Chapter 130: You’re a Fan? I Don’t Do Autographs.
Chapter 130: Chapter 130: You’re a Fan? I Don’t Do Autographs.
"I know you’re awake."
Without letting her feign unconsciousness any longer, Lu Wu helped her up and into a chair.
The kidnapper had no choice but to open her eyes. Though she was awake, her body was still weak, and she couldn’t circulate her Spiritual Power.
Worse, a male cultivator with a slightly higher cultivation level stood before her. She didn’t stand a chance.
When she got a clear look at Qin Zhan’s face, she was rather surprised.
"You’re Heavenly Wind Taoist’s disciple?"
She had exposed his identity.
"Are you my fan? No autographs!"
Qin Zhan blurted out a refusal.
For a moment, the three of them in the kitchen were struck silent. In the end, it was Qin Zhan who broke the quiet.
"How did you recognize me?"
He was curious. Was he really so famous now that just anyone could recognize him?
’The hottest star is right here.’
"My master mentioned you."
The kidnapper answered truthfully.
’She realized she’d misunderstood her master. Qin Zhan already had a master of his own; he wasn’t going to try and steal hers.’
Seeing the kidnapper’s somewhat distant gaze, Lu Wu suddenly asked a question.
"Who is your master?"
"My master is the Yuanhai City Lord, Dan Ji."
The kidnapper answered reflexively, her tone full of pride. It was clear she was very pleased with her status.
Quick question, quick answer. It caught her off guard.
’But hearing that name shattered all my theories.’
’Why would the City Lord’s disciple kidnap me?’
’Was it to stop me from selling pancakes in Yuanhai City?’
’Are the city patrols in Yuanhai City really that strict?’
Realizing she’d exposed her master, Shan Hanzhi grew frantic. "This was all my doing! It has nothing to do with my master! She doesn’t know anything! If you have a problem, take it up with me!"
She was taking full responsibility.
The kidnapper was surprisingly honorable.
"Ohh~"
It was Qin Zhan who let out an "ohh" of sudden realization.
"You’re Shan Hanzhi, right?"
Shan Hanzhi, the genius orphan taken in by Dan Ji. Her talent was so profound that even he had heard of her, despite her not having entered a major sect for cultivation.
"It is."
Shan Hanzhi answered reluctantly.
She bit her lip lightly, a blush creeping across her cheeks from a mix of shame and vexation.
A flustered beauty was a sight to behold.
SLURP!
Lu Wu gulped, sternly refusing to fall for the other woman’s honey trap.
"So, why did you kidnap me?"
’The City Lord’s disciple shouldn’t be some sinister villain. And I haven’t done anything to offend the City Lord’s family.’ ’
’It’s just a small stall, a small business. It can’t be because of that, can it?’
"To have you make pancakes."
"I just wanted to know why my master has refused to eat anything but your pancakes for the past few days."
Shan Hanzhi gritted her teeth as she spoke.
Her master’s meals were always prepared and balanced by top-tier chefs. But recently, she’d been acting completely out of character, gnawing on those stupid pancakes every single day.
The crucial part was that when she inquired about them, she discovered the pancakes had a suspicious origin.
Seeing Dan Ji show Lu Wu such favor, she couldn’t help but let her imagination get the better of her.
As someone with a serious case of master-worship, Shan Hanzhi couldn’t stand it, so she abducted Lu Wu.
"So you thought I was some kind of ’other disciple’ your master took on the side?"
Lu Wu pointed at her own face, utterly speechless.
’Me, with my trash-tier aptitude, becoming the "other woman" in the world of disciples? I have to admit, she’s got a wild imagination.’
Seeing Lu Wu get lost in an inappropriate fantasy, Shan Hanzhi snorted.
"Don’t even think about it! My master would never be interested in you."
’Her master would only ever have one disciple: her.’ ’
’She would be devoted to her master for her entire life. No one else could even think about getting involved.’
The clash between the two women was fascinating. Qin Zhan watched with great relish, but he couldn’t help but feel the subtext was... not exactly straight.
Definitely not straight.
Once they talked it out and realized they were all "family," Lu Wu couldn’t very well keep her restrained, so she handed over the antidote.
