Section 136: Madman Guan

Guan Fengzi’s home looked incredibly chaotic, with miscellaneous items scattered everywhere to such an extent that Ye Chong had to tread carefully to avoid causing the mountain-high piles of debris to collapse. The sight reminded him of the trash mountains on the garbage planet.

Shang couldn’t help but click its tongue in marvel. "Tsk, tsk, it looks like you’ve bumped into an interesting woman. Uh, and I suspect she’s likely a mentally unstable older woman! Hehe, Ye, you’d better watch yourself!" Shang gloated.

Ye Chong had no intention of responding to Shang. He understood that no matter how he replied, Shang’s interest would only grow. Thus, he wisely chose to remain silent.

Shang giggled. "Hey, I almost forgot, you must be thinking about that female martial artist, right? Ha... Ye, your heart rate just changed!" Shang couldn't help but feel smug.

Veins throbbed on Ye Chong's forehead. Unbidden, the image of that snow-white practice uniform drifted through his mind, and he felt as if he could still smell that strange, faint fragrance and taste a lingering, silky sensation on the tip of his tongue.

For a moment, Ye Chong was lost in a daze.

The sound of unsteady, stumbling footsteps reached his ears, and he immediately snapped back to reality. He looked calmly at Guan Fengzi, who had not yet fully recovered from her intoxication.

Guan Fengzi was around twenty-eight or twenty-nine and was undeniably beautiful—the fact that Shang had let out an exclamation of surprise was proof enough. As for Ye Chong, asking him to judge such things was truly a difficult task. Guan Fengzi’s mind was still groggy; her clothes were disarrayed, with the top of her garment slipping to one side. Her snow-white left shoulder was exposed to the air, yet she seemed completely unaware. The scenery at her chest was also partially visible. Her slender, delicate fingers were loosely holding a cup.

Ye Chong clearly heard Shang gasp. However, nothing Shang did ever surprised him anymore.

Ye Chong truly didn't understand how one was supposed to judge beauty. Essentially, everyone had two eyes, two ears, a nose, and a mouth; there was no difference. Of course, he knew there were variations, such as in himself—he believed his hearing and eyesight were superior, while his sense of smell and taste were slightly lacking. But he refused to believe that anyone could judge the strength of these abilities just by meeting someone once. Even Mu, he believed, could not do that.

Thus, this could not be one of the criteria for aesthetic judgment that Shang spoke of.

If it were based on facial muscles, Ye Chong considered himself lacking the knowledge, as he couldn't imagine how facial muscles would aid in combat. If they didn't aid in combat, how could one judge their quality? As for hair, it was equally useless in battle; in fact, hair that was too long could be a disadvantage. On the garbage planet, being bald was the most practical.

Yet, Ye Chong had never heard Shang call a bald woman a beauty!

How was one supposed to judge it? Ye Chong was utterly confused! It was indeed highly difficult.

Shang let out a sound like a groan. "God! How is this possible? How could such a top-tier beauty exist in such a dump? Ye, I’m done for! I’m completely finished!"

Ye Chong was startled. "Shang, what happened?"

Shang said with a tremble, "Ye, I am certain I’ve been struck by an arrow!"

"An arrow?" Ye Chong was alarmed. He scanned his surroundings quickly but found nothing. He didn't dare to be careless. "Could it be a new type of invisible weapon? A ray-wave arrow?" Ye Chong immediately prepared for combat, ready to summon his Guardian at the first sign of an attack. Fighting in this kind of space was advantageous for the Guardian. He would kill the woman in front of him in the shortest time possible, and then he could calmly search for this new weapon.

Shang nearly fainted. "Ye, do you really have no humanity at all?"

"Humanity? But Shang, I clearly heard you say you were struck by an arrow. Well, I suppose primitive weapons like that shouldn't cause you any damage, but if it were a ray-wave arrow fired from a new weapon, that would be much more likely!" Ye Chong said quite seriously.

Shang was thoroughly defeated. "Ye, have you never heard of Cupid’s arrow?"

"Cupid’s arrow?" Ye Chong was puzzled. "Which company manufactures that? What are the specifications, model, and performance? I don't think I’ve ever seen such a product." Ye Chong wore an expression of deep contemplation.

Shang could no longer hold back and cursed, "Ye Chong, you beast! Can't you be normal for once? You've never heard of Cupid’s arrow? Your brain is filled with nothing but fighting and killing, and those broken light armors of yours. When will you ever grasp the true meaning of life?" Shang delivered the last sentence with such a lyrical tone that the hair on Ye Chong's arms stood up uncontrollably.

"Does that have anything to do with it?" Ye Chong asked blankly. Still, knowing Shang hadn't been attacked, he felt a sense of relief.

Shang said dejectedly, "Sigh, this is truly my fault. Discussing the meaning of life with someone like you is like playing the lute for a cow."

"But Mu once said that cows are very intelligent animals!" Ye Chong retorted.

