Free Web Novel"Come take a look! The jade pendant once worn by the Dali Kingdom's royal family!"
"Clean and hygienic, delicious and affordable, Liming City's specialty steamed buns, young man, would you like one?"
"Friend, want to watch a performance? Ethnic dance, the kind without clothes."
Night was just falling.
Tonight, like countless nights before, Liming City's night market under the cover of darkness was bustling with people coming and going. The lights, some bright, some dim, distorted the shadows on the street. Various sounds converged, entering her ears, turning into a buzzing sound like the flapping of bees' wings.
Amidst the bursts of noise, Hua Xieyu, sitting in front of a street stall at the alley entrance, suddenly opened her eyes. She stared blankly at the noisy night market street for a moment, then quickly came back to her senses. She hurriedly lowered her head, carefully checked the backpack she carried in her arms, and let out a long sigh of relief.
"Phew—! Thank goodness, thank goodness. I didn't expect to fall asleep in a place like this, and"
She vaguely remembered having a very strange dream just now, but when she tried to recall the content of the dream, she found her mind was blank.
This situation made her feel a faint unease.
"Or maybe it's because I woke up and found myself asleep in this godforsaken place?" Hua Xieyu muttered to herself, tilting her head.
As a native of Liming City, she knew very well that while the Liming City night market wasn't as chaotic and dangerous as rumored, it was definitely not as safe as it looked—
If a young Miss were to fall asleep on the street of the Liming City night market, losing her money upon waking up would already be the best outcome.
However,
"Heh, if some guy who doesn't know what's good for him really wants to do something while this old lady is asleep, tonight's matter might just become a success." Hua Xieyu whispered.
"If this thing succeeds, I reckon I can make a hefty sum, and then I can also get some good rest for a while. I've been really exhausted lately."
She came to set up a stall at the night market tonight mainly to help someone sell rough jade stones on consignment.
However, if she was lucky enough to encounter a few audacious thugs with low Spiritual Energy fluctuation levels, she also planned to pull off a big job: luring a wolf into the house and robbing the jade store.
Anyway, the owner of that jade store had long harbored ill intentions towards her. As far as she knew, several young Misses had worked as consignment sellers at that jade store before her, but none of them lasted very long before disappearing without a trace.
Hua Xieyu figured that the store owner wasn't unwilling to make a move on her, but just hadn't found the opportunity yet. But she didn't care.
Doing business in Liming City was like this: when you couldn't rip each other off, everyone operated with integrity. But once an opportunity arose to make a move, they would absolutely not hesitate.
In the early hours of the morning, in the dilapidated small building deep within Xiang Niangzi Cave.
After coaxing the children to sleep and meticulously completing her daily skincare routine, Hua Xieyu lay on the bed, gazing at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Her plan for today went unexpectedly smoothly.
Just after ten o'clock, after unleashing a round of violence on the three burly men who were about to drag her into an alley to vent*, she successfully tricked them into robbing the jade store.
Although there was a minor incident during the robbery of the jade store – the white burly man actually shot and killed the store owner – which meant she only dared to accept cash when getting rid of the stolen goods and lost out on a tenth of the profit.
But the result was good; the income from this deal was enough for her to rest at home for three to five months.
However, precisely because everything went too smoothly, she felt that something wasn't quite right.
That feeling was like playing a game for the second time after clearing it once, knowing where a boss might appear, but when you got there, finding no trace of the boss.
"That's strange, why do I have this feeling?"
Just as Hua Xieyu was muttering to herself, her phone suddenly rang, interrupting her suspicious thoughts.
"God, show your divine power, bless me with winning at cards every day."
"Hello? Who is this?"
After the ringtone sounded for a few seconds, Hua Xieyu answered the call. A slightly deep male voice came from the other end.
"Hello, is this Miss Hua Xieyu? I was introduced by the Sun Gang. I heard they said you are very capable, and I'd like to do a deal with you."
"A deal? What kind of deal?" Hua Xieyu asked with a frown.
The man was silent for a moment. "It's not convenient to talk on the phone. How about we meet in person? I'm currently downstairs at your place."
