I am a prince in Zhutian Films

Chapter 576 Ordered to Cause Trouble, Guan Zi Appears

Xu Fengnian is gone.

Li Chungang, who had come with him, did not leave and yawned listlessly.

"Master Zhou, shall we go out for a stroll?"

Sure enough, Zhou Cheng'an was actually preparing to go out.

However, he wasn't going out for a stroll; he was preparing to cause trouble.

They weren't going to the Wang family, but rather to the Jiangxin Yu family, whose lineage had produced four generations of high-ranking officials.

Because the Wang family was just a pawn on the surface, while the Yu family of Jiangxin was actually manipulating things in secret, using all sorts of underhanded tactics.

"Sure, but let's get this straight: I'm going to cause trouble for the Yu family in Jiangxin. If I mess with a powerful clan, aren't you afraid of getting splattered with shit?"

Li Chungang laughed heartily: "You, Master Zhou, have a large family and great wealth and are not afraid, so what do I, a lonely old man, have to be afraid of? Let's go!"

And so, the two left the Zhou family villa.

Along the way, the most frequently heard story was about Xu Fengnian dragging Liu Liting to death with a horse.

Li Chungang listened and couldn't help but shake his head, feeling that Xu Fengnian had gone too far.

In his view, there was nothing wrong with killing Liu Liting; a fine man should avenge his wrongs. However, dragging someone to death with a horse was a bit too extreme.

Zhou Cheng'an remained noncommittal, but he grew increasingly disliked the atmosphere of Jiangnan Road, which was full of people who were all talk and no action.

They only dared to clamor for the execution of the traitor Xu Xiao and demand that Xu Fengnian pay with his life, but no one dared to go to the Lu family to cause trouble for Xu Fengnian.

He's all talk and no action, but he's a coward with no guts.

Since it was nearing noon, Zhou Cheng'an planned to find a restaurant to fill his stomach before going to cause trouble for the Yu family in Jiangxin.

Unfortunately, the restaurant they went into was one of their own properties.

The seven or eight scholars on the second floor, who were clearly from prominent families, were hurling extremely offensive insults at Xu Fengnian and Xu Xiao.

However, since it was none of their business, Zhou Chengan and Li Chungang ignored it and went straight to the private room on the third floor.

Just as they were finishing their meal, a furious shout suddenly came from the second floor.

"Where did these soldiers come from, daring to act so violently in Yangcheng?!"

Immediately afterwards, the sounds of fighting could be heard.

The two went downstairs and saw that it was the Phoenix Battalion beating up the group of scholars.

Those scholars were all scions of prominent families in Jiangnan, and they naturally traveled with many attendants.

Hearing the commotion upstairs, a group of guards and servants rushed up.

It was clear that the dozen or so men led by Yuan Meng had no intention of killing, and even held back some of their strength, but the dozens of men on the other side were still no match for them.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the two sides stopped fighting.

The guards and servants were not seriously injured, but the young master they were protecting was beaten to a pulp.

Also, the second floor of the restaurant was smashed to pieces.

"You all need to remember this, Grandpa. We are the Phoenix Battalion of Beiliang. His Highness the Crown Prince said that if we hear you insulting Beiliang again, even if you are just ordinary people, next time it won't be as simple as just getting a beating. You will suffer the same fate as Liu Liting."

As the tall and burly Yuan Meng spoke, he spat at the other person.

Just as he was about to leave with everyone, Zhou Chengan's voice rang out from the stairwell.

"Captain Yuan, are you already planning to leave?"

Yuan Meng was taken aback, not expecting to run into Zhou Cheng'an and Li Chungang. He quickly led the accompanying Phoenix Battalion light cavalry forward to pay their respects.

"Senior Li, Young Master Cousin."

Zhou Cheng'an was taken aback: "Why are you calling me Young Master Shang instead of Master Zhou?"

"The eldest princess said that calling Master Zhou is too formal."

“You’re not servants of the Xu family, so just call me Master Zhou. I’m more used to it.” Zhou Cheng’an shook his head and chuckled, then asked, “What are you all doing?”

Yuan Meng lowered his voice and replied, "The eldest princess said that before His Highness the Crown Prince leaves, he wants to cause a great disturbance in Jiangnan so that the capital will allow His Highness the Crown Prince to inherit the throne without fail. So we came out to cause some trouble."

