Chapter 29: 029: Making a Bet

A rogue like him, having seen all manner of people, had perfected the art of reading human nature through years of streetwise maneuvering. With a single glance, he could discern whether someone was easy to provoke or how they could be manipulated. A simple, innocent young lady like the one before him was the easiest to soften.

This softness could be weaponized through morality.

The more magnanimously he claimed that "delaying work" was no issue, and the more he offered to "wait" with her for the sake of "safety," the more guilt the young lady would feel. Along with that guilt, her sense of trust would surge, causing her to lower the guard she had raised in a strange environment, and subsequently, fall into his trap.

It went exactly as he expected.

The young lady lowered her eyes and asked timidly, "Is it truly no trouble?"

The man plopped down beside Shen Tang.

He deliberately extended his feet, exposing his toes—stained with black mud and marred by chilblains—to ensure Shen Tang could see his heavily worn straw sandals. He spoke with a boisterous, easygoing tone: "No trouble at all. At most, the shopkeeper will dock me a few copper coins. If that gentleman didn't see you go over, he should be coming this way soon anyway."

Shen Tang's expression shifted slightly, her pupils darting as if she were fighting an internal battle. The man watched her, feeling a secret surge of joy.

Why did he dare say such things?

Because he knew Qi Shan wouldn't be back so soon!

He had no fear of his lie being exposed.

Maintaining his composure, he counted silently in his head. When he reached "fifteen," the young lady, sitting obediently on her small stool, stood up and said softly, "Since Yuan Liang sent you to find me, we should hurry to meet him. If we are late, not only will it delay your work, but he will scold me again... Please, lead the way."

He had her!

The man felt triumphant, quickly replying, "It is only right that I do this. It's no trouble at all, no trouble. You flatter me, young lady."

"Young lady, let's go this way." The man pointed toward the direction Qi Shan had previously departed. While gesturing the way, he thoughtfully took the lead rope of the "motorcycle" that Shen Tang was holding and added, "Fanghua Inn is a bit of a walk from here. Would you like to ride it?"

Throughout the entire process, the man acted with impeccable propriety and restraint, which invisibly bolstered Shen Tang's trust in his identity as a "Fanghua Inn laborer." As expected, Shen Tang harbored no suspicion and clumsily scrambled onto the back of the motorcycle. Out of the corner of his eye, the man glanced at the motorcycle. While leading the rope, he chatted casually with her, "This doesn't look much like a horse, does it?"

The gentle young lady answered every question.

"The motorcycle is a mule."

"A mule?"

The man secretly wondered how much he could sell this mule for.

Though it was a mule and not a horse, this mule named "Motorcycle" was quite handsome—pure white all over and as tall as an average adult man. It looked expensive. If he could find a channel to flip it, he might even fetch a high price.

At this moment, the man walked ahead leading Motorcycle, showing Shen Tang nothing but his back. Naturally, he wasn't afraid of her seeing his expression; the greed and triumph on his face were almost overflowing. A merchant who had been secretly watching the situation sighed and muttered to himself—some people were simply looking for death, and no one could stop them.

Falling into the hands of a rogue like this, the young lady was finished.

A butcher shop was located two stalls away from a tavern.

Seeing the silly young lady walking off with the rogue, the butcher's expression shifted several times. Gritting his teeth, he slammed his bone knife onto the chopping block and grabbed another cleaver. Before he could step out of the shop, his elderly parents, who worked there, grabbed him and shot him fierce warning glances.

The butcher didn't struggle; he simply watched Shen Tang's silhouette gradually shrink into a small speck, eventually letting out a long sigh.

"What a sin!" He wiped his face with a hand stained with grease, suppressing the urge to interfere, and spat a curse, "What a wretched world!"

He wasn't sure if he was cursing the rogue or himself.

Adjusting his mindset, he returned to his work in front of the butcher shop.

A customer buying goods suddenly spoke up.

