“I’ve managed to gather the information.”

  The butler bowed. He hadn’t even opened his mouth to explain, but his face had revealed an expression that was filled with much admiration. Sun Mo, he was indeed not a simple man.

  The Old Master’s ability to spot a talent was formidable!

  “Tell me.”

  Zheng Qingfang yawned. Even though he felt physically tired, his mental state was very energetic, especially his brain. In the past, he always felt dizzy as though he had been hit by a hammer on his head. However, ever since Sun Mo had helped him, he felt so comfortable that he almost moaned.

  “As Sun Mo is the fiance of An Xinhui……”

  The butler had just started when he got interrupted.

  “What did you say?”

  Zhang Qingfang was stunned. (What is going on here?)

  “It’s an arranged marriage that was decided by the Old Headmaster when they were still kids. Sun Mo’s father was the Old Headmaster’s favorite student!”

  The butler explained.

  “Oh, I see.”

  Zheng Qingfang came to a sudden realization. He knew that the Old Headmaster wasn’t one who regarded family status as important; hence, it wasn’t impossible for him to marry An Xinhui to Sun Mo who was just a penniless dude.

  In the past, Zheng Qingfang had helped his grandson to ask for An Xinhui’s hand in marriage but was rejected. Now that he knew of this, Sun Mo was actually his ‘rival’.

  “Haha, how interesting!”

  Zheng Qingfang felt a mixture of emotions. It would be good if the Old Headmaster were to step into the Saint Realm successfully. Not only would there be an authoritative person within the great teacher circle in Tang Country, but it would also greatly increase the influence of various countries within Nine Provinces.

  “Because of Sun Mo’s status as An Xinhui’s fiance, he was ostracized by Zhang Hanfu and thrown into the logistics department. Many people called him a man who’s living off a woman and they were waiting to see him make a fool out of himself. However, he didn’t give up. In fact, he managed to defeat Qin Fen from Jixia Learning Palace with his stunning talent at the student recruitment meet by recruiting 5 new students, becoming an official teacher of Central Province Academy.”

  The butler started to introduce a recent experience that Sun Mo had gone through. As an important official in the imperial court, Zheng Qingfang had seen many young talents before. Hence, in the beginning, he didn’t seem to bother much. However, as he listened on, his expression became more and more startled.

  Sun Mo possessed a pair of ‘God Hands’ that made the entire school’s students go fanatic about them. He had created an entirely new subject, and from the first session onward, the number of attendees was always at maximum capacity. His students had to go to class two hours earlier to snatch a seat. Judging from this popularity, he wasn’t any inferior to great teachers with star-levels.

  Sun Mo got angry for a girl who pulled buckets of swill for a living and beat up the school’s logistics department head. In fact, he already had a plan but acted only after he gained the trust of Yang Cai’s loyal dog and dragged Yang Cai off his position eventually.

  Then, he met Gao Ben, who was a graduate of Westshore Military School, one of the Nine Greats, for a battle. In the arena, Sun Mo’s disciples took down the victory for all 3 rounds. Moreover, they won against opponents of higher cultivation bases than them.

  This signified that Sun Mo possessed impressive teaching capabilities. Of course, what impressed Zheng Qingfang the most was how Sun Mo chastised Zhou Yong publicly and got him expelled at the Entire School Meeting. He knew that this was an extremely difficult task.

  For ordinary people, who would be willing to offend such a millionaire? But Sun Mo had done it against all odds.

  “Sun Mo’s fame in the school is extremely high!”

  The butler exclaimed with much emotion.

  Ding!

  Favorable impression points from the butler +30, Friendly (120/1,000).

  “Call him Teacher Sun next time!”

  Zheng Qingfang reminded his butler.

  Ding!

  Favorable impression points from Zheng Qingfang +100, Friendly (340/1000).

  “Yes, Old Master!”

  “He’s indeed young and promising!” Zheng Qingfang felt a myriad of emotions. He thought about his grandchildren who were of appropriate age. Sun Mo was such an outstanding youth that Zheng Qingfang felt embarrassed to marry his granddaughters or grandnieces to him.

  (Sigh, they are not fit to be matched with him!)

  “Go check on Sun Mo’s hobbies and help me prepare a set of heavy gifts!” Zheng Qingfang instructed. The favor could be returned later, but gifts must be sent immediately. Otherwise, people may think he was abandoning his benefactor after receiving the advantage.

  “Old Master, Teacher Sun doesn’t seem to have any hobby. He’s only going for lessons, coaching students, drawing spirit gathering runes, and cultivating every day.”

  The butler laughed. “His lifestyle is very disciplined. I asked the gatekeeper at the school. Other than leaving the school to purchase a few bonsai pots, Sun Mo doesn’t go out normally.”

  “He doesn’t visit the brothels?”

  Zheng Qingfang was in shock.

  Sun Mo was only twenty years old, and this age was just right for men to discover the wonderful side of women, but Sun Mo was actually so self-disciplined?

  It was no wonder he could attain such high achievements so quickly!

  “This can’t be. Regardless of whether it succeeds, I have to let Sun Mo take a look at my granddaughters. Otherwise, if I miss this opportunity of gaining such an outstanding grandson-in-law, my heart will ache.”

  Zheng Qingfang made up his mind. “Go pick a few nimble and intelligent girls and present them to Sun Mo. They will help him with some housework and serve his everyday needs so that he can focus on his work.”

  “Yes, Old Master!”

  The butler nodded. His expression didn’t change, but he felt astonishment in his heart. (Isn’t the Old Master treating Sun Mo a little too well?)

  As an influential family for many generations, they had been teaching clever and pretty boys and girls how to read and serve people.

  After the boys grew up, they would either stay with the owner or be sent out as a shopkeeper to help manage the family businesses.

  For girls, they would become concubines, helping to manage the financial and family affairs. At times, they would also need to guard against female owners from cheating on their husbands.

  Such people could be employed forever and they were the most loyal. Normally, they would only be allocated to the younger generation from within the family clan. However, Old Master was giving out 2 of them at one go now.

  “Old Master!”

  The butler hesitated for a while.

  “What’s the matter?”

  Zheng Qingfang frowned.

  “Those women grew up in our house, to present them as gifts to Teacher Sun, I’m afraid they……”

  The butler hadn’t finished speaking, but his meaning was clear.

  In the Zheng Clan, once they became a young master’s concubines, they would be like crows that had transformed into phoenixes. However, as a gift to Sun Mo, they needed to serve and do heavy manual work. The difference was so vast, so who would be willing to do so?

  The butler was worried that these girls would intentionally not do a good job in serving Sun Mo and would anger him. Then, this gift would in turn spoil things for the Old Master.

  “Haha, what are you worried about? Sun Mo is a teacher, how can the 2 girls not surrender to him? Moreover, Sun Mo will definitely become a great teacher in the future. If the 2 girls are smart, they will know that it’s their honor to serve Sun Mo.”

  Zheng Qingfang snorted. This place was Middle-Earth Nine Provinces. It was the golden age for a semi-feudal economy and a semi slave-owning society; hence, Zheng Qingfang would never bother

  His sentence of instruction would decide the fate of these 2 girls.

  “Sorry, I’ve talked too much.”

  The butler lowered his head.

  “Since you said that, you’ve reminded me. Remember to pick the 2 prettiest girls.”

  Since it was a gift, it must be chosen to satisfy the receiving party. An Xinhui was a great beauty on the Devastating Beauty Rankings; hence, it wasn’t sufficient for Sun Mo’s maids to be just pretty.

  Zheng Qingfang genuinely didn’t have any other intention. He only wanted to express his sincerity.

