Ye Shu, under my protection, got it

In the basement of the Ye family, a garden full of spring colors went unappreciated.

At the Moon City Auction House, a striking beauty reigned supreme.

On the top floor of the auction house, in a similarly pitch-black room, a red carpet covered the entire floor.

This was once Qian Jiang's private study.

But it had changed owners five years ago.

A woman sat in the chair behind the desk.

Clad in a red dress, she had a fiery figure. The cheongsam, slit all the way to her thighs, displayed her curves to perfection, enough to drive any man crazy and make him want to tear her clothes to shreds and take her right then and there.

Yet no man dared to do so, or even dared to steal a second glance.

Because she was the head of the Moon City Auction House. She was a direct descendant of the Qian family—the family behind the Qianbao Pavilion, a massive merchant guild spanning the Xuantian Continent that supposedly controlled a third of the entire continent's wealth—and a strong contender to become the Qianbao Pavilion's heir.

Qian Yutong!

There were too many people in the Qian family vying for the position of Pavilion Master.

Qian Yutong was no exception.

Therefore, she followed her father's advice and traveled thousands of miles from the prosperous Central State to this place, starting from the bottom to accumulate experience bit by bit.

They called it starting from the bottom, but in reality, it was just to pad her resume.

Once she had accumulated this qualification, she could return to the Central State, rise through the ranks, and compete with the other direct descendants.

But clearly, she was no longer satisfied with just that.

"Miss, Ye Shu of the Ye family has returned." A hidden guard knelt on one knee, his head bowed as he respectfully reported.

"So soon?"

Qian Yutong, sitting in her high seat, was somewhat surprised.

Logically speaking, shouldn't that guy have another two months before returning from the Magical Beast Mountain Range?

However, thinking of the shadow-recording stones that were spreading like crazy outside.

She felt relieved.

True, if it were her who had barely survived such an ordeal, she certainly wouldn't stay in the Magical Beast Mountain Range any longer either.

"Heh... he's back..."

A cold sneer curled the corners of Qian Yutong's mouth.

In her past life, she hadn't known the depths of that guy's background, so she hadn't acted rashly, and even went as far as calling that wet-behind-the-ears kid 'Senior'.

It was an absolute humiliation!

Now, knowing in advance that the kid hadn't matured yet.

Merchants pursue profit; naturally, she would do whatever was most cost-effective.

He was just a Qi Condensation stage kid, yet he harbored the remnant soul of a Ninth-Tier Alchemist of the Xuantian Continent, a Pill Saint.

It was like a toddler carrying gold through a busy market, glaringly obvious.

The remnant soul of a Ninth-Tier Alchemist... One must know that even searching the entire Qian family, the highest-ranking alchemist was only barely at the Eighth Tier.

As long as she could snatch the Pill Saint's remnant soul from that kid, it would be a massive achievement, providing tremendous help in her fight for the position of Qianbao Pavilion Master.

Wouldn't those old fogeys in the clan look at her in a new light then?

Who said a woman couldn't be the Pavilion Master?

As for funding Ye Shu's growth and waiting for him to repay her in the future...

Qian Yutong never even considered it.

Merchants pursue profit, and that investment was far too unstable.

Especially in her past life, the foundation she had painstakingly built had all become a stepping stone for that guy. She was bled dry. Rather than an investment, it was more like being scammed.

And she had foolishly harbored inexplicable feelings for him.

Willingly handing over the clan's treasures to him, one after another.

And what did she get in return?

He happily ascended all by himself, while she was abandoned in this world, left alone to face the ridicule and mockery of her family.

Now that she had returned to do it all over again, she had no feelings.

Only interests!

"Where is Ye Shu now?"

Qian Yutong sat in her chair, crossing her legs, and looked down at the hidden guard below with a detached tone.

"He returned to the Ye family yesterday."

The hidden guard replied.

He really couldn't understand why his miss was paying such inexplicable attention to that cripple.

Could it be that she just liked the thrill of the status difference?

Little did he know, Qian Yutong was currently pondering how to torture and deal with Ye Shu.

"Yesterday..."

If it weren't for the fact that she didn't know where that guy was in the Magical Beast Mountain Range or where he was returning from, sending people out to search with great fanfare would definitely have alerted others. That would have exposed the existence of the Pill Saint's remnant soul and ruined her plans.

Otherwise, she would have struck long ago.

But actually, it wasn't too late now.

"Pass down my orders," Qian Yutong gently raised her fair hand, her tone icy. "Send people to the Ye family and capture that Ye Shu. Remember, I want him alive."

"As for the Ye family..."

Qian Yutong pondered for a moment.

If you cut the weeds without digging up the roots, they will grow back when the spring breeze blows.

So she raised her head, her expression indifferent. "Leave no one alive. Don't let anyone know we did it."

The hidden guard's pupils shrank. He absolutely never expected this.

His miss wasn't looking for a lover, but... to kill!

"Miss, I'm afraid this... we are merchants..."

"What?" Qian Yutong glanced at him faintly. "Are my words no longer effective?"

"In the face of profit, principles can be altered."

"Yes... yes..."

The hidden guard hesitated for a moment, but still cupped his hands and took his leave.

A minor Golden Core family was sentenced to death in just a few words.

How sorrowful?

An innocent man gets into trouble because of his wealth.

But—

Just as Qian Yutong was preparing to return to her room for a good night's sleep and wait for good news the next day.

A blinding flame suddenly exploded before her eyes.

Boom!!!

In the blink of an eye, towering flames soared into the sky.

The commoners all over Moon City raised their heads, squinting their eyes toward the direction of the Moon City Auction House.

Blinding golden flames surrounded the entire Moon City Auction House.

It was burning.

Before anyone could react, the Moon City Auction House burst into flames just like that. Golden fire climbed up the steps to the pavilion, burning fiercely.

No one knew who set the fire.

And right in the center of the Moon City Auction House.

The top-floor study.

Crimson-gold flames filled the entire study. The firelight reflected on Qian Yutong's dumbfounded face, which still maintained that icy sneer.

She didn't understand what was happening.

One blink, and towering flames surrounded her.

And reflected in her pupils was a woman.

A woman whose beauty could not be described with words.

Clad in a green dress without any adornments, her long black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, intertwining with the flames yet remaining completely unharmed. The golden flames submitted at her feet, making her look like a deity.

Yet, this deity-like woman wore a completely mismatched wooden bracelet on her left wrist, even going so far as to deliberately use spiritual energy to isolate it from external objects.

And in her right hand...

She was gripping the head of the hidden guard who had just left!

The hidden guard's eyes were wide open, his face still frozen in the terror he felt right before death.

Qian Yutong's pupils contracted sharply.

This was... the girl from the Ye family who followed Ye Shu!

How could she?

Zhao Zhixia didn't know what she was thinking. She merely dangled the hidden guard's head in her right hand and, exactly like Ye Shu had done that night, looked at Qian Yutong with an extremely indifferent gaze.

"Ye Shu is under my protection. Understand?"