In stepped a captivating woman, her golden hair cascading like a waterfall of sunlight, framing her delicate face. Her striking golden eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief, and her curvy figure moved gracefully as she entered the room.
Her features seemed to stem from a certain clan, but Long Huang couldn't remember.
"Dear valued customer, how many beast corpses are you selling today?" she asked cheerfully, her voice smooth and inviting.
Long Huang found himself momentarily speechless, caught in the magnetic allure of her presence. His heart raced, and he shyly averted his gaze, feeling heat rise to his cheeks.
After a moment of awkward silence, he managed to reply,
"Um, I lost count after a while," said Long Huang, embarrassment washing over him as he gazed at the woman, his eyes burning with desire.
"Sorry, but I'm married," said the woman, almost as if it were a routine.
"Happily?" asked Long Huang.
"Careful, boy, you're going to bite off more than you can chew."
"Plus I'm not into kids," said the woman with a soft smile.
At that moment, he wished he could explain that he was an adult—at least, if he considered both this life and his previous one. In his last life, he had his first girlfriend at 18 but only lived until 19, leaving him feeling like a teenager at heart because he hadn't truly experienced life.
However, the enchantress before him made him want to cast aside that feeling.
"Okay, place them in the open space in front of us," the woman instructed.
"Okay," said Long Huang, pulling out all the wild beast corpses from his storage pouch.
"Metal Pecking Eagles, four of them... each worth 30 gold notes."
"Red-spotted Wild Boar, teeth, paws...worth a total of 45 gold notes."
"Gold-striped Snake...worth 20 gold notes and 20 silver coins."
"Seven Treasure Poison Centipede, five of them... each worth 100 gold notes and 10 silver coins."
The woman remained expressionless as she continued listing and calculating the prices, her eyes occasionally flicking to the boy without any change in demeanor. In contrast, the old man's eyes widened in disbelief, his mouth slightly agape as he stared at the boy who looked like he lived off women and was merely an official disciple of the Azure Lotus Sect, yet could hunt such dangerous wild beasts.
Official disciples typically ranged in age from 14 to 16. The old man's shock deepened as he stared at Long Huang, finding it almost impossible that someone so young could have achieved these feats. Meanwhile, to Long Huang, the woman's silence stretched time until she finally looked up.
"3,000 gold notes flat," the woman proposed, her smile cunning.
"Sure," Long Huang replied, not wanting to prolong the conversation.
"By the way, do you take demon beast and spirit beast parts?" Long Huang asked.
"You have demon beast parts too?" she said, eyeing his pouch.
"Yep." Long Huang opened his pouch. A powerful aura filled the room, revealing the parts of a demon beast.
"Green-Eyed Tiger King! Yin Spirit Salmon!... Red Tiger... Yin..." the woman exclaimed, looking incredulously at Long Huang.
She was visibly shocked. The Yin Spirit Tuna and the Red Tiger were beasts that nearly belonged to the demon category.
Their defenses were incredibly strong, and even experienced cultivators at the peak of the Meridian Tempering Realm struggled to catch them.
Due to their rarity and strength, the price of the Red Tiger was significantly higher than that of other beasts in the same category. The Yin Spirit Tuna, being even rarer and residing in the deep ocean, required immense strength to capture or even fish out.
And they weren't even native to the area, so it was next to impossible to see one, much less catch one.
"Red Tiger....worth 1,000 gold notes," the woman said after a brief pause. "Yin Spirit Tuna....2,800 gold notes." As she continued tallying the figures, she looked at Long Huang with astonishment.
2,100 and 2,800 gold notes? Long Huang was taken aback; he never thought the Yin Spirit Tuna was worth more than the Red Tiger.
"That brings the total to 8,900 gold notes and 50 silver coins!" the beautiful woman announced.
Long Huang's pulse thundered in his ears. His hands trembled with excitement. 8,000 gold notes and 50 silver coins! With a monthly allowance of just 20 silver coins and never more than 30 gold notes at once, this sudden wealth left him awestruck and slightly unsteady, a wild mix of exhilaration and disbelief.
"Not satisfied? How about 13,000 gold notes?" she said, eyes glinting with greed.
"Deal," Long Huang replied, suppressing a grin. The woman asked,
"If you don't mind me asking, what is your name?" she inquired.
"Long Huang," he answered. The woman and the old man were taken aback; Long Huang was well-known throughout the city and had recently been reported missing.
"I see what a powerful name," said the woman
"Yes."
