After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 77

Zhou Xun: …

Amidst the emperor’s scream, Zhou Xun’s fingers hovered over the cover of the book.

— He hadn’t opened it.

— And he looked up at the emperor.

Emperor: …

The book shot away from Zhou Xun’s side like a fleeting shadow, retreating as swiftly as a white horse passing by or a student’s receding hairline. Zhou Xun didn’t have time to see the book clearly, only catching a glimpse of its colorful cover and the… silhouette on it?

Zhou Xun: ?!?

As he thought about the book’s lingering image, suddenly…

His face turned red.

The relieved emperor hid the book behind his back. He sighed deeply and felt secretly pleased for salvaging his faltering dignity. He swallowed, looking at Zhou Xun and planning to explain…

Emperor: ?!?

Zhou Xun’s expression… looked strange?

“Your Majesty, I… I forgot to announce my arrival. Please forgive me.” Zhou Xun stammered.

Emperor: ?? Why is he suddenly so polite?

Zhou Xun felt as if his entire face was on fire. He thought about how he had stumbled upon such an embarrassing situation and was at a loss for words.

… Anything he said at this point would be too awkward; he couldn’t just pat the emperor on the shoulder and say, “We’re all men here; it’s normal for you to read such books,” could he?!

“What… what crime is there? Why are you suddenly so courteous?”

He looked up at the emperor, who was still standing with his hands behind his back.

Zhou Xun: …

“It’s getting late, and the emperor is busy,” he lowered his head and briefly mentioned today’s schedule before bowing, “I… will take my leave now.”

With that, Zhou Xun hurriedly left the tense imperial study.

Seeing Zhou Xun’s figure disappear beyond the study, the emperor, who had been standing stiffly by the desk, sighed in relief. He placed the book he had hidden behind his back onto the desk.

“You almost got me killed.” He tapped the book and sighed deeply.

The book remained open to the page he had been reading earlier. The emperor stared at it, frowning, and thought, “This passage does have some merit. I’ll see if I can try it out tomorrow…”

He traced the line with his finger, squinting as he considered it, his expression serious.

“…But can following this book really quickly increase others’ favor towards you?” He muttered, “Xiao Li found this interpersonal skills book from the market, but it seems so unreliable. Perhaps it’s just that I have low emotional intelligence and can’t grasp its subtleties…”

“But this matter must not be leaked. If people find out that I, the great and mighty Dragon Overlord Emperor, am secretly reading books like ‘One Small Tip a Day: How to Communicate Effectively,’ ‘How to Quickly Increase Others’ Favor Towards You,’ and ‘The Art of Emotional Intelligence,’ where will my dignity go? Especially, I can’t let him find out… Otherwise, how embarrassing!” The emperor lamented, “How did I end up buying this book by such a strange twist of fate…”

The book had indeed been bought by him in a strange twist of fate.

After parting ways with Zhou Xun at the garrison in the morning, the emperor had been heading back to the capital. On the way, he passed by a market and heard the bustling noise outside, so he asked the guard, “What’s that place outside?”

The guard went to inquire and soon returned, “Your Majesty, it’s a book market.”

“A book market?”

The guard briefly introduced it. Apparently, this was one of the busiest times at the book market each month. There were not only numerous bookshops but also many stalls where people sold or traded their own or their handmade books. Some disheartened scholars also sold their manuscripts here, hoping to find someone with a discerning eye.

Seeing the emperor’s interest, the guard thoughtfully suggested, “Would Your Majesty like to take a look?”

Emperor: “Yes, yes.”

— You know, such a mixed book market is a great place to find martial arts manuals or cultivation texts!

— Generally speaking, as a time traveler, one would definitely encounter an old man in tattered clothes, squatting in an unvisited corner, with a few neglected books in front of him. The time traveler would then spot a book that has a mysteriously powerful allure, pick it up, read it carefully, buy it, and claim it as their own.

— In some cases, there might be a young master in splendid attire. He would, for some bizarre reason, find the time traveler displeasing and would insist on following him. After the time traveler buys the book, the young master might suddenly appear, throw out ten taels of gold, and use reasons like “My father is Li Gang” to coerce him.

— The time traveler would then smile faintly, coldly remark “Li Gang did raise a good son,” and leave with his items, being recognized by the young master’s lackeys. The next day, Li Gang would lose his position, completing a perfect face-slapping journey!

