Shiyan City.
The streets were packed to the brim, a sea of people flowing like a tide.
The Hong Guang Auction House had long been surrounded, with not even a crack left to squeeze through.
Yao Ranran and Zhou Lili struggled bitterly before they finally managed to slip into the Baibao Pavilion.
"As expected, just as Fairy guessed! With the appearance of the Che Lingzhi immortal treasure, even the surrounding shops are doing incredible business!" Zhou Lili lifted the curtain and looked at the endless stream of richly dressed guests, her smile so wide it nearly split her face.
Yao Ranran leaned closer. "Everyone has filled their pouches with spirit stones. Even if they know they won't be able to snatch the Che Lingzhi, none of them are willing to miss such a grand auction. We might not get to eat the meat, but at least we can sip the broth!"
She had been waiting for this day. Bringing out a pile of seventh-grade magic tools to sell all at once—this was her chance to rake in a fortune.
Clearly, Zhou Shengqian had thought of the same thing. Prices inside the Baibao Pavilion were higher than usual by quite a margin.
As Zhou Lili listened to the crisp clinking of spirit stones falling into their sacks, the gloom in her heart dissipated by more than half. She inhaled deeply, savoring the sweet air of profit.
"But still, I want to know who will end up with the Che Lingzhi in the end!"
Zhou Lili turned her head, her gaze firm and unwavering. "Fairy Ranran, I'm going out there!"
"…Go, then."
Yao Ranran watched her leave, unable to understand Zhou Lili's strange determination. Even if ownership of the Che Lingzhi were to be decided one by one, it would never fall into her hands.
Perhaps three lifetimes and three reincarnations later, she might have a chance.
Returning to the tea table, Yao Ranran leisurely sipped fragrant spirit tea, the sweetness lingering as she found herself missing the milk tea of her previous life.
Time flowed gently like water.
A mild chill drifted in the air, the autumn wind blowing just right.
Yao Ranran reclined in her rocking chair, sleeping soundly, peaceful as a kitten.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
Out in the shopfront, Manager Sun rubbed his eyes, then patted the shoulder of the young clerk. "Did you see something just rush inside?"
The boy shook his head blankly. "No, Manager. Nothing at all."
Manager Sun glanced at the curtain of the back room, unease prickling in his chest. "Good. It seems Fairy has fallen asleep inside. Heaven forbid we disturb her!"
It hadn't been easy for him to get transferred to manage a shop in Shiyan City. He couldn't afford the slightest mistake. He had to serve Fairy Ranran well.
Inside the back room.
Yao Ranran's long, thick lashes trembled, stirred by some invisible breeze. A tickling itch brushed her skin. She half-opened her eyes—and there, nestled against her, was a bright red meatball.
"Hotpot meatball?" Still half-dreaming, Yao Ranran opened her mouth, ready to bite down.
The little red ball jolted upright in terror, squeaking frantically, "Fairy, save me! Please don't eat me!"
"…The meatball talks?" Yao Ranran snapped fully awake, her eyes flying open.
A fresh, plump meatball was wriggling in her arms, its tiny mouth babbling nonstop. It even stuck out a pair of little hands to bow to her.
Now she was certain.
"The meatball has gained sentience!"
She stared in disbelief.
The meatball pleaded, "Fairy, spare me! I'm not really a meatball. Someone wants to kill me—please save me!"
Yao Ranran was dumbfounded. She had just woken up, and now a meatball was kneeling before her, begging for help?
Shouldn't she be heating a pot and tossing it in before it went stale?
"Fairy, I beg you! Don't eat me—I'm vegetarian!" The meatball waved its tiny hands desperately, voice quivering.
Yao Ranran's face fell with disappointment. "Vegetarian? All this flesh and you're telling me you're a vegetable dish? That packaging is far too deceptive!"
The meatball wriggled closer, trying to bury itself in her arms. "Fairy, save me! Someone is chasing me, I beg you!"
"Wait. You're a complete stranger. Why should I—"
"I have spirit stones! Ten million of them!"
"…Hide, quickly! In broad daylight, and yet villains dare hunt down a meatball? Where's the justice? Where's the conscience? Where's the spirit stones?"
Without hesitation, Yao Ranran stuffed the meatball into her sleeve.
Moments later, hurried footsteps thundered outside.
The curtain burst apart in a gale of spiritual force.
Yao Ranran's brows knitted ever so slightly. Her lips parted softly. "Three thousand spirit stones for that curtain."
The intruders paused, startled not only by her beauty but also by her strange words.
"Search the place!"
A voluptuous woman in her thirties swayed her hips like a water serpent as she strode in, her air commanding and domineering.
At her order, several figures darted about in streaks of shadow, sweeping the back room in an instant.
"Tower Master, nothing found!" they reported.
The woman fixed her gaze on Yao Ranran. Her voice was honey-laced with a teasing rasp, carrying both charm and danger. "Little girl, did you pick it up?"
Her sultry tone made several men in the room glaze over, intoxicated.
Yao Ranran blinked innocently. "Pick up what? I'm in my own house."
Qin Lüsha's eyes curved like silk threads, her voice low and enticing. "Little girl, are you sure you didn't see anything?"
Yao Ranran shook her head. "No."
Qin Lüsha's gaze shifted to Manager Sun and the clerk, who had been gawking at the scene.
Manager Sun's mind went blank the moment their eyes met, her voice echoing in his ears like music. He stammered, "I think… I saw something run inside…"
The clerk, dull and wooden, simply shook his head.
When Manager Sun came back to himself and realized what he had just said, his heart nearly stopped. Terror crashed over him.
That was Tower Master Qin of the Suohong Tower!
How could he have exposed Fairy Ranran? He was finished!
"Little girl, your own people already confessed. Do you still want to deny it?" Qin Lüsha's tone grew softer still, dripping with seductive allure.
Her bewitching technique had been strengthened.
Yao Ranran hugged herself tightly. "What do you want? So many of you bullying just me… I'm scared!"
Qin Lüsha swayed closer. "Then I'll deal with you personally."
"No, wait!" Yao Ranran's lashes fluttered downward. This woman's aura was thick and oppressive, and those flunkies had called her Tower Master… She must be Tower Master Qin of Suohong Tower, a Nascent Soul cultivator.
One Nascent Soul expert, and a very wealthy meatball. Which should she choose?
The world of adults was far too difficult!
"Wait! Spare her!"
Just as Qin Lüsha closed in and Yao Ranran's back met the wall, a somewhat familiar male voice rang out.