  “This……”

  The butler’s scalp felt numb. (Must he treat Sun Mo like this? Moreover, the young master has already taken a fancy to the 2 prettiest girls. If the Old Master were to present them out as gifts, it would become a problem.)

  “What’s the matter again?”

  Zheng Qingfang frowned.

  “Nothing, I just have something to remind the Old Master about.”

  The butler decided not to speak further regarding the maid issue. “Speak!”

  Zheng Qingfang pointed to the cabinet with his finger.

  The butler understood instantly. The Old Master’s favorite pastime recently was to read (Journey to the West) before mealtime and then admire the Sanzhang’s picture after mealtime. Every day, if he didn’t see these works for at least 2 hours, he would feel uncomfortable.

  Hence, while the butler was walking over to take out the valuable picture, he reported, “Her highness has become Sun Mo’s personal student.” “Which highness?”

  Zheng Qingfang didn’t understand. Jinling was an ancient capital of Six Dynasties, and it overflowed with magnificence and history. Many relatives of the emperor were staying there; hence, there was an influx of princes and princesses.

  Once there was an oversupply of a good, it became invaluable.

  “Her highness who came for a vacation from Bianliang!”

  The butler’s voice became a lot softer. As this was pertaining to royalty, he had to be as respectful as possible. “What?”

  Zheng Qingfang who was originally leaning against the bed frame immediately sat up straight. “Is this confirmed?”

  “I’ve asked around many times and even saw it with my own eyes. It’s confirmed!”

  As the butler spoke, his heart was filled with admiration. (What kind of luck does Sun Mo have? He could even receive such a personal disciple.)

  (In his lifetime, he must have been born with a pair of golden spoons. He’s about to rise to the riches!) “Oh my!”

  Zheng Qingfang pulled a long face. For someone to become her highness’ teacher, they had to be at least at the seven or eight-star level to be qualified. Hence, for Sun Mo who had just been employed in the school, he wasn’t even eligible to be her highness’ accompanying tutor. If this piece of news were to spread, Sun Mo would definitely be out of luck.

  This was because acknowledging a master was a sacred matter. Moreover, it was related to someone belonging to the royal family; hence, Sun Mo was the only one who could withdraw from this. What was worrying would be if someone were to die suddenly, that would be troublesome.

  “Keep the picture, I’m going to look for Sun Mo now!”

  Zheng Qingfang was getting anxious. “Old Master, you haven’t recovered!”

  The butler tried to dissuade him.

  At this time, a servant came to inform that someone called Sun Mo came to visit.

  “At such a late time?”

  Zheng Qingfang looked at the color of the sky and then got up from the bed to dress. “Hurry, invite him in!”

  Zheng Qingfang hosted Sun Mo in the study room. This astonished the servants, and they started to guess who this important guest was.

  The Zheng residence was huge and there were a comprehensive variety of facilities.

  Usual visitors who came would be asked to present their gifts and leave. They wouldn’t even be able to see Zheng Qingfang at all. For visitors who were a little more important, they would be allowed to enter the living room to enjoy a cup of tea and a few pastries.

  Those who were immediately invited into the study room must be Zheng Qingfang’s friends. Hence, the servants didn’t dare to neglect their duties.

  Even the person who ushered the way was the butler. A typical servant would never have a chance to serve upfront.

  “Uncle Zheng, it’s bold of me to visit at such a late time. However, the matter’s urgent. I can only apologize after this.”

  Sun Mo seemed anxious.

  “Don’t be so formal.”

  Zheng Qingfang interrupted Sun Mo. “I am happy to assist if there’s anything I can help you with.”

  “My disciple is missing.”

  After Sun Mo finished speaking, Zheng Qingfang was so shocked he jumped up from his seat. (Her highness is missing? Then the entire Jinling City’s officials would go crazy. Who’s so daring to do this!) “My disciple Lu Zhiruo, she has been missing for a day. I suspect that she has been kidnapped by Zhou Yong.”

  Sun Mo spoke bluntly.

  At such times, things were urgent and Sun Mo didn’t bother much about finding the right phrases anymore.

  “Don’t be anxious, I’ll send people to look for her now.” Zheng Qingfang comforted him. “Is there any portrait of her?”

  “No.”

  Sun Mo shook his head. “But I can draw one now!”

  “Get someone to prepare brush and ink!”

  Zheng Qingfang became energetic and immediately shouted. Finally, he could see Sun Mo’s skill once again. Even though he shouldn’t be excited when Sun Mo had lost his student, he couldn’t help it!

  After all, this was a drawing by a great artist!

  Chapter 195 Wondrous Blossom Reappears, a Second Famous Painting Is Born!

  AGT 195 –

  “Old Master……”

  The maid wanted to inform him that the brush and ink had been prepared, but Zheng Qingfang’s gaze glared over and startled the maid. She quickly shut her mouth and quietened her breathing sounds.

  Zheng Qingfang was feeling impatient but didn’t dare to rush Sun Mo, He could only wait.

  Sun Mo stood in front of the writing desk and took a brush made of weasel bristle. After soaking the brush in the ink, he started to draw on the writing paper.

  Developing some inspiration? Making up a composition in his mind first? That was all non-existent.

  At this time, Sun Mo was only thinking about drawing Lu Zhiruo as accurately and clearly as possible. When people saw the portrait, it would leave a lasting impression on them. “My papaya girl, I hope nothing bad happens to you!”

  Sun Mo was getting anxious. Hence, his strokes were much quicker this time.

  With a dot and a stroke, Sun Mo was quick in his brush strokes. A Young Lady Spring Rain Portrait gradually appeared on the paper.

  At the time of early spring, there was continuous apricot-blossom rain.

  A young lady with a thin spring garment held onto a piece of big banana leaf over her head. She was squatting next to the stream on the outskirts of the small town, looking at the ants under the rain!

  Gua!

  A frog leaped onto the banana leaf. The papaya girl’s big eyes turned upward, and she tried to extend her hand to catch it.

  As the brush penned out the drawing, in Sun Mo’s heart, he was feeling more and more worried. (Lu Zhiruo was such an innocent and kind-hearted lady, why must she endure such a torment?)

  (Whatever unhappiness or hatred you have, you can come at me!)

  The papaya girl looked endearingly silly. She was like a piece of blank paper, completely ignorant toward this world’s cruelty. (If this time round, she were to……)

  Sun Mo didn’t dare to continue imagining.

  Due to his guilt and worry toward Lu Zhiruo, Sun Mo especially wanted to make her drawing as clear and distinct as possible. Hence, after he focused on the drawing wholeheartedly, it triggered his state of mind. Boom! Boom! Boom!

  In the study room, the spirit qi surged and converged toward the pointed end of the brush.

  Following Sun Mo’s drawing and the ink smearing on the paper, the drawing of the papaya girl became gorgeous and alive with coloring.

  The soft green-colored banana leaf, sparkling and translucent raindrops, and black ants all looked extremely realistic. Even the muddy floor that was covered in rainwater was so enchanting. It was as though they could even smell the mud from inside the drawing.

  “This is……”

  The maid’s eyes were wide open. She almost shouted out subconsciously.

  Piak!

  The butler was quick in his actions and covered the maid’s mouth immediately. If she were to shout, it would disturb Sun Mo’s peace and prevent a famous painting from being born. By then, she wouldn’t be able to get away with her crime even if the Old Master were to beat her to death.

  The maid obviously thought of this aftermath as well. Her entire body turned weak from fear and she couldn’t help but lean against the butler’s body.

  Even though she had never seen one herself, the portrait was magical and exceptionally beautiful. This…… this should be the legendary saying of “Wondrous Blossom”.

