Chapter 34: Rules

Zhou Chen laughed softly, his tone light and indifferent,

as though he had merely been asking moments before:

"Third Young Master, what shall we dine on tonight?"

It was as if, to him, taking a life was an affair of such effortless ease.

Xu Yuan lowered his gaze to stare at Xue Yong upon the ground, a subtle frown creasing his brow.

Since crossing over into this world, the sights he had witnessed alongside Ran Qingmo had pushed his threshold of tolerance to a high breaking point, yet the scene before him still stirred a faint ripple of discomfort.

This was the first time he had seen a man collapsed before him in so wretched a state.

A mere breath ago, the man’s eyes had been laced with disdain, his visage calm and composed.

The next instant, his entire face had contorted with agony, his gaze recoiling in abject terror.

Driven by fear, Xue Yong fought desperately to stifle his wretched cries so as not to disturb the two men beside him, yet the pale complexion twisted by pain and his arm, shattered into seven or eight fractured segments by that peculiar internal force, remained starkly visible.

Xu Yuan calmed his mind and turned to Zhou Chen, smiling lightly:

"Mr. Zhou, you've actually agreed to help me?"

Just moments ago, Zhou Chen's refusal was clear—he was clearly no match for the sixth-rank Iron Body peak of Xue Yong.

To fight would only bring humiliation.

Yet, Zhou Chen had chosen to assist him.

This surprised Xu Yuan greatly.

Like a shadow lurking in the shadows, Zhou Chen could have simply watched from the sidelines.

His own humiliation here would not have affected him in the slightest.

Taking a sip from his wine gourd, Zhou Chen chuckled, saying:

"Haha, Master San has kept me playing here at Zui Xian Pavilion for so long—well, I should do something after all."

"Oh, is that so?"

Xu Yuan smiled ambiguously, neither confirming nor denying.

That was indeed a plausible reason.

Zuixian Tavern stood as the premier, most extravagant den of courtesans in Jingjiang City; renting out its top floor for a single day demanded a cool hundred taels of silver.

Wine and women were billed separately, and having lingered there for twenty days, Xu Yuan had squandered upwards of three thousand taels at the very least.

Though the technological progress of this world had diverged along a bizarre path, its productivity was by no means inferior to that of his past life—surpassing it, even, in certain respects—yet an ordinary family of three might not earn even a dozen taels in an entire year.

The basic monthly stipend for a top-tier master like Zhou Chen was likely only a few thousand taels.

"Third Master, should this fellow be crippled, or simply put to death?" Zhou Chen asked once more, a low, knowing chuckle slipping from his lips.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan chose not to press the matter any further, casting a fleeting glance down at Xue Yong, who lay sprawled on the ground like a dead dog.

In his previous life, there had always been veteran employees in the old man's corporation who liked to treat him with overt compliance but covert defiance just because he was young, yet Xu Yuan's response back then had merely been to give them a hard time and dock their wages; even if a bitter grudge formed, the absolute limit of his retribution was ensuring they could no longer survive in the industry.

His past-life sensibilities whispered to Xu Yuan that such a punishment was already severe enough for Xue Yong.

Yet, as the words rushed to the tip of his tongue, Xu Yuan caught the look in the other man's eyes and silently swallowed them back down, letting out a soft, mocking laugh before turning to stride out of the wing.

Dammit, this Zhou Chen was testing him too.

It seemed that his return after being abducted by Ran Qingmo, along with the array of items he had acquired, simply left behind far too many points of suspicion.

Given the original host's touchy and tyrannical disposition, there was no universe in which he would allow Xue Yong to live through this.

A single discrepancy might not amount to much, but small ripples would eventually swell into a devastating wave.

Xu Yuan pushed open the door, his footsteps pausing for a fleeting moment as he glanced back over his shoulder.

"Mister Zhou, I do not wish to look upon this man ever again."

With that, he stepped decisively out of the chamber.

"Heh heh..."

Zhou Chen watched Xu Yuan's back and broke into a smile, a smile wider and more joyful than before.

