Sitting in the carriage heading home, the Duke squinted his eyes and recalled the experience just now. Scenes flashed through his mind, and suddenly a scene was cut out: Gezheng explained the Magic Moon sub-dagger to him instead of Dekemonte, seizing the limelight. Why would the alchemist, who was not outspoken, behave so disrespectfully?
Dekemonte should have a better understanding of the Twin Moon Blade than Gezheng unless... Gezheng had altered the performance of the Magic Moon sub-dagger. If that's the case, this alchemist is truly inscrutable! The Duke revealed a smug smile: it seems this time, he really picked up a treasure...
However, a person like Gezheng, can he really be controlled by him?
He didn't want to mix with those aristocrats, he just wanted to find the banquet hall.
A servant was carrying a large silver tray, covering his face as he hurried forward. Ge Zheng stopped him and asked, "Excuse me, how do I get to the banquet hall?"
The short servant, walking quickly, was pulled by Ge Zheng and lost his balance, falling down with a loud crash of the silver tray and a large steamed bun-like cover on top of it. Ge Zheng quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to ask, how do I get to the banquet hall?"
The servant became enraged, rubbed his nose, glared at Ge Zheng fiercely, and ignored him as he walked away. Unfortunately, the loud noise had already attracted some people's attention. Several people looked over, and a middle-aged maid exclaimed, "Miss Feifei, why are you dressed like this?"
Ge Zheng took a closer look and saw that the "servant" opposite him had delicate eyebrows and eyes, a small and delicate nose, a few faint freckles on her face, round and tender earlobes, clearly a little girl.
The little girl bit her lip, wrinkled her nose, and glared at Ge Zheng fiercely: it's all because of this idiot, otherwise I would have quietly slipped out of the Grand Duke's mansion already. I don't want a home tutor; those old men just like to nag and don't allow this or that...
"Feifei!" a furious shout, there was only one person in the entire Grand Duke's mansion who dared to call Miss Feifei like that, her father, the Grand Duke.
Today, the Grand Duke deliberately dressed up, the light golden suit coupled with a slender rapier gave a somewhat valiant air to his tall and thin figure. Ge Zheng was the person he had made great efforts to win over, using deceit and deception to persuade Ge Zheng to agree to be his daughter's home tutor. Fortunately, Ge Zheng hadn't arrived yet. If he had seen his supposedly "clever and diligent, eager to learn and ask questions" daughter behaving so stubbornly, the welcome banquet for the home tutor might have turned into a "dismissal banquet".
With a rapier adorned like an embroidered needle, the Grand Duke had a somewhat imposing demeanor. Ge Zheng, with his back to him, realized that something was amiss halfway through the Grand Duke's approach. Without any hesitation, he turned around and left.
Miss Feifei immediately wilted at the sight of her father, and her fierce and threatening demeanor disappeared. In this castle, she was most afraid of her father, whose black face was really scary!
As the Grand Duke rushed towards her, Miss Feifei was so scared that her small face crumpled, and she huddled her neck as if she were a cat afraid of the cold. She knew that she couldn't escape a scolding now.
Unexpectedly, the Grand Duke, who had charged over menacingly, suddenly turned and ran away, just like a mouse catching sight of a cat. Miss Feifei didn't have this "intimidating power", so there was only one person in front of her. Miss Feifei breathed a sigh of relief and patted Ge Zheng on the shoulder, "You saved my life. Don't worry, if anyone bullies you in Wàngshān City in the future, I'll use Miss Feifei's name. I have a good reputation, and it works!"
She suddenly remembered, "You, although you're not handsome, you shouldn't scare people off like my father does when he sees you?"
Miss Feifei blinked her big eyes, and Ge Zheng also blinked at her. For a moment, he hadn't adapted: this mischievous little girl was going to be his future student? Smart, diligent, eager to learn and ask questions—these two traits seemed completely unrelated to this noble girl.
"Hey, are you listening? Answer me!" Miss Feifei looked at him for a while without a response, then reached out, pulled his arm, and shook him hard. Ge Zheng laughed bitterly, "Because, I am the home tutor your father hired for you. I'm Ge Zheng, pleased to meet you."
"Ah..." Miss Feifei was dumbfounded.
The Grand Duke had made up his mind; if she was going to be stubborn, he might as well stay resolute to the end. Without revealing himself before the banquet, he believed that Ge Zheng would not dare to say that he didn't want to be this student's tutor. So, after slipping away, he immediately hid himself.
It wasn't until halfway through the banquet, when it was time to declare Ge Zheng as Miss Feifei's home tutor, did the Grand Duke reappear before everyone. At this point, Ge Zheng was sitting in a corner, while the other main character of this banquet, Miss Feifei, was sitting in another corner.
Neither of the two main characters felt entirely happy about this.
"Ladies and gentlemen, now I would like to introduce our most valiant and unbeatable... Grand Duke Márìsī!" Amidst the fawning flattery of the host, the Grand Duke finally stepped forward, waving to the audience with a forced smile.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming today. Now I would like to announce that my precious treasure, my daughter Feifei Márìsī, will become Master Ge Zheng's student!" The Grand Duke's announcement was somewhat rushed, and all the guests knew what it was about. Suppressing their laughter, they enthusiastically applauded, playing along.
Ge Zheng lazily stood up from his chair, obviously aware he couldn't avoid it. There's an old saying on earth, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." For the three thousand gold coins of his weekly salary, he had to endure it.
Miss Feifei was even less willing, pouting as she slowly got up, looking unwilling as she walked over.
