Chapter 1946: Fugitive
Zu An was speechless. He asked, “Am I really that despicable in your eyes?”
“You are!” Ji Dengtu replied, nodding without any hesitation. Other people wouldn't necessarily know, but how could he not understand this brat?
The shit this kid writes makes even a war-hardened veteran like me turn red in the face and become stirred inside. How could I let my pure daughter ever get close to someone like him?
It was to the extent that he even felt his daughter wouldn’t be as clean anymore if this brat looked at her one more time.
Jiang Luofu and Murong Qinghe couldn't help but laugh. Only someone as indifferent to the rest of the world as Ji Dengtu could say something like that to Zu An now.
Zu An was also a bit dejected. He said, “Xiaoxi and I were good friends to begin with, and she even helped me when I was in the direst of straits in Brightmoon City. I never even had a chance to repay her.”
“Stop, stop, stop!” Ji Dengtu yelled angrily as he remembered that incident. When he thought about how this brat had actually kissed Xiaoxi, steam practically started pouring out of his head. He continued, “I've always been someone who settles my debts, but this is an exception. I’ll just take the loss, you don’t need to repay anything!”
Are you kidding me? If a man and a woman save each other, and then thank each other, won’t they end up in the same bed eventually? This has always been the pattern for thousands of years! I’m not going to let him approach Xiaoxi!
When he saw Ji Dengtu look at him as if he were a thief, Zu An felt a bit helpless as well. However, he didn’t continue to taunt Ji Dengtu about that. Instead, he asked, “Right, I heard from Shen Xuzi that no one knows about this world’s medicinal ingredients better than you. There were some ingredients he didn’t know about, so I can only ask you.”
Ji Dengtu immediately felt better when he heard Zu An say that. He put his hands on his waist and leaned back so far that his nose was pointing at the sky, replying, “But of course! It’s not that I’m trying to flaunt myself, but as long as it's about the medicines of the world, no one knows more than me!”
When she saw him briefly recover his former confidence and behavior, Jiang Luofu also sighed inwardly in relief.
This is more like the stunning genius second brother used to be like. What happened with big sister really ended up affecting him too much.
“Have you heard of Hollow Cicada Leaves?” Zu An asked to test the waters. If not even Ji Dengtu knew about that ingredient, he really wouldn’t know where to look. He would probably have to go to the Hub of Freedom to try his luck then.
“Why wouldn’t I know of them? The leaves are as thin as cicada wings, and if you look at them from a distance, they resemble cicadas resting on a tree branch,” Ji Dengtu said proudly. “They might only exist in a certain valley on the Great Snowy Mountain, which is likely why others don't know of it.”
“Great Snowy Mountain?” Zu An repeated, stunned. He thought to himself, No wonder not even Shen Xuzi knew about it.
After all, Great Snowy Mountain was a forbidden region. In the past, he and Yan Xuehen had almost lost their lives there. When he recalled the experience of being chased by the terrifying Snow Lady, Zu An still felt some lingering fear even now.
At least with his current cultivation, he didn’t have to fear the Snow Lady anymore; even so, he didn’t know whether there were still other terrifying beings within the region. In the past, even someone as strong as Zhao Han had felt apprehension toward the Great Snowy Mountain and didn’t dare to venture too deeply inside. Still, even if it was dangerous, perhaps he would have to make a trip for the Marrow Cleansing Pill.
However, the capital’s current situation was unstable. It had only calmed down for the time being because of his decisive and violent actions. if he left, it was hard to say whether the capital would remain calm or descend into chaos again.
When he saw Zu An’s troubled expression, Ji Dengtu roared with laughter. He asked, “You’re scared now after hearing about the Great Snowy Mountain, right? But it doesn't matter. I just happen to have some Hollow Cicada Leaves on me. I happened to get my hands on some when I entered the Great Snowy Mountain for some ingredients in the past. Even though that place is a forbidden region for others, for me, it's no different from returning home.”
He spoke proudly while waiting for Zu An’s expression of shock and admiration. And yet, Zu An was completely unfazed, as if he had just heard something completely ordinary.
Jiang Luofu sneered. “Oh? Are you talking about the time when you ended up half-dead and had to wait for teacher to save you? Then, you started crying about how you would never go back to the Great Snowy Mountain again?”