  Once such a phenomenon happened, it signified that a famous painting was about to come into existence. If she were to disrupt Sun Mo’s peace just now and cause the painting to fail……

  The maid didn’t dare to continue imagining. According to the Old Master’s temperaments, she wouldn’t even be able to get a peaceful death as punishment.

  It was lucky for her that the butler had covered her mouth just in time.

  She felt as though she had her life renewed. After the sudden fluctuation of nervousness and calming feelings, she suddenly had this feeling of warmness between her legs. She had peed her pants

  “En?”

  The butler frowned as he felt a gush of wetness. However, he didn’t think of the reason behind this because Sun Mo’s Young Lady Spring Rain Portrait was extremely well-drawn.

  That girl looked endearingly silly, adorable, and very innocent in the drawing. However, those breasts of hers were drawn a little too big, weren’t they? (If I didn’t remember wrongly, that girl is only 13 years old.)

  (Hold on, previously when I saw that girl, she indeed does have such big breasts the size of 2 big papayas.)

  Beautiful!

  Beautiful!

  Beautiful!

  Zheng Qingfang didn’t dare to speak a word, worried that he might disturb Sun Mo. However, he was already yelling and shouting agitatedly in his heart. (How could it be a Wondrous Blossom again? How could it be another famous painting?) (I, Zheng Qingfang, had indeed seen the creation of 2 famous paintings within 3 months. Heaven is treating me so well!)

  (No, I should be thanking Sun Mo!)

  Zheng Qingfang looked at Sun Mo with admiring gazes. (Getting to know him is the happiest thing that happened during my retirement days.)

  Soon after, Zheng Qingfang placed his gaze back onto the famous painting. Subconsciously, he extended his hand, wanting to touch the painting, but quickly pulled it back again.

  This girl was really too pure and innocent; any form of touch was considered like a form of profanity. She was almost like an elf belonging to nature without an ounce of worldly aura on her.

  Ding!

  Favorable impression points from Zheng Qingfang +100, Friendly (440/1,000).

  The maid had peed on her skirt and it made her extremely awkward. She was afraid of being discovered and wanted to find an excuse to leave the room in order to change. However, as her gaze landed on the paper, she couldn’t leave anymore.

  This young lady seemed realistic and graceful. From the first look, you would take a fancy on her and wanted to find out more about her.

  (Why was this young lady sheltering herself with a banana leaf instead of a paper umbrella? Why did she run out of the town during the apricot-blossom rain?)

  (Was she awaiting someone’s return? Who could she be waiting for?) In a moment, the maid’s head was filled with many questions.

  This was a famous painting’s effect. Sun Mo had displayed the pinnacle of a Traditional Painting by leaving some empty space in his work of art. Even though it was just a simple portrait, it actually contained a story!

  Ding!

  Favorable impression points from the maid +100, Friendly (100/1000).

  In the study room, the spirit qi became too dense and faculas started flickering around as though there were fireflies. Some landed on the drawing paper, garnishing the portrait with more colors and made it even more vivid.

  After 15 minutes, Sun Mo put the brush away. When he lowered his head to observe, he suddenly felt dissatisfied.

  (What the hell am I drawing? Aren’t I supposed to draw a portrait for a missing person? Why did I draw a banana leaf?)

  (There’s even a ‘gua’, could it be for the papaya girl to ‘extend her life'[1]?)

  Sun Mo’s face was filled with dislike for the painting. He extended his hand, wanting to grab the paper away so that he could draw a new one.

  wa

  “What are you doing?” Zheng Qingfang acted as though his beloved granddaughter was about to be trampled on by villains. He shouted and suddenly pounced forward, grabbing hold of Sun Mo’s wrist. “This drawing is not good enough!”

  Sun Mo frowned.

  “The drawing is not good enough?”

  The butler was dumbfounded. He instinctively looked toward the paper.

  Wondrous Blossom was a kind of realm that only famous artists could grasp hold of, at the same time, it was also an unusual sight.

  The famous painting had brought about a Wondrous Blossom, and because of the spirit qi, not only was it vivid and realistic, but it was no longer just black and white in color. It became brightly colored as though the reality had been inked on the drawing paper.

  As the audiences admired the drawing, their state of mind would be swayed and they would become infatuated. They would start to develop a joyful mood. In fact, they would be so focused that their feet would be frozen to the ground uncontrollably.

  This was a piece of famous painting and not any miscellaneous painting you see being promoted on the market. This piece could at least be sold for more than 1 million taels of silver. In fact, it would be destined to remain legendary and seen as a rare gem by the later generations.

  But what did Sun Mo say? He said it was badly drawn? Was he trying to humiliate those artists who couldn’t even complete 1 famous painting?

  If even this was considered bad, then the butler thought it was impossible to find any better ones.

  Ding!

  Favorable impression points from the butler +100, Friendly (220/1,000).

  “There’s indeed something bad about it. The person is extremely well-drawn, but the scenery is a little off-standard.” Zheng Qingfang said with regret. Could it not have been bad?

  Sun Mo had only learned grandmaster-grade Traditional Painting Technique and Character Painting Technique from the system. However, by utilizing the Wondrous Blossom realm, he had managed to reach a decent background to it. “Uncle Zheng!”

  Sun Mo smiled bitterly. (I’m here to ask for a favor, what are you trying to do by discussing drawing now?) “I’m sorry, it’s my fault!”

  Zheng Qingfang’s expression became apologetic. He looked at the portrait and bit his teeth. He couldn’t care about framing it anymore and straightaway handed it to the butler. “Go, get my few old friends and make use of their capabilities. It’s a must to find this young lady within a day. After this, I, Zheng Qingfang, will be extremely thankful.” “Roger, Old Master!” The butler received the piece of Young Lady Spring Rain Portrait solemnly and left immediately.

  “Eh, remember to protect it well, don’t contaminate the painting.” Zheng Qingfang couldn’t help but remind again, then he laughed in mockery. (Taking this famous painting just to search for a missing person, Sun Mo, how extravagant is this!?)

  (If those few old fellas found out about it, they would surely scold me for putting such a precious item to no use.)

  (But a life is at stake. Even if I was reluctant, I still have to do it. Moreover, this famous artist is just beside me, if I want another famous painting, I can just ask from him again, right?)

  Zheng Qingfang could only comfort himself this way. However, his heart was feeling the pain. “Thank you very much, Uncle Zheng.”

  Sun Mo was genuinely grateful. For Zheng Qingfang to utilize his connections, he was owing people a favor, and this wasn’t something any amount of money could easily buy over.

  “Your words are too formal. I’m treating you as a best friend.”

  Zheng Qingfang sounded a little unhappy. Hearing those words, the maid couldn’t help but take in a gulp of air. She looked at Sun Mo, her gazes filled with shock. (Who is this young man? How did he make the Old Master regard him with such importance and love?)

  One must know that even when the Old Master’s favorite nephew had come and sought for an official title, he wouldn’t even bother about it. However, he had actually made use of his connections for this young lad.

  The Old Master’s old friends were all well-known figures that could create a scene in Jinling city.

  “Besides, by helping you, I’m earning another piece of famous painting. It’s to my advantage!”

  Zheng Qingfang made fun of himself as he wanted to alleviate Sun Mo’s anxiousness, but it was of no use.

  “Then I’ll have to trouble Uncle Zheng. I’m going back to the school now to see if Zhiruo has returned.”

  Sun Mo took his leave. “Be careful on the road!”

  Zheng Qingfang wanted to send Sun Mo to the main gate. This almost scared the maid to death and she immediately knelt on the ground. (You’re a patient, don’t you know?)

  Sun Mo would never allow Zheng Qingfang to walk him out and quickly left by running out. Zheng Qingfang sat in the study room and looked at the ink and paper that was used by Sun Mo. He revealed an envious expression. (Is this what people meant by a talent?)

