Ji Xiaoxi beamed when she saw him come out. “Big brother Zu, I’m happy to see that you are okay.”
Zu An felt his heart soften. “I heard that you came every day to check if I’d come back yet. I’ve made you worry.”
“No way…” Ji Xiaoxi’s chubby cheeks became a bit rosy. “I didn’t come every day…”
Zu An laughed and said, “I will always remember how much Xiaoxi cares about me. Oh, before I forget, I have something for you.”
He brought out a fine handkerchief from his inner pocket. “This is for you. I ruined your handkerchief last time we found ourselves in the Wolf Valley, and I almost forgot about it afterwards. I finally found a chance to get you one. Take a look and see if you like it. If you don’t, I’ll get you another one.”
“That’s okay, this one is pretty.” Ji Xiaoxi moved her fingers through the exquisite handkerchief, admiring its quality . “Huh? There are golden threads embroidered in this handkerchief. This surely is extremely expensive!”
“It’s not expensive at all! This big bro is rich!” Zu An thumped his chest. “Only such a handkerchief is worthy of you.”
Ji Xiaoxi blushed. “Thank you big brother!” she said sweetly.
“By the way, can you take a look at this bottle of medicine for me? I have no idea what it is used for.” Zu An handed her the bottle that Chen Xuan had carried on him.
When she heard the word medicine, Ji Xiaoxi’s sweet face suddenly grew slightly more serious. “Okay, I’ll look at it.”
She opened the bottle and looked inside. She brought her nose closer to it and gave it a whiff, using her spare hand to fan the fumes towards herself.
“Why does it smell sweet?” Ji Xiaoxi was rather puzzled. “This medicine doesn’t seem to be some sort of poison, but neither is it a medicine used for healing either. Big brother Zu, do you mind if I remove some of it to test?”
“Of course not,” Zu An said with a smile. This thing was completely useless to him if he had no idea what it was used for.
Ji Xiaoxi placed a drop of the liquid on her hand, and then she licked it with her tongue.
Zu An jumped in fright. “Be careful! You’ll poison yourself!”
He didn’t mind her testing it, but why did she use her tongue?
What if something happened?
Ji Xiaoxi smiled sweetly. “Don’t worry big brother Zu, I know what I am doing. I’ve been around all sorts of poisons ever since I was little, and dad has made me eat a lot of medicines. Even though I’m not immune to every poison, most poisons are ineffective on me.”
Zu An finally let go of the breath he was holding. Even though Ji Dengtu wasn’t all that reliable when it came to certain other things, he really cared a lot about his daughter and had nurtured her since she was little. No poisons that Chen Xuan had carried on him could do much to her.
“Have you figured out what kind of poison this is?” Zu An asked in curiosity.
Ji Xiaoxi shook her head. There was a puzzled expression on her face. “I don’t think it has any poisonous effects. Instead, it seems like some sort of supplement. However, it seems to be quite different from a regular supplement… How about this? Since class is about to start, I’ll take this back with me first. I’ll tell you once I figure out what this medicine does. You don’t mind, do you?”
Zu An laughed. “Of course not. Who else would I trust in this world if I didn’t trust Xiaoxi?”
Ji Xiaoxi’s face became red. Do you trust me more than your wife? However, with most of her mind focused on medicine, she quickly left while immersed in her own thoughts.
Zu An returned to the classroom. Wei Suo had a look of adoration on his face. “Boss really is boss! You’ve already bagged that incredibly charming Qiu Honglei, and now even the pure and lovely Ji Xiaoxi is all over you! You’ve totally scored a multi-kill!”
Dark lines appeared on Zu An’s face. “What nonsense are you spouting? We are only friends.”
He knew just how much of a helicopter dad Ji Dengtu was, and he really didn’t want any weird rumors to reach his ears. That guy might skin me alive if he finds out I mistreated Ji Xiaoxi!
“Boy and girl friends, I get it.” Wei Suo gave him a knowing look of a seasoned pervert.
Zu An refused to continue bickering with him over Ji Xiaoxi. He changed his tone and said, “By the way, what’s so special about that Four Way Restaurant?”
“The Four Way Restaurant is managed by the Wang clan, Wei Suo explained. “It’s so named because they welcome guests from anywhere and everywhere. It is Brightmoon City’s most luxurious restaurant! That isn’t all, either. The top floor of the Four Way Restaurant isn’t some place you can go to just because you have money.
