Chapter 264 - It’s Not What It Looks…
Chapter 264: It’s Not What It Looks…
Translator: Noodletown Translated Editor: Noodletown Translated
Hao Ren remained silent while he continued helping Zhao Hongyu cook, and Zhao Hongyu turned her attention back to the cooking, working smoothly with Hao Ren.
When the dinner was almost ready, Zhao Yanzi and Zhao Guang returned. Due to the tense situation with West Ocean, Zhao Guang had been personally driving Zhao Yanzi to and from school in the last couple of days. He had arranged some elders to patrol around LingZhao Middle School as well.
“Mom, today’s dinner smells especially good!” In her blue school uniform, Zhao Yanzi skipped into the kitchen.
“Hehe, with Ren’s help, I had more time to add the dishes delicate,” Zhao Hongyu answered with a smile.
“Well! It’s his duty to help!” Zhao Yanzi pouted and rolled her eyes at Hao Ren.
Hao Ren smiled helplessly. He guessed that Zhao Yanzi’s good mood was due to Zeng Yitao’s absence at school.
“Tonight’s dinner smells good.” Even Zhao Guang praised in a loud voice from the living room.
“Of course! I picked the dishes!” Zhao Yanzi skipped out of the kitchen joyously.
She was extremely pleased when she heard that Zeng Yitao dropped to a lower realm in cultivation, but she didn’t realize the consequences of the incident.
“Ok! dinner is ready!” Zhao Hongyu walked out of the kitchen carrying two dishes.
Zhao Hongyu skipped over and picked up two slices of pork with her fingers and put them into her mouth.
“You greedy little cat!” Placing the dishes on the table, Zhao Hongyu patted Zhao Yanzi’s forehead lightly, and Zhao Yanzi stuck out her tongue at her mom.
Then, Hao Ren walked out with another two dishes.
“There’s soup in there. Do something useful and go get it!” Zhao Hongyu reached out and pinched Zhao Yanzi’s nose.
“Ok! Ok!” Zhao Yanzi strode into the kitchen and carried a big bowl of soup out of the kitchen.
Seeing her clumsy movements, Hao Ren knew she rarely did housework and was afraid that she would drop the bowl.
Putting down the newspaper, Zhao Guang walked to the dinner table and sat down.
“Let’s eat!” Zhao Hongyu took off her apron and exhaled deeply. Obviously, she put in the effort every day to cook the delicious dishes.
After putting the big bowl of soup on the table, Zhao Yanzi blew at her fingers to cool them down; her clumsy and cute movements made her look like a bunny.
“Ren! Sit down for dinner. You worked for more than half an hour with me.” Zhao Hongyu pulled Hao Ren to sit down at the table.
Hao Ren looked across the table at Zhao Guang and asked, “Uncle, is there any news about West Ocean?”
“Oldman Zeng came with 16 senior elders, and they are staying in a hotel in East Ocean City. For now, there’s nothing serious,” Zhao Guang said.
“That old man came? It doesn’t bode well if he’s here, right?” Zhao Yanzi picked up her chopsticks and asked.
“Put your mind to study; don’t worry about other stuff,” Zhao Guang said with a stern expression.
Zhao Yanzi wrinkled her nose in displease. “What? Hao Ren can participate in East Ocean’s business and I can’t?” she thought.
“Today, I went to Elder Sun’s martial arts dojo, and the power of the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll is getting greater,” Hao Ren reported.
“Good. The cultivation process can’t be rushed.” Zhao Guang nodded.
He saw that Hao Ren had advanced from Li-level to Zhen-level, but he didn’t mention it because he didn’t want Hao Ren to get too proud. Besides, in Zhao Guang’s eyes, the fact that Hao Ren had reached Zhen-level wouldn’t help the current situation.
“Also, Little White is more powerful than before as well,” Hao Ren continued.
“Little White?” Zhao Yanzi’s eyes lit up as she looked up. “It’s been a while since I last saw it!”
Vaguely hearing Zhao Yanzi’s voice, Little White got agitated in the necklace.
Hao Ren opened the hidden space and released Little White from it.
“Haha! Little White!” Zhao Yanzi put down her chopsticks and picked it up.
It seemed she liked Little White far more than Hao Ren.
“Zi! You haven’t finished your dinner yet!” Zhao Hongyu knocked on the table to remind Zhao Yanzi.
“Mom, give Little White something to eat!” Ignoring Zhao Hongyu’s ‘warning,’ Zhao Yanzi lifted Little White up high.
Little White was very cool with its snow-white fur and golden paws.
Zhao Yanzi teased it before tossing it up into the air.
With sparks of flames bursting from its paws, Little White began to fly around the spacious living room.
