Lu An looked at Bian Qingliu; though he still had many things to do, he also wanted to make more friends, so he nodded and said, “Alright.”
The two left the Trial Tower and walked through the campus.
There were many people on campus; walking among the crowd, Bian Qingliu’s gentle demeanor and handsome appearance attracted many gazes, while Lu An, on the other hand, never drew anyone’s attention.
This time, Lu An carefully observed Bian Qingliu.
He dressed simply yet elegantly; whether it was his attire, his speech, or his demeanor, he truly embodied the essence of a noble and distinguished family.
Lu An had met many aristocrats before, but most had a vulgar air, especially those rich Disciples who were utterly dissolute.
However, Bian Qingliu possessed none of that; he was gentle, refined, and courteous—a true gentleman.
“Student Lu’s performance in the Body Tempering Tower that day truly impressed me,” Bian Qingliu said admiringly as they walked.
“Adding to that your performance in the Trial Tower today, it makes me feel even more ashamed.
Though we are both Level 4 Sky Realm, my strength is far inferior to yours.”
“Mr. Bian, you flatter me,” Lu An said with a smile upon hearing this, then, after a brief thought, asked, “May I ask why Mr. Bian asked me to come out?”
“It’s nothing much, I just wanted to be friends with you,” Bian Qingliu said with a smile.
“In this day and age, it is my honor to meet someone like Student Lu; I truly do not wish to miss this opportunity.”
Lu An was startled, looking at Bian Qingliu with surprise, not because of anything else, but because this was the first time someone from a wealthy family was willing to be friends with him.
In others’ eyes, he was a child from a poor family, repeatedly humiliated at the beginning of the semester, and he knew that his classmates treated him as a joke.
Yet, under such circumstances, this Bian Qingliu was actually willing to befriend him—how could it not be surprising?
Seeing Lu An’s increasingly profound gaze, Bian Qingliu was somewhat surprised and asked, “Student Lu is unwilling?”
Lu An’s brows furrowed; he took a light breath and softly asked, “Are you not afraid of being ostracized by those wealthy classmates?”
“Ostracized?” Bian Qingliu was taken aback, then smiled elegantly, shaking his head and saying, “I only fear being ostracized by gentlemen.”
“I am not a gentleman,” Lu An said with a frown.
“Moreover, I have offended Zhou Chengkun, and I’m not afraid to tell you, I’ve also offended a Level 9 Heavenly Being in the academy named Wang Zhenggang.”
“Wang Zhenggang? I have heard of this person,” Bian Qingliu said thoughtfully, then shook his head without hesitation, smiling as he said, “My desire to be friends with you has nothing to do with others.”
Lu An’s eyes narrowed slightly; he stopped walking and turned to look at Bian Qingliu for a moment.
Bian Qingliu also stopped; his expression remained unchanged, always very calm.
“Alright.” After a few breaths, Lu An no longer hesitated, cupped his fists, and said, “It is my honor to be friends with Mr. Bian.”
“Brother Lu is too modest,” Bian Qingliu also cupped his hands in a bow, smiling as he said, “It is my honor, rather.”
Lu An smiled, lowered his hands, and continued walking, then thought for a moment and asked, “Is Mr. Bian from Starfire City?”
“Yes,” Bian Qingliu said, a smile on his face, looking very happy, as if befriending Lu An was a very good thing.
“Then I’ve offended so many people, isn’t Mr. Bian afraid his family will be implicated?” Lu An frowned slightly; he truly didn’t want to involve others because of himself.
“Implicated?” Bian Qingliu smiled, puffed out his chest, and with a hint of pride in his bones, said, “My family doesn’t do business; what can they do?”
Lu An was startled, looking at Bian Qingliu with some surprise; he didn’t understand, if they didn’t do business, what else could they do?
Seeing Lu An’s questioning gaze, Bian Qingliu smiled and said, “To be frank, Brother Lu, my family is a family of scholars; we only opened a few private schools, and because my father is a relatively famous scholar in Ziye Country, quite a few students come here admiring his reputation.
Adding to that, many people want to buy the calligraphy and paintings of my family members, so our family is quite well-off.
As for those people you are worried about, even their fathers would probably bow politely if they met my father.”
Lu An suddenly understood upon hearing this, yet he said somewhat awkwardly, “So Mr. Bian comes from a family of scholars.
It’s a pity I can’t even write, otherwise I could have exchanged ideas with Mr. Bian.”
“Brother Lu is mistaken,” Bian Qingliu said with a smile, shaking his head.
“Compared to exchanging ideas with other scholars, I prefer to exchange ideas with Brother Lu.”
Lu An was startled; this time he truly didn’t understand and asked, “Why?”
