The star of the Graceful Cloud Pavilion was indeed a true headliner.
The moment she appeared, all eyes were drawn to her.
Those gathered below the steps looked up at the woman gracefully descending.
She was a breathtaking beauty, full of allure, even if she seemed a bit disheveled due to an injury.
Wu Jinliang clicked his tongue silently, admitting the hefty price made sense.
Shi Chun found her quite appealing too, but his thoughts were focused on how to offload the goods.
Bian Weikang, however, was staring with eyes wide open, clenching his fists in sorrow and anger as he looked at Feng Chi.
"Did you hit her?" he demanded.
Feng Chi calmly waved her handkerchief.
"She wouldn't listen and insisted on being with you. I acted for her own good. But since everything is in the past now, if you feel you’re not satisfied, you can refuse, and your money will be refunded."
"You..."
Bian Weikang trembled with rage, but feeling powerless, he pushed through the crowd to embrace Xiang Lan'er, tears of joy streaming down his face.
The verification of the fifty thousand Sandalwood Gold was still underway.
It wasn’t a small amount, after all.
This was the trouble with using hard currency; ideally, transactions would be simpler, but the demonic factions often meddled, creating counterfeit chaos.
Eventually, no better solution appeared, so hard currency remained.
In truth, large transactions could be secured by trusted institutions, but this wasn't the case here.
Fortunately, Graceful Cloud Pavilion had a tool for verifying such amounts, a special artifact resembling a funnel, making the checking process quite swift.
With the verification done, Shi Chun immediately extended his hand towards Feng Chi, "Where’s Miss Xiang's slave contract?"
If he wasn’t given it, and instead it was handed to Xiang Lan'er or Bian Weikang, he planned to bring up his loan of five thousand gold to ensure the contract stayed with him.
He couldn’t let his investment go to waste.
Thankfully, Bowang Pavilion’s reputation was solid.
With everyone watching, and witnesses from Bowang Pavilion present, Feng Chi didn’t hesitate.
She reached into her sleeve and produced the already-prepared slave contract.
Shi Chun grabbed it without looking, addressing Bian Weikang, "Do you have a place to stay?"
He wasn’t worried about the contract being fake; with so many eyes watching, it’d be pointless.
Bian Weikang, still overwhelmed with emotion, nodded repeatedly, "Yes, I do."
Shi Chun suggested, "Let’s get you two there first."
Grateful, Bian Weikang nodded vigorously.
They started to leave, but Feng Chi called out, "Lan'er, are you just going to leave like that? Have I not treated you well over the years? You won’t resent me, will you?"
Xiang Lan'er paused, turned, and slightly bowed, giving Feng Chi a knowing look without speaking.
After that, she resolutely followed Bian Weikang, showing no desire to linger in the place any longer.
Bian Weikang was quite considerate, unwilling for her to be gawked at like a spectacle.
He removed his outer coat and placed it over her head.
As they squeezed through the crowd, Shi Chun discreetly passed the slave contract to Wu Jinliang.
Wu Jinliang smoothly tucked it into his clothing, their coordination seamless and unnoticed, suggesting this wasn't their first time handling such business.
Once out of the crowd, Wu Jinliang said, "Brother Chun, these rags stand out too much. I'll buy some clothes. Where are you heading? I'll catch up later."
Bian Weikang quickly pointed to a direction, "Over there, the 'Carefree Pavilion.’ Mention my name when you get there, and you’ll find us."
“Alright.” Wu Jinliang chuckled, pulling Old Dong along to lead the way.
Big Stone, feeling something amiss, hesitated until Che Si grabbed his shoulder, pulling him aside to ask what was going on.
It wasn’t anything serious; just figuring out the situation.
Big Stone, being new and still learning, hadn’t paid much attention to the romantic affairs within Bowang Pavilion.
Eventually, they stopped a passerby from the dispersing crowd to inquire.
After understanding the situation, Che Si’s face darkened.
Considering Bian Weikang’s situation, he felt their four thousand gold was a lost cause.
He felt genuine regret for not clarifying things earlier, inadvertently messing up Miss Miao’s task.
But who would’ve thought that guy would pull such a stunt? Getting that money back from Graceful Cloud Pavilion now seemed impossible.
Having lost interest in following the matter further, he hurried back to inform Miss Miao, leaving the decision to her.
Big Stone was equally puzzled.
Why was the Big Boss so sure Bian Weikang could pay them back in full and more? He felt thankful he hadn’t taken the risk, yet curious.
The Big Boss wasn’t known for dumping money into unclear situations.
