Why Are You, a Dowry Maid, Getting So Worked Up?

"Mm, it does add a unique charm."

Su Wen finished coiling her hair and looked her over, his expression faintly surprised.

This Jade Hairpin really did suit Ma Xiaotao perfectly. Ning Tian had a sharp eye. He just did not know whether she had been carrying the hairpin with her, or had prepared it in advance. After all, this was way too much of a coincidence... Wait!

Su Wen froze for a moment.

Why did it feel like he had been set up?!!

He shot a suspicious glance at Yan Shaozhe not far away. The old fox was chatting on and off with Bamboo Douluo, but Su Wen kept feeling that, under his doubtful gaze, the man's movements had turned a little stiff, as if he were feeling guilty...

"Does it really look good?" Ma Xiaotao's pretty face flushed as her beautiful eyes stared at Su Wen with some anticipation.

"It looks good!" Su Wen nodded heavily.

She looked even better when she smiled.

Her long, narrow beautiful eyes were alluring like a fox's. Unfortunately, the owner of those eyes was as dense as could be, and her personality was more like a female leopard's—fiery and straightforward.

"..."

Ning Tian watched the scene, a faint trace of envy in her beautiful eyes.

Su Wen's practiced way of tying up hair was definitely not something he had done only once or twice.

She looked at Ma Xiaotao. Sure enough, fools had fools' fortune...

Besides, compared with hers, Ma Xiaotao's figure was more than just a couple of levels ahead. With her peerless face plus that King Bomb figure, there probably was not a man who would not be moved, and she was even silly on top of that. Ning Tian's beautiful eyes suddenly dimmed a little. She was too smart. Could that be a point against her?

"Ahem, Xiao Wen, is something troubling you?"

On the way back.

Yan Shaozhe sensed Su Wen's gaze and felt uncomfortable all over, as if ants were crawling across his body. He carefully edged over and asked with two awkward coughs.

"..."

Su Wen glanced at him. "Dean Yan, you didn't sell me out, did you?"

"How could I!"

Yan Shaozhe spoke with righteous conviction.

Su Wen stared at him calmly.

"Ahem, Xiao Wen, you really can't blame me for this. The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School simply offered too much! And Mu En knew about this too. It was also done with his approval!" Yan Shaozhe scratched his head. Since he seemed unable to hide it anymore, he simply laid everything bare, and sold out Mu En in passing.

He was truly afraid Su Wen would grow disgusted and run off to the Soul Guidance Department.

That would really be throwing away a watermelon to pick up a sesame seed.

"The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School?"

Su Wen came to a realization.

It seemed the current Sect Master of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School was definitely no ordinary person either. To dare make a bet like this—what nerve...

"Xiao Wen, I..." Yan Shaozhe was on the verge of tears and wanted to explain.

But Su Wen interrupted him.

"Did it start from that trip to the Land of Extreme North?"

"Not exactly." Yan Shaozhe shook his head. "Two months ago, he happened to learn that you were about to go to the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain your third Soul Ring, so he gave the Martial Soul Department twenty million Gold Soul Coins, hoping to create a 'chance encounter' and deepen the bond between you..."

"How much?!!" Su Wen was stunned.

"Ahem, twenty million..." Yan Shaozhe repeated.

"Then it's fine." Su Wen's face was expressionless.

He took back what he had said before.

This was more than nerve. He was practically a Warlord, my dear future father-in-law...

"Give me half later," Su Wen suddenly said, remembering something.

"All right!" Yan Shaozhe hurriedly nodded.

"Right, there's one more thing." Su Wen hesitated for a moment. "Dean, there's a student in the Outer Court named Jiang Nannan. Do you know about her?"

"Jiang Nannan? Of course I do." Yan Shaozhe nodded.

