Today was the day Arden Xu and the blonde thug agreed upon.
"Beep! You have a new message, please check it!"
Arden had just finished lunch at Suibian Temple when a new message arrived.
Opening KnockKnock, he saw that the message came from [Cunning Hares Representative]. The content was simple—just an "OK" emoji.
The task Arden entrusted had been fully completed.
Sure enough, not long after the shop opened in the afternoon, the blonde thug arrived.
But compared to three days ago, his condition seemed far worse. He leaned on a crutch, was wrapped in bandages, and his face was covered in bruises—he looked like he had just brawled with a gang somewhere.
"What peach blossom talisman—this was clearly a peach blossom disaster!"
The moment he saw Arden, the blonde thug burst into tears and snot, crying as he recounted his experiences over the past three days.
At first, he was half-skeptical, even mostly disbelieving, of the so-called love-luck talisman… until he encountered a beautiful, well-endowed and stylish black-haired long-straight girl.
A beauty approaching him first—this was the first time in the blonde thug's 20-plus years of being NGSB. In an instant, he believed the talisman worked.
The following two days were the usual drama.
He dated the long-haired beauty, visited many high-end shops, spending huge amounts of Dennies. The blonde thug felt the pain deeply, even borrowing money from friends and family.
But to him, everything felt worth it.
After he persistently clung to her, the long-haired beauty finally agreed to go to a hotel with him.
Then—he walked right into a scam.
Not only were all his belongings stolen, he also got beaten half-dead by a robot muttering "Starlight Knight—Justice Enforcement."
The blonde thug had no one to complain to, so he blamed everything on the talisman and Arden.
"Arden, he… he's too miserable."
"Yeah!"
The blonde thug's story was tragic enough to move even Ju Fufu and Yixuan to pity.
Arden, however, was unmoved. This was the consequence of daring to look at Ju Fufu and Yixuan with indecent eyes.
Clang!
Arden pulled out his longsword and tapped the blonde thug's skull with the back of the blade, knocking him out instantly—adding yet another tragic note to his misfortune.
The blonde thug was then dragged off to the New Eridu Public Security.
The Cunning Hares had not only staged a scam, but also gathered enough information and evidence. Whether it was A-Shuo's meat bun being poisoned and him being hospitalized, or Suibian Temple being targeted—it was all the blonde thug's doing.
Of course, he was only the one carrying out orders; someone else was behind him.
"Arden, you can't keep doing this!"
Of course, Yixuan said this only from the standpoint as the sect master—after all, the blonde thug had been beaten so badly and there were many witnesses around.
But secretly, Yixuan gave Arden a thumbs up, clearly very pleased with his swift justice.
"Yes, Sect Master!"
...
At the Cunning Hares.
Ding-dong!
"Whew… that should cover rent for this month and next."
Hearing the Dennies arrive, Nicole finally breathed a deep sigh of relief.
The commission fee, kickbacks from the high-end establishments, plus the blonde thug's belongings, finally slowed the terrifying rise of Cunning Hares' financial deficit.
Nicole thought for a moment, took out her phone, opened KnockKnock, tapped on the avatar labeled [Rebel Against My Master], and sent a message.
[Cunning Hares Representative: "Pleasure working with you!"]
[Rebel Against My Master: "By the way, where did the long-haired beauty come from?"]
[Cunning Hares Representative: "I hired a professional. Any issues?"]
[Rebel Against My Master: "None at all!"]
[Cunning Hares Representative: "If you have more commissions, don't forget the Cunning Hares. Returning customers get 20% off!"]
[Rebel Against My Master: "Absolutely! Looking forward to our next collaboration!"]
...
With the blonde thug's problem resolved and revenue shooting up, Arden's performance was recognized. Until A-Shuo recovered and was discharged, the divination business at Suibian Temple would be handled by him.
That night, Arden went to see Yixuan.
He told her the inside information Nicole had discovered.
"Yunkui Summit is being targeted like this… does the Sect Master know anything?"
"…"
Yixuan thought for a moment. "Most likely because of the mine."
"The mine?"
As an outer disciple, Arden knew nothing about the Gleaming Ridge Stone Mine.
"Not long ago, Mayor Mayflower commissioned Yunkui Summit…"
Yixuan explained everything about the Gleaming Ridge Stone Mine.
"So that's why. No wonder Porcelumex is targeting us!"
Though he had guessed as much, hearing the truth still made Arden frown tightly. "A subsidiary of TOPS is not easy to deal with."
Indeed, the one who instructed the blonde thug to stir trouble at Suibian Temple was Porcelumex. Arden suspected that not only the blonde thug, but the newly opened divination shop at the Porcelume Market was also backed by Porcelumex.
"Exactly!"
If it came to a fight, Yixuan—whose strength rivaled a Void Hunter—wouldn't fear them, but business competition was not one of her strengths.
But before dealing with Porcelumex, there was something more important.
"Arden, tomorrow you'll go to the Apothecary and take over as the shopkeeper. Its business has been losing heavily lately, likely due to Porcelumex as well… I trust your ability. You can turn it around!"
Yixuan and Ju Fufu had reached an agreement—they could not allow Arden to continue doing divination, especially when all the customers coming in were women.
"I'm going to the Apothecary?"
Arden was dissatisfied with Yixuan's decision.
Business had just picked up, and he was about to enjoy his commission—only to be sent to another failing shop. It felt like his "peach" was being plucked away.
"Then what about Suibian Temple's divination business…?"
"Before A-Shuo is discharged, I'll stay at Suibian Temple."
Alright. If the one taking his "peach" was his own master Yixuan, Arden could grudgingly accept it.
"Then… what do I get out of it?"
Of course, even Yixuan couldn't pluck peaches for free—there had to be benefits.
"Hmm…"
Yixuan circled around Arden. It was truly the first time she'd met a disciple bold enough to openly ask her for benefits.
"I recall the core disciple assessment is next month… if you fail, you'll have to wait until next year."
Core disciples were essentially personal disciples. For example, Yixuan's personal disciple would be a core disciple of Yunkui Summit.
Arden wanted to become Yixuan's disciple, meaning he had to pass her assessment—and the standards were entirely up to Yixuan.
Her meaning was obvious: 'If you want to pass my assessment and become my disciple, then listen to my arrangements.'
"Uh… fine!"
Arden felt that if he refused, Yixuan would definitely sabotage him during the assessment, so he could only agree.
Just wait! Once I officially become your disciple, I'll charge at you full force!
He shot a fierce glance at those long white legs and the rest of her figure before leaving her room.
In truth, Arden had somewhat wronged Yixuan—this idea actually came from Ju Fufu. Her goal was to keep Arden away from those "suspicious women."
However, switching Arden from divination to the Apothecary—would Ju Fufu's plan really work?
Mm, Hard to say.