"Don't be like that, Sister Xiao Wu. How can you say I'm trying to rip you off? I'm just making the best use of everything around me, right? A gas mask isn't going to breed little ones just sitting there, so giving it to me is a perfect match. How about I trade you something for it? I promise I won't let you lose out." I blinked and kept trying to sweet-talk her.
Wu Jiahui feigned surprise and said with a meaningful smile, "Oh? What kind of good stuff do you have? Let me have a look."
"Sister Xiao Wu, I'm telling you, I went through all sorts of hardship to get this good stuff. Even if my buddy offered to trade his family's heirloom Grave Robbing Notes for it, I wouldn't do it." I kept right on bluffing without batting an eye.
Wu Jiahui clearly didn't believe a word, saying with a look of disdain, "Grave Robbing Notes? You can find piles of those at any bookstore, and they're only eighty bucks a set on Pinduoduo. Are you messing with me? Go on, scram, go play somewhere else."
"Hey, Sister Xiao Wu, these Grave Robbing Notes are not those Grave Robbing Notes. My buddy's set is passed down from his ancestors, and his family used to be a dynasty of tomb raiders. They stopped grave robbing after 1949, and later his grandpa even joined an archaeological team. He used these notes to help rescue quite a few ancient tomb artifacts."
"Then what am I supposed to do with this stuff? Go rob tombs? You must think I've lived long enough—I have no desire to eat prison food."
Seeing that Wu Jiahui still wasn't biting, I simply cranked up my sales pitch. "Sister Xiao Wu, let me finish first. These notes are no ordinary thing. To be exact, they should be called an ancient tomb distribution chart. But it's not a map; it's a detailed record of the locations of many ancient tombs from the Qin Dynasty all the way to the Qing Dynasty. Even more crucial, it also has the locations of numerous foreign tombs. They just called it Grave Robbing Notes to throw people off. Most importantly, his ancestors generally only recorded where the tombs were and rarely went inside, otherwise someone else would have snatched them away long ago. How could they still be in my buddy's hands?"
Wu Jiahui had a sudden flash of realization. "Still don't want it. No use to me, and I certainly don't want to become the target of public criticism. Alright, alright, stop talking nonsense and bring out that good stuff of yours for me to see. Hurry up, stop dragging your feet."
Well, since bluffing hadn't worked, I had no choice but to pull out that good stuff. When Wu Jiahui clearly saw what I had produced, she damn near passed out. She held her breath for ages before finally blurting out:
"Me? You? A genius! You little punk really are an absolute genius! A lollipop—you call this piece of crap good stuff? You tried to trade this thing to your buddy for Grave Robbing Notes? How come your buddy didn't beat the crap out of you? Get lost, scram, go die somewhere else. Trading a lollipop for my gas mask—you really can dream up anything."
I smiled sheepishly and thick-skinned replied, "Sister Xiao Wu, this really is good stuff. It's not an ordinary lollipop; it's made from the Return Pill, and it can heal injuries."
Wu Jiahui gave me the side-eye. "Tsk, keep spinning your tales, just keep spinning them. Do you take me for a fool?"
I looked her over with a serious expression. "Tsk tsk tsk, Sister Xiao Wu, you're so modest."
Wu Jiahui's face turned as dark as ditch water. "Kid, I'll give you a chance to rephrase that."
"No, no, Sister Xiao Wu, I was just joking! Brains when you need brains, looks when you need looks, and a figure when you need a figure. Here, have a lollipop and cool off." Fearing Wu Jiahui would give me a thorough beating, I hurriedly tried to butter her up.
Flattered by my praise, Wu Jiahui angrily slapped me across the back, making me gasp for air. Fortunately, she hadn't used her full strength, or else I'd be down below reporting to Yama—though whether His Majesty would even deign to see me was another matter altogether!
I wasn't just humoring her; Wu Jiahui genuinely was gorgeous. Even the campus belle back at my school, who had ten thousand admirers, fell somewhat short by comparison. If the campus belle was an 88, then Wu Jiahui was a 98.
In this age of universal networking, even without makeup she could easily crush those internet celebrity influencers. Was there any problem calling her an absolute beauty? Even if there were, you'd better keep it to yourself until your own bare face can compare to hers.
Taking advantage of the moment while I was wincing in pain, Wu Jiahui swiftly snatched the lollipop and tossed it into her pocket with lightning speed. The movement was smooth and fluid without a single trace of hesitation, leaving me completely dumbfounded—I even forgot about the burning pain on my back. Once she was done, she didn't forget to shoot me a provocative glance.
"I'm confiscating this item. Remember to give me 500 when we get back—no, the price went up, 700. Pay up or not?"
Looking at her man-eating glare, I could only agree with grievance. No choice; my wrist wasn't as strong as hers. Time to accept my defeat!
The men in black standing nearby were struggling to hold back their laughter. Wu Jiahui cast a faint glance at them, and upon feeling a vague, invisible aura of murderous intent, the men instantly swallowed their smiles and recovered their ice-cold expressions, leaving me completely baffled.
My goodness, talk about badass. This fierce woman is truly hardcore, keeping those men in black completely reined in and obedient. After spending time together lately, I'd found that Wu Jiahui wasn't actually that hard to get along with—though she often gave the men in black plenty of grief with her teasing.
"What are you laughing at? Scram, get out of sight! Why are all of you stuck here? You few stay behind, the rest of you hide. Hurry up, stop dawdling."
North City Expressway Exit.
On a long-distance bus, an elderly monk arrogantly looked at the young man dozing beside him.
"Mr. Lin, we've arrived. Where is he now? Don't try to play games with me; your master's face won't be enough to keep you safe."
Lin Yang opened his eyes and said with a sinister expression, "Old bald donkey, I don't need that old guy's face. I'm warning you, don't mess with me, or I'll make you pay dearly. Hmph, ungrateful bastard."
The old monk's face turned black with rage, and he pointed his finger at Lin Yang, cursing furiously.
"Lin, you piece of work! This poor monk respects you as a man, so don't be ungrateful. If I wanted to kill you, I could crush you to death with one hand—bah, you utter moron."
The other monks on the bus also glared viciously at Lin Yang, wishing they could tear him limb from limb. If the old monk hadn't withheld the order, Lin Yang wouldn't have survived another second. Several of these men were Tier 5 Buddhist cultivators, the rest were uniformly Fourth Tier, and the leading old monk was even at Tier 7 (Early Stage).
"Hmph, old bald donkey, if you want to fight, bring it on! You think I'm scared of you? See if I don't drag you all down with me in mutual destruction!" With that, Lin Yang exposed the explosives strapped to his stomach.
Even the old monk was given a fright. This stuff was no joke; if Lin Yang were truly pushed to desperation, their whole busload of monks would be heading down to report to the netherworld.
The crowd glared coldly at the triumphant Lin Yang, their teeth grinding audibly, but not a single one dared to act rashly.
The old monk had no choice but to swallow this burning grievance. He swore that once this matter was over, he would definitely make Lin Yang pay the price.
Still, he couldn't afford to lose face, so he asked with arrogant haughtiness,
"Hmph, kid, this poor monk won't lower himself to your level. Tell me, where is that man?"
Lin Yang let out a cold snort and pulled out his working tools. Four copper coins dropped onto the table. Dropping his expression, Lin Yang analyzed them seriously.
"At the South City Steel Factory." Having said that, Lin Yang put away the copper coins and closed his eyes to rest with an air of profound detachment.
The old monk threatened, "Hmph, you'd better not be playing games with me, or I'll make you pay. Drive, head to the South City Steel Factory."
The driver nodded, skillfully starting up the bus and following the navigation system toward the steel factory.