"One hundred gold taels? Why don't you just go rob someone!" Yè Shūlí arched her slender brows and widened her almond-shaped eyes, looking precisely like a startled Persian cat.
People around them cast sideways glances. What a big mouth this young woman had, not even bothering to check whose territory this was!
As the dignified CEO of the Yè Group, when had she ever suffered such treatment?
Wasn't she just time-traveling?
The heavens certainly knew how to play cruel tricks on her!
Of all places, she had to transmigrate into this desolate, godforsaken Xuanhuan Continent, with only a few shattered pieces of silver left in her pocket, only to be scammed by a rat-faced scoundrel.
Right now, she was in a bustling market where various hawkers cried out endlessly, and the air was thick with the strange odors of herbs and roasted meat.
Yè Shūlí felt miserable, more bitter than eating coptis root.
She needed to figure out her situation quickly and make some money; otherwise, how she was going to survive in this completely unfamiliar place was a major question.
Just as she was at her wits' end, a flippant voice sounded beside her ear: "Yo, little lady, don't be angry! One hundred gold taels guarantees you won't lose out or get cheated, and it can even grant you eternal youth!"
The speaker was none other than that rat-faced wretch—Liú Lǎosān, a notorious swindler in the small town.
He rubbed his hands together, staring at Yè Shūlí with a sneaky grin, exactly like a wolf eyeing a sheep ready for slaughter.
The surrounding people whispered among themselves; some said this young woman was about to meet with misfortune, while others gloated as they waited for a good show.
Yè Shūlí sneered inwardly, rapidly calculating a countermeasure in her mind.
She heard the bystanders' discussions loud and clear—mentioning things like Spirit Users and Spirit Masters. It seemed this world was rather different from what she had imagined.
She took a deep breath and decided to play along with Liú Lǎosān for the moment to keep him steady.
"Eternal youth? Does such a good thing really exist in this world?" Yè Shūlí asked, feigning astonishment.
Liú Lǎosān rolled his eyes, utterly convinced by Yè Shūlí's apparent innocence, and pitched his product even more enthusiastically.
"Of course! This is an ancestral secret formula of mine, completely honest with both the young and the elderly!"
At that moment, a youth dressed in cyan robes squeezed through the crowd, holding a half-eaten chicken drumstick and watching the farce with an amused expression.
He was Jiang Ye, a youth who appeared goofy on the surface but was incomparably shrewd at heart.
He had long since seen through Liú Lǎosān's scam and merely wanted to see how this out-of-town girl would handle it.
"Little lady, you look thoroughly unfamiliar to me. You're from out of town, aren't you?" Jiang Ye sidled up to Yè Shūlí, took a bite of his chicken drumstick, and said indistinctly.
Yè Shūlí glanced at him sideways and snapped irritably, "What business is it of yours?"
Jiang Ye was not the least bit annoyed; instead, he smiled cheerfully and said, "I see your forehead is darkened—I'm afraid you're about to meet with a bloody disaster!"
"You're the one meeting with a bloody disaster!" Yè Shūlí glared at him. This fellow really knew how to press all the wrong buttons!
Jiang Ye shrugged, continued gnawing on his chicken drumstick, and adopted an air of utter detachment.
Seeing this, Liú Lǎosān hurriedly chimed in, "Esteemed young master, don't talk nonsense! What I have here is a genuine divine medicine!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Jiang Ye raised an eyebrow, a flash of mischief dancing in his eyes. "Then tell me, what is this divine medicine of yours made from?"
Liú Lǎosān stammered for ages without being able to give a coherent explanation.
Watching Liú Lǎosān's embarrassed state, Yè Shūlí hooked the corner of her mouth into a cold smirk.
"Liú Lǎosān, stop putting on an act. Tricks like yours are barely enough to fool a three-year-old." She pulled a piece of paper from her sleeve, upon which several large characters were prominently written: "Jianghu swindler, execution is demanded of all!"
Liú Lǎosān's expression changed drastically, and the finger he pointed at Yè Shūlí began to tremble.