"You're acting on orders to cause trouble. It seems you're not the only group."

Indeed, it wasn't just their group; many scholars and literati in the city's restaurants suffered the same fate today.

They were quite reasonable when they beat people; they wouldn't hit the guards and servants, but would target scholars who didn't know how to speak properly.

Yuan Meng smiled and nodded, looking very honest and simple.

"However, if you're going to cause trouble, then causing trouble here at my restaurant, isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

Upon hearing Zhou Cheng'an's words, Yuan Meng was completely dumbfounded, and said with a mournful face, "Master Zhou, would you believe me if I said I didn't know?"

"Of course I believe you, but you still have to pay the compensation. I'll just say it's one thousand taels."

"what?!"

Zhou Cheng'an raised an eyebrow: "What, you think it's too much?"

"Not much, not much, I'll go back and get the money right away."

Yuan Meng shook his head repeatedly, like a rattle-drum; he didn't want to get beaten up by this Master Zhou in front of him.

Just as the group left the restaurant, a cold, sharp voice rang out.

"You Northern Liang have gone too far!"

At the same time these words were spoken, a sword aura suddenly rose up.

Hearing the sound, everyone looked over and saw a white-robed scholar standing on the street with several other scholars. He held a sword in one hand, and even though the sword was only drawn an inch from its sheath, it already exuded a powerful aura.

Zhou Cheng'an glanced at him and asked Li Chungang beside him, "Did they go too far?"

"I don't think it's excessive," Li Chungang said with a smile.

"Did you hear that? Old Sword God Li isn't exaggerating." Zhou Cheng'an looked at the white-robed man opposite him and said indifferently, "They're spewing nonsense, they deserve to be beaten."

"The soldiers of Beiliang are guarding the border, yet they say that the barbarians of Beiliang deserve to die. This is the first time I have ever heard anyone say that soldiers who guard the border should die."

"No wonder the ancients said, 'The most righteous are often butchers, while the most ungrateful are often scholars.'"

"If it weren't for the Northern Liang soldiers guarding the border, how could you dare to bark at me like dogs? You bunch of heartless wolves!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Meng and the others were thrilled and couldn't help but shout their approval.

"Well said, Master Zhou!"

The white-robed scholar opposite him was furious, and said angrily, "They are all scholars, their words..."

Zhou Chengan interrupted, saying, "Since you are a scholar, you should know better how to behave."

The man in white was so angry he couldn't speak. A young scholar behind him stepped forward and shouted, "I think you're probably a spy sent by the Northern Barbarians, deliberately coming to our Jiangnan region to cause trouble and provoke conflict between our Jiangnan families and the Northern Liang."

"Look at this, this is the way scholars do things. First, they give you a title, and then they can kill you on the pretext of righteousness. It's true that scholars kill without a knife," Li Chungang sneered.

Almost simultaneously, Yuan Meng roared at the other party, "Master Zhou is not a spy from Northern Mang, he..."

The young scholar who had spoken interrupted, "You say he's not, but how can you prove he's not a spy from Northern Mang? I think your Northern Liang has long been colluding with Northern Mang..."

He didn't finish his sentence because he fell straight down.

Do not look down.

The scholar in white immediately gripped his sword hilt and roared, "Zhou Cheng'an, how dare you kill someone in broad daylight?!"

"Oh, a first-class product, huh?" Li Chungang said with a playful tone.

The man in white is surnamed Wang and named Baihan. He also participated in the kendo evaluation this time, but his ranking was very low.

He was the youngest son of the Wang family in Jiangnan Province, and his situation was somewhat similar to that of Lu Baijie. The only difference was that he was also a well-known scholar in Jiangnan Province, excelling in his studies and wielding a sword skillfully.

Zhou Chengan flashed and appeared in front of Wang Baihan and the others.

His voice was soft, yet it was like a thunderclap: "Soldiers guarding the border should not be humiliated. I killed him, and what are you going to do about it?"

As the words fell, a powerful and righteous sword intent soared into the sky.

The sudden sense of oppression made Wang Baihan tremble involuntarily.

As for the young scholars around him, they were even more terrified, collapsing to the ground. Two of them even wet their pants in fear, completely losing their previous scholarly spirit and fleeing for their lives.

For Wang Baihan, the worst thing was not the oppressive feeling of Mount Tai pressing down on him, but the crushing force of his sword intent.

