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"Hmm, it does lend you a certain unique charm."
Su Wen finished arranging her hairpin and took in the sight, his expression tinged with surprise. This jade hairpin suited Ma Xiaotao perfectly. Ning Tian's taste was razor-sharp—but did she happen to have this pin with her, or had she prepared it in advance? The coincidence was almost too perfect… Wait a minute!
Su Wen froze.
Was this all staged?!!
He cast a wary glance toward Yan Shaozhe in the distance. The old fox was chatting casually with Zhu Douluo—but under Su Wen's suspicious stare, his posture stiffened slightly, as if betraying a guilty conscience.
"Does it really look good?" Ma Xiaotao's cheeks flushed pink, her bright eyes fixed on Su Wen with hopeful anticipation.
"It looks great!" Su Wen nodded emphatically.
Her smile was even more beautiful. Those narrow, fox-like eyes could charm anyone—too bad their owner was as dense as they come, with a temperament more like a fierce leopard: fiery and straightforward.
"…"
Ning Tian watched them, a flicker of envy in her own elegant eyes. Su Wen's skill with hair ornaments was clearly practiced—this wasn't his first or second time. She looked at Ma Xiaotao and thought, Fools really do have the best luck…
Besides, Ma Xiaotao's figure completely outshone hers. With that stunning face and a knockout body, what man could possibly remain unmoved? And she was so endearingly simple… Ning Tian's eyes suddenly dimmed. I'm too clever, she thought. Could that be a mark against me?
"Ahem, Xiao Wen, is something on your mind?"
On the way back, Yan Shaozhe felt Su Wen's gaze on him and grew increasingly uneasy, as if ants were crawling all over his skin. He sidled closer, cleared his throat awkwardly, and asked the question.
"…"
Su Wen shot him a look. "Dean Yan, you didn't sell me, did you?"
"Sell you? How could I!" Yan Shaozhe protested with righteous indignation.
Su Wen just continued to stare at him.
"Ahem, Xiao Wen, you really can't blame me for this. The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect offered too much! Besides, Elder Mu knows about this and gave his approval!" Yan Shaozhe scratched his head, realizing he couldn't hide it any longer. He spilled everything—and made sure to drag Elder Mu's name into it as well.
He was terrified that Su Wen, out of resentment, would run off to the Soul Tool Department. That would truly be a case of losing the watermelon to pick up a sesame seed.
"The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect?"
Realization dawned on Su Wen. It seemed the current Sect Master was no simple character. To make such a bet… what impressive courage.
"Xiao Wen, I…" Yan Shaozhe looked ready to weep as he tried to explain, but Su Wen cut him off.
"Did this start back during our trip to the Extreme North?"
"No, not then," Yan Shaozhe shook his head. "A couple of months ago, he happened to learn you'd be heading to the Star Dou Great Forest for your third spirit ring. So, he gave the Martial Soul Department twenty million gold spirit coins to engineer an 'accidental meeting'—to deepen the bond between you two."
"How much?!!" Su Wen gaped.
"Ahem, twenty million…" Yan Shaozhe repeated.
"Then never mind," Su Wen said, his face expressionless.
He took back his previous words. This wasn't just courage; this was the work of a master strategist. My dear future father-in-law…
"Give me half of it later," Su Wen suddenly added.
"Done!" Yan Shaozhe nodded eagerly.
"Right, one more thing," Su Wen hesitated for a moment. "Dean, do you know a student in the Outer Court named Jiang Nannan?"
"Jiang Nannan? Of course, I do," Yan Shaozhe nodded. "There are only a handful of common-born disciples in the Outer Court to begin with. The girl has excellent talent and is said to be exceptionally beautiful. The line of male students courting her could stretch from the East Gate of Shrek City to the West Gate, so my impression of her is quite deep." He recalled, "Even Xu Sanshi—one of the most outstanding talents in the Outer Court—has supposedly thrown aside his family's dignity to shamelessly chase after her day and night."
Su Wen detected the slight contempt in Yan Shaozhe's tone. It made sense; in his youth, this handsome older man was a legendary philanderer who could pass through a field of flowers without a single petal clinging to him.
"I heard Jiang Nannan's family is impoverished? That her mother is gravely ill, on the brink of death?" Su Wen probed.
"There's that too?" Yan Shaozhe blinked, surprised.
"…"
Su Wen fell silent.
That confirms it.
For such a prized disciple, especially one of common birth (meaning a clean background), Su Wen didn't believe Shrek Academy would remain indifferent if they knew of her situation. It was a perfect opportunity to earn loyalty, one Yan Shaozhe would never pass up.
That left only one possibility. The only explanation was that either Jiang Nannan's pride kept her from mentioning it, or if she did, her teacher didn't take it seriously and failed to report it up the chain. This would have led Jiang Nannan to mistakenly believe the academy was unwilling to help, causing her to tragically decide to sacrifice herself to save her mother.
But now that I know…
A corner of Su Wen's mouth lifted.
There's no way I'm letting the Xuanming Sect get their way. A disciple of my Shrek Academy shouldn't be brought down by something like this.
Jiang Nannan's mother had a heart condition. The original story only said the best infirmaries in the area couldn't cure it, but whether it was truly incurable… was probably up to the Xuanming Sect. The Black Tortoise Divine Pill was likely not the only solution.
Besides, even if he couldn't find a way, he could just ask Elder Zhuang to go! A rank 95 Super Douluo, one of the top three healing-type powerhouses on the continent—would he be unable to cure a simple heart condition?
Su Wen's smile grew. And here I am, a person who just loves to do good deeds…
Meanwhile, the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's party was also heading north, crossing the Star Dou Great Forest toward the Xuanming Sect in the Heaven Soul Empire. The business trip was real, but seeing Su Wen was the real purpose, while the business meeting was merely the coincidence.
Seeing Ning Tian looking wistful all along the way, occasionally glancing behind them, Wu Feng gnashed her teeth. I'm sorry, Young Sect Master, but to save you from this fiery pit, I have no choice but to play this card…
She stealthily approached Zhu Douluo's side and whispered a few words in his ear.
Just as a triumphant smile lit up her face, Zhu Douluo gave her a strange look.
"You're a dowry maid. Why are you meddling so much?"
The air suddenly fell silent.
Wu Feng's jaw dropped. She pointed at herself in shock. "Me, a dowry maid?!!!"
"Are you not?" Zhu Douluo smiled gently. "When the Young Miss marries, won't you have to go along with her?"
Wu Feng looked like a deflating balloon. Tears welled in her eyes as she turned and walked away.
She never thought that it wouldn't just be the Young Miss, but that she would be part of the package deal!
"Sob, sob, sob…"
When she saw Ning Tian, Wu Feng couldn't hold back anymore and burst into tears.
"What's wrong?" Ning Tian was at a loss, looking at the girl who had just rushed into her arms. This child was usually so carefree. What could have upset her so much today?
"Elder Zhu… he said I have to be married off to Su Wen as your dowry maid…" Wu Feng sobbed, her pretty face streaked with tears.
"And you hate him?" Ning Tian coughed lightly.
"W-well, it's not that," Wu Feng hesitated.
(End of Chapter)