Chapter 2635 — A Hint

"That's more like it!" Zhao Qibing nodded. "Then I'll wait for your good news!"

"All right, I'll get it sorted for you on my end!" You Panhu said. "But first, get yourself ready—register for the auction as a charity-minded merchant, bid on some trifle, just enough to earn yourself a place at the masquerade ball."

"No problem there," Zhao Qibing answered readily. "I'll go sign up in a bit!"

That afternoon, the school began making preparations for the charity auction. Every department and faculty was given the afternoon off; students were free to go prepare their donated lots, while the rest could study quietly in their classrooms.

Wei Zhao was in the middle of cultivating when You Panhu plopped himself down beside Han Jingyi once again. Wei Zhao sharply withdrew from his cultivation and turned to glance at You Panhu. This time, Han Jingyi's attack had almost certainly come of a leak from You Panhu—yet for a running dog like him, Wei Zhao held no particular hatred. His hatred was concentrated almost entirely on Little Eleven.

"What do you want?" Han Jingyi shut her tablet warily and looked at You Panhu.

"Well... Han Jingyi, you're a second-rank alchemist now, aren't you? And working your way toward third-rank?" You Panhu probed, fishing for something to say.

"What is it?" Han Jingyi did not answer him directly.

"Nothing much. No need to hide it from me—I know exactly what materials I've been giving you. You've started asking for third-rank cauldrons and third-rank pill ingredients, so you must already be a peak second-rank alchemist. Otherwise you'd never be pushing for third-rank. Isn't that right?" You Panhu said.

"What's that to you?" Han Jingyi asked.

"Nothing. Didn't Teacher Bai say it herself? Classmates ought to help one another. You're a peak second-rank alchemist, so you must have plenty of insights into alchemy, no? Written up as notes on your tablet, I'd wager?" You Panhu knew there was no use beating around the bush with Han Jingyi—the one who made the final call was Wei Zhao. So he deliberately spoke up loudly, making sure Wei Zhao could hear: "How about lending me those notes for a look?"

"No," Han Jingyi said flatly.

"..." You Panhu was briefly speechless, though he had expected as much. "Then what would it take to borrow them? What do you want this time?"

"This time... I don't want anything..." Han Jingyi blinked, then said, "Seems to me you're the one who came looking for me. Wei Zhao, I think something's wrong with You Panhu's head. Could you give it a look?"

"Is that so? Let me see." Wei Zhao turned around and reached out to feel You Panhu's head.

"Don't touch me!" You Panhu recoiled in alarm, leaning backward—but he overbalanced, went straight down, and hit the floor with a resounding crash. Fortunately, being a cultivator, he came to no harm; he merely looked thoroughly ridiculous.

"There really is something wrong—look at that reaction," Wei Zhao said, eyeing You Panhu with bafflement.

"Nothing... I'm fine. Probably just didn't sleep well last night..." You Panhu made up a random excuse as he scrambled up from the floor. Then: "Wei Zhao—the notes. Trade or no trade?"

Afraid that Wei Zhao might try to examine him again, You Panhu hurriedly changed the subject. Nothing was wrong with his head—what he feared was being "treated" by Wei Zhao into a full-blown idiot. There was precedent enough: that blue-haired fellow from before had been turned into a simpleton by Wei Zhao's ministrations. You Panhu could not afford to be careless.

"You still want to trade? But there's nothing I need anymore." Wei Zhao spread his hands and spoke with regret.

"Nothing..." You Panhu thought it over and had to admit the man had a point. Last time, trading for the materials on his white-collar master, he had already dredged up most of the family's holdings; apart from things Wei Zhao did not want, there truly was nothing left. And dragging out the very same items all over again would be pointless. So You Panhu could only say: "Why don't you think it over again? See if there's anything you lack?"

"Seems I lack nothing—except a bit of money," Wei Zhao said. "I'd like to donate some to the Songshan City orphanage, but I'm a little short on hand."

"..." You Panhu thought to himself: Are you asking me to make a donation? But if I donate and you still won't give me the materials, what then? Still, he asked: "How much are you short?"

"A few million, give or take," Wei Zhao said.

"You mean for me to go donate—donate a few million?" You Panhu frowned. A few million was not much, but he couldn't just throw it away for nothing, could he? For the hidden You family, which ran a pill-and-elixir business, such a sum was truly nothing; and he wouldn't have to pay it out of his own pocket—he could simply go home and ask for it.

"I'll think about it. I didn't say you had to donate," Wei Zhao shook his head. "Go on back for now. I'll let you know once I've decided."

"That works too, but be quick about it!" You Panhu nodded and urged him.

After You Panhu left, Han Jingyi asked Wei Zhao in a low voice: "Wei Zhao, are you really going to trade materials with him?"

"No trade. But here's what we can do—like so, and so..." Wei Zhao lowered his voice and murmured a few instructions to Han Jingyi.

"Mm-hm!" Han Jingyi nodded quickly after hearing him out. "All right, Jingjing understands."

You Panhu had no lip-reading ability, and at that distance he could not make out what Wei Zhao was saying at all. What was more, Wei Zhao was condensing his voice with true qi, so that no one but Han Jingyi could hear a word.

But You Panhu did not think much of it. He assumed Wei Zhao was discussing the trade with Han Jingyi, and seeing that Wei Zhao was taking it seriously, he was rather pleased.

The student council had already begun planning the charity gala. Following past convention, the hosts and staff were all chosen from among the freshmen—the purpose being to give the freshman members of the student council some practice.

What Wei Zhao hadn't expected was that Shen Yushu would turn out to be one of the hosts. There were three in all—one man and two women. The other girl Wei Zhao didn't know, but the young man was an outright cross-dresser—he had no idea how the student council had picked these hosts. When the student council posted the hosts' photos on the campus BBS, at first glance Wei Zhao thought they were three pretty girls...

Rumor had it, though, that this cross-dresser was a person of many talents—a cadre in the student council's arts department—so it was only natural he'd been chosen as a host. It was Shen Yushu taking the stage to host, though, that surprised Wei Zhao somewhat.