Chapter 18: The First Chamber of Commerce?

  "It's hidden so secretly, it must be something good!" Wan Xi Chen said very affirmatively.

  Xue Zihao and Zhuge Mingyue pinched their noses and retreated backwards, with Zhuge Mingyue saying in a disgusted tone: "Unwrap the oil paper package and see what's inside."

  Wan Xi Chen poked his finger into the oil paper package, but found that it was wrapped in two layers. After completely opening it, there was a yellowed paper inside.

  "What is this?" Wan Xi Chen asked with a puzzled expression, holding up that piece of paper.

  "Is there a big red cross on top?" Xue Zihao leaned in slightly and asked, looking at the pattern above.

  Zhuge Mingyue carefully examined the paper, which was crumpled and had a simple pattern on it. There were countless fine fingerprints left on it, obviously Luo Xiao had looked at it many times during his escape. Thinking of Luo Xiao's disheveled appearance, he must have gone through many bloody battles, but still treasured this piece of paper and flipped through it countless times. Zhuge Mingyue had a hunch that this seemingly blank paper was hiding some secret, its value might even surpass the Swordsmen's Secret Manual.

  "Could this be the legendary treasure map?" Zhuge Mingyue asked, blinking her eyes. "This guy treasures this thing so much, it must be very valuable." Zhuge Mingyue had Wan Qi Chen spread out the paper and seriously examined it again and again, but didn't find anything special about it. Moreover, the location marked on it was in a very distant White Ice Plain. On it, there was only a big red X, and then no other markings at all.

  "It's possible!" Wan Xi Chen and Xue Zi Hao became excited after hearing Zhuge Ming Yue's analysis, "If it's a treasure map, that would be awesome! Let's go treasure hunting!"

  "It's not that easy, there's just a red cross here, nothing else. Let's talk about it later. Anyway, it must be something very precious, fatty, you take care of it first." Zhuge Mingyue instructed, the thing hidden in that place, she didn't want to hold it herself. Then Zhuge Mingyue looked at Luo Jiao, who was almost naked, and thought for a moment before saying, "Bury him deep, and burn all his clothes. Don't tell anyone about what happened today."

  "I understand!" Wan Qichen pinched the treasure map, hearing Zhuge Mingyue say this, of course, his heart was clear. If he said it out loud, trouble would inevitably follow.

  Before long, the small valley was quiet again. The bloodstains and footprints on the ground were cleaned up spotlessly, leaving no trace. Except for a patch of flattened new soil, almost nothing unusual could be seen. To make it perfect, Xue Zihao even transplanted a small piece of flowers and grass onto this new soil. This way, if one didn't look carefully, almost nobody would discover the secret hidden beneath. And this only unusual thing would also be completely covered up after a few days with the growth of the flowers and grass.

  They hung the ferocious beast they had hunted down last night from the cliff, packed up their luggage, and after a final check by several people to make sure they hadn't left any traces behind, they slid down the cliff along the rock wall.

  Not far from the exit of Longshan Mountain, several people met a worried principal. Seeing several people, the principal's face full of worries finally eased, and he let out a long sigh of relief.

  "Where did you guys go last night? Do you know how many people were looking for you? Ah? This is too much! The principal, who had been worried all night, with a surge of liver fire, first let out a roar to vent his anger."

  "What's going on?" The principal had never lost his temper so badly before, and Wan Zichen knew what was going on in his heart, but he still asked cautiously with a surprised expression.

  "What else happened? Yesterday, a notorious fugitive escaped into the mountains. All the teachers and family members of every household came to look for you. All students have returned safely, except for the three of you. Do you know how anxious we are? What if something happens to you, how can the school explain it to your families? Didn't I tell you not to go deep into the mountains? Are my words just wind in your ears?" The principal continued to scold, "The other party is a B-level fugitive. If you encounter them, you'll be their next meal! Where did you three run off to?"

  Cut! I'm afraid it's fake that they're in a hurry, but what's real is that something has happened and there's no way to explain it. Several people muttered this sentence in their hearts at the same time.

  "A Class B fugitive!" Several people exchanged a glance, feigning surprise and shock, exclaiming, "Isn't that very dangerous?"

  "Of course it's dangerous, so I'm asking all of you to evacuate immediately. Alright, now that you're safe, that's good enough. Hurry back, who knows where the fugitive is right now." The principal looked at the three of them, relieved that they were unharmed, and didn't want to linger any longer, waving his hand for the teacher to send them back.

  "Principal, how did that wanted criminal end up here?" Wan Xi Chen asked curiously.

  "Who knows, it seems like someone is being chased to death, and not by the official guards either. Alright, you all get back to the city immediately. It's not safe here." The principal explained a couple of sentences before starting to shoo them away.

  Zhu Ge Mingyue, however, caught the meaning behind the principal's words: Pursuit and kill? Who could it be that would relentlessly pursue and force Lu Jian to flee all the way to Cang Feng City? Of course, there must be many people who harbor hatred towards him, perhaps someone who wants to see him dead no matter what. But could it have something to do with that mysterious diagram? Zhu Ge Mingyue's mind flashed with insight, as if she had grasped something.

  The search for the last few students has come to an end, and as for the follow-up work of pursuing the fugitive Luo Xiao, that is the responsibility of the City Guard. The wise Principal would not interfere with their duties. Zhuge Mingyue and his group returned safely to Cangfeng City.

  The noisy Long Dragon Mountain Range calmed down again after a night, but in the deep mountains, several black shadows appeared and stopped at the mountain peak where Zhuge Mingyue and others camped before.

