Chapter 1060: Paper Wives
“???”
There were a thousand question marks in Zu An’s mind. Isn’t this just a blanket you slept in before? Do you have to be that embarrassed? Or was that scent another smell?
Yu Yanluo had already changed into a nightgown. The silk material was close-fitting, hazily outlining her mature and wonderful figure. But the more it appeared so ambiguous, the more enticing it was. That was especially true for her waist and bottom, which formed simply outrageous arcs. She was the definition of natural womanly charm.
Soon afterward, Yu Yanluo came back with a brand new set of blankets and said, “Here.”
“Uh… thanks, madam.” Zu An really didn’t know what to say. He couldn't just ask her what that smell was, could he?
He was just about to say something when his eyes narrowed. Because Yu Yanluo had bent down to arrange the new covers, her collar area was completely exposed. Together with the fact that she was wearing extremely loose and spacious sleepwear, a beautiful scene was fully revealed when she bent down.
Zu An was obviously too embarrassed to take advantage of her at that moment, and he looked away stiffly.
Yu Yanluo helped him replace the covers, but suddenly noticed that he was acting strangely, When she lowered her head, her face immediately reddened. She quickly held her hands in front of her chest and stood back up.
She had just changed her clothes, but then had been in a rush to change the covers, so she hadn’t immediately reacted. She usually dressed casually that way when she was alone, because there was no way another man would enter her room. That was why she hadn’t noticed anything after she changed her clothes.
But she didn’t scream and lose her head like a young lady, instead pretending to be calm and saying, “Since you have not slept yet, just come over and take a look at those people from the Duke Manor.”
Zu An was shocked. He asked, “You already finished drawing them that quickly?”
Yu Yanluo smiled and said, “I have already drawn several of them. You can watch me draw the rest of them.”
Her statement drew Zu An’s interest. He said, “Perfect; I wanted to learn how to draw better.”
“You want to learn how to draw?” Yu Yanluo replied, stunned.
Zu An nodded and said, “It’s because my transformation technique’s basic requirement is mastery of drawing. Only then can I perfectly mimic my target’s details. I already practiced for a long time and thought I was already a master, but you immediately saw through it.”
“So that was what it was.” Yu Yanluo realized why Zu An wanted to learn. She said, “Your transformation technique is quite incredible. That’s good too, then. While observing me, you can try to think about which areas you can still improve on. That way, there won’t be any flaws when you try to fool others in the future.”
Zu An thought to himself, Why does this sound so weird? He immediately got off the bed and followed her out.
Yu Yanluo had her fur coat draped over her collar. She had clearly already noticed what happened. But talking about such a matter would embarrass them both. It would be better to just just let bygones be bygones.
She took out several drawings and handed them to Zu An, explaining, “The first is the Duke Manor’s butler, Uncle Ming. The manor’s tasks, big and small, are under his management. He has already followed Yanyou for many years, and is someone who is extremely familiar with him. If anyone has a chance of seeing through your disguise, it will be him.”
Zu An received it and gave the paper a look. He saw a man who looked just like one of the butlers he was familiar with. He recognized that person; they had met previously during the investigation of the Duke Manor.
The drawing was just like the other person, as expected. What was even more shocking was that this drawing seemed too lifelike, as if it weren’t just a drawing, but rather a real person.
Suddenly, it rippled, and a strand of mist slowly rose from the paper. It then landed on the ground. The mist slowly scattered outward, gradually forming a human image. Who else could it be but Uncle Ming?!
“The young master may call me Uncle Ming. Please ask me if there is anything you need to know about the manor.” The person bowed to Zu An. His tone was polite, and yet also carried a bit of distance, exactly the same as when they had met the first time.
Zu An was surprised. He hadn’t expected the other person to appear. All of the muscles in his body immediately went taut, ready to retaliate at a moment’s notice.
Yu Yanluo smiled sweetly and said, “There is no need for you to be nervous. He is merely a drawing of mine, he is not real.”
“He’s just a drawing?” Zu An’s eyes widened. He quickly turned and saw that sure enough, his hand could pass right through the other party’s body. The drawing clearly didn’t have a body.
“Young master, please do not do that. It will quickly speed up my rate of disappearance,” ‘Uncle Ming’ took a step back and said a bit helplessly.
“It can even speak?” Zu An looked at Yu Yanluo. He was now utterly shocked.
Yu Yanluo explained, “He is just an existence that has emerged from my drawing. Strictly speaking, he is not really alive. Whenever I finish drawing someone and give them preset designs, they appear vividly like this, becoming just like the one I wish to draw. However, they do not have corporeal bodies and scatter after a bit of time.”
Zu An couldn't help but sigh. He said, “When I heard the phrase ‘drawings so vivid they seem alive’ before, I thought it was just a legend, but Madam has really done it, and is even able to make living people.”
He couldn't help but think back to all those shut-ins with their 2D waifus. If they had Yu Yanluo’s help, wouldn’t their 2D waifus all become real people? Even if it were only for a moment, that would be enough to make them all go wild. It wasn’t just shut-ins, either. If Yu Yanluo drew some celebrities, their fans would also go crazy from excitement.
