Gift

"What method?" Luo Jun asked curiously.

"Didn't you just get that Chaos Card?" Ailongtan chuckled. "The Undead King inside, also known as the Club Emperor, is a master of Law Technique, surpassing even my former self. He can resurrect the dead as zombies. Although they won't have the strength or intelligence they possessed in life, their daily activities are completely unaffected, and they look almost indistinguishable from the living. As long as he gets these three up and lets them walk out of the black market on their own, we'll be completely undetected!"

"There's such a thing?" Luo Jun exclaimed excitedly, immediately taking out the Chaos Card.

"However, this method relies a bit on luck, since there's only a 1 in 54 chance of drawing him," Ailongtan continued. "Before midnight, Master, you can try drawing nine times in a row. If you don't succeed, you can draw nine more times after midnight, giving you eighteen chances. The probability of drawing him shouldn't be low... Alternatively, you can lock the Character Card. Although each draw will consume three chances, but..."

While Ailongtan was still helping Luo Jun devise a plan, a flash of light suddenly appeared before his eyes, followed by a spreading aura of death. A pale man wearing a crown and holding a scythe appeared in front of Luo Jun.

"The Undead King pays homage to the Master!"

"They... they've already confessed?!" Ailongtan stared blankly at the Club Emperor before him, then at Luo Jun: "Master, how did you do that?"

"Just pure luck." Luo Jun didn't bother to explain and immediately ordered the Club Emperor, who had just appeared, "Can you lift these three up?"

The Undead King looked around, nodded, and immediately cast a spell. A wave of necromancy spread out, and soon the three headless corpses slowly rose up, their heads flying off and reconnecting to their necks. The wounds and flesh healed automatically, and in no time they stood in front of Luo Jun, lifelike.

"I really can't see any flaws!" Luo Jun circled around the three of them in surprise, and found that apart from their skin color being a bit darker than before, there was basically no difference.

"How much of their strength can they unleash?" Luo Jun asked, resting his chin on his hand. "Let them try activating their internal energy."

The Undead King raised his hand and unleashed a wave of energy. A thin layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

"Your strength has been reduced so much?" Luo Jun was somewhat disappointed.

"This isn't a true resurrection," Ailongtan explained. "It's just that they used their corpses to create three undead creatures. Their strength is naturally only at the level of ordinary undead monsters; it's already quite good that they have any internal energy."

I see... Luo Jun asked the three a few more questions. They could speak, but their speech was slow and drawn-out, their thinking was simple, and they had no memories of their previous lives. They also couldn't use the Hundred Treasure Box...

As expected, Ailongtan was right. These three were merely undead creatures in disguise, and were not the same person as the original wanted criminal.

"As long as they can walk and move, that's fine." Luo Jun instructed the Club Emperor, "Take them away from the black market and back to that house in the city center."

Club Emperor Blossom accepted the order, and after Luo Jun and Ailongtan gave him instructions on the details, he immediately led the three away.

"Alright, that's all settled for now. You should head back quickly, or Ling Xin will start to worry," Luo Jun instructed.

Ailongtan nodded, and just as he was about to leave, he turned back. "Master, there's something I'm not sure if I should say..."

Luo Jun glanced at him. "When someone asks that kind of question, it's definitely not something nice..."

"That..."

"Go ahead and speak!" Luo Jun waved his hand, and Ailongtan chuckled, "I just feel that... Ling Xin seems to be taking a little too much care of me... I mean you."

"Take care of me?" Luo Jun thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Indeed, she asked you about Lin Feng before... obviously she suspected my identity. So, where exactly did she slip up?"

"No, no, no..." Ailongtan hurriedly waved his hands, "That's not what I meant. Do you remember, I said before that Ling Xin always took special care of me, saying it was because you, Master, were too weak... At the time, I thought she looked down on you, Master, and, emboldened by alcohol, I made a bet with her: if I couldn't beat her within six months, I would have to run naked upside down around the academy..."

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore..." Luo Jun waved his hand dismissively, "I don't even know what to say about you!"

"That was my fault..." Ailongtan waved his hand and said, "But since then, I have observed her carefully and found that this girl is not as arrogant and mean as I previously thought... On the contrary, the more I get to know her, the more I realize that she actually cares about you, Master."