Without another word, Long Huang gathered his 13,000 gold notes, feeling the weight of his hard-earned fortune, and he strode confidently out of the pavilion.
Watching his retreating figure exit, the woman whispered something under her breath.
"Men.Truly gullible, if he only knew the true value of those fish."
...
Meanwhile, Long Huang was walking, chest held high, now that he was a rich man.
"I can finally buy some resources to enhance my cultivation," he mused, a sense of purpose driving his steps.
"But first, I should pay a visit to an old friend." With that thought in mind, he made his way to Bo's Tailor Shop.
As Long Huang pushed open the door, the female employee approached with a friendly smile, ready to greet a customer.
"Welcome, dear...." she started, but her words faltered as her eyes landed on Long Huang. Recognition dawning, her face brightened with a flush of embarrassment.
"Is your boss in?" Long Huang asked, flashing a charming smile.
"Uh... he... he's at the Red District," she replied, voice quivering and cheeks suffused with color, clearly flustered by Long Huang's charismatic presence. Her usual confidence wavered as his magnetic aura unsettled her composure.
"Of course he is," he replied, his hand moving to his forehead as he rolled his eyes. A hint of irritation crept into his voice at the thought of Bo Chow's seemingly endless escapades.
Despite his frustration, he couldn't help but appreciate the lively atmosphere of the shop, filled with the warm buzz of conversation and the comforting presence of familiar faces.
As he mulled over his options, Long Huang contemplated whether to stay and wait for Bo Chow's return or to make his way back to the Sect.
"That damn bastard, is sex all he can think about?"
Long Huang was lost in thought when he noticed a young employee watching him intently.
Her gaze lingered on Long Huang with longing so intense it seemed to shimmer between them—eyes bright and lips parted in unspoken desire. When he finally cleared his throat, the spell broke, leaving a quiet ache in the air.
"Ehem! Well, tell him I dropped by," he said with a casual tone, turning to leave.
Before stepping out, he paused and turned back to the employee, a charming smile gracing his face.
"Take care of yourself, miss." With that, he pushed the door open and stepped out into the embrace of the cool evening. The shop's bell jingled cheerfully at his back, a stark contrast to the silence he left behind.
As he merged with the bustling currents of the street, he could hear the whispers of women talking to each other.
"He's so..."
"Sshhh, he can hear you."
"Go talk to him."
One of the women approached Long Huang with a shy smile and began speaking.
"Umm, hi, would you mind having a few drinks with us?"
"No, I'm busy. Goodbye."
He felt annoyed; the last time he had been out, there hadn't been much attention directed at him.
As he walked through the City he called home, he couldn't help but stop to take in the beauty, stopping along the way to feed the homeless and some animals with the leftover food he had.
Eventually, he reached the entrance of the Azure Lotus Sect. After pausing to gaze at the mighty gates for a moment, he walked in and headed to the Fifth Elder's Manor to inform Huang Min and her parents that he was back, having left without saying a word.
Upon arriving at the Fifth Elder's Manor, he greeted the guards as usual and entered. The guards were surprised to see him, as he was supposedly missing according to the Fifth Elder and thought to be dead by some.
The guards exchanged glances of disbelief, still surprised to see him alive. They allowed him to enter.
As Long Huang entered the manor yard, he saw Huang Peng and Su Yan walking in the manor yard.
Seeing him, they rushed forward and began checking him over.
"Where have you been, kid?"
"Why did you leave without saying a word?"
"Why are you only back now?"
They bombarded him with questions, flustering Long Huang. After a few more questions, they finally stopped, giving Long Huang a chance to explain.
"I was in the Archdevil Mountain Range in the Cloud Forest."
"I just got back today."
"What!" the couple exclaimed in shock. It was a dangerous place for a Skin Tempering Realm cultivator.
"How did you survive?" they asked curiously. Long Huang, on the other hand, was curious about why they had asked such a question, since he thought Su Yan could tell his cultivation level.
But what he didn't realize was that Su Yan was more worried about him than about his cultivation level.
"Well, a deer helped me find some Yang fruits, and I broke through to the Muscle Tempering Realm," Long Huang replied.
Then he took out the last Yang fruit and handed it to the couple.
"It really is a Yang fruit." Su Yan said, staring at the fruit in Long Huang's hand.
"Where exactly did you get this?' asked Huang Peng.
"It's a secret," said long Huang with a mischievous smile as he handed the fruit to the couple.