Chapter 319: Jumping Into the Yellow River Can't Cleanse It

She instantly pulled her legs back and unnaturally adjusted her skirt. Her usually calm and composed face was, for the first time ever, tinged with a rosy blush. It was all Jiang Luofu's fault; why did she have to drag me into wearing stockings for no reason?

Noticing her unusual behavior, Jiang Luofu turned around and glared at Zu An. "No manners! Don't you know to knock before entering?"

She was much more composed, her beautiful legs still resting on the table with no intention of covering them.

Zu An looked wronged. "I did knock, but no one answered. I saw the door was ajar, so I pushed it open and came in."

Jiang Luofu snorted. "Brat, don't enter places you shouldn't next time, lest you invite disaster."

Zu An was speechless, wondering if the two of them were engaged in something illicit, to speak so seriously.

"Tell me, where have you been these past few days?" Jiang Luofu looked at him with a half-smile. "Last time, Liu Yu mentioned you told them you'd be right back, but there's been no news since. She rushed to the Chu family to warn them and has been worried about you this whole time."

Zu An was startled and instinctively looked at Shang Liuyu beside him.

Shang Liuyu's face flushed slightly. "Don't listen to her nonsense. Speaking of which, Principal Jiang has also been very concerned about you, using all the academy's resources to search for you, but unfortunately, there's still no news."

Jiang Luofu twirled the pencil in her hand. "Anyway, our deal is done, so why should I care if he lives or dies? But it is strange that so many people are looking for you, yet there's no trace. Where exactly did you go?"

Zu An told him the explanation he had prepared beforehand.

Hearing that there was indeed a dragon on Dragon Concealment Mountain, Jiang Luofu instantly stood up. After clarifying the location, her figure vanished.

The air still lingered with Jiang Luofu's unique perfume. Zu An looked bewildered. "What's going on?"

"Principal Jiang loves cultivation and has always been interested in the legendary powerhouses of various races," Shang Liuyu explained. "Her biggest regret is never having seen a true dragon, so how could she restrain herself now that she's heard news of one?"

Zu An then realized, but she was destined not to find that dragon.

"Although you made it sound casual, the process must have been very dangerous, right?" Shang Liuyu's beautiful eyes gazed at him quietly.

Zu An was startled. "Why do you say that?"

Shang Liuyu smiled faintly. "The item I gave you last time has shattered. It seems you've suffered a potentially fatal injury."

"I didn't expect to hide it from you," Zu An couldn't help but exclaim. "Speaking of which, you saved my life. I truly don't know how to repay you."

"I never expected you to repay me, and besides, we are friends," Shang Liuyu said, speaking with a unique grace, as if a gentle breeze caressed one's face or soft waves lapped at the shore.

"How can that be?" Zu An said earnestly. "How can a life-saving kindness go unreturned? However, I doubt you'd be interested in ordinary things, so after much thought, I can only offer my most precious possession."

Shang Liuyu blinked, puzzled.

Although she didn't need him to repay her, she was still a little curious about what his most precious possession could be.

Zu An said solemnly, "There's no way to repay a life-saving kindness, so it seems I can only offer myself to you."

Shang Liuyu was speechless.

Zu An continued, "Since we're so familiar with each other, do you still have more of those jade pendants you gave me last time? Just give me ten or eight of them."

"Do you think they're cabbages for sale?" Shang Liuyu finally couldn't stand him anymore and floated away.

Rage points from Shang Liuyu +22!

Zu An thought to himself that he was getting bolder, but it was rare to see Shang Liuyu get angry.

With the two women gone, he was left alone in the office. He had thought about looking around, seeing what the beautiful principal read, played, or was interested in privately. However, remembering her previous warning, he ultimately didn't dare to snoop around the office. After all, she held a high position and surely had many important things; it would be troublesome if he saw something he shouldn't. The key was that he didn't want to lose her friendship because of it. He still needed to maintain a strong connection with the beautiful principal, not losing sight of the bigger picture for a small gain.

Just as he was about to leave, his gaze suddenly sharpened. He saw several messy stockings on the sofa where the two women had been sitting. He figured they must have been left there when Jiang Luofu and Shang Liuyu were trying on various ones.

"Aren't these 'original flavor'?" Zu An mused, thinking Wei Suo would dream of getting his hands on them. He was, in fact, just then worrying about not having an excuse to visit the Wei family. He knew that even Old Man Mi himself didn't go to the Wei family. He wasn't sure why, but he suspected there was something inside that Old Man Mi feared. Infiltrating was out of the question. If even Old Man Mi couldn't do it, he knew he didn't stand a chance. However, he had an advantage: his relationship with Wei Suo. He might have an opportunity to enter the Wei manor openly and legitimately. But he would need a reasonable excuse, otherwise it would easily arouse suspicion.

He stared at the stockings for a long time, but Zu An finally gave up the idea. After all, he didn't want to be hunted down by the two women later, all for Old Man Mi's mission.

Just then, Shang Liuyu suddenly hurried back. Zu An was startled. "Huh, why are you back?"

"I dropped something." Shang Liuyu's face flushed, and she darted forward. He had never seen her move so fast.

"Found it. I'm leaving now. Remember to close the door yourself." After hastily leaving this message, Shang Liuyu had vanished without a trace.

Zu An felt a blur before his eyes, and the stockings on the sofa had disappeared.

"That was a close call!" Zu An felt immensely lucky. If he had been tempted to take them just now, he wouldn't have been able to clear his name. At the same time, he was somewhat suspicious. Why did everyone in the city say Shang Liuyu wasn't particularly skilled in cultivation, mostly claiming she was only around the 4th rank? Yet, with that instant speed she just displayed, how could she possibly be only 4th rank?

After leaving the office, Zu An went straight back to the Yellow Class. It had been a long time since he attended class, and his relationship with Wei Suo seemed to have grown somewhat distant. However, when Wei Suo saw him, his eyes filled with a torrent of admiration, letting Zu An know he had worried unnecessarily. The two chatted casually for a few moments, and the atmosphere quickly grew lively again, as if they were back at the start of the school year.

As the two were chatting animatedly, arm in arm, Wang Yuanlong suddenly appeared before them. "Ah Zu," he said, "I'm hosting a banquet tonight on the top floor of the Four Directions Pavilion. Firstly, to thank you for saving my life last time, and secondly, to welcome you back safely. Please do me the honor of attending."

Zu An looked troubled. "But I just agreed to have dinner with Wei Suo."

Wang Yuanlong smiled slightly. "No matter, you can invite Brother Wei along. Miss Xie and Master Qiu, among others, will also be attending this time. They are all coming because of Ah Zu's reputation, and usually, they are impossible to invite. Brother Wei, don't miss such a good opportunity."

Wei Suo readily agreed. "Haha, great, I couldn't ask for more."

Zu An naturally had no objections, and Wang Yuanlong then left, satisfied.

After he left, Wei Suo sighed with admiration. "Boss is still amazing, to be invited by Wang Yuanlong to the top floor of the Four Directions Pavilion."

Zu An was startled. "Is there anything special about that?"

Just as Wei Suo was about to explain, a soft, sweet voice suddenly called from outside the classroom: "Ah Zu~"

Seeing the incredibly cute and gentle girl at the door, Zu An immediately ran over. "Xiao Xi~" He actually had something he needed her for: he needed her help identifying the bottle of medicine he had found on Chen Xuan.