Chapter 962, Part 2: Luck Talisman
Meanwhile, just as Zu An entered the carriage, he felt a wave of heat attack him. There was a sweet fragrance inside that would make any man melt.
A soft and expensive southern-style carpet covered the bottom of the carriage. In the center was a fine and exquisite coffee table, with a chair on each side. The chairs were covered in wool and fur, and there was a heater underneath each one that provided warmth.
Be careful of carbon monoxide poisoning… Zu An couldn"t help but say inwardly. But when he recalled that the two inside weren’t ordinary people, he didn’t worry too much about that anymore.
No matter how extravagantly decorated the interior of the carriage was, it still couldn’t compare to the two girls inside at all, though.
Nan Xun was dressed in a glistening dress that resembled something one would wear to a nightclub of Zu An’s previous world. Her curves were perfectly displayed.
Kong Nanwu was much more reserved. She wore a simple yet elegant white dress. As she sat there, she looked graceful and charming, giving off the feeling of an aloof immortal G.o.ddess.
Zu An even wondered if Kong Nanwu was originally a peac.o.c.k or a crane. He looked down to observe her legs underneath the dress. He wanted to see if she wore black leggings like a red-crowned crane.
When she sensed his gaze, Kong Nanwu awkwardly adjusted her dress, asking, “What is young master looking at?”
“You’re dressed up so properly, I couldn’t see anything even if I wanted to,” Zu An replied with a smile.
Kong Nanwu was speechless.
She had spent quite a bit of time among humans. Even though she rarely made an appearance, she had still met with some human men due to her various tasks. Those men were always stunned whenever they saw her appearance, and all of them would carefully praise her out of fear of ruining her impression of them. And yet, this fellow was completely different. He didn’t try to hide his lewdness at all.
Fortunately, Nan Xun helped her out of her predicament, saying, “Sigh, young master really forgets your old friends once you meet new ones. You hardly ever greet me whenever you see me. Because of you, my mouth was sore for several days for nothing.”
Zu An chuckled. He sat right next to her, causing her to cry out in alarm. He took her into his arms, and his hands naturally roamed across her voluptuous body.
“Young master, you’re so bad… Ah!...” Nan Xun’s entire body trembled. There was a hint of an alluring expression in her eyes.
Zu An said with a smile, “But if I act too politely, you’ll blame me for ignoring you again.”
At the same time, he sighed in amazement inwardly. The fiend races’ Tiger-Devoured Ghost technique really was incredible! Apart from her body being a bit colder to the touch than usual, she really wasn’t all that different from a living person.
Kong Nanwu coughed lightly and remarked, “Can the two of you please pay attention to where we are right now? There’s someone else here right now.”
Nan Xun said with a chuckle, “But master isn’t an outsider. Should the young master give you a hug too perhaps?”
A trace of redness appeared and disappeared in a flash on Kong Nanwu’s face. She harrumphed and said, “It seems as though I’ve been treating you so well that you’re now out of control.”
“You’re not allowed to scare my girl like that,” Zu An said in dissatisfaction. Nan Xun really was a little demoness who knew how to get him going. The way she had been King Qi’s concubine in the past made him feel even more satisfied.
Kong Nanwu shifted her gaze so that she didn’t have to look at them anymore. She remarked, “I heard that the young master is about to leave for Cloudcenter Commandery. I wonder what this trip is for?”
“That’s a court secret I fear I can’t share,” Zu An replied with a smile.
“I understand.” Kong Nanwu didn’t get angry. “However, right now, Cloudcenter Commandery isn’t a peaceful place at all. Young master must be careful.”
Zu An was shocked. “Could it be that the lady knows something?”
Kong Nanwu only smiled silently. She didn’t reply to his question and instead said, “By the way, the Strange Tales the young master wrote last time were quite interesting. I wonder if there’s a sequel?”
“I wasn’t the one who wrote it; it was written by a sir named Pu Songling,” Zu An corrected her.
“Looks like the young master doesn’t wish to let his name be known due to various misgivings. However, Nanwu wishes to thank the young master in the fiend races’ place. Just like humans, there are good and bad people among the fiend races, but the human race has always villainized us. Only the young master has upheld justice,” Kong Nanwu said gratefully.
Zu An didn’t know how to correct her misunderstanding, so he decided to just remain silent.
Kong Nanwu handed him a sachet, saying, “The north is dangerous. This is our clan’s special Luck Talisman. It might be able to turn misfortune into blessing if the young master has it by his side.”
“Thank you.” Zu An was surprised. She seemed to be implying something, but there was no need to refuse it when he sensed the good intentions in her voice. He opened up the sachet immediately. Kong Nanwu cried out in alarm to stop him, but it was already too late.
Zu An took out a green feather from the sachet. It was a bit similar to the feather Kong Nanwu had used when they fought, but this feather was much smaller, and also softer. He had a strange look on his face as he asked, “Is this a peac.o.c.k feather?”
After some hesitation, Kong Nanwu nodded. Zu An already knew that she was from the fiend races anyway, so there wasn’t anything worth hiding. However, his next words completely shattered her expectations as he asked, “Did you pluck this out of your own body?”
