Chapter 948: New Scholar-Warrior Sleeves, Three Sets, Bai Hemen Cosplaying as Sesshomaru Over Here |
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Finally, he took out the rare natural treasures prepared for him.
Bai Hemen reached out for the third time.
This time, he didn't say thank you.
He asked curiously, "Anything else?"
Lu Ding laughed and pointed at him, "You greedy brat, insatiable."
Bai Hemen let out an awkward chuckle, looking somewhat stiff. If he didn't smile, he'd still be handsome.
He sat down silently, and finally, it was Huangfu Lingyun's turn.
Who could understand his feelings?
He wasn't sure if he'd get any. Maybe he would.
But he had to act like he didn't care until it was his turn, and then pretend to be pleasantly surprised when he actually got it.
It was agonizing.
Lu Ding looked at him, "Zhang Wei."
Huangfu Lingyun shot up like a spring, all his embarrassment thrown to the wind: "MY NAME IS HUANGFU LINGYUN!!!!"
"Lu Ding, I'll fight you!!!"
Ever since Lu Ding left the Third Circle, basically no one called him Zhang Wei anymore.
Occasionally, Bai Hemen would call him that when it came to mind, but rarely.
It was usually: "Go do this... Go here... Go there..."
Anyway, as long as Bai Hemen didn't call him Zhang Wei, Huangfu Lingyun would mutter a few resentful words, or take a beating before going to do the task.
Now that they were in the Second Circle, Huangfu Lingyun thought Lu Ding would have forgotten about it.
After all, he hadn't called him that before.
But the reason he hadn't called him that before was that Lu Ding was saving his face, since there were too many outsiders.
Now they were home. Who didn't know who they were?
Stop pretending. If he wanted to call, he'd call.
He kicked the lunging Huangfu Lingyun back onto the sofa.
He tossed a bundle to him, "This is yours. Train well, and then you can talk back to me."
Huangfu Lingyun was furious.
Another beating!
And he couldn't even fight back. Couldn't even raise a hand.
Even more infuriating!!
With Bai Hemen, he could at least retaliate before being subdued. But against Lu Ding, he had zero options.
The guy beat him like he was a little chick.
Huangfu Lingyun refused to accept it!
He had to train!!!
But the necessary words still had to be said: "Thank you!!!"
He said it with great backbone.
What a cheeky bastard.
Lu Ding felt like laughing.
"Alright, I'll give you some time to go back and get settled. Find your beds. Later, we'll have a farmhouse meal. Wood-fired chicken!!!"
Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.
So what if they took a break!!!?
Yan Feifan and the others had worked hard to get up here.
They had to eat!!!
Everyone left Lu Ding's dormitory and returned to their rooms.
But.
Bai Hemen went and came back.
He said, "I brought you new clothes."
He opened the package and took them.
Three sets of spare scholar-warrior sleeves.
One set was a black-and-white contrast, blending light and dark. One had a coiled dragon swallowing clouds, a storm brewing. One was black and red fused together, like a thunderous onslaught.
There was even a gradual change in artistic conception.
"Thoughtful. Thank you. It just so happens that my original scholar-warrior sleeves were torn up."
A clear trace of contemplation flashed in Bai Hemen's eyes. "Then I'll head back first."
As he left, he was thinking.
He'd have to find a better tailor in the future. Make a pair of indestructible scholar-warrior sleeves.
Somehow, as he thought about it, his gaze fell on the fox fur he was wearing, which hadn't even been made into clothing yet.
Well, well.
This idiot.
He just wore it directly, cosplaying as Sesshomaru over here.
But honestly, it was kind of interesting.
It was only thanks to Lu Ding's good skinning skills that there were no leftover tendons, flesh, or anything, otherwise it would have stunk.
After thinking it over, Bai Hemen still felt it wasn't right.
This was a gift from Lu Ding.
If he took it and had it made into clothes for Lu Ding, wouldn't that defeat the purpose?
How could that be proper?
His little head contained not-so-bright intelligence.
He pondered all the way back to his dormitory.
Soon, everyone had more or less packed up.
They gathered downstairs.
Lu Ding, wearing the brand-new, perfectly fitting scholar-warrior sleeves, led them directly to the farmhouse restaurant.
The innkeeper knew Lu Ding was coming and personally came out to greet him.
It wasn't until after arriving at White Ridge 749 that she learned Lu Ding's true identity was the infamous Corpse-Shattering Taishui, the White Ridge Special Envoy.
This made her fully trust Lu Ding's kind lie.
It was far better than telling her that her husband was a demon of Wuwang, not even human, and had been killed by him long ago.
Even if it couldn't be hidden forever, they'd give Jin Si a nominal martyr status, Lu Ding would supplement it with his own private funds, and now the farmhouse restaurant was running smoothly. The innkeeper wouldn't be rich or noble for the rest of her life, but at least she wouldn't have to worry about food or clothing.
How wonderful.
"Grand Duke Lu, quickly, quickly. We've saved the best spot for you. Give me the ingredients, and I'll go cook them for you. You all go to the small courtyard and have some tea first."
"Then we'll trouble you, sis."
Lu Ding smiled, taking the ingredients they'd brought up from Yan Feifan.
The woman waved her hand, "No trouble at all. Grand Duke Lu is out running missions every day, working hard for the stability of the western region. That's the real trouble."
"Now, whenever I go out to buy groceries, people everywhere are spreading stories of your glorious deeds."
"I hear them every day. I can almost recite them by now."
Huangfu Lingyun's eyes darted around as he listened. "Sis, let me help you out in the kitchen."
"No, no, you just go sit down."
Huangfu Lingyun took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves. "It's fine. I used to help my great-grandmother cook at home all the time. We cooked on big stoves too."
Don't be fooled by Huangfu Lingyun's arrogance and stubbornness.
But deep down, who wasn't just a poor, unfortunate child?
What kept him going, what made him never admit defeat, was only what his great-grandmother had taught him since he was little.
'A man must be self-reliant!'
But the old woman had eventually passed away. Huangfu Lingyun buried her with his own hands, right there in their hometown, a place that had been passed down for generations as a dragon vein burial ground once used for an emperor.
No one knew if it was true or false.
But Huangfu Lingyun took it seriously.
At the time, Huangfu Lingyun thought this life was too hard. For the next life, he hoped the dragon vein would help his great-grandmother reincarnate into a wealthy and noble family, where she wouldn't have to worry about food or clothing, could wear gold and silver, and live a good life.
But then...
He found the imperial seal here.
Starting his own legendary life.
Changing his name was his one-sided punishment for his parents and for himself for neglecting his great-grandmother, as well as the aftereffect of his chuunibyou phase.
Without waiting for the woman's consent, Huangfu Lingyun carried the things and walked into the kitchen.
Lu Ding didn't know what this guy was scheming.
He couldn't be bothered.
He took the others, sat around the stove, brewed some tea, and started shooting the breeze.
In the kitchen.
Huangfu Lingyun was like a curious child, asking about the deeds Lu Ding had accomplished since coming up here.
That was his real purpose.
But he never stopped working.
His expression grew increasingly shocked.
'Wait, he's this awesome?'
'Wait, how is he this awesome?'
'Wait, he's awesome to this degree?'
'Wait, he can be this awesome?'
The innkeeper's account of Lu Ding's deeds left Huangfu Lingyun stunned, one "not" after another.