âA seller who had his heart broken when master threw him away.â
The old man lamented then derided, âMiss, besides buying goods, thereâs still the matter of will to lead to a smooth trade. I, however, am unwilling to sell it to you no matter how much money you give me. So just leave it and go.â
The womanâs face fell while Qiaoâer was getting anxious, âLet me have it! He gave it to me and wonât sell it to youâŠâ
âYeah, he wonât sell it. What a shame. What I want, I buy, even if he doesnât want to.â
With cold bloodthirst shining in her eyes and a sinister smile, she released her power to pin the old man on the wall.
The womanâs hand oozed sword energy, her tone deadly, âOld fool, Iâm no dealer and certainly not here to bargain. I donât care who you are, but youâre going to pay for defying me, humphâŠâ
The woman flicked her hand and a sword flew out. The old man couldnât even blink in the face of such mighty power, stuck there on the wall.
He knew this was going to happen from the start, choosing now to welcome the death he knew would come.
He had been ever loyal to Serene Shores Trading. To voice the wrong on the chairman, he dared to spit in the otherâs face and now he was bold enough to give up his life for the bond between master and servant.
He had let go of everything and was ready to pass onâŠ
âStop!â
A shout came from the dark corridor, followed by a calm voice, âMiss, you can kill all you want, but try to do it outside Sea Bright City, lest youâd want to have all eyes on all of us.â
The woman smirked, looking at the dark corridorâs entrance with mockery, âYou think I care?â
âMiss doesnât care about all but one manâs opinion.â
Zhuo Fan walked out of the shadows, his tone flat, âThe man doesnât want miss to make trouble or it will earn his ire. And over what, a shabby mask? Ha-ha-haâŠâ
The womanâs brow shook and winced. Her heart sank and mulled things over before withdrawing her aura.
The old man slumped from the wall and gasped for his life.
He was ready to die, but anyone alive was happy to have come out of that with his life still.
Staring hard at Zhuo Fan, the woman squinted and clenched her fists as she growled, âWho are you? Do you know who I am?â
âI donât.â
Zhuo Fan shook his head and bowed, âI am but a steward of the Qian clan of northern lands, Qian Fan. This frail store is in my clanâs care and I hope miss will be forgiving, ha-ha-haâŠâ
The woman stared hard, âQian clan? One of the three great merchants?â
âYes.â
âLies!â
The woman spat, âMerchants only care for money, always weighing gains and losses. You think theyâd haggle with me over some run down shop like this? And by the looks of you and your impassive face, youâre not just anyone either, to not twitch under my killing intent. Thereâs no way a tiny Qian clan would have someone like you as its steward. Who the hell are you?â
Zhuo Fan gave a slight bow with a wide smile, âThank you for the praise miss. As for who I am, thereâs no need to ask, just how thereâs no need for me to ask who miss is. In short, Iâm of no threat to miss and if miss doesnât see me as an enemy, we can each go our own way. Thereâs plenty of road for the both of us to never intersect, ha-ha-haâŠâ
âBut you already know who I am!â
The woman was confused how someone just popped up that had leverage on her. Who was he?
âHow can I trust you mean no harm to us without declaring who you are?â
Zhuo Fan shrugged, âDo I really know? Ha-ha-ha, miss, youâre jumping the gun here. I only feel like miss shouldnât make a scene, thatâs all. Miss neednât look into me as well. Being able to tell your identity shows you neednât know any more, that any probing will be fruitless and would only bring more problems than solutions.â
âIs that a threat?â
âA warning.â
With an insufferable grin plastered on his face, Zhuo Fanâs eyes held a sharp glint, âIf youâd go to western lands, youâd come to realize the world is vast and that there are people above you still. That no one can avoid certain calamities. Caution is always prized in life, lest the slightest mishap might bring it all down. Growing overconfident helps no one.â
The womanâs frown shook, her eyes bewildered, âWestern landsâŠâ
âYouâre thatâŠâ
The woman gasped and grimaced at the sudden realization.
