Chapter 9: Not a Loss: Trading a Jade Ring for a Bronze Mirror

No, if someone wanted to assassinate her, they wouldn't bother with those framing tricks; they would just kill her directly. Therefore, the person following her must have a different motive.

What kind of motive? Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't anything good.

Thinking of this, she no longer had the heart to look in the mirror. She walked slowly toward the shopkeeper. "Boss, how much for this mirror?"

Seeing her disheveled appearance, the shopkeeper responded indifferently, "Five silver coins. No bargaining."

Xia Yulin didn't know if five silver coins was a lot or a little, but instinctively assuming it was a small amount, she reached into her sleeve pocket. No money.

She checked her waist, but there wasn't even a single copper coin.

Xia Luokui was a young lady of noble birth; how could she not have a single cent on her?

Fine, a young lady wouldn't buy things herself and wouldn't need cash, but what about her jewelry? Why didn't she have a single piece?

Could it be that during the interrogation at home last night, the Xia family had taken the opportunity to strip her bare?

It was infuriating! She thought irritably, *Is there any way to get the money to buy this mirror?*

After her eyes darted around for a few moments, her gaze landed on the ring on the middle finger of her left hand.

It was a beautiful jade ring, clearly a high-end piece.

It was truly strange. Xia Luokui didn't have a single cent on her, so why was she wearing such a precious ring?

Had those shameless members of the Xia family not taken advantage of the chaos to steal such a treasure?

Recalling carefully, she realized that this ring was a birthday gift given to Xia Luokui by the Marquis when she turned twelve. She had loved it so much that she refused to take it off after putting it on.

As Xia Luokui grew older, the ring gradually became tight, but she insisted on wearing it. This caused the ring to become tightly embedded in her flesh, making it difficult to remove, which was why no one else had managed to snatch it away.

*Damn it, a gift from a scumbag is naturally trash; only a fool like Xia Luokui would treat it like a treasure!*

Now that she was in control of this body, she didn't want this piece of junk anymore!

Immediately, she raised her left hand, extended her middle finger, and said to the shopkeeper, "Boss, I am willing to trade this ring for this copper mirror. If you can get this ring off, we have a deal!"

Although the shop was small, the owner had operated a general store for many years and had seen much of the world.

After examining the ring closely, a greedy glint flashed in his eyes. "Is the young lady serious?"

This ring was worth at least five shops like this. If the deal went through, he would strike it rich!

Xia Yulin patted her chest with her right hand. "If I am lying, may I be punished by marrying Lord Monkey and living a life of pain and regret. Is that sincere enough?"

The shopkeeper didn't care what her words meant; he simply saw her sincerity. He said joyfully, "Just wait, young lady. I'll find a way to get this ring off right away. However, it might hurt your finger. I wonder if you..."

Xia Yulin interrupted, "Forget hurting my finger; even if three layers of skin are peeled off, it doesn't matter, as long as the ring comes off!"

"Then there's no problem!" The shopkeeper immediately ran into the back room.

A moment later, he emerged with several tools, grease, and medicinal ointments. He applied and rubbed them all over Xia Yulin's finger, constantly twisting the ring around and even using all his strength to try and pull it out.

Xia Yulin felt that her finger was being tortured even more painfully than her buttocks, but she gritted her teeth and cooperated with the shopkeeper's actions to the utmost.

After ten minutes, the ring was finally removed. Xia Yulin's finger was red and swollen; not only was the skin peeling, but thin lines of blood were seeping out.

The shopkeeper looked at the expensive ring and then at her pitiful finger. Feeling a bit guilty, he handed her a small pouch. "Young lady, since I've injured your finger like this, please take this money to buy some medicine."

Xia Yulin originally wanted to refuse, but considering she was penniless, hungry, and had a wounded backside—and that the boss had made a massive profit—taking this money was perfectly justified. She unceremoniously picked up the pouch and the copper mirror. "Thank you, Boss. I'm leaving."

Just as she turned to leave, she stopped again. "Boss, do you have a cane? I'd like to buy a cane as well."

In her current condition, she likely wouldn't be able to walk far on just her two legs.

The boss generously brought out his own cane. "You can take this. I won't charge you."

Only then did Xia Yulin limp away from the small shop, leaning on the cane.

The man hiding outside, watching her, had his features contorted in disbelief. She actually traded the ring given to her by the Marquis for an ordinary copper mirror?

Had she gone mad?