Chapter 3: A Tiger in Lowlands, Borrowing Some Money

Sensing that something was wrong with his body, the leading man shouted sternly, "Brat, what did you do to us!" Damn it, why is my body so hot?

She squinted her eyes and smiled, saying, "Don't worry, I just fed you some top-grade aphrodisiac I whipped up on the spot."

"What! Aphro-aphrodisiac?"

The men exclaimed in shock. Instinctively, they looked at the people beside them, and seeing that they were their own brothers, yet their bodies were reacting in such a bizarre way, they were suddenly drenched in cold sweat from anxiety.

"Quick, let us out! Or we'll slaughter you!"

"Heh, you won't get that chance. I increased the dosage, after all." She waved at them with a beaming smile and said in a crisp, clear voice, "Uncles, you have a good time here. We’ll be heading off first."

She turned around and led the dozen or so little brats toward the forest. From afar, the curious voice of a child and Tang Xin’s cheerful laughter could be heard.

"What is a top-grade aphrodisiac?"

"A top-grade aphrodisiac... you'll know when you grow up..."

"They’ve all left, why aren't you two leaving?"

Tang Xin looked at the twin sisters standing to the side with a strange expression. She rubbed her hungry stomach, looked at the road ahead, and couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

Her mind was a blank slate. She had no memories of this body's past, didn't know her own background, didn't know if she had any family left, and didn't know where she should go now. More importantly, she had no money; all she had on her was this tattered clothing that made her look like a beggar.

While money isn't everything, you can't take a single step without it!

"I am Xia Xue, and she is my younger sister, Xia Yu. We... we want to follow you." One of the girls spoke, looking at her with some trepidation.

"Xia Xue? Xia Yu?" She looked at the two identical little faces in astonishment, then waved her hand and laughed, "No, no, I can't afford to raise you." She didn't want to bring two brats along; that would mean having to take care of them. She wasn't about to do something so disadvantageous.

The two gritted their teeth and lowered their heads. "But we have nowhere to go."

"Then figure it out yourselves. I'm leaving, don't follow me." As she spoke, she trotted forward, but to her surprise, her two small legs were grabbed by the girls.

"Please, just take us with you! We... we recognize you as our master."

Hearing this, her expression darkened. With a maturity that didn't match her age, her gaze swept over the two of them. "You two don't look like children from ordinary families. Don't go around saying you recognize someone as your master so easily. Besides, what can you two do? If you want to recognize me as your master, I have to see if you're even qualified."

"Let go!" she commanded mercilessly.

Hearing her words, the two stared at her blankly. After a long while, little Xia Yu asked, "If we learn skills, can we stay by Miss's side then?"

Tang Xin raised an eyebrow. This little girl was quite sharp, wasn't she? She’d already changed her address to "Miss"? Did she ever say she would take them in?

"We understand, Miss. Once we've learned our skills, we will come to find you." The two released her legs and stood up. Their dirty little faces were serious, and their shining eyes flickered with determination.

She smiled, waved her hand, and began walking down the mountain. For now, finding something to fill her stomach was the most important thing.

Pingyang City?

She looked at the three large characters on the city gate and let out a scoffing laugh. "Is this the place they mean when they say 'a tiger fallen in the plains is bullied by dogs'?"

Looking toward the city gate, it was teeming with people—a very bustling and prosperous town. Her gaze shifted, a bright smile bloomed on her dirty little face, and she trotted inside.

In such a prosperous Pingyang City, getting some silver shouldn't be too hard.

The scent of meat buns!

Her eyes lit up. Following the aroma, she arrived in front of a small stall. Looking at the steaming buns, she couldn't help but swallow her saliva.

"You little beggar, get away, get away! Don't block my business." The vendor waved his hand in disgust, trying to shoo her away.

Tang Xin smiled, not taking it to heart, and asked, "Boss, how much for one of your buns?" Smelling the fragrance, she was truly famished.

"One copper coin each. But do you even have money?" The vendor sized her up, seeing her tattered clothes, clearly assuming she couldn't produce a single copper.

"I do. I'll come back to buy them in a bit, just save a few for me."

She squinted her eyes with a smile, then turned and walked into the crowd. Her gaze swept over those dressed in finery and finally landed on a figure not far away. The young man was dressed remarkably well, and the silk pouch hanging from his waist was so conspicuous—wasn't that just begging for her to target him?

A cunning glint flashed in her eyes as a plan formed. She walked toward him, trotting up to hug his leg. "Wuu wuu... Brother, Xin'er finally found you! Brother, Uncle sold me off. I had such a hard time escaping. Brother, please don't leave Xin'er behind..."

Well! She figured this boy of twelve or thirteen would be an easy target. Wearing silk clothes like that, he must be from a wealthy family and shouldn't miss a little pocket money. Even if he noticed it was gone, he wouldn't chase her down.

Mu Chenfeng frowned slightly, looking at the little thing hugging his leg. With a cold face, he said, "You've mistaken me for someone else. I am not your brother."

"Ah?" She blinked her eyes and looked up, her innocent, large eyes blinking at him. She stared at him for a long while before saying earnestly, "But, but you are my brother. Brother, don't you recognize Xin'er anymore?"

"I said I am not. Let go!" A trace of impatience appeared on Mu Chenfeng's handsome face. He flicked his hand and brushed her away. Glancing at the little girl who had fallen to the ground and was staring at him blankly, he took a small piece of silver from his waist, tossed it to her, and turned to stride away.

Looking at the silver he gave her, Tang Xin was stunned. She picked it up and examined it. Having no knowledge of this place, she had no idea how much this piece of silver was worth. After grabbing the silver, she stood up and walked toward the bun stall. Her crisp, clear voice called out with a smile, "Boss, pack me five meat buns." As she spoke, she handed him the silver. "Remember to give me my change."

The vendor looked at her strangely as he packed five meat buns into a bag for her. "Was that person just now really your brother?"

"Yeah!"

"Doesn't look like it to me. Besides, if he really were your brother, would he not recognize you?"

"My brother has been away from home for ten years, of course he doesn't recognize me!" She said with a beaming smile, took the buns, and stuffed the silver into her clothes.

"How old are you?" The vendor looked at her with a strange expression.

"Me?" She thought for a moment and laughed, "I should be five." With that, she took out a bun, bit into it, and turned to walk into the crowd, leaving the vendor behind, staring at her in a daze...

She arrived at the riverside and sat down. She untied the pouch she had just "borrowed" from the young man. Upon opening it, she saw only a slip of paper inside. Even after turning the whole bag upside down, not even a tael of silver fell out. She couldn't help but glare and curse under her breath.

"You've got to be kidding me? It's just a piece of scrap paper in here?" She picked up the paper and opened it to see over a dozen medicinal names and dosages written on it. She couldn't help but click her tongue. "What kind of quack doctor prescribed this? And 'thousand-year snow ginseng'? Among the rare medicines I've collected, the oldest was only a thousand-year ginseng. I thought there would be silver notes in here! Who knew it would be such a useless prescription." She crumpled it into a ball and tossed it into the river.

On the other side, when Mu Chenfeng felt his waist was empty, his heart sank. Looking down, he saw that the pouch containing the hard-won prescription was gone! His dark, handsome face turned stormy, and he let out an angry curse.