Acting All Noble

Su Ye was still stunned by the news from earlier, so her answer was relatively half-hearted: "He's alright."

Xue Liang was indeed handsome, and had the elegant air of a young master from a prestigious family. He certainly was the type young ladies would go for, but unfortunately for him, any man that Su Ye encountered after meeting Su Qing… was no different from her short and pudgy father.

Suddenly, the red-dressed woman sitting on the other side of the boat canopy coolly sneered, "Tch. Save the act—just say that you have your eyes on Xue Liang. Why the need to act all noble and lofty?"

At the moment, Su Ye was stroking the purple leaf-shaped mark on her right index finger. She often touched it subconsciously ever since she contracted with the vine. Noting the woman's exaggerated reaction, Su Ye retorted, "Isn't it you who has their sights set on him?"

The woman flushed crimson at her words. She became flustered, and unconsciously turned towards Xue Liang.

The man in question appeared unaffected, however, and turned away nonchalantly as if it had nothing to do with him.

The woman in red felt humiliated and naturally turned on Su Ye, snarling, "What are you up to?! Why would you try to tear us apart?!"

Su Ye's lips twitched but she said nothing. Indifferent, she turned back towards the goldseeker herb, as the boat moved ever closer to it. Just as the boat was going to row past it underneath the bridge, she moved up to the bow, swiftly reaching out to pluck the tuft of herb growing in a narrow chunk of soil. As the ship slowly rowed past the bridge, the rays of the twilight sun shone upon it once more, and a golden glaze seemed to have been painted over the goldseeker herb in Su Ye's grasp.

Xue Liang stared at it for a moment, a hint of emotion flashing in his eyes as he breathed, "A goldseeker herb…."

At this, everyone's gazes turned in synchrony towards Su Ye's hand.

Yang Xuan appeared stunned. "A goldseeker herb?! Such a rare herb was actually growing here?"

Meanwhile, Su Ye's gaze was lowered as if she couldn't hear them. Opening her pouch, she dumped the herb into it, and went back to admiring the scenery.

That was when the red-dressed woman in the boat canopy suddenly stood up, and strode over to Su Ye. Her air was overbearing as she barked, "Hey! Give me that herb!"

Su Ye chuckled. She was not really interested in entertaining the young lady who appeared to be lacking a brain, and promptly turned towards the old boatman. "Please dock the boat, sir."

Su Ye giving her the cold shoulder further angered the woman, and she yelled even louder, "You wouldn't have found that herb if you didn't board our boat! Give it to me!"

Nonetheless, Su Ye merely flapped her sleeves—she had soaked them by accident when she was plucking the goldseeker herb. When she was done, she casually said, "The herb would still be mine even if I didn't board this boat."

Having lost all dignity from the string of retorts by this unfamiliar woman, the red-dressed woman's embarrassment turned to fury, and she promptly pulled out with the whip she kept at her hip. "You really have a death wish!"

With that, she swung the whip at Su Ye.

Red flames appeared on the whip, and it was clear that the woman possessed fire-element spiritual roots. From the very start, she thought nothing of Su Ye—but it was only too obvious for anyone with a pair of eyes that Su Ye was not even tier-one. As such, the red-dressed woman decided to teach Su Ye a lesson, so that she would not insult people as she liked.

Still, things didn't turn out as she expected.

Su Ye easily dodged the whip, and casually raised her foot and kicked the woman.