His fingers were fair and slender.
Even from the glimpse of his hand, Chen Yu seemed to envision the visitor’s delicate features. However, her words upon entering the shop made him sense that her personality was far from gentle and amiable; her dominant trait likely leaned towards being self-centered.
Such personalities often hailed from privileged backgrounds.
He subtly glanced aside.
As expected, the old saying that a woman’s hands are her second face held true, and not an iota of exaggeration.
The visitor indeed possessed a striking appearance.
Her skin was fair and lustrous, like condensed cream.
An oval face.
She had raven hair that fell a little past her shoulders, willow-leaf eyebrows as sharp as swords, and a pair of fox-like eyes filled with a potent keenness.
Eyes are the windows to the soul.
From her eyes, one could perceive a strong sense of aggression.
Indeed—
This was a woman of exceptionally assertive character.
With just a brief encounter, or rather, through his discreet observation, he had already grasped the visitor’s nature with remarkable accuracy. Even if there were slight discrepancies, they would not be significant.
The sheep-person shopkeeper also looked at the suddenly appearing girl with a touch of astonishment.
“Heh, this… young lady?” Chen Yu, with his hand being held, smiled faintly. “Girls should be more reserved. Touching my hand upon our first meeting, and so brazenly taking advantage, isn’t that a bit improper?”
“Huh?”
The girl instinctively lowered her gaze upon hearing this and quickly withdrew her hand, her expression stern.
“I’m taking advantage of you, are you…?” The girl showed no apology, nor the shyness typical of women. Instead, she tilted her head as if to question him.
Before she could finish, her expression shifted to one of disgust as she looked at Chen Yu’s smiling face.
“It’s you, how inauscitous!”
Being inexplicably spat upon left Chen Yu somewhat bewildered.
What was going on?
Judging by her tone, it seemed she recognized him.
“Madam, I believe we haven’t met before. Your demeanor, as if I’ve toyed with your affections and then callously abandoned you, could easily lead to misunderstandings if overheard. I am, after all, a pure and honest, upright individual,” Chen Yu said in a low voice, his brow furrowed slightly.
“You, an upright individual, hehe…”
The girl let out a cold, disingenuous laugh and said.
“I certainly wasn’t mistaken. You truly are a lecher, skilled with your tongue. I never expected to run into you here. Why didn’t you go to the tavern and use your chestnuts to do those disgusting things?”
Huh?!
Chestnuts.
Chen Yu and Black Bean exchanged a glance, then he pointed at the girl before him.
“It’s you!”
“It is indeed me,” the girl replied without hesitation, placing a hand on her hip and fixing Chen Yu with a scrutinizing yet disdainful gaze. “One truly cannot judge a book by its cover. You look quite presentable, even wearing the adventurer’s trio. Yet, the things you do are utterly disgusting. What a waste of the equipment you wear.”
Tsk!
It was exactly as Chen Yu had suspected; she was indeed that self-righteous.
“Do you think you’re very righteous?”
Chen Yu chuckled.
“At least compared to you, I am,” the girl declared proudly, her head held high. Chen Yu merely smiled and remained silent, reaching for the Ice Silkworm Silk on the table.
He couldn't be bothered to dwell on this matter.
If one were to be overly concerned with others’ opinions, life would be too arduous.
“Put it down!”
The girl’s expression instantly turned anxious.
“What do you mean?” Chen Yu, his hand now on the Ice Silkworm Silk, frowned. “I want this Ice Silkworm Silk. Why are you bothering me? I’m busy and don’t have time for you.”
However, the girl persisted in holding Chen Yu’s hand.
“This Ice Silkworm Silk is mine, Roni Elton! Let’s see who dares to snatch it from me.”
The girl glared and shouted, her eyes burning with intense ferocity.
“Tsk…” Chen Yu clicked his tongue. “No way, you’re even throwing out your surname? Are you planning to use your family to bully me? Just because you’re from a noble lineage, does that mean you can disregard reason?”
“Towards others, I would certainly be reasonable. Towards you…”
As Roni looked at Chen Yu, her eyes held their usual disdain.
“Miss~”
At this moment, the rabbit-eared girl gently tugged at Roni’s arm, her gaze filled with earnest persuasion. Roni paused for a moment, then reined in her anger.
“Fine, let’s be reasonable. A shop is open for business to make money, right?”
Seeing Roni’s demeanor, Chen Yu smiled faintly.
“That’s right.”
“Since you agree that I’m being reasonable, then let’s bid for the Ice Silkworm Silk,” Roni said, her eyes glinting with a challenging smile. “You want it, I want it, so let’s let money do the talking. Whoever has more money gets the Ice Silkworm Silk. Do you dare?”
“Why should I bid against you when I can get it at the regular price?” Chen Yu asked with a smile.
“Afraid?” Roni scoffed. “I saw how lavishly you spent in Black Street, so I thought you had considerable wealth. How about this: I’ll give you an advantage. Whatever you bid, I’ll double it. As long as you can match half of my bid, you win.”
Roni tilted her head, smiling playfully as she spread her hands towards Chen Yu.
“Do you dare?”
“You…” Seeing Roni’s provocatively challenging gaze, Chen Yu couldn’t help but sigh and shake his head. “Are you very confident in your wealth?”
“Dare or not!”
“Whatever I bid, you’ll double it.”
“Correct!”
“Don’t regret it,” Chen Yu murmured softly. “I’m giving you an out. You’ve already brought out your surname; if you can’t produce the money later, it will be quite embarrassing.”
“You… you actually doubt I can produce the money?”
Roni acted as if she had heard the greatest joke, exclaiming in disbelief, then narrowing her eyes.
“Show me. I most enjoy watching others display their entire fortunes just to contend with my pocket money. Go ahead and reveal your net worth; I’ll match it! Double what you offer!”
“Bean, she’s so arrogant!” Chen Yu remarked, looking sideways.
“Teach her a lesson. How dare she be so arrogant in front of us!” Black Bean growled, his eyes narrowed. “So young and so undisciplined. If we don’t teach her a lesson, she won’t know what the ‘Black Hand’ is!”
“You speak the truth.”
Chen Yu nodded with a smile. Roni frowned, her expression turning serious.
“What exactly…”
Clang.
Before Roni could finish speaking, several chests appeared in the clothing store, filled with purple-gold coins and gold coins. The dazzling golden light illuminated the entire store, making it opulent.
The sheep-person shopkeeper and the staff’s eyes widened in disbelief at the sight.
These coins…
They wouldn't even dare to dream of such wealth!
Yet, here they were, seeing it with their own eyes. And those chests with somewhat deep purple coins, were they the legendary purple-gold coins?
Roni, who had been speaking, instantly fell silent.
Her gaze fixed on the chests on the floor.
“Miss Roni Elton, having put forth your surname as a dowry, I trust you will not bring shame upon your family,” Chen Yu said, pointing at the chests on the floor. “In these chests, there are approximately twelve thousand gold coins.”
“Double it. Come on, show me!”
--
Author’s Note:
Good afternoon, eat heartily. If you don’t eat, I’ll show you what the Black Hand is!