"You... you..."
"What about me?" Yè Shūlí snatched the "divine medicine" right out of his hand, brought it up to her nose, and sniffed it. "Just some ordinary herbs, and you dare call this an elixir of eternal youth?"
Liú Lǎosān turned deathly pale, realizing today he had kicked a steel plate.
He turned to run, but Jiang Ye grabbed him by the collar.
"Want to run? How could it be that easy?" Jiang Ye said with a grin. "Little lady, seeing that you're no ordinary person yourself, how about we—"
"—How about we team up?" Jiang Ye leaned closer to Yè Shūlí, mischief glittering in his eyes.
Yè Shūlí raised an eyebrow. This brat was somewhat interesting.
Seeing his trick exposed, Liú Lǎosān panicked thoroughly.
He hurriedly fished an exquisite little porcelain bottle from his bosom and offered it to Yè Shūlí like a treasured tribute.
"Little lady, don't be angry! This is a genuine treasure! Eat it, and you can directly raise your cultivation level! Going from a Spirit User (Early-stage) to a Mid-stage Spirit User is no longer a dream!"
Yè Shūlí took the porcelain bottle, inspected it up and down, and let out a scoff of derision.
"Without even standard packaging, you still dare call it a treasure? Do you take me for a fool?"
As soon as these words left her mouth, the surrounding onlookers began to murmur among themselves, casting gazes filled with suspicion toward Liú Lǎosān.
Liú Lǎosān broke out in a cold sweat. This was his final trump card! Seeing his "divine medicine" fail, he refused to give up and fished a dusty, grayish stone from his robes.
"Little lady, this is a Spirit Stone imbued with mysterious power! As long as you wear it on your body, you can—"
"—absorb the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth, increase your cultivation speed, turn bad luck into good fortune, and meet with auspicious blessings right? Am I right?" Yè Shūlí took the stone, cutting off his well-practiced speech.
Observing the patterns on the stone closely, she said indifferently, "This is merely an ordinary stone. The patterns on it are caused by natural weathering, not any symbol of mysterious power."
The surrounding crowd began pointing and gossiping about Liú Lǎosān.
"So he really is a swindler!"
"I knew it! How could there be such a good deal?"
"Good thing this young woman was smart enough not to get tricked!"
Liú Lǎosān's face turned ashen, and beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolled down his forehead.
He never expected that his swindling techniques, honed through years of roaming the jianghu, would actually be exposed by a young girl from out of town!
He glared viciously at Yè Shūlí, plotting in his heart...
Seeing his scam completely dismantled, Liú Lǎosān flew into a rage out of humiliation, malice taking over his heart.
His eyes darted around, revealing his vicious nature, and he reached out to snatch the money pouch at Yè Shūlí's waist.
"Little lady, since you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeiture, I'll teach you a lesson today so you know who you're dealing with!"
Yè Shūlí had been on guard all along. With a cold sneer, she delivered a textbook roundhouse kick directly into the bend of Liú Lǎosān's knee.
"Aiyo!" Liú Lǎosān let out a miserable scream, crashing directly to his knees in a posture as textbook-perfect as an Olympic kneeling-shooting champion.
Taking the opportunity, Yè Shūlí snatched the stone back and casually stepped down onto Liú Lǎosān's chest, looking down at him from above. "With your pathetic half-baked skills, you still wanted to rob my money? Why don't you take a look in the mirror!"
Seeing this, the surrounding crowd cheered loudly.
"Well hit!"
"A swindler like that deserves a lesson!"
"Great moves, miss!"
Raising her voice, Yè Shūlí addressed the crowd, "Fellow elders and villagers, everyone keep your eyes wide open and don't be fooled by such jianghu swindlers! His so-called miraculous pills and Spirit Stone treasures are all fake! They're entirely meant to cheat people out of their money!"
Hearing this, the crowd grew even more indignant, pointing fingers at Liú Lǎosān.
Overwhelmed with shame, Liú Lǎosān covered his face and scurried away in disgrace.