Zhuo Fanâs mouth curled, playing the mystery card, âMiss doesnât need to say it, just know it. Itâs best we each go our own way and not throw everything into chaos.â
The woman felt conflicted, but then huffed and left in a rush.
âWait.â
Zhuo Fan held out his hand with a smile, âMay miss be so kind as to return my daughterâs mask?â
Pausing, the woman shot Qiaoâer a look then scoffed, âYour daughter, ha-ha-ha. Someone as average as you actually has such a pretty and adorable daughter? The heavens must be blind!â
âHa-ha-ha, thereâs nothing strange about it. Her mother takes all the credit.â
âEnough with the smugness. Letting you off is already kind enough on my part. Donât ever think youâll get the stuff that I have my eye on!â The woman snorted and refused.
Zhuo Fan said, âThen I donât have a choice. Among practitioners, the more friends the more options you have. Since miss insists on making a scene, if anything happens and an investigation starts because of you, that manâŠâ
âYou say we should go our own way, but youâre clearly butting in our own sideâŠâ
âItâs not us doing it, but you who is provoking it.â Zhuo Fanâs cold stare was fixed on her, âMiss, I am just like you, unable to let go of what catches my eye, even if itâs a dime or pin. The same goes for my daughter. What sets us apart, however, is that I have no such thing as the empathy or consciousness holding me back from making trouble over it, unlike miss hereâŠâ
The womanâs face shook and growled as she flicked her hand in rage, throwing the mask at Zhuo Fan, âYou havenât heard the last of meâŠâ
The woman left with that threat hanging as she stormed out the doorâŠ
Zhuo Fanâs creepy grin surfaced as he caught it, giving it to the hopeful and happy Qiaoâer by his side.
âSir has such valor to talk that witch into giving up. I am in awe!â The old man bowed before Zhuo Fan in gratitude.
Zhuo Fan smiled, âYou know who she is?â
âFrom the central area.â
The old manâs fading eyes shook as he sighed, âIntel says mighty experts have invaded northern lands, ten imperial princes and Invincible Sword leading five Sword Kings. Among the Nine Sword Kings, the only woman is Frigid Rain Sword King, Bali Yuyu!â
Zhuo Fan nodded, âExactly her!â
âThen how did young master manage to scare her awayâŠâ
âFear of consequences.â
Zhuo Fan said, âShe fears one man only, Invincible Sword Baili Yutian. They have invaded northern lands yet didnât show themselves because Baili Yutian demanded it of them to be subtle. All this wait is for the perfect moment to strike. Itâs safe to say that any disturbance they cause beforehand will earn his wrath. So I figured she was more afraid of him than being pigheaded. Thatâs why I did not fear her at all.â
The old man mulled his words and nodded, âWhy then did she return the mask? She could haveâŠâ
âFear again.â
Zhuo Fan smiled, âBaili Yutian wonât take anything short of victory in this operation but now they have someone butting in their business, ha-ha-ha. Whoever brought about this disaster is bound to be subjected to Baili Yutianâs rage.â
âBut who could hinder them when they have such powerâŠâ
âHave you heard of the matters in western lands?â Zhuo Fan looked aside at him, âYour companyâs intelligence should know that Baili Jingwei had men looking into me in western lands and should know of the terrible eventâŠâ
âDevil Mountain?â
âPrecisely!â
Zhuo Fan nodded with a glint in his eyes, âDevil Mountain is too much of an unknown while showing unprecedented strength. It caused the Nine Sword Kings and even Invincible Sword to be weary. Humans fear the unknown so I hinted Iâm from Devil Mountain. The stronger I appear, the weaker they feel. Since she knew next to nothing of me, she feared doing anything that might cause trouble. Maybe Devil Mountain is nothing, but on the off chance that it is, their plan would be foiled and who would Invincible Sword take it out on? Ha-ha-ha, that means any that get Devil Mountainâs attention is one poor devil. This is one liability she could not afford to have!â
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