“The Four Way Restaurant only allows the most outstanding figures to dine there. For example, cultivation geniuses, gifted scholars…
“Only those with the highest qualifications are allowed on the top floor. In all the years since the Four Way Restaurant was opened, fewer than three people have been granted that right. That is why being received as the guest of honor on the top floor is truly a glorious achievement.
“That is also why someone like me usually has no right to head up there at all. I am merely basking in your glory.”
Zu An chuckled. “Wang Clan seems to possess pretty good marketing skills. But isn’t this going a little too far just to chase after fame? I refuse to believe that they can stop Brightmoon Duke or the City Lord from heading up to the top floor if they want to.”
Wei Suo replied, “The Wang clan isn’t stupid either. They’ve clearly made a way out for themselves. People like Brightmoon Duke and City Lord Xie are all extremely outstanding in the royal court and powerful cultivators in their own right, so they naturally satisfy the conditions.”
“So that’s how it is.” Zu An’s curiosity was yet to be sated. “I can understand letting in famous people such as these. However, what if some genuinely talented guests who aren’t that well known try to get in? How would the restaurant judge if they have the qualifications?”
“That’s a simple matter. Those people can just demonstrate their skills on the spot! Cultivators can display their cultivation, musicians their music, and scholars can flaunt their poetry and literature knowledge. I’ve heard that there are some great talents who live in the restaurant. If an individual can match one of these talents, then they’ll obviously have the right to head upstairs…”
Zu An had a strange look on his face. “So it’s just a matching game then? That’s an old routine.”
“Boss, could it be that you’re good at that too?” Wei Suo looked at him with eyes of worship.
Zu An replied indifferently, “If there are eight words, then I understand seven.”
Wei Suo shot him a big thumbs-up. “Awesome! Boss already understands seven-eighths! As expected of the boss!”
Zu An was speechless for a moment.
Hello? I’m basically saying that there’s a single word I don’t get—meaning I don’t understand a single word! This kid’s head is really only filled with stockings.[1]
The two of them chatted for a long time. Suddenly, Wei Suo nudged Zu An with a wink.
Zu An turned around and saw Ji Xiaoxi waving at him, her face extremely red.
Aren’t classes about to start? Why did she run back over here?
Zu An noticed that Bai Susu, who was conducting the next lesson, had already walked in. However, Ji Xiaoxi looked extremely anxious, so he decided to rush out to check up on her.
Zu An patted Bai Susu’s shoulder on the way out. “Old Bai, I have some things to take care of first. Teach them well.”
Bai Susu stared blankly at him, speechless. You’re a student too! Can you not speak to me like a colleague while you’re in class?
However, he was naturally even-tempered, and was on good terms with Zu An as well, so he gave Zu An no trouble. He even warned him with a smile, “Don’t bully Xiaoxi now.”
Someone as lovely as Ji Xiaoxi had clearly gained the favor of even these academy teachers.
Heckles sounded from around the classroom. Zu An snickered and said, “Xiaoxi is so cute, it’s almost a waste if I don’t tease her a bit.”
Bai Susu’s mouth fell open. So did Wei Suo’s. The rest of the Yellow class students were also momentarily speechless.
“I cannot stand him anymore! Get over here so I can beat the crap out of you!”
“Face reality man. That guy even beat Shi Kun. What can you do to him?”
“Dammit all! I’m even more angry now!”
“Kill that dog Zu!”
…
Zu An wasn’t upset by the sudden ruckus. Instead, he was overjoyed.
These students are still just as cute, even after all this time. They really outdid themselves in their quest to give him Rage points.
Ji Xiaoxi also overheard their discussions, and her face became even redder. She hurriedly indicated for him to step away from the classroom window, and led him to a more private location.
“What happened, Xiaoxi?” Zu An was curious. Wasn’t her face just a little too red?
“Hurry up and bring me to your room!” Ji Xiaoxi was already on the verge of tears.
1. This doesn’t really translate that well from Chinese to English, but I’ve tried my best to make it work. For those interested, the original phrase Zu An uses is 八窍已经通了七窍 (literally, seven of the eight spaces in my mind are clear), a common riddle to which the answer is the Chinese idiom 一窍不通 (literally: one space is not clear), which means that one knows nothing.