Nan Xu burst out laughing, while Kong Nanwu was even more ashamed and panicked. She reached out her hand and shouted, “Give it back if you don’t want it!”
You have successfully trolled Kong Nanwu for +111 +111 +111…
Zu An was fast, immediately putting it away and saying, “I obviously need to protect something as precious as this; I’m really grateful for your care and love.”
Kong Nanwu grinded her teeth when she saw that she couldn"t get it back. In the end, she looked away and ignored him.
Nan Xun chuckled and said, “Young master, the young miss has good intentions. That item will be helpful to you if you keep it at your side.”
Zu An was surprised. He had examined the feather with his ki and saw that it wasn’t a magic weapon or anything. He didn’t know what kinds of benefits it would have. But he knew that they weren’t going to tell him due to how secretive they were being.
He chuckled and said, “Then wait for me to come back. I’ll share the other stories from Sir Pu with the two ladies then.”
Kong Nanwu’s expression thus eased a bit. She said, “I’ve troubled the young master. However, please have someone else do the writing next time.” She was clearly mocking his handwriting for being horrendous.
Zu An thought to himself, This girl seems to hold quite a grudge. She didn’t forget to stab me back here.
Nan Xun smiled inwardly. Only this young master could make my master so fl.u.s.tered. She leaned into Zu An’s embrace and said, “Young master, I really want to go with you… I can even serve you on the way.”
“How will you serve me?” Zu An hooked her beautiful chin with a finger and stared at her radiant face. He felt a bit regretful inwardly. Why did I have to pretend to be such an upright gentleman last time? She’s so willing, so why am I holding back?
“In any way…” Nan Xun giggled. Someone as well-trained as she naturally knew how to tease a man. Sure enough, Zu An felt blood rush through his body. Nan Xun immediately felt it herself, and her smile became even more charming.
Meanwhile, Kong Nanwu really couldn"t stand the pair anymore. She interrupted them with a light cough, saying, “Forget about the fact that you have your reputation to keep in the capital, even if you could go, you’d disappear if you got too far from me.”
Nan Xun replied, “My lady can go with the young master too!”
Kong Nanwu felt annoyed at that point. She grabbed Nan Xun’s ear and exclaimed, “Who is your master here?”
Nan Xun smiled apologetically, saying, “I am my lady’s servant, of course. But I also became the young master’s woman not too long ago.”
Kong Nanwu was speechless.
Zu An voiced his amazement inwardly. This Nan Xun really is quite something! She’s cold and arrogant in front of others, and yet she’s as gentle as a little kitten in front of me… The two sides are way too different; even a hardened lewd veteran like me is having a bit of trouble…
Chu Youzhao called out from outside, “Brother-in-law, the ship is about to leave already! Why aren’t you coming out yet?”
Kong Nanwu took the chance to chase Zu An out. Otherwise, only heaven knew what kind of crazy things the cutely acting Nan Xun would do.
…
When Zu An left, the flirtatious Nan Xun immediately returned to her usual cold and arrogant self. She sat properly down in her seat.
“What, you’re done acting cute?” Kong Nanwu sneered.
Nan Xun rushed over to help ma.s.sage her back, replying, “I was just carrying out my lady’s orders, you know? I was doing my best to seduce him.”
“Really? It looked to me as if you were actually having fun,” Kong Nanwu said expressionlessly.
“Of course not! My loyalty to the lady is unbreakable. If I have any disloyalty, I won’t rest easy even if I become a ghost,” Nan Xun promised while patting her chest, making that part ripple.
“You’re already a ghost to begin with!” Kong Nanwu laughed out of annoyance.
The two girls bickered for a while longer, but then Kong Nanwu returned to her usual strict self. She said, “Once we return, make a transcription of Strange Tales, then hand it to a bookstore to have it published.”
Nan Xun felt a bit troubled and replied, “I fear there might not be many bookstores who are willing to put their seal on a book like this, no?”
There were stories about all kinds of monsters and ghosts, making it easy for one to a.s.sociate them with the fiend races. They could create some problems.
“Are you really not familiar with the black market at all?” Kong Nanwu asked impatiently. “Don’t go through the official channels; circulate the book among the lower level commoners first. We’ll imperceptibly start to influence everyone’s rigid att.i.tudes toward the fiend races.”
“My lady is wise and brilliant after all…” Nan Xun immediately showered her with praise. “Then what name should we use as the author? Should I help young master Zu leave behind his name?”
After some hesitation, Kong Nanwu shook her head in the end, saying, “Let’s give up on that idea. This book might cause quite a bit of trouble, and it might have some bad influence on him later on.”
Nan Xun immediately cheered up, exclaiming, “Looks like my lady cares quite a bit about the young master!”
Kong Nanwu’s expression became a bit dangerous. She said, “Stop with those thoughts. I ordered you to seduce him, and it’s one thing if you like him, but don’t drag me into trouble just because you want to stay at his side.”
Nan Xun immediately sensed waves of stinging pain in her soul. She knew that her life and death could be decided through a single thought from the other party. She couldn"t help but shiver and exclaim, “My lady, forgive me!”
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