Ji Dengtu’s face heated up. He really couldn't handle the humiliation. He said, “Eventually, I… I went one more time.” Even so, his tone wasn’t so certain anymore.
Zu An chuckled and helped him out of the situation by saying, “Then you really are quite formidable. Could you pass those Hollow Cicada Leaves to me? I'll pay you back.”
“It’s not that I can’t give them to you; it's just that the Hollow Cicada Leaves are extremely precious. It’ll depend on what you have to exchange for them.” Ji Dengtu harrumphed.
Hmph, this brat isn’t sincere at all when he’s praising me. How hateful.
“What are you looking for?” Zu An asked, feeling a sense of unease.
“You know,” Ji Dengtu said with a wink. His eager expression paired with his beard made him look a bit like a boorish idiot.
Zu An was speechless.
Back in Brightmoon City, this guy had really ripped people off when he treated them. Zu An had thought that he would demand a crazy amount, but he actually wanted something like that! Even though it was a bit shameful for him to write those things with his current status, it was still much, much easier than other forms of payment.
“Ahem, I’ll give it to you later,” Zu An said ambiguously.
“I want it now,” Ji Dengtu said, panicking. This kid had really screwed him over in the past by leaving him at a cliffhanger. He had really wanted to hack Zu An up with a knife!
Helpless to do anything else, Zu An could only say, “Then wait for a bit first.” After saying that, he returned into the room and closed all of the doors and windows.
Jiang Luofu looked at Ji Dengtu with confusion, asking, “What exactly are the things you two are talking about?”
Even Murong Qinghe and Chu Youzhao looked at him with wide eyes. They thought, Just what kind of treasure could be exchanged for such precious Hollow Cicada Leaves?
Perhaps he would be able to abandon all restraint in front of others, but Ji Dengtu didn’t dare to act impudent in front of his sister-in-law. He said ambiguously, “It’s nothing; just something between men. Women shouldn’t ask about it.”
A while later, the door opened again. Zu An came out from inside and handed Ji Dengtu a booklet.
Ji Dengtu was stunned, asking, “You finished writing that quickly?”
Zu An’s face heated up. He replied, “What do you mean, I wrote it? I already told you that it was something I ended up stumbling upon from a storyteller in the past. I just went in to find the copy.”
He had actually finished writing the rest while back in Brightmoon City. Back then, things were much harder, so he'd wanted to maximize every opportunity for a transaction. The booklet was prepared for just such an occasion, but he hadn’t expected to end up not using it for so long.
Ji Dengtu turned to one side to block Jiang Luofu’s view. He quickly flipped through the booklet. When he saw that the contents were real, he immediately became really happy, saying, “Not bad, not bad. Kid, you have some prospects!”
Then, he tossed over a small satchel. Zu An opened it up and saw several well-stored Hollow Cicada Leaves inside. There were about a dozen of them, and each one was translucent like a cicada wing. No wonder they had that name!
“Do you have any more?” he asked, thinking to himself that he could end up needing more than just one or two sets of the Marrow Cleansing Pills, and thus have to get more of them.
“Do you think I grow this stuff in my backyard? Go and look for them yourself on the Great Snowy Mountain if you want more,” Ji Dengtu said impatiently. He had only just managed to collect that amount back then, and he had almost lost his life for them.
Zu An figured that made sense too. Having a dozen or so was already an unexpected blessing.
Suddenly, Ji Dengtu moved closer. He raised his brows and said, “I have quite a few precious ingredients on me. Do you have any other, similar texts?”
“What ingredients do you have?”
“What ingredients do you need?”
“Do you have Greenfire Brains?”
“Hm? I didn’t expect you to know about those things. They're extremely rare and precious, but they can be used in medicine. I do happen to have some on me too.”
“Then what about a Baize horn, or a Sphinx's inner core?”
“Kid, are you kidding me right now? How could I have something from such a legendary beast? As for that Sphinx or whatever, I’ve never even heard of it.”
Then, Zu An asked about a few more things, including the ingredients he needed for Mi Li to reconstruct her body.
Ji Dengtu finally couldn't take it anymore and said, “Alright, alright, I don’t have any of the other stuff. I only have the Greenfire Brains. Do you want them or not?”
