Chapter 85 - 85 Unexpected Double Harvest
Nan Lingsha seemed to speak lightly and there was nothing wrong with what she said.
But why did she have to mention “bamboo forest” and “late at night,” two phrases that lead to wild speculation?
The people of Ancestral Dragon City-State had imaginations that Zhu Minglang was well aware of, where a few keywords could give birth to an epic tale of sorrow and romance.
And multiple versions that are vastly different from one another would emerge!
Heaven knows what sorts of rumors and gossip would spread once Nan Lingsha’s words got out.
It wasn’t long since he had managed to stay under the radar, and people were almost convinced by his heartfelt and moving speech.
As expected, after Nan Lingsha spoke,
the youths of the Nan Family fell silent, their eyes full of unspoken words, but due to Nan Lingsha’s absolute status within the family, they dared not express them lightly.
“So Teacher Zhu is also quite formidable in this regard, ” Lu Wenye whispered.
“Since it’s a gift from Sister Lingsha, naturally we have nothing to say.
However, why would sister give away such a precious dragon…” Nan Zhaobing’s face was almost as sinister as that of a human-faced rat, yet he pretended to be polite and inquisitive.
“How I do things is none of your business,” Nan Lingsha stated.
Nan Zhaobing quickly lowered his head, not daring to speak further, but his gaze shifted slyly to Zhu Minglang.
It was another of those hideous looks.
Zhu Minglang was used to such sights by now and hoped this was not another person with a hidden agenda, because in that case, Zhu Minglang wouldn’t be polite with such individuals.
“Then… then we’ll take our leave first,” said the woman with the golden forehead adornment.
The others naturally didn’t feel it was right to stay either and left one after another.
Zhu Minglang knew he couldn’t clear his name and left the mansion helplessly along with the people from the Nan Family. “Zhu Minglang, you stay, I have words to speak with you.”
Indeed, the devilish call of Nan Lingsha sounded.
The eyes of everyone from the Nan Family shone brightly as they stared at Zhu
Minglang, then they hurried away, as if afraid of disturbing their sister’s mood.
In the Nan Family, no one dared to offend Nan Lingsha; even the elder family members had to look for her good graces. These younger family members who still relied on elders for support had to be even more cautious.
The courtyard was open to the sky, with the eaves of green tiles enclosing a Drmgnt mgnt SKY devoid or stars, only a tmn layer or mist.
In the center stood a green bamboo stone basin, and Zhu Minglang was standing beside it, with clear spring water flowing through the bamboo heart of the basin down to the seams of the stone tiles at his feet, glistening under the light.
Zhu Minglang stood there, not stepping back nor leaving.
He slowly turned around, with a touch of resignation, “Miss, there’s no need to cover up for me, I’m not afraid of the Nan Family’s questions.”
“You’re mistaken,” Nan Lingsha replied with a playful smile and anticipative eyes, speaking in a carefree tone, “Wasn’t she warning you to be wary of me? It seems she still cares about you. So, I’m even more curious to see Li Yunzi’s reaction and whether she minds that you and I are getting closer.”
“Miss, you might not care about your reputation, but I, Zhu Minglang, still need to marry someone with a clean slate!” Zhu Minglang said.
“You? With a clean slate?” Nan Lingsha broke into laughter, which continued unabated.
Zhu Minglang found it difficult to maintain his composure with such an alluring voice, especially since the person before him resembled Li Yunzi so closely, which made him remember some unforgettable events.
Zhu Minglang thought it best to leave quickly, lest Nan Ye spread more distasteful rumors.
Nan Lingsha was still laughing, her devilish demeanor so at odds with the reserved and demure painter he’d met before that Zhu Minglang was convinced she was the one who was truly sick.
Upon leaving the mansion, Nan Ye looked at Zhu Minglang in surprise.
“That was quick?” Nan Ye asked with a strange tone.
Zhu Minglang glared at Nan Ye.
Can’t you speak properly? Nothing happened, and it has nothing to do with being fast or not!
Zhu Minglang left Red Lotus City, continuing to escort Zheng Yu as he persuaded several major cities.
With the efforts of the academy’s entire staff, the monsters in the upper cities were also massively eradicated, and Zheng Yu fulfilled his mission; Zhu Minglang himself also received a good reward.
The days became colder, and most creatures sought shelter, with fewer people traveling. Only on sunny days would many people come out to bask in the sunlight.
Li Chuan Dragon Taming Academy first held a few days of mourning for the students and teachers who had died during the monster subduing and demon slaying mission, and made proper arrangements for their families. Then, they rewarded those who had performed excellently during the mission.
The results were announced in the form of an honor roll. It was a sunny day,
and the warm glow of sunshine fell on everyone; one could see that everyone at
the academy had made a special effort to dress up.
The men were dashing, and the women were enchanting.
Gathering around the announcement, whether one was on the roll or not was a matter of great joy, for those who made the roll would receive a Spiritual Realm Fruit and the opportunity to form an additional Spirit Contract.
“Li Kang, Duan Wenrui, Zhu Minglang, Zhong Shenxiu, Lu Wenye…”
“No way, our team killed so many monsters and not a single one of us made the roll? How many monsters did those on the roll have to slay?”
“I heard they all made significant contributions to slaying demons!” “Demons, those are thousand-year-old monsters. We almost didn’t make it back when we faced an eight-hundred-year-old mountain monster! ‘
Beneath the roll, the students chattered amongst themselves. Some were on the roll, while others did not even see their names, which inevitably led to feelings of disappointment.
“Hey, hey, look at the teacher’s roll. There’s someone with the same name as Zhu Minglang,” someone suddenly pointed at a nearby list and exclaimed.
“What same name? That is Zhu Minglang.”
For a moment, everyone turned to look at the teacher’s roll and discovered that indeed, Zhu Minglang’s name was on the list of outstanding contributing teachers, although it was not ranked particularly high…
On both rolls???
There he was on the student’s roll. And now on the teacher’s roll too?
This was just too outrageous!!
The crowd burst into discussion.
Nan Ye and Lu Wenye seized the opportunity to spread the word that Zhu Minglang, acting as a substitute teacher, had single-handedly killed a seventeen-hundred-year-old Demonic Spider.
The students then came to a sudden realization, marveling that Zhu Minglang was truly a formidable person who did not easily reveal his capabilities.
At this moment, Zhu Minglang was also among the crowd, equally puzzled.
Being on the student’s roll, ranking quite well, was somewhat understandable to him; after all, he had killed two demons and a good number of monsters. But what was the deal with this teacher’s roll?
Could it be that the demon with three-thousand years of cultivation base killed by Nan Lingsha counted as part of his contribution?
That was the only explanation; a student reporting the whereabouts of a demon meant half the credit for slaying it went to the student.
So, acting as an assistant teacher at the time, he had discovered the bodies of three teachers and reported the whereabouts of the three-thousand-year-old monster, which seemed to have brought him an unexpected benefit.
What a surprise double harvest!