Chapter 145: Today, He Will Come...
Chapter 145: Today He Will Come...
The Dragon Twins felt elated over Du Fuwei's departure, finally experiencing the feeling of breaking out of a cage and returning to nature.
In a sense, Du Fuwei actually held genuine affection for the Dragon Twins. Failing to retrieve the two boys left a sense of melancholy and sorrow in the old man's heart, something Zheng Jian had actually witnessed.
However, while genuine affection was true, it was also undeniable that Du Fuwei harbored the intention of utilizing the Dragon Twins. After all, the twins were linked to the legendary "Duke Yang's Treasure," which concerned Du Fuwei's ambitions for hegemony.
In the eyes of such an overlord, sons were certainly important, but compared to the grand design of an empire, they were completely unworthy of mention.
After all, true feelings were worthless in the face of power.
Of course, this was merely Zheng Jian's speculation, since he was not Du Fuwei himself.
...
On the deck, Zheng Jian turned around to look at Dongfang Bilian, the Mistress of the Pink Pavillion, and Dugu Ce, causing both of them to instantly feel apprehensive.
"Mistress Dongfang, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling are my brothers, so I'll be taking them away now. You don't have any objections, do you?" Zheng Jian smiled.
Dongfang Bilian was momentarily stunned, then let out a charming laugh. "They are both honored guests of the Giant鲲 (Kun) Gang. They can leave whenever they wish; how could I possibly have any objections?"
Ignoring the hidden thorns in Dongfang Bilian's words, Zheng Jian turned back and said, "Splendid! Then I must thank Mistress Dongfang for taking care of my brothers during this time. We shall meet again."
Dongfang Bilian forced a smile. "Until we meet again..."
Zheng Jian waved at the Dragon Twins. "What are you dallying for? Off the ship! Let's go!"
Kou Zhong looked down; it wasn't far from the shore, just a dozen or so zhang away, and he cheered, "Let's go, Young Ling."
With that, the two foolish boys leaped straight off the ship and swam all the way toward the bank.
While laughing at their antics, Zheng Jian also leaped from the vessel, yet with a light tap of his toes on the water's surface, he drifted gracefully ashore.
On the deck, Dugu Ce watched until Zheng Jian and the other two vanished into the woods before letting out a long sigh of relief. At that moment, the entire ship seemed to warm up by a few degrees...
"Brother Ce, don't be upset. Let's think of another way, alright?" Dongfang Bilian walked over to Dugu Ce, comforting him in a low voice.
Dugu Ce desperately wanted to vent his anger, but remembering that the Giant Kun Gang was an important faction he had worked so hard to win over, he forcefully suppressed his fury and forced a smile. "I'm fine..."
...
After walking a dozen or so miles, Zheng Jian finally halted and looked back at the Dragon Twins. "What are your plans for the future?"
Hearing this, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling looked somewhat dazed, exchanging glances without knowing how to answer.
Zheng Jian felt a headache coming on. These two were still too green right now, far from the true Dragon Twins they would eventually grow into. "Very well, if you don't have any plans yet, think about them as you travel. As for me, I won't be tagging along with you."
"Brother Zheng... we've let you down..." Kou Zhong said with a trace of shame. When they parted last time, Zheng Jian had said he hoped to see some achievements from them the next time they met, but now, their growth was truly limited.
"Let you down? Kou Zhong, that doesn't sound like you at all! You two are just fledgling eagles spreading your wings; any setbacks you encounter are good for you. This magnificent world is waiting for you to conquer it," Zheng Jian smiled. "Three strikes and you're out—I've helped you twice already. Next time, you'll have to rely on yourselves. Off you go..."
"Brother Zheng, where are you going?" Kou Zhong called out.
"To the Western Heavens to fetch the scriptures!" Zheng Jian replied without looking back.
Grievance points from Kou Zhong +300.
Grievance points from Xu Ziling +100.
"What kind of answer is that?!" The Dragon Twins were dumbfounded...
...
By the time Zheng Jian returned to Hangzhou, three days had already passed.
Presently, through accumulation over this period, his grievance points in the system had reached over 76,000, leaving him less than 4,000 short of the 80,000 milestone.
Zheng Jian seemed to already catch the enticing scent of the "Heaven-Altering and Earth-Striking Mental Art"!
His greatest harvest from this trip to the Giant Kun Gang still came from Dugu Ce. Zheng Jian had relentlessly milked Dugu Ce, almost driving him to death with psychological torment in the process, and the results were magnificent. Dugu Ce alone had provided him with nearly ten thousand grievance points, making all the running around thoroughly worthwhile.
On the Fragrant Vessel, Shan Wanting held a flower branch, boredly plucking the petals while muttering to herself.
"Today he will come..." Pluck a petal.
"Today he will not come..." Pluck another.
"Today..."
As she plucked, she completely stripped the branch bare.
"Today... he will not come..." Shan Wanting muttered, and just as she was about to continue, she felt around—it was empty...
Shan Wanting stared blankly at the bare branch, her heart filled with desolation.
"Hey, Little Crystal, you wouldn't happen to be missing me, would you?" Zheng Jian's voice sounded from behind her.
Startled and overjoyed, Shan Wanting hurriedly turned around. The moment she saw Zheng Jian, she remembered something and immediately hid the branch behind her back.
"I... I am definitely not missing a big bad guy like you!" Shan Wanting stubbornly insisted, while her heart leaped with joy: *I am, I missed you, I really missed you, and I'm still missing you right now...*
Hearing this, Zheng Jian let out a melancholic sigh. "Ah, women! Saying one thing and thinking another, your hypocritical facade... Very well, since you aren't missing me, I'll be off."
Hearing this, Shan Wanting panicked instantly and blurted out, "I missed you, I missed you..."
Zheng Jian turned around and burst into laughter. "You missed me?"
Shan Wanting nodded bashfully.
The hunting time begins...
Pondering for a moment, Zheng Jian said, "Missing me is useless. I am the man you will never be able to have!"
Shan Wanting: "..." Is this even human?
Grievance points from Shan Wanting +999.
Shan Wanting thought to herself: *As expected, this guy is as annoying as ever! How could I possibly miss someone so unlovable by humans and dogs alike? Could it be that all the good men in this world have died off?*
Zheng Jian laughed heartily. "As the saying goes, ginger gets hotter the older it gets! The ancients never lie to me!"
Just as Shan Wanting was being irritated to distraction by Zheng Jian and seeing him look so smug, she immediately retorted, "But the saying my mother taught me is that the student surpasses the master! Hmph ╭(╯^╰)╮!"
Zheng Jian was momentarily stunned. This familiar feeling...
*Sudden excitement.jpg*
"What else did the saying say? Care to share another one?" Zheng Jian asked impatiently. The soul of argument within him could no longer be suppressed.
Shan Wanting curled her lips. "If you want one, you'll get one. As the saying goes, the pavilion closest to the water gets the moonlight first!"
Zheng Jian immediately countered, "No, another saying goes, the rabbit doesn't eat the grass near its burrow!"
Shan Wanting was taken aback, refusing to admit defeat. "As the saying goes, when the boat reaches the bridge, there will naturally be a way through!"
Zheng Jian mused, "And yet another saying goes, don't look back until you hit the southern wall!"
Grievance points from Shan Wanting +999.
Shan Wanting stared in astonishment at Zheng Jian. This guy was truly an ultimate arguer!
"Ora ora ora, come on, come on, give me a few more!" Zheng Jian said with a face full of anticipation. Three more 999 grievance point drops and the 80,000 mark would be reached!
Don't doubt your own grievance, Little Crystal, I believe you are a qualified tool!