Chapter 25: Not as Good as Pei Heng

Lu Yan looked down at Jiang Zhiyue, his overwhelming presence bearing down upon her.

The surrounding crowd fell silent, casting sympathetic glances at Jiang Zhiyue. To play such a joke with an item Lu Yan had purchased—this girl would likely be blacklisted in the capital from this day forward.

Jiang Zhiyue: "?"

This was her first formal, close-up encounter with her legendary fiancé. He was tall, with handsome features. However, her assessment was that he was inferior to Pei Heng. His deadpan expression looked more like a product of modern cosmetic surgery—utterly devoid of vitality. Boring.

She glanced at Jiang Qingyan, puzzled. How could she be so desperate to snatch up something like this?

To Jiang Qingyan, that look was nothing short of a provocation, and she ground her teeth in fury.

Lu Yan spoke coldly, "Who gave you permission to touch my things?"

Pei Heng squeezed between Lu Yan and Jiang Zhiyue, appearing, to everyone's surprise, slightly taller than Lu Yan. Even in his casual sportswear, his noble bearing did not lose out in the slightest to Lu Yan’s aura-drenched haute couture.

Jiang Zhiyue rolled her eyes. "Opening boxes blindly will only be your undoing!"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Didn't you all see what was inside the box just now?"

The crowd shook their heads, their eyes filled with confusion. The event had happened so suddenly that they hadn't reacted before Jiang Zhiyue snapped the lid shut. They hadn't even had a chance to look.

Qin Chong said thoughtfully, "The object felt bone-chillingly cold, and in terms of texture, it did bear some resemblance to bone."

Jiang Zhiyue agreed, "Exactly, it is bone. Can a bone carving made from a Corpse King's remains be anything but chilling?"

While the others hadn't seen clearly, she had seen it perfectly. The bronze box contained a section of femur carved with lifelike spider lilies. The bone had already undergone petrification, and the craftsmanship was so exquisite that even Qin Chong hadn't identified the material at first glance.

Lu Jiahui retorted indignantly, "Jiang Zhiyue, what nonsense are you spouting? How can you be so vicious? Is it just because you can't stand others buying fine things? A Corpse King? That’s laughable."

Jiang Qingyan quickly added, "Exactly. Master Qin only said it looked like bone; you don't need to invent such terrifying stories to scare us, do you, sister?"

Jiang Zhiyue let out a cold hum. "It is truly hard to save those who are hell-bent on destruction! Do you have any idea what kind of sea of blood and mountain of corpses one must go through to forge a perfect Corpse King? The malevolent energy clinging to such a small piece of bone is enough to infiltrate the bodies of everyone present. Within half a month, everyone affected will be dead."

*Hiss~*

The massive auction hall plunged into a deathly silence. Yet, most people still scoffed at her words.

Lu Yan reached out and snatched the bronze box. He looked at the yellow talisman stuck to it with disdain, then tore it off in one motion. "The value of my possessions is for me to decide, so there is no need for Miss Jiang to worry. I ask that you refrain from randomly sticking such vulgar things onto other people's property."

Watching the malevolent aura slowly seeping out from the gaps of the bronze box, Jiang Zhiyue felt numb. *Fine, fine. If you want to court death, so be it. I’ll grant your wish!*

She wouldn't cherish their lives if they wouldn't, and when they eventually came begging to pay for their lives, she would have to see if she even had the time. Since she had already obtained what she wanted, she had no desire to stay and ruin her mood further.

She retrieved the talisman from Lu Yan’s hand. Before leaving, she made sure to advertise herself.

"I, Jiang Zhiyue, am an all-around expert in metaphysics. By tonight at the earliest, or within three days at the latest, some of you will start to experience mental confusion, nightmares, or even see things that shouldn't be there. If you encounter something you cannot solve, feel free to contact me. The price is negotiable."

After saying this, she loudly recited her phone number. She didn't expect everyone to believe her immediately, but if even one or two people reached out when their symptoms began, it would be enough for her to make a killing. As for the rest, she had done her part to warn them. Whether they lived or died was a matter of their own fate; she could not intervene in everyone's karma individually.

Emerging from the auction house, Pei Heng asked with curiosity, "Little Jiang, is the thing in that bronze box really that dangerous? Will everyone really die?"

Jiang Zhiyue patted Pei Heng on the shoulder. "Don't worry. You're my boss; I wouldn't let anything happen to you, even if I let everyone else die!"

Jiang Zhiyue spoke with full confidence, and Pei Heng was over the moon. He never imagined he held such a significant position in her heart.

Feeling dazed, he walked out of the hotel. It wasn't until they were in the car that he remembered to ask, "Little Jiang, what are your plans for the rest of the day?"

If she had nothing planned, he wanted to take her to a movie, followed by a candlelight dinner at a nice restaurant—things he had searched for online as the most romantic gestures for a girl.

"I’m very busy today. I just rented a place and haven't bought much yet. I need to go buy daily necessities and food this afternoon. Don't worry, as long as you keep the safety talisman I drew for you on your person, nothing major will go wrong."

She thought that since she had been so clear, Pei Heng wouldn't dare to enslave her this afternoon, would he? She was eager to get back and start crafting her magical artifacts!

"You moved? Where did you move to? Why didn't you tell me? I have several properties in every district of the capital. If you like any, I can give you one! They’re all fully furnished and very convenient."

Hearing this, Jiang Zhiyue nearly choked on her own blood. *Careless!* If she had known, she would have mentioned it earlier.

"Ah, that won't work."

"Why not?"

Jiang Zhiyue sighed. "It's too late. I already signed the contract for the rental—paid one month's rent plus a deposit. Even if I don't live there, I can't get that money back."

"Oh!"

But... a sudden spark of inspiration struck her, and she stared intensely at Pei Heng.

"Ah, Little Jiang, you..."

"Pei Heng, someone like you has probably never downloaded or registered for a shopping app, right?" Based on her understanding of this world, wealthy people had everything from clothing and food to travel arranged by personal staff.

Sure enough, Pei Heng shook his head. "No."

"Then I'll send you a link. Click it to download and register."

"Okay."

Soon, a shared link popped up in their chat window.

[Kyoto Mall is giving away benefits! New users who download and register enjoy a special deal for one cent. You can take home high-quality items from major brands for just one cent!]

Pei Heng looked at Jiang Zhiyue, bewildered. He knew about this promotion; Kyoto Mall was one of the Pei family's businesses, and he had personally approved the campaign plan.

So, what was the problem? He suddenly became serious and tense.