  He had a passion for painting and calligraphy, and somewhat had achievements in calligraphy. However, he wasn’t good at painting. After all, for a subject like painting, it required some form of gift.

  Zheng Qingfang could see that Sun Mo didn’t regard painting as an important thing. Moreover, if without accidents, this should be the second time he was holding a painting brush after he had drawn the Sanzhang’s western journey picture. It was unexpected that another famous painting was born again.

  “What a pity!”

  Zheng Qingfang felt a myriad of emotions. Since Sun Mo was determined to become a great teacher, it was obvious that he wouldn’t put in effort on the pathway of an artist. Hence, it was fated that this world would have one lesser Saint Artist.

  How regretful!

  How regretful ahh!

  Sun Mo returned to the school at his fastest speed and went straight to the girls’ dormitory. Li Ziqi was worried that something bad would happen to Sun Mo; hence, she waited for him there.

  “She still hasn’t returned?”

  Even though he had already guessed this outcome, hearing it personally still made Sun Mo’s vision turn black and his head dizzy. (It’s indeed the worst situation!)

  “This won’t do, I have to hurry and think of a plan. I’m the eldest martial sister and I need to protect my junior martial sister.”

  Li Ziqi racked her brains and pondered.

  [1] ‘Extend his/her life’ is derived from an internet slang in China known as ‘toad worship’. In the culture, Jiang is nicknamed há, or “toad”, because of his supposed resemblance to a toad. Netizens who máhá (worship the toad) call themselves “toad fans”, “toad lovers” or “toad worshippers”. As there were many rumors regarding Jiang Zemin’s death that turned out to be fake, ‘extend life by 1 second’ or ‘+1s’ is commonly used by people on internet memes to spoof Jiang Zemin, the former General Secretary of the Communist Party of China. This internet meme is used to mock him for extending his life for another second.

  Chapter 196 His Name Is Sun Mo, You Can’t Afford to Offend Him!

  The gathering darkness seemed like a demon’s wings, enveloping the earth!

  As every minute and second passed, Lu Zhiruo remained contactless. However, on the contrary, Sun Mo had started to calm down.

  The worst situation had already happened, to continue being impatient and irritable would not solve any problem. Hence, he had to be calm to find a way to resolve this issue.

  Sun Mo was such a person. The more he came across a big issue, the more he was able to keep his composure.

  On the first level of the girls’ dormitory, Sun Mo sat by the roadside. His hand held onto a little rock, and he was drawing conveniently on the ground, leaving behind an impressionism drawing.

  Li Ziqi accompanied him and was also pondering with her brows furrowed tightly. Very quickly, she thought of a solution but didn’t know if it was trustworthy enough to follow through.

  “Let’s try to deduce again!”

  Li Ziqi didn’t want to make any careless mistake, but she didn’t want to continue pondering anymore. Sun Mo, who was at the side, stood up suddenly.

  “Let’s go!”

  Sun Mo took a big step forward. “Teacher?”

  Li Ziqi hurriedly chased up to him. “You have a plan?”

  “Let’s try it out first!”

  Sun Mo looked toward Li Ziqi. “But I’ll have to trouble you this time round.”

  “Teacher, what’re you saying? Zhiruo is my junior martial sister, as long as I can save her, I’ll do anything as though it’s my duty.”

  Li Ziqi grumbled a little as Sun Mo was being too formal.

  “Alright!”

  Sun Mo nodded. He returned to the dormitory to retrieve something before coming down again. He summoned the Chasing Cloud. “Let’s ride a horse?”

  “Sure!”

  Just when Li Ziqi’s voice ended, she saw Sun Mo climb up the horse, his posture confident and dashing. Then, he leaned against the horse’s body slightly and extended his big hand over to Li Ziqi.

  Li Ziqi held onto Sun Mo’s warm hand and felt fuzzy inside. Being dragged up the horse, she ended up sitting in Sun Mo’s embrace.

  “Sorry for the inconvenience.”

  Sun Mo apologized. Then, his legs pressed against the horse’s stomach and the horse started galloping. “No, not at all!”

  Li Ziqi muttered in her heart. On the contrary, she was enjoying this unusual experience. For a moment, she had wanted to lean against Sun Mo’s embrace but managed to restrain herself.

  The Chasing Cloud galloped as the horseback jolted and bumped.

  As it was already night time, there weren’t many people on the streets. Hence, Sun Mo could ride the horse at a violent speed. However, once the speed became faster, it became more dangerous as well.

  Li Ziqi watched how the houses from both sides of the street disappeared behind them at such a fast speed. Her expression turned a little pale. “You won’t fall down.”

  Sun Mo’s one hand embraced Li Ziqi’s waist and leaned his body against her back. He had no intention of taking advantage of her; all he wanted to do was to protect the little sunny egg and ensure she sat steadily. “En!”

  Li Ziqi replied, her voice as soft and gentle as a mosquito. When she grabbed onto Sun Mo’s arm, her expression was nervous and her mind was blank.

  As her athletic ability was very bad, Li Ziqi seldom rode horses. Even if she were to ride them, it would only be for a stroll. She would never ride on them as fast as lightning as though they were chasing the moon and clouds.

  It was fortunate that the Chasing Cloud’s speed was fast enough and they didn’t have to ride for long. After a short while, Sun Mo stopped in front of the Jinling government office.

  “Who’s that?”

  The bailiff who was on duty immediately grabbed the knife resting by his waist and inquired. It was stipulated in writing by the government office that one must never ride a horse in front of the government office, let alone galloped outside.

  Those who came on horses must dismount and those who came in carriages must step down from it. This was common sense and if found to be against the law, one would need to be whipped 50 times and be fined a certain amount of taels of silver.

  Li Ziqi was very intelligent. She didn’t need Sun Mo to speak as she already knew about his plan. Hence, she tossed out the little golden token immediately.

  “Is Constable Zhang around?”

  Li Ziqi’s voice was filled with much nobility as it sounded aloof and remote. It wasn’t because she was looking down on anyone, but if she spoke in this manner, it would save them a lot of trouble.

  The bailiffs were on duty almost every day at the government office and had seen all kinds of people before. Even though the sky was dark and they couldn’t see the golden token clearly, the moment they heard Li Ziqi’s tone, they knew she was from a reputable family.

  “Constable Zhang is not on duty today. He should be at home.”

  The bailiff replied.

  “Where is his home?”

  Li Ziqi continued questioning.

  “Enter from Plum Blossom Alley, his house is the 3rd one on the 6th row on the east side.”

  The bailiff spoke extremely quickly. He was a clever and quick-witted person. “Why don’t I bring you there?”

  “That’s not needed!”

  Li Ziqi said as she tossed out a piece of golden leaf over. “Your reward.”

  “Thank you Eldest Miss for the reward!”

  The bailiff’s brows raised with joy as he replied.

  When Sun Mo and Li Ziqi left, he picked up the golden leaf immediately and checked it thoroughly under the light of the lantern.

  “Hah, it seems the purity is pretty good. It must at least be worth 100 taels of silver!”

  The bailiff next to him was so envious that his saliva was about to flow out. (My colleague has only spoken two sentences and received such a big sum of reward, what luck am I having?)

  “Heheh!”

  The bailiff who was rewarded started laughing. This was what he called having strong eyesight. He surely wouldn’t let his colleague know that the horse was a Soul War Horse. If sold in the market, it would cost at least a million taels of silver.

  (Just think about it, when a rich person is looking for someone urgently, he will be generous with rewards!)

  When Sun Mo went to look for Uncle Zheng, Li Ziqi did not only go to find her aunt for help. She also brought along some golden leaves. After all, such situations would basically require a lot of money.

