Chapter 379: Warming by the Fire in Winter Depends Entirely on Love Letters (Three-in-One Chapter, Daily Life)

Holy crap!

This is way too much of a coincidence!

At this very moment, ten thousand horses were galloping through Li Zhangsheng's heart; he never expected that today would happen to be Instructor Ning's birthday.

What should he do?

Waiting online, it's quite urgent!

Li Zhangsheng's reaction was extremely fast; between catering to her and not, he ultimately chose to cater to her, so as not to dampen Ning Bizhen's good mood.

"Instructor, happy birthday! I'll have someone set up a birthday banquet for you in a moment, but you must accept this birthday gift first!"

While Li Zhangsheng spoke, he secretly noted down Ning Bizhen's birthday and simultaneously dissolved the Temporary Contract of the Six-Armed Naga.

The help Ning Bizhen had given him far exceeded this Six-Armed Naga, and besides, a person's energy was limited after all; he had no extra energy to raise another Temporary Spirit Pet.

The moment it regained its freedom, the wild and untamable Six-Armed Naga immediately took action, wanting to break away and flee.

But at this very moment, a powerful surge of Mental Power acted upon the Six-Armed Naga; the Six-Armed Naga felt as if the surrounding air had solidified, forcing it to stop in its tracks. It struggled with all its might, yet was almost unable to move.

The Six-Armed Naga, having been born not long ago, had limited strength after all; how could it break through Ning Bizhen's Mental Power containment?

"Did Instructor He Yan or Luo Jing tell you this?"

"What do you think!" To avoid the possibility that Ning Bizhen was bluffing him, Li Zhangsheng hurriedly used an ambiguous answer, attempting to muddle through.

Facts proved that one lie often requires multiple lies to cover it up; Li Zhangsheng felt a headache coming on over his previous thought, but now he could only continue to justify his story.

"Very well, then I shall accept it without ceremony! However, do not give such a precious gift next time!"

Ning Bizhen looked at the Six-Armed Naga; she could recognize at a glance that this was an Exotic Beast of high rank, capable of becoming a Leader-level upon reaching adulthood, with a market price of at least several thousand Low-grade Soul Crystals.

Of course, this referred to a Medium Grade Six-Armed Naga.

Upon receiving Li Zhangsheng's "birthday gift," Ning Bizhen's heart was inevitably filled with joy and sweetness.

Ning Bizhen did not ask for the Six-Armed Naga's data; she subconsciously assumed this was an ordinary Six-Armed Naga, so, contrary to Li Zhangsheng's expectations, she didn't even think before using up a Blood Contract slot, easily contracting the Six-Armed Naga.

This is a sentimental woman!

Seeing Ning Bizhen's actions, Li Zhangsheng made this assessment in his heart.

After the successful contract, the Six-Armed Naga turned into a stream of light, instantly surging into Ning Bizhen's Yin Tang acupoint and disappearing.

Only when Ning Bizhen subconsciously checked the Six-Armed Naga's data did she freeze in place; this was nowhere near the plain and unremarkable Six-Armed Naga she had imagined—this was clearly a Superior Quality Six-Armed Naga, and it even possessed the bloodline of a Twelve-Armed Naga.

Ning Bizhen bit her lip lightly, looking at Li Zhangsheng with a complex gaze; her eyes seemed as if they could speak, and Li Zhangsheng saw joy, surprise, regret, and an inexplicable emotion.

"It is too precious; I shouldn't have accepted it!" Ning Bizhen somewhat hated her own carelessness just now; she should have checked the data or signed a Temporary Contract first, but now it was useless to say anything.

A Formal Contract cannot be dissolved!

In Ning Bizhen's view, such an excellent Six-Armed Naga should have been contracted by Li Zhangsheng himself.

Unfortunately, Ning Bizhen did not understand just how outstanding her student truly was.

Among Li Zhangsheng's formally contracted Demon Pets, if one did not count the four Top-tier Spirit pets—Aixi, Kailan, Roundy, and Adai—then only Day and Night and the Blazing Bird remained.

Among them, the Blazing Bird was not only no worse than the Six-Armed Naga, but even possessed the Rebirth from Fire and Scorching Sun traits, making it a cut above; at critical moments, it could even serve as a bomb. Day and Night went without saying; they had developed top-tier auxiliary abilities and held great strategic significance, especially since they shared a single contract slot, giving them a quite special status among Li Zhangsheng's Demon Pets.

