Chapter 136: Tricking the Mentor to the Internet Cafe, Very Clever

"Is it really that brilliant?"

"If we are late, we won't even find a seat?" The fat man watched the retreating figures of the two, murmuring under his breath, "Should we... go have a look?"

Yu Rui: "..."

It was not just Dongguan Shulin; even at other major bookstores, such incidents were gradually beginning to occur. Soon, throughout the nearby taverns and even the Tianfu Marketplace, people discussing and inquiring about this suddenly appeared biographical novel could be seen everywhere.

At the same time, word spread that at the Fusheng Tavern, one could actually listen to such a novel and fascinating biographical story. These past few days, inside the Fusheng Tavern, as long as Diablo was being told, the venue was almost packed to capacity every single session!

Therefore, Li Fusheng simply changed the evening's content to a retelling of the previous day's Diablo material.

The Qingfeng Mingyue Pavilion.

If it were not for the fact that storytelling was also popular in this most premium tavern of Jiuhua City, An Cheng, Bu Che, and the others would naturally never have come into contact with such things as biographical novels.

"To be able to easily purchase the latest volume of 'The Martial Immortal' even in Jiuhua City, this place truly is becoming more and more convenient." On a soft couch draped with low-hanging gauze curtains, the figure of a lazy woman lay reclined.

She wore an apricot-yellow gauze shirt above and a milk-white silk skirt below. Her rosy lips bore a faint, captivating smile that was half-amused and half-knowing. In her hands, she held a volume of a book, which she had already flipped to the very last page.

Only now did she close the scroll. Seeming still unsatiated, she spoke to ask, "Qinghe, when will Mister Duan be able to narrate this volume?"

"He is already narrating it... only..." Xiang Qinghe was somewhat embarrassed; he had never encountered such a situation before.

"Only what?" Dong Qingli's sole hobby was perhaps these books. From orthodox Jin history to unofficial histories before the founding of the nation, and then to the Pingbei Strategies, she was proficient in all of them. And biographical novels like this were precisely one of her hobbies during her leisure time.

Her grandfather was one of the few high-ranking ministers in the imperial court who supported governing the nation through literature, so these habits were naturally passed down from the older generation.

"Only..." Xiang Qinghe pointed outside, "there seems to be almost no one listening!"

"What?" She put down the book scroll in her hand. "Is this section not written brilliantly?"

Moreover, the Qingfeng Mingyue usually had many patrons. How could it suddenly have almost no listeners?

"Lately, it seems everyone has run over to the Tianfu Marketplace side."

"Hmm?" She put down the book scroll in her hand again. "Where is Wanyu?"

"She went over to the Tianfu Marketplace side." Xiang Qinghe was rather embarrassed.

"What is it now?" Dong Qingli glared at him. "Why are you hesitating and stammering?"

"Wanyu has been gone for a long time..." Xiang Qinghe said awkwardly, "and there is still no word from her until now..."

"Doesn't she have a communication jade?" Dong Qingli asked curiously.

"There is no response..."

"No response?" Dong Qingli raised an eyebrow. "Could something have happened?"

"Should I... take some people over to check?" Xiang Qinghe asked apprehensively.

Just then, he suddenly noticed that a message had arrived from the communication jade.

...

"Listening to a biographical novel in a tavern... incredibly brilliant, but it seems impossible to find where it is sold?" After understanding the narrative from the other side of the communication jade, Dong Qingli's eyes flashed with doubt as she muttered, "Hasn't the ninth volume of 'The Martial Immortal' already come out? To think there is actually something even more popular?"

"How is this possible?!"

One had to know that this form of novel had originally risen in popularity starting from character biographies, such as those describing figures like the late Emperor Wu. Precisely because of this, such biographical novels circulated most widely in the Imperial Capital.

Speaking of Jiuhua City, this form of entertainment was actually something she had introduced back then.

And now, she actually heard that there was a biographical novel in Jiuhua City more attractive than "The Martial Immortal"!?

What nonsense!

"Have you found out where it is sold yet?" Dong Qingli asked with a hint of skepticism.

"...No news?" Dong Qingli's face darkened. "Then dispatch more hands!"

...

"Instructor Mu." Inside a dining hall within the Lingyun Academy, Nalan Mingxue could be seen holding a cup of fine black tea.

The curling aroma of tea overflowed from the cup. Taking a gentle sniff, it seemed as though one's entire mood would become a good deal better.

"Mingxue?" Mu Hongzhu was somewhat surprised. "If there is any problem regarding martial techniques... just come find me at the Instructors' Courtyard. Why be so polite..."

"It is not a matter of martial techniques." Nalan Mingxue cradled her teacup. "Regarding the games at the Origin Internet Club, I wonder how much you know...?"

"Those things?" Mu Hongzhu frowned. "Aren't they malicious things that can lure people into addiction, even causing disciples to risk heavy punishment from the Academy just to go there? Why do you bring this up?"

Nalan Mingxue sighed softly, "Yes, Lanyan... she has sneaked out of the Academy to play games again."

"What did you say...!?" Mu Hongzhu stood up abruptly from her seat.

"It is not appropriate for me to leave the Academy right now..." Nalan Mingxue said downcast. "The only one I could think of who can help me is you..."

"..."

"Aren't you afraid I will hand her over to the Academy!?" After listening to Nalan Mingxue's narrative, Mu Hongzhu realized that she actually wanted her to quietly bring Lanyan back without reporting it to the Academy.

How could there be such a thing?!

But soon, she discovered that she simply could not refuse!

"The disciples of Class A have already been reduced by more than half." Nalan Mingxue seemed to merely be stating an extremely ordinary and commonplace fact. "The situation of those disciples..."

"..." Mu Hongzhu's face darkened.

She ultimately agreed after all. Just as Nalan Mingxue said, she did not want another disciple to follow in those people's footsteps.

These disciples were all taught by her. When she saw more than half of them suddenly suppressed and brought down, her mood was equally low.

At the same time, she was indeed very curious about what kind of charm these games possessed to bewitch the disciples to such an extent.

Nalan Mingxue's arrival happened to give her a suitable reason.

"Diablo 2, her usual room number is..."

"Wearing a breath-concealing cloak, one can only discern their true appearance within the game?"

"What a truly strange place..."

"As for addiction...?" She found it somewhat amusing. "I am merely going to find someone, what is there to worry about..."

...

Ending her day of teaching, according to Mu Hongzhu's original life routine, she should be preparing tomorrow's lessons and then going to the Martial Arts Tower or the cultivation room to continue her practice.

In fact, the lives of many driven martial artists were just that monotonous, at most supplemented by going out on missions.

But today was different. She stripped off that set of fiery-red leather armor and changed into a suit of black clothes and a black cloak.

Battles that could make even these elite disciples look on entranced—such a place, she felt she could personally go see, investigate, and verify.

After all, the disciples in her class were each geniuses; they truly could not afford to be lost.

Of course, as an Academy Instructor, she naturally could not be seen by the disciples entering or leaving a place strictly forbidden by the Academy.

Nalan Mingxue continued to sip her tea: "Instructor Mu... is actually quite simple-minded sometimes."