If Xue Beibei weren’t her little sister, the woman in red might very well have blown up the entire carriage.
Earlier, she’d been riding up front astride her spectral ghost horse. She figured that between the immortal binding ropes and his sealed spiritual sea, Ye Zichen was no threat at all.
She was, however, worried that even tied up in the carriage, Ye Zichen would keep mouthing off. As a result, partway into their journey, she’d decided to get off her horse and join them inside.
Against all expectations, wasn’t it her sister who gave her a “pleasant surprise” the moment she stepped inside?
Brother-in-law?
“Big Sister.”
Xue Beibei initially wanted to move closer to her sister, but sensing her fury, she could only gnaw on her lower lip and smile foolishly. She didn’t move an inch.
“Honey, don’t scare our little sister.”
It was Ye Zichen who stepped in to rebuke her. Then he looked back at Xue Beibei. From the look in his eyes, he really did seem as if he'd become her brother-in-law.
“Little sister-in-law, don’t be afraid. Your brother-in-law will protect you. If your sister dares touch you, she’ll sleep alone tonight. See how she likes that!”
The temperature in the carriage instantly dropped below zero
The woman in red’s face brimmed over with concealed fury Her intense killing intent seemed as if it were about to tear the heavens themselves apart.
Vast and mighty spiritual power flooded out of her body. When Ye Zichen sensed her strength, he couldn't help but arch his brows in surprise.
A peak sky immortal.
Moreover, judging from her spiritual energy's density, she was mostly likely only one tiny step away from reaching the immortal king level.
Her spiritual pressure only targeted Ye Zichen. As a result, Wu Di and Xue Beibei felt no discomfort despite sitting in the same carriage.
“If you really want to die, I can make that happen.” Her voice seemed to have risen straight up out of hell. Just hearing it was enough to send chills up one's spine. It seemed she was truly infuriated. Ye Zichen mulled things over for a moment before deciding that it'd be best to avoid pushing her any further for now.
“Okay, okay, okay, I won’t say anymore. I know you’re thin-skinned, but these aren’t outsiders, right......."
By now, she was like a volcano on the brink of explosion. Ye Zichen licked his lips and hurriedly backed down. “Fine, I was wrong. Lady warrior, please spare my life!”
After such an insult to her purity, she truly felt the urge to kill. Even though Ye Zichen had stopped and was now pleading for mercy instead, her gaze was just as cold as before.
Ye Zichen shrunk back beneath her icy gaze. He was really afraid this woman would do something stupid, so he had no choice but to look pleadingly at Xue Beibei.
By now, Xue Beibei was furious as well. One look at her sister's expression and she knew that this lecher had tricked her. Even so, she could only blame herself for being stupid enough to fall for it. Otherwise, her sister would never have gotten so angry.
She mulled it over, linked her lips nervously, then approached her sister. “Big Sister, please don’t be angry. I know I was wrong.”
She pouted pitifully, her gaze upset and aggrieved. When she saw Xue Beibei’s behavior, the woman in red helplessly patted her little head and said, “you know what you did wrong?”
Although her words seemed like a rebuke, her doting gaze revealed her true thoughts. Sure enough, in the face of Xue Beibei’s puppy-dog eyes, the woman immediately backed down. “Alright, then I won’t blame you.”
“You’re the best, sis!”
Xue Beibei kissed her sister on the cheek. In response, her sister tousled her hair affectionately. However, mere moments later, her gaze was cold as she turned to look back at Ye Zichen.
“For my sister’s sake, I’ll spare your life,” she snorted, “but don’t think for a second that you’re truly safe. You’d best tell me everything you know, or else……. hmph…..”
Actually, in her heart, the woman in red had no desire to kill Ye Zichen. He was extremely important to her. Their trade association had never once captured any of the men in black who kept stealing their resources. Either they failed to capture them or they committed suicide as soon as they were caught. Either way, they couldn’t get any useful information out of them.
Ye Zichen was the first one they'd taken alive. Moreover, he still hadn’t killed himself. She needed to make him talk and share some useful leads.
“Speak! Who exactly sent you here?” She sat directly across from Ye Zichen and glowered at him coldly.
“What are you saying?” When he heard the woman’s question, Ye Zichen was visibly baffled. “What ‘who sent us?’ My apprentice and I sent ourselves, didn’t we?”
Bang!
She smacked the seats, startling Wu Di. Her entire aura billowed outward.
“Don’t play dumb with me. I strongly urge you to hurry up and tell me everything you know. Otherwise, once we reach Raging Flame City, I have countless ways of making your life a living hell and loosening your tongue.”
“What on earth are you talking about?” Ye Zichen frowned. “You’re a good looking girl, but it seems there’s something up with your brain? Everything you’re saying is nonsense. I’m your benefactor! If you don’t want to give me your heart, that’s one thing, but now you’re trying to interrogate me?”
“You’re pretending even now? You clearly don’t understand your situation.”
As she spoke, she smiled coldly and took out a ring, the same ruby ring Ye Zichen had picked up off the ground. “In that case, tell me: why did you have this ring?”
“I picked it up off the ground!” said Ye Zichen honestly.
“Off the ground?” The woman in red responded as if this were the funniest thing she’d ever heard. She slipped the ring onto her ring finger, cocked her head to the side, and laughed, “do you know how much this ring is worth? There’s more than a hundred million spirit coins worth of pills, talismans, and artifacts inside. Now you’re telling me you just happened to pick it up? In that case, you’ve got heaven-defying good luck!”
“I really am quite lucky!” Ye Zichen said noncommittally.
Bang!
“Impudent!”
She slammed her fist into the seats once more. This time, when she lifted her hand, there was pitch-black handprint burnt into the leather.
“This ring contains goods our Skyspan Trading Company plans to auction off, and you’re telling me you just picked it off the ground? Spit it out! How are you related to those men in black? Who is commanding you behind the scenes? Tell me the truth!”
Wu Di had long since guessed that their status out of the ordinary but he never would've guessed that their backing was this impressive.
The Skyspan Trading Company.
This was the greatest auction house in the seventy-two districts under the jurisdiction of the Northern Divine Mountain. Practically every major city had at least three of their auction houses. They sold everything from Immortal Kings’ magic treasures and spirit medicines to the body-tempering pills and ordinary weapons used by spiritual body cultivators. The Skyspan Trading Company had something for everyone.
He’d also heard that the Skyspan Trading Company didn’t just operate in these seventy-two districts. They had auction houses around the other divine mountains as well. There were also even more exaggerated rumors saying they even did business in the Yao Realm.
Wu Di’s Adam's apple bobbed nervously in his throat. He currently had no idea what to do. Ye Zichen, however, simply smiled calmly. He looked at the woman in red’s chest, gulped, then smiled earnestly.
“You seem to have misunderstood something!”