Chapter 30: Yan Boss Is So Calculating!

What is this?

He only saw a stone sphere embedded in the groove on the pillar, and Yan Buji was puzzled.

He pulled out the stone sphere, and Yan Buji felt that it was no different from an ordinary stone, only smooth and round, not something that could be made by hand.

Being secretly kept by the immortal of this place surely means it is extraordinary.

He stored the stone sphere, searched again, and still found nothing else.

"Never mind, since I can't find any records about the cultivation world, it can only mean I haven't had the luck to encounter these matters yet."

As for this long-snake key, Yan Buji does not intend to return it.

A treasure like this should not belong to a person like Li Fengping.

I am the most capable person who should receive these items!

Yan Buji let out a light laugh, left the cave, turned and leapt down the cliff, slipping back to the Yan family.

The next day, Yan Xirou's whole body ached, and she asked Xiao Cui to take a day off.

Yan Buji was silent for a moment, then said, "Rou Er, let me go over there."

"Father? Why are you…" Yan Xirou asked, puzzled.

"It's fine, it's good for father to go and explain the situation to Mr. Zhou Hua."

"Alright then, father, go early and return early." Yan Xirou lay on the bed, smiling weakly.

"Mm."

Xiao Cui stood at the doorway, her face pale as she looked at Yan Buji, red‑eyed and wiping her tears.

"Sir, the miss and I might…"

"No, nothing happened between you and Rou Er. If you don't want your and Rou Er's reputation ruined and bring me shame, then don't overthink it." Yan Buji said, heartbroken.

Xiao Cui nodded, lowered her head, deeply sorrowful.

It was noon.

Yan Buji, like an ordinary person, arrived at the mountaintop, explained the reason, then entered the academy and found Zhou Hua.

At that moment, Zhou Hua covered his neck, twisted it, looking as if he had a stiff neck.

He said, "How did I fall asleep yesterday?"

But that was a minor thing; Yan Buji, that old slick, indeed showed up, and because yesterday's turmoil was too harsh, it finally gave him a clue.

Heh heh.

Zhou Hua clasped his hands and laughed, "Yan Boss, this counts as our first meeting, right?"

Yan Buji's face turned sour, looking irate, and he sneered, "Zhou Juren, I have some important matters to discuss with you; I wonder if it's convenient."

"Nothing prevents it, please go ahead." Zhou Hua laughed, gesturing with his hand.

The two entered the pavilion, looking at the lotus leaves in the surrounding pond, which had not yet reached blooming time.

A few book attendants served tea, then politely withdrew, and there was no one else present.

Yan Buji looked at the smiling Zhou Hua, knowing the latter felt confident and unafraid; outwardly he wasn't scared of a merchant's anger, but was he truly not afraid of Yan Buji seeking help from Sun You?

Exposing the Tian affair was also Zhou Hua's fault.

"The lady hasn't come today, has she?"

"Hmph, that's thanks to Zhou Juren!" Yan Buji said coldly.

"I'm ashamed," Zhou Hua shook his head, his face embarrassed. Then he turned to look at the pond and whispered, "Today I can't smell the lady's fragrance; it actually makes me reminisce."

Hm?!

Yan Buji's pupils contracted; he actually knew the source of the rouge he bought for Rou Er?

Otherwise he wouldn't have hinted so obliquely.

Given that, Yan Buji no longer wanted to pretend.

"Zhou Juren, have you ever tasted the flower cake my little daughter sent?"

"Flower cake?!" Zhou Juren frowned, not understanding Yan Buji's meaning.

"Rouge generally has the same scent; only an old Daoist can discern the subtle differences. What Zhou Juren smells may not be rouge fragrance but the scent of flower cake." Yan Buji said with a faint smile.

Zhou Hua's face instantly darkened, and he immediately recalled that the flower cake he had eaten earlier indeed matched Yan Xirou's scent exactly; could it be…

This is Yan Buji's true face!