  Sun Mo’s original-self had grown up in Jinling and was very familiar with the geography. Hence, after a short while, they managed to find Constable Zhang’s home.

  Bang! Bang! Bang! Sun Mo knocked on the door. “Is Constable Zhang home?” “Who’s that?”

  Following the inquiry, the door was opened with a creaking sound by a middle-aged woman. “Old Zhang is home, who are you

  guys?”

  This woman was Constable Zhang’s wife. Due to her husband’s job, she was already used to people knocking on their house’s door late at night. “We’re extremely sorry to disturb you at such late timing.”

  Li Ziqi spoke as she handed over a piece of golden leaf.

  Constable Zhang’s wife’s eyes lit up, but she didn’t receive it. “Old Zhang, someone’s looking for you, hurry!” For a visitor who presented golden leaves as gifts, the Zhang family dared not be negligent.

  Constable Zhang came out after putting on his jacket. When he saw that it was Li Ziqi, he suddenly got scared and quickened his footsteps. “Why are you here?” “Constable Zhang, do you know who has the latest and most accurate news in Jinling City?”

  Sun Mo went straight to the point.

  “Teacher’s plan was indeed this!”

  Hearing Sun Mo’s question, Li Ziqi’s beautiful eyes brightened up. She didn’t expect to have the same thinking as her teacher.

  Everyone had their own way of doing things. Lu Zhiruo’s kidnapping was definitely done by hooligans. By getting the local bully to investigate this matter, it would definitely be faster than the government officials.

  Or rather, even if the government officials were to investigate, they would have to look for these local bullies as well.

  “This……”

  Constable Zhang looked at Li Ziqi. He wanted to say something but hesitated.

  “Constable Zhang, don’t tell me you have no idea.”

  Li Ziqi’s tone carried a faint trace of threat.

  Constable Zhang’s position was equivalent to a bureau chief at the police station. In order to safeguard public security and solve cases, he definitely had to come into contact with those gangsters.

  Hearing those words, Constable Zhang’s forehead was suddenly drenched in cold sweat.

  “Ziqi!”

  Sun Mo was the one seeking help; hence, he indicated for the little sunny egg to not be overbearing

  “Sorry, I’m being too anxious.”

  Li Ziqi apologized.

  “Don’t say that! Don’t say that!”

  Constable Zhang quickly declined, he wouldn’t dare to let Li Ziqi apologize to him. However, in his heart, he was very curious about Sun Mo’s identity. (Looking at his attire, he must be a teacher from Central Province Academy. But such a status is insufficient to make Li Ziqi treat him with such respect, right?)

  (Unless, he is her personal teacher.)

  Thinking of this, Constable Zhang laughed at himself. He felt that he must have lost his mind. (This fellow is so young. I’m afraid he doesn’t even have a ‘star’, so how can he become Li Ziqi’s teacher?) “From the looks of both of you, you must be looking for someone? If you want to get some insider information, you should look for Old Wolf Ren from Three Fish Association. They are doing this for a living.” Constable Zhang made up his mind very quickly.

  There were unspoken rules in every industry. If Constable Zhang were to bring outsiders to see Old Wolf Ren, he would be breaking the rule and most likely wouldn’t receive a pleasing outcome. However, Li Ziqi’s status was too noble, and Constable Zhang didn’t dare to reject her. Even if he could reject, he wouldn’t do it either.

  This was a great opportunity for him to rise up the ranks. If he did well, promotion and increment would come at him after today. “Sorry to trouble Constable Zhang then.” Sun Mo wasn’t being overly formal either.

  Constable Zhang hurriedly changed into his official uniform. In order to increase his grandeur, he brought along his waist knife and chain.

  About half an hour later, the three people walked into a dimly lit lane.

  However, they were being stopped halfway before they could reach the end.

  “So it’s Constable Zhang, I wonder what brings you here to our commoner area in the middle of the night?”

  An eccentric-looking youngster with triangular eyes inquired.

  “Where’s Old Wolf Ren? I’m looking for him!”

  Constable Zhang’s tone was unfriendly. “You’re an experienced person in society, why do you still not get the rules? Don’t you know that our Boss Wolf doesn’t meet outsiders?”

  The triangular-eyed fellow measured Sun Mo and Li Ziqi from head to toe.

  Li Ziqi felt a little panicky.

  In the middle of the night, they were being stopped by bad people in the alley. They didn’t even know if there were other people ambushing around them, so she felt extremely nervous.

  “They aren’t outsiders, they’re people of nobility. Stop staring at them, or I’ll dig out your eyeballs and step on them like balls.”

  Constable Zhang took a step and wanted to block Li Ziqi’s body, but Sun Mo’s action was quicker than him.

  “Don’t be scared!”

  Sun Mo regretted bringing Li Ziqi along. “Wait here, I’ll go and report!”

  The triangular-eyed guy replied casually and left.

  They waited for half an hour and Sun Mo was so anxious he wanted to hurl vulgarities. There were many moments when he wanted to fight his way inside, but he was worried that such aggressiveness would scare away Old Wolf Ren.

  “Our Boss Wolf says that he will only meet Constable Zhang.”

  The triangular-eyed guy wobbled his way back and seemed unanxious.

  “What about me?”

  Constable Zhang looked toward Sun Mo. Even though Li Ziqi’s status was of noble rank, he knew that the final decision was made by this teacher.

  “Tell him that Sun Mo from Central Province Academy is requesting his help to find a missing person. No matter the outcome, I will be extremely grateful.”

  Sun Mo reminded repeatedly. “Please try your best to think of a way to make him see me.”

  As long as he could meet him, Sun Mo was confident of persuading Old Wolf Ren.

  “Ok!”

  Constable Zhang followed the triangular-eyed guy into a residence at the deep end of the alley. There, they saw Old Wolf Ren who was seated in the courtyard enjoying the cool air.

  “Constable Zhang, it’s against the rule to bring outsiders here.”

  Old Wolf Ren earned a living by selling information; hence, he was very private about people he met. Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to see him at all.

  “That outsider is a big shot, I can’t afford to offend him.”

  Constable Zhang twisted his words according to whom he was speaking to. He started off by complaining so as to prove he was on the same side as Old Wolf Ren and that he was forced to bring outsiders in.

  “Haha, I think you’re trying to bootlick them?”

  Old Wolf Ren mocked him. (We’re all sophisticated people, who’re you trying to lie to?)

  “Boss Wolf, they just want to seek your help to find a missing person, it’s a simple task. Whether or not it’s successful, they will thank you with rewards.”

  Constable Zhang understood the urgency of this matter and went straight to the point.

  “Not every person is the same.”

  Old Wolf Ren curled his lips.

  Constable Zhang couldn’t stand this slow conversation. He must settle this Old Wolf Ren as fast as possible to show off his ability. Hence, his tone became unfriendly. “Yeah, everyone is different. If you offend me, I can only tolerate it. But if you offend those 2 people in the alley, by tomorrow noon, everyone from the Three Fish Association will be dragged to the market and slaughtered.”

  Pah!

  Old Wolf Ren spat a mouth of saliva and slammed the teapot in his hand onto the table with a loud ‘bang’. “Do you think I am that easy to scare!?”

  “You can try!”

  Constable Zhang mocked in return.

  Old Wolf Ren was very angry on the surface, but in his head, he was extremely calm. He knew that the outsiders must be influential people as they managed to make Constable Zhang come to meet Old Wolf Ren on their behalf.

  “Oh, then tell me about it. Who’s so impressive?”

  Old Wolf Ren inquired.

  “Central Province Academy, Sun Mo, Teacher Sun.”

  Constable Zhang spoke finished.

