Chapter 1637: Chapter 1639: Not Simple
Seeing the steward come out, the gatekeepers were instantly overjoyed.
With the steward backing them up, they felt even more confident!
However.
Next second, they saw the steward actually walk silently over to Lu Xiaobu’s side and hand him a bottle of wine without saying a word.
From beginning to end, he didn’t say a thing.
He gave the wine, then turned around and left!
But when he was handing over the wine, Lu Xiaobu caught the doubt and shock in his eyes.
Lu Xiaobu smiled faintly and likewise said nothing.
In an instant.
The entire scene fell silent.
Everyone’s breathing grew heavy.
Zhou Shuai and Ding Leng stared at this scene in disbelief.
Giving wine?!
And doing it so openly, aboveboard, with zero attempt to hide it?!
This was good wine!
Even better than what they’d been drinking today!
What the hell is going on with this world?!
This Lin Feng ate Ji Huang’s pet, made a huge scene in the General Residence...
And in the end, nothing happened to him, and he even walked away with a bottle of wine?!
Ding Leng’s pupils shrank even harder.
He remembered now.
Before this Lin Feng left the General Residence, he’d specifically mentioned wine!
Then after walking out the gate, he hadn’t moved from the spot!
Gulp!
He swallowed a mouthful of saliva, a strange emotion flooding his heart!
All those gatekeepers who’d been running their mouths earlier were panicking, their eyes darting around uncontrollably, as if searching for some kind of backing!
Zhou Shuai and the others might not know that steward from just now, but they sure did!
There’s not just one steward in the General Residence!
The one just now was the master’s closest personal steward!
The closest personal steward had come out specifically to send this young man a bottle of wine—what did that mean?!
Thinking of the wild things they’d just said, cold sweat flowed down like little streams dripping onto the ground!
Terror!
They felt like they were dead for sure!
So one by one, they immediately turned pleading gazes toward Zhou Shuai and the other two!
Hoping these lords wouldn’t remember the offenses of petty men!
Anyone who could be personally given wine by General Ji—if he said just one word about them, it’d be heads rolling all over the ground!
They had zero doubt about that!
However, Lu Xiaobu clearly couldn’t be bothered with this bunch; he sauntered off.
Ding Leng came back to his senses and followed.
Zhou Shuai, on the other hand, glanced at the gatekeepers with some smugness and provocation: "Dog eyes looking down on people!"
The gatekeepers didn’t dare talk back, and could only humbly wait for the three to leave.
When they came, Zhou Shuai and Ding Leng had brought Lu Xiaobu in, but now it was Lu Xiaobu leading them out.
That contrast, coming and going, couldn’t have been clearer!
...
Inside the General Residence.
"How far has he gotten? You’re back this quickly?" General Ji frowned as he looked at the steward who had already returned.
"Master, he didn’t leave at all, he was right at the gate." The steward, full of shock and doubt, recounted the entire process of sending the wine.
There actually wasn’t much to say.
It was basically just him expressing how shocked he was that Lu Xiaobu had just stayed at the gate and not left.
General Ji’s eyes narrowed again: "Good kid! He’s somebody! Go, send people to investigate him!"
"Yes!"
The steward bowed and withdrew, but the shock in his eyes only grew deeper.
General Ji complimenting someone—that was a rare sight.
And he even used words like "he’s somebody"?!
If this got out, who knows how many people would have their jaws drop!
...
The three of them ignored everyone else and headed straight back toward the academy.
Zhou Shuai couldn’t help asking, "Why did General Ji give you wine?! And this kind of good wine?!"
"Maybe he appreciates me." Lu Xiaobu smiled.
"I think it’s payment." Ding Leng suddenly tossed out.
Hearing that, Lu Xiaobu actually started to look at this Ding Leng with a bit more respect.
He could see that layer—this guy wasn’t simple.
Of course, it was only that one layer.
"Payment for what?" Zhou Shuai hurriedly asked.
However, Ding Leng fell silent, giving Zhou Shuai a look that clearly said "you idiot."
Zhou Shuai’s teeth itched with anger!
Especially when he saw Lu Xiaobu giving him the same look; he was so mad he wanted to bang his head against a wall!
Back at the academy, Zhou Shuai was still in a sulk.
But the other students were all dumbfounded!
"Senior Brother Li, look! Is that Senior Brother Zhou and Senior Brother Ding?!"
"Nonsense! Who else would they be! You can’t even recognize them?"
"But... why are they following behind that guy?!"
"Holy crap! I wouldn’t have noticed if you didn’t say it!"
"My god! What’s going on?! Two Golden Core Stage geniuses walking behind a Foundation Establishment Stage guy?!"
"..."
Everyone who saw this scene was scared stupid.
These two were heaven’s favored sons!
Usually they didn’t even get along with each other; how come they were now both following a Foundation Establishment Stage guy?!
This...
Could it be that this Foundation Establishment Stage guy has some kind of magic charm?!
The rumor spread farther and wider, and more and more people came out to watch.
Zhou Shuai felt his face burning, wanting to walk up front.
But right now, Ding Leng was unmoved; if he went to the front alone, these people would just laugh at him even more, and he’d lose even more face.
So he could only gloomily follow along, pretending he hadn’t heard a word of the crowd’s comments.
Mu Qing happened to be coming out with Wen Ya, and they also saw this scene.
Immediately, Wen Ya’s jaw nearly dropped: "Oh my god! Have those two gone insane?! They don’t even get along on normal days! What is this? Who’s that guy? Is he some Young Master from some big family?!"
Mu Qing, however, fixed her gaze on Lu Xiaobu, her eyes narrowing slightly.
This guy had only been here two days, right?!
And he’d already "taken in" Zhou Shuai and Ding Leng, these two arrogant guys with their noses in the air?!
Yes, taken in!
If this person hadn’t done something that made these two proud types genuinely impressed, they would never do something like this!
But what could a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator possibly do that would shock these two who always had their eyes above their heads?!
Her gaze involuntarily fell on that somewhat tanned guy.
Zhou Shuai also noticed this scene; his face reddened even more, but it only made it more impossible for him to step forward!
People are like that: once you’ve done something embarrassing, you grit your teeth and carry it through. If you change halfway just because of others’ gazes, that’s even more embarrassing.
Having spent years fighting over face, he naturally understood this principle.
Lu Xiaobu also felt someone watching him, so his eyes moved away from the wine bottle and landed on Mu Qing.
Their gazes met.
But it wasn’t some "mutual attraction" between a gentleman and a lady; instead, sparks flew!
This woman is not simple!
Lu Xiaobu said to himself inwardly.
The last time he saw her he’d thought she was just an ordinary person, but seeing her again from this new standpoint, he immediately noticed something different.
Quite the disguise, huh!
Mu Qing didn’t hold eye contact with Lu Xiaobu for long; she simply nodded to him, then left with Wen Ya.
Lu Xiaobu also nodded slightly, warning himself inwardly to stay on guard against this woman!
