Chapter 118: Do You Hate Me That Much?

Going to the magical artifact market was, naturally, to purchase materials to repair the conch shell. Although the Jiang family possessed some rare materials, they were certainly insufficient, making a purchase necessary. Furthermore, only at the artifact market could one find the eccentric experts capable of helping to repair such a shell.

"This trip is going to cost a fortune. I have to retrieve that card of mine with the 20 million first!" Su Ye muttered to himself. The card he had received for winning first place in the school tournament had long been stolen by Jiang Liuying, and he intended to steal it back tonight.

As for why he didn't just ask her for it openly? That was out of the question. If that little demon were capable of reasoning, she wouldn't have stolen his money in the first place.

After much waiting, Su Ye finally made it to five in the morning. Given how much Jiang Liuying liked to toss and turn, this should be the time she was most deeply asleep.

Su Ye sneaked to Jiang Liuying’s door, pressing his ear against it for a long time. Hearing no movement inside, he concluded she must be asleep. He took out the large ring of keys he had obtained from the housekeeper and quietly unlocked the door.

Once inside, he carefully closed the door behind him, only to realize his palms were drenched in sweat. If Jiang Liuying woke up now and let out a scream, there would be no explaining his way out of this. But thinking of his 20 million, he pressed on.

"It seems this little girl is fast asleep."

A faint light from a desk lamp filled the room. She was afraid of the dark and always slept with a nightlight on; Su Ye knew this little habit well, having teased her about it many times. He spotted a curled-up figure on the bed, along with a pink laptop—she must have fallen asleep while binge-watching shows in the middle of the night.

Su Ye felt a secret relief. He rubbed his nose, catching the faint, distinct fragrance of a young girl, and began to rummage through her bag.

"Damn Su Ye..." Jiang Liuying suddenly cursed through gritted teeth.

Su Ye’s entire body froze, and he instantly broke into a cold sweat. He truly hadn't expected this. He had used all his internal energy to move with the utmost stealth—even the patrolling martial artists outside hadn't noticed anything amiss—yet he had been caught red-handed by Jiang Liuying. Good heavens!

"Hehe, what a coincidence, running into you in your own room!" Su Ye tried to relax, forcing a smile while mentally cycling through a thousand excuses.

Those long seconds were truly agonizing. But wait? Why hadn't she pounced on him to bite him yet? That wasn't like her. Su Ye squinted and realized she was still fast asleep on the bed, not moving at all.

"Damn Su Ye... stinky Su Ye..." The slumbering Jiang Liuying cursed again through gritted teeth.

Su Ye let out a heavy sigh, thinking to himself, "How much does this girl hate me? She doesn't even forget to curse me in her dreams! She must be dreaming of something unspeakable again."

She tossed and turned, and the laptop on the bed suddenly lit up. A peculiar image appeared on the screen. It was an anime character, and as for the content...

"No way! I never would have guessed she was into this! Aren't martial artists supposed to cultivate their character and spirit? This anime, one look and it’s just incredibly lewd..."

Su Ye’s heart raced, but he didn't dare linger. After searching for a while, he suddenly remembered that the last time she hid the bank card, it was tucked near her chest. Could it be there?

That was impossible while she was sleeping! However, Su Ye quickly found the card hidden beneath one of her intimate garments. In the dim light, he couldn't tell the color, but when his fingers pinched it, there was a strange sensation.

Grabbing the card, he tiptoed out of the room. Once outside, he immediately knocked on Ling Zhu’s door, urging her to wash up and leave at once.

Ling Zhu was dragged into the car early in the morning. Seeing Su Ye urging the driver to speed off as if they were fleeing for their lives, she looked perplexed.

"Su Ye, are you in such a hurry? Why does it feel like we're running away?"

Su Ye couldn't explain his predicament. Could he tell her he had just sneaked into Jiang Liuying’s room and retrieved his 20 million from inside her undergarments? This wasn't something to be spoken of lightly; it was better to run before she woke up.

"Haha, we're just short on time! By the way, calculate it—will we face any danger today?" Su Ye asked casually.

"No omen for today; fortune is on our side! You don't need to worry!" Ling Zhu was quite confident in her small divinations.

"Good! If there is any danger, remember to run!"

Su Ye wasn't joking. Recently, whether at school, the Jiang family residence, or Huaping Villa, he had faced life-and-death trials. This trip was another gamble with his life. If it were anyone else, they would have gone into hiding long ago. Why walk right into the lion's den knowing there were so many enemies? Wasn't that just asking for death?

But Su Ye knew he couldn't hide forever. How long could he run? When would it ever be truly safe? After eliminating every single enemy? That was simply impossible.

What gave him the most confidence, and the primary reason he dared to venture out, was that even if he couldn't win, he was at least capable of escaping.

After a long drive, they finally arrived at the entrance of a special street in Guangzhou.

"Su Ye, a city like Guangzhou actually has a place to sell magical artifacts? I always thought those were only found in special family estates or at 'Spirit Cultivation Hall' strongholds," Ling Zhu asked curiously as soon as they stepped out of the car.

"Of course they do. Nowadays, almost everyone is cultivating to strengthen their bodies and open their meridians, so many big cities have these artifact streets. They don't just sell artifacts; you can find medicinal pills, forging materials, and even rare beasts. Since Guangzhou is near the sea, there's even more of this stuff," Su Ye explained earnestly.

Indeed, given the current number of martial artists in China, the existence of such streets was necessary. The rise and fall of many great families involved the trading of vast amounts of goods, making these places the most common and largest trading hubs. It was just like the jade streets or food streets for ordinary people—they all operated in clusters.

"Is there food?" Ling Zhu asked again.

"What are you thinking? Every inch of land here is worth gold; how could there be a snack shop? Didn't you just eat five loaves of bread in the car?"

"Are there a lot of people?" Ling Zhu suddenly backed away, feeling timid. She lowered her head, her voice dropping to a whisper.

Su Ye immediately realized that although Ling Zhu had lived for over a hundred years, she had spent all her time cultivating the Art of Heavenly Secrets. Later, when she had the chance to interact with the outside world, she was ostracized because of her ugly appearance. Now, she was clearly afraid of strangers.

Su Ye reached out and patted Ling Zhu’s head, saying softly, "What are you afraid of? Don't worry! Although many people care about appearances—it's human nature—not everyone is that shallow. There are still many people who aren't so superficial! Don't be afraid. Actually, I used to face strange looks every day too. They called me a loser, a coward, and all sorts of nasty things. But in reality, not many people truly care about others. They curse and laugh, and soon they forget, leaving me to dwell on the embarrassment. I believe you will become more beautiful over time."

Ling Zhu listened, nodding blankly, then suddenly grinned: "Mm! My grandmother told me the same thing—that one day I will return to my original form and become the most beautiful of all! Hehe!"

Her smile... it was...

"Ahem, maybe don't smile like that. You might scare the children," Su Ye’s own smile stiffened.

"Oh, okay," Ling Zhu’s courage instantly evaporated. She hung her head, looking dejected. This world really was all about looks. But she had lived long enough to be used to it.

"Don't be silly, I'm just kidding