Chapter 85

Nan Lingsha seemed to speak casually, without any issues.

But why did she mention the bamboo grove and the deep night, two terms that evoke so much imagination?

The people of Zulong City have a vivid imagination, and even a slight hint of a keyword can spawn a long, touching story.

And there are several distinctly different versions!

Heaven knows what kind of rumors will spread once Nan Lingsha’s words get out.

It had only been a short while since he had quietly become a handsome man, and people were almost convinced by his heartfelt words.

Sure enough, after Nan Lingsha finished speaking,

The Nan family members fell silent. They had something to say in their eyes, but due to Nan Lingsha’s absolute position in the family, they dared not speak easily.

"Turns out Teacher Zhu is so capable in this area too." Lu Wenyeh lowered her voice and said.

"Since it was a gift from Sister Lingsha, we have nothing to say. But, why did Sister give such a precious dragon..." Nan Zhaobing’s expression was already close to that of the ferocious rat-faced creatures, yet he still pretended to ask politely.

"I don’t need you to ask about my actions." Nan Lingsha said.

Nan Zhaobing quickly lowered his head, not daring to speak again, but he cast a sidelong glance at Zhu Minglang.

It was that ugly look again.

Zhu Minglang was used to it, but he hoped it wasn’t someone who would take a twisted path; in that case, Zhu Minglang wouldn’t be polite to such a person.

"Then... then we will take our leave." The woman with the gold forehead ornament said.

The others naturally couldn’t stay either and left one by one.

Zhu Minglang knew he couldn’t explain himself, so he reluctantly followed the Nan family members out of the estate.

"Zhu Minglang, stay. I have something to say to you."

Sure enough, Nan Lingsha’s devilish call rang out.

The Nan family members’ eyes were bright as they stared at Zhu Minglang, then quickly left, as if afraid of disturbing their sister’s mood.

In the Nan family, no one dared to offend Nan Lingsha; even the senior members had to consider her feelings. For young members like them, who still relied on the elders’ support, they had to be extra cautious.

The central courtyard was open, with green tiles on the eaves surrounding a clear night sky. There were no stars, only a thin veil of mist.

In the center was a green bamboo stone basin. Zhu Minglang stood beside it, with clear water flowing from the bamboo heart of the basin into the cracks of the stone bricks below, sparkling in the lamplight.

Zhu Minglang stood there, neither retreating nor leaving.

He slowly turned around and said somewhat helplessly, "Why do you need to cover for me, miss? I’m not afraid of the Nan family’s questioning."

"You’ve misunderstood." Nan Lingsha smiled, her beautiful eyes twinkling, and said in a carefree tone, "She told you to be wary of me, which means she still cares about you. Since that’s the case, I want to see how Li Yunzi reacts to you getting closer to me."

"Miss, you don’t care about your reputation, but I, Zhu Minglang, still need to marry someone with a clear conscience!" Zhu Minglang said.

"Clear conscience?" Nan Lingsha laughed, and her laughter didn’t stop.

Her alluring voice made it hard for Zhu Minglang to control himself, especially since the person before him looked exactly like Li Yunzi, bringing back some unforgettable memories.

Zhu Minglang felt he should leave quickly, or else Nan Ye would spread more unpleasant rumors.

Nan Lingsha was still laughing, and her current little devil appearance was a stark contrast to the elegant and reserved painter he had met before. Zhu Minglang felt that Nan Lingsha was the one with the problem.

...

Outside the city estate, Nan Ye looked surprised at Zhu Minglang.

"So soon?" Nan Ye asked with a strange tone.

Zhu Minglang glared at Nan Ye.

Can’t you speak properly? Nothing happened, and it has nothing to do with how fast or slow it was!

...

...

Zhu Minglang left Honglian City and continued to escort Zheng Yu to persuade several major cities.

With the efforts of the entire academy, the demons in the upstream cities were largely cleared out, and Zheng Yu completed his mission. Zhu Minglang himself also received a good reward.

The weather grew colder, and most living beings hid away. People’s travel also decreased, and only on sunny days would many come out to bask in the sunlight.

The Lichuan Dragon Taming Academy first mourned the students and teachers who died in the demon extermination mission for several days and properly settled their families. Then, they rewarded the students and teachers who performed excellently in the mission.

The results were announced on a list, and it happened to be a sunny day. The warm light shone on everyone, and they didn’t need to wear thick cotton clothes. It was clear that everyone in the academy had specially groomed themselves that day.

The men were elegant, and the women were beautifully dressed.

Gathering around the list, being on the list was a great joy, as those on the list could receive a Spirit Domain Fruit, which would add a Spirit Pact.

"Li Kang, Duan Wenrui, Zhu Minglang, Zhong Shenxiu, Lu Wenyeh..."

"Can’t be, our team killed so many demons, and not a single person made the list. How many demons did those on the list kill?"

"I heard they all made significant contributions to demon slaying!"

"Demons, those are thousand-year-old creatures. We almost didn’t make it back when we dealt with an eight-hundred-year-old mountain demon!"

Below the list, the students were discussing, with some on the list and others not even mentioned, feeling disappointed.

"Hey, hey, look at the teacher list. There’s someone on the teacher list with the same name as Zhu Minglang." Suddenly, someone pointed to the adjacent list.

"What do you mean the same name? That’s Zhu Minglang."

For a moment, everyone looked at the teacher list and found that Zhu Minglang was indeed on the list of outstanding contributing teachers, though not particularly high up...

On both lists???

He’s on the student list.

How is he on the teacher list too!

This is too outrageous!!

Everyone started discussing it.

Nan Ye and Lu Wenyeh took the opportunity to spread the news that Zhu Minglang had been a substitute teacher and had killed a 1700-year-old evil spider alone.

The students were suddenly enlightened and marveled at how Zhu Minglang was truly a strong person who didn’t easily show his true strength!

...

Zhu Minglang was also in the crowd, equally puzzled.

Being at the top of the student list was easier to understand, as he had killed two demons and dozens of other creatures. But what about the teacher list?

Could it be that the 3000-year-old demon killed by Nan Lingsha was credited to him as well?

That’s the only explanation. When students report the location of a demon, half the credit for slaying the demon goes to the students.

So, when he, as an assistant teacher, discovered the three dead teachers and reported the location of the 3000-year-old demon, he got some credit.

What a double harvest!