Chapter 1980: Youthful Ignorance of Wealthy Women

Upon returning to Jade Spring Mountain, Zu An first sought out Zheng Dan and found her and Xie Daoyun sketching something at a table.

Zu An didn't rush to disturb them but leaned against the doorway, quietly observing.

He had to admit, seeing two beautiful young women so engrossed in their studies was truly a delightful sight.

Xie Daoyun naturally exuded an scholarly aura, while Zheng Dan, who originally had a more rough-and-tumble demeanor, had become quiet and ladylike after studying there for some time.

The two women finally sensed his presence. Seeing him there, they couldn't help but playfully chide, "Why didn't you say anything when you arrived?"

"I saw you were busy and didn't want to disturb you," Zu An replied, feeling as if he had been transported back to a library in his past life, watching female scholars discuss problems. He noted that the two women before him were far more beautiful than any he had seen in school back then.

"I was just asking Senior Sister about a difficult point in runes," Zheng Dan said with a smile. "She's truly beautiful and kind-hearted; her explanations have cleared up many of my academic doubts."

"Junior Sister, your talent is remarkable; your progress in the path of runes is even faster than mine was," Xie Daoyun replied, a little shyly.

"Back then, Senior Sister explored on her own. Now, I can consult you, which is like standing on the shoulders of a giant," Zheng Dan said, genuinely grateful as she held Xie Daoyun's hand.

"Junior Sister, the questions you often raise are things I'd never considered. I've also learned a great deal from our discussions," Xie Daoyun replied.

Watching them exchange thanks, Zu An couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, no more commercial flattery. You're both geniuses in the art of runes, and you help each other, setting an example for the academy. Next time, I'll find an opportunity to publish your deeds in the academy's special newspaper so everyone can learn from you."

"No!" both women exclaimed in unison. That would be mortifying.

Zu An chuckled; he had only been teasing them. Then, he produced two communication jades. "These are for you..."

After he explained their use, the two women immediately adored them. They wanted to say something to him but were hesitant, mindful of others nearby.

"So that's what Brother Zu was busy with at Master Uncle's place!" Xie Daoyun realized. She had tried to find him several times recently but couldn't, which had caused her some quiet resentment. Now, learning he was making something so important, she immediately chastised herself for being so thoughtless.

Zheng Dan, who had been focused on cultivation during this time with no distractions, suddenly had an idea when she saw the jade slip. "Can I use this jade to chat with Junior Sister?"

Zu An was speechless.

"You two cultivate here every day; why would you need this to chat?"

"Well, there are times when we're not together," Zheng Dan continued. "I can't always go to Senior Sister every time I have a question. With this jade, I can send her the question first, and she can answer it when she has time, so I don't disturb her cultivation. Besides," she added, "girls have lots of topics to chat about!"

Xie Daoyun also pursed her lips and smiled. "That's right. Looking at the principle of this jade, it should be possible to chat with each other, shouldn't it?"

Resigned, Zu An had no choice but to teach them how to add friends, while also warning them not to add anyone else indiscriminately.

"Don't worry," Zheng Dan said with a smile. "We wouldn't add men; at most, it'll just be us sisters chatting. Besides, no one else has these jades for us to add anyway, so what are you worried about?"

Zu An thought to himself, *That's exactly what I'm worried about! If you two add each other and start openly discussing things, I'm done for.*

Unfortunately, he couldn't tell them his real concern. He could only caution them, "These jades are extremely precious, and only a limited number have been made. You absolutely must not publicize them, or if others find out, it will make things difficult for me."

"It's that precious?" Xie Daoyun was startled and quickly tried to return the jade. "Then I don't want it. You should give it to someone who needs it more."

Zu An was speechless.

Zheng Dan giggled. "My silly Senior Sister, you are one of the people who need it! He's definitely going to give you one."

