Chapter 152: 9) The Zhao Family

Dhup!.... Dup!

Zhao Ling's heart skipped a beat at Bai Lung's words.

Was he offering to help her restore her family's legacy? It was almost too good to be true.

Not to mention how can he even help? It's just honey coated flowery words... A light to glow in the darkness.

She had never heard of such a man named Bai Lung nor she knows about capital, however, she could easily figure out his ruthlessness, his cunning, and his unparalleled power.

A person must be capable in every way not to mention, that he even said he was searching for devils, obviously, common people won't go after the devil, will they?

She was a somewhat smart and observant woman, no wonder she is friends with Saintess, another smart woman.

However for Bai Lung, they both were puppets controlled by strings, their intelligence can't be looked down upon.

However, If anyone could assist her, it was undoubtedly him... It also makes sense since Father has sent her as a guide.

She can easily see through her father's tactics.

As her mind raced with the possibilities, she managed to regain her composure.

"Young Lord Bai, your offer is most generous. I would do anything to regain our family's glory... Please, let me know how I can be of assistance in catching Wang or verifying that he is the devil,"

Her voice wavered slightly, betraying her excitement, but her determination was unwavering.

This was her chance, her opportunity to turn her family's fortunes around. She would not let it slip through her fingers.

At least she can secure a connection between her family and family in the capital... A powerful family.

Bai Lung's warm smile widened which looked genuine despite being Chinese-thing as he studied Zhao Ling's reaction. He could see the hope and longing in her eyes.

( chinese-thing: something that looks genuine but is fake )

"Good, then," he said, his voice smooth and confident.

All while, Saintess looked at him with narrow eyes, since she wasn't questioned or anything, it wasn't appropriate for her to butt into their conversation.

However, she acknowledged his ability to influence Zhao Ling and the Zhao family, it was quite smooth, however, she also felt a little jealous seeing how good he was here compared to his cold nature towards herself.

Support the neighbor, forget your house, Bai Lung was like that, friendly towards outside while cold towards people near him based on Saintess's observation.

She had even slept with him so, shouldn't he give her more attention and care to her rather than Zhao Ling? But she couldn't speak about such matters directly and could only watch feeling a pang at her heart.

---

"I have nothing to give to you, but I heard Maiden Zhao is quite talented in alchemy from Saintess, so, I will be giving this alchemy book as a gift, hope you accept it..." Saying that Bai Lung hands over an alchemy book to Zhao Ling.

"Ooh! I didn't know Young Lord to understand me," Zhao Ling says with a small blush on her cheeks, silently looking at her best friend and thanking her too.

She has a deep interest in alchemy so, she accepted the book with open arms.

"Of course, I don't wanna see a pearl covered in a dust," Bai Lung responds with a mysterious smile.

At the same time,

Bai Lung chuckled subtly, noticing her hesitation to leave.

"You look like you have something else to say," he prodded, his tone teasing. "Don't be shy now, Young Miss Zhao, it's your own family house, be comfortable..."

Zhao Ling's cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red at being called out.

She fidgeted even more, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

"I... I was just wondering..." she began, her voice barely audible. "About the alchemy book you gave me... I was wondering if you knew a lot about alchemy yourself?"

"Ah, the alchemy book," Bai Lung said, his tone nonchalant. "I have some knowledge, but I wouldn't say I'm an expert like you."

He took a step closer to her, his eyes studying her closely.

"Why do you ask, Young Miss Zhao? Are you eager to learn from me?" he teased, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips that was barely visible in his cold look.

Gulp!

Zhao Ling gulped, both intimidated and excited by his nearness.

"I, um, well... I'm just very interested in alchemy," she replied, her voice still soft. "And... I was hoping that maybe, if you have some knowledge, you could help me further my studies,"

She looked up at him then, the hope in her eyes clear as day.

Bai Lung chuckled softly, amused by her eagerness.

"You're quite ambitious, aren't you?" he said, his tone playful. "Very well, I can give you some pointers, but I have a condition in return..."

Zhao Ling's eyes widened at his words, curiosity piqued.

"A condition?" she repeated, her voice now a touch more confident. "What kind of condition?"

Bai Lung leaned in closer, his eyes locking onto hers.

"It's a simple condition, really," he said, his tone low. "All I ask is that you owe me a favor. A small one, of course. And in return, I'll share some of my knowledge with you,"

Zhao Ling pondered his offer, weighing her options.

The alchemy book he had given her was already a generous gift itself, but now he was offering to teach her and guide her studies? The opportunity was so tantalizing that it was hard to refuse.

However, the thought of owing him a favor made her hesitate. But then again, what harm could a simple favour do?

"Fine," she said, finally meeting his gaze with determination. "I accept your condition. I'll owe you a favor in return for your guidance,"

Bai Lung's smile widened, pleased by her answer.

"Excellent," he said, his voice smooth as silk. "I knew you were a smart woman, Maiden Zhao."

He withdrew then, taking a step back and looking at her with a smirk.

"You won't regret this, I promise," he added, sounding genuinely amused.