Chapter 2115: A Huge Pile of Slander
Chapter 2115: A Huge Pile of Slander
The restaurant’s style was quite unique; it seemed to have been built on the skeleton of a large fish. The walls weren’t made from clay, but rather pieced together from the shells of some kind of mussel. The window was made from a giant shell. Many of the pillars and beams were made of all kinds of brightly colored coral. The building's appearance really made Zu An feel as if he had entered a strange land.
There was a statue of a strange fish perched high on the eaves of the restaurant; it gazed in the great sea’s direction. Zu An knew that the large ships that set out to sea often had such statues mounted on their helms. They almost seemed to represent a kind of prayer for the ship to not encounter strong winds and waves.
When he pushed open the doors, Zu An immediately smelled a fishy scent so strong that he nearly vomited on the spot.
The tables inside seemed to be completely filled with people, quite a few of which seemed to be fishermen. But unlike normal fishermen, there was a tough look in all of their eyes. They were clearly all from the Ocean races.
Apart from that, many of the others were clearly wandering warriors, wearing conical bamboo hats or masks. Some of them were covered in countless scars. They were clearly all fugitives.
Zu An’s arrival immediately drew the attention of everyone present. Even though his appearance was ordinary, he was too clean. Besides that, he seemed to give off a unique presence just by standing there.
“Tsk, it’s actually a human.”
“From the looks of it, some young master probably secretly ran away to play.”
“A young master that looks this ordinary?”
“Who said young masters all need to be handsome?”
...
Even though they were all privately mocking him, none of them dared to actually cause trouble. While most of them were from the Ocean races, there were still quite a few humans and even some fiends. They all lived lives marked by blood-drenched blades. Before getting someone's true measure, none of them would provoke a stranger rashly.
Zu An walked straight to the bar. He discovered that the layout was fairly different from the restaurants on the human side, and was a bit more similar to the bars of his previous world. He sat down on a chair in front of the bar and remarked, “I heard that you have the best information here.”
The bartender had a huge tortoiseshell on his back. Judging from his green skin, he was clearly a member of the Tortoise race.
Zu An's gaze shifted to the lumps that covered the bartender's arm.
Are those tenghu[1]? I really want to dig them out.
“If you have money, then it’s the best. If you don’t, then don’t bring it up,” the turtle bartender said while wiping a wine cup with a handkerchief. He didn’t even give Zu An a look.
Zu An endured the urge to dig the tenghu out and took out a heaven-grade ki stone, replying, “What about now?”
As soon as he took out the ki stone, it drew the attention of everyone in the restaurant. Many of them even began to breathe heavier.
Zu An frowned slightly. The reason he hadn’t brought out immortal-grade or deity-grade ki stones was for the sake of remaining low-profile. After all, information on the Divine Dragon Immortal Medicine’s whereabouts would definitely be worth even more ki stones. However, he hadn’t expected to still end up drawing a lot of attention.
Still, he soon understood why that was the case. He now had the greatest status on both the human and fiend sides. A heaven-grade ki stone was ordinary to him, but for these bloodthirsty vagabonds, how could they possibly cultivate with that many resources? They could even end up killing each other over a single earth-grade ki stone. Once he realized that, he only felt a bit of regret before growing calm again. He looked at the turtle bartender.
“Of course, of course.” The turtle bartender almost drooled. He immediately reached out to take the heaven-grade ki stone.
However, Zu An pushed down on the stone and said, “You still haven’t asked about what I want to know.”
“As long as you’re not trying to ask for the Mermaid Queen’s whereabouts, we know everything,” said the turtle bartender with a smile.
“Mermaid Queen?” Zu An frowned, but he still asked what he actually wanted to know. “Do you know where in the Ocean races' territory I can find the Divine Dragon Immortal Medicine?”
“I seem to have heard about it before, but I need some time to investigate.” The turtle bartender put away the heaven-grade ki stone with a big smile.
Zu An was stunned. He hadn’t had too much hope, and only asked about it casually. His plan had still been to head to the Ocean races' territory to ask the Dragon King and Shang Liuyu. He hadn’t expected this person to actually know.
Could it be that the Divine Dragon Immortal Medicine is actually really famous among the Ocean races?
His mood improved a lot when he thought of that. He was now one step closer to saving Honglei.
“By the way, what's going on with that Mermaid Queen you spoke of?” Zu An asked, still confused. If he wasn’t mistaken, once he met the Dragon King, he would end up meeting the Mermaid Queen too. She was supposed to be Shang Liuyu’s older sister, so having some intelligence ahead of time wouldn’t be a bad thing.
The turtle bartender brought out a glass of alcohol and said, “This guest must have only arrived recently, right? You actually didn’t even know about such important news.”
“Hm? I’d like to hear the details,” Zu An said as he took a sip of the alcohol. It really wasn’t good wine, and had the stench of poor-quality alcohol. This guy really was an unscrupulous businessman.
“Because of this guest’s outspoken and straightforward personality, I won’t be charging you more for this information.” The turtle bartender chuckled. “I might even be providing the guest with a chance to make money.”
“Oh?”