"God! What kind of creatures are these two!" Shang choked out, sighing toward the sky.

"Little Ye, staring at me like that, could it be that you’re interested in me?" Guan Fengzi’s eyes were unfocused, her body swaying as if she might fall at any moment, her voice seductive and alluring.

"It sounds so good! So wonderful! Ye, do you know what this is called? This is called 'tongue-twisting charm.' According to some research on women, women who speak like this appear sexy on the outside but are incredibly loyal on the inside. They are the best companions for men, known as women gifted to men by the gods! I can't believe it! I can't believe that in such a dump, I could actually meet such a top-tier woman!" Shang was incoherent with excitement.

Ye Chong didn't understand a word Shang said; he only gathered that Shang was praising Guan Fengzi. Ye Chong couldn't help but roll his eyes, wondering how Blackie would react if he heard Shang. He doubted Blackie would ever admit to such a thing.

Ye Chong examined Guan Fengzi again, still failing to see what was so good about her, except for her hands. They were white, slender hands with well-proportioned knuckles. Ye Chong’s keen eyes could even see that the muscle distribution in her hands was highly efficient; they were undoubtedly extremely dexterous hands. However, in Ye Chong’s view, the only flaw was that her skin was too delicate, which meant her ability to withstand impact would not be ideal.

Thinking of her identity as a potionist, Ye Chong realized why.

Guan Fengzi was accustomed to Ye Chong’s silence, just as Ye Chong was accustomed to Guan Fengzi’s drunken state. Every time Ye Chong came here, she was almost always intoxicated, slurring her words, and prone to random bouts of madness—which was why Blackie hated coming here and why she was called "Guan the Mad."

"Did you run out of strengthening fluid already? That can't be right; you just took a lot not long ago, surely it couldn't have been used up so quickly!" Guan Fengzi said with surprise, then teased, "Or did little Ye miss me? Hehe, how about I keep our dear little Ye company tonight?"

Shang made a sound of pure ecstasy. "God! That’s wonderful!" Then, impatiently, it urged Ye Chong, "Ye, hurry and agree! You must agree to it!"

Ye Chong ignored Shang’s noise.

Ye Chong spoke, "It’s not about the strengthening fluid. My master sent me here to learn potion-making from Auntie Guan."

Guan Fengzi was taken aback for a moment, then scrutinized Ye Chong. "I can't tell, your master has high expectations for you, to think of sending you to me to learn potion-making! I didn't see that coming. Tsk, tsk, looks can be deceiving! I, your older sister, actually misjudged you!"

Ye Chong asked directly, "What does Auntie Guan think?"

Guan Fengzi laughed playfully. "Sigh, little Ye, how many times have I told you to call me 'Sister'? Calling me 'Auntie' makes me sound old!" The sharp-eyed Ye Chong noticed her right hand subconsciously twisting the stem of her glass; this detail told him, familiar as he was with her, that she was thinking.

Ye Chong didn't speak, waiting for her to finish her thoughts.

The two fell into silence.

When her fingers stopped moving, Ye Chong spoke again. "Well?" His voice was as calm as ever.

Guan Fengzi was slightly surprised, clearly not expecting Ye Chong to grasp the timing so accurately.

The smile vanished from her face, replaced by a serious expression. It was the first time Ye Chong had seen such a look on her. Guan Fengzi stared deeply into his eyes and said slowly, "Since it was your master who said so, it’s not impossible for you to learn potion-making from me..." She paused.

"I see. What are the conditions?" Ye Chong asked, his expression unchanging.

A flicker of appreciation passed through Guan Fengzi’s eyes. "Conditions aren't quite the word, but if you want to learn from me, there are a few rules you must follow. If you can't do it, I absolutely will not teach you—not even if your master comes himself!" She said the last sentence with ironclad finality.

Ye Chong was unmoved. "Tell me."

"First, your master’s intention was surely just for you to learn a few types of strengthening fluids, but since you are learning from me, I decide what to teach. And you cannot leave until I decide you have completed your apprenticeship! Before then, you are not to leave this place without authorization. Of course, I will let you visit your master periodically," Guan Fengzi said leisurely.

Ye Chong thought for a moment before answering, "No problem."

"Second, you are my student. You will do exactly what I tell you to do. No bargaining, and no slacking off."

"Understood."

"Third, you are strictly forbidden from entering designated areas or touching designated items. If I catch you, you will bear the consequences yourself!" Guan Fengzi’s tone was indifferent, yet somehow, Ye Chong caught a whiff of danger.

"My curiosity has never been strong," Ye Chong said, feeling confident in this regard.

"Think carefully," Guan Fengzi said.

"I have thought it through," Ye Chong replied. "I agree."

"Are you sure?"

"Sure."

"Uh, good. First, clean up everything in this room!" After dropping this command, Guan Fengzi turned and strolled away, letting out a drunken hiccup.

"Ye, I take back everything I said!" Shang felt a chill in its core as it looked at the mountain-high piles of debris.