Chapter 359: Zhou Dekun and Meng Hao (1/2)

Chapter 359: Zhou Dekun and Meng Hao

Seeing Meng Hao’s expression, Hanxue Shan was about to open her mouth and say something, but then had a sudden thought. A look of pity appeared in her eyes.

Sighing to herself, she thought, “His smile seems normal, but he’s obviously covering up his jealousy of Grandmaster Pill Cauldron. It’s so obvious!” Then she thought about how he had saved her twice, and how he wasn’t really very disagreeable in general. And of course there was the scene from the battlefield which kept playing out in her head.

Her heart suddenly softened.

She thought of Meng Hao’s words and bearing from moments ago, and then realized she had actually embarrassed him a bit, which was why he had reacted in the way he did. “There’s no need to feel frustrated,” she said comfortingly. “Grandmaster Pill Cauldron is a rare talent in the world. Ai, don’t let yourself feel discouraged.”

Meng Hao wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. There was no way he could tell this girl that the person sitting in front of her was the very one she adored to the extreme and wanted to marry, Grandmaster Pill Demon’s true Legacy Apprentice, possessor of the Everburning Flame, wielder of the Alchemy Dao Transmutation Incantation, and superstar of the Southern Domain, Grandmaster Pill Cauldron.

Hanxue Shan quickly changed the subject. She had suddenly thought of a problem. Frowning, she said, “What are you going to do? If you lose to Grandmaster Zhou, then there’s no way you’ll be able to get a Frigid Snow Larva. Even granny won’t be able to do anything about it. Besides, there are only two young larvae that can be raised, and it will take a year. Otherwise, I would help you to get one. Except, I don’t know how to raise them….” She was about to continue when she saw the look on Meng Hao’s face, as if something was unacceptable and he wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.

The look immediately annoyed her. Looking flustered, she stamped her foot. “Fine, forget it,” she said. “If you aren’t anxious then what’s the point of me being anxious for you?”

Her attitude was something Meng Hao had never encountered before. Neither Xu Qing nor Chu Yuyan had been so impulsive. He couldn’t help but size her up again.

“What are you looking at?” she said, glaring at him again, her young heart beginning to race. Without realizing it, she stood up a bit straighter and put on a menacing expression.

“I’m looking at you, beautiful,” replied Meng Hao with a laugh, winking.

“You….” Her face suddenly flushed red, and her heart seized with panic. She backed up a few steps, holding her tongue for a long moment before bursting out, “You were just coming on to me!”

Meng Hao scratched his head, his smile growing wider. He suddenly realized that messing with this girl was quite amusing. He cleared his throat and was about to say something else when, suddenly, Hanxue Shan once again spoke, her tone earnest: “Granny told me that according to Clan rules, anyone who comes on to a member of the Frigid Snow Clan will be turned into an ice statue! The only other option is to commit yourself to me!”

Meng Hao gaped in astonishment. This was the first time he had ever heard of such a ridiculous rule.

“You remember that!” said Hanxue Shan obsequiously. “You owe me a commitment!” Her eyes flickered with craftiness as she stared at Meng Hao. Covering her smile with her hand, she spun around and walked off. Her slender legs, lithe waist, and perky rear end only served to accentuate her youthfulness, and gave her a profound charm as she stalked off.

Meng Hao watched her leave, laughing to himself. He then looked back down at the invitation card in his hand, and Zhou Dekun’s name written on the top in flowing calligraphy. As he did, his smile grew even more brilliant.

“Very well. Three days from now I’ll go see this Grandmaster Zhou. We’ll see whether or not his Dao of alchemy has made any progress during his years in the Black Lands.” Smiling, he put away the invitation card, closed his eyes and sat cross-legged amidst the lotuses. He meditated on the shape of the lotus flowers and sought enlightenment regarding their essence.

The Wild Giant snored gently as it slept. Off to the side, poor Gu La was butchering some meat to feed it when it woke up.

A forlorn expression covered his face. He missed his life in the Western Desert, and yet, after hearing the conversation between Hanxue Shan and Meng Hao, he was suddenly filled with the desire to see this mysterious Grandmaster Pill Cauldron.

“If I have to be a slave,” he thought to himself, “it should be to a Chosen of the Dao of alchemy from the Southern Domain. That would be fitting for the likes of me, Gu La. Oh well. Such a pity….”

Time passed, and soon it was three days later. Hanxue Shan came twice to visit during the three days, but every time she caught sight of Meng Hao’s nonchalant attitude, she got mad. Her last visit came on the third day, the appointed day of the competition. Her face was dark as she stalked over, delivered a jade slip, and then left without another word.

The jade slip contained a pill formula, a simple one. Meng Hao could sense Zhou Dekun’s Dao of alchemy within the pill formula. Meng Hao wasn’t sure how Hanxue Shan had managed to get her hands on it, but obviously she wanted to give him a chance to study it so that he wouldn’t lose too badly.

“She really is a warmhearted girl,” he thought with a laugh. He studied the jade slip for a moment before transforming it into ash. Then he rose to his feet and flew up to stand on the head of the Wild Giant. “Alright, let’s go. Who knows, maybe I’ll end up giving some pointers to Zhou Dekun. It depends on how much his skill in the Dao of alchemy has regressed.” He shook his head as the Wild Giant suddenly opened its eyes. Looking a bit disconcerted, it rose to its feet. Its ninety-meter height made it look like a small mountain. It gave out a loud roar as it reached down, grabbed a big chunk of meat, and threw it into its mouth.

“Meat…. Meat….” it grumbled indistinctly. Then it strode forward, out of the courtyard.

Bells were sounding out within this region of Holy Snow City. As they heard the sound, nearby Cultivators suddenly remembered that today was the appointed day for Zhou Dekun to concoct medicinal pills. Immediately, excitement began to grow.

In recent days, Holy Snow City had produced large amounts of magical items and techniques, a variety of cultivation necessities, all for the purpose in bolstering the resistance against the Black Lands Palace invasion.

Such items were available based on achievements in battle. Because of their former status as one of the great Clans of the United Nine, the Frigid Snow Clan possessed deep reserves of such items.