"How exactly do you show concern?" Since returning, Ailongtan has mostly taken over his duties at school, so Luo Jun himself hasn't really noticed anything.

"For example, she often keeps an eye on my... that is, your cultivation progress, Master. And this time, when she heard that you had broken through to the Heart Refining Realm, she was clearly quite happy... Normally, after making that kind of bet, she shouldn't want you to progress too quickly, but after hearing that you had broken through to the Mind Condensation and even escaped from a major wanted criminal, she instead shared a lot of cultivation insights with me and warned me not to forget to consolidate my foundation..."

"Well..." Luo Jun stroked his chin. "After all, he's an old classmate. Although we didn't talk much in high school, we were still classmates, so it's normal for him to take care of me."

"That's not all," Ailongtan continued. "I also noticed that when she interacts with others, whether they are students or teachers, she is always cold and aloof, never saying more than two words. But only with me... I mean with you, Master, does she seem very patient, not saying much, and always appearing relaxed and smiling."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Luo Jun blinked.

"What I meant to say was..." Ailongtan probed, "She seemed very relaxed... or rather, very happy, when she was with you, Master?"

"Are you saying she's interested in me?" Luo Jun asked bluntly.

"I think it's possible!" Ailongtan nodded.

"No way..."

Luo Jun frowned and recalled his high school days. He and Ling Xin barely spoke to each other throughout high school, let alone had any effective communication... What impressed him most was the time he invited her to a movie after getting the dice, only to be rejected on the spot, so decisively!

If Ailongtan's guess is correct, and she really does have feelings for me, then we can rule out the possibility that it started during high school!

The next time I saw her was during the entrance exam; she was still ignoring me then, so it definitely wasn't around that time...

Then, during the rest of the holiday, he spent most of his time in the Savage Wilderness. His next contact with her, under the identity of Luo Jun, must have been during their adventure in the Martial World.

At the time, he didn't seem to notice any change in her attitude... but later, after he started using "Ailongtan" instead of "himself," he could definitely sense that Ling Xin had become more cheerful and seemed to talk to him more...

Luo Jun had previously assumed that Ling Xin's improved attitude towards him was due to the purification of pollution or something similar, but now he realized that was probably not the case...

Recalling these details, Luo Jun made a judgment and looked at Ailongtan with some surprise.

"Do you think it's possible that she's not interested in me, but in you?"

"Huh... huh?!" Ailongtan looked completely bewildered.

"Look..." Luo Jun said, counting on his fingers, "Didn't his attitude towards you change after the Medicine King Valley incident? Some classmates who weren't familiar with me before, didn't they only start considering me a friend after becoming close with you?"

As he spoke, Luo Jun patted Ailongtan on the shoulder. "Although you look the same as me because of the mask, our personalities are different. You are much more socially adept than me, so naturally you are more likable." Ailongtan was flattered by these words and quickly replied, "Master is too modest. I am merely trying my best to play the role of a good master. Attracting girls' admiration is all thanks to Master's charm!"

"No need for flattery." Luo Jun waved his hand. "It's not a bad thing to get along with her, but remember, don't do anything out of line using my name!"

"I absolutely dare not!" Ailongtan hurriedly waved his hand. "But I have a question. For your happiness, Master, if there is an opportunity, should we take our relationship to the next level?"

"Of course, I won't lay a hand on you; all the benefits will be left to the master!"

Seeing Ailongtan's obsequious expression, Luo Jun frowned. "Are you really an ancient emperor? You're more like a eunuch than a..."

"Under the radiance of our great master, even the greatest heroes pale in comparison," Ailongtan sang effusively.

"I'll take it as a nice thing." Luo Jun curled his lip. "Go back to Ling Xin's place. Don't do anything unnecessary. There's no point in deceiving people when it comes to feelings."

When Ailongtan returned, he found Ling Xin still waiting there.

"What have you been doing for so long?" Ling Xin's tone was slightly reproachful. "I was thinking of coming to find you. There are all sorts of people here, and even though you've reached the Heart Refining Realm, you still need to be careful."

As she spoke, she glanced behind Ailongtan.

