Chapter 322: Jumping into the Yellow River Can't Clear One's Name

She instantly pulled her legs back and awkwardly straightened her skirt. Her usually serene and composed face was, for once, flushed with a rosy blush.

It was all Jiang Luofu's fault; she insisted on making me try on these stockings for no good reason.

Noticing her unusual behavior, Jiang Luofu turned and glared at Zu An, saying, "No manners! Don't you know how to knock before entering?"

She, on the other hand, was much more composed. Her beautiful legs remained on the table, with no intention of hiding them.

Zu An looked wronged. "I did knock," he said. "But no one answered, and I saw the door was ajar, so I pushed it open and came in."

Jiang Luofu snorted. "Brat," she said, "don't enter places you shouldn't next time, lest you invite disaster."

Zu An was speechless, wondering if the two of them were doing something illicit for her to speak so seriously.

"Tell me," Jiang Luofu said, looking at him with a half-smile, "where have you been these past few days? Last time, Liuyu mentioned you told them you'd be right back, but there was no news from you. She even had to rush to the Chu family to give a warning. She's been worried about you all this time."

Zu An was startled, subconsciously glancing at Shang Liuyu beside him.

Shang Liuyu's face flushed slightly. "Don't listen to her nonsense," she said. "Actually, Principal Jiang has also been very concerned about you, mobilizing all the academy's resources to search for you, but unfortunately, there was still no news."

Jiang Luofu twirled the pencil in her hand. "Anyway," she said, "our deal is done. Whether he lives or dies is none of my business. But it is quite strange that so many people were looking for you, yet there was no trace. Where exactly did you go?"

Zu An told her the excuse he had prepared beforehand.

Hearing that there was actually a dragon on Dragon Hidden Mountain, Jiang Luofu suddenly stood up. After clarifying the location, her figure vanished.

The unique scent of Jiang Luofu's perfume still lingered in the air. Zu An looked bewildered. "What just happened?" he asked.

"Principal Jiang is keen on cultivation," Shang Liuyu explained. "She's always been interested in the legendary powerhouses of various races. Her biggest regret is never having seen a real dragon. Now that she's heard news of a dragon, how could she possibly restrain herself?"

Zu An finally understood. However, she was destined not to find that dragon.

"Although you speak of it lightly," Shang Liuyu said, her beautiful eyes gazing quietly at him, "the process must have been very dangerous, right?"

Zu An was startled. "Why do you say that?" he asked.

Shang Liuyu smiled faintly. "The item I gave you last time has shattered," she said. "It seems you once suffered a life-threatening injury."

"I didn't expect to hide it from you," Zu An couldn't help but exclaim. "Speaking of which, you saved my life. I truly don't know how to repay you."

"I never thought of asking you to repay me," Shang Liuyu said with a special grace, as if a gentle breeze caressed one's face or soft waves lapped the shore, "and besides, we are friends."

"How can that be?" Zu An said earnestly. "How can a life-saving kindness go unreturned? Ordinary items would likely not interest you, big sister. After thinking it over, I can only offer my most precious possession."

Shang Liuyu blinked, looking utterly bewildered.

Although she didn't need him to repay her, she was still curious what his precious possession could be.

Zu An said with a solemn expression, "A life-saving kindness cannot be repaid with anything less. It seems I can only offer myself to you."

Shang Liuyu was speechless.

Zu An continued, "Since we're so familiar with each other, do you still have those jade pendants you gave me last time? Just give me ten or eight of them."

"Do you think they're cabbages?" Shang Liuyu finally couldn't stand him and gracefully left.

Rage points from Shang Liuyu: 22!

Zu An thought to himself that he was getting bolder and bolder, but it was rare to see Shang Liuyu get angry.

With the two women gone, he was the only one left in the office.

He had originally thought of looking around, seeing what the beautiful principal read in private, what she played with, and what interested her.