— As for the book, under the time traveler’s blood oath, it would reveal unique cultivation contents. From then on, he could ascend to immortality…

— Wait, when a cultivator ascends to immortality, what’s the gravitational pull from the Heavenly Court? Can he take Zhou Xun with him?

Emperor: “Hehehehe.”

The guard holding the carriage: ?!?

For some reason, the guard felt a chill as he looked at the emperor’s increasingly mysterious smile.

… It seemed like the emperor had been contemplating a lot.

The emperor, who was already thinking about how to arrange living quarters with Zhou Xun after ascending to immortality, seemed like a straight man planning which middle school to send his child to on a first date. After the carriage stopped, he promptly got out.

Before leaving, he didn’t forget to ask the guard a question.

Emperor: “Am I incognito now?”

Guard: “Yes.”

Emperor: “Do you think my outfit is sufficiently incognito? Can it attract a standard villain young master who would try to mock me for being poor, so I can slap his face?”

Guard: ???

The guard’s confused expression made the emperor feel lonely. He thought if Zhou Xun were here, he would surely give a happy answer.

… Although Zhou Xun’s response would probably just be “…” anyway.

The emperor, with the determination to complete the standard treasure-seeking plot of a web novel, entered the book market. However, after wandering around for a long time, he found no martial arts manuals, not even any great health tips.

The emperor wandered through the crowded book market, surrounded by people and the noisy sounds of discussions, bargaining, and shouting. When he was jostled by a crowd, he instinctively reached out and grabbed someone’s hand, saying, “Xun Ge’er, stick close to me, don’t get separated again…”

But he grabbed at empty air.

Before the emperor could react, he grabbed again, this time catching a hand: “You…”

Emperor: ?!?

The feel of the hand was off??

The next moment, he turned around and locked eyes with a bewildered guard.

Emperor: …

Oh, he had forgotten, Zhou Xun wasn’t here.

This wasn’t the brothel street, and Zhou Xun wasn’t following him anymore.

The guard hesitated, stammering, “Your Majesty… you’ve mistaken me for Young Master Zhou. I am not Young Master Zhou…”

Emperor: … Why does this sound so gay?

To express his clear conscience, the emperor held back the words “Oh, you’re not him” and instead gave the guard a hearty smile, stubbornly dragging him to the street corner.

Guard: …

Emperor: …

The guard and the emperor sat at a nearby tea stall, drinking tea. The emperor stared absently at the floating tea leaves in his cup, suddenly feeling bored.

The tea stall was abuzz with discussions. The emperor watched the tea leaves rise and fall in the cup. The guard cautiously asked, “Your Majesty, is there anything you’d like to buy at this book market?”

Emperor: “Forget it. Since we’re here, let’s take another look around!”

With that, the emperor decided to forgo searching for tattered old men on the street and instead chose to mingle with the common people. The streets they had previously walked were lined with large bookstores, but now they had arrived at the area where individual vendors gathered.

If the previous bookstores mostly sold high-quality literature, the books sold here by individual vendors were a mixed bag. The large bookstores had adhered to the refined and aloof temperament of scholars, without any selling or attracting customers. However, in this area, the small shopkeepers had let loose and were loudly hawking their wares.

“Latest work by Young Master Xiaoxiang! With illustrations! The latest edition! You’ve never seen a book written like this before!”

“Latest poetry collection by Young Master Jinjiang! The most tender and passionate love stories are all in this poetry collection!”

“Unbelievable! Unbelievable! Is there anyone who doesn’t know that there are only ten copies of ‘The Camellia Guest’ left?”

“Don’t know what others are thinking? Want to improve your social skills? Want to gain others’ favor more quickly in communication? All the tips are in this interpersonal communication manual!”

The guard kept watch over the emperor, but the emperor finally stopped at a book stall and said, “I want to look at this.”

He leaned down to flip through the books and asked the vendor, “How much for these books?”

The vendor, who had been fanning himself, immediately perked up at the sight of a potential sale and cheerfully said, “Young Master, you’re in luck. These are the last few copies of the book on how to gain others’ favor…”

The vendor rattled on and finally quoted a price. The emperor was taken aback to hear that these few books cost several dozen taels of silver. He squatted down and asked, “Can you give me a discount?”

Vendor: “Discount?”

Emperor: “A discount. Can you?”

Vendor: “Oh, these are the last few copies, and we run a small business. It’s not easy.”