Downstairs at my place? Hua Xieyu's heart leaped. Covering the phone's microphone with one hand, she got up and went to the window. Leaning against the wall, she extended a finger, pulled open a slit in the curtain, and looked downstairs, seeing the man under the dim yellow street lamp in front of the small building.
That was a man wearing a full black suit, smoking a cigar, and wearing sunglasses. He looked as if he had stepped out of some Italian Mafia movie.
Guys dressed like this appearing in Liming City usually meant one of two things: they were someone no one could afford to offend, or they were someone no one could afford to offend.
Given that the man was a famous local bigwig in Xiang Niangzi Cave and introduced by the Sun Gang, he was very likely a big shot.
But why would such a big shot ask me for help? Hua Xieyu thought. She pulled open the curtain, stood in front of the window, put the phone back to her ear, and whispered, "Hello, I see you."
Hearing this, the man downstairs suddenly looked up and waved towards the small rooftop where Hua Xieyu was.
"Since that's the case, how about we talk face-to-face?"
"No, no! Please don't rush. Your sudden visit has me a bit overwhelmed. Before we meet, could you briefly tell me what you'd like me to help with? I'm, a bit..."
She knew very well that if she really couldn't do the deal the man was talking about, it might be better to refuse decisively.
Against such a big shot, her little tricks and schemes would be useless. It was better to be straightforward. Normally, those big shots wouldn't bother with someone like her, a small fry.
"Simply put, it's to go to a certain charity gala tomorrow night and help me retrieve an item. I've already checked with the gentlemen from the Sun Gang. Miss Hua is very good at this sort of thing, isn't she?"
"Um, can I refuse? You see, those illegal fundraising events, uh, I mean, charity galas, usually have Psychic as guards. With my limited abilities, I wouldn't be able to do anything there."
Hua Xieyu said, lowering her head guiltily and rubbing her slightly throbbing temples. When she looked up again, she found that the man under the street lamp was gone.
The next moment, the man's voice suddenly sounded behind her.
"I'm very sorry, Miss Hua. You might have to take on this deal. The item I want is an ancient coin, and your Spirit Mark happens to have an excellent ability for stealing coins."
Hua Xieyu spun around abruptly, trembling with fright.
The man had entered her room at some point and was sitting on her beloved small sofa.
"Although in the vast Liming City, we can certainly find other Psychic or urban legend willing to do this, their asking price is too..."
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high, and their Spiritual Energy fluctuation level is too high, which would attract more attention. So, considering all these aspects, throughout Liming City, I'm afraid we can't find anyone more suitable than you."
"When the operation takes place, I will send people to divert the Psychic and urban legend who could pose a threat to you. You just need to focus on bringing the item out and handing it over to the person who meets you."
After hearing this, Hua Xieyu muttered softly, "So you came to this old lady just because it's cheap..."
"What?"
"Nothing." Hua Xieyu shook her head and said seriously, "Then, may I ask about the payment for this deal?"
"After all, even if you have people diverting the guards, this is still a dangerous job."
"You want to know the payment in advance? Reasonable!" The man nodded and offered a condition that Hua Xieyu found difficult to refuse.
A large amount of money, a bright future for the children, and the Sun Gang's long-term effectiveness... plus half the deposit upfront!
For a moment, Hua Xieyu even felt that if this man wanted to buy her life, she would be willing to agree.
But...
Why did these conditions sound so familiar?
As if she had heard them somewhere before.
Hua Xieyu thought, sizing up the man on the sofa. She pursed her lips and said, "The conditions are good, I can agree. But before I agree, could I ask you to take off your sunglasses and let me see?"
"Uh, I know this is a bit presumptuous, but if I don't even know the specific appearance of the person I'm dealing with, I'll feel a bit uneasy."
Hearing this, the man fell silent for a moment.
Just as Hua Xieyu was about to change her mind and say, "It's okay if I don't see," he suddenly took off his sunglasses and smiled, "Miss Hua's request is very reasonable..."
As the sunglasses were removed, that pair of eyes, hollow and lifeless, filled with fatigue, and sporting thick dark circles, was exposed to Hua Xieyu's sight.
As if seeing something extremely terrifying, her body trembled slightly, and an inexplicable, intense sense of horror rose in her heart.
Hua Xieyu didn't know why she was so scared when she saw the man's eyes.