The only regretful thing was that the drawings had no real bodies. They could only be seen, not touched…
“This is just the result of a lot of practice,” Yu Yanluo said nonchalantly, as if she were talking about something extremely commonplace. She continued, “Hm? What are you thinking about? Hurry up and use this chance to familiarize yourself with him. This way, there will be no holes in your behavior when you meet him as Yanyou later.”
“Oh, alright.” Zu An’s face heated up. What the hell am I thinking about? Why would a shut-in need a real body? Having their two hands to accompany them is already enough.
Yu Yanluo continued, “I have already put everything I know about Uncle Ming into this drawing. He will explain everything to you. You can just chat with him, and he will tell you those things. I will go back to drawing the others.”
She lowered her head and focused on her drawing again. Her pen danced along the paper like a dragon, but perhaps because of what had happened previously, even though she had a fur coat covering her, she still subconsciously used her hand to cover her chest.
Who are you even on guard against? Am I that kind of person? Zu An was a bit dispirited.
However, his attention quickly shifted to Uncle Ming. The other party began to discuss things with him, explaining all manner of information to him. It included several details about Jian Yanyou’s normal lifestyle.
Zu An sighed in amazement. It really was much easier interacting with such a ‘living’ person than reading from a sheet of paper.
After some time passed, Uncle Ming’s figure began to turn blurry. In the end, he turned into specks of light and vanished.
Yu Yanluo sensed something. She raised her head and asked, “How much of all of that did you remember? How about I draw another copy for you?”
“There’s no need, I remembered it all.” Zu An replied.
“You remembered it all?” Yu Yanluo frowned slightly. Because of her beautiful appearance, her pursuers had tried every trick in the book. Many people would keep acting just to get more of her attention. But for some reason, she didn’t want Zu An to become such a person. She couldn't help but feel a bit of disappointment.
“I really did remember it all.” Zu An pointed at his head and said, “My memory has always been pretty good.”
Ever since he’d had his aptitude improved by the system’s Marrow Cleansing Pills, he could pretty much learn anything after looking at it once.
Back then, Thick Browed Daoist had had ‘Face of a Thousand Identities’ for so long, and yet he hadn’t managed to get very far. He was an eighth ranked cultivator, so his aptitude wasn’t low either, meaning ‘Face of a Thousand Identities' was a technique that was extremely difficult to understand. However, Zu An had already learned most of it on the way to Cloudcenter Commandery.
If he’d had such an ability in his previous world, he would have been able to get into any university he wanted!
“Really?” Yu Yanluo was already feeling somewhat unhappy. She continued, “Then let me test you. What are Yanyou’s sleeping habits?”
You have successfully trolled Yu Yanluo for +33 +33 +33…
Zu An was puzzled. Why did she suddenly get upset for no reason?
But since she had asked him, he answered, “He definitely wouldn’t eat anything a few hours before bed, nor would he drink any tea. Furthermore, he would head to the study to read for a bit.”
“Oh. Then what book does he like the most?” Yu Yanluo asked.
“Previously, he was reading the ‘Spring and Autumn Annals’,” Zu AN replied.
…
After she had asked a series of questions, a look of surprise appeared in Yu Yanluo’s eyes. She had thought that Zu An was just boasting at first, but he really did remember every single detail clearly.
She was finally convinced, and said, “I apologize; I suspected you incorrectly. It seems you really are quite talented.” She was someone who had knowledge across many fields. She naturally understood what a highly retentive memory meant.
“It’s all thanks to madam’s incredible drawing skills.” Zu An sighed in amazement.
Yu Yanluo smiled and said, “I suggest that you change into Yanyou again so it will feel more natural later.”
Zu An thought to himself that her suggestion made sense. He was training to fool the people close to Jian Yanyou in the Duke Manor, so he naturally needed to use Jian Yanyou’s appearance to get a good feeling for it beforehand. As such, his face began to change, gradually turning into Jian Yanyou’s.
Yu Yanluo stared at him the entire time. After she witnessed the whole process, she couldn't help but say, “This skill of yours really is completely unique. It is almost as if you have stolen one of the crafts of heaven.”
“But I don’t have much confidence in it anymore after madam exposed me,” Zu An said with a bitter smile. Having his first attempt seen through really didn’t feel amazing.
“I will help you perfect it later, so you will not have to worry about being seen through anymore.” Yu Yanluo smiled. She pointed at the paper on the table and suggested, “Why not take a look at the next drawing first?”
Zu An nodded. He picked up the new sheet of paper. When he saw it, however, his entire body froze up. He had thought that it would be one of the important guards of the manor, but who could have expected that it would be an incredibly beautiful woman?
Every beauty really has their own unique charms… Even though she was a bit inferior to his close female friends, she was still a first rate beauty.
He gave the other papers a look. They were also of other beauties. However, they each had a particularly distinctive trait. Judging from their hairstyles and outfits, they were clearly married women.
As his eyes passed over them, the beauties all turned into mist that flew out of the paper. When they saw Zu An, they all surrounded him excitedly and exclaimed, “My lord!”
Zu An was alarmed.