No matter how one looked at it, the Six-Armed Naga did not meet Li Zhangsheng's standards for a Formal Contract; to Li Zhangsheng, it could be called a chicken rib.

If one were to truly discuss value, the Top-tier giant egg gifted by Ning Bizhen could not be compared to this Six-Armed Naga.

If that were to hatch into a Top-tier Spirit of a Monarch Species comparable to a Cold Jade Rabbit, Li Zhangsheng would likely wake up laughing in his dreams.

Furthermore, do not forget the various forms of help Ning Bizhen had brought to Li Zhangsheng; these were difficult to measure by value.

Ning Bizhen had to protect Li Zhangsheng's life, teach him tactical knowledge, and simultaneously increase Li Zhangsheng's cultivation speed significantly through a self-sacrificing method. If Cai Yangqian were to come knocking, she would certainly not sit idly by.

These invisible values are truly difficult to measure; they could potentially save Li Zhangsheng's life or his family.

"Instructor, how could it compare to your importance to me? Just set your mind at ease and accept it!" To avoid damaging Ning Bizhen's self-confidence, Li Zhangsheng naturally would not say that he looked down on the Six-Armed Naga.

"Alright!"

Ning Bizhen did not continue to dwell on it; she thought about returning the favor in the future, as she truly did not have any treasures on her person right now that matched the Six-Armed Naga.

However, at the thought that the Six-Armed Naga was a "birthday gift" given to her by Li Zhangsheng, Ning Bizhen's heart felt warm, and the gaze she directed at Li Zhangsheng always carried an indescribable, inexplicable emotion.

"Instructor, I'll go prepare the birthday banquet first!" Li Zhangsheng had to get this birthday banquet organized as quickly as possible.

"No need to go to such trouble, just eating something casual will do!"

After leaving the room, Li Zhangsheng immediately hurried to the kitchen not far away; ever since Ning Bizhen moved in, Li Wenbo had specifically sent over the two chefs with the most exquisite skills in the clan.

Under Li Zhangsheng's instructions, the two chefs made over a dozen of their signature dishes at top speed, among which a bowl of Long-Life Noodles was naturally indispensable.

This bowl of Long-Life Noodles consisted of a single noodle, but the portion looked quite substantial, which was a test of the chef's culinary skills.

"Wow, it smells quite good!" Just as Li Zhangsheng was preparing to call Ning Bizhen to eat, Li Haoqiong's ill-timed voice rang out; he walked out of his room, limping.

After two or three hours of regulating his breath, Li Haoqiong had recovered quite a bit; next, he only needed to recuperate for a period of time to fully recover.

"Second Uncle, you sit first, I'll go call the Instructor!"

"Oh, your Instructor is here too? Remember to let us meet in a moment!"

Li Haoqiong was taken aback for a moment; he had been locked in his room just now, and due to the tremors in his Consciousness Sea, he was temporarily unable to use his Mental Power, so he naturally hadn't seen Ning Bizhen.

And Ning Bizhen had never projected her Mental Power while here, mainly to avoid causing misunderstandings.

Upon thinking that Li Zhangsheng's Instructor was also here, Li Haoqiong hurriedly put away the flippancy on his face, assuming a posture of sitting upright.

When there were outsiders present, Li Haoqiong was always very serious.

When Ning Bizhen came out of the room, Li Haoqiong felt extremely astonished, and at the same time, suddenly felt the other party looked familiar; his expression was instantly replaced by shock and terror.

He stood up in a panic, subconsciously wanting to flee, but he forgot that his right leg had not yet fully recovered; with this movement, he nearly fell to the ground.

On the other side, Ning Bizhen's willow eyebrows stood up, her almond eyes widened, and she let out a sharp cry: "Lecher!"

"It's over, it's over!" Li Haoqiong did not respond directly, but instead wore a bitter face, revealing an expression of having lost all hope in life.

Seeing the abnormal behavior of the two, Li Zhangsheng glanced at his Second Uncle, then turned to look at Ning Bizhen, and asked while biting the bullet: "Instructor, Second Uncle, do you know each other?"

"He is your Second Uncle!"

"She is your Instructor!"

Ning Bizhen and Li Haoqiong pointed at each other, their faces full of disbelief.

"What on earth is going on with you two?" Li Zhangsheng was completely baffled, but he could tell that the two knew each other, and his second uncle seemed to have done something he felt guilty about.

"Let me tell it!" Ning Bizhen sat in her seat, looking indignant, and after organizing her thoughts, she told a story from four years ago.

