Transmigrated into a Heartthrob Novel and Went OOC Chapter 100

Chapter 100

With a graceful kneel, the tea-serving maiden captured the attention of Brown chicken. It curiously approached, discovering that the tea had dampened the front half of Fang Chaozhou’s boots and a few tea leaves clung to them. It instinctively looked up at Fang Chaozhou.

Having lived with Fang Chaozhou for quite some time, it was well aware of his preference for tidiness—each discarded garment carefully folded and organized.

As the maiden knelt before him, Fang Chaozhou hesitated for a moment. He contemplated avoiding her kneeling direction, but before he could make a move, she shifted forward on her knees, effectively blocking his path. Moreover, her posture seemed to brace her against his lower leg.

“Master!” she addressed him.

Fang Chaozhou had never encountered such a posture before and was taken aback. It was just a wet shoe mishap—how had it escalated to this extent?

Hold on.

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Had they intentionally spilled tea on his foot to gauge his reaction?

If he didn’t want to progress in this third round, would it be better to appear petulant, nitpicky, and unreasonable?

After pondering for a moment, Fang Chaozhou found his own logic quite reasonable. So, he slightly shifted his posture, adopting a peculiar tone and said, “Do you have any idea how expensive these boots of mine are?”

As he spoke, he closely observed the tea-serving maiden’s reaction. When he noticed a subtle change in her expression, he became even more convinced of his hypothesis.

“You can’t afford the price of these boots, you know?”

The nearby maiden immediately proposed, “How about this, Master? Why not sit in the inner room for a while? I’ll have her clean and dry your shoes, then bring them back to you as an apology.”

Fang Chaozhou felt he hadn’t acted petty enough and quickly added, “You’ve dirtied my shoes, and you think that’s enough to dismiss me? Don’t even think about it, unless… unless you also give me an extra bag of food as compensation.”

Inside the main building.

“How’s it going? Haven’t found anyone who meets the criteria yet?”

A woman in red sat at the table, the sound of a bell continually ringing from within her palm.

The entering maiden bowed slightly, “Abbess, from yesterday until today, only three individuals have reached the third round. However, the first two have longer second toes than big toes, so they were disqualified.”

The woman in red was the newly appointed abbess of Fengyue An, Song Lianyi. Her attention was fixed on the golden bell in her hand, “What about the third one?”

The maiden hesitated before saying, “The third one… the third one refuses to take off his boots. He insists that we’re trying to trick him out of his boots.” With a hint of irritation, she added, “Why would we want that wretched man’s boots at Fengyue An? He’s got problems in his head.”

“If he’s got problems, just kick him out. Why bother wasting so much breath on him?” Song Lianyi impatiently remarked, “I just want to find someone quickly.”

“Alright, then I’ll bring him a bag of food to appease him.” The maiden was about to leave after speaking, but she was quickly halted.

“Wait, did you say bring him something?” Song Lianyi raised an eyebrow.

The maiden turned back, “Food. That man said that since we wet his shoes, we have to compensate him with food.”

Song Lianyi’s expression subtly changed. She abruptly stood up, even letting the bell she was holding fall onto the table without concern. “Food? He actually wants food?”

The maiden was puzzled, “Yes, Abbess. Is something wrong?”

Song Lianyi burst into laughter, “Nothing much. Just go and lead him to the private room in the side hall, whether it’s with a magical item or food, get him over there. I’ll change my clothes and come shortly.”

While the maiden didn’t quite understand why her abbess had suddenly changed her mind, she promptly complied. Meanwhile, Song Lianyi remained in the room, picking up the golden bell (anklet) from the table once more.

This item hasn’t even reached the auction house, and it’s already in the hands of his people. The original business of Fengyue An has expanded significantly under his management. Over the past few years, he’s tripled it in size. Any treasures meant for the auction are first reviewed by him. If he’s not interested, then they’re auctioned off.

The auction house owner had prepared the auction list and sent it over. His personnel noticed the golden bell on the list and immediately reported it to him. They also instructed the auction house owner not to auction that particular item for now.

This bell (anklet) had been placed on Fang Chaozhou’s ankle by him five years ago. The outside world was convinced Fang Chaozhou had died, yet the bell had reappeared after five years?

Notably, it had surfaced near Tian Shui Sect’s vicinity at a pawnshop.

So, Song Lianyi spent three million spirit stones to buy back this golden bell, hurried to Tian Shui Sect, and had the pawnshop owner tied up to extract the whole truth from him.

“I wouldn’t dare lie, that man indeed didn’t have any markings. He looked quite average, and since he didn’t understand the value of the items he was pawning, that’s why I…”

Song Lianyi’s voice softened, “So, you only gave him three hundred thousand spirit stones, and he left happily?”

The pawnshop owner’s face turned pale. He quickly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, “Yes… yes.”

“Can you sketch his appearance?” Song Lianyi continued to speak gently.