“The biggest thing that's happened lately among the Ocean races is the disappearance of the Mermaid Queen. On top of that, the Dragon King gave the order for her arrest, and the bounty is extremely high. All those who can provide useful information will be generously rewarded. If you can catch the Mermaid Queen, you won’t need to worry about securing glory and wealth even for your next generation,” the turtle bartender said mysteriously.
Zu An’s eyes immediately widened. “What?”
He'd never expected such a development to take place. After all, in the past, both Shang Liuyu and Chi Wen had spoken about the great relationship between the Dragon King and the Mermaid Queen. Why was it that not only had she disappeared, she was even on the wanted list?
“Haha, when they first hear this information, others always have the exact same reaction as you.” The turtle bartender was quite proud of himself when he saw his reaction.
“Just what happened? Why would he order her arrest?” Zu An quickly asked.
“That’s something no one knows. Some say that the Dragon King just wishes to find the Mermaid Queen sooner, and has thus resorted to such an extreme method.” The turtle bartender shook his head as he spoke. “Still, that explanation isn’t too convincing. It's actually another rumor that seems more believable.”
“What rumor?” Zu An asked as he picked up the glass. He needed to digest this shocking piece of information.
Will this affair involving the Dragon King and his wife end up getting in the way of my search for the Dragon King Immortal Medicine?
After all, in the Ocean races, I’m only close to Shang Liuyu, and the Mermaid Queen is her big sister. Will she end up being involved too?
The turtle bartender gave his surroundings a vigilant look, then moved closer to Zu An before quietly saying, “I heard that the Mermaid Queen was with another man behind the Dragon King’s back. Then, the Dragon King returned ahead of schedule to take care of something and caught them in the act. The Mermaid Queen and the adulterer thus ran off together.”
Zu An was speechless.
Just then, the body of a middle-aged woman trembled slightly, as if she'd heard what the bartender said. Zu An couldn't help but give her a look; he'd actually already noticed her when he looked around as soon as he entered. It wasn’t just him, though; many of the other guests couldn't resist glancing at her from time to time. With her thorny hairpin and cloth skirt, she was clearly dressed like a peasant woman, and yet her figure was elegant and wonderful. It was a pity that her face was waxen yellow and her features were ugly. Just what tribe of the Ocean races was she from?
The restaurant’s guests were all well-traveled individuals. They took a careful look at her neck and wrist and saw that they were the same waxen yellow color, and even seemed swollen with pimples. It was quite the unpleasant sight.
What a pity... She has such an amazing figure.
Many people sighed.
Zu An retracted his gaze and gave the turtle bartender an annoyed look, saying, “There’s absolutely no way that’s true.”
He turned his nose up at the information. Even though he hadn’t interacted with her personally, only through that sky projection in the past, he had seen that the Mermaid Queen was a gentle and virtuous woman. On top of that, she and the Dragon King had seemed deeply in love. How could this kind of nonsense possibly happen?
“In the past, the Mermaid Queen was our Ocean races’ number one beauty; on top of that, she always had a gentle personality. In contrast, the Dragon King’s temper was never too good. If not for the Mermaid Queen’s frequent advice, who knows how many criminals would have been executed.” The turtle bartender had a reminiscent expression as he said, “Now that we’re on the topic, she even saved me in the past. Only then was I sent here and had my life spared.”
When he saw how the turtle’s look of respect wasn’t faked, Zu An asked impatiently, “In that case, why are you talking about her behind her back like this?”
“So many people have received her grace, so we naturally believe that the queen wouldn’t do something like that. But it's still the most reasonable explanation. Otherwise, why would the Dragon King suddenly give out an order for her arrest to the entire world?” the turtle bartender replied with a bitter expression.
Zu An slowly drank the wine in his glass. No wonder so much gossip was going around. There really was no other possibility.
“Besides, I recently received news that was finally able to explain this affair,” the turtle bartender said hatefully. “Since the issue doesn’t lie with the gentle and kind queen, it definitely has to be because of that adulterous man.”
Zu An laughed involuntarily and replied, “What man could possibly compete against the Dragon King, and more importantly, make a woman like the Mermaid Queen be most willing as well?”
As he spoke, he drank the remaining half of the alcohol. Even though the wine was harsh, the spicy hot feeling made him feel a bit nostalgic for the past. His mind really had been a bit too tense as of late. He needed to use the chance to relax a bit.
“If it were a normal person, of course it would be impossible. But if it were that regent of both the Fiend and human races, anything would be possible,” the turtle bartender said with a solemn expression.
Pfft!
Zu An immediately spit the alcohol in his mouth all over the ground. He couldn't be bothered to wipe his drenched clothes and looked at the bartender in shock, exclaiming, “Who did you say the adulterous man was?!”
“The regent of the fiend and human races, Zu An, of course.” The turtle bartender looked at him as if he was a country bumpkin.
This guy really has no knowledge at all. Does he not even know Zu An?
