. He actually got that Yuan guy to answer him at that critical moment. What was that movement skill that he used, though? Somehow, it looks a little familiar to me. Have I seen it somewhere before?

But why can’t I remember where? Is it because I tired myself out while reading that booklet recently, and it’s starting to impair my memory? Hmm, it looks like I must control myself a little. I should prepare some nourishing medicine to boost myself.

The only one in the crowd who wasn’t surprised by Zu An’s victory was Pei Mianman. She sat leisurely in her seat, her beautiful profile drawing furtive glances from the men around her. However, she paid them no heed. She smiled, her peach blossom eyes shining with mirth. “A man whom I can’t kill; how could it be hard for him to defeat Yuan Wendong?”

Within the circle of judges, Sang Hong mentally cursed Xie Yi for being as slippery as an eel. He kept his silence as he listened to the discussions going on around him. In truth, he too was finding it difficult to fathom why Yuan Wendong would suddenly get distracted at that critical moment. He must be too young! That’s why he’s unable to focus properly.

Not wanting to give an opinion himself, he turned to Jiang Luofu and asked, “Principal Jiang, what are your thoughts?”

The Chu clan’s victory had put a dent in his future plans, and he was in a foul mood. Even Jiang Luofu’s beautiful thighs couldn’t stir him anymore.

Jiang Luofu responded calmly, “It was indeed Yuan Wendong who tried to cripple Zu An first, but he was injured in a counterattack by Zu An. It was a critical moment, so neither side could afford to hold back. Regardless of the outcome, neither side can be blamed for their decisions at that moment. Since the victor has already been decided, I don’t think that there’s much left to discuss.”

Sang Hong was surprised to hear how supportive Jiang Luofu was of Zu An. However, she hadn’t intervened the previous few times he’d tried to undermine the Chu clan, so it didn’t seem like she was biased toward them. She was probably taking a neutral stance, as expected of the academy.

In any case, there didn’t seem to be a way to reverse the situation anymore, especially with what Jiang Luofu had just said. So, Sang Hong declared, “Since the victor has been decided, I hereby declare that the Chu clan has won the Clans Tournament!”

Even though Sang Hong had been sent here to deal with the Chu clan, he still had to uphold the dignity of the royal court. If he acted against the Chu clan in an overly-explicit way, it would open up many avenues for his enemies to attack him. With this matter already set in stone, he had no choice but to accept reality and alter his future plans.

Those from the Chu clan broke out in boisterous cheers. So much craziness had occurred throughout the course of the day, and they had almost resigned themselves to  suffering a loss at the hands of the Wu clan and Yuan clan. None of them had expected such a dramatic, last-minute turnaround!

On the other hand, those from the Wu clan and Yuan clan were outraged. Not even in their darkest nightmares had they seen such a possibility, especially after all of their meticulous preparations. They had been on the cusp of victory, only for it to slip through the cracks in their fingers. No one could possibly take such a situation well.

“Governor Sang!” Wu Wei looked at Sang Hong with a terrifying look on his face. Clearly, he was displeased with Sang Hong’s verdict.

Sang Hong turned to Wu Wei calmly and said, “Yes, I do understand that the Chu clan has to take responsibility for young master Yuan’s injuries as well. Brightmoon Duke, I’ll hold you responsible for young master Yuan’s treatment fee. Do you have any objections?”

“Of course not!” replied Chu Zhongtian heartily. He had been furious when the Yuan clan had mockingly offered to pay for Chu Huanzhao’s medical fees, but it seemed like karma was real.

“There’s no need for that. We can at least pay for our own family member’s medical fees!” Yuan Zhengchu spat coldly. He knew that this was a sign from Sang Hong that he had already given up on them. 

With that, he gestured for their clan members to stand up and return to the Yuan Estate.

It was then that Zu An suddenly spoke up, “Wait a moment. Are you leaving just like that?”

Yuan Zhengchu turned around and glared at Zu An with fury burning in his eyes. “Zu An, what else do you want?”

You have successfully trolled Yuan Zhengchu for 783 Rage points!

No one in the Yuan clan had any idea why Zu An was holding up their departure, and neither did any of the Chu clan members.

“Nothing much. I know that you all hate me so much that you would love nothing more than to tear me apart. Since that’s the case, I’ll give you a chance to exact vengeance, then.” Zu An pointed his sword toward Yuan Wenji. “I challenge him to a fight. Let’s settle the conflict right here right now.”

Many of the spectators had also been just about to leave when they heard Zu An’s challenge. They rushed back to their seats with excited looks on their faces. Yippie! More drama!

Yuan Zhengchu was stunned for a moment before he finally understood. “You want vengeance for Chu Second Miss?”

Zu An nodded. “That’s my intention. However, it’s also an opportunity for your Yuan clan too. From this day onward, I’ll be protected by the guards of the Chu clan. This is the only shot you’ve got, and you won’t get another chance if you pass this opportunity by. I advise you to carefully think it through.” 

Lying on her stretcher, Chu Huanzhao was full of excitement. “Brother-in-law treats me the best of all!”

Qin Wanru frowned, less than pleased by this. This is utter nonsense. He only happened to defeat Yuan Wendong by coincidence, but all of a sudden, he thinks he’s invincible? While Yuan Wenji is much weaker than Yuan Wendong, he’s still beyond what someone of Zu An’s caliber can deal with. Besides, the Yuan clan has already suffered a loss to him, so they won’t fall for the same tricks again. Isn’t Zu An just forcing himself into a corner?

It was then that Yuan Zhengchu received a ki message from Shi Kun. “Accept his offer. Make use of this opportunity to cripple Zu An. Our Shi clan will reward you handsomely.”

Yuan Zhengchu already had the intention in mind, and the Shi clan’s promise was an additional incentive. Delighted, he turned to Zu An and sneered coldly. “Very well. I hope that you won’t regret your decision!”

Zu An shrugged in response. “Everyone present, please be my witness. This duel was agreed upon fair and square. Regardless of who wins, neither party is to exact vengeance on the other side after this!”

Sang Hong’s eyes lit up. He immediately agreed. “Very well, I’ll be the witness of the battle for these two young men then.”

He hadn’t wanted to get involved in this matter at first. However, he’d just received word from his tearful son about Zu An’s bet. Upon hearing that they had just lost a million silver taels, he was utterly horrified. A million silver taels might be nothing much for the established clans. However, to the Sang clan, which had just risen through the ranks in recent years, it was not a sum to be scoffed at.

He was infuriated by his son’s folly, but the deed was already done. He could only find a way to resolve this somehow. Fortunately, Zu An had offered up this challenge at the perfect time. If something were to happen to Zu An, the San clan might just be able to shrug off the debt and treat it as if it never existed. He agreed to oversee the duel without hesitation.

His declaration was so fast that even Chu Zhongtian couldn’t stop him in time.