Chapter 935, (2): A Day in the Life of a Playboy

Bi Linglong felt relieved and said, “Sir Zu really is considerate.” She called over her maid and spoke a few words. Soon afterward, they came out with a large case and a small case.

“I can’t accept your gift without giving anything in return.” Bi Linglong said. “We had to rely on Sir Zu to deal with that Jade Moon Serpent, and its tendons have already served as proof of our success. There’s no use for us to keep them, so the treasure belongs to the hero who slayed it. I hope they can be of use in your recovery and cultivation.”

The tendons of the Jade Moon Serpent were an extraordinary treasure on their own, either in medicine or as a weapon material. They weren’t something money could easily buy.

Zu An had begun learning how to refine medicine. Together with the way the promotion levels of his valkyries always needed some strange monster parts, the tendons were quite useful for him. He said, “Thank you, crown princess.”

He knew that she was using the situation as a pretext to give him some good stuff. This girl really did treat her lover well. That was why he really didn’t understand what those simps from his past world had been thinking. Do you really need to guess if a girl likes you or not?

Bi Linglong took out a glass lamp from the other case, saying, “This jade lamp has gone through careful preparations. When you light it at night, it can make a room as bright as day. Sir Zu needs to practice your handwriting at home as well, but your eyesight might get worse if you practice for too long. Sir Zu won’t have to worry as much with this lamp’s help.”

Zu An was speechless. Are you giving me a desk lamp to prevent my eyes from going bad? I mean, I understand the reasoning, but why do I feel as if you want me to keep practicing even when I’m at home…

Zu An had already suffered his fair share of practicing Pang Zhonghua, Tian Yingzhang, and Wu Yusheng’s stuff[1]… Just the thought of having to do it again alone gave him a huge headache. Practice his handwriting? It wouldn’t get much better even if he practiced for the rest of his life…

Of course, there was no way he was going to grumble, since the other party had good intentions. He even put on a ‘moved’ expression as he said, “Thank you, crown princess, for your kindness. This subject will definitely strive my utmost to do anything you ask of me!”

He reacted as if he were overwhelmed with favor, but Rong Mo and the others only thought that it was expected. After all, there weren’t many who could receive favor from the crown princess.

But in Bi Linglong’s ears, she felt there was something strange about what Zu An had said. She thought of something, and her face turned a bit red.

…

After Zu An left the imperial palace, he thought to himself for a bit. He didn’t go home, and instead headed to the western part of the city toward Mount Yuquan.

Regardless of whether it was Jiang Luofu’s map, Xie Daoyun’s Last Breath Talisman, or the sacrificial piece Xie Xiu’s teacher had given him, they were all life-saving treasures. He had to properly thank them.

He sought out Hei Baizi first. Hei Baizi was fiercely training Xie Xiu, but he was overjoyed when he saw Zu An’s arrival. He pulled him over and insisted on playing a few rounds.

Zu An felt a huge headache. He didn’t know how to play Go! He couldn’t just let down the other party’s impression of him.

But fortunately, he had prepared ahead of time. He brought out a Go game chart that was famous in his previous world, called the Blood Vomit Game. In that world, there was a chess master who had suffered such a crushing defeat that he ended up vomiting blood on the spot. Zu An gave the game chart to Hei Baizi as a gift.

The game had been mentioned in Jin Yong’s novels, and he had been curious about the game record, so he had looked it up online.

Thankfully, after his cultivation increased, his memory had improved as well. He could remember almost all of the things he had seen in his previous world.

Sure enough, Hei Baizi’s attention was immediately absorbed by the game. He mumbled to himself, “Brother Zu really is a chess legend… You were able to think up such an extraordinary game. I actually overestimated my capabilities and thought I could have a chat with you as equals; how shameful…”

He took out a chess board and began to fiddle with it by himself afterward. He thought to himself, If even just a partial game record he gave me was something I can’t understand, then what right do I have to play a game with him?

Zu An saw Xie Xiu continuously gesture toward him and asked with a smile, “Can I ask for Xie Xiu to have a small vacation? We were friends even back in Brightmoon City, so I wanted to hold a small gathering.”

Hei Baizi said after some hesitation, “I didn’t plan to let him have any rest until he finished memorizing the 128 books I gave him, but since Brother Zu is asking for this favor, he should be able to at least pick up some of your brilliance by being with you. That’s good in its own way.” He returned to his chess board and focused on his own studies afterward.

Xie Xiu felt as if he had just received a huge pardon. He quickly grabbed Zu An and left.

…

When they were far away from Hei Baizi’s courtyard, Zu An looked at the pretty boy who used to be romantic and frivolous. He couldn’t help but ask with a laugh, “Brother Xie, is there a need to be in such a rush?”

“You have no idea! He doesn’t even treat me as a human… After following him as his disciple, I don’t think there have been many days when I actually had proper sleep… I’m forced to memorize all sorts of chess boards day after day. I want to throw up whenever I see one…” Xie Xiu seemed as if he had finally found someone who understood him. He poured out his suffering to Zu An.

Zu An asked with a frown, “If it’s really that hard for you, should I pay the academy a visit and help you change your teacher? I still have some say, so I think I can make it happen.”

“There’s no need for that…” Xie Xiu had a look of hesitation on his face. “Even though my teacher is strict, I know he’s doing it for my sake. If I do what he says, my mind will be tempered. How can I be such a fool and seek out another teacher?”