When its paws were enveloped in flames, its mouth opened and spat out sparks of fire. It was a magnificent sight.
This instantly attracted Zhao Hongyu and Zhao Guang’s attention. They wondered, “Is it really only an ordinary Bin-level spirit beast? It could use such power in its mini form.”
“Little White, transform!” As if she was training a lion in the circus, Zhao Yanzi patted Little White’s back a little when it flew back to her.
Bang! It immediately turned into a normal-sized snow lion with golden paws, long fur, and crystal-like black eyes. It was 100 times more majestic than the stone lion statues in front of the gates of big companies.
“Ahh!” Zhao Hongyu looked at Little White and gasped
Zhao Yanzi said proudly, “Mom, I told you that Little White is great!”
Zhao Hongyu pursed her lips and looked at Zhao Yanzi in disapproval. “Look at the carpet!”
Zhao Yanzi looked at Little White’s paws and found that they had burned four big holes in her mom’s precious carpet.
“Little White! Little White!” Hao Ren waved his hand at it immediately.
Oblivious to the damage it caused, Little White shrunk and withdrew the flames before jumping into Hao Ren’s arms.
“Mom! It didn’t do it on purpose…” Zhao Yanzi defended it.
“Ok! Go on with your meal.” Zhao Hongyu signed helplessly. Compared with Little White, Zhao Yanzi had damaged much more stuff when she was little. She was used to the damages in the house.
Meanwhile, Zhao Guang stared at Little White in Hao Ren’s arms and asked after a few seconds of consideration, “Which level is it on now?”
“It should be level 1,” Hao Ren said.
Little White wriggled in Hao Ren’s arms, knowing that it has caused trouble. It tried to get into Hao Ren’s necklace, but it couldn’t get in since Hao Ren didn’t open the space.
“Since the red flames it spat out had a faint gold in them, I think they are not ordinary flames. The internal fires of spirit beasts are demon fires that can be used to make elixirs,” Zhao Guang said.
Ever since Hao Ren took back hundreds of level 10 godly elixir pills from the Nine Dragon Palace, Zhao Guang had begun to regard elixirs as one of the most important strategic resources. However, the godly elixir pills had too much energy and couldn’t be taken in large doses, and they took a long time to digest. If East Ocean and West Ocean started the war, the elixir pills on and above level 3 were very important.
“Making elixirs?” Hao Ren was interested. The only time he witnessed the process of elixir making was when Little Daoist Zhen made the pills to save Zhao Kuo’s life. He had seen the miraculous effect of elixirs with his own eyes.
As to the elixirs Elder Xing Yue made for Su Han, they were ordinary herb medicines.
In fact, the real form of Little Daoist Zhen was a demon beast that had activated its intelligence. That was why the fire it spat could be used to make elixirs.
“Making elixirs with the fire Little White spits… Well, I may try it someday.”
“With one tug of its tail, it would spit small-scale fires; with two tugs, it would spit middle-scale fires; and three tugs, it would spit large-scale fires. It is almost as easy as turning on the fire on a gas stove!” Hao Ren thought to himself.
“I brought it up because we have a great dharma treasures master in the East Ocean, but we need a good elixir master. Little Daoist Zhen is interested in making dharma treasures. Although he can make elixirs, he rarely does it since it takes more time and effort,” Zhao Guang said.
“Especially making large quantities of low-level elixir pills; Little Daoist Zhen wouldn’t lower himself to make them,” Zhao Hongyu added.
“I suppose that making elixirs is like cooking; you just put the materials in the pot and control the fire, and then it will be done!” Zhao Yanzi interrupted.
Zhao Hongyu glanced at her but didn’t find the energy to correct her.
After dinner, Zhao Hongyu urged Zhao Yanzi to go upstairs for the tutoring session. Hao Ren followed her up to continue teaching her geometry.
Zhao Yanzi opened her bag and took out her homework booklets one by one; reluctance was written all over her face.
She didn’t think it was a big deal when she heard that Oldman Zeng had come to East Ocean City with 16 elders. If the East Ocean Dragon Palace was considered the home base for the East Ocean Dragon Clan in the ocean, then East Ocean City would be the home base of the East Ocean Dragon Clan on land. In her mind, people from West Ocean were not powerful enough to cause trouble on East Ocean’s territory.
After she finished her homework as fast and rough as she could, she turned and reached out her hands with her palms facing upward.
Hao Ren took out the test paper from his bag and placed it in her palms.
Zhao Yanzi took it and reached out her hands again.
“What?” Hao Ren was confused.
“I spent all my pocket money on snacks.” She waved her hands.
“Why don’t you ask your parents for money?” Hao Ren glanced at her.
“You had to ask?” Zhao Yanzi squinted her eyes with a pout.