“I believe that being a scholar isn’t about how many books one has read or how many poems one can recite,” Bian Qingliu’s expression suddenly became serious, appearing very solemn and dignified, as he said, “Rather, it’s about learning the essence from the words of those ancients and becoming a person worthy of heaven and earth, and worthy of one’s own heart.”
“Some people read books their entire lives yet commit all sorts of evil, while others, even if they never learned a single character in their lives, are highly respected.
The friendship of a gentleman lies in the heart, which is why I am determined to be friends with Brother Lu.”
After Bian Qingliu finished speaking, Lu An kept looking at him, only to find that his tone and expression showed no trace of falsehood, flattery, or boasting; instead, they were as clear as water, yet every word he spoke was true.
Lu An took a deep breath, cupped his fists, and said, “Mr. Bian, you flatter me; I am also determined to be friends with you.”
“That is excellent,” Bian Qingliu said with a hearty laugh.
“Originally, I was still somewhat worried about the Acquired grudge meeting, but now it seems my worries were all unnecessary.”
Lu An smiled, but then said, “Please keep it a secret for me, Mr. Bian, so that Zhou Chengkun doesn’t make preparations if he finds out.”
“Naturally,” Bian Qingliu nodded, then a hint of hesitation flashed across his face as he said, “There’s one more thing, I don’t know if I should say it or not…”
Lu An was startled at his expression and said, “Please speak, Mr. Bian.”
Bian Qingliu’s face still showed some hesitation; after a struggle, he took a deep breath and then said, “Actually, there’s one thing I’d like to ask Brother Lu for help with.”
“What is it?” Lu An asked, puzzled.
“It’s about Fu Yu—your roommate,” Bian Qingliu’s expression was a bit awkward; he said sheepishly, “To be honest, I admire her somewhat, and if possible, I’d like to ask Brother Lu to tell me about Student Fu’s preferences, so I can cater to her and get closer to her.”
Upon hearing this, Lu An was somewhat bewildered.
So, making friends with him just now was for this?
Instantly, Lu An’s face was covered in black lines; although he didn’t show it, his inner thoughts had already changed a lot.
Just now, he had genuinely wanted to be friends with this person, but now, thinking about it, he realized he was too naive, so easily deceived by a Gu.
“Why don’t you ask her yourself?” Lu An didn’t show any unusual reaction; in his heart, Fu Yu held a very peculiar position, he asked softly.
Bian Qingliu’s face grew even more awkward upon hearing this; he shook his head and said, “To be honest, I’ve tried to talk to Student Fu several times, but she ignored me.”
Lu An sneered inwardly upon hearing this, yet he calmly said, “Alright, I’ll pay more attention.”
Bian Qingliu was delighted upon hearing this and quickly said, “Then I thank Brother Lu very much here!”
“You’re welcome,” Lu An said with a faint smile, “The dormitory is just ahead.
If there’s nothing else, I’ll go back for my nap.”
“Ah! Please, Brother Lu!” Bian Qingliu was still happy and didn’t notice Lu An’s final change, bowing as he spoke.
Lu An glanced at Bian Qingliu, said nothing, and strode away.
Soon, Lu An returned to his dormitory.
He kept frowning, not knowing why, but the feeling of being played made him very uncomfortable.
He wasn’t angry at Bian Qingliu, but at himself.
How, after so many things, was he still so easily tricked?
Taking a deep breath, Lu An tried to calm his anger.
Noon was precious time; he still needed to sleep and let the Black Mist Person guide him.
Pushing open the door and returning to his bedroom, Lu An immediately fell backward onto his bed.
He pulled the quilt over himself, and soon his whole being calmed down.
After twelve years of slavery, there was actually nothing that Lu An couldn't let go of anymore, and Bian Qingliu was naturally no exception.
After calming down, through these past few days of effort, Lu An had already mastered a method to fall asleep quickly.
Indeed, less than half an incense stick’s time after he closed his eyes, his entire being fell into a deep sleep.
And he himself, as expected, reappeared in this black space.
After landing, the Black Mist Person gradually formed from not far in front of him.
Once he had taken shape, his eyes, however, looked at Lu An with some surprise.
“Were you angry just now?” the Black Mist Person’s ancient voice asked, “Because of what?”
Lu An was startled, but then thought that since the Black Mist Person was in his Sea of Consciousness, it wasn't surprising that he could sense his emotions.
Though he hadn't intended to speak, he suddenly thought of something and asked, “Since you’re so powerful, you must have lived for a very long time, right?”
The Black Mist Person was surprised upon hearing this and said faintly, “That’s right.”
“Then you must have seen many people,” Lu An said with a frown.
“Presumably, your ability to judge people isn’t bad, either?”
“Judge people?” The Black Mist Person seemed to have heard something very funny; he actually laughed and said, “Not bad at all.”
“Alright then,” Lu An said with a serious expression, “I want to ask you to help me look at someone.”
“Who?” the Black Mist Person asked.
“Bian Qingliu!”