"Why are you people so unreasonable? I saw this thing first and already paid the spirit crystals — on what grounds should I hand it over to you?" Mo Xiaoqi had no idea what she was clutching in one hand behind her back, but she thrust out her ample chest and faced the dozen-odd burly men without the slightest trace of fear.
"Miss, that's not how it works. If our young master has taken a liking to this item, then it must be bought. Whatever you paid in spirit crystals, we'll double it. I'd ask you to produce the goods so we can avoid any unpleasantness." A man across from them let out a cold hum, and as he spoke, the aura of power rippling from him made the threat in his tone unmistakable.
"Do I look like I care about your spirit crystals?" Mo Xiaoqi pouted, then turned to look at a half-beside old man next to her. "Tell him — didn't I buy this from you first?"
The old man was clearly the seller, and he wore a miserable expression. At her words, he glanced at Mo Xiaoqi, then at the dozen-odd menacing figures across from them, and let out a dry, hollow laugh. "I suppose… that's about right?"
"'About right'?" Mo Xiaoqi stared at him, stunned. "Didn't I give you spirit crystals? I even gave you extra on top, and you thanked me for it!"
The corner of the old man's mouth twitched, and he fell silent.
The young man who had been surrounded by his retinue of warriors all this time suddenly gave a light chuckle and looked at the old man. "Old sir, how many spirit crystals did this young lady pay you?"
The old man's face was full of difficulty. He hesitated for a moment before saying quietly, "Eight thousand."
"Eight thousand — not all that much, then. I'll offer ten thousand. What do you say, old sir — sell it to me?" The young man gazed at the old man with a smile.
"Ten thousand?" The old man's face lit up with surprise and delight, and he nodded without hesitation. "Yes, yes, of course…" But even as he agreed, he looked troubled. "Only, the item has already been bought by this young lady…"
"What does that matter? In buying and selling, the highest bid wins." The young man laughed heartily and turned to Mo Xiaoqi. "Miss, I trust you heard clearly — I've offered the old man ten thousand spirit crystals for his item. Kindly produce it—"
"Highest bid wins?" Mo Xiaoqi's silver teeth clenched in anger. Before he could finish, she cut in. "Fine, then I'll offer twenty thousand."
At this, the old seller was both shocked and overjoyed — he never imagined his humble wares could fetch such an outrageous price. At the same time, a pang of regret struck him. For these two to fight so fiercely over the item, it had to be something extraordinary. The pity was he couldn't identify it himself and had listed it as a common good — a tremendous bargain handed away for nothing.
The young man's brows furrowed, and a trace of viciousness crept across his face. "I'll offer thirty thousand. Think you can outbid me with spirit crystals?"
"Fifty thousand!" Mo Xiaoqi tossed the number out as though it weighed nothing at all. It landed like an invisible hammer, driving the young man across from her a full head shorter.
The young man's eyes nearly split with rage, and he snarled, "You little wench — do you know who I am? How dare you try to take something from me!"
"Why on earth would I know who you are?" Mo Xiaoqi regarded him with undisguised disgust. "And besides, you're the one trying to take it from me. You really are the most unreasonable person I've ever met."
"Fine, fine, fine! You little wench — truly someone who won't cry until the coffin is nailed shut. Very well, I'll let you die knowing exactly who you've crossed. I am Ning Yuancheng, Young Palace Master of the Flying Saint Palace! If you know what's good for you, you'll leave the item and get lost. If you don't know what's good for you…" He let out a cold, menacing laugh. "Then I'll make sure you leave both yourself and the item behind!"
Ning Yuancheng's chilling laughter hung in the air, his gaze roaming over Mo Xiaoqi's figure with undisguised lechery.
"The Flying Saint Palace!"
"So he's Ning Yuancheng?"
"This young lady is in serious trouble."
The moment Ning Yuancheng's name left his lips, Mo Xiaoqi showed no reaction whatsoever, but the surrounding warriors all felt their expressions shift.
The Flying Saint Palace might not rank among the absolute top-tier powers in the entire Southern Region — it couldn't compare to the Heavenly Martial Holy Land, the Wuhua Hall, or the Qingyang Divine Temple — but it still carried a fair bit of prestige, far beyond what any power around Maple Forest City could match.
As the Young Palace Master, Ning Yuancheng's reputation was naturally considerable as well. At the very least, within the Southern Region, he was a name well known to everyone.
Recently, the appearance of the Luan Phoenix had drawn many forces to Mount Yuqing to investigate, and the Flying Saint Palace was no exception. The one who had led the expedition was none other than the Young Palace Master himself, Ning Yuancheng.
However, their foray into Mount Yuqing had yielded nothing. On the way back, they had stopped briefly in Maple Forest City for rest — and as it happened, they stumbled upon this little scene at the black market.
Ning Yuancheng wore an expression of supreme self-satisfaction. He had fully expected that once he revealed his name and the power behind him, this ignorant little girl would not only apologize profusely but perhaps even throw herself into his arms to beg for his forgiveness.
Well, she might have a rather conspicuous birthmark marring her face, but the girl's figure was genuinely something — especially that generous bust. Playing with those would certainly be enjoyable.
Once nighttime came and the clothes came off, with the lights dimmed, who would even notice a mark on her face?
"The Flying Saint Palace? What's that? Never heard of it." Mo Xiaoqi's delicate brows furrowed slightly as she wore a perfectly blank expression.
The smug look on Ning Yuancheng's face froze solid in an instant, and every warrior of the Flying Saint Palace behind him turned dark.
"Insolent wretch — how dare you insult the Holy Palace! Seize her, all of you! I'll make sure she learns exactly what the Flying Saint Palace means!" Ning Yuancheng issued the order with a vicious snarl.
The dozen-odd Void King Realm warriors struck without a moment's hesitation.
Maple Forest City was a small town. Its City Lord was only a Dao Source Realm Stage Two cultivator, and the two Vice City Lords were merely Stage One — three Dao Source cultivators in total. That was hardly enough to register in the eyes of these Flying Saint Palace people, let alone in a lawless place like the black market. Even on the main streets of the city, they would have made their move without blinking.
What was a City Lord's Mansion, anyway? As if it could stand against the Flying Saint Palace?