Chapter 1208: The Draw Map

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“Senior aunt, I brought it!”

Chu Qingcheng bounced happily in a courtyard, calling in joy.

The hopeful women had waited a long time to hear this. They welcomed her with Mei Sangu in the lead, looking pleased and greedy. Fang Min and the others behind her were boiling in envy.

“Qingcheng, you’ve done well. Where is it?”

“Here!”

Chu Qingcheng beamed and Mei Sangu took the box with haste, her entire body shaking.

Fang Min’s tone dripped with vitriol, “The day finally came junior sister’s first honey trap mission. Though she lacks passion, only ending up with a copy instead of the real thing. I would’ve done it hands down!” 

“Senior sister, I didn’t use any traps. We truly…”

Chu Qingcheng lowered her head bashfully, “Besides, the map is definitely with the Clan Head. If it went missing, he’ll have to answer for it. He’s already taking enough risk giving us a copy. We can’t just…”

Mei Sangu was upright and honorable as she nodded, “Yes, the boy shows his deep affection by doing this. We shouldn’t be hard on him, since he couldn’t do it anyway. It’s good we at least got a copy, ha-ha-ha…”

Mei Sangu grinned from ear to ear as she was eagerly opening the box.

“Senior aunt, what do you think then of his request…”

“I’ll tell senior sister once we get back. No rush.”

“We’ll do as senior aunt says.”

Chu Qingcheng gave a sweet smile, lowering her head and fiddling with her clothes. She was like a chipper child that couldn’t show her enthusiasm.

Fang Min seethed at the side, “What’s so great about being with some ignorant and lousy punk? That’s no reason to be content!”

“Eh?”

A weird shout drew Fang Min’s attention, looking over with joy, “What is it, senior aunt, is the map bad?”

“No way! Zhuo Fan wouldn’t lie to me!” Chu Qingcheng started and rushed to see.

She didn’t worry about the map though, but that this would get her senior aunt to flip out.

Mei Sangu had a deep frown, holding a shriveled paper with yellow lines on it. It looked like a map, sure, but a map of what? All those random lines made it hard to decipher. 

“I knew the Nether Sea was cryptic, but to think that not even I can make sense of any of it.”

“Senior aunt, you actually believe it to be real?” Fang Min looked it over, “Maybe the punk just drew something random. Few have seen the Nether Sea map, with neither one among us. It’d be strange not to fool us.”

Chu Qingcheng jumped in his defense, “Senior aunt, Zhuo Fan was thoughtful the entire time, and even promised me to do his best in copying it to make sure it’s identical. Senior sister is just making things up!”

“I’m making it up? You tell me then what kind of map is that? We can’t make anything of it…”

“Min’er!”

Mei Sangu glared, taking the map with joy, “The fact you can’t makes it real. The Nether Sea would’ve been a famous attraction by now if everyone could read it. I can also feel the kid’s sincerity through this copy.”

“Uh, what do you mean, senior aunt?”

“Look, there’s not a mark of a brush being used when drawing it. It’s not uneven like others.”

Mei Sangu held her head high as she claimed, “If he was faking it, then he would’ve left clear signs of drawing. With the Nether Sea being so special, there’s no way the map was drawn with a brush. The more mystical the lines, the more genuine it is and proves his sincerity. These yellow stains as well, that must be where the Nether Sea is. All that’s left is reading it!”

Mei Sangu paraded the map before the girls, leaving them speechless. Staring at the random and fading lines had them baffled. Chu Qingcheng looked pleased as punch though.

Ugh!

Fang Min reeled, feeling like throwing up her lunch. She pointed at the map, “What the hell did the punk use? That paper reeks of pee!”

“Really?”

Mei Sangu gave it a sniff then flinched with a wince, “Yeah, just what did he use? It doesn’t look like ink at all.”

Chu Qingcheng panicked, but she couldn’t allow this hiccup to make her senior aunt loathe Zhuo Fan, so she changed the subject, “Senior aunt, Zhuo Fan said using ink was out of the question when making the Nether Sea map copy. Think about it, ink is black and wouldn’t be able to outline such vague and mystical drawing. So he went through toil and pain to find a famous and perfect color to match it. Senior aunt, he’s very sincere!”

“Really?”

Mei Sangu raised an eyebrow, giving the map another look and nodded, “Yes, it’s hard to show the same result with ink and brush. The kid must’ve gone above and beyond to make this map. We’ll set off tomorrow for the sect to hand over the map to Sect Leader. I believe she will be thrilled and will reward you greatly, especially you, Qingcheng, ha-ha-ha…”

Fang Min sneered in envy.

Qingcheng beamed and eased a breath.

[With this achievement, master shouldn’t care about Zhuo Fan’s background…]

On the second day, bright and early, the Ruby Cloud Sect set off with their copy.

Through sheer and utter coincidence, however, the Luo clan happened to be at the city gates as well.

“Get ready for battle!”

Zhuo Fan was grave as he whispered to Bali Yuyu at his side, “Don’t leave the hag out of your sight. Don’t go easy, but don’t go killing either.”

Bali Yuyu nodded, eager to fight.

Mei Sangu beamed upon noticing them, showing an even greater respect for Zhuo Fan, going as far as greeting them all, “Luo friends, are you leaving as well? What a coincidence, we’re going too. Do we have the same direction as well?”

“Uh, probably not.”

Zhuo Fan started, looking out of sorts. 

[Did they not look over the copy I gave them? Why are they so cordial and even greeting me?]

Bali Yuyu looked stumped at him.

[Weren’t we up for a brawl? They see us more like friends than anything, without a shred of ill-will.]

The Luo clan looked clueless as Mei Sangu showed a bright smile and cupped her hands at Zhuo Fan, practically rejuvenated on the spot, “Steward Zhuo, you’re so young and able. I believe we will have many chances to work together in the future. Farewell!”

Mei Sangu left in a grand manner with her disciples. Chu Qingcheng came before Zhuo Fan, winking and leaving in elation.

A faint whisper happened to reach his sharp ears, “Don’t worry, senior aunt is pleased with you. We’ll definitely succeed!”

[Pleased? She’s actually happy with my map?]

Zhuo Fan was floored, not registering as the girls left.

The others were even more so.

“Zhuo Fan, didn’t you say the hag would be hounding us through the city to kill us after seeing the map? We even had to get up so early for it. Why then was she pleased as punch?”

Bali Yuyu patted his shoulder, “Maybe she’d be a real catch, if she shed off a couple, or more, thousand years.”

Zhuo Fan took a deep breath, “Something’s off here. The hag saw my handiwork and didn’t get angry?”

“What handiwork? Just how did you draw it anyway?”

“How? Didn’t all of us learn how to draw since we were kids?” Zhuo Fan looked awkwardly, mimicking some motions before giving up.

Bali Yuyu was still clueless, “When did we ever draw? I never raised a brush in my life, so how can I draw?”

“Hey, Sword Child, what did your dad mean?” Sword Child happened to pass over and she asked him.

Sword Child showed a rather obtuse smile, “To be my true mother, you must then understand how dad draws!”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“That I saw dad take some random paper and whizzed on it. He waved it a couple of times to dry, then put it in the box.” 

Sword Child snickered with a shrug, “I’m but a sword spirit so I’ve never drawn in my life. You, humans, don’t you pee since you were kids? You don’t even know this?”

Dong!

Bali Yuyu froze in place, looking at Zhuo Fan now understanding as to why he thought that the hag would want him dead.

[Anyone in their right mind would explode being toyed like that, especially a senior. But is that hag slow in the head not to clobber it? I can barely hold back!]