  Old Wolf Ren and his subordinates stared blankly before exploding into fits of laughter. However, after laughing, Old Wolf Ren started yelling with fury.

  “Constable Zhang, are you f*cking wasting my time by coming to look for me in the middle of the night? Just a teacher, what kind of f*cking influence does he have?”

  Old Wolf Ren had already heard from the triangular-eyed guy. Other than Constable Zhang, there was a man and a lady, and both looked very young. This kind of person, he could never be a star-teacher.

  Constable Zhang’s expression turned pale. (What can I do? I’m so desperate now, but you miscellaneous people are not fit to listen to her highness’ name; otherwise, it’s considered a form of profanity to her.)

  Moreover, Constable Zhang couldn’t let people know that her highness had come to such a place late at night. It would ruin her reputation. “Get out!”

  Old Wolf Ren felt that Constable Zhang was humiliating him.

  “Old Dog Ren, I’m telling you to think about it again. If you don’t meet them today, I guarantee your entire family will be dead tomorrow.”

  As Constable Zhang saw that the matter was going to fall through, he started to threaten Old Wolf Ren.

  “Are you considering not getting out of this courtyard anymore?”

  The triangular-eyed guy pulled out his dagger.

  Old Wolf Ren squinted his eyes. After all, he was the boss of a gang. How could Constable Zhang speak to him in this manner in front of his subordinates?

  (Don’t I need some face!?)

  Just when Old Wolf Ren was thinking if he should punish Constable Zhang for this, he heard coughing sounds coming out from inside the house.

  Old Wolf Ren got distracted and looked at Constable Zhang suspiciously. He didn’t care about him and walked straight into the house.

  In the living room, there was a round wooden table. Ten over dishes filled the table, at the same time, it was as though a drinking party had just ended and the smell of alcohol still filled the air.

  The lady boss of Huaqing Pool, Hua Rou, sat on the chair and was flipping through a booklet leisurely. In the booklet were news and information that recently happened in Jinling City. “What’s the matter?”

  Old Wolf Ren and Hua Rou were martial siblings, and both came from bad family backgrounds. In addition, due to the cruel fact of reality, they decided to go after money instead of moral ethics.

  Both of them weren’t extremely bad people and had certain baselines that shouldn’t be touched.

  “If I hadn’t heard wrongly, Constable Zhang was mentioning Central Province Academy’s Sun Mo?”

  Hua Rou inquired.

  “En!”

  Old Wolf Ren frowned and recalled that Hua Rou’s bath pool was located near this school. “You know him?”

  “I wish to know him, but he probably doesn’t care about knowing me!”

  Hua Rou chuckled. “What’s going on?” Old Wolf Ren was puzzled. “This Sun Mo, he’s An Xinhui’s fiance.”

  Hua Rou explained.

  “Chey, just a man living off a woman, what’s so good about getting to know him?” Old Wolf Ren especially looked down on such gigolos with no moral backbone.

  “You’re wrong. Sun Mo has ‘God Hands’ and is already the teacher under the most limelight in the entire Central Province Academy. Moreover, he has only been employed for 2 months.”

  Hua Rou looked at the scar on Old Wolf Ren’s body. “Perhaps he can even heal the repercussions of your injury.”

  “Whatever, this scar isn’t even an illness, how can it be healed?”

  For Old Wolf Ren to reach his status today, he had been drifting in society with just his steel knife for 5 years. In those 5 years, he was also on the verge of dying multiple times.

  If one always walked along the river, how could his shoes not be wet? Even though Old Wolf Ren managed to survive, all the scars from his old injuries still hurt from time to time due to the delay in treatment when he was in critical condition. Especially on rainy days, the scars would feel numb and painful, how he wished he could just hang himself and die.

  “I advise you to meet him!”

  Hua Rou curled her lips while pouring herself another cup of drink.

  “Haha, are you pleading on his behalf?”

  Old Wolf Ren was happy. “My junior martial sister who has a heart of stone has taken a fancy on someone? That Sun Mo must be very handsome, right?”

  Which person in Jinling City didn’t know about An Xinhui’s fame? Hence, Old Wolf Ren expected that the fiance she had chosen would be a handsome man; otherwise, how could he be worthy of her?

  “Get out!”

  Hua Rou scolded and her expression became serious. “I’m not joking with you. Previously, a 4-star great teacher gave me a heaven-tier origin nurturing pill just to get Sun Mo’s information.”

  “What kind of joke are you making?”

  Old Wolf Ren couldn’t help but raise his voice, his face filled with disbelief. “A heaven-tier origin nurturing pill is worth at least several tens of thousands of taels of silver, and he gave it to you just like that? He can’t be so extravagant even if his family owns a mine!”

  “That’s why I say you’re just a stingy gang leader. No matter how you try to climb up, you will never become a true boss.”

  Hua Rou could still remember vividly the assertive manner of how Fang Haoran had thrown the origin nurturing pill to her.

  In her eyes, that was an extremely high-quality item, but in the eyes of Fang Haoran, it was just something that could be presented as a gift randomly and totally not worth a mention.

  “Alright, I will meet him!”

  Old Wolf Ren knew that his junior martial sister would never try to hurt him.

  “Be more courteous!”

  Hua Rou reminded him.

  Very soon, Sun Mo and Li Ziqi were brought into the courtyard by the triangular-eyed guy.

  “I hope Old Wolf Ren can help me to find someone. Of course, once it’s done, I will thank you with a big gift.”

  As Sun Mo spoke, he activated his Divine Sight and fixed his eyes on Old Wolf Ren.

  42 years old, blood-ignition realm.

  Strength: 22, due to damage suffered, it is declining slowly. Intellect: 28, after many years of killing, he has obtained impressive philosophies on handling matters. He is extremely good at saving his own life.

  Agility: 25, if he can’t run fast, he would already be dead. Endurance: 23, what a useless person! Will: 29, a man of steel!

  Potential value: high!

  Remark: he had lost a direction in life. The only reason he is living on is to provide a life for his kids!

  Sun Mo curled his lips. Just as he thought, those who could become leaders would have some remarkable achievements.

  “Haha, are you looking down on me? Am I the kind of person who’s only after monetary rewards?”

  Old Wolf Ren recalled Hua Rou’s words and felt that he should portray himself as reserved and lofty. Hence, he didn’t want to keep discussing benefits and advantages.

  “You have many scars on your body. Even though the wounds have healed, your internal nervous system has suffered damage. Hence, you often twitch in pain and cough incessantly, sometimes even cough up blood.”

  Sun Mo didn’t have time to waste and straightaway revealed his cards. “What?”

  Old Wolf Ren was shocked and looked at Sun Mo in disbelief. (What did Hua Rou say this teacher has just now? God Eyes? Yes, otherwise, how can he know my situation just by looking at my appearance?)

  (Isn’t this too formidable?)

  Constable Zhang didn’t react, but the subordinates of Three Fish Association were all dumbstruck. They all knew about their boss’s health situation.

  The triangular-eyed guy was distracted for a moment. Suddenly, he pulled out a blade and pointed at Sun Mo.

  “Speak, who sent you here? Why are you scouting out our boss’ information?”

  He thought that Sun Mo must have asked around for this information prior to visiting today.

  Without waiting for Sun Mo’s answer, Old Wolf Ren suddenly took two big steps forward and went all-out to whip on the body of one of the subordinates he had always thought highly of.

  (What the hell, if Sun Mo is being scared off, who will treat my injuries?)

  “All of you must show your respect!” Old Wolf Ren berated. “Call him Teacher Sun!”

  “Teacher Sun!”

  The subordinates greeted.

  Old Wolf Ren put on a boss manner in front of his gang members. However, when he was talking to Sun Mo, he immediately put on a smile. “Teacher Sun, can my injuries be treated?”