"There are only so many commoner disciples in the Outer Court to begin with, and this child's talent is quite good. I hear her looks are also exceptional. Just the male students pursuing her would be enough to line up from Shrek City's east gate to its west gate, so I have a fairly deep impression of her." He recalled, "Even Xu Sanshi, one of the most outstandingly talented people in the current Outer Court, is said to have thrown even his family's dignity away. That brat spends all day shamelessly chasing Jiang Nannan."

Su Wen clearly sensed a trace of disdain in Yan Shaozhe's words.

Thinking about it, that made sense. This handsome old man had passed through countless flowers in his youth without a single leaf clinging to him. He was an old expert in love.

"I hear Jiang Nannan's family is poor? Her mother is gravely ill in bed, her life hanging by a thread?" Su Wen probed.

"There's such a thing?" Yan Shaozhe froze.

"..."

Su Wen fell silent.

That made sense.

For a disciple as precious as Jiang Nannan, especially one from a commoner background—with a clean background at that—Su Wen did not believe Shrek Academy would know all this and remain unmoved.

Yan Shaozhe would never let such a good opportunity to win someone over slip by.

Then there was only one possibility.

Perhaps Jiang Nannan's pride had gotten in the way, or perhaps she simply did not know that her talent was outstanding enough for Shrek to place a bet on her, so she had never mentioned the matter to the academy at all.

Or perhaps she had mentioned it, but her teacher had not taken it seriously and had never reported it upward, causing Yan Shaozhe to remain unaware. As a result, Jiang Nannan had mistakenly thought the higher-ups were unwilling to help her, and had gloomily decided to sacrifice herself to save her mother.

But now that he knew about it...

The corners of Su Wen's mouth lifted.

Then there was no way he could let the Xuanming Sect succeed again. A disciple of his Shrek Academy should not be stumped by something like this.

Jiang Nannan's mother had a small problem with her heart. The Original Work had only said that the largest clinic in the area could not treat her, but whether she could be cured or not... perhaps that was up to the Xuanming Sect. The Black Tortoise Divine Pill most likely was not the only solution for treating the illness.

Besides, even if he had no way himself, worst came to worst, he could invite Old Zhuang over!

A rank ninety-five Super Douluo, someone who could rank in the top three among the continent's healing-type powerhouses—could he really fail to cure a minor heart disease?

The corners of Su Wen's mouth lifted. Me? I just love doing good deeds the most...

Elsewhere.

The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School's group had also headed north, crossing the Star Dou Great Forest toward the Xuanming Sect in the Heaven Dou Empire. Going to the Xuanming Sect to discuss business was indeed true, but meeting Su Wen was the real reason; the business talks were merely incidental.

Seeing Ning Tian looking melancholy the entire way, her beautiful eyes occasionally glancing back, Wu Feng gritted her teeth. I'm sorry, Young Sect Master. To save you from deep suffering, I have no choice but to resort to this poor plan...

She quietly slipped over to Bamboo Douluo's side.

Then she leaned close to his ear and whispered a few words.

Just as her face filled with secret delight, Bamboo Douluo stared at Wu Feng with a strange expression.

"You're just a dowry maid. Why are you meddling so much?"

The air abruptly fell silent.

Wu Feng's mouth fell open, and she pointed at herself in shock. "Me? A dowry maid?!!"

"Aren't you?" Bamboo Douluo smiled gently. "If the young miss marries out when the time comes, won't you have to follow along too?"

Wu Feng: "..."

The girl was like a deflating balloon, instantly withering as she left with tears in her eyes.

She had not expected that it would not just be the young miss—she herself would be thrown in too!

"Wuuuh..."

When she saw Ning Tian, Wu Feng could not hold it in anymore and burst into loud sobs.

"What's wrong?" Ning Tian was bewildered, looking at the girl who had thrown herself into her arms. Wasn't this child usually carefree and bold? What had upset her today?

"Old Bamboo said he wants to marry me off to Su Wen as part of the dowry too..." Wu Feng sobbed in little hiccups, her pretty face streaked with tears.

"You hate him?" Ning Tian coughed lightly twice.

"Th-that's not exactly it." Wu Feng's expression hesitated for a moment.