It was a cliché story; the protagonists were Li Haoqiong and Instructor He Yan, and Ning Bizhen, as Instructor He Yan's best friend, was also an eyewitness at the time.

To put it simply, Li Haoqiong had relied on his handsome appearance and elegant, dashing temperament to deceive Instructor He Yan's feelings. Just when the two had been together for a while and were in the honeymoon phase, Li Haoqiong had suddenly left without saying goodbye...

What was most infuriating was that Li Haoqiong hadn't even left his real name, which directly resulted in Instructor He Yan searching for a period of time, only to find absolutely no information about Li Haoqiong.

Li Haoqiong was silent for a long while, then said with a lack of conviction, "Let me state one thing first: I did not deceive He Yan's feelings!"

Li Haoqiong sat dejectedly in his seat, feeling as though he were currently playing the part of a dead pig.

Ning Bizhen's scolding voice rang out: "Fine, then let me ask you, why did you leave without saying goodbye? He Yan waited for you for a full four years; she is already thirty-two years old now. How many more years do you want to make her wait?"

"Alright, let me tell you the truth. I also like He Yan, but my motto at the time was not to give up the whole forest for the sake of one big tree."

Li Haoqiong was like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water; he was a man who was naturally flirtatious and loved freedom, not wanting to be bound by a family. This was also why, even though this guy was over thirty, he still hadn't settled down.

Regarding his second uncle, Li Zhangsheng felt he had a lot to say. When Li Haoqiong was still a Fourth-rank Demon Tamer, he should have logically held a transcendent status in the family, but instead, Li Haoqiong spent his days loafing around, either playing chess or fishing, without any achievements. Rather than living like a hermit, it would be more accurate to say he lived like a bum.

If one were to use a poem to describe it, it would be: Life is precious, love is even higher; but for the sake of freedom, both can be cast aside.

Hmm, it could be described as "pulling out and being heartless."

It was just that Li Zhangsheng hadn't expected that Li Haoqiong had once been involved with Instructor He Yan and had played out a drama of "starting with chaos and ending with abandonment." Now that he had been caught red-handed by Instructor He Yan's best friend, Ning Bizhen, it was truly a situation of being roasted over a fire!

"Second Uncle is finished!" Li Zhangsheng silently passed a death sentence on Li Haoqiong in his heart.

"Then what is your motto now?" Ning Bizhen's pretty face was livid. If not for her relationship with Li Zhangsheng, she might have already lost her patience.

"Uh, I haven't thought about that yet! Let's not talk about it. You two continue eating; I won't disturb your mood!" Li Haoqiong stood up tremblingly, knowing he was in the wrong and not daring to look at Ning Bizhen at all.

"You..." Ning Bizhen was furious and stood up with a swoosh, wanting to stop Li Haoqiong, but before she could step forward, Li Zhangsheng grabbed her right hand.

Ning Bizhen was a very shy girl. Just from being held by the right hand by Li Zhangsheng, her face turned red to the roots of her ears instantly. She glanced at Li Zhangsheng and then sat back down in her seat, looking indignant.

Taking this opportunity, Li Haoqiong hurriedly returned to his room.

After Ning Bizhen sat down, Li Zhangsheng hurriedly let go of her hand. Ning Bizhen twisted her hands together, looking down and not knowing what she was thinking.

Li Zhangsheng was also helpless; his head was still a bit chaotic, and he didn't know what to say for a moment.

The thing feared most is when the air suddenly goes quiet!

A perfectly good birthday banquet had been ruined by his second uncle.

"Instructor, should we notify Instructor He Yan?" Based on the idea of "let the friend die, not me," Li Zhangsheng offered a suggestion.

"I was just thinking that!"

Ning Bizhen picked up the Long-Life Noodles. While eating them, she stared at Li Zhangsheng for a long while and said silently, "You must never learn from your second uncle!"

Li Zhangsheng felt his scalp tingle from her gaze and hurriedly made a promise: "Instructor, just set your heart at ease. He is him, and I am me. I am different from him. Besides, my second uncle is just an isolated case; you can't just kill all men with one blow!"

Li Zhangsheng had one more thing he didn't say: if he were as flirtatious as Li Haoqiong, given his current charm, reputation, and influence, he could prepare to start a massive harem.

This wasn't just talk. Ever since Li Zhangsheng made a stunning debut at the Academy Exchange Tournament, the number of women who admired him could line up from the Yuanling Academy all the way to Peng City, and among them were many already outstanding women.