He drew his sword without hesitation. Wang Baihan knew very well that if he didn't draw his sword now, his sword spirit would be completely destroyed by Zhou Cheng'an, and he would never dare to draw his sword again in his life.

The sword energy resembled wild cursive calligraphy, carrying an untamed spirit.

His longsword was already drawn, but he dared not draw it.

"prick!"

Zhou Chengan gave a soft shout.

Wang Baihan's hand holding the sword suddenly trembled.

“I’ll let you stab me!” Zhou Cheng’an spoke again.

puff!
Wang Baihan coughed up a mouthful of blood, and his longsword clattered to the ground.

Then, a scene that astonished everyone present unfolded.

Wang Bohan, who was nearly forty years old, suddenly collapsed to the ground and couldn't help but cry.

His path in swordsmanship was utterly destroyed by Zhou Cheng'an.

In just two short sentences, Zhou Cheng'an became the most terrifying nightmare of his life, and he never dared to hold a sword again.

With his sword heart shattered, Wang Baihan's cultivation level dropped from the first rank to the second rank.

Zhou Cheng'an was speechless for a moment, then looked down at him and said, "Now I'll ask you one more time: does a scholar have the right to insult soldiers guarding the frontier at will?"

"I...I was wrong!" Wang Baihan said, sobbing.

"Do you want to return to the first rank and reshape your swordsmanship?" Zhou Chengan asked again.

Upon hearing this, Wang Bohan immediately raised his head: "Yes!"

“Go to the Northern Barbarian lands and kill a hundred Rouran cavalrymen. Not only will you be able to return to the first rank, but you might even be able to advance further.”

Upon hearing this, Li Chungang raised an eyebrow slightly: "Good heavens, Master Zhou's words are truly lawful."

The reason Li Chungang said this was because he could sense that if Wang Baihan did as Zhou Chengan said, he might really be able to reshape the way of the sword, and most likely he could take another step forward.

But... would that kid surnamed Wang dare?
Li Chungang expressed his doubts.

"Kill the Rouran cavalry?"

Wang Baihan seemed to be asking Zhou Cheng'an, or perhaps talking to himself. His expression was somewhat dazed. Before Zhou Cheng'an could speak, he jumped up like a startled rabbit: "I'm not going, I'm not going..."

Then, he picked up his sword and ran away.

Zhou Chengan seemed to have known his choice all along and remained calm, while Li Chungang couldn't help but curse.

—Useless trash, you're not worthy of wielding a sword!
Afterwards, Yuan Meng and his group went to the Lu family to collect compensation.

Li Chungang and Zhou Chengan proceeded towards the Yu family in Jiangxin as planned.

They stopped after taking only a few steps.

In a tavern about ten feet away on the street, sat a man in blue robes, who looked to be about forty years old. Just by looking at him, one could tell that he was refined and easygoing.

However, Zhou Chengan and Li Chungang were not looking at his appearance or temperament, but rather at his sword intent and sword energy.

As the two looked at him, he looked at them and extended an invitation.

"Senior Li, Master Zhou, would you like to come over for a drink?"

"Let's go?" Li Chungang asked with a smile.

Zhou Cheng'an nodded and walked towards the scholar in blue.

Because of what had just happened, the entire tavern became several octaves quieter when the two of them arrived.

The scholar in blue stood up, first cupping his hands in greeting, and then making a gesture of invitation.

"Please sit down!"

Li Chungang sat down directly.

Zhou Chengan bowed respectfully before sitting down opposite him.

The scholar in blue poured a cup of wine for Li Chungang and Zhou Chengan, and said with a smile, "Master Zhou's sword intent just now was truly astonishing!"

"I don't like drinking, Cao Changqing, just say what you have to say."

That's right, the scholar in blue is none other than the famous Cao Guanzi, whose real name is Cao Changqing. He has many accolades in the martial arts world, with several sayings like "most proud of him."

He was a disciple of Li Mi, the national teacher of Western Chu. He liked to wear a blue robe and looked like a down-on-his-luck scholar. He had been ranked among the top three in martial arts for many years and was renowned for his invincibility.

Desperate to find the princess of Western Chu and restore the kingdom, he previously asked the white-robed monk Li Dangxin at Liangchan Temple to compile a new calendar to leave a glimmer of hope for Western Chu. He should now know Jiang Ni's identity.