But recalling her previous warning, he ultimately didn't dare to move anything in the office. After all, she held a high position, and there must be many important things. It would be troublesome if he saw something he shouldn't.

The key was that he didn't want to lose her friendship because of this. He still needed to cling tightly to the beautiful principal's support, not risking a big loss for something trivial.

Just as he was about to leave, his gaze suddenly focused. He saw a few messy stockings on the sofa where the two women had just been sitting.

He figured they were left behind by Jiang Luofu and Shang Liuyu from trying on various ones.

"Aren't these 'original'?" Zu An thought. "That guy Wei Suo must dream of getting his hands on these." He thought to himself that he was just looking for an excuse to go to the Wei family.

One must know that even Old Man Mi himself didn't go to the Wei family. Zu An didn't know why, but he guessed there must be something inside that made him wary.

So, sneaking in was out of the question. If even Old Man Mi couldn't do it, Zu An knew his limits.

However, he had an advantage: his relationship with Wei Suo. He might have a chance to openly enter the Wei manor.

But he still needed a reasonable excuse; otherwise, it would easily arouse suspicion.

Staring at the stockings for a long time, Zu An ultimately gave up the idea. After all, he didn't want to be chased by the two women later for Old Man Mi's task.

Just then, Shang Liuyu suddenly hurried back. Zu An was startled. "Huh, why are you back again?" he asked.

"I dropped something," Shang Liuyu said, her face flushing. She darted forward; Zu An had never seen her move so fast.

"Found it! I'm leaving now. Remember to close the door yourself." After hastily leaving this message, Shang Liuyu had already vanished without a trace.

Zu An's eyes blurred for a moment, and the stockings on the sofa were gone.

"That was a close call!" Zu An felt incredibly lucky. If he had been possessed by a ghost and taken them just now, he wouldn't be able to clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

At the same time, he was suspicious. Why did everyone in the city say Shang Liuyu wasn't skilled in cultivation, mostly claiming she was only around Rank 4? How could that instantaneous speed just now be only Rank 4?

Leaving the office, Zu An went straight back to the Yellow Class. It had been a long time since he'd attended class, and his relationship with Wei Suo seemed to have grown quite distant.

However, when Wei Suo saw him, the overflowing admiration in his eyes made Zu An realize he had worried too much.

The two chatted casually for a few moments, and the atmosphere quickly became lively again, as if they were back at the start of the semester.

As the two were chatting animatedly, arm in arm, Wang Yuanlong suddenly appeared before them. "A'Zu," he said, "I'm hosting a banquet tonight on the top floor of the Sifang Pavilion. Firstly, to thank you for saving my life last time, and secondly, to welcome you back safely. Please do me the honor of attending."

Zu An looked troubled. "But I just made plans to eat with Wei Suo," he said.

Wang Yuanlong smiled faintly. "No matter," he said, "you can invite Brother Wei along. Miss Xie, Master Qiu, and others will also be attending this time. They are all coming because of A'Zu. You can't usually invite them. Brother Wei, don't miss such a good opportunity."

Wei Suo readily agreed. "Haha, alright," he said, "I'd be delighted."

Zu An naturally had no objection. Only then did Wang Yuanlong leave, satisfied.

After he left, Wei Suo exclaimed, "Boss is still the best, to be invited by Wang Yuanlong to the top floor of Sifang Pavilion."

Zu An was surprised. "Is there anything special about that?" he asked.

Wei Suo was about to explain when a soft, sweet voice suddenly called from outside the classroom: "A'Zu!"

Seeing the incredibly cute and soft-looking girl at the doorway, Zu An immediately ran over. "Xiao Xi!" he exclaimed.

He had something he needed to talk to her about: he needed her to help identify the bottle of medicine he had found on Chen Xuan.

Apologies, this is the only chapter today. Yesterday, I had insomnia until 4 AM and was woken up again at 7 AM. My cold from a few days ago seems to have recurred, and I truly have no energy to write today.