With the crowd dispersing, Madam Fengchi, who had been standing on the steps, didn’t retreat inside.
It was midday with fewer guests; she watched the leaving figures for a while.
Though the situation took an unexpected turn, derailing the plan to emotionally bind Bian Weikang, the main objective remained unchanged.
She gestured to a nearby attendant, whose face was filled with pockmarks and showed a numb expression.
With a low voice, she instructed, "Find out their origins."
The attendant nodded quietly and left.
During their journey, Shi Chun didn't hide much about his background during casual conversations.
Upon Bian Weikang and Xiang Lan'er’s inquiry, he mentioned he had just been released from the Exile Lands.
It wasn’t him being overly honest, but understanding it couldn’t be hidden.
Otherwise, Wukang Mountain would hesitate to accept someone without a clear background.
The two lovers were very surprised and instinctively turned to glance at Big Stone following them.
The confusion was clear—when did Exile Lands produce men so esteemed they had escorts from Bowang Pavilion?
Bian Weikang accepted it more readily, having witnessed Shi Chun’s candidness and confidence, proclaiming to crush anyone or raze the graceful pavilion.
Xiang Lan'er, on the other hand, was skeptical.
The gentle, scholarly man couldn’t possibly hail from such a rough place.
Detecting their doubts, Shi Chun explained, "Haven’t you noticed he’s quite tanned too? He was released a month or so before us. We once scrounged for meals together. He was fortunate to enter Bowang Pavilion. He’s here to reconnect with old companions."
The couple, though still uncertain, nodded, marveling at how someone from Exile Lands could exhibit such courage.
Their preconceived notions had been challenged.
Carefree Pavilion was a remarkable place, nestled within a cliff, offering panoramic views of the Grand Canyon.
Bian Weikang often stayed there, funded, as Feng Chi said, by Xiang Lan'er.
On the winding stone steps leading up, their group had just reached the entrance when the now sharply dressed Wu Jinliang arrived in haste, with Old Dong in tow.
Wu Jinliang, practically a transformed man, donned pristine white clothes, sharply contrasting with his tanned skin, accentuated by a large black sword on his shoulder.
Wu Jinliang glanced around, grinning, "What do you think of my attire?"
"Very fitting, brother. Excellent taste!" Bian Weikang genuinely complimented, exchanging a knowing look with Xiang Lan'er.
This aesthetic sense confirmed the man was indeed from the Exile Lands.
Wu Jinliang, clearly pleased, circled Shi Chun, sneaking the folded paper into Shi Chun’s tattered clothes when the others weren’t watching.
He had bought only one garment, pressed for time and uncertain about Shi Chun’s size, as back in those lands, clothing sizes weren’t a concern.
"Clothes are nice, but the person could still use some work," Shi Chun casually critiqued.
Their good deed carried out completely, they accompanied the two up to the Carefree Pavilion room for Bian Weikang and Xiang Lan'er before halting, refusing to enter.
Indicating his shabby appearance, Shi Chun declined, "We’re dirty, it’s best we don’t intrude."
"Not at all," Bian Weikang insisted hospitably, inviting him in eagerly, “Brother Shi…”
Every time he addressed him, Bian Weikang hesitated, finding the surname peculiar yet interesting—it’d make any politeness seem advantageous to Shi Chun.
Serious, Shi Chun raised his hand, gently refusing, "We’re just here to confirm your location, not to interrupt your bliss. We’ve friends to visit ourselves, but later.” Remembering something, he retrieved the slave contract.
Unfolding it, he disregarded its fresh ink and many red fingerprints, focusing instead on its words—a deal to heal her father, the loan amount, thirty years of servitude and stipulations for resale within that time, excluding life-threatening situations.
He looked at Xiang Lan'er, "So, it was for your father’s treatment that you sold yourself to Graceful Cloud Pavilion?"
Xiang Lan'er nodded, a shadow passing over her eyes.
Noting the thirty-year term, Shi Chun remarked, “About ten years left, right…” Then, shredding it to pieces, he rolled the fragments into powder with a simple spell, discarding it. “Alright, Miss Xiang, you are free now.”
Old Dong’s lip twitched; he had seen Wu Jinliang forge the slave contract, fakery at its finest, complete with Wu Jinliang’s scribbles and fingerprints.
Such audacity to fake documents—something only someone not bound by the confines of imprisonment could dare pull off.
If that torn contract had been real, Old Dong might’ve considered gouging his eyes out.
Knowing these two, Old Dong realized it was a ploy; feigning generosity, ready to threaten with the contract if debts weren't settled.
(End of Chapter)