Companions

The small garment incident indirectly led to Lian Qiao being unable to face Lu Wu Jiu for an entire day.

Therefore, when discussing who to bring along to find the fragments, Lian Qiao vaguely decided to skip Lu Wu Jiu and first look for them herself.

To prevent any unrest from the demon world, the theft of the Kongtong Seal fragments was not made public.

Therefore, after discussing it again and again with her father, Lian Qiao finally settled on two people.

One was a rogue cultivator, Yan Wushuang, who had joined the sect less than two years ago and was her friend. In this era where aristocratic families controlled everything, it was already remarkable for an ordinary person to have the opportunity to cultivate, let alone join the Wu Xiang Sect.

It was conceivable that Yan Wu Shuang must have exceptional talent.

However, she had one fatal flaw—she was uncultured.

She didn’t recognize a single character, and even now, she could barely manage to recognize the letters.

This was not surprising, since she used to be a mountain bandit.

Therefore, after joining the Wu Xiang Sect, Yan Wu Shuang was especially unique—she cultivated body techniques.

Her attire was also very recognizable. If you ever saw a quiet, gentle girl carrying two large hammers on the road, it was undoubtedly Yan Wu Shuang.

In her words: “Knowing how to chop and kill is enough. What do I need culture for? I hate those weak, dogshit scholars the most. They’re always rambling on, and a single knife can kill two of them!”

So, when Lian Qiao asked if she wanted to go down the mountain together, Yan Wu Shuang, shouldering two large hammers, agreed without hesitation.

“Go, of course I’ll go! I’m suffocating on the mountain, can’t fight, can’t scold. Especially that squeaky, weak chicken Zhou Jiannan. He’s always talking about saints and the words of books. He’s a real bastard, annoying me every day.”

Lian Qiao: “…Um, that weak chicken Zhou Jiannan you mentioned will also be going with us.”

Yan Wu Shuang’s eyes widened: “You mean that bastard? What can he do, make the monsters laugh to death with his words?”

Before Lian Qiao could open her mouth, Zhou Jiannan emerged from who knows where, adjusted the jade crown on his head, and said angrily: “Yan Wu Shuang, I’ll reiterate one more time, my name is Jiannan, ‘You Ran Jian Nan Shan’s’ Jian, ‘You Ran Jian Nan Shan’s Nan’! Not Jiannan! Do you even understand? I am the son of the Qiao Ming Zhou family. This name is so artistic!”

Yan Wu Shuang was puzzled: “Is there a difference? Could it be… leisurely being a bastard?”

Zhou Jiannan: The mask of pain.

He really couldn’t communicate with this uncultured woman!

He gritted his teeth: “Vulgar woman, you’re an utter disgrace to culture! I’m the best in Talisman Art class. Hmph, if I remember correctly, you probably don’t even recognize the test papers, let alone the scores!”

Yan Wu Shuang sneered: “Yeah, so what if I don’t recognize them? Does that stop me from beating you to a pulp in Physical Training class?”

Zhou Jiannan: “…”

The painful memories were instantly stirred up.

He clutched his cheek in lingering fear: “Hooligan! You’re just an uncultured, crude hooligan. I’ve never seen a woman like you from any family!”

Yan Wu Shuang said “oh” and continued: “Then you’ve seen one now. Besides, who are you? Does your liking or disliking me matter? Does it interfere with my eating or drinking?”

Zhou Jiannan’s face flushed red: “You, you, you…”

Yan Wu Shuang was impatient: “You what, you can’t even speak properly. If I were as useless as you, I’d have hanged myself out of shame long ago. There’s a crooked tree over there. Oh, you can still hang yourself now, too.”

Zhou Jiannan almost fainted from rage.

He smoothed his breathing, turned to Lian Qiao, and said righteously: “A scholar can be killed but not humiliated. There’s no way I can be with her. Absolutely not!”

Yan Wu Shuang folded her arms and sneered: “It’s not like I’m very willing to be with you either.”

Lian Qiao: “…”

Fortunately, she knew how to handle these two.

So Lian Qiao pointed to the sky and swore to Yan Wu Shuang with a straight face: “After this is done, I’ll help you write all your official documents.”

Yan Wu Shuang instantly beamed, put her arm around Lian Qiao’s neck, and nearly strangled her to death: “Why didn’t you say so earlier? Go, go, go. Being with him is tolerable too, I guess.”

The next moment, Lian Qiao pushed away Yan Wu Shuang, straightened her clothes, and turned to Zhou Jiannan: “《Ling Bo Secret Manual》, will you do it or not?”

Zhou Jiannan’s eyes lit up. He had wanted this rare Taoist book for a long time, but… he hesitated, glancing at the crude woman.

Lian Qiao gritted her teeth: “Plus one copy of 《Wu Xiang Heart Technique》.”

Zhou Jiannan nodded: “You…you can’t go back on your word. And you have to protect me, or this woman will definitely beat me to death!”

