Chapter 536 - 536: At a Loss for Words

"How could I possibly accept this?" Zhao Yuan said politely, but his hands had already reached out to take the gift bag. He didn't even look inside before stowing it away in his Storage Ring Space.

Seeing him accept it without a moment's hesitation, Hao Li couldn't help but roast him. "Didn't you just say you couldn't possibly accept? You didn't even put up a token protest before taking it!"

Zhao Yuan declared righteously, "It was a kind gesture from Fellow Daoist Cheng. No matter how embarrassed I felt, I couldn't just disrespect him like that."

Hao Li gave him a thumbs-up. "You're so right," he said, full of admiration. "I'm actually speechless..."

Zhao Yuan chuckled slyly. "But of course. I'm always a reasonable guy."

At this, not only Hao Li but also Cheng Haoyu and Ying Ji had heard enough. In unison, they all flipped Zhao Yuan the bird.

After that little interlude, the four of them and the Bone Woman all piled into Ying Ji's Audi A6.

Although the A6's back seat was spacious, three people were still not as comfortable as two. As she drove, Ying Ji griped, "Cheng Haoyu, why didn't you drive your own car?"

Cheng Haoyu answered, "What's the fun in driving alone? Riding with you guys is way more fun. We can all chat."

Hao Li, sitting in the front passenger seat, turned around. "What do you mean, alone? Wasn't there a pretty girl in your sports car?"

Cheng Haoyu sighed and said with a melancholic air, "I've grown tired of beautiful women."

"That's a ten-out-of-ten brag right there!" Hao Li was thoroughly impressed.

Cheng Haoyu didn't continue that line of conversation. Instead, he said, "Give me your personal info. I'll have someone book the plane tickets."

No one stood on ceremony, and they all recited their ID numbers to him. Suddenly, Zhao Yuan remembered something. "Wait," he said urgently, "Chikuzen Hakumei Rihachiro doesn't have an ID. What are we going to do?"

The Bone Woman was a Demon. She had come to China with Lingzi in her skeleton form, passed off as a biological specimen, so she had no passport, ID card, or anything of the sort. They couldn't very well have her shed her human skin, turn back into a skeleton, and check her in as luggage, could they?

"Simple. We'll just get her one. I'll handle it." Cheng Haoyu thumped his chest, taking charge of the matter. He took a photo of the Bone Woman with his phone, sent it to one of his men, and ordered him to get the ID card sorted out before they arrived at the airport.

And you had to hand it to him, Cheng Haoyu had some serious pull. Not long after he gave the order, the Bone Woman's ID was ready. It wasn't a fake, either—it was a genuine ID that could be found in the public security database. His guy had even used the brand-new ID to book her plane ticket.

Of course, the name on the ID wasn't Chikuzen Hakumei Rihachiro. It was too strange and didn't sound like a Chinese name at all, so they only used the last part, "Bai Mei."

After they arrived at the airport, Cheng Haoyu's men were already waiting in the terminal. They handed over the plane tickets and the Bone Woman's new ID.

The men had wanted to help carry their bags, but they discovered that Zhao Yuan and his friends were all empty-handed, leaving them no opportunity to suck up. In the end, however, they found a way to be useful: handling the pet check-in procedures for the White Cat and the two Little Dang Kangs.

As the men bustled about, they couldn't help but think, 'Raising pigs as pets? How lame can you get? Look at those rich guys in the Middle East—they raise tigers and leopards.'

With their mortal eyes, how could they possibly know that these two cute little creatures weren't ordinary piglets, but the Auspicious Beast, the Dang Kang?

Tigers? Leopards?

Could those ordinary Wild Beasts even compare to a Dang Kang? Could they possibly be more prestigious than an Auspicious Beast?

What a joke!

It was a good thing the two Little Dang Kangs couldn't read their minds. Otherwise, they would have lifted their trotters, delivered a swift kick, and roared in fury, "You fools who can't recognize greatness when you see it! Tigers? Leopards? We could make them tremble with fear with just a stomp of our hooves!"

With the White Cat and the two Dang Kangs' travel papers in order, Zhao Yuan and the others cleared security. Half an hour later, their flight took off, landing smoothly at Rongcheng International Airport around 5:30 PM.

"Little Brother Zhao, you got plans tonight? How about coming to my place for dinner?" Hao Li asked as they exited the airport.

Zhao Yuan politely declined. "You guys go ahead. I can't. I've got some things to take care of."

"Just do it after dinner," Hao Li urged. "What could possibly be more important than eating?"

Cheng Haoyu said in exasperation, "No wonder you're still single. Can't you tell? Brother Zhao is on his way to see his girlfriend. We shouldn't get in the way of their date."

It dawned on Hao Li. "Girlfriend? Is it that girl I saw last time?"

Cheng Haoyu, ever the gossip, asked, "You've met Brother Zhao's girlfriend? What's she like? Is she pretty?"

Hao Li answered honestly, "She's pure and beautiful. Nothing like the bitches you hang around with."

Cheng Haoyu flashed a wicked grin. "Brother Zhao, you want me to teach you a few moves from the Bedroom Technique? I guarantee she'll be hopelessly devoted to you forever."

Zhao Yuan was very tempted, but before he could respond, Ying Ji cut in, unable to listen anymore. "Shut up, you old perv! Don't be gross!" Then she asked Zhao Yuan, "Where are you headed? We can give you a ride."

Zhao Yuan declined. "No need, I'll just call a car."

He felt a pang of regret at the missed opportunity to learn the Bedroom Technique.

'Of course, his interest was purely academic. He just wanted to study the cultivation method known as Dual Cultivation to understand what it was all about. He had no other, less savory thoughts.'

'Yup. That was it, exactly!'

Ying Ji didn't press the issue and waved goodbye to Zhao Yuan.

Hao Li, on the other hand, got down to business. "Little Brother Zhao, cooking the Raccoon Dog Meat isn't a one- or two-day affair. I need to prepare some materials and redesign the Talisman Array and Runes to fully draw out the Spiritual Qi from the meat. But don't worry, I'll call you when it's almost ready."

Zhao Yuan nodded. "Thanks for your hard work. Just let me know if you need any help."

Hao Li chuckled. "Actually, there is something you can help me with. I need a batch of high-quality, aged wild medicinal herbs. I'll make a list of what I need and text it to you when I get back. Also, I was hoping you could find time to stop by Lakefront House and give me some pointers on building the new Talisman Array and drawing the new Runes."

Hao Li had bought plenty of high-quality wild medicinal herbs from Zhao Yuan recently. And cooking the Raccoon Dog meat required herbs as ingredients; the higher the quality of the herbs, the more Spiritual Qi could be drawn out of the Raccoon Dog Meat. So even if Zhao Yuan hadn't offered to help, Hao Li would have asked him for a batch of high-quality herbs anyway.

As for the guidance on the Talisman Array and Runes, the last time Zhao Yuan had given him pointers on the Nine Fire Exquisite Tower, Hao Li had benefited immensely. If he could get Zhao Yuan's guidance again for this new Talisman Array and Runes, the rewards would be immeasurable.

Zhao Yuan agreed readily. "Sure. I'll come over tomorrow to take a look, and I'll bring the herbs you need then."

Cheng Haoyu, who was standing nearby, was floored. "Wait, what's going on? Brother Zhao knows about Tripod Cuisine School stuff, too?"