In stark contrast to his laughter, the terror in Xue Yong's eyes had spilled over.

He did not want to die.

He could not die because of that useless third prince!

He was a prodigy—a genius who had reached the pinnacle of sixth-rank iron body at just twenty-two years old.

If this protection mission succeeded and he secured the cultivation resources issued by the Minister's household, he would absolutely break through to fifth rank.

The fourth miss was so fond of him, and he was so young—should his cultivation advance further, there was even a slim chance he might win her favor...

As Xu Yuan finished speaking, Xue Yong immediately suppressed the pain in his arm, his voice trembling as he quickly said:

"No... no! Master Zhou, you cannot kill me! I... even if I disrespected the third prince this time, according to the rules, a hand should be amputated—this is already the harshest punishment. Master Zhou... Master Zhou! I know I'm wrong. If you kill me, according to the Minister's established regulations, you will also be punished!"

"..."

Listening to Xue Yong's final, desperate plea, Zhou Chen’s smile faded, and he nodded in profound agreement.

"Mhm, you're quite right."

Without rules, there could be no order.

As a massive conglomeration of vested interests, the Premier's Estate naturally could not function without regulations; if any powerful figure could simply slaughter subordinates at a whim, this entire syndicate would have fractured and collapsed long ago.

Xue Yong was a genius, and to execute a sixth-grade Iron Body pinnacle talent without cause would not land Zhou Chen in prison or cost him his life, but a year's worth of cultivation resources and annual stipend would undoubtedly be stripped away.

Seeing this reaction, Xue Yong breathed a sigh of relief, forcing a strained smile onto his face.

But in the very next instant,

Zhou Chen suddenly grinned at him, his voice laced with casual amusement:

"But the one who wants you dead is the Third Young Master, so what does that have to do with me?"

Xue Yong's smile froze entirely.

Zhou Chen watched Xue Yong’s deformed posture, slowly crouching before him, and gently shook his head:

"Xue Yong, how deeply do you despise the Third Prince? I remember the Fourth Madam said you were intelligent. Now, with such a simple truth, can you not see it?"

"........"

Xue Yong froze.

Yes—now it was the Third Prince who wanted to kill him, not Zhou Chen.

Would the Third Prince suffer any cost for doing so?

Yes—and it would be great.

By regulation, the Third Prince would lose all his monthly stipend for ten years, and be flogged and confined in seclusion.

But confinement?

Who would dare do that?

Throw him in. This second-generation prodigy dared to challenge a deity with a mortal body, comparing the hardness of his head to that of a wall.

Monthly allowance?

How could a hundred taels a month possibly be spent day after day indulging in wine and revelry at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion?

Xue Yong suddenly turned his head toward the door, only to find it closed—wooden partition, firmly shut.

It's over.

The Drunken Immortal Pavilion has excellent soundproofing.

Instinctively, he activated his internal cultivation techniques, channeling energy to send a plea to the Third Brother, begging for mercy:

"Third... brother..."

"Smack!"

Zhou Chen, sensing no interest, slapped Xue Yong squarely across the forehead.

Looking at Xue Yong, whose whole body had gone limp, Zhou Chen rose and summoned the remaining courtyard guards. After giving a casual account of what had transpired, he departed under the stunned and terrified gazes of the watchmen.

Leaving the wing room, Zhou Chen walked straight over to the wooden railing that overlooked the deep courtyard well of the Drunken Immortal Tavern.

Xu Yuan was standing there, staring down into the depths.

Zhou Chen stood beside him, resting his forearms against the guardrail, and said nonchalantly,

"Third Young Master, it is dealt with. However, there might be some trouble on the Fourth Young Lady's side; after all, she seemed to hold Xue Yong in rather high regard."

Xu Yuan glanced sideways at Zhou Chen, his voice carrying a hint of wry amusement,

"High regard? What of it? If Mother hadn't insisted on adopting that wrench back then, who knows which brothel she would be selling her smiles in by now? Nothing but a bastard child."