"It's nothing..." Ailongtan smiled slightly, and swiftly took out a light blue hair tie from his Hundred Treasure Box, handing it forward. "I just saw this at a stall, and thought it suited you well, so I traded for it. Here, it's for you!"

The error-free version can be read at 69 Book Bar! 6=9+shuba is the first site to publish this novel.

"Huh?" Ling Xin was slightly taken aback and Outer Dao, "For me?"

"Of course!" Ailongtan laughed. "I've noticed you often wear your hair in a ponytail, but only with a regular hair tie. This headband works much better; you should find it useful!"

"Hey! I told you not to do anything unnecessary! Have you forgotten?" Luo Jun, who was not far away, saw this scene and roared, which resounded in Ailongtan's mind, making his head buzz and even making him sway on the spot.

"Master, this isn't unnecessary..." Ailongtan steadied himself and argued, "I've been gone for so long, there needs to be a reasonable explanation..."

"You..." Luo Jun was speechless for a moment, but he didn't want to rush up and actually teach him a lesson.

As for Ling Xin, she has already seen the effect of the hair tie.

Name: Wishful Hairband

Grade: Rare

Description: A token of love given by a renowned master to his beloved. Besides being aesthetically pleasing, it also provides various buffs when worn.

Function 1: Youthful Vitality: When worn, it increases the speed of energy recovery by an additional 20%.

Function Two: Depending on the way the headband is tied, different hairstyles will produce different enhancements, as shown below.

Bow: Charm Enhancement, increases others' goodwill towards the user.

Braided Hair: Speed Enhancement, increases the user's speed.

Hairpin: Strength Enhancement, can increase the user's strength.

Headband: Protective Qi Enhancement, increases the user's Protective Qi Strength.

Tip: The Wishful Hairband can instantly create your desired hairstyle and switch between various states. Switching consumes Five Breaths Vital Energy, with no cooldown.

Note: Wait until I get a new hairstyle and then I'll beat you up again!

Ling Xin stared blankly at the hairband in her hand, somewhat lost in thought. She looked up at Ailongtan, who was still dazed from Luo Jun's inner roar, hesitated for two seconds, then chuckled. She turned her head away, took off the hair tie, untied her hair, and then re-tied it with the Activate Wishful Hairband.

She still sported a high ponytail, with a large bow tied on top of her head.

"Does it look good?" Ling Xin turned around, glanced at Ailongtan, tossed her hair behind her head, and asked with a smile.

"So... beautiful..." Ailongtan looked at Ling Xin, whose hair was now tied with a ribbon, and sincerely praised her. This was a beauty that even the former rulers and emperors with countless concubines were somewhat surprised by.

Is this... the effect of Charm Enhancement?

However, being an old man several thousand years old, Ailongtan shook his head and threw away his chaotic thoughts. "Perfect! It was worth spending two Rare Treasure Item!"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Luo Jun continued to roar, "Wasn't that headband a hidden reward from your last Chaos Mission?"

"Thank you, I really didn't expect that... I thought..." Ling Xin shook her head, "Never mind, it just so happens that I also saw a treasure that would suit you, so I bought it... but it's not as precious as the one you gave me."

As she spoke, Ling Xin took out a piece of jewelry. Ailongtan took it and scanned it, discovering that its effect was to increase Elemental Affinity.

This is indeed a very useful effect for Elemental School; it's clear Ling Xin specifically chose it for him. Moreover, although the effect isn't high-grade, it's extremely rare; Luo Jun had previously sold an accessory with the same effect...

Wait, this design even has special effects...

With his exceptional eyesight, Luo Jun glanced at the item from afar and realized it was the same piece he had sold before!

Luo Jun's eyes widened, and he immediately communicated with Ailongtan in his mind. "Quick! Ask her which stall she bought this thing from?"

Although Ailongtan did not understand Luo Jun's meaning, he still obeyed the order.

"Why are you asking that?" Ling Xin asked curiously, "That's the only stall there, there aren't any others..."

"That's not the reason..." Ailongtan shook his head and said, "Just tell me."

Ling Xin pointed to a stall not far away. "It's over there, the third one..."

Before Ailongtan could make a move, a cloaked man brushed past them and headed towards the stall.

(End of this chapter)