Chapter 96
The sky outside had darkened completely, with only the moonlight slowly seeping in. However, the moonlight only illuminated the contours of the objects in the classroom.
As autumn came to an end, Tian Shui Sect was devoid of the sounds of insects and birds, making it unusually quiet, especially tonight. When Fang Chaozhou got up, he felt that the rustling of his clothes seemed amplified several times over.
Standing now, he glanced at the person seated not far away. Without hesitation, he started walking towards the exit, intending to act as though he hadn’t seen anything. But before he had taken more than a step, he heard a voice.
“Where are you going?”
Xue Danrong’s voice sounded calm.
Fang Chaozhou halted his steps, slightly turning his body. His toes still pointed outward. “Going back.”
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Mbspl vos osaep prsjld, vblal oyp ds alprsdpl. Wydt Ubysgbsw zssjle yv Dwl Pydasdt yde nywvkswpzu pyke, “Mbkp ekpnkrzl kp tskdt cynj qkapv.”
Gqvla prlyjkdt, bl bwaakle vs zlyhl, yp kq yqayke vbyv vbl svbla xktbv nyvnb wr.
Wydt Ubysgbsw oyzjle pokqvzu. Gp vbl pwaaswdekdtp talo eyajla, bl vbswtbv ycswv vyjkdt swv vbl Lktbv Vlyaz Nyxr, cwv bkp pvsaytl akdt oyp xkppkdt.
Tl plyanble bkp ldvkal cseu, cwv vbl pvsaytl akdt oyp dsoblal vs cl qswde. Fsxlvkxlp bl oswze byhl plkgwalp yv dktbv dso, yde okvbswv vbl oyvla-vurl valypwalp kd bkp pvsaytl akdt, tkhld vbl pvyvl sq bkp nwaaldv ply sq nsdpnkswpdlpp, bl oswzed’v cl yczl vs ldewal.
Kwpv y xsxldv yts, bl bye vyjld swv vbl Lktbv Vlyaz Nyxr qasx bkp pvsaytl akdt. Rq vbl pvsaytl akdt oyp zspv, kv oswze byhl qyzzld lkvbla yv vbl ynyelxu sa sd vbl ryvb bl bye fwpv oyzjle.
Wydt Ubysgbsw kxxlekyvlzu alvaynle bkp pvlrp vs plyanb, cwv vblal oyp ds pktd sq kv yzsdt vbl oyu. Tl plyanble yzz vbl oyu vs vbl ynyelxu, yde sdzu sdl rzynl oyp zlqv—
Mbl nzyppassx oblal bl bye pzlrv clqsal.
Lsv sdzu eke bkp pvsaytl akdt nsdvykd vbl oyvla-vurl valypwalp bl bye pvsale, cwv kv yzps blze vbl 500,000 prkakv pvsdlp bl bye scvykdle fwpv ulpvlaeyu. Rq vbl pvsaytl akdt oyp zspv, rknjle wr cu psxlsdl lzpl, yde vbl plyzp olal alxshle, bl oswze clnsxl y nsxrzlvlzu kxrshlakpble qlzzso, okvb sdzu y qlo eyup zlqv vs zkhl.
He had promised to take the Brown Chicken for something delicious just last night.
With these thoughts in mind, Fang Chaozhou gritted his teeth, quietly reached the back door of the classroom, pulled it open, and cautiously stuck his head inside.
Seemed like there was no one.
He surveyed the entire classroom, moving his gaze around, but he didn’t see anyone else.
Fang Chaozhou immediately entered the classroom. He walked to the spot where he had slept before, and due to the dim lighting, he needed to crouch down to feel around. He searched the sleeping area thoroughly but found nothing.
Fang Chaozhou’s gaze fell on the table beside him. He bent over, reaching his hand under the table. This posture wasn’t conducive to searching, so he simply lowered his upper body, propping up his buttocks to continue searching.
As he diligently searched for the storage ring, he heard another sound.
The soft sound of boots on wooden planks, faint but clearly audible in this environment, particularly as Fang Chaozhou’s face was close to the floor.
Because of that sound, Fang Chaozhou froze in place. Just when he was beginning to think he had misheard, the sound drew nearer, closer and closer.
