Chapter 91: About Those Fifteen Gold Coins

The group of three continued through the central trade market until they arrived at a shop specializing in high-grade agricultural supplies and rare botanical specimens. Wooden racks lined the storefront, displaying sacks of rich spiritual soil, polished tools, and hundreds of small clay jars filled with glowing seeds.

Ye Chenxue stepped forward first, her cool gaze sweeping over the rows of earthenware containers. She pointed out three distinct varieties that would thrive best under the estate’s array. "We will take three bags each of the Verdant Spirit Grass, the Sun-Spotted Lotus seeds, and the Ironwood Saplings."

The shopkeeper, a lean man with sharp eyes and a calculating grin, stroked his sparse beard. He sized up the three of them, taking note of their refined robes, and folded his arms. "Ah, a customer of fine taste! Those are premium strains, young lady. That will be ten low-grade spirit stones—or thirty gold coins."

Before Lu Feng or Ye Chenxue could even react, Han Lin took a sharp step forward, her hands landing firmly on her hips.

"Thirty gold coins?!" Han Lin’s voice pierced through the ambient noise of the market. "Are you selling spiritual seeds or powdered gold? The outer-ring merchants were asking fourteen gold coins for the exact same batch of Sun-Spotted Lotus seeds just yesterday! We’ll give you fifteen gold coins for the entire set—not a copper more."

The seller scoffed, waving his hand dismissively. "Little girl, do not compare my top-tier stock to the junk sold by street hawkers. Fifteen gold is practically robbery. My bottom price is twenty-eight gold!"

"Robbery? The only robber here is you!" Han Lin shot back, her cheeks flushing with rising irritation. "Half these seeds look like they were harvested two seasons ago! Fifteen gold is already more than generous for stock that’s been sitting in a damp jar!"

"Damp jar?!" The merchant’s face reddened. "These are freshly imported from the Southern Valleys!"

As the argument escalated and Han Lin grew visibly angrier by the second, a broad-shouldered figure pushed through the passing crowd. He moved with intent, aiming straight for Lu Feng. Remembering Ma Guiren’s instructions, he lowered his shoulder to deliver a heavy, forceful bump that would knock Lu Feng into the stall’s display racks and initiate the planned scene.

Pah!

Before the man’s shoulder could make contact with Lu Feng, a sharp, echoing slap cracked through the air.

The mercenary staggered backward three full steps, his hand flying to his left cheek, which was already swelling into a bright red handprint. He stood there stunned, his mind momentarily blank as he blinked at the fiery young woman standing in front of him.

Han Lin, already boiling from her debate with the dishonest shopkeeper, glared at the giant of a man with pure fury.

"Are you blind?!" she barked, her voice ringing out across the cobblestone street. "The avenue is ten feet wide and you choose to walk directly into people? Do you leave your eyes at home when you put on clothes, or are you just naturally clumsy?!"

The mercenary snapped out of his shock, his blood rushing to his face in sheer embarrassment. Forgetting his rehearsed lines entirely, he bared his teeth and raised a calloused fist. "You little witch! Do you have a death wish?! I’ll—"

"You’ll what?" Han Lin cut him off instantly, taking a step toward him without a shred of fear. "You’ll throw a tantrum in the middle of the trade district because you can’t walk straight? Look at you! Built like an iron ox, yet you stumble around like a drunken toddler! You think wearing scuffed leather makes you look intimidating? You look like a disgraced guard who couldn’t even pass a gate check!"

The mercenary opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He opened it again, completely baffled. The sheer volume and speed of her insults left him stammering, utterly confused about who he had actually been hired to target. Was he supposed to pick a fight with the calm youth in the dark robes, or was this angry girl the real problem?

Desperate for direction, the mercenary glanced frantically toward the second-floor balcony of the nearby restaurant.

Up on the balcony, Ma Guiren was sipping his wine. Seeing the man look directly up at him while a small crowd began to gather, Ma Guiren’s expression froze. He immediately turned his head away, resting his chin on his hand and gazing off into the distance, pretending to be intensely interested in the clouds above.

Lu Feng stood quietly behind Han Lin, taking in the entire spectacle. A subtle, amused smile touched his lips as he watched the mercenary’s panic unfold.

Realizing he was completely on his own and fast becoming the laughingstock of the street, the mercenary gritted his teeth. "Forget it! I don’t hit women!" he grumbled loudly, trying to save whatever dignity he had left as he turned on his heel to walk away.

Surrounding onlookers, who had paused to watch the commotion, chuckled softly before losing interest and dispersing back to the various market stalls.

"That’s right, keep walking!" Han Lin called after him, letting out a bright, triumphant laugh as she brushed off her sleeves. "Watch the road next time!"

However, as the man slunk back toward the alleyway, he cast one last resentful glance toward the restaurant balcony. Seeing Ma Guiren completely ignoring his existence, pretending they had never met, a surge of humiliation and raw anger washed over the rogue. He had been humiliated, slapped by a young girl, and abandoned by his employer all in the span of two minutes.

Driven by a sudden, irrational impulse to vent his rage, the man spun around, his boots scraping loudly against the stone.

"I’ll teach you a lesson, you loud-mouthed bitch!" he roared, lunging forward with his heavy fist raised, aiming straight for the back of Han Lin’s head.

Han Lin, still snickering to herself, didn’t notice the sudden attack in time. Ye Chenxue’s hand twitched toward her weapon, but Lu Feng was already moving.

Lu Feng let out a quiet sigh. ’Troublesome!’

With a single fluid movement, Lu Feng stepped between Han Lin and the oncoming mercenary. His movement was so fast it appeared as a mere blur to the surrounding crowd. Holding back his full physical strength to avoid causing a bloody spectacle in public, Lu Feng threw a short, precise hook straight into the mercenary’s jaw.

Bang!

The impact was swift and clean. The man’s eyes instantly rolled into the back of his head, his body going completely limp before he could even register the blow.

Before the heavy man could hit the cobblestones and draw unwanted attention, Lu Feng caught him under the armpits. With effortless strength, he dragged the unconscious man a few feet to the side, propping him upright on a wooden bench outside a nearby tea shop. Lu Feng carefully folded the man’s arms across his chest and tilted his head back against the wall, making him look as though he had simply drifted off to sleep in the morning sun.

Lu Feng dusted off his hands, turned back toward the seed merchant—who was now staring at him with wide, terrified eyes—and smiled pleasantly.

"Now," Lu Feng said calmly, "about those fifteen gold coins."