What he said was simply to point out something he had overlooked.

Even if he knew there was something wrong with the rouge on Yan Xirou, Yan Buji could simply return home and destroy all the remaining rouge, then claim that Yan Xirou never applied rouge powder, but that the scent came from the flower cake she liked to eat daily.

Could the flower cake also have an aphrodisiac effect?

So at first, Zhou Hua's argument could not hold up! Unless Zhou Hua could obtain concrete evidence that Yan Buji had purchased that kind of rouge, would someone like Yan Buji leave any incriminating trace?

They didn't have time to investigate this matter.

When the matter escalates, it benefits neither side, so Yan Buji's words are meant to make him consider whether he truly wants Yan Xirou to turn her face and disown him!

Zhou Hua took a deep breath, looked at Yan Buji meaningfully, and said, "Yan Boss, you're quite calculating."

Yan Buji smiled lightly, "These days I'm grateful to Zhou Juren for diligently teaching my little daughter. This time I've come to ask Zhou Juren for a small favor. I plan to take Rou Er to the capital to live, and need to attend the Spring Literary Assembly to meet scholars from various schools, as preparation."

"That won't do!" Zhou Hua retorted immediately.

"Hm? I don't mind the unsavory things Zhou Juren did to my little daughter; why would Zhou Juren still have his eyes on my little daughter?" Yan Buji said with a smile.

"This… is indeed so. Although I used some unsavory methods, I have no objections to the lady. If Yan Boss is willing to give her up, I will marry the lady openly and properly; a primary wife may be impossible, but at least she could be a concubine!" Zhou Hua said immediately.

"If that's the case, I'll have a good talk with Rou Er." Yan Buji smiled.

Zhou Hua looked at Yan Buji's demeanor and suddenly realized.

Old slick!

He deliberately said that and ended up trapping himself?

"The key is, how does he know I must obtain Yan Xirou? Or perhaps he sees that I really need her?"

Zhou Hua thought it over and agreed.

Yan Xirou's appearance can only be described as fairly pretty; she cannot be called extraordinarily beautiful, and I have indeed seen many merchant daughters before.

He used disgraceful means to possess Yan Xirou's body, which, in Yan Buji's eyes, naturally shows how much he likes her.

Thinking of this, Zhou Hua chuckled and couldn't help but sigh that Yan Buji was truly a profiteering old fox in the business world who never acts without gain.

Zhou Hua asked, "If that's the case, I wonder whether Boss Yan will leave after attending the Spring Literary Assembly?"

Yan Buji nodded and said, "Indeed."

Zhou Hua still didn't understand and asked, "Boss Yan, why are you determined to go to the capital? Do you really need to go to such lengths of abandoning family and selling your daughter for the sake of the capital?"

Yan Buji's expression changed; he closed his eyes and took a deep breath: "I have unavoidable reasons to go; as for why, Degree Holder Zhou, don't inquire too much."

Hehe, all right, I have written a recommendation letter; Boss Yan can take it and proceed to the Spring Literary Assembly, and then he will naturally be able to enter. Zhou Hua took out the letter from his sleeve; it also bore his unique seal, which cannot be faked.

Moreover, daring to falsify at the Spring Literary Assembly, even if arrested by officials, is a small matter; what's truly terrifying is that countless scholars will broadcast your deeds far and wide, leaving a stench for ten thousand years.

Isn't it said that the scholars' brush outweighs swords and spears?

People nowadays value reputation greatly; otherwise, Yan Buji would not have stayed hidden until now.

Now that he has obtained the admission slip, Yan Buji's plan has finally gotten underway.

I hope Degree Holder Zhou will show extra care for my little daughter; as her father-in-law, I hereby thank you, Degree Holder Zhou. Yan Buji bowed with clasped hands and smiled.

Zhou Hua is no ordinary person either; seeing Yan Buji refer to himself as father-in-law, he laughed and said, "Good, Zhou Hua knows, I will never fail Rou Er in this lifetime!"