Chapter 1199: Gambling Town’s Upstart
Proofreader: Papatonks
“S-Senior aunt Mei…”
Chu Qingcheng jumped in fright, looking back in anxiety where the voice came from and stiffened like a child being caught.
A woman in her fifties came over, a mid-stage Empress, with sharp eyes and an ashen face wearing plain clothes. She glared at the two, approaching with authority.
Her fierce att.i.tude only worked on girls, not on seasoned demons like Zhuo Fan.
[Mei Sangu hasn’t kicked the bucket yet? What a drag!]
Zhuo Fan cursed her inside.
Mei Sangu reached them and her eyes never left Chu Qingcheng. Behind her were Fang Min and the other girls, along with one young man. She pointed at Zhuo Fan’s face while cussing, “Qingcheng, who’s this? You’re a Ruby Cloud Sect disciple yet are gallivanting with a man in broad daylight? The scandal!”
“Senior aunt, h-he…” Chu Qingcheng was embarra.s.sed, stuck unable to even introduce him.
Fang Min b.u.t.ted in, ever unhelpful with making things worse, “Senior aunt, he’s the thug we found in the forest looking for herbs a few months ago. He’s nothing, but he must be one smooth talker to actually get in junior sister’s graces to follow her here. Junior sister, if you were looking for a man, you sure have poor tastes. Just what are you up to hanging out with a n.o.body like him, ha-ha-ha…”
The other girls giggled at her expense.
“Senior sister, you misunderstand, h-he’s…” Chu Qingcheng rushed to explain but got stuck again.
Mei Sangu rushed, “Qingcheng, just what is going on here? Explain yourself. You know very well of your master’s high expectations. Don’t throw it all away on a whim.”
“Senior aunt, I-I…”
“Just tell them already!”
Chu Qingcheng kept stammering so Zhuo Fan intervened, grabbing her hand and declaring, “Forgive me, but she is with me now. You all better be nice to her, or else…”
Everyone froze, their hearts shuddering from shock. Mei Sangu could hardly believe her ears, “Qingcheng, y-you’ve already…”
“N-no, we didn’t do anything!”
Chu Qingcheng blushed hard as she explained and cursed Zhuo Fan, “What are you saying? I’m not yours at all! Could you please stop lying to everyone? What did I ever do to you to shame me so?”
Zhuo Fan shrugged, “I’m not shaming you. You were mine to begin with. Be it now and forever, no one can take you away from me.”
Chu Qingcheng gave him a long look, still distressed and red, but his bold declaration touched her.
“Ha-ha-ha, a Bone Tempering punk goes after a Ruby Cloud Sect disciple? Not even the last dead girl will be a fit for you! Humph, she’s way out of your league!”
Fang Min laughed, throwing him a despising look, then turned to the handsome youth, “Ah’Sheng, are the Sword Cloud Palace disciples allowed to have affairs with bugs?”
The youth smiled condescendingly, “We aren’t fools to resort to such absurd means. Or does junior sister think she is only fit for this guy?”
“Well said, junior sister must surely know her worth, ha-ha-ha…” Fang Min loved to mock the two.
Chu Qingcheng hung her head with guilt, tears flowing.
Mei Sangu sighed and pulled her shoulder, “Come with me, girl, you shamed us enough as it is. You’re to reflect long and hard when we return.”
Chu Qingcheng followed out of instinct.
“Qingcheng, it’s fine. Just come find me if you need anything. I’ll never let them touch a hair on you.” Zhuo Fan shouted after the two.
Fang Min mocked, “Boy, you’re so yellow on the inside that you’re now running your mouth? You call that skill? If you’re a man, just go take junior sister from senior aunt Mei’s hand. Oh, look who I’m talking to. Of course if you’d do that you’d end up flattened with senior aunt’s temper, ha-ha-ha…”
“Brother, may I know your name?” Zhuo Fan only addressed the youth next to her.
The guy was surprised, then sneered, “I am Xu Zhensheng. What may I do for you?”
“Nothing much, just meaning to give you a word of advice.”
