029 Gamble

Individuals like the ruffian in question, who have seen all sorts of people and mastered the understanding of human nature through life's trials and tribulations, possess an innate ability to discern whether someone is easy to deal with or not at a glance. In the case of a naive and innocent young woman like the one before him, his heart softens even further.

Such vulnerability can be easily exploited by moral coercion. The more he generously insists that "delaying work" is inconsequential and willingly accompanies the young woman for the sake of "safety" while they "wait," the more guilt the young woman feels. In her guilt-ridden state, her sense of trust skyrockets, causing her to lower her guard raised in unfamiliar surroundings and fall into the trap.

As expected by the man, the young woman lowers her gaze timidly and timidly asks him, "Is it truly not inconvenient?"

The man sits down next to Shen Tang deliberately, extending his legs to reveal his feet covered in dark mud stains and frostbitten toes. He lets Shen Tang see his heavily worn grass shoes as he jovially reassures her, "It's not a problem at all. At most, the innkeeper might deduct a few pennies. If that gentleman doesn't see you passing by, he should come over."

Shen Tang's expression subtly changes, her pupils shifting, as if engaged in an internal struggle. The man looks on with secret satisfaction. Why does he dare to say such things? Because he knows that it will be some time before Qishan returns!

He remains composed, silently counting numbers until he reaches "fifteen." At this point, the demure young woman sitting obediently on the small stool stands up, her voice soft, "Since it's Yuanliang who sent you to find me, we should hurry to meet him. If we're late, not only will it delay your work, but he'll also scold me... Please show me the way."

Success! The man internally celebrates as he busily responds, "This is what I should do, not troublesome at all. Miss, you are too courteous."

"Miss, let's go this way." The man gestures, pointing in the direction Qishan had departed earlier, while kindly taking hold of the reins of the motorcycle Shen Tang is leading. He continues, "The Magnolia Inn is a bit of a distance from here. Would the young lady like to ride?"

Throughout the entire process, the man conducts himself with remarkable tact and restraint, subtly increasing Shen Tang's trust in his identity as a "Magnolia Inn helper." As expected, Shen Tang harbors no suspicions, clumsily climbing onto the back of the motorcycle. Meanwhile, the man's peripheral glance at the motorcycle, with its air of submission, reveals a sense of satisfaction and greed almost overflowing from his expression. Walking ahead, leading the motorcycle, he only exposes his back to Shen Tang, naturally unafraid of her seeing his current demeanor. It's practically brimming with smugness and avarice. Merchants who have been covertly observing the situation sigh and mutter to themselves - some people are determined to meet their demise, and there's little one can do to stop them.

In the hands of such a ruffian, this young woman is finished.

Between the butcher's shop and the tavern lay two buildings.

Upon witnessing Shen Tang foolishly follow the ruffian, the butcher's expression underwent several changes. Clenching his teeth, he slammed down the boning knife onto the chopping block and seized another pig-slaughtering knife. Before stepping out of the butcher's shop, he was firmly halted by the elderly couple working inside, who shot him stern glances.

The butcher did not resist; he merely watched as Shen Tang's figure gradually shrank into a small bundle and then into a long sigh.

"Such wickedness!" he exclaimed, wiping his face with his oily hands, suppressing his impulse to meddle and cursing under his breath, "What a broken world!"

Whether he was cursing the ruffian or himself was unclear.

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

A customer who had come to make a purchase suddenly remarked, "That young gentleman will be fine."

The butcher was taken aback. "What?"

The customer repeated with a smile, "That young gentleman will be fine, but the one deceiving people is in mortal danger."

The butcher widened his eyes in astonishment, still gripping the knife, and gestured angrily, "What nonsense are you spouting, old man?"

Unfazed, the customer calmly replied, "Care to make a wager?"

Feeling slightly relieved at the customer's assurance that Shen Tang was safe, the butcher relaxed a little. Yet, he also felt the customer was talking nonsense.

What young gentleman? The one taken away was clearly a pretty and attractive young lady.

He grumbled, "You old scoundrel, your tricks are ineffective, and your mind is befuddled, always spewing nonsense to deceive people. Can't even tell whether someone's a man or a woman. You talk about making a wager, so what's the bet?"

The customer said, "That young gentleman will return safely within half an hour. If I win, you'll give me today's offal."

The butcher agreed without much thought. It was just a few pounds of unwanted offal; the bet wasn't significant.

He was familiar with this customer, a kitchen hand bought by the Moonlight Pavilion — each time he visited, he would buy some unwanted offal. The butcher noticed that unlike the others at the Moonlight Pavilion, he never showed servile deference, resembling more of a scholar with an indescribable elegance. He quite liked him and would always give him a little extra. Today, unexpectedly, he was talking nonsense.

The butcher asked, "What if I win?"

The customer replied, "I'll buy an extra pound of offal from you."

The butcher grumbled, "Buying an extra pound of offal, how much more can I earn? Fine, let's make the bet!"

After a while, the butcher chopped half a pound of bones, wrapped them in lotus leaves, and placed them next to the offal. Pointing at the butcher's table, he said, "If the person returns, I'll give you this half pound too."

Although bone scraps had little meat, they could still be used for stew. Seeing the customer looking thin and emaciated, the butcher felt a twinge of compassion and sincerely hoped the customer would win. If the young lady returned safely, it would count as accumulating merit for himself, which would make him feel better.

The customer bowed slightly, "Thank you."

The butcher muttered, "This gesture is quite decent."

What was the Moonlight Pavilion?

A place where men and women seek pleasure and revelry.

The customer claimed to be a kitchen hand doing menial tasks, but in reality, he was a slave bought by the Moonlight Pavilion, the lowest of the low. Although such a person learned to behave like a scholar, he was often mocked, and the butcher found him somewhat pretentious.

However, the butcher refrained from mocking him.

Simply because the customer's demeanor was genuinely pleasant.

Half an hour passed, and the butcher grew anxious, occasionally glancing towards the direction where Shen Tang and the others had disappeared. He asked the customer, "Old man, why did you say that was a young gentleman just now? Clearly, it was a young lady."

The customer, unbothered by the butcher's impolite address, pointed to his waist.

The butcher was puzzled, "What's wrong? Is your waist hurting?"

The customer explained, "Indicating a scholarly bearing."

The butcher was taken aback, "What?"

The customer continued, "That person carries a scholarly seal, though not as martial as others, dealing with an ordinary person is no problem."

The butcher pondered.

As an ordinary person, he might not have seen the "scholarly seal," but he had heard of it and knew what possessing such an item meant.

"Why didn't I notice it?" he wondered.

The butcher recalled only the beautiful face of the young lady.

The customer said, "The scholarly seal is colorless and transparent like crystal. If one does not pay attention, it is extremely easy to overlook."

Due to the influence of martial arts and scholarly culture, it was currently fashionable for men to wear seals or similar tokens when going out. It was difficult for ordinary people to distinguish between regular seals and scholarly seals at first glance.