Zu An was speechless. This kid was crying for help, and yet refuses to leave. What was the word for these sorts of people? Oh, right, lowly!

“Come on, let’s go out and drink. I heard Scarlet Invitation in the capital wasn’t bad. I’ve been in the capital for so long, but I’ve never had a chance to go there yet. Wasn’t there a girl named Nan Xun who was pretty popular recently? I wonder if she’s better than our Immortal Abode’s Qiu Honglei was back then. We should go and check that place out.” Xie Xiu’s eyes shone. After all, he had been a regular guest of such places back in Brightmoon City. And yet, after he came to the academy, his teacher kept making him memorize and play Go. He had already almost forgotten the feeling of a girl and the taste of alcohol.

Zu An looked at him sympathetically. Just how little information does this guy have access to? I wonder what kind of reaction he’d have if he knew that I just came from Nan Xun’s room this morning. However, he decided not to stir Xie Xiu too much. He said, “I came to thank some people today, so we’ll talk more after I take care of that first.”

They decided to find Jiang Luofu first. However, she wasn’t at the academy!

“Principal Jiang has always treated you really, really well. I wonder why she likes you so much.” Xie Xiu was used to calling Jiang Luofu principal. Meanwhile, he thought, How is her sight so sharp? She made Zu An a teacher back when his reputation wasn’t anything special. Just why did Jiang Luofu favor Zu An so much?

But he quickly stopped trying to figure it out. Zu An is rather decent looking, but of course, still lackluster compared to me. Even if Principal Jiang were looking for a man, she should’ve chosen me, right?

“What are you thinking about?” Zu An smacked Xie Xiu’s head, snapping him out of his narcissistic delusions.

“You can’t touch a man’s head or a woman’s waist, you know? Only lovers can do that!” Xie Xiu was upset that Zu An had messed up his head. Then, he winked at a few female students who were passing by. The female students were surprised and quickly left while giggling. However, they couldn’t help but turn around because of how handsome he was.

Zu An was speechless. This guy really is good at this stuff… He’d definitely be popular if he were a gigolo.

“Right, has your sister been busy recently?” Zu An took the chance to ask for some information. The last few times he had come to the academy, Xie Daoyun had been drawing talismans every day under her teacher’s instruction. They hadn’t had much time to interact with each other.

“My sister has it way easier than me! She was good at calligraphy to begin with, and she’s smart too. Drawing talismans isn’t a hard subject for her at all. She was quickly praised by her master and viewed as an excellent disciple. She’s allowed to manage her own time however she wants now,” Xie Xiu said enviously. Compared to his sister, he really was miserable…

He suddenly thought of something and shot Zu An a vigilant look. “Why are you asking about that?”

Zu An said, “Your older sister gave me a Last Breath Talisman before I went into the dungeon, so I wanted to thank her properly.”

“I guess you have some conscience.” Xie Xiu sighed in relief.

The two of them quickly arrived at the first disciple’s residence. As the libationer’s first disciple, his status was exceptional. His residence was larger than his fellow disciples’. It was more like an open garden. The pair walked through several long corridors, then finally saw a beautiful figure sitting inside a lake gazebo while writing something.

“Big sis!” Xie Xiu ran over and called out, intending to scare her. But Xie Daoyun wasn’t fazed at all. The brush in her hands didn’t even stop. Xie Xiu sighed in amazement, saying, “Big sis’ focus is getting better and better.”

“You always do this kind of stuff. I’m already used to it,” Xie Daoyun said indifferently. She asked, “By the way, shouldn’t you be memorizing chess matches with fifth master? Did you sneak out?”

“No way, am I that kind of person?” Xie Xiu immediately said defensively, “Brother Zu came over, so I’m tagging along.”

The calm Xie Daoyun trembled when she heard the words ‘brother Zu’. Then, she turned around and really saw Zu An there. She said in pleasant surprise, “You’re here.”

Xie Xiu became jealous. His big sister hadn’t reacted at all when he tried to scare her, and yet the ink on her brush had even splashed out when she heard him mention Zu An.

Zu An smiled toward Xie Daoyun and said, “I came to thank you. It was because of your talismans that I was able to stay alive in that dungeon.”

Xie Daoyun smiled, her expression refreshing like willow branches swaying in the wind. She said, “We’re friends, so of course I don’t want to see anything happen to you. As for thanks, there’s no need. After all, you still owe me that song you promised me.”

Zu An immediately broke out into a sweat. He owed her a favor back then in Brightmoon City, so he had randomly promised her a song. He hadn’t expected her to still remember that promise.

Xie Xiu had been feeling a bit bitter to begin with. When he heard that, he immediately took the chance to beat Zu An while he was down. “Brother Zu, you’re being insincere here! You said you were going to thank my big sis, and yet you didn’t even bring a single gift. I’m disappointed in you.”

Xie Daoyun gave her little brother an annoyed look, saying, “There’s no such thing between friends. Stop saying random things.”

Zu An felt a bit awkward as well. He had been so busy recently; where would he find the time to get something for her?

He suddenly thought of something. He took out a glass lamp and asked, “Who said I didn’t bring anything? Once this jade glass lamp is lit, your room will be as bright as day even in the middle of the night. You need to draw a lot of runes, and those runes are extremely detailed. If there isn’t enough lighting, you might damage your eyes. But with this lamp, there’ll be no more problems.”

1. This is referring to Chinese calligraphy textbooks. ☜