Zhuo Fan snickered, “Catching a woman’s heart is like looking for a needle in the haystack. You have to grasp what she values. Your approach won’t get you anywhere, ha-ha-ha…”
Zhuo Fan left him to digest that tidbit, while Fang Min and the girls stood there stunned.
Fang Min asked, “What did he mean by that?”
“Uh, probably nothing.”
Xu Zhensheng was out of sorts, making a random excuse, while his heart was in awe.
[He doesn’t look like it, but this guy’s like a love doctor or something. Go after what she values. It makes perfect sense!]
He b.u.t.ted in just now so the junior sister would be at odds with both parties, having no choice but to go with him.
What kind of person would ever want to live their lives under constant nagging? This was a clear tactic of taking advantage of the situation to get the girl to his side. They could just elope later on.
[Absolutely brilliant!]
[But what’s the point of getting the girl to follow him when he hasn’t got the skill to fight back the Ruby Cloud Sect’s hunters?]
[If he can’t handle them, why resort to dissent? he doesn’t look like the reckless and impulsive type either.]
Xu Zhensheng couldn’t figure him out. Fang Min and the girls gave him odd looks.
[What’s with Ah’Sheng? He’s been out of it just from a couple words from that guy. How peculiar…]
Mei Sangu brought Chu Qingcheng to a tavern in Mist City, where she interrogated her over what she went through.
“You’re saying that you’ve been hurt badly and he guided you here? You were just using him to show you the way, and that’s all there is to it?”
“Senior aunt, that is it for now.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Don’t tell me later you…”
“Uh, not at all!” Chu Qingcheng shook her head and Mei Sangu finally sighed, “I hope so, Qingcheng. You are the favorite disciple of my senior sister. Don’t do anything that will bring the sect shame. Since it was just a misunderstanding, we can let it go. But next time, you are to stay clear of men, understand?”
“Yes!” Chu Qingcheng squeaked.
Mei Sangu gestured for her to leave, “Go and get some rest for two days. In three days, the exchange gathering will commence. We have to get the Nether Sea map!”
“Yes!” Chu Qingcheng was downcast as she left, with Mei Sangu sighing from behind, “Girls yearn for love. We better find them a betrothal instead of having some egotistical cheat toy with them…”
Zhuo Fan held a green jade slip, following the map inside to the center of town, to a large courtyard guarded by two Genesis Stage experts.
“This is the place.”
Zhuo Fan’s eyes shone, the two guards blocked him as he tried going inside, “Halt! Only honored guests of Mist City stay here. Laborers have no place here!”
“Step aside, I’m one of them.”
“You?” Sizing him up, the two mocked, “Have you ever seen some Bone Tempering bug treated as a guest?”
“I’m from the Luo clan, now move.”
“Luo clan?” The two started but their disdain of Zhuo Fan never diminished, “Kid, now you’re trying to scare us? The Luo clan became an honored guest only a month ago. They squandered billions of sacred stones and earned our city lord’s personal invitation here. They have many experts, of which over twenty Spirit Kings. Yet you’re saying there’s also you somewhere in there?”
Zhuo Fan’s face sank, “Then just call someone from the Luo clan and it will all be made clear?”
“Why? Is a bug worthy of the audience of such an important guest?”
“Steward Zhuo!”
A cry came just then as Li Jingtian rushed over upon noticing Zhuo, “Steward Zhuo, you’re finally here! You almost made my heart stop with your year-long disappearance!”
Ugh!
The guards blinked in stupefaction, a silly smile on their faces, “S-sir Li, y-you know him?”
“He is the Luo clan’s head steward. Be nice to him or any slight done to Steward Zhuo is a slight to the entire Luo clan. We’ll be sure to settle this debt!”
Li Jingtian gave them a tongue las.h.i.+ng and grabbed Zhuo Fan’s arm with a smile, “Steward Zhuo, we did as you said in the jade slip and spent a ton of money without a care. We almost bought the whole town, ha-ha-ha…”
“Good, in three days, at the treasure gathering, we must succeed!” Zhuo Fan’s eyes shone as he left with Li Jingtian.
The two guards were still staring with goony looks, their faces twitching.
[What’s a powerful clan doing with a Bone Tempering n.o.body for a head steward? From the looks of Sir Li, they value him greatly too…]