Chapter 95: The Mixed-Blood Beauty

Zhang Pu noticed that among the group there were still a few wealthy young men, and he could not help thinking: are people these days really so fond of this sort of thing? What has happened to modern people, that they have taken such a liking to wandering the wilds for fun? Otherwise, what business would the sons of rich families have joining in the excitement?

What interested him most, though, was the team that claimed they were going to look for the Black Dragon.

Just what kind of strength did a group need in order to make such a brazen claim, that they would go seeking that Black Dragon?

Zhang Pu focused his attention and found that there were probably four or five of them, mixed in among the twenty men brought by Doctor Li.

Besides them, there were two other groups. One was led by a tall beauty, and those young gentlemen were all clustered around her. Their party was the larger one, nearly ten in all, with four formidable bodyguards under the tall beauty’s command. Zhang Pu could also tell, quietly and without anyone noticing, that she herself was no ordinary woman; her fighting ability was enough to match that of a martial arts expert.

The remaining few were, according to Doctor Li, families from this very Black Dragon Town. Because they had heard that this time a powerful group was coming together, these families were willing to send people to investigate as well. Before this, they had all seemed to have given up hope and no longer dared to go privately in search of the Black Dragon Pool.

Doctor Li guessed that those families must have sent people to search for the Black Dragon Pool before, and that they had each suffered heavy losses one after another, until fear finally set in. And not mild fear, either, but a deep and abiding terror; even now, although they had organized a joint expedition of their own, they still did not dare act rashly.

When Doctor Li spoke of this powerful coalition the local families were expecting, Zhang Pu felt that it must refer to the party led by the tall beauty, and perhaps also the other group that remained hidden in plain sight. After all, the local families Doctor Li mentioned had not known in advance that Zhang Pu’s own group would find Guangcai and would also be heading to the Black Dragon Pool. More importantly, even now Doctor Li still did not know Zhang Pu’s real strength. At most, he only thought Liu Yingde had a few tricks up his sleeve.

Because the map was in Guangcai’s hands, and there was only one copy for now, Guangcai had to wait for Caihua, and everyone else could only wait with him.

When Zhang Pu finally heard that Doctor Li would also be going this time, he was mildly surprised. Could it be that Doctor Li was also after some immortal herb?

Of course he was. He was a doctor, after all—how could he possibly resist the temptation of an immortal herb? He may have obtained the map long ago, but he also knew how dangerous the Black Dragon Pool was, and there was no way he would have dared venture there alone. His situation was different from Guangcai’s, whose only thought was to stay alive. But now that such a powerful group had assembled, if he still refused to go, he would surely be tormented by longing.

After such a large crowd arrived, and while everyone was still waiting for Caihua, she came with four people in tow before a day had passed. No one knew what method she had ultimately used, but in the end her family had yielded to her.

At that moment, seeing Guangcai and Caihua embrace warmly, those who were curious no longer bothered to pry into how she had managed to win over her family, and besides, they all understood that such questions would be highly inappropriate.

Then, just as they were about to set off, a few more people joined them, and the whole party grew to well over thirty, a mighty procession indeed.

Cars could be driven as far as a small mountain village in Wulong Town, and once they reached that village, even the young masters who were usually spoiled by comfort had to leave their cars behind there.

Everyone had to get out and continue on foot.

The mountains were not especially precipitous, but the deep forests stretched on and on without end.

In some places, it almost seemed as though there were no roads at all, at least according to the map.

But anyone who dared risk his life at the Black Dragon Pool was no soft touch.

Among them, the weakest might well have been Guangcai and Doctor Li, since Caihua herself also possessed real fighting skill. But Guangcai was exceedingly determined, and such determination could awaken boundless strength in a person.

As for Doctor Li, though he looked somewhat old and frail at first glance, Zhang Pu observed him carefully and found that his movements were still quite nimble. Zhang Pu thought this might have something to do with Doctor Li’s frequent excursions into the mountains to gather herbs, which kept him active and well exercised.

Among the group, the most eye-catching, of course, was that tall beauty, and not only because of her bodyguards. With four or five local rich young men flocking around her as well, she was undoubtedly the brightest star in the entire crowd.

And she was indeed dazzling, every bit as star-like in appearance as one could imagine. She was a mixed-race woman, and very sexy.

Through casual, indirect conversation with Doctor Li, Zhang Pu learned that this mixed-race beauty was actually an overseas Chinese. Rumor had it that she was far wealthier than the old overseas Chinese man who had competed with Caihua for Guangcai’s work at auction.

That was because her family held many businesses overseas, and in particular, they were rather well known in American financial circles. On the mainland, too, it was said that her family had all sorts of tangled and far-reaching connections with certain powerful figures.

The mixed-race beauty’s surname was Zheng, and her given name was Lan. Of course, she also had other foreign names overseas, but very few people present knew them.

All of this had been gathered by Liu Yingde through Doctor Li, under Zhang Pu’s quiet guidance. Doctor Li had made his name through healing the sick, and Liu Yingde, thanks to the Wugui Sect, happened to have some attainments in medicine as well. So among this great crowd of rough men, the two of them were among the few who could actually find common ground.

Moreover, someone like Liu Yingde, an old fox who had lived more than half a century, could form a good friendship with Doctor Li if he truly put his mind to it. Even if their friendship were only superficial, it would still be enough, because Liu Yingde was never truly sincere with anyone at heart.

But as long as the two of them could maintain the appearance of friendship, then for anything Liu Yingde asked, so long as it did not cross any of Doctor Li’s bottom lines, Doctor Li would answer without concealment and without reservation.

At one point, Zhang Pu thought to himself that the reason those wealthy young men pursued Zheng Lan with such fervor was not solely because of her beauty. It might also be because of her family background, her money, and her connections.

This woman was truly born with a golden key in her mouth.

Yet looking at her utterly unladylike wildness, the living image of a female leopard in the untamed country, Zhang Pu felt that if those young masters truly had the extraordinary good fortune to marry her, whether they would actually be happy was still highly questionable. A henpecked husband would be a matter of course.

Ah, people, Zhang Pu sighed to himself. Some people, for the sake of love, really do throw themselves into the flames like moths, without complaint and without regret.

Take Caihua and Guangcai, for instance—it might well be said the same way.

Zhang Pu shook his head and chose not to think about such things anymore. In any case, he felt that although Zheng Lan was strikingly beautiful in a wild and untamed way, and although she lacked nothing in the way of family status, money, or connections, he had no interest in courting or marrying a woman like that.

For the moment, putting Zheng Lan aside and no longer wanting to pay her much attention, Zhang Pu quietly shifted the focus of his observation to a certain group that seemed comparatively more inconspicuous.