“Let me tell you, ever since the late Fiend Emperor and the human race’s Zhao Han perished one after another, there were already rumors that Zu An is the strongest in the world. Of course, I feel as if he might not be able to win against our Ocean races’ Dragon King. But our Ocean races have always kept a low profile, so we won’t argue with outsiders about any of that.” The turtle bartender acted like an experienced person teaching a greenhorn a lesson. “That Zu An not only has really high cultivation, he's young and even really handsome. I heard that he lives a carefree and romantic life. No matter where he goes, wherever he sleeps, he always has a large amount of exceptional beauties with him.”
Zu An was speechless.
“What kind of look is that?” The turtle bartender sensed the look in his eyes and began to panic. “I’m really not kidding. When your cultivation reaches that level, many beautiful women will take the initiative to jump into your arms. Besides, that Zu An is handsome and confident, so he doesn’t even care for ordinary pretty girls. Meanwhile, someone like you has probably never experienced that kind of joy.”
Zu An chuckled in embarrassment.
You can’t hit a smiling face, after all. If this turtle keeps praising me, I can’t really act up.
“I heard that when he was on the human side, he ended up getting the number one beauty over there, and then even forcefully seized a married woman. Then, he felt as if the husband was getting in the way and even killed him...”
“Who said that?!” Zu An exclaimed with a scowl.
Is he talking about Zheng Dan? That was because Sang Qien was courting death! What does that have to do with me? I was a victim from start to finish, okay?
The turtle bartender didn’t feel like responding to his reaction. He was getting more and more excited as he spoke. “When he reached the human race's capital, he even conquered the crown princess, empress, empress dowager, princess... As long as they’re pretty, who hasn’t he gotten his hands on? Let alone those distinguished daughters of nobility.”
Zu An was shocked.
Could it be that all of those affairs were already exposed?
Even so, he reacted quickly. It was probably nothing more than the gossip of idling warriors. Besides, the Fiend races had always been part of the enemy camp and would only add fuel to the fire to make stories more interesting. That had to be why things had ended up like this.
“Once he arrived in the Fiend races' territory, he was even more incredible. Not only did he get the number one beauty, the Medusa Queen, he even stole the exclusive property of the Tiger race king, the fox-spirit Bluefield Country Lord. It was rumored that after the late Fiend Emperor’s death, the widowed Second Empress also ended up being taken to bed by him.” The turtle bartender had a huge smile on his face, and his voice couldn't help but become a bit louder. Judging from his appearance, it seemed he was so jealous he was about to cry.
Zu An was speechless.
It seems that, because the Ocean races are under the Fiend races, they have much better intelligence on their side.
Another guest nearby suddenly threw the wine bowl in his hand.
“That motherf*cker is a walking gigolo king! This time, he’s actually climbing all over our Ocean races!”
Others quickly spoke up in agreement.
“That’s right. The Mermaid Queen is so beautiful and gentle, yet she was actually defiled by this gigolo king!”
“Have you all noticed something? The women by that guy’s side are all incredible beauties. Apart from his cultivation being a bit higher and his being a bit more handsome than usual, how was he able to win over so many beautiful women?”
“That’s right, I visited the human race’s Brightmoon City before, the place where that gigolo king rose up in the world. There was a rumor from the academy over there that he's hung like a donkey. Why else do you think he was able to win over so many extraordinary beauties?”
...
When he saw the Rage points increase all around him, quickly breaking past the hundred thousand mark, Zu An was really left between laughter and tears. He was now a bit glad that he'd worn a mask to avoid trouble. Otherwise, wouldn’t the others immediately attack him if they recognized him?
Just then, a tough-looking man harrumphed. “Like a donkey? What’s so special about that? It’s like a toothpick in comparison.”
“Hah, so what if your original form can compare to a donkey? What about after you turn into human form? Can you still compare to him? Which one of those extraordinary beauties isn’t in human form? There’s no way they could do it with your original form,” another person said in annoyance.
The tough-looking guy’s face immediately turned completely red. He picked up his wine bowl and drained it in one gulp.
Another guest said with a sigh, “When I think about that gigolo king using his donkey-sized thing to plow our beautiful and gentle Mermaid Queen, my heart suddenly feels a bit pained.”
Bang!
A pot of wine fell to the ground. The noise immediately made the entire tavern become quiet. When they followed the source of the sound, they saw that it had fallen from the table of the ugly middle-aged woman with the amazing figure. Her entire body was shaking. Her fists were tightly clenched, as if she was enduring something.
The tough-looking man in the corner walked over and said, “Damn it, now that you're all talking like this, I’m suddenly getting hard. Sis, how about you come with us for some fun?”
Mocking laughter filled the air.
“Hai Daniu, you really aren’t picky when you’re hungry. You even want something like this?”
“Right, her face is covered in pimples. Don’t you feel grossed out?”
The one named Hai Daniu snickered, retorting, “What do you all know? If you turn off the lights and cover the face, which woman isn’t the same?”
Everyone else began to nod. They were starting to regret not thinking of that sooner. Even though that middle-aged woman was ugly, her figure was top-tier.
“Sis, why aren’t you saying anything? This big bro is really strong, you know?” The tough-looking man belched and inched closer to her.
Zu An watched the scene unfold with interest, because he could sense that there was more to this middle-aged woman than met the eye. The tough-looking guy was most likely in trouble.
1. Apparently, these are barnacles. They seem to be a delicacy in some places. ☜