Relying on love letters to keep warm in winter—this was the manifestation of Li Zhangsheng's personal charm.

"Instructor, do you think Instructor He Yan will come over after receiving the news?"

Li Zhangsheng began to change the subject, reigniting the war on Li Haoqiong.

Ning Bizhen said with a firm tone, "Based on my understanding of her, she will definitely come!"

"Second Uncle is truly finished!" Li Zhangsheng mourned for his second uncle for three seconds; Li Haoqiong was definitely going to take the fall for this. As for whether Li Haoqiong and He Yan would eventually be together, that was none of his business.

Boom~

Ning Bizhen put down the large bowl in her hand; the Long-Life Noodles inside had been swept clean by her.

"I'm full, so I'll head back to my room first. I'll find you to practice later!"

When mentioning practice, Ning Bizhen's voice was as soft as a mosquito's, and she hurriedly trotted back to her room.

After Ning Bizhen left, looking at the table of food that hadn't been touched much, and based on the spirit that wasting is shameful, Li Changsheng summoned Yuan Gungun.

"Yuan Gungun, these are yours. Remember not to drop the plates."

Yuan Gungun was like a mountain of meat, almost hitting the ceiling beams of the room. Looking at the delicacies on the table, it hurriedly opened its big mouth, and a powerful suction force was generated. The food in the plates swayed and flew up, continuously pouring into Yuan Gungun's mouth.

Under Yuangungun's "Wind Sweeping Clouds" style of Devour, in just a few breaths, all the food was swept clean and packed into its stomach.

Yuangungun touched its belly in satisfaction and was immediately retracted into the Demon Pet Space by Li Zhangsheng.

Knock knock~

"Second Uncle!"

At this time, Li Zhangsheng knocked on Li Haoqiong's door.

"Come in, the door isn't locked!"

When Li Zhangsheng entered the room, he saw Li Haoqiong packing his things.

Li Zhangsheng said speechlessly, "Second Uncle, why must you do this? You can run for a moment, but you can't run for a lifetime!"

"But I don't know how to face He Yan!" Li Haoqiong scratched his scalp; he was also very conflicted, wanting to see He Yan yet fearing the loss of his freedom in the future.

A person like him, a wanderer, feared being bound by the frameworks of the secular world most of all.

"Second Uncle, if you leave, what will happen when Cai Yangqian comes?"

Li Haoqiong's movements stopped abruptly, and he finally bit the bullet and said, "Isn't your Instructor still here!"

"But what if the Instructor can't beat him!" Li Zhangsheng shrugged and said nonchalantly, "Do you think the Li Clan will be wiped out by him?"

"This..." Li Haoqiong didn't know Ning Bizhen's combat power and couldn't help but become indecisive. Finally, he threw down the things in his hand and sat dejectedly on the chair.

"I'm not leaving, I'm not leaving. If she wants to come, let her come. I'll just wait here!"

Li Haoqiong gave off the feeling of someone who had given up on himself.

"Second Uncle, then I will head back first!"

"Wait, I brought you a gift this time since I'm back!"

As Li Haoqiong spoke, he carefully circulated his Mental Power, shook his Monster Pet Bag, and released a Dire Wolf cub.

【Spirit Beast Name】: Dire Wolf (Infancy Stage)

【Spirit Beast Realm】: Lower 3rd Rank

【Spirit Beast Species】: Low-level Warrior

【Spirit Beast Quality】: Superior Quality

【Spirit Beast Bloodline】: Dark Demon Wolf King (Sparse)

【Spirit Beast Attribute】: Darkness

【Spirit Beast Status】: Healthy

【Spirit Beast Weakness】: Light

"This is a Superior Quality Dire Wolf your Second Uncle obtained not long ago; it truly took a great deal of effort to acquire. If you weren't my nephew, I would have been eager to contract it myself!"

Li Haoqiong spoke with a hint of pride; the entire clan only had a few Superior Quality Demon Pets, and the Dire Wolf cub of the Warrior Species he was gifting was, in his view, definitely a grand gesture.

His own Demon Pets consisted of only one Top-grade and two Superior Quality, with the rest all being Mid-grade to make up the numbers. If one were to remove the Top-grade Dragon Python, Li Haoqiong would just be a very ordinary Fifth-tier Beastmaster.

However, Li Zhangsheng looked at his Second Uncle with a strange expression. Upon hearing it was Superior Quality, he had no thoughts of contracting it at all. Li Haoqiong did not know that he had just gifted a Superior Quality Eight-Armed Naga!