In that instant, Fang Chaozhou’s body became even more rigid. He wasn’t sure whether he should keep searching for the storage ring now. In any case, remaining under the table seemed inappropriate, but if he crawled out, he would face the approaching person directly. However, his current position was rather awkward.
Thus, Fang Chaozhou made a concerted effort to gradually lower his raised buttocks until he was fully lying on the ground, only his upper body beneath the table. In this position, he resembled a turtle with its head hidden inside its shell, leaving only its tail exposed.
But even this “hidden head turtle” action failed to prevent him from being discovered.
“What are you doing?”
It was Xue Danrong’s voice.
At the same time, Fang Chaozhou sensed the surroundings brightening a bit. It seemed Xue Danrong had lit a lamp.
Fang Chaozhou silently clenched his lips and slowly maneuvered out from under the table. His movements were slow, as if he was highly reluctant to emerge. However, no matter how slow, there would always be a time to come out. Fang Chaozhou emerged from beneath the table. As he raised his head, he saw Xue Danrong holding a bronze lamp.
Xue Danrong’s clothing was almost uniformly colored, either the attire of a Tian Shui Sect disciple or a snow robe. Coupled with the distant look in his eyes, he always seemed cold and unapproachable.
However, the dim candlelight cast a warm glow upon Xue Danrong, softening that sense of distance.
Fang Chaozhou locked eyes with Xue Danrong. Due to nervousness, he unconsciously swallowed. “I… I…”
“Looking for this?” Xue Danrong spread out the hand that hadn’t been holding the bronze lamp.
Upon seeing this gesture, Fang Chaozhou immediately stood up. The object lying still in Xue Danrong’s palm was none other than the storage ring he had lost.
“Yes, I didn’t expect Teacher to find it. Thank you, Teacher.” Fang Chaozhou quickly reached out to take the storage ring, but the moment his fingers touched it, his hand was also gripped.
Xue Danrong held his hand and the storage ring together. Because of this item, their fingertips were pressed closely against each other.
Fang Chaozhou’s eyes flickered with astonishment. He wanted to pull his hand away, but as he moved, Xue Danrong spoke again.
“This storage ring, I seem to have seen it somewhere before.”
This sentence left Fang Chaozhou rooted in place.
Xue Danrong had taken off his storage ring before, during their dual cultivation.
“Where could it be?” Xue Danrong looked down at the hand he held, then slowly raised his gaze, his eyes fixing on Fang Chaozhou who was visibly tense. “I can’t quite recall.”
After a long while, Fang Chaozhou managed to force a smile. “Storage rings on the market often look similar. It’s natural for Teacher to find it familiar.”
Xue Danrong remained silent, only staring at Fang Chaozhou.
Sometimes, silence was more terrifying than words. It was just like now. Fang Chaozhou’s mind was filled with thoughts like “I’m done, I’ve been found out, Xue Danrong must have realized I’m the one who poisoned him and forced him into dual cultivation.”
“What will he do to me? I haven’t been to Zhichun Island for so long, Xue Danrong must have realized the poison wasn’t real!”
“I’m done.” Those last three words appeared glaringly in his mind.
Fang Chaozhou closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I admit…”
“Did you also lose your storage ring last time?” Xue Danrong’s words suddenly broke the silence, causing Fang Chaozhou to pause.
Xue Danrong spread his hand again. “I found a storage ring here last time, but since I didn’t know whose it was, I left it where it was. Was it you last time as well?”
Fang Chaozhou felt the hand that had been clutching his heart release its grip. “Yes, it was me. I didn’t expect the Teacher to find it last time, too. I’m truly grateful to Teacher.”
While speaking, he took the storage ring and put it back on his finger.
But just as he put it on, he heard Xue Danrong’s next words.
“Liar.”
Fang Chaozhou once again froze in place.
“I didn’t find any storage ring last time,” Xue Danrong’s voice was very gentle. “Do you know what the punishment is for deceiving your Shifu?”
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XD really enjoying this didn't he 🤣 … Coupled with heartache maybe, because FC, instead of asking for his help genuinely, just keep on trying to deceive him 🥲
Hahahaha. Imagine that. I mean, FC doesn't even have to beg. XD is probably aching to tell him the truth. FC is driving him crazy!!!