The teacher and student stood face to face, but Miss Feifei didn't show any signs of acknowledgment. The Grand Duke sternly glared at her, and only then did Miss Feifei reluctantly give a perfunctory bow, "Hello, teacher." Ge Zheng didn't mind, he didn't really see this girl as his student. However, Ge Zheng was very good at consoling himself. If he compared Miss Feifei to Irméida, he would definitely prefer Miss Feifei as his student.
Thinking about this, Ge Zheng's face slowly thawed.
After a simple ceremony, the banquet continued. The Grand Duke was busy flirting with the wealthy and well-endowed ladies at the banquet, and also took the opportunity to get away from Ge Zheng.
There were also plenty of people around Ge Zheng. Everyone had seen what had happened all day, and it was clear that in the future Ge Zheng would undoubtedly be the right-hand man of the Grand Duke. The ambitious families were eager to offer up their most beautiful daughters to him.
The Ge family's ten techniques and thirty methods were not just empty words; they were genuine methods. The founder of the Ge family, Ge Hong, believed that the elixir must be refined through the union of heaven and man, with the harmony of yin and yang. Besides the intricate postures, there was a secret method called "refining essence and nourishing the brain" that outsiders did not know about.
Following the principle of unity between heaven and man, the great path of yin and yang was the "celestial path", and abstinence was obviously foolish. The Daoists did not embody purity, on the contrary, they attached great importance to the cultivation of sexual techniques, emphasizing the importance of sexual pleasure, but the Daoists also stressed the importance of "preserving essence". Each school of the Daoists had a method to maintain long-lasting sexual pleasure without exhausting it.
As a "genius disciple", Ge Zheng was naturally not going to be an old-fashioned scholar, otherwise he wouldn't have gotten involved in amorous activities with his junior sister. However, the birds and the bees around him, many of them seemed to have already experienced it, and some even showed the look of a fox, who knows how many adventures they've had. He may not abstain, but he was not indiscriminate either.
What's more, he had a barrier in his heart; his junior sister and child were still waiting for him in that world.
Ge Zheng held his wine glass and declined all invitations. This naturally left everyone disheartened. Word of mouth quickly spread among the gossiping women: Ge Zheng was unable in terms of sexual performance. Among the gossiping women, even the most malicious words were spoken bluntly.
Seeing Ge Zheng uninterested, the gentlemen who had been waiting for an opportunity to approach him were pleased. They each went to their quarry.
Ultimately, the banquet turned into a joyous occasion for everyone except for two people: Ge Zheng and Feifei Márìsī.
The Grand Duke's steward sent off the guests on behalf of the Grand Duke, while the Grand Duke himself quietly detained Ge Zheng as he was about to leave, whispering to him, "Master, follow me. The Duke has a small matter that needs your help."
In a nobleman's estate, whether a person reads or not, they must have a study. The area must be large, with many bookshelves and a broad desk. If they want to further demonstrate their status, they must undoubtedly create a secret room within the study.
This bad habit is prevalent in any world.
Ge Zheng followed the Grand Duke to his study, where the Grand Duke immediately called a team of armored guards to the door and gave a dire command, "Anyone who dares to approach, kill without mercy!" Ge Zheng thought to himself: is this still a "small matter"?
The Grand Duke led him inside, closed the door, and lifted up a painting on the wall near the door. Behind it, there was a keyhole, and the Grand Duke took out a little finger-thick key from his waist and inserted it, turning it. "Bang..." There was not the sound of a stone door opening, but rather heavy iron shutters falling down on both sides of the windows. With Ge Zheng's keen eyes, he naturally saw that the door was also made of iron.
Apart from Ge Zheng, there was already someone waiting in the study. Upon seeing the two of them enter, that person respectfully greeted, "Your Grace." The Grand Duke waved at him and then said to Ge Zheng, "This gentleman is the Chief Alchemist of my principality, Mr. Pi Kè." The Grand Duke introduced the two, and Mr. Pi Kè deliberately wiped his Level Nine Alchemist certification badge. Although his eyes didn't convey a threatening air towards Ge Zheng, his actions spoke volumes.
Ge Zheng gave a faint smile and casually took a seat. The Duke had brought him here so solemnly, so what was it all about? He vaguely guessed what it might be. As for Mr. Pi Kè, who nearly lost his job, well, Ge Zheng probably wouldn't be too cheerful in his position either.
The three of them seated themselves according to their respective positions, and the Grand Duke took out something from his storage ring. "Master, please take a look at this." It was a peculiarly shaped iron tube with four iron chopstick-like appendages surrounding a central barrel, and at the intersection of the four chopsticks was a flashing, lustrous magic crystal. Ge Zheng could immediately tell that a magic lock was sealed inside the crystal. The iron tube was black all over and did not show any information.
Ge Zheng furrowed his brow slightly and glanced at the Grand Duke. Márìsī simply stated, "Master, I won't conceal it from you. This is not a simple formula; this is a formula for creating the Solomon Demon Pillar. If one could create the demon pillar, they could summon an intermediate-level demon from the Abyss with it. If seventy-two demon pillars could be created, they could form a Demon Guard Legion, sweeping through the entire Starry Sky Continent!"
Ge Zheng gasped, and his recollection of the Para-Chersosos Library in the Abyss had specific records: it was the burial place of the fallen gods from the Golden God Wars to the Twilight of the Gods. All the fallen gods sank into the Abyss, which was the most mysterious and dangerous place in the Starry Sky Continent, housing the most powerful existence outside of the gods.