Lian Qiao: “…”

She patted Zhou Jiannan’s shoulder: “Don’t worry, she won’t beat you to death.”

However, whether you get a broken arm or a broken leg is none of her business.

In any case, she had managed to settle it! Lian Qiao heaved a long sigh.

All that was left was Lu Wu Jiu.

Although Lian Qiao really didn’t want to face him now, she was still very curious about how many people he would bring.

The royal family had so many high-level cultivators, it was more than enough for him to pick a few at random.

However, the next day, when they arrived at the agreed location, Lian Qiao only saw one person and one sword.

She didn’t even care about the awkwardness of the past few days, rubbed her eyes, looked left, looked right, looked for a long time, but there were no extra people at the foot of the mountain.

Finally, she couldn’t help but get closer and asked: “Just you, no one else?”

Lu Wu Jiu said coldly: “Others? What would I bring them for? To get in the way?”

Lian Qiao was stunned: “This trip is dangerous. You should at least bring a helper, right?”

Lu Wu Jiu lowered his eyes slightly, his face clearly saying, “Do you think I need a helper?”

Lian Qiao gritted her teeth: Good, you’re arrogant enough!

On second thought, it was good that he didn’t bring anyone, anyway, they weren’t really fighting side by side.

When the time came and they collected all the fragments, it was a three-on-one situation. Maybe they could snatch all the fragments over.

Lian Qiao gleefully imagined in her heart and soon beamed with joy: “Since that’s the case, let’s set off!”

Lu Wu Jiu saw through her little plan with one glance, scoffed coldly, turned around, and walked directly ahead.

Behind her, Yan Wu Shuang and Zhou Jiannan shrank their necks in unison.

After Lu Wu Jiu walked away, Zhou Jiannan tugged at Lian Qiao’s sleeve in fear.

“Um…is His Highness also coming with us?”

Lian Qiao nodded: “That’s right.”

The fear on Zhou Jiannan’s face instantly turned to ecstasy: “Why didn’t you say so earlier? If I had known, I would have agreed a long time ago!”

Lian Qiao looked at him like he was a ghost: “Um…if I remember correctly, he seemed to knock you down in one move at the Immortal Sword Conference last year?”

Zhou Jiannan was still immersed in excitement: “Yeah, it’s already amazing to be knocked down by him, okay? So many people fell without even touching His Highness’s clothes! If I could be beaten by him again, that would be too fulfilling. I’ve been working hard to cultivate for a year. Maybe I can touch his hand when I get beaten this time!”

Lian Qiao: “…”

Yan Wu Shuang: “…”

It was the first time they had seen someone who was addicted to being beaten.

Truly worthy of being a bastard!

Zhou Jiannan probably also felt that being too excited was a bit perverted, so he coughed twice to recover his image: “Um, don’t misunderstand. You don’t know, he’s very gentle. When my grandfather died when I was eight years old, he came to offer condolences on behalf of the royal family and gave me a box of plums. I’ve treasured them for a long time.”

Lian Qiao: “…For a long time? How long? Don’t tell me you’ve kept this broken thing until now?”

Zhou Jiannan smiled shyly and carefully took out a sachet from his waist. Then, like an old lady counting money, he unwrapped the handkerchief that covered it layer by layer, only to see that it contained an iron box.

“…”

After opening the iron box, it was clear that it contained a black, shapeless mass.

Then, Zhou Jiannan presented it to the two of them as if it were a treasure.

An unspeakable smell assaulted their faces.

Lian Qiao and Yan Wu Shuang pinched their noses and backed away in unison.

What the hell is this pervert?

He had actually kept it for ten years!

Speaking of which, Lian Qiao had always thought that this bad smell was body odor, so she never mentioned it, for fear of hurting Zhou Jiannan.

Not only did she not mention it herself, but she also forbade others from mentioning it, which was extremely considerate.

Only today did she realize what the hell this bad smell was.

The perennial stench was mixed with a bit of sweetness, sweet and stinky, completely ruining her kindness!

But Zhou Jiannan not only didn’t think it smelled bad, but also seemed to find it quite flavorful, taking a deep breath with a look of intoxication.

Lian Qiao couldn’t help but say, “Ew.”

Yan Wu Shuang bent over: “Ew, ew, ew, ew…”

The two of them vomited non-stop.

Lian Qiao wanted to kill him: “Zhou, Jiannan, throw this thing away, don’t force me to do it myself!”

Yan Wu Shuang also pointed at Zhou Jiannan and said: “I know, you’re keeping this thing to use as poison, right? I didn’t see that, Jiannan, you’re so cruel! Although I can beat you in other areas, I admit that I can’t compare to you in terms of viciousness.”

Zhou Jiannan: “…”

He quickly wrapped the handkerchief layer by layer like he was protecting a baby and retreated behind the tree.