In Xiang Niangzi Cave, the appearances of those addicts, those who believed in strange urban legend and stayed awake for long periods – their appearances were much more terrifying than the man's. She had long been accustomed to such sights.
But her body and nerves reacted instinctively like this.
However, when the benefits were large enough, desire could overcome fear.
After taking several deep breaths, Hua Xieyu nodded towards the man, "The conditions you offered are hard for me to refuse, so I am willing..."
"Bang—!"
Hua Xieyu was only halfway through her sentence when the room door was suddenly pushed open from the outside.
A man wearing a grey jacket burst in from outside, pointed at the man on the sofa, and roared at Hua Xieyu, "Hua Xizhuang, don't agree to him! Look carefully again at who he is!"
Seeing the Grey-Clothed Man who suddenly burst in, the man on the sofa furrowed his brow into a knot and sighed heavily, "He actually kept this move? This is troublesome..."
"Ah, she's not your biological daughter, why waste so much Spiritual Energy leaving something like this for her?"
Some say that when a person is immersed in an extremely realistic dream, if they notice something abnormal, they will wake ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) up with a start.
And now, with that Grey-Clothed Man stirring things up, Hua Xieyu was probably going to wake up.
Just as the man on the sofa was muttering to himself, Hua Xieyu cast her gaze towards him.
As her gaze fell upon the man's eyes again, a strong chill suddenly rose up her back, instantly sending her emotions soaring into the sky.
That feeling was like being thrown into the sky in a daze after getting drunk, and then falling into an ice cave. The bone-chilling coldness spread from the soles of her feet to the top of her head in an instant.
In her panic, she retreated step by step, creating distance from the man, her fists gradually clenching. Just then, a stinging pain suddenly came from her palm.
She froze for a moment, then slowly raised her hand to her front, and saw that her hand was covered in dark red, as if it had been cut by something sharp.
Why? There was clearly nothing in her palm, so why was it suddenly bleeding?
Hua Xieyu thought in confusion. Suddenly, it felt as if a sharp thorn had been plunged into her brain, and it began to throb violently.
Following that, the fear hidden in her heart began to surge. Her chest felt tight, and her breathing became labored.
That feeling was like diving deep into the sea and being squeezed from all directions by the heavy currents.
Just then, she took another step back, suddenly stepped into empty space, and her body fell downwards.
Consequently, the scene before her eyes quickly shattered and faded rapidly. A series of whispers, some manic, some sharp, quickly sounded in her ears.
Finally, amidst an indescribably harsh shattering sound, she woke up from her deep sleep.
"Hoo—hoo—!"
Opening her eyes and sitting up from the sofa at Lu Yibei's place, Hua Xieyu panted violently. The lingering phantom pain in her brain made her consciousness hazy, and large drops of sweat dripped from her forehead.
After adjusting her state slightly, she remembered the strange dream just now. As if she had been electrocuted, her body convulsed for a moment. Then, she slowly raised her hand and saw the metal object Mr. S had left behind in her palm. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
At this moment, the dark golden metal object was covered in the dark red blood that had flowed from her pierced palm. Illuminated by a faint light from who knows where, it emitted a seductive and eerie aura.
That feeling was as if it had been endowed with some strange vitality.
Staring at the metal object in her palm for a few seconds, a ruthless look flashed across Hua Xieyu's brows. She activated her Spirit Mark and injected Spiritual Energy into the metal object.
She could feel that the strange dream just now was caused by that terrifying man.
That man had appeared again, and she didn't know what his purpose was. Not even Lu Yibei, a Night Watch agent, could protect her.
So she could only rely on this item Mr. S had left behind...
"Pfft—!"
Along with the injection of Spiritual Energy, the metal object emitted a soft sound like gas leaking from within. Following that, its dark golden surface bloomed open, like a multi-petaled lotus flower unfolding.
Blood surged within the lotus, engulfing her.
The next moment, darkness descended.
In the endless darkness, Hua Xieyu felt as if countless tentacles were wrapping around her body, bit by bit, contracting, pulling, crawling, slowly dragging her into the abyss, until they found the lingering aura of that terrifying man.
An invisible passage was instantly established. Then, all the tentacles, like hounds that had smelled blood, surged towards that man through the subtle connection between her and him!
