Chapter 47
Chapter 16.2 – The Fake Boyfriend Plan
Secretly, in his mind, Nian Bing said, ‘You obviously received this news from Li De. You’re just asking me because you don’t trust me.’ " I came from a small place and haven’t seen much of the world, as you already know. And so, during these days when they sealed the city,I didn’t know what was happening. I have a friend who lives in the city who runs a metal shop. I stayed there for a couple of days."
"Metal shop? I know most of the big weaponry shops in the city. Which one was it?" Long Zhi continued to question him. A little sharpness slipped from his speech.
Nian Bing smiled a bit and said, "You definitely won’t be familiar with it. It’s a very small metalware shop called Shui Huo Metal Shop. Usually, there are very few customers. The industry’s compet.i.tion is very intense; it’s not a good life."
"Shui Huo Metal Shop?" Long Ling smiled and could not help but giggle. Laughing in spite of herself, she said, "With this name, how could his business be good? You should advise him to change it."
Nian Bing echoed, "That’s right! I also told her that, but she is very stubborn. No matter what I said, she would not change it. I also don’t know what to do. I’m also not very close to her, so it’s not good to say too much."
Long Zhi put down his chopsticks. He smiled slightly then said, "Okay, you guys eat. This noon, I drank a little. Additionally, dealing with the sealing of the city for these few days was tiring, so I will first go rest. Ling’er, s.h.i.+ Jiu, take good care of Nian Bing. He’s already been a.s.signed his lodgings, so bring him there. Nian Bing, the a.s.sociation will not restrict your freedom, but I want you to stay here for a few days to pay special attention to your cultivation."
Nian Bing hastily nodded his head in response. He stood, watching Long Zhi leave. He knew that he had already temporarily pa.s.sed a test, but Long Zhi would most definitely dispatch a person to investigate Shui Huo Metal Shop. Feng Nu was smart; there should be no way she would slip up in her speech. His mind relaxed a bit after thinking this. Finally, he was in the mood to eat. The flavor of the vegetable and meat dishes were very plain, but to a hungry Nian Bing, they were satisfactory.
s.h.i.+ Jiu finally opened his mouth for the first time. "Nian Bing, what are you planning to do from now on? Do you want to stay at the a.s.sociation to cultivate, or do you want to go out and learn from experience?" s.h.i.+ Jui emphasized the words "learning from experience" very strongly.
Nian Bing filled his mouth with food and replied very vaguely, "I still have not put much thought into it. However, I definitely will stay at the library for some more days. Afterwards, ask me again."
s.h.i.+ Jiu spoke with loathing, "How low cla.s.s. Don’t tell me you didn’t know that eating while talking with people is rude?"
Nian Bing knew that he was deliberately attacking himself, but he also did not mind it. He chewed the food stuffed in his mouth and swallowed it down, saying, "I’m really sorry. I came from a small place, so I don’t understand much about etiquette. From now on, please let me ask Big Brother s.h.i.+ Jiu for more teaching." His face adopted an expression as if he was in reverence of his majesty. In his heart, he secretly sneered. It was too easy to handle s.h.i.+ Jiu’s nasty character.
Long Ling said, "Senior brother, don’t blame Nian Bing. From now on, we will teach him these things. Nian Bing, eat a little more. It seems your ordinary days were filled with hards.h.i.+p."
In this weird atmosphere, the meal was finally finished. s.h.i.+ Jiu mocked and ridiculed Nian Bing from time to time, and Long Ling
"Big Brother s.h.i.+ Jiu, Ling’er, I’ve finished eating. You see……" Nian Bing looked at s.h.i.+ Jiu with a guileless expression.
Long Ling stood up, saying, "Let’s go. I will lead the way. Right now, the a.s.sociation’s meals are becoming worse and worse. Nian Bing, on another day, I will bring you to the Pure Wind House to eat. The food there is very delicious.
s.h.i.+ Jiu also stood up, a little intoxicated. He looked at Long Ling and said, "Junior sister, you go back and rest. I will take Nian Bing."
Long Ling did not persist. Smiling slightly, she said, "I will trouble you then, Senior brother. Nian Bing is new. If there is something he doesn’t understand, teach him."
s.h.i.+ Jiu looked at Nian Bing deeply. s.h.i.+ Jiu gave Long Ling a small smile and said, "Relax junior sister; I will. Nian Bing, let’s go."