  Constable Zhang was stunned. (Your attitude is changing a little too fast, huh? What happened to valuing material gain over righteousness? In order to treat your injuries, you’re even beating your subordinate who was trying to defend you!)

  (Indeed…… he has no moral principle.)

  However, these people all did illegal stuff for a living. If they had moral principles, they wouldn’t be able to survive this.

  Hua Rou who was in the house was peeping at the situation. When she heard Sun Mo’s words, she had many thoughts run through her mind at one time. She felt that the 4-star great teacher was indeed formidable and could see Sun Mo’s excellence in one glance.

  (But I thought Sun Mo has God Hands? How can he know senior martial brother’s situation without touching him? Could it be that this was Sun Mo’s complete form?)

  Ding!

  Favorable impression points from Hua Rou +20, Neutral (50/100).

  When he suddenly heard the system’s notification, Sun Mo frowned a little. (Where did this Hua Rou appear from? Looking at the accumulation of the favorable impression points, it should be the lady boss of Huaqing Pool.)

  (You guys indeed have client services!)

  “Come here!”

  Sun Mo instructed. At such moments, he should be portraying his great teacher manner.

  Old Wolf Ren hesitated. However, after he recalled his junior martial sister’s words, he decided to try it out. After all, Sun Mo was here to ask for help and didn’t have any hatred toward him. There was no reason for Sun Mo to cause him any harm.

  (To say something unpleasant, he’s a teacher of Central Province Academy and has a bright future ahead of him. If not for the need to find a missing person, he may not even look at this society’s trash in his lifetime.)

  Piak!

  As Old Wolf Ren walked to Sun Mo’s side, Sun Mo’s hand immediately slapped against Old Wolf Ren’s shoulder blade and pinched tightly. “Ah!”

  Old Wolf Ren let out a mournful scream.

  “Boss!”

  The subordinates called out in shock and wanted to run forward with their blades in hands.

  “Stop!”

  After Old Wolf Ren shouted, he started to moan with pleasure because the massage felt extremely good. It felt even better than sleeping with ladies. The gang members looked at each other in dismay. (Boss, stop moaning. It’s so embarrassing.)

  Sun Mo stopped the massage and pushed Old Wolf Ren aside.

  “Hey? Don’t! Don’t stop! Continue!”

  Old Wolf Ren couldn’t stop begging.

  Hearing those words, Constable Zhang couldn’t help but measure Sun Mo from head to toe. He didn’t expect this fellow to have such capabilities.

  “Wait until you find the person I’m looking for, then I’ll treat your injuries.”

  Sun Mo frowned and looked toward the well. This Old Wolf Ren reeked of alcohol and was sweating so much, Sun Mo couldn’t stand it.

  “I’ll go draw some water!”

  Li Ziqi immediately ran over.

  “What are you doing? Go draw some water!” Old Wolf Ren kicked the thigh of the triangular-eyed guy as he was the nearest to him. “Who are you looking for?”

  “My student, a young lady, 13 years old. Her distinctive trait is her huge breasts!”

  Sun Mo took out a portrait. This was drawn by him when he was waiting for Lu Zhiruo below the girls’ dormitory. It was purely a character portrait.

  Wow!

  The members of Three Fish Association all exclaimed in admiration.

  Chapter 197 All Heroes In Pursuit of ‘Deer’ (check footnote)

  “Hey isn’t your drawing of the chest area too exaggerated? Whose breasts can be so big?”

  The triangular-eyed guy looked at the drawing. The girl looked very cute, but her chest area wasn’t realistic enough. Such a young girl should have small chests like pigeons

  This Sun Mo was clearly a rookie who hadn’t touched a girl’s chest before.

  Li Ziqi threw a glance at the triangular-eye guy, thinking, (you’re considering this surprising only because you haven’t seen them before.)

  Pa!

  Old Wolf Ren lashed out a slap toward him. (Why are you shooting your mouth off? If he wants us to search, then just do it. At most, you guys can stuff two papayas in the girl’s clothes after finding her.)

  “Teacher Sun, please go back. I’ll bring you news within three days.”

  Old Wolf Ren smiled apologetically.

  “No, that’s too long. I want it by tomorrow morning.”

  Sun Mo urged.

  “Isn’t that too much of a hurry?”

  Old Wolf Ren frowned.

  “Mobilize all of your forces and go all out in the search. I’ll fork out all the expenditures.” Sun Mo had the spirit gathering potted plants and could also draw high-grade spirit runes. Therefore, his words were backed by confidence. “Take this first!”

  Li Ziqi handed a purse filled with golden leaves to Old Wolf Ren.

  Old Wolf Ren took it and opened it up. He was instantly dumbfounded.

  “There’s so much?”

  The bulging purse was stuffed with golden leaves. This bag alone, if changed into silver, would probably amount to tens of thousands of taels.

  “F*ck!”

  The underlings also saw the golden leaves under the moonlight and lanterns. They gulped and then started to feel some fear. A girl who could bring out so much money must be very rich. They couldn’t afford to offend someone like her. Otherwise, they should be prepared to get down on their luck!

  Old Wolf Ren was a smart guy as well. He noticed Constable Zhang’s wary gaze and then looked at these golden leaves. He didn’t dare to accept them and handed them back.

  “I can’t accept this!”

  Old Wolf Ren put on a magnanimous act, saying, “It’ll suffice for Teacher Sun to be able to treat my old injuries as per the agreement after we find the person!”

  After saying that, Old Wolf Ren didn’t wait for Sun Mo’s reply. He called a few underlings over and whispered instructions to them. They then left quickly. Ding!

  Favorable impression points from Old Wolf Ren +30. Prestige connection was initiated. Neutral (30/100).

  Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.

  By the time the Zheng Clan’s butler rushed over to the Zhao Clan’s manor on his horse, Old Master Zhao had already gone to sleep as it was late. Even if Jinling’s magistrate were to come, he wouldn’t be able to meet Old Master Zhao. However, the butler was allowed in and brought into the inner residence.

  “What’s the matter? Why are you in such a hurry?”

  Old Master Zhao was also an old official who had achieved great merits. Back in the days, he and Zheng Qingfang were colleagues who were on friendly terms.

  “Our Old Master would like to ask for your help to look for someone!”

  The butler said respectfully.

  “You’re using ‘ask’ and ‘your’ (2]? If you continue to act so distant, I’ll throw you out.”

  Old Master Zhao pretended to be angry. “This matter is of great urgency!”

  The butler cut to the chase and opened up Sun Mo’s art piece.

  The Zhao Clan was also an old and well-known aristocratic family. At night, they’d light cow fat candles, and the hall was lit up very brightly. However, at the instant the Young Lady Spring Rain Portrait was opened up, all those lights lost their glow in comparison.

  Due to the spirit qi’s adherence, this drawing was like a night pearl. It naturally emitted light and was filled with beautiful bright colors.

  “A famous painting?”

  Old Master Zhao quickly shot up from the Taishi chair [3] and darted over in a few quick steps. He admired it carefully. “Quick! Bring me my eyeglasses!”

  Eyeglasses were just presbyopic glasses, imported from the Western Country. They were very expensive and ordinary families wouldn’t be able to afford them.

  “This Zheng Qingfang. He actually wants to show off after obtaining a famous painting.”

  The Old Master was a little angry.

  “Old Master, you’re mistaken. The person we’re looking for is this young lady in the drawing!”

  The butler was sweating profusely.

  “What?”

  Old Master Zhao frowned and started cursing. “There’s no need to bring a famous painting for that. Wouldn’t an ordinary portrait do? What if it was damaged?”.

  “This is the only one there is!”

  The butler explained.

