Zu An felt amazing when he saw the endless Rage points flow in. Looks like having a beauty at your side is always the best for drawing hate.
Wang Shuyang frowned. Even though he couldnât see the Rage points, he could sense that his disciplesâ attitudes werenât quite right. He was worried that they might offend Zu An, so he had them withdraw for now. Then, he said apologetically to Zu An, âThis humble Wang didnât teach them well. They still donât understand your respected selfâs greatness.â
Zu An was embarrassed now, too. âYouâre too courteous, Senior Wang; you can just call me Ah Zu. Furthermore, itâs people like you who really do the work that are worthy of respect. I was merely shooting my mouth off a bit.â
Wang Shuyang shook his head. âThere are many people who can work in this world, but once we talk about the greater good, everyone becomes lost. Many strive to work hard their entire lives, yet everything they aim for is useless. On the contrary, if they can receive the correct principles from someone, thatâs far more useful than endlessly, blindly trying to force their way through.â
Now, Zu An was really a bit embarrassed. âActually, I wasnât the one who came up with the hybridized paddy theory. I just happened to stumble upon a book that mentioned it in the past, thatâs all! Also, I only understand the theory; I have no idea about the crossbreeding, the most suitable breeds, and all of that stuff. Iâll have to rely on your experience to test these things out.â
âSir, please donât worry. If I still canât come up with the correct crossbred paddy crop after receiving your pointers, then Iâve lived this life of mine for nothing.â Wang Shuyangâs voice carried a bit of pride that clearly came from his many years of diligence in the field.
Inside, Zu An couldnât help but think, Reality might not be so kind. It might not be so easy for you alone. After all, the scientists of his old world had spent endless amounts of time and effort before they managed to successfully crossbreed these crops.
Wang  Shuyang smiled and said, âHaha, youâre so young, yet you arenât arrogant with your accomplishments. You really are a rare man of character. Eighth sister didnât choose the wrong person after all.â
Jiang Luofu was speechless. Was there a misunderstanding here somewhere?
Wang Shuyang cupped his hands and said, âI need to return and study the hybridized paddy crops, so I wonât disturb the two of you anymore. Iâll visit sir again for guidance if I have a chance.â He left happily with a handful of sprouts. Each step took him several dozen zhang into the distance.
Zu An clicked his tongue in wonder. At first, he had thought that this was just an old farmer, but he actually had this level of cultivation! The core disciples of the libationer were all exceptional after all.
Jiang Luofu brought him further inside. She finally couldnât hold herself back and asked, âWhatâs going on? Why do you know that hybridized paddy stuff?â
Zu An said with a smile, âDidnât I already say it earlier? I stumbled upon it in some book I found. I think the author was surnamed Yuan.â
Jiang Luofu didnât question him anymore after hearing his reasonable explanation. She said with a sigh, âIt seems ancient civilizations really were developed. I accidentally stumbled upon these stockings and clothes in a secret dungeon, and then tried to mimic their style. I really was curious as to what kind of civilization it was when I saw such pretty clothes.â
Zu An was extremely interested. âCan you describe to me what that dungeon was like? What kind of things were there?â
Jiang Luofu began to recall old memories. âIt was a secret dungeon I accidentally stumbled into. I remember that apart from these clothes, there were some human models. Those people were similar to real people, evenâ¦â Her face suddenly became red, and she changed what she had intended to say. âThere were also some strange things that seemed like human skins.â
âHuman skins?â Zu An jumped in fright.
Jiang Luofu agreed. âThe human skins were a bit strange. There were holes that seemed like air should be pumped into them. Then, they would become like a person. They even made some weird sounds⦠They reminded me of puppet arts, but there didnât seem to be any ki around them.â
Zu Anâs expression became strange. Doesnât this sound like a blow-up doll? âDo you still have those human skins?â he quickly asked. He wanted to verify if those things from the dungeon were from his old world, to see if this world had any connection with his Earth.
Jiang Luofu shook her head and said, âI donât. There were some others in the dungeon back then. We accidentally destroyed those human skins while fighting.â
Zu An was stunned. He asked, âDo you have anything else from that place?â
Jiang Luofu nodded. âI found a few flesh spiritual roots.â
âFlesh spiritual roots?â Zu An was stunned. What the hell is that? When did we ever have anything like this?
Jiang Luofu agreed. âThey look like spiritual roots, but the material is like flesh, similar to human skin; and yet they arenât. I asked many people about them, but I donât know what kind of material theyâre made of.â
âCan you give me a rough description of their shape?â Zu Anâs tone became stranger and stranger.
âUm, I think they were round cylinders, around this sizeâ¦â Jiang Luofu gestured as she spoke.