"Second Uncle, I am not lacking Demon Pets; you should keep this Dire Wolf for yourself!"

Li Zhangsheng hurriedly waved his hand to refuse. He naturally did not state his reasons, otherwise, he did not know how devastated Li Haoqiong would be.

If this were three or four months ago, Li Haoqiong gifting him this Dire Wolf would have certainly led him to choose to contract it, but now, this Dire Wolf was not even as good as his Temporary Spirit Pet, so what use would it be?

"This... hey, this is a Superior Quality Spirit Beast!" Li Haoqiong muttered, but the only response he received was the sound of Li Zhangsheng's door closing.

"What kind of world is this? A Superior Quality Dire Wolf cub can't even be given away!"

Li Haoqiong felt that he was falling behind the times; the gift he had gone to such trouble to prepare had actually been rejected by Li Zhangsheng.

"Forget it, if you don't want it, I'll give it to someone else!"

As Li Haoqiong spoke, the image of He Yan's appearance and demeanor couldn't help but surface in his mind, and he hurriedly shook his head to dispel the thoughts.

After Li Zhangsheng returned to his room, he did not wait long before Ning Bizhen entered his room. What puzzled him, however, was that Ning Bizhen was no longer dressed in white gauze, but had chosen a black sweater, wrapping herself up tightly.

White gauze would become translucent when soaked with sweat, but a black sweater naturally would not; Ning Bizhen was not giving Li Zhangsheng another chance to take advantage of her.

An hour later, Ning Bizhen left Li Zhangsheng's room again, her head covered in sweat.

The next morning, clamorous sounds arose. Li Zhangsheng opened his eyes and opened the window to look outside.

On the road not far away, several clansmen were carrying two stretchers, both of which were covered with large white cloths. Suddenly, a shriveled leg shook off from one of the stretchers.

These two stretchers contained corpses, and they appeared to be dried corpses at that.

Li Zhangsheng felt a chill in his heart and hurriedly left the small courtyard, accompanied by Ning Bizhen.

At the entrance of the clan meeting hall, they saw the stretchers. At this moment, quite a few clansmen were surrounding the stretchers, pointing and whispering, their words filled with fear and panic.

"Bring them in!" At this moment, Li Wenbo's heavy voice sounded.

Li Zhangsheng and Ning Bizhen followed the stretchers into the clan meeting hall. Like them, many Clan Elders had arrived upon hearing the news, and the clan meeting hall was suddenly filled with a grave atmosphere.

Li Wenbo came to the stretchers and directly uncovered the white cloth on one of them. On it lay a dried corpse, giving the impression that it had been exposed to the sun for a period of time, having lost all its blood and moisture.

"This is Li Yu from our Heze Branch Family, and the other is also a clansman from the Heze Branch Family. They were both First-rank Beast Masters!" Li Wenbo introduced them briefly.

The Li Clan had a long history, and after branching out over a dozen generations, there were five branch families. They were mainly distributed in the towns under the jurisdiction of Luo City, including the branch family in Heze Town.

In terms of numbers alone, the clansmen of these five branch families combined exceeded those of the main clan, but they were far inferior in terms of strength and influence.

"They have been dead for no more than five hours. The cause of death was the total extraction of their blood. Four sharp tooth marks were left on their necks. The preliminary suspects are Blood-Sucking Demon Bats or vampires, though it is also possible that someone is manipulating things from behind the scenes to carry out some unknown conspiracy."

While Li Wenbo was speaking, Li Zhangsheng recalled what Li Wenbo had said yesterday: Luo City had not been peaceful lately, and almost every night, Low-tier Beast Masters were assassinated. They died in miserable states, with all their blood sucked dry, leaving everyone in a state of panic.

While the Clan Elders were discussing, Li Zhangsheng thought for a moment and said, "Clan Leader, may I try?"

"Hmm, go ahead and perform it!"

After receiving the Clan Leader's permission, Li Zhangsheng summoned Heiye.

"Heiye, Trace to the Source!"

Trace to the Source could investigate the fundamentals and explore the origin; it was a very special skill that few Spirit Beasts could comprehend.

Meow~

Accompanied by Heiye's soft, sweet meow, a black light suddenly shot from its eyes and instantly landed on the tooth marks on Li Yu's corpse's neck.

Heiye tried hard to control the black light, wrapping it around the four tooth marks.

In an instant, a blurry light and shadow appeared above the corpse. As time passed, the light and shadow gradually became clear.

Today's target: Three, Pig, Proof!

(End of chapter)