After a bout of coughing, the drug’s effects wore off.
Shan Hanzhi stretched her limbs. Instead of leaving, she glanced around the kitchen, her eyes lingering on the utensils.
"Consider the contents of the storage bag my ransom. It’s all yours."
That was music to Lu Wu’s ears.
"Then it’s a deal! Qin Zhan, you’re my witness!"
’I’m rich!’
Seeing Lu Wu’s greedy expression, Shan Hanzhi’s eyes darted around for a moment before she spoke shyly.
"About those pancakes... could you make a few more?"
"I want to take some back for my master."
Of course, she planned to eat just a little bit herself on the way back.
’After all, the pancakes were just that good.’
The moment she’d tasted the pancake, she’d understood her master’s strange behavior over the past few days.
’You really couldn’t blame her master.’
’Aside from giving up her position as the sole disciple, she was willing to promise Lu Wu anything.’ ’
’As long as she would keep making pancakes for her.’
When all was said and done, it still came back to pancakes. Lu Wu thought about the Spiritual Artifacts and Spirit Stones she’d seen in the storage bag, and her heart fluttered with excitement.
"Boss Lu, my master sent over his compensation payment as well."
Qin Zhan held out his hand. With a flash of light, a storage bag appeared in his palm.
"My master said the items on the left are your compensation. With the items on the right, he’s hoping to trade for some pancakes."
As the elder leading the group for the tournament, Heavenly Wind Taoist couldn’t just leave the grounds.
Lu Wu peeked inside.
There was a hefty amount of Spirit Stones on both sides.
’If I have to make enough pancakes to pay for all this, my arm will fall off before I’m done.’
Lu Wu fretted.
’A mountain of gold was right in front of her, but what could she do if she didn’t have the strength to carry it home?’
"I told my master the pancakes were one hundred Spirit Stones each."
His master was loaded and didn’t even question it.
"I get it," said Lu Wu, picking up on his cue immediately. "I’ll give you a cut later."
Ten times the price for a single pancake? Lu Wu could live with that. She rolled up her sleeves and got right to work.
This time, Shan Hanzhi dropped her bandit-queen attitude. She stood to the side, looking awkward and constrained, afraid of disturbing Lu Wu’s work.
"Is all the food Boss Lu sells at her stall this delicious?"
Watching the pancakes take shape under Lu Wu’s hands, Shan Hanzhi, a certified kitchen disaster, truly couldn’t comprehend how the sticky batter could be so obedient, transforming into thin, crispy, and fragrant pancakes.
"The pancakes aren’t even her best dish. You should have tried the skewers she used to make!"
When it came to this topic, Qin Zhan was wide awake.
As one of Lu Wu’s most loyal customers, he had tried all of her culinary creations and could speak about them with the authority of a connoisseur.
Her ears were filled with Qin Zhan’s lavish praise, and her nose with the fragrant aroma of the pancakes.
Shan Hanzhi began to reflect on her actions.
’She shouldn’t have been so rough with Boss Lu.’
’From now on, Boss Lu, a woman who could create such delicacies, was her new idol.’
"Boss Lu, I’m sorry!"
As Lu Wu handed the pancakes over to Shan Hanzhi, she received a sincere apology.
"It’s alright, it’s alright."
’Was she going to mention that she’d been clutching a few top-grade Elixir Pills and talismans the whole time? That if she’d sensed Shan Hanzhi was about to kill her, she would’ve popped an Elixir Pill for a buff and then used her [I have a sword] move to deal explosive damage?’
’She could still put up a bit of a fight now.’
In the end, they buried the hatchet, a happy conclusion for all.
Having received Lu Wu’s forgiveness, Shan Hanzhi’s smile grew even sweeter.
"Boss Lu, after the tournament is over, let me show you around Yuanhai City! I know all the best spots. I’ll be your guide, I promise you’ll have a great time!"
She looped her arm through Lu Wu’s, cooing.
The previous hostility in her eyes was replaced by pure sweetness. It was this exact attitude that set off alarm bells in Qin Zhan’s head.
!!!
’You won’t let anyone take your place as her disciple, but I’m supposed to let you take my place as the resident gofer?’
’Let go of Boss Lu! Let me do it!’