Chapter Ten: The Young Lady Seeks to Rob for Fortune

Both sides were splattered with blood, their eyes red with frenzy. Blades and swords clashed, sparking with every encounter.

“Brothers, give it your all! Kill the man across from us, and each of you will receive one hundred taels of silver,” the burly man shouted, using money to stir his men’s spirits. His words provoked howls of excitement.

Watching the battle from her perch in a tree, Gu Xiaoyao hadn’t anticipated that the upright, pillar-like man would be so valuable.

“How about we make a deal?” the man called out, his voice clear and pleasant to the ear, though his words soured the burly man’s expression instantly. “If you turn your blades on your leader, I’m willing to pay each of you two hundred taels of silver.”

“You’re fighting for money. It makes no difference whose money you earn. One hundred or two hundred taels—surely you know which is better,” he continued. He knew that men swayed by silver rarely possessed steadfast loyalty.

A rabble gathered only for profit could be easily unsettled when their hearts were tempted by gold.

“Brothers, don’t listen to his nonsense! He can’t possibly have that much silver. Don’t let your guard down,” the burly man warned, seeing greed flicker across his men’s faces. He drew a sharp breath.

Had it been anyone else making such an offer, his men might not have hesitated. But this man was rumored to possess vast wealth; two hundred taels per person was not beyond his reach.

“What do you say? If two hundred seems too little, I might consider three hundred taels each,” the man said.

The man laughed softly, producing a white handkerchief to wipe the blood from his short blade, continuing to sway the hearts of his adversaries.

“Boss, what he said does make sense,” one of the would-be killers admitted, stepping forward to address the burly man.

His expression contorted as he spun around, stabbing the speaker to death. He glared at the wavering men.

“If anyone else dares utter such words, I won’t spare your lives. We’ve already taken payment—how can we serve two masters?”

Across the field, the man calmly put away his handkerchief, unfazed by the murder.

“A pity. Since you refuse, you leave yourselves no choice but death,” he declared.

All his words had been to give himself a moment’s respite.

As soon as he finished, the man beside him drew his long sword and slit an enemy’s throat.

Surveying the litter of corpses, the man pressed a hand to his chest, coughing several times as blood welled at the corner of his mouth.

“Master, are you all right? We should leave now,” urged his companion.

“I’m fine. But I wonder if our guest in the tree would care to come down?” the man called out.

Gu Xiaoyao’s eyes grew wary as she looked at him below, thinking she’d hidden well enough.

Since her presence was exposed, she no longer concealed herself, sliding down from the tree.

The man regarded her slender, frail figure with a smile, his tone gentle.

“Are you planning to descend the mountain, miss?”

“Are you really that wealthy?!” Gu Xiaoyao and he spoke at once.

His smile did not fade; he coughed lightly, seeming amused by her question.

“Is the young lady here to rob me?” he asked.

Gu Xiaoyao met his gaze without a flicker of emotion, then sprang forward, heading straight for him.

Extending her mental strength to envelop the three meters around her, Gu Xiaoyao could sense every movement of his companions.

In moments, she had the man pinned beneath her, leaving his guards drenched in cold sweat.