I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 921 Is Zhong Xiang a girl?
"That's all?" Shen Ling looked at Zhang Chen, recalling his words, and stared blankly at him.

"I know it's cruel for you to say this, but I don't want you to misunderstand! Besides, you're not someone who hasn't been through love before. You got through what happened with Zhang Gaoqiu back then, so there's nothing between us. You shouldn't be affected, right?" Zhang Chen said to Shen Ling, but there was no apology on his face.

He and Shen Ling were originally engaged, but Shen Ling looked down on him and got together with Zhang Gaoqiu. Later, Shen Ling was abandoned by Zhang Gaoqiu and even got pregnant with his child. How could Zhang Chen, an innocent young man, want Shen Ling?

Although Shen Ling is a kind and innocent girl with no guile, otherwise she wouldn't have been so easily deceived by Zhang Gaoqiu, Zhang Chen still keeps his distance from her. Even if he were to marry, he would only marry a virgin.

Shen Ling forced a smile and subtly changed the subject: "When did you arrive at the academy? I haven't heard a word about you in the past few years, and I've been quite worried about you."

"It's surprising that you still care about me," Zhang Chen joked. "With my abilities, I could live well anywhere. I did very well in the North and Jinling in the past, and as my skills improved, my life only got better. On the contrary, how did you manage to join the academy? I've heard that the academy's selection process is very strict."

Shen Ling smiled wryly upon hearing this: "The selection process for the academy is indeed very strict, but you know I'm not someone to be trifled with. I'm much stronger than that good-for-nothing Zhang Gaoqiu. I had a stroke of good fortune while traveling the world, and later, by chance, my strength greatly improved, which gave me the opportunity to enter the academy. Not only me, but Jiang Nan and Shen Qiu also entered the academy. However, it seems that something unpleasant happened between Jiang Nan and Shen Qiu. They seem to have fallen out, and they haven't been in contact for a long time since they came to the academy. When you have some free time in the future, you should try to persuade them. After all, we used to have a good relationship, we are blood relatives, and we both came from Jinling City. We should help each other."

Zhang Chen was slightly surprised to hear this, but he also knew in his heart that Jiang Nan's dream had always been to climb the social ladder, to sell himself for a good price, and then avenge the blood feud of his entire family. If the Shen family were still at its peak, Jiang Nan would naturally not give up on the Shen family. But now that the Shen family has been destroyed and Shen Qiu has become a rootless ghost, Jiang Nan would naturally no longer regard Shen Qiu as the person she would entrust her life to.

Even if he had Jiang Nan's body, Jiang Nan would not choose him, let alone the fact that Shen Qiu and Jiang Nan had never had any real relationship.

Shen Qiu is nothing more than a simp; for him to think he can win over Jiang Nan is simply wishful thinking.

Jiang Nan has exceptionally high standards!
"How did Jiang Nan join the academy?" Zhang Chen asked with a look of surprise.

Shen Ling shook her head upon hearing this: "I don't know. I've only met her once since I came to the academy. We only exchanged a few words that time. Perhaps Shen Qiu knows that he has always been by Jiang Nan's side, so he should know about Jiang Nan."

Zhang Chen inquired about Jiang Nan's affairs, and Shen Ling answered all his questions. At this point, Shen Ling looked at Zhang Chen with a surprised expression: "You seem to care a lot about Jiang Nan."

“I am very concerned! Jiang Nan is my friend, and a very close one at that,” Zhang Chen said.

“I’m not even a friend to you,” Shen Ling said with a bitter smile.

Zhang Chen smiled upon hearing this: "I'm going inside to rest. It's not appropriate for the two of us, a man and a woman, to be alone together. You should leave now."

Zhang Chen pushed open the door and walked into his house. Shen Ling wanted to follow him in, but Zhang Chen stretched out his arm to block her from entering.

Shen Ling's expression stiffened upon hearing this, and she looked at Zhang Chen with a deep gaze: "You should know my feelings."

Zhang Chen remained silent upon hearing this.

Shen Lingfu added, "I can be with you without any formal status."

“What’s missed is missed.” Zhang Chen shook his head. “Besides, I don’t think I’m any worse than Zhang Gaoqiu. Zhang Gaoqiu isn’t even worthy of carrying my shoes. He wouldn’t even accept me, so why would I?”

Why would he want a cheap woman that no one else wants?
Shen Ling was struck dumb upon hearing this, her face turning deathly pale. Zhang Chen's words were quite harsh, a ruthless attempt to dissuade her from the situation.

Upon hearing this, Shen Ling stared blankly at Zhang Chen, tears streaming down her face. She choked back sobs, unable to speak, and finally, all her unspoken words boiled down to one sentence: "You think I'm dirty?"

"Why do you have to say it out loud?" Zhang Chen sighed softly.

Upon hearing this, Shen Ling covered her face, turned around, and disappeared into the corridor, leaving only sobs echoing in the air.

After seeing Shen Ling disappear, Zhang Chen looked towards the next room and said, "Come out!"