Just as Zhou Cheng'an had thought, Cao Changqing already knew that Jiang Ni was the Western Chu princess he had been searching for for many years, and that Jiang Ni was in the Zhou family villa.

He hadn't originally planned to meet Zhou Chengan and Li Chungang. After all, Cao Changqing wanted to take the princess away, and even if Wang Laoguai came, he couldn't stop him. At worst, he would just die!
But seeing Zhou Cheng'an's words come true, he couldn't resist wanting to have a drink with him.

Li Chungang was just an afterthought.

Even though Zhou Cheng'an wasn't giving him face, Cao Changqing didn't care and still smiled as if it were a spring breeze, saying, "Since Master Zhou doesn't like drinking, then I'll have a drink with Senior Li."

It's said to be one cup, but actually the two of them share a pot.

The two drank one cup after another, and the pot of wine was quickly finished.

Cao Changqing said, "After we finish this pot of wine, whether we become enemies or friends will depend on fate."

Now that Li Chungang knows Jiang Ni's identity, he naturally understands what Cao Changqing is here for and also understands his unspoken meaning.

But he just smiled and didn't say anything.

As for Zhou Cheng'an, he said calmly, "Whether we are enemies or not is hard to say, but we will never be friends."

If he became friends with Cao Changqing, his father would break his legs.

Cao Changqing was taken aback, then laughed and said, "That's right, our identities mean we can't be friends. I wonder how your father is doing lately?"

"pretty good."

"That's good. There aren't many old friends left in Ningguo. Please ask Your Highness to convey my regards to your father."

As Cao Changqing spoke, he clasped his hands in a fist salute to the two men to bid them farewell.

After paying for the drinks, he vanished from the tavern in an instant.

"Haha, looks like Xu kid's in trouble." Li Chungang laughed with a gloating look on his face. "Master Zhou, why don't you step in and help him snatch his wife?"

“It would be too shameful for a man to ask another man to help him steal his wife.” Zhou Cheng’an shook his head with a smile: “Let’s go, let’s go have some fun at the Yu family’s place.”

The Yu family of Jiangxin, as one of the four major families of Jiangnan, has a profound foundation, but when it comes to combat strength, the strongest among them is only an old ancestor at the Finger Profound Realm.

Upon learning that Zhou Chengan and Li Chungang had come to pay their respects, the Jiang family patriarch personally came forward.

Li Chungang, needless to say, is the renowned Sword God.

As for Zhou Cheng'an, the leader of Qingcheng Mountain, although he is still young, he has a great reputation and his strength is unfathomable. His feat of killing a human-cat with a single sword is something that the Yu family cannot afford to offend.

But no one expected that Zhou Cheng'an, a Taoist priest, would actually be the head of the wealthy Zhou family.

The Yu family patriarch was also on the verge of tears: "Master Zhou, to be honest, we only just learned that you are the head of the Zhou family. For everything that happened before, our Yu family is willing to apologize."

As one of the four major families in Jiangnan, the Yu family naturally had its pride, but there was nothing they could do. Zhou Cheng'an was too powerful, and more importantly, he acted recklessly and ruthlessly.

Even princes and eunuch leaders were killed without hesitation, showing no respect to the Li Yang court, let alone the Yu clan, who lived in a remote corner of the country.

"Whether you apologize or not is irrelevant. I'm here today to tell you one thing: normal business competition is welcome in the Zhou family, after all, competition is the only way to develop. But if you resort to underhanded and dirty tricks..."

Zhou Chengan smiled coldly and swung his sword.

With a flick of the sword, a dazzling, sun-like sword light cleaved the entire Yu family mansion in two.

"No matter how much my Zhou family loses, I will make him pay a hundredfold or a thousandfold!"

Although the Yu family had resorted to robbery, assassination, and collusion with the government, causing considerable losses to their family, no one had actually died. Therefore, Zhou Cheng'an did not kill anyone during his visit.

The sword split the Yu family's ancestral home in two, serving as a warning.

This also serves as a reminder to the powerful families who covet the Zhou family's assets.

As for the apology, although he said it didn't matter, would the Yu family really dare not give it?

If they don't give it to them, then the Yu family of Jiangxin has no reason to exist.

No aristocratic family has a clean record; he has plenty of ways to ruin the Yu family.

(End of this chapter)