He wondered just where this brat had heard about such treasures. Many of them he had only heard about in passing from some nearly-lost ancient records.
“Alright, I guess it’s fine.”
“What do you mean, it’s fine? You haven’t given me any other books.”
“I have one related to a brothel. I don’t know whether you'd be interested or not.”
“Tell me in more detail!”
When they saw the two men enter the small room with their arms around each other, the others looked at each other in dismay. Jiang Luofu, in particular, was stunned.
When did they become so close? It’s almost as if they’re great age gap friends.
Soon after, Ji Dengtu came out looking satisfied. At the same time, he put a small booklet into his inner pocket. He suddenly found this brat more pleasing to the eye. Zu An was handsome and good at talking, and he had such interesting stories...
Hmph, as long as he doesn’t come into contact with our Xiaoxi, we can be really good friends.
Then, Jiang Luofu took Ji Dengtu to meet the other disciples. After all, it had been too long since they met, so it was a rare experience that was worth having a reunion.
Ji Dengtu only wanted to return to his little dark room and slowly enjoy the masterpieces he had received, but he didn’t dare to disobey his sister-in-law. He could only hold back his impatient mood. He even began to wonder whether to remind her to keep her distance from Zu An. A person who could write books that even made someone like him unable to hold back, with all sorts of different themes and writing styles... How could a woman possibly resist them?
However, he quickly changed his mind. Jiang Luofu had always been cool and indifferent, almost as if she weren’t interested in men. How could she be fooled by a brat like this? Besides, even if Zu An managed to trick her, wasn’t that a good thing? Then, there would be someone to keep that guy in check so he wouldn't be able to mess with Xiaoxi anymore.
Hmm… Should I actually try to set them up then?
“What are you thinking about, for you to have that wretched smile on your face?” Jiang Luofu asked with a smile. She thought to herself, This brother-in-law of mine will probably never be able to get his past temperament back. Just how did my big sister end up falling for him?
“It’s nothing. By the way, what do you think about that brat Zu An?” Ji Dengtu asked.
“He's pretty good. He has good looks and his personality is good too. He treats his friends with loyalty, and his cultivation is ridiculously high. Also, stop calling him that; you have to call him the libationer now," Jiang Luofu replied.
Ji Dengtu was speechless. He had a strange expression when he saw how she grinned as she spoke about him.
Uh… I guess I don’t have to worry too much about that.
Why do I feel a bit uncomfortable right now, then? Could it be because kid’s books are written so colorfully, but a reader like me can only use my hand as a wife?
…
Meanwhile, after that interruption, Zu An couldn't really continue helping the young ladies expand their meridians. Huanzhao and Youzhao were one thing, since they were all one family, but Murong Qinghe was different. If he continuously prodded her body, that would be a bit inappropriate. He hadn't thought about that before, but after the misunderstanding with Huanzhao and Youzhao, he also realized that it wasn’t okay. At least he had started with Youzhao, so she’d be able to explain things to Murong Qinghe, who could come back after she made up her mind.
…
Over the next few days, the silver token envoy, Pang Tang, collected a batch of Sky Crane Root, Red Star Jade, and Purple Firmament Flower. After all, that was his first mission from the new boss, so he had worked overtime to handle things and leave a good impression.
Zu An took the ingredients back with him to the academy’s rear mountain and began to make some Ki Condensation Pills to help Daji and Mo Xi raise their cultivations. In that time, the capital remained relatively calm. Naturally, after what he'd done, no one really wanted to become the unfortunate soul that provoked him.
However, one thing did happen that wasn’t small, but it wasn't too big either. Madam Dai, Meng Chan, actually disappeared from the manor she was being kept under house arrest in. According to the Embroidered Envoy’s investigations, it seemed she had taken the initiative to run; they were looking into it to figure out who exactly had been bribed.
Zu An didn’t mind it because the difference between the two of them was too great. He didn’t care about the thought of her taking revenge at all.
…
That evening, he was refining pills when he suddenly opened his eyes. He noticed that someone had barged in at the foot of the mountain, wounding several disciples. Furthermore, three patrols were trying to track that person down. When his divine sense swept out, he was stunned. He muttered, “Why is it her?”
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