“You have no taste. What do you know? This is a symbol of my friendship with His Highness. You superficial people!”

Lian Qiao: “Uh, friendship? It happened ten years ago. Do you want to ask Lu Wu Jiu if he still remembers you?”

Zhou Jiannan instantly wilted, his eyes darting, glancing at Lu Wu Jiu in the distance: “No… probably not?”

Lian Qiao: “Coward!”

Yan Wu Shuang: “Spineless!”

Zhou Jiannan’s cheeks were flushed red, but his voice was righteous: “What do you know? This is called consideration. Those who admire His Highness are countless, it’s impossible to count them all. If everyone had to pour out their feelings to him, he would inevitably be annoyed to death. Like me, silently guarding behind him, cherishing our shared beautiful memories, is the right way. I can’t do those vulgar things like rushing up and disturbing His Highness.”

Lian Qiao: “…”

What, even licking is divided into different classes, licking to create a hierarchy, licking to create a sense of superiority, is it?

Lian Qiao pinched her nose and dodged, saying to Yan Wu Shuang: “Another one who’s had his brain broken by Lu Wu Jiu! Luckily there’s you, who will always hate Lu Wu Jiu with me.”

Yan Wu Shuang hesitated for a moment: “Um, that, actually, people’s vision can also change…”

Lian Qiao was shocked: “Don’t you only like tall, muscular men? Lu Wu Jiu is tall, but where is he muscular?”

Yan Wu Shuang scratched her head: “I do like muscular men, it’s true, and Lu Wu Jiu doesn’t seem that muscular, but I saw him step on a muscular man when he was fighting. He seemed… even more powerful!”

Lian Qiao: “…Huh?”

Yan Wu Shuang then scanned the tall and slender figure in the distance from top to bottom, clicked her tongue, and shook her head: “However, although he’s strong enough, he’s really not muscular enough. It’s still not enough. It’s a waste of that face. If that face could be matched with the senior brother’s body, that would be great!”

Yan Wu Shuang had a look of infatuation on her face.

However, their senior brother was a body cultivator and came from a blacksmithing family.

Lian Qiao slowly imagined that picture, a fair and aloof face paired with a dark and shiny body of muscles.

This picture was so beautiful… Lian Qiao shivered all over. She couldn’t help but wonder if her aesthetic was abnormal or if their aesthetics were too suspicious.

Here, while the three of them were arguing, Lu Wu Jiu in the distance was already getting impatient.

He turned his head and gave them a look that could freeze people to death, his thin lips slightly parted: “Are you still leaving or not?”

Zhou Jiannan was the first to jump out excitedly, his face red: “Let’s go! Your Highness, please wait a moment.”

With that, he turned back and urged Lian Qiao, as if he was afraid that they would make him wait anxiously.

Lian Qiao sighed, covering her forehead: Embarrassing, too embarrassing!

But soon, something even more embarrassing came. Just as they were preparing to fly with their swords, Lu Wu Jiu took a different approach and took out something like a walnut boat, then with a point of spiritual power, the miniature walnut boat, originally only the size of a chicken egg, suddenly enlarged a hundred times, and a magnificent ship floated in the air.

Then, Lu Wu Jiu leisurely flicked his sleeves and boarded the enlarged walnut boat.

Lian Qiao’s eyes widened. It was just a trip. Did he need to be so fancy?

The two ignorant people next to her were even more dumbfounded, rubbing their hands, looking at Lian Qiao with envy: “Do we have this boat too?”

Lian Qiao coughed twice and said seriously: “What are you thinking about? This trip is to slay demons and monsters and save the common people. How can we indulge in luxury? Fly with your swords!”

Yan Wu Shuang, who came from a bandit background and was used to hardship and simplicity, clicked her tongue twice when she heard this, but didn’t complain much.

Zhou Jiannan was still reluctant: “If we don’t have it, can we hitch a ride on His Highness’s boat? I see that his dragon boat is spacious and bright, and we can even boil tea around the stove. It should be more than enough for four people to sit, right?”

Lian Qiao folded her arms and smiled: “Okay, you go ask. If he agrees, we’ll go up.”

Zhou Jiannan instantly shrank his head: “…Never mind then.”

So the three of them dawdled, and finally decided to fly with their swords.

At this time, Lu Wu Jiu, sitting on the boat, was lightly tapping the table from time to time. When he looked up slightly, he saw Lian Qiao lift her chin, glare at him, and then fly past his window with her sword.

Lu Wu Jiu’s fingertips paused, and then, with a straight face, he also drove the spiritual boat away.

So, standing on her sword, Lian Qiao watched Lu Wu Jiu’s big boat mercilessly, over her head.

“…”

Lian Qiao was furious. Not only was he not giving her a ride, he was also competing with her to see who was faster, right?

She stamped her foot hard, causing her sword to tremble, and with a swoosh, she chased after him with all her might.