  “Uhh!”

  Old Master Zhao was stunned, and he soon noticed a problem with the painting as well. This scroll looked very new. It couldn’t have been newly painted, right? “What is this girl’s background? A princess from another country?”

  “No!”

  The butler shook his head.

  “Is she some respectable princess?”

  Old Master Zhao guessed.

  “That’s not it either!”

  The butler continued to shake his head. Could Old Master Zhao quickly send out his men to look for her? However, he didn’t rush Old Master Zhao.

  “Then who is she?”

  The Old Master was curious.

  “She’s just an ordinary student from the Central Province Academy!”

  The butler replied patiently.

  “Who are you kidding?”.

  Old Master Zhao retorted right away. (Do you guys have nothing better to do that you went to look for a famous artist to draw a ‘Wondrous Blossom’ picture to find an ordinary female student?)

  (This famous painting can’t be bought without at least a several hundred thousand to a million taels. If that girl’s value isn’t several tens of times more valuable than this painting, would she be worthy of it?)

  “Old Master, it’s the truth.” The butler was left with no choice and could only summon his courage to urge him. “Please hurry up. Our Old Master will definitely offer great thanks.”

  “I’ve got it!”

  Seeing that the butler was really anxious, the Old Master patted his forehead, feeling vexed. He had only himself to blame. He had gotten a little excited after seeing the famous painting that he had forgotten about everything else.

  “Men!”

  The Old Master called over his two most-capable butlers and got them to listen to Butler Zheng’s description and take down the records. They would then mobilize all of their connections to search for the girl.

  After Butler Zheng finished explaining everything, Old Master Zhao couldn’t hold it back anymore. “This famous painting……”

  “Old Master, I only have this one portrait. I’ll still need to go to other people to ask them for help!”

  The butler smiled bitterly.

  “I understand. I won’t hold you back anymore. Quickly go on!”

  Old Master Zhao also knew that the situation was serious and didn’t say any more crap. However, after the butler left, he lay back on his bed, unable to return to sleep.

  To someone who loved paintings as much as his life, having seen a famous painting but being unable to admire it felt really horrible. After tossing and turning for an hour, Old Master Zhao crawled up. “Men, come change my clothes!”

  Old Master Zhao decided to head to Zheng Qingfang’s place to wait. After the butler had visited everyone, he’d definitely head back home. He’d then be able to take his time to admire that famous painting.

  Old Master Zhao felt very unsettled while in his horse carriage. After all, Zheng Qingfang was looking for the person. Would it be bad to be going to his place to admire a painting? However, after he entered the Zheng Clan’s manor and was led into the living room, his uneasiness disappeared.

  Damn, quite a number of their old friends were here. Clearly, everyone had the same objectives.

  Middle-Earth Nine Provinces were like ancient China where there was an extreme lack of entertainment activities. These people were old and couldn’t have fun with women anymore; they were unable to do any intense exercise either. Therefore, they could only do things that cultivated their moral character.

  Moreover, it would look very cool to do things like pretending to be cultured, reciting poems, and painting art pieces. These old officials who boasted themselves as men of literature and writing would naturally like it a lot.

  “Old Li, you are a coarse guy who doesn’t like paintings. Why have you come running

  over?”

  Old Master Zhao spurted.

  “There’s no need to like famous paintings. I can just look.”

  Old Master Li said confidently. Moreover, he wasn’t wrong. It was because the famous paintings were of the Wondrous Blossom realm and thus even if one didn’t know how to admire art pieces, they’d be able to appreciate their beauties.

  “Tsk, it’s really tainting the famous painting to let your eyes, which only know how to look at women, see it.”

  Old Master Zhao sneered.

  When the female attendants who were serving them at the side heard these old men scolding and rebutting each other, they continued to wear an expressionless face. After all, they had gotten used to this.

  Those who could come to the Zheng Clan’s manor were all close friends. Their rebuttal at each other was just them joking around.

  Not long later, Zheng Qingfang came back. “I’m sorry, I just went to pay a visit to Jinling’s provincial governor!” Zheng Qingfang apologized. Jinling’s provincial governor was the official with the greatest authority within Jinling. He was truly an important character that held actual power, being a third-rank official who governed over 10,000 citizens and 1,000 soldiers.

  “She’s not found yet?”

  Old Master Zhao frowned.

  “Not for now.”

  Zheng Qingfang sighed. Given the power of the people in this room, they’d definitely be able to find the girl eventually. He was just afraid that she might suffer from irreversible harm. That’d be bad.

  “B*stard. If I were to find out the person behind this, I’ll pull their skin off!”

  Old Master Li had a fiery temper and was the closest to Zheng Qingfang. He was even more anxious than Zheng Qingfang was.

  At a time like this, no one mentioned the famous painting anymore. After all, no matter how valuable the famous painting was, how could it be more so than a human life? However, they were also very curious about the identity of that girl. How could she make Zheng Qingfang so nervous?

  At the Plum Blossom Alley.

  The triangular-eyed guy, who had been out searching for the entire night, appeared very nervous. “Boss, things aren’t right.”

  “What happened?”

  Old Wolf Ren yawned. He hadn’t woken up completely. “A lot of people are looking for that girl.” The triangular-eyed man was very nervous when saying this.

  “How many is a lot?”

  Old Wolf Ren rubbed off the crust in his eyes.

  “The Zheng Clan, Zhao Clan, Li Clan, Wang Clan, Cai Clan…… All the wealthy clans that you can name have all been mobilized. Oh right, although Jinling City hasn’t imposed emergency measures, the checks when leaving the city have become a lot stricter.”

  The triangular-eyed man was a little anxious.

  “What?”

  Old Wolf Ren shot up in surprise. He had wanted to go relieve himself, but now, he lost the feel to do so. The names that the triangular-eyed guy had mentioned were all the influential clans in Jinling. Just one clan alone had terrifying powers. If a few of them were to make a move……

  My god, what background did the girl who had disappeared have?

  “Boss, should we drop out?”

  The triangular-eyed guy was really scared. They were just the Three Fish Association that relied on selling information for a living, the dregs at the very bottom of the hierarchy. If they were to be implicated in this great dispute, they might just lose their lives from being brushed by the wind.

  Old Wolf Ren wore a struggling expression, his countenance changing non-stop. He paced around in the room for over ten minutes and finally smashed a fist onto the wall.

  “No, mobilize all our people, get everyone you can. This is a good opportunity to curry up onto important people. It’s a rare chance. If we were to miss it, we’d definitely regret it for life.”

  As Old Wolf Ren said this, he suddenly felt very regretful.

  What attitude did he show last night? He hoped that Sun Mo wouldn’t be angry. And that girl, they must find her. Otherwise, if Sun Mo were to vent his fury on them, then they’d be dead meat.

  Ding!

  Favorable impression points from Old Wolf Ren +50. Neutral (80/100).

  As they specially dealt in the trading of information, he knew how terrifying Sun Mo, who was able to stir up such a great commotion, was.

  Thereafter, he started to silently mourn for the guys who had kidnapped the big-breasted girl. (You guys are dead. Even your entire family might be implicated.) This time around, Old Wolf Ren went out personally, bringing out all his prized influences. If he wished to get the merit, he’d have to be faster than anyone else.

  [1] The deer here is a word pun. Lu Zhiruo’s surname is the same word.

  [2] A more respectful version of ‘you’ was used.

  [3] chair for people in official position link: https://www.google.com/search?q=%E5%A4 %AA%E5%B8%88%E6%A4%85&rlz= 1C1ASUM_enSG842SG842&oq=%E5%A4%AA %E5%B8%88%E6%A4%85&aqs=chrome. .69i57jol7.257joj7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF -8