Chapter 178 : Chapter 178
Come to think of it, it made sense.
Judging from the tug-of-war between Yi Ning and Lu Zheng after he had peeled her off his back—where she’d desperately tried to climb back on—Yi Ning didn’t just have no signs of injury, she was bursting with energy, practically in peak condition.
Letting someone like that ride on his back the whole time—Lu Zheng’s treatment of Yi Ning could even be called indulgent.
The pity in Lester and the others’ eyes gradually morphed into 50% suspicion, 30% disbelief, and the remaining 20% pity that hadn’t yet had time to vanish.
“What the hell are you staring at?!”
Yi Ning personally chose to bury the last shred of pity they still had for her.
At this point, trying to coerce Lu Zheng through deceiving the public was no longer viable, so she gave up and decided to just lash out, venting her frustration at her rebellious mount through these naïve townsfolk.
“Be polite to others!”
Seeing Yi Ning’s foul attitude, Lu Zheng couldn’t help but give her a light knock on the head.
It was fine if she wanted to throw a tantrum at him, but she still needed to be respectful to others.
Especially when those others were showing kindness.
Yi Ning wasn’t having any of it.
The moment she felt the pain on her head, she turned around and bared her teeth at Lu Zheng.
Lu Zheng, exasperated, gave her another flick on the forehead.
Watching their odd way of interacting, Lester and his companions started to look at Lu Zheng strangely.
Could it be that Yi Ning’s spoiled and willful behavior... was all because of Mr. Lu Zheng’s pampering?
That thought popped up inexplicably in their minds.
In the end, Yi Ning never managed to climb back onto Lu Zheng and could only grimace through the pain in her chest, continuing the journey to Esick City on her own two feet.
Thankfully, the rest of the route wasn’t too long.
By leaning her upper body forward to create space between her clothes and skin, Yi Ning was eventually able to make it to Esick City alongside Lu Zheng, just as Lester and the others had said.
The entry process wasn’t complicated.
The guards at the city gate only asked a few basic questions about their background and whether they were carrying any items known as “Kir Artifacts” before letting them through easily.
Of course, it might have been because they were entering with Lester and his team, and the guards let their guard down.
Lester and his group were surprisingly well-liked in Esick City.
Not just the guards—on the way to the Adventurers’ Guild, from wrinkled elders to toddling children, Lu Zheng lost count of how many people greeted Lester and the others.
“We’ve lived here since we were kids, so a lot of people in the city know us.”
Seeing Lu Zheng’s surprised look, Lester explained this with a smile.
But judging from the townspeople’s interactions, it was obvious there was more to it than that.
Like when someone on the road saw Lu Zheng carrying Yi Ning and came up to ask if he needed help—Lester and his crew seemed to frequently assist the townsfolk.
When passing through something like a marketplace, many vendors gave them small tokens of appreciation, saying it was to thank them for past help.
Lu Zheng and Yi Ning also got to enjoy some of that goodwill, getting a few unfamiliar fruits for free.
Crunch.
Yi Ning wiped a fruit on her clothes, then took a big bite.
“Mmm!”
The taste surprised her so much her eyes widened.
It was sweet.
Sweeter than any of the fruits they had found in the forest before.
Not only that, the crisp flesh turned to melt-in-your-mouth softness upon contact with her tongue, releasing its sweetness and filling her entire mouth with delicious flavor.
After transforming into a girl, Yi Ning had developed a love for sweets. Now, this intensely sweet treat perfectly matched her tastes, and her eyes squinted in happiness—anyone could see the joy radiating from her face.
Being a hedonist, Yi Ning devoured the fruit in a few bites, then shamelessly swiped all the fruits Lu Zheng was holding as well.
“Pretty tasty, huh? That’s called a Deso Fruit. According to adventurers from out of town, these go for silver coins apiece in the royal capital.”
“It’s our Esick City specialty!”
Lester turned his head with a grin, holding out the fruit he’d received to Yi Ning as well.
Seeing someone offering her more, Yi Ning quickly clamped the half-eaten fruit between her teeth, shoved the others into her pockets, and cheerfully reached out to accept more.
But Lu Zheng stopped her hand midway.
“Isn’t this kind of expensive?”
When they passed the marketplace earlier, Lu Zheng had taken time to observe item prices.
Most prices were listed in copper coins.
It was clear that copper coins were the standard currency here, while silver coins were a higher denomination.
Though he didn’t know the exact exchange rate between copper and silver coins, judging from Lester’s smug tone, a single silver coin probably wasn’t a small amount.
Scoring so many expensive things for free made Lu Zheng feel a bit wary and a bit guilty.
“Don’t listen to Lester’s nonsense.”
Eunice rolled her eyes at Lester, walked up to Lu Zheng, and pressed his hand down.
“Deso Fruits only fetch that kind of price in the royal capital.”
“Saying it’s Esick’s specialty is self-flattery. In reality, they come from the Hottledo Forest. You can find them all over the outskirts. They’re basically worthless in Esick, usually just thrown in for free with other purchases.”
As she spoke, Eunice took the fruit from Lester’s hand, pulled a few more from her own pocket, and stuffed them all into Yi Ning’s arms.
“If you like them, eat as much as you want.”
She smiled and patted Yi Ning’s little head.
At some point, Rupert had also appeared beside Yi Ning, silently handing her the fruit from his own pocket.
Yi Ning wasn’t like Lu Zheng—she had no problem accepting gifts.
She grinned ear to ear as she accepted everything.
This calls for a side note.
Just by appearances, Yi Ning was undeniably adorable. Coupled with the blissful expression she made while munching on the fruit, she looked like a fluffy little animal—enough to melt the hearts of anyone who didn’t know her true nature.
Too bad that behind this cute exterior was a heart black as ink, cloaked in righteousness.
After receiving fruit offerings from everyone in the “Friendly Profit Team,” Yi Ning’s first reaction wasn’t gratitude.
Instead, she turned and mocked Lu Zheng.
“Look at them, then look at you!”
She pointed accusingly at Lu Zheng.
Holding up the armful of fruit she’d hoarded, she shook it proudly in his face, shooting him a smug look.
“You stingy guy who won’t even take on a little bit of effort!”
Then she even stuck out her tongue and made a face at him.
Yi Ning was still holding a grudge over Lu Zheng tossing her off earlier.
Lu Zheng: “...”
I’m stingy?
Have a conscience, will you?
Can’t you look at the fruits I let you take—all of them—without eating even one myself, before running your mouth?