He had already sensed Jiang Nan's aura. Jiang Nan had arrived long ago, but had been hiding in the next room and hadn't met with Shen Ling.

"I have tried my best to conceal my aura and have not made the slightest sound, yet you were able to sense my presence?" Jiang Nan walked out of the next room with a surprised expression. She was wearing a bright red robe, just like that summer back then, her beautiful features unchanged.

Zhang Chen didn't answer Jiang Nan's question, but asked in confusion, "Shen Ling is here, why are you still hiding and refusing to come out?" "Refusing to come out is naturally because you've done something shameful." Jiang Nan walked up to Zhang Chen and looked him up and down: "After not seeing you for several years, you haven't changed at all except for becoming a bit more mature."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen stepped aside and invited Jiang Nan inside. Then he picked up a pot of tea and started brewing it, saying, "I'm curious, what shameful thing have you done that makes you afraid to see Shen Ling?"

Zhang Chen was genuinely curious.

"I used Shen Qiu and then dumped him to get into the academy, and then climbed up to someone else. How can I possibly have the face to use the Shen siblings again?" Jiang Nan sighed helplessly.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen froze in his tea-making motion, turning to look Jiang Nan up and down: "Have you found a new job?"

“There are too many powerful and wealthy people in Kyoto, it’s dazzling.” Jiang Nan said unhurriedly, as if he were having a heart-to-heart talk with an old friend: “I just move among the sons of the powerful and wealthy, skillfully using them, but there is not one I can entrust my life to.”

"Aren't you going to consider me?" Zhang Chen joked with a smile.

"You? You're not good enough now! But if you become the head of the Zhang family, I might consider it." Jiang Nan glanced at him sideways, her beauty becoming captivating and alluring.

Looking at Jiang Nan in front of him, Zhang Chen couldn't help but sigh. Jiang Nan's smooth talk and charming manner made her a perfect "green tea" (a manipulative woman), no wonder she could make men so infatuated.

However, Jiang Nan is an open and honest person, and Zhang Chen has no aversion to him.

"I heard that you actually touched Zhong Xiang's butt in public today, and you weren't burned alive by him. You're famous in the academy now. Zhong Xiang is one of the two most famous beauties in our academy. Countless princes and nobles want to pluck her, but you were the one who reached out your hand first. This incident has caused a sensation throughout the academy. Countless people want to duel with you and cut off the hand that touched the beauties." Jiang Nan suddenly changed the subject and teased Zhang Chen with a smile.

Zhang Chen was taken aback by Jiang Nan's words, a look of confusion in his eyes: "Jin Hua? What Jin Hua? Zhong Xiang, a grown man, is being called Jin Hua like a woman? And he's attracting the attention of countless men?"

"A man?" Upon hearing Zhang Chen's words, Jiang Nan looked at him with surprise, countless questions popping into her mind. After a long while, she finally asked, "Is the Zhong Xiang you're talking about the same person as me?"

Why did she feel that the Zhong Xiang the other person was talking about was not the same person she was talking about?
“Zhong Wubai’s grandson!” Zhang Chen said.

"Grandson? It's clearly a granddaughter!" Jiang Nan said, then looked at Zhang Chen with sudden realization: "Zhong Xiang always dresses as a man, you didn't think Zhong Xiang was a boy, did you?"

"Zhong Xiang is a woman?" Zhang Chenru was stunned, staring blankly at Jiang Nan in front of her.

“That’s right! Everyone knows that Zhong Xiang is a girl, and an outstanding heroine at that, she just always dresses as a boy!” Jiang Nan said, her voice filled with disbelief as she recalled Zhang Chen touching Zhong Xiang’s butt in public earlier that day: “You don’t actually think Zhong Xiang is a boy, do you?”

Zhang Chen was completely stunned, his head was buzzing, and he felt as if the sky had collapsed.

What did he do?
It was one thing to tear Zhongxiang's clothes in the North and touch his white and tender buttocks, but to use Zhongxiang's flames to melt magma and treat a girl as a tool.

Recalling how he had treated Zhong Xiang in the North, Zhang Chen couldn't help but want to slap himself and curse, "You beast!"

"Is she really a girl?" Zhang Chen asked again, still in disbelief.

"Are there really such handsome boys in the world? It's just that because she has mastered the power of fire, her body is filled with masculine energy, which suppresses her feminine charm," Jiang Nan explained, then looked Zhang Chen up and down: "You really don't know that Zhong Xiang is a girl?"

"If I had known Zhong Xiang was a girl, how could I have dared to touch her butt in public?" Zhang Chen's head was buzzing.

Touching someone's butt is nothing. He did something far worse in the North, he stabbed Zhong Xiang's buttocks with a knife!

Jiang Nan looked at Zhang Chen, speechless for a moment. After a long while, she said, "Ignorance is no excuse. Just go and apologize to Miss Zhong Xiang. I don't think she'll blame you. By the way, how did you meet Zhong Xiang?"

(End of this chapter)