Seeing Xie Xiu constantly winking at him, Zu An smiled and said, "Could I ask for leave for Xie Xiu? We're old friends in Mingyue City, it's a good opportunity to catch up."
Hei Baizi hesitated for a moment and said, "Normally, he can't rest until he has memorized the 128 new chess manuals I assigned. But since you, Brother Zu, have spoken up, even if he only learns a little bit from you, he will benefit immensely."
After he finished speaking, he returned to the chessboard and began to study it intently.
Xie Xiuru, having been granted a pardon, hurriedly pulled Zu An away.
After leaving Hei Baizi's residence for a long time, Zu An looked at the once dashing and handsome man in his current disheveled state and couldn't help but laugh, "Brother Xie, why did you have to come to this?"
"You have no idea, he doesn't treat me like a human being at all. Ever since I started following him, I haven't had a full night's sleep in days. Every day is filled with chess scores. Now, I feel like throwing up whenever I see a chess score..." Xie Xiu seemed to have found a fellow countryman and poured out her grievances to him.
Zu An frowned and said, "Since you're in so much pain, why don't I go talk to the academy and ask them to change your teacher? I still have some influence here, so it should be possible."
“No need for that,” Xie Xiu hesitated. “Although my teacher is strict with me, I know he is doing it for my own good. He is using this method to train my soul. How could I be so ungrateful as to betray my sect?”
Zuan was speechless. This guy was yelling at the same time, but he was reluctant to leave. What word can describe this kind of person? Oh right, it's just despicable!
"Come on, let's go out for a drink. I've heard that the Red Sleeve Pavilion in the capital is quite nice. I've been in the capital for so long, but I haven't had time to go yet. It seems that a courtesan named Nan Xun came here a few days ago. I wonder how she compares to Qiu Honglei from Shenxianju back then. Let's go and see her today." Xie Xiu's eyes lit up. You see, he used to be a regular at brothels in Mingyue City. But after coming to the academy, he was trained by his teachers every day and almost forgot the rouge on the girls and the scent of wine.
Zuan looked at him with pity. How out of touch was this guy? I wonder what his reaction would be if he knew that I had just come out of Nanxun's room this morning.
Ultimately, he didn't provoke him. Zuan said, "I came here to thank some people. I'll visit them first."
They first went to find Jiang Luofu, but she wasn't at the academy.
"Principal Jiang seems to have always been unusually kind to you. I wonder how she values you so much." Xie Xiu still habitually called Jiang Luofu "Principal," while secretly marveling at Jiang Luofu's sharp eye. Back when Zu An was not well-known, she had gone against the majority opinion to promote him to a teacher at the academy.
What could be the reason? Could it be that Principal Jiang has taken a liking to him?
He immediately dismissed the thought. Although Zu An was quite handsome, he was still a bit inferior to me. Even if Principal Jiang wanted to be attracted to men, he should have chosen me.
"What are you thinking about?" Zuan slapped him on the head, waking him from his delusional confidence.
"A man's head and a woman's waist, don't try to take them if you're not their lover." Xie Xiu tidied his messed-up hair with some dissatisfaction, then winked at a few female students passing by, causing them to gasp and laugh as they left, but obviously because of his handsomeness, they couldn't help but secretly turn back to look at him.
Zuan was speechless for a moment. This guy really has a good-looking face. He would definitely be famous as a male prostitute.
"By the way, is your sister busy lately?" Zu An asked, seizing the opportunity. The previous times he came to the academy, Xie Daoyun was forced to draw talismans by her teacher every day, so he didn't have much time to see her.
"She has it much easier than me. She's naturally good at calligraphy and she's smart, so learning runes is incredibly easy for her. She was quickly praised by the master and regarded as his prized disciple. Now she can manage her time freely." Xie Xiu said sourly. Compared to her sister, she was really a loser.
Suddenly he realized something and looked at Zu'an warily: "Why are you asking this?"
Zuan said, "I received a lifeline talisman from your sister before entering the secret realm, which saved my life, so I came here specifically to express my gratitude."
"At least you still have some conscience." Xie Xiu breathed a sigh of relief.
Soon the two arrived at the residence of the Grand Master. As the senior disciple of the academy's chief priest, his status was extraordinary, and his residence was much larger than that of his fellow disciples.
His residence was more like a landscape garden. The two walked along the long corridor and saw a beautiful figure sitting in the waterside pavilion, painting something.
"Sister!" Xie Xiu suddenly ran over and shouted, clearly trying to scare the other woman.
To everyone's surprise, Xie Daoyun remained unmoved, her pen never stopping. Xie Xiu couldn't help but exclaim, "Sister, your composure is getting better and better!"
"You've been playing this game for so many years, I'm used to it," Xie Daoyun said calmly. "By the way, shouldn't you be learning chess from Fifth Uncle right now? Did you sneak out?"
"How could that be? Am I that kind of person?" Xie Xiu immediately retorted, "My elder brother is here, and I came with him."
Upon hearing the words "elder brother," Xie Daoyun, who had been as calm as still water, trembled. Then, turning around and seeing that it really was Zu An, she said with some surprise, "You've come."
Xie Xiu, standing to the side, immediately felt envious. She had deliberately scared her earlier and she hadn't even flinched, but when she heard Zu An's name, the ink on her pen trembled.
Zuan smiled at her: "I came here specifically to thank you. Thanks to your runes, I survived this trip to the secret realm."
Xie Daoyun smiled faintly, like a willow catkin swaying in the breeze: "We are friends, so naturally I don't want anything to happen to you. As for thanks, there's no need, after all, you haven't yet fulfilled your promise to me about the song you owed me last time."
Zuan broke out in a cold sweat. He owed her a favor back in Brightmoon City, casually promising to give her a song, but he never expected her to remember it until now.
Xie Xiu, who was already feeling sour, seized the opportunity to kick someone when they were down: "Brother Zu, that's not very kind of you. You said you came to thank my sister, but you came empty-handed without bringing a single gift. Isn't that a bit too insincere?"
Xie Daoyun glared at her younger brother, annoyed: "There's no need for friends to be so distant. Don't make things worse."
Zuan also felt that this was not quite right, but where could he find a gift for her in such a hurry?
Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed in his mind. He took out a glass lamp and said, "Who said I didn't prepare a gift? This jade glass lamp, once lit, can make the room as bright as day, even at night. Miss Xie usually has to copy a lot of runes. The details of the runes are complex and delicate. When the light is not good, it is inevitable that her eyes will be damaged. With this jade glass lamp, this problem can be solved."
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Today, the two chapters have been combined.
Also, please don't try to imitate what Ah Zu did today; it's very easy to mess it up.
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