Emperor: “I’m sincere about buying. Give me a discount for so many books.”

Vendor: “I have dependents to support…”

Emperor: “I’m a student.”

Vendor: “Oh, it’s not easy to set up a stall in this weather…”

Emperor: “Look, I’m picking them up myself; you don’t even need to ship them.”

After a bit of bargaining, the emperor finally walked away with the books, feeling triumphant.

— I actually learned how to haggle!

The emperor, who was usually the one being haggled, thought happily.

His joy didn’t last long. When he saw the vendor, who had earlier cried about “the last few copies,” pull out another pile of “last few copies” from behind, his happiness disappeared.

Emperor: …

The emperor held back his impulse to use his authority to get a better deal.

Guard: … Why is the emperor buying these books?

“Here,” the emperor handed the books to the guard.

As he walked and browsed, he thought about buying a few books that Zhou Xun would like.

— What kind of books does Zhou Xun like?

The emperor thought about it and felt a bit overwhelmed. As he reached an intersection and passed a colorful stall, a vendor, seeing his expensive attire and having just been haggled, quickly approached him, saying, “Young Master, take a look at this stall. See if there are any books you want.”

The emperor glanced at the stall and saw a book with a luxurious cover, which caught his eye.

“Treasure Appreciation of Flowers…?”

Treasure of flowers?

The vendor said, “Young Master has a good eye. This is a brand-new illustrated edition…”

He winked at the emperor and said, “The illustrated version!”

Emperor: …?

Treasure of flowers… Peaches are also flowers, right? The emperor thought, Zhou Xun seems to like peaches?

He thought it might be a flower appreciation manual, so he nodded and said, “I’ll buy it.”

“Great!”

The vendor happily wrapped up the book for him. The emperor squatted nearby, looking around, still not giving up on his quest for martial arts manuals. He asked, “By the way, do you know where I might find a specific type of book?”

The vendor, while wrapping the book, asked, “What kind of book?”

The emperor thought for a moment and said, “Do you know ‘Nine Yin Manual’?”

Vendor: ?

The vendor looked at him in confusion. The emperor scratched his head and said, “How about ‘Nine Yang Manual’?”

Vendor: “No.”

Emperor: “What about ‘Lingbo Weibu’? ‘Yijin Jing’? ‘Liuzhu Shenjian’? ‘Dugu Nine Swords’? …No, not the last one…”

Vendor: “I’ve never heard of these things!”

The vendor scratched his head and said, “Maybe you can describe what it’s like, and I’ll see if I can find it for you?”

The emperor thought for a moment and gestured, “It’s something like a comic book.”

Vendor: “Oh.”

Emperor: “It has formulas, many movements, some are for one person, some are for two people, and some are for multiple people… one person against multiple people.”

Vendor: “Anything else?”

Emperor: “They perform a series of very fluid movements, very excited. They make sounds like ‘heh heh’ and ‘haha’.”

The vendor thought for a moment, seeming to ponder. The emperor was also scratching his head.

…Really? In a world with supernatural creatures, they don’t have martial arts manuals?

He spotted a book partially covered by other books in the distance, with “X Dragon Eighteen X” written on the cover. Excited, he said, “Yes, that’s it!”

Vendor: “Which one?”

Emperor: “The Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms!!!”

The vendor followed the emperor’s gaze and saw the book. He quickly said, “This book isn’t called the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms; it’s called the Eighteen Dragon Style…”

Emperor: ?

“Close enough. That’s…(tl – haoyu i dont think this is martial arts comic)”

Before he could finish his sentence, a guard pushed through the crowd and ran towards him. The emperor listened to the guard whisper a few things and his expression grew slightly serious.

“Working overtime in broad daylight,” the emperor muttered.

There wasn’t enough time to browse the book market further, so before leaving, the emperor had to finish his last task.

“Wrap up those books I just bought!” The emperor waved his sleeve and then added, “Forget it, wrap up everything from this stall!”

The emperor returned to the palace with a pile of books. The vendor, having lost a lot but gained some money, sat by his stall, puzzled by the earlier flurry of activity and the identity of the person.

Meanwhile, the emperor, sitting in the carriage back to the palace, thought about the manuals he had just acquired.

“…The Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, this world really has it,” he muttered.

As he pondered, he rubbed his chin.

“Maybe I should send someone to buy all the copies of this book on the market?” he thought. “That way, I can monopolize this martial art… I’ll be the best in the world!”