"Impressive, little lady!" Jiang Ye materialized beside Yè Shūlí once more, still holding that half-eaten chicken drumstick, and looked at her with an expression of pure appreciation.
Yè Shūlí cast a wary glance at him. "What on earth are you up to?"
Jiang Ye chuckled. "I see your martial arts are decent, and you're clever and sharp. How about letting me protect you? In a strange and unfamiliar place like this, having a breathtakingly handsome and dashing bodyguard like me is quite important!" As he spoke, he deliberately puffed out his chest and struck a pose he deemed extremely dashing.
Yè Shūlí rolled her eyes. Was this fellow seriously this narcissistic? "No need, thanks!"
"Don't stand on ceremony!" Jiang Ye completely ignored her rejection and continued, "I can see your forehead is darkened—you're definitely going to suffer a bloody disaster soon! Only I can protect you!"
"You're the one whose forehead is darkened!" Yè Shūlí snapped irritably.
Although she refused him verbally, Jiang Ye's radiant smile and bright eyes still managed to cause a slight flutter in her heart.
Jiang Ye suddenly leaned in close to her and said mysteriously, "I see your bones have a rare structure; you're a natural-born martial arts prodigy! How about—"
"—How about you take me as your master, and I'll teach you peerless martial arts!" Jiang Ye said with a totally earnest expression, as if his previous frivolous banter had all been an illusion.
Yè Shūlí almost choked on her own saliva.
"Take you as my master? Are you serious?" She looked Jiang Ye up and down. Though this brat looked human enough, he didn't look like an expert by any stretch of the imagination!
Jiang Ye puffed out his chest proudly. "Of course! I'm a once-in-a-century martial arts prodigy!"
"You're a once-in-a-century... goofball, more like," Yè Shūlí muttered, unable to hold back her sarcasm.
Jiang Ye was unbothered and simply grinned. "Being a goofball is a talent, too! Besides, I genuinely want to teach you martial arts and keep you safe!"
"Keep me safe?" Yè Shūlí sneered. "I think you just want a free meal!"
Jiang Ye assumed an expression of profound grievance. "Heaven and earth are my witness! I, Jiang Ye, am a thoroughly good person! How could I possibly be a swindler?" As he spoke, he gave his own chest a solemn pat.
"Save that good-guy card for yourself!" Yè Shūlí wasn't about to fall for his routine.
She turned and walked away, unwilling to tangle any further with this weirdo.
"Hey, don't leave! I'll treat you to dinner!" Jiang Ye hurried after her.
"No need, thank you!" Yè Shūlí sped up her pace, wishing only to shake off this clinging nuisance.
"Don't be like that! I know all the best food in this town! I guarantee you'll want more after one bite!" Jiang Ye pursued her relentlessly, sticking close like an inescapable tail.
Annoyed to no end by him, Yè Shūlí finally stopped and demanded irritably, "What on earth do you want?"
Jiang Ye chuckled. "To protect you, of course! And... bum a meal along the way!"
Yè Shūlí rolled her eyes. This guy really had thick skin!
"I said I don't need your protection!" With that, she turned and left once more.
Refusing to give up, Jiang Ye continued to trail behind her, chattering endlessly about the local delicacies as if Yè Shūlí agreeing to share a meal with her would instantly transform him into her knight in shining armor.
Her head pounding from his noise, Yè Shūlí just wanted to find somewhere quiet.
She darted into a narrow alley, hoping to shake him off.
However, the moment she stepped into the alley, she sensed an aura of killing intent.
Several figures in black appeared out of nowhere, surrounding her in a tight circle.
Every single one of them had a ferocious look in their eyes and wielded gleaming blades—they clearly weren't friendly visitors.
Yè Shūlí's heart tightened. It seemed she was really in trouble this time!
Involuntarily clenching her fists, she braced herself for a fight.
The men in black closed in slowly, the atmosphere growing suffocatingly tense.
Suddenly, a gruff voice rang out from the mouth of the alley: "What are you doing?"