Xie Daoyun's face flushed, and her heart pounded. *What did she mean by that? Could it be...*

Zu An gently placed the jade back into her hand. "Sister Ling'er, please keep this safe. I might be leaving for a while soon. I'll try to improve this jade later to see if it can be used for long-distance communication."

Currently, real-time communication isn't possible over long distances, but as long as the information isn't lost, even if it arrives after a delay, it would still be useful.

"Where are you going?" Even Zheng Dan grew anxious now.

"There's a critical material I need to find myself, but the exact itinerary hasn't been set yet. I'll let you know when it is," Zu An replied.

Realizing it was serious business, the two women naturally didn't press him further. Although they both wished to accompany him, such words were hard to utter.

After a brief chat, Zu An bid them farewell and departed.

Not long after, his jade slip vibrated. Zu An took it out and saw it was a message from Zheng Dan: "Do you want me to help you set up Senior Sister? From what I've observed, she seems to have an inexplicable liking for you."

"Don't play matchmaker; focus on your studies," Zu An replied. He thought to himself, *If you knew about our relationship, what would your reaction be?*

However, with major events constantly unfolding, he had no mind for romance. He hadn't struck while the iron was hot, and now Xie Daoyun looked at him with a hint of resentment.

"Are you sure?""No need.""Huh, you're not interested in such a beautiful Senior Sister? When did you change your tune? Wait, have you already won her over?"

"Don't spread rumors; it might affect your relationship with your fellow disciples and even your cultivation."

Upon seeing this message, Zheng Dan immediately swallowed the teasing question she was about to ask Xie Daoyun and naturally changed the subject.

Next, Zu An went to Sang Qian's courtyard. He embraced his daughter, covering her face with kisses until she burst into tears, which only made him laugh heartily.

Sang Qian playfully glared at him, then took Sisi back to soothe her.

Zu An walked over and held both mother and daughter close for a long moment before giving Sang Qian a jade slip as he left.

Not long after he left, Sang Qian's message quickly appeared on the jade slip, primarily revolving around their daughter, Sisi.

Sensing her cautiousness, Zu An felt a pang of heartache and quickly replied, "Xiao Qian, don't just talk about Sisi; you can talk about yourself too."

"What is there to say about me?"

"Of course there is! For example, how's your recent study of puppetry going? Or, have you been experiencing breast engorgement lately..."

"You're annoying!"

In her room, Zheng Dan looked at the jade slip in her hand, her pretty face flushed crimson. Holding her adorable daughter in her arms, she softly murmured, "Sisi, your father is a truly gentle and considerate man..."

Zu An was about to continue distributing the communication jades when he suddenly felt a disturbance from the video mirror in his possession. He quickly returned to his room.

He took out over a dozen Heaven-rank elemental stones and embedded them around the video mirror before tapping to connect.

Soon, a charming and graceful beautiful young woman appeared in the mirror. It was none other than the long-unseen Little Demon Empress.

She seemed to be in her bedchambers. Even with such a close-up, "face-to-face" view, her snow-white, oval-shaped face remained exquisitely perfect, without a single flaw, making her appear even more radiant and captivating. Although her makeup and attire were clearly meant to convey authority, her eyes beneath her arched brows were alluring and tender, and her plump lips seemed to shimmer with an enticing luster, making it truly difficult for anyone to fear her.

Zu An couldn't help but exclaim, "You're truly beautiful!"

A slight smile clearly touched the Little Demon Empress's lips, but she retorted, "Hmph, now you're saying sweet things. You haven't bothered to contact me lately. I only contacted you after I received news from Nanxun."

"It's not that I haven't missed you," Zu An explained with a wry smile. "It's just that too many major events have happened one after another recently, and I've spent so much on alchemy and artifact refining that I simply didn't have the spare energy to activate the video mirror."

Upon hearing this, the Little Demon Empress immediately sat upright. "I heard you're a Regent in the human realm now. How preposterous that the humans would let you fall into such a predicament! Don't work for them anymore. Come back to the demon race, and I'll cover all your artifact refining expenses!"