“I can loan you some money, but you must work hard during the tutoring sessions.” Hao Ren pulled out his wallet.
“You are giving me money not loaning.” She took his wallet from his hand and took out three 100-yuan bills. “I won’t take a lot; 300 is enough!”
The corners of Hao Ren’s mouth twitched as he thought, “I only have 400 yuan in there, and you took 300! And you called that ‘not a lot’?”
In fact, Zhao Yanzi had her own problems. Since Zhao Guang and Zhao Hongyu wanted her to live frugally, they gave her very little pocket money each month. However, she loved snacks and sneaked out of the school to buy them during lunch break every day. Also, she loved shopping with Ling and couldn’t resist the pretty stuff that caught her eye. That was why her pocket money always ran out before the next month came.
If her Third Uncle hadn’t given her hundreds of yuan each time he saw her, her pocket money couldn’t have supported her lifestyle. Now that Zhao Kuo was out of East Ocean City, her funds were getting quite tight. After she bought a 500-yuan gift for Ling’s birthday last week, she was now penniless.
“You must control your spending habits…” Hao Ren began to lecture her.
Zhao Yanzi covered her ears and wouldn’t listen.
Exasperated, Hao Ren took out his cell phone and dug out a picture.
When he placed the cell phone in front of her, Zhao Yanzi’s eyes widened while her lips twitched. Immediately, she tried to grab onto the phone.
In the photo, she was lying on her belly in bed, her head rested on the test paper hand-written by Hao Ren, and she drooled and wetted half of the paper!
She couldn’t leave such a damaging picture in Hao Ren’s cell phone.
Hao Ren lifted the cell phone abruptly, and Zhao Yanzi didn’t grab onto it. With such a picture on his cell phone, he would be able to make Zhao Yanzi do what he told her.
Thud!
Hao Ren’s wooden chair tipped backward.
Zhao Yanzi didn’t get the phone, but the momentum sent her onto Hao Ren’s chest. She fell with him.
“Well! You are supposed to be having a tutoring session. What are you doing?” Zhao Hongyu had come up to check up on Zhao Yanzi. Hearing the loud sound coming from Zhao Yanzi’s room, she pushed the door open
She saw Hao Ren lying on the floor with ‘frightened’ eyes while Zhao Yanzi laid on his chest; her lips almost touched Hao Ren’s.
“Ugh…” Zhao Hongyu froze at the sight.
Zhao Yanzi turned her head and saw Zhao Hongyu.
Immediately, her face flushed as red as blood.
“Mom, it was him…” Zhao Yanzi pointed at Hao Ren on the floor and suddenly choked back her words.
If Zhao Hongyu saw the picture, she would know that Zhao Yanzi had been sleeping while Hao Ren was tutoring her. It would be a disaster.
“Him? What about him?” Zhao Hongyu walked into the room and asked.
“No… Nothing.” Zhao Yanzi stood up with a red face.
Hao Ren cleared his throat and stood up from the floor. He took the picture last night just for fun and didn’t expect that Zhao Yanzi would react so violently and cause such a big upheaval.
“Go back to your studies.” Exasperated, Zhao Hongyu turned and left the room.
Looking at Zhao Hongyu, Zhao Yanzi knew her mother got the wrong idea. With a flushed face, she wanted to explain herself but didn’t know how.
She touched her mouth and couldn’t remember if their lips had touched or not.
When Zhao Hongyu was out of the room, Zhao Yanzi’s flush began to decrease. After a moment of consideration, she turned to look at Hao Ren. “Did we… or not?” she asked.
“What?” Hao Ren looked at her in bafflement. It was difficult to understand what she said.
Seeing Zhao Yanzi touching her lips, Hao Ren touched his own involuntarily.
“Well? Did we?” Zhao Yanzi frowned anxiously.
Hao Ren finally understood what she had been trying to say.
The fall was so sudden, and Zhao Hongyu walked in so abruptly. In the panicky flurry, he didn’t notice if their lips touched or not.
“Maybe we did…?” Hao Ren answered after a few seconds of hesitation.
“Really?” Zhao Yanzi wrinkled her nose and furrowed her brows in embarrassment.
“What should we do then?” Hao Ren asked her.
“What can we do?!” Zhao Yanzi glared at him. “You took my first kiss! You evil uncle!”
Seeing her violent reaction, Hao Ren laughed.
Since Hao Ren laughed, Zhao Yanzi looked at him suspiciously. “Well? We didn’t?”
Inhaling deeply, Hao Ren looked at her. “Do you want the answer to be yes or no?”
“I…” Zhao Yanzi paused for half a second. “Of course I want the answer to be no!”
“Well, then the answer is no.” Hao Ren pushed the test paper on the table toward her.