Nian Bing bid farewell to Long Ling and left the dining hall with s.h.i.+ Jiu. On the road, s.h.i.+ Jiu did not speak a word. He led Nian Bing to the mage lodgings. As a dormitory, the living area’s spire was not too big. Upon entering the corridor, Nian Bing began his careful observation. Here, there were about 50 rooms, just as Magic Scholar Li De had said. Only people who have cultivated to Great Mage could be a.s.signed to live here.
s.h.i.+ Jiu led Nian Bing directly to the corridor’s important place. s.h.i.+ Jiu pulled out a silver key and opened the door, then turned to look at Nian Bing and said, "Here it is."
Nian Bing measured the room as soon as he entered it.. It was divided into two rooms. The outer room was approximately 20 square meters, and one three-person sofa and two single-person sofas were placed there. The room appeared very fresh and clean. The floor was made of wood planks – walking on them produced a soft sound. At the entrance to the outer room was a 6 or 7 square meter bathroom which included the materials used for was.h.i.+ng. There were more than 10 square meters and had a wide, large bed that looked very comfortable. The magic lanterns in the room let out a soft yellow light. It really was a room suited to cozy living.
s.h.i.+ Jiu closed the door, walked to the sofa, and sat down. "There is a twenty-four hour hot water supply here, so you can wash whenever you want to. Eating is done at the dining hall outside. Furthermore, at the right side of the entrance, is a big canteen that serves as the public dining room. Of course, you can also call underlings to bring you food to your room to eat. If you need something, press the magic b.u.t.ton on the wall." While talking, he gestured at the red b.u.t.ton on the side wall.
Nian Bing said in his mind, ‘As expected, it is worthy of being in the Mage a.s.sociation. All of the facilities are made for establis.h.i.+ng foundations. My current Great Mage treatment is really not bad.’
s.h.i.+ Jiu pointed at the sofa at the side and said to Nian Bing, "Sit. I have some things I want to say to you."
Nian Bing, of course, knew what he wanted to say, but he kept a blank look on his face. He sat on the sofa next to s.h.i.+ Jiu. s.h.i.+ Jiu did not look at him and blankly said, "Nian Bing, after entering the a.s.sociation, your status has already changed, but you are still a newbie after all.The best choice is for you to focus all of your energy on magic cultivation. Don’t think about other things. You especially should not get close to the people you shouldn’t get close to. I have already lived here for 20 years, so I’m much more familiar with things here compared to you. This is a piece of advice you best listen to, so no problems occur.
Nian Bing secretly smiled in his heart, but his mouth said, "Big Brother s.h.i.+ Jiu, I don’t understand what you mean. Right, I still have not thanked you for introducing me into the a.s.sociation. If it had not been for your and Miss Ling’er’s help, I’m afraid that the a.s.sociation wouldn’t be as easy to enter."
s.h.i.+ Jiu leaned on the back of the sofa and boasted shamelessly, "You know, in the a.s.sociation, though I may not be a Magic Scholar, I have a position close to that of a Magic Scholar. As for Ling’er, Master has high hopes for her. She is putting majority of her energies into cultivation. If everything’s all right, you should not go find her too often, do you understand? Ling’er and I grew up together since childhood. From now on, she will inevitably be my wife. I don’t want many men approaching her." Seeing Nian Bing looking dull, s.h.i.+ Jiu finally could not help but speak his truth.
Nian Bing suddenly said, "So it was like this. Only such a talented and good-looking guy like Big Brother s.h.i.+ Jiu could suit Miss Ling’er. This younger brother congratulates you."
s.h.i.+ Jiu’s eyes exuded a happy expression. Any previous displeasure at Nian Bing’s words had suddenly vanished like smoke in thin air, "You really think so?"
Nian Bing answered heartfeltly, "When I first saw s.h.i.+ Jiu Big Brother and Miss Ling’er, I immediately felt that you were a pair made in heaven and arranged by earth. Big Brother, don’t you worry. I only regard Miss Ling’er as a friend. And what with my petty and low origins, I could not have too many ideas."
Hearing Nian Bing clarify like this, s.h.i.+ Jiu was suddenly joyous. With a slight smile, he said, "Brother, since you’ve already entered the a.s.sociation, you do not need to mention your status again. With your looks, after this, you will definitely find a good companion." He could not be more satisfied with Nian Bing’s tact. Immediately his name had changed to brother. His mood was that good.
Nian Bing smiled a little and said, "Afterwards, this little brother will rely more on Big Brother’s help. You should definitely give pointers to little brother. If, from now on, Big Brother has a problem, don’t hesitate to open your mouth. Anything that Little Brother can do will be done without s.h.i.+rking his burden."