  "The breath disappeared here." A low voice said, and at his feet stood a short and stout magical creature. If someone saw this creature, they would definitely be shocked. This creature was called the Mongoose God. And the one by this person's side was an extremely rare variant of the mongoose beast, famous for its keen sense of smell. Although it didn't excel in attack or defense, it was a top-notch auxiliary magical creature. It was said that its sense of smell was hundreds of times more sensitive than even the best hunting dogs, and there were almost no prey that it couldn't track down.

  "Go and take a look." Another cold voice gave an order.

  Several black shadows agilely climbed up and entered the small valley. A few people's sharp eyes scanned every inch of land in the valley. Finally, their gaze fell on a cluster of flowers. This small piece of ground seemed different from other places. The several people exchanged a glance, and it was clear that there was something unusual here. Before long, Luo Xiao's almost stripped corpse was dragged out.

  "What about the thing?" asked the cold voice.

  "No!" The person's voice was full of shock.

  "Who got there first?" The cold voice was full of urgency and desperation.

  No one dared to speak up and answer.

  "Found!" The cold voice was laced with venomous irritation.

  ……

  At this time, Zhuge Mingyue had already returned to Cangfeng City. The teacher in charge of registering the results of this practice session was surprised after registering the things of Zhuge Mingyue's group. This three-person team's harvest was unexpectedly the most, and naturally, the first place in this practice session belonged to them.

  Zhuge Mingyue and the other two didn't mind this. The rewards for the top three in the annual trial were never very good anyway.

  "Ah, Ming Yue, Ah, Ming Yue..." Xue Zi Hao ran up with his dog legs, walking beside Zhuge Ming Yue, smiling with a flattering face.

  Zhuge Mingyue saw Xue Zihao like this, and it would be strange if she didn't understand what he meant. She gave Xue Zihao a white eye: "Alright, tomorrow after school we'll go to the store together to buy some more materials, and when the medicine is refined, I'll give you the first batch. Also, don't your two bodies hurt?"

  Wan Xi Chen and Xue Zi Hao twitched the corners of their mouths, only then did they cover their stomachs to feel the scorching pain. They were too excited all along the way.

  "My bones aren't broken, that's good." Wan Xi Chen said with a lingering fear as he touched his ribs. Suddenly, he asked, "Ming Yue, the holiday is coming up in a few days, do you have any plans?" After going through the Luo Xiao affair, Wan Xi Chen and Xue Zi Hao had unknowingly started treating Zhuge Ming Yue like a true companion, calling him directly by his given name instead of using his full name.

  Zhuge Mingyue suddenly remembered that she had become a novice summoner, and after completing her training, it was time for vacation. After the vacation was over and school started again, they could be promoted to an advanced class.

  "Not for now. Let's talk about it later, I'm exhausted, I'll head home to rest first. See you tomorrow." Zhuge Mingyue said with a wave of her hand.

  "Alright, see you at the academy tomorrow." Xue Zi Hao also waved his hand, and Wan Xi Chen watched as Zhuge Ming Yue's figure disappeared from view before withdrawing his gaze.

  This time's primary class exercise, the first place was won by Zhuge Mingyue's three-person team, which shocked many people. Pang Wuji was at home recovering from injuries and when he heard this news, he was so angry that his teeth itched. Many people simply didn't believe this was their real strength and thought it was just luck.

  When the principal was presenting awards, Zhuge Mingyue occasionally glanced at a girl waiting to receive an award next to her and looked at her with anger. Zhuge Mingyue was somewhat puzzled, did she know this girl?

  After the award ceremony, Zhuge Mingyue put away the prize and turned to look at Wan Qi Chen: "Fatty, who was that woman next to you just now? Why did she seem so dissatisfied with me?"

  Wan Xi Chen couldn't help but laugh, lowering his voice to say: "That's our beginner class' genius girl Ruan Shui Xin. She's a real prodigy, able to summon magical pets at the age of ten. This time around, her group has many strong members, and she was full of confidence, thinking she'd definitely be first. But now that she's in second place, it's no wonder she's not happy."

  "Oh, I see. It seems she's quite resentful." Zhuge Mingyue raised her head to find Ruan Shui Xin staring at her provocatively.

  "Don't mind her, after school we'll go to the store, go to the store, go to the store..." Xue Zihao repeated the last three words in a chanting tone.

  "Shut up!" Wan Xi Chen raised his hand and slapped Xue Zi Hao's mouth with a loud slap, and the world fell silent.

  The principal and teachers respectively reminded them of some things, and the whole college was on holiday. The start of school is a half month later.

  As soon as school was over, Xue Zihao bounced to the front of Zhuge Mingyue, his eyes shining brightly as he stared at Zhuge Mingyue, not saying a word.

  "Alright, let's go," said Zhuge Mingyue with a slight headache.

  "Look at your little temper!"

  "You're talented, the medicine is ready, don't you want it?" Xue Zi Hao retorted.

  "I'm useless!" Wan Xi Chen immediately stated resolutely.

  Zhuge Mingyue couldn't help but laugh at these two treasures. With them around in the days to come, there will be a lot of fun, won't there?

  Three people walked into the largest store in Cangfeng City, chatting and laughing. As soon as they entered, the young shop assistant came forward with a smile on his face, greeting them warmly. The old boss behind the counter had changed, looking spirited and refreshed, completely different from last time.

  "Has the boss changed?" Zhuge Mingyue asked casually.

  "We've been acquired by Lin's Chamber of Commerce." The shopkeeper puffed out his chest and said with great pride.

  Zhuge Mingyue was taken aback.

  Lin's Chamber of Commerce? The number one chamber of commerce in the country?

  Digression

  How many people raise turtles?