The pawnshop owner shook his head, “His appearance was really ordinary. I see dozens of people like that every day. It’s been quite a while since then, and I truly can’t remember. At the time, I treated him like any other customer. I… I only know he’s a disciple of Tian Shui Sect. He had their insignia hanging from his waist.”

Song Lianyi’s gaze turned ominously cold. He stood up from his seat, and the nearby maiden quickly interjected, “Abbess, should we?”

“Take it easy. Lock him up for now. Have someone disguise as this pawnshop owner and see if anyone comes asking about the bell. If they do, lock it up immediately.” After a pause, Song Lianyi added, “Don’t restrain him physically, but don’t let him leave either.”

After leaving the pawnshop, when Song Lianyi returned to the inn where he was staying, his most trusted and favored maiden sat there without saying a word. She couldn’t help but ask, “Abbess, do you think that person has come back?”

Song Lianyi looked at the golden bell in his hand and replied, “I believe it’s him. And he must be in some trouble, hence the need for secrecy.”

The maiden inquired, “Why do you think so, Abbess?”

“Tian Shui Sect hasn’t received any news of Fang Chaozhou’s return. Besides, he sold the bell I gave him. It’s enough to prove he’s in trouble and desperately in need of money. Otherwise, he wouldn’t risk selling the bell. He knew well that I could come looking for it.” With a chuckle, Song Lianyi continued, “Of course, someone like him, not too bright, would never think about the risks, let alone expect me to find out.”

The maiden pondered for a moment, “Are you absolutely sure it’s him? What if someone found Fang Chaozhou’s remains, took away the items you gave him, and then…”

Before she could finish speaking, she knelt down and pleaded, “I spoke out of turn, I babbled nonsense. I beg for your forgiveness, Abbess.”

Song Lianyi glanced at the person kneeling on the floor. “You’re as foolish as he is. Back when Zhongli Yueshui turned the waters almost upside down searching for Fang Chaozhou’s body, and still couldn’t find it, do you think anyone else could? Besides, Xue Danrong has been going to the underground demon realm every few days in the past five years. He stayed with Tian Shui Sect for a while. His whereabouts are easy to trace. However, recently, he hasn’t left Tian Shui Sect.”

He paused briefly before emitting a light laugh, “Xue Danrong hasn’t left Tian Shui Sect, yet coincidentally, someone has sold the bell. There’s no such thing as coincidence in this world.”

“But even if it’s him, Abbess, how will you find him? Hasn’t he gone into hiding?” the maiden asked.

Song Lianyi tugged at his lip, “I’m planning to inform those old fellows at Tian Shui Sect that I intend to form a partnership with one of their disciples. It’ll be a public selection, and anyone who participates will receive spirit stones.”

The maiden had a sudden realization, “Abbess, are you trying to use spirit stones to lure him out?”

“Somewhat, but not entirely. Have you ever wondered why he, knowing he’s short on money, would still go into hiding and not seek help from the sect? I remember how he was abandoned back then, and he can’t have forgotten either. Do you think he’d want to come back for revenge? If Xue Danrong hasn’t left Tian Shui Sect, it’s possible he’s already found him. By openly seeking a son-in-law, I’m telling him I can help him. Even if he doesn’t come to me, with my status and the incentive of receiving spirit stones, many people will come. He might blend in among them and risk coming to claim his reward. Even if he’s cautious and doesn’t come, once we rule out those who did come, along with those old fellows and those already partnered, the remaining individuals who didn’t show up will be easy to identify. We just need to focus on the new disciples.”

Song Lianyi lowered his gaze again, looking at the golden bell in his hand.

“It’s a bit troublesome, but we have to try.”

The maiden, quick-witted as she was, congratulated, “Congratulations, Abbess.”

“Shh.” Song Lianyi put his finger to his lips, motioning for her to be quiet. “I haven’t found him yet. Congratulate me when I do. Oh, by the way, how’s the cleanup of those fanfiction stories about Fang Chaozhou recently?”

“Rest assured, Abbess. Nowadays, aside from a few fools, no one dares to offend our Fengyue An by writing those nonsense stories. We’ve placed informants in the Abyssal Soul Sect, and in the last six months, Li Zhu only received one story. I’m already investigating its source. We’ll catch that idiot who’s demanding money and risking his life in a matter of weeks.”

Song Lianyi nodded, “Prepare yourself. We’ll head to Tian Shui Sect tomorrow.” He then looked at his fingertips and a smile formed in his eyes. “It’s been a while since I used Kou Dan. Maybe I’ll apply some today.”

Present…

Song Lianyi changed his clothes several times before reluctantly settling on an outfit. He stood in front of a full-length bronze mirror, observing his reflection. He smiled, but the smile didn’t satisfy him. He tried again, then immediately suppressed his smile, only to smile once more.

No matter how he smiled, he wasn’t pleased. Frustration grew within Song Lianyi, and he smashed the mirror in front of him with a single palm.

After shattering the mirror, he turned away with a cold expression and strode out of the room, heading towards the adjacent room in the side hall.

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