Zu Anâs expression became more and more conflicted the longer he listened. Why did this dungeon sound so indecent? Had she ended up barging into an adult toys store or something? No wonder the stuff she wore was just like the office ladies and teachers from those porn videosâ¦Â Pah pah pah! Those girls are nothing but dirt compared to her! Forget it, I think itâs better if I donât tell her what those things are, or else she might not be able to take it.
Zu An wanted to find out more about that world, but he heard a nearby laugh.
âHah! You lost again.â
âTeacher, how can I possibly beat you?â
âItâs fine, I just wanted to bully you a bit for fun.â
âTeacher, is it too late to change courses?â
â¦
Both of them turned around when they heard a familiar voice. They saw that two men were currently playing Go in a gazebo. The younger one had pretty features, to the extent where he even seemed a bit androgynous. Who else could it be but Xie Xiu? He was currently playing Go with a miserable look on his face.
Meanwhile, the middle-aged man across from him looked much more relaxed. He was dressed in a black and white checkered outfit. There was some gray hair around his temples, but it didnât make him look old at all. He had a lean face. Together with his wide sleeves and robes that touched the floor, he had a graceful appearance. This man had clearly been quite the looker when he was younger. Even now, he had looks that would be fatal for many younger girls.
Zu An looked at those floor-length robes. He had only seen such clothes in dramas. With clothes this long, arenât you basically sweeping the floor while you walk? Wouldnât the bottom get really gross?
âThis is my fifth brother Hei Baizi.â Jiang Luofu quietly introduced him to Zu An. âHeâs the teacher Xie Xiu took on as his master.â
Zu An thought to himself, Looks like this Xie Xiu was still hiding quite a bit. He was always talking about how the Xie clanâs influence in the capital wasnât great, how he was just a trifling governorâs son. Yet look at him now! Entering the academy was already a huge feat in itself, yet he had gone straight into the rear mountain. It seemed the Xie clanâs background was nothing to scoff at.
Just then, Xie Xiu saw them as well. He immediately sighed in relief, as if he had seen his saviors. âMs. Jiang, Ah Zu!â
Jiang Luofu nodded slightly toward him, and then she stepped forward to give a respectful greeting. âI greet fifth senior.â
âSo it was eighth sister.â Hei Baizi turned around to give the two of them a look. He gave a casual reply, and then his eyes fell upon Zu An. His eyes immediately became bright. âYouâre that Zu An from the eastern palace who came up with that five-in-a-row game?â
Zu An subconsciously nodded. âItâs nothing but a small, unrefined game.â
Hei Baizi stroked his goatee and said with a serious expression, âHow can it be called just a small game? Anyone who can reinvent a way for Go to be played, and furthermore greatly reduce the barrier of entry, is definitely someone of great achievement. After all, Iâve flaunted myself as a chess saint all these years, yet Iâve never been able to come up with a game myself. Your distinguished selfâs five-in-a-row seems simple, but there are many intricacies behind it. It really has left me in admiration.â
Zu An said in embarrassment, âI donât deserve such praise.â What the hell⦠Itâs because I donât know how to play Go that I learned five-in-a-row. How can I dare to boast before a true Go master?
Hei Baizi grabbed his hands and dragged him inside. âCome, come, come, letâs play a round. Xie Xiu, you trash, hurry and get out of the way. Watch carefully and see how true masters play.â
Zu An was alarmed. Even though he hadnât been on his guard, the other party was able to immediately grab his hands, meaning that his grasp over timing and strength were both top notch. This personâs cultivation was definitely nothing to scoff at.
Xie Xiu wasnât unhappy to hear those words at all, and instead moved aside excitedly. âSenior Zu, hurry and come sit over here!â
There was finally someone who could bring him out of this suffering. Even though he wasnât great at cultivation, for the sake of chasing after girls, he had become quite good at the four arts of zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting. He didnât dare to claim to be number one at Go in Brightmoon City, but he was definitely in the top five, maybe even the top three.
Unfortunately, he had ended up being dragged here to play Go every single day by Hei Baizi. He had been pretty happy at first, because heâd felt he could finally display some of his real strength. But who could have thought that even after this teacher gave him a few pieces as a handicap, he would still be easily crushed?
Losing to the famous Go Saint wasnât that big of a deal. It was within his expectations. But he was dragged along day after day, and he would be abused in all kinds of ways each time, to the point where he began to question life itself. He began to develop PTSD over this stupid game.
There was finally someone here to save him from his suffering, so how could he not be happy?
Hei Baizhi shot him a look. âYou cheeky brat, even your master has treated him as an equal. Hurry up and call him your uncle!â
Xie Xiu was speechless.