The Rules

Zhou Chen smiled, his tone light and casual,

as if all he'd just asked was:

"Third Young Master, what should we eat tonight?"

It seemed that, to him, killing someone was that easy.

Xu Yuan lowered his eyes and stared at Xue Yong on the floor, frowning slightly.

Since crossing into this world, everything he'd witnessed while following Ran Qingmo had raised his tolerance to a very high threshold, but the scene before him still made him feel a little uncomfortable.

This was the first time he'd seen someone sprawled so miserably in front of him.

Just a moment ago, Xue Yong had worn a calm, composed expression, his eyes full of contempt.

The next moment, his face had twisted with pain, and his eyes had filled with fear.

Terrified, Xue Yong tried to stifle his screams so as not to disturb the two people beside him. But his face, twisted and pale with pain, and his arm, bent into seven or eight sections by some special force, were still clearly visible.

Xu Yuan composed himself and looked at Zhou Chen across from him. He gave a light laugh.

"Mr. Zhou, you were willing to step in and help me?"

The meaning behind Zhou Chen shaking his head earlier had been obvious. With his cultivation at the beginning of the ninth rank, he clearly couldn't break through Xue Yong's Iron Body at its peak sixth rank.

If he kept fighting, he'd only humiliate himself.

And yet Zhou Chen had helped him.

That surprised Xu Yuan.

Just like Ying'er, who was hiding in the shadows and spying on them, Zhou Chen could easily have chosen to sit back and watch.

Xu Yuan taking a hit here wouldn't affect him in the slightest.

Zhou Chen picked up his wine gourd, took a drink, and chuckled.

"Heh, Third Young Master, you've had me enjoying myself here at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion for so long. I ought to do something for you."

"Oh, is that so?"

Xu Yuan smiled noncommittally.

It was a reasonable excuse.

The Drunken Immortal Pavilion was the most luxurious pleasure house in Jingjiang City. Renting out its top floor for a day cost a hundred taels of silver.

Wine and women cost extra. Xu Yuan had been here for twenty days, and he'd already spent at least three thousand taels.

The world's technology tree had simply grown in a different direction. Its productivity was no worse than in Xu Yuan's previous life, and in some areas it was even more advanced. But an ordinary person still probably couldn't earn even ten or twenty taels in a year.

Even a powerful cultivator like Zhou Chen probably only earned a few thousand taels a month in salary.

"Third Young Master, should I cripple him or kill him?" Zhou Chen asked again with a chuckle.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan didn't press the matter further. He glanced at Xue Yong, who lay on the floor like a dead dog.

In his previous life, the old man's company had its share of long-time employees who looked down on him because he was young and gave him lip service while ignoring his orders. But Xu Yuan had only made things difficult for them or docked their pay. Even when a grudge grew serious, the most he'd done was make sure they couldn't stay in the industry.

His old way of thinking told him that the punishment Xue Yong had received was already enough.

But when the words reached his lips, Xu Yuan saw the look in Xue Yong's eyes and silently swallowed them back. With a light laugh, he turned and headed for the door.

Damn, Zhou Chen was testing him too.

It seemed that the questions surrounding how he'd been taken away by Ran Qingmo and returned with all these things still hadn't gone away.

With the original owner's touchy, violent disposition, there was no way he'd let Xue Yong live in a situation like this.

One incident might not matter, but little things added up.

Xu Yuan pushed open the door, then paused and looked back.

"Mr. Zhou, I don't want to see this man again."

With that, he strode out of the room.

"Heh heh~"

Zhou Chen grinned as he watched Xu Yuan's back, looking even happier than before.

In contrast, terror spilled from Xue Yong's eyes.

He didn't want to die.

He couldn't die here because of that good-for-nothing Third Young Master!

He was a genius, a genius who had reached the peak of the sixth-rank Iron Body at just twenty-two.

Once he finished this assignment and received the cultivation resources issued by the Prime Minister's Estate, he'd definitely break through to the fifth rank.

Fourth Miss valued him so highly. He was still so young, and if his cultivation advanced further, there was even a chance he could win her favor.

As soon as Xu Yuan's words fell, Xue Yong immediately endured the pain in his arm and spoke quickly, his voice trembling.

"No, no! Attendant Zhou, you can't kill me! Even if I disrespected Third Young Master this time, according to the rules, losing one hand is already the harshest punishment. Attendant Zhou, Attendant Zhou! I know I was wrong. If you kill me, you'll be punished too, according to the rules laid down by the Prime Minister."

"..."

Hearing Xue Yong's last desperate plea, Zhou Chen's smile faded. He nodded in agreement.

"Mm, you're right."

Without rules, there could be no order.

The Prime Minister's Estate was a massive interest group. Naturally, it had rules. If powerful people could kill those beneath them whenever they pleased, the whole group would have fallen apart long ago.

Xue Yong was a genius. If Zhou Chen killed a peak sixth-rank Iron Body cultivator without cause, he wouldn't lose his life or end up in prison, but there was no escaping the loss of a year's cultivation resources and salary.

Seeing Zhou Chen's reaction, Xue Yong breathed a sigh of relief and forced a smile.

But the very next moment,

Zhou Chen suddenly grinned at him and said cheerfully,

"But it's Third Young Master who wants you dead. What does that have to do with me?"

Xue Yong's smile froze.

Looking at Xue Yong's wretched state, Zhou Chen slowly crouched down in front of him and shook his head.

"Xue Yong, how much do you look down on Third Young Master? I remember Fourth Miss said you were smart. Can't you see such a simple truth?"

"..."

Xue Yong froze.

That was right. It was Third Young Master who wanted him dead, not Zhou Chen.

Would there be a price for Third Young Master killing him?

There would, and it would be steep.

By the rules, ten years of Third Young Master's monthly allowance would be confiscated, and he'd be flogged and confined.

But confined?

Who would dare lock him up?

Once inside, that young master would probably try to prove whether his head or the wall was harder, despite being an ordinary mortal.

His allowance?

How could a hundred taels a month possibly pay for drinking and carousing at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion every day?

Xue Yong abruptly turned toward the door, but all he saw was the closed wooden door of the room.

It was over.

The Drunken Immortal Pavilion had excellent soundproofing.

He instinctively circulated his cultivation technique and poured his strength into his voice, trying to beg Third Young Master for mercy.

"Thir—"

"Smack!"

Zhou Chen seemed to have lost interest. He slapped Xue Yong right across the head.

Watching Xue Yong's body go limp, Zhou Chen got to his feet and called over the other guards. He casually explained what had happened, then left amid the guards' startled, fearful gazes.

After leaving the room, Zhou Chen headed straight for the railing surrounding the deep central shaft of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.

Xu Yuan was standing there, looking down.

Zhou Chen stood beside him, resting his arms on the railing as he spoke casually.

"Third Young Master, it's taken care of. But there might be some trouble with Fourth Miss. She seemed to value Xue Yong quite a bit."

Xu Yuan glanced sideways at Zhou Chen, his voice tinged with amusement.

"Value him? So what if she does? If Mother hadn't insisted on taking that bastard in as her adopted daughter, who knows what brothel she'd be selling smiles in now. She's nothing but a lowborn wretch."