Chapter Two Hundred Thirty-Three: You Are the True Hero
Well, they say that.
But with Nian Nian’s reminder, Sang Zhe started paying more attention to that knowledgeable and sensible female author, Gongzi Shuiming.
I have to say, she does have a very pleasant appearance. Clean, refreshing short hair, exquisite gold-rimmed glasses, soft brows and eyes that just make people feel warm and fuzzy inside.
If this were his previous life, Sang Zhe thought, a girl as good-looking as this would probably never have anything to do with him.
“Hmm?”
It seemed that Gongzi Shuiming sensed Sang Zhe’s gaze. She tilted her head slightly and smiled, “What’s wrong, Young Master Sang? Do I have something dirty on my face?”
“N-No.”
Sang Zhe awkwardly turned his head and slowly said, “Why hasn’t anyone arrived yet? We’ve been waiting forever.”
“They should be arriving soon.”
Sang Zhe had been waiting at the city gate of Linzhou with the welcome team from Floating Splendor Commerce for almost the entire morning.
Finally, as noon approached, the demon cultivator team led by Meng Qiyan arrived fashionably late.
“Sang Zhe gege~”
From a distance, upon seeing Sang Zhe waiting at the city gate, Meng Qiyan’s eyes sparkled, and she dashed straight into his arms, affectionately wrapping her arms around his neck.
“I missed you so much.” She didn’t care at all about the gazes of those around her and planted a hug and kiss on Sang Zhe’s cheek, causing him to turn bright red from embarrassment.
“Miss Meng, hello.”
At the side, Gongzi Shuiming came over warmly to greet her, “Welcome esteemed friends from your sect to Linzhou.”
Meng Qiyan shot her a sidelong glance.
In the next moment, she suddenly leaned close to Shuiming and took a gentle sniff, much to the latter’s surprise.
“Hmm… Not bad.”
A subtle smile appeared at the corner of her mouth: “You haven’t picked up Sang Zhe gege’s scent yet.”
“Then we can still be friends.”
Shuiming’s mouth twitched slightly while Sang Zhe covered his face in deep embarrassment.
——
——
They enjoyed a lavish lunch hosted by Floating Splendor Commerce.
Just after finishing the meal, Gongzi Shuiming was already hastily preparing for the shipping arrangements.
“Are we leaving now? Isn’t that a bit rushed?” Sang Zhe questioned, puzzled.
“We have no choice; other places have been running low on supplies for too long. Everyone’s eager for the demon cultivators to arrive,” Gongzi Shuiming apologized. “I’m truly sorry we couldn’t be better hosts; we will definitely make it up to you later.”
Sang Zhe didn’t really care about that.
After hesitating for a moment, he pulled Meng Qiyan aside and whispered:
“Be careful, not just of the Holy Kingdom people, but don’t trust the Floating Splendor Commerce people too much either.”
“I know,” Meng Qiyan giggled as she wrapped her arms around Sang Zhe’s, “Sister Tang warned us before we came.”
“If you’re really worried, maybe… give me a bit of strength?”
Looking into her sparkling eyes, Sang Zhe thought for a moment. With their departure imminent, he wouldn’t be able to properly feed this little pixie anyway, so he could only helplessly say, “No time, let’s wait till we’re back.”
“I’ll give you a proper reward then.”
“Really? How will you reward me?”
“…We’ll talk about it later.”
……
The escorting demon cultivator team split into three groups, each heading towards different regions.
Meng Qiyan and the Elder at the Harmonization Stage led one team, while a few at the God Transformation Stage took the remaining group.
Floating Splendor Commerce seemed to have everything ready in advance. As soon as the demon cultivators arrived, their shipping team could set off at any moment.
Sang Zhe didn’t have time for more sweet moments with Meng Qiyan and could only watch her begin her journey again.
At the city gate, staring at the grand shipping convoy, Sang Zhe fell into a long silence before suddenly speaking:
“Nian Nian.”
“Will Meng Qiyan encounter any danger this time?”
“If you’re really that worried,” Nian Nian slowly revealed her form, floating in the air with crossed arms and a coy huff, “why not just follow them?”
“But I can’t leave the Sect Leader alone in Linzhou; that makes me uneasy too.”
Sang Zhe sighed: “This is just the first trip. Over the next month, there will be countless escort missions.”
“If I leave Linzhou, I’m afraid Bai Ming will pull some tricks.”
Now that the cooperation between the Demon Cult and Floating Splendor Commerce was just beginning, neither side fully trusted the other.
Sang Zhe was not at ease handing everything in Linzhou over to Floating Splendor Commerce.
The more it got to this point, the more Sang Zhe felt stretched thin.
He suddenly missed the days when he only acted as a lazy little interrogator, just questioning criminals and sticking to a 9-to-5 schedule.
Sigh, it’s tough being a leader.
There’s always something going on; it never ends.
Not to mention his system had added the extra task of conquering Gongzi Shuiming.
Just thinking about it gave Sang Zhe a headache.
Gongzi Shuiming wasn’t like the other women he had encountered before.
She wasn’t naive like Sister Gu, who could reciprocate genuine feelings just by being sincere.
Nor was she like Senior Sister Yan or the other Senior Sisters, who could interrogate without scruples.
Gongzi Shuiming was a woman of extraordinary intelligence, with a gentle and warm exterior hiding deep cunning and high emotional intelligence.
In their day-to-day interactions, Sang Zhe hadn’t gained a single advantage over her.
So even if he wanted to make a move, he had no idea how to start.
“Nian Nian, isn’t there a breakthrough point with Gongzi Shuiming?”
Sang Zhe felt a bit bothered: “I’d settle for spending some points to buy tips, just give me her personality profile.”
Nian Nian shot him a disdainful look, but there was an inexplicable hint of pride in her tone.
“Hmph. In the end, it depends on my system, right?”
“I’ll sell it to you for a thousand points. A bargain,” she floated around Sang Zhe with her arms crossed. “Actually, Gongzi Shuiming’s personality isn’t as complicated as you think.”
“You know, she’s a bestseller author from Fusa Pavilion.”
“So, of course, her greatest interest is writing novels.”
Sang Zhe paused for a moment and then became troubled: “But… I’m not a professional novelist.”
Besides, considering the work he submitted for that author competition, Sang Zhe thought Gongzi Shuiming would probably have to suppress her urge to roll her eyes after reading it.
He couldn’t just go and shamelessly ask a girl about writing spicy novels, right?
“Why not?”
Sang Zhe: “Huh?”
Nian Nian, arms crossed, glared at him with disdain: “Isn’t a girl a person? Doesn’t she have normal desires? Doesn’t she enjoy reading spicy novels?”
“Let’s not be discriminatory, okay? When a girl gets frisky, what do you guys have to say about it?”
“I’ll tell you, Gongzi Shuiming not only reads spicy novels but also secretly writes her own, drawing spicy comics, but she’s only released them secretly without telling anyone.”
“Really?”
Sang Zhe suddenly got interested and quickly grabbed the communication device: “What’s the name? Let me search it up!”
Soon, under Nian Nian’s guidance, Sang Zhe pulled up a mountain of works.
“Black Jie the Young Mother,” “Old Man Abin,” “Witch Academy”…
The quantity was staggering, the scenes explosive. There were even plenty of heavy themes that made Sang Zhe gasp in shock.
“Goodness…”
“Do girls really dabble so wildly?”
(Note: The glasses broke. I was planning to take a break today but pushed through to write this chapter with squinted eyes.)
(I’ll get my glasses fixed tomorrow and update thrice as usual.)
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