"That young gentleman will be fine."

The butcher froze. "What?"

The customer repeated with a smile, "That young gentleman will be fine. It is rather the one deceiving people whose life is hanging by a thread."

The butcher's eyes widened in astonishment. Still clutching his knife, he gestured indignantly, "What kind of nonsense are you old man talking?"

Undeterred, the customer smiled calmly. "Care to make a bet?"

Hearing the customer say Shen Tang would be fine, the butcher felt a slight sense of relief, but then thought the customer was just talking nonsense.

What young gentleman?

The one being led away was clearly a pretty, beautiful young lady.

He huffed in dissatisfaction, "You old, improper thing. Your eyes aren't working and your head is muddled. You're just talking nonsense to fool people; you can't even tell a man from a woman. You want to bet? How do we bet?"

The customer: "That young gentleman will return safely in half an hour. If I win, you give me today's offal for free."

The butcher agreed without a second thought.

It was only a few pounds of unwanted offal; it wasn't a big bet.

He knew this customer; he was a kitchen laborer bought by the Yuehua Pavilion. Every time he came, he would buy some unwanted offal. The butcher noticed he was different from the others at Yuehua Pavilion—he lacked any servile flattery and instead possessed an indescribable elegance, like a scholar. The butcher liked him and always gave him a little extra when weighing the offal.

He had come as usual today, but the butcher hadn't expected him to talk such nonsense.

The butcher said, "And if I win?"

The customer: "I'll buy an extra pound of offal."

The butcher said irritably, "What difference does an extra pound of offal make? How much more can I earn? Fine, let's bet!"

A moment later, the butcher chopped half a pound of bone scraps, wrapped them in a lotus leaf, and placed them with the previous offal. Tapping his fingers on the butcher shop counter, he said, "If the person comes back, I'll give you this half-pound too."

Though bone scraps had little meat, they could at least be used for a stew.

This customer was so thin he was practically skin and bones; the butcher felt somewhat soft-hearted and sincerely hoped the customer would win and the young lady would be safe—thinking of it as accumulating some merit to make himself feel better.

The customer performed a formal salutation. "Thank you."

The butcher muttered, "Even his gestures are quite proper."

What kind of place was Yuehua Pavilion?

A place where men and women went for pleasure.

This customer claimed to be a kitchen laborer, but as a slave bought by Yuehua Pavilion, to put it bluntly, he was at the very bottom of the social hierarchy. Yet, such a person adopted the mannerisms of a scholar, which often drew ridicule; the butcher also felt he was putting on airs.

However, the butcher didn't laugh.

Simply because the customer's temperament was truly refined.

It was comfortable to talk to him.

Half an hour passed, and the butcher waited anxiously, glancing frequently toward the direction where Shen Tang and the other had disappeared. He asked the customer, "Old man, why did you say that was a young gentleman just now? That was clearly a girl."

The customer didn't take offense at the butcher's blunt address. Instead, he smiled and pointed to his own waist.

The butcher was puzzled. "What? Your waist hurts?"

The customer said, "A Wenxin Seal."

The butcher blinked. "What?"

The customer: "That person possesses a Wenxin Seal. While not as powerful as an ordinary martial artist, it is more than enough to deal with an ordinary person."

The butcher: "..."

As an ordinary person, even if he had never seen a "Wenxin Seal," he had heard of them, and naturally knew what possessing one meant.

"How did I miss it?"

The butcher searched his memory, but he could only remember that pretty, beautiful face.

The customer explained, "That Wenxin Seal is colorless and transparent like crystal. Unless one is looking specifically for it, it is extremely easy to overlook."

Because of the popularity of "Wenxin Wudan" (Literary Heart and Martial Gall), it was currently fashionable for men to wear seals or similar tiger-tally-like accessories when going out. It was difficult to distinguish between an ordinary seal and a Wenxin Seal; an ordinary person would find it hard to tell them apart at first glance.