Chapter 32: Run for It!

After enduring the afternoon of Luo Yao’s hands-on, personal instruction, Ding Nan soaked his physically and mentally exhausted body in a cool bath.

Luo Yao had gone to prepare dinner.

Ding Nan gripped the Jade Tablet hanging from his neck.

He had entered the Early Qi Refining Stage, giving him the preliminary ability to breathe in the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth and mobilize his own spiritual energy.

‘Since it absorbs the spiritual energy of Spirit Stones, it should be able to absorb mine as well,’ Ding Nan muttered to himself.

—

After dinner, the sky had not yet turned completely dark.

In the summer, the days were long.

However, even though it wasn’t dark yet, according to the hour, it was already time to rest.

Luo Yao sat before the dressing mirror by Ding Nan’s bed.

She had just finished her bath and was draped in a thin, pale yellow silk robe.

She used a dry towel to repeatedly wipe her hair, which was no longer dripping but still damp.

The damp hair reflected a milky white light.

In truth, she could have used her Soulfire to evaporate the moisture from her hair, but that would also burn away the lily scent she carried.

She wanted to keep herself smelling fragrant.

Once the dry towel became too damp, she set it aside.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she tilted her head up and down, straightened her chest, and turned to the side to observe her reflection.

Then, she applied a touch of light makeup and adorned herself with a few small accessories.

Luo Yao knew that Ding Nan disliked the exaggerated style where one’s entire face was painted white.

He preferred makeup that subtly enhanced one’s features, whether it was heavy or light.

However, Ding Nan didn’t like red lips at all, so to this day, Luo Yao rarely used lip paper.

Even if she did, it was only a tiny amount, or she would mix it with other colors of rouge and powder.

Ding Nan liked cherry blossom pink the most, especially the kind that was pale yet moist.

Therefore, today, Luo Yao dressed herself in exactly that fashion.

After spending a bit of time, Luo Yao finally finished her makeup.

By now, the sky had grown dark.

The candle flames flickered, and the dim light fell upon Luo Yao’s skin, making her appear somewhat ethereal.

“Young Master, I’m ready!” Luo Yao said as she stood up.

The windows had been tightly shut ever since she started her bath.

“Young Master?”

Hearing no response from Ding Nan, Luo Yao called out again in confusion.

Usually, during this waiting period, Ding Nan would read some idle books or stories while lying on the bed.

Luo Yao suddenly felt that something was wrong.

“Why was it so quiet today?”

There wasn’t even the sound of pages turning.

‘Could it be that the Young Master ran away?’

Luo Yao thought, her eyes instantly losing their light as her expression turned dark.

Immediately, she released her Divine Sense.

Feeling the familiar aura on the bed, she finally relaxed.

If the Young Master really tried to run away, she would have to consider certain… forceful measures.

But the Young Master was being strange today.

It had barely been dark for long, yet he was already asleep?

She walked toward the bed where the curtains had already been lowered and slowly pulled them aside.

She looked at Ding Nan, who was lying flat on the bed, and her lips curled into a smile.

She gently climbed onto the bed, leaned toward him, and hugged him softly, intending to wake him up.

But Ding Nan remained in a deep sleep.

The lingering affection on Luo Yao’s face vanished instantly. She shook Ding Nan unwillingly.

However, it was useless.

Ding Nan was like someone who had fainted, showing no reaction at all.

But he hadn’t fainted; Ding Nan’s breathing was steady and his complexion was peaceful.

He didn’t look like he was suffering from any illness, and his martial arts training emphasized moderation.

While tiring, it wouldn’t harm his body.

Luo Yao had also given him nearly four hours of rest between his bath and dinner.

How could he be so exhausted?

“Could it be… this thing?”

Luo Yao looked at the Jade Tablet on Ding Nan’s chest.

It was a Rounded Wushi Plaque made from Southern Ink Jade.

This sort of thing was seen everywhere in the South, low-grade goods sold by street vendors.

Once upon a time, Luo Yao hadn’t cared about this Jade Tablet at all.

She only knew it was the Young Master’s possession and treated it as some kind of special souvenir.

“Who is the Young Master dreaming about? Is it me?”

Luo Yao’s voice was as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, but as soon as the words left her mouth, her expression became exceptionally grim.

She knew exactly what kind of person Ding Nan was.

He never worked without a reward, and he was extremely goal-oriented in everything he did.

Yet now, instead of staying awake to share the intimacy of Wushan with her, he chose to dive his consciousness into the Jade Tablet.

‘As I thought, the Young Master doesn’t love me!’

“Who are you dreaming of? Could it be Ji Lanruo?”

Luo Yao said in agony, shaking Ding Nan forcefully.

Ding Nan’s body showed no response.

In this state, even if Ding Nan were to die, his body wouldn’t twitch, let alone show any other physical reaction.

“No, Young Master! Don’t go back to the memories of that woman!”

—

Ding Nan wandered through the Library.

He walked past the bookshelf marked “Luo Family” and paused.

‘Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Should I look into the Luo Family’s matters first? Maybe I’ll see Yao’er.’

As Ding Nan spoke, he immediately shook his head.

Luo Yao had been in the Ding Clan since she was a child, growing up step by step alongside him.

How could she be in the memories of a past master?

At most, she was a genius who happened to practice a high-level manual from a young age, which was why she could flatten his Early Qi Refining Stage self with a single palm.

He hadn’t even been practicing the Danxia Manual for one month and was already close to Foundation Establishment; how much more so for Luo Yao?

Furthermore, through Luo Yao, Ding Nan now knew that the Luo Family was a family of artifact refiners.

As everyone knew, Artifact Refining was easy to start but difficult to master.

Additionally, its achievements in offensive spells were relatively poor, leading to a lack of versatility and tricky life-saving methods.

Ding Nan was currently beginning his study of Artifact Refining under Luo Yao’s tutelage.

Since she was teaching him the Luo Family’s techniques, she likely knew them all.

He didn’t think a beginner apprentice could easily surpass his teacher on the same technical level.

Therefore, he decided to put the memories of the Luo Family aside for now.

Ding Nan scanned the books in the Library.

Among them, the “me” in Duanmu Yuyan’s section, Xian Xinghuan, was a phantom thief.

The techniques he learned were perfect for hiding and escaping, and he was also a grandmaster of Formation Mastery.

However, he had no opportunity to practice the Saint of Thieves Manual.

Luo Yao, his personal maid, would never give him the chance to study any manual other than the Danxia Manual.

As for the rest, they were almost useless for escaping — the Frost Essence Severed Meridian was related to medicine.

Poisoning was one method, but he lacked a proper channel for medicinal ingredients and the conditions to brew them.

Anything that could affect the body, like medicinal herbs, had to be registered at the Ding Clan before it could be taken.

Buying them outside required a real-name prescription, especially for potent anesthetics.

It was impossible to buy things like knockout drugs in the regular market.

Additionally, all of his Spirit Stones were currently being held by Luo Yao.

Ding Wen had given all the money to Luo Yao, acting as if he had forgotten his son the moment he gained a daughter-in-law.

After thinking it over, Ding Nan eventually returned to studying the Xishan Sect.

While he couldn’t learn their cultivation methods, he could learn their talismans.

Talismans were versatile and powerful.

Because talismans and formations shared the same origin, strictly speaking, anything could be turned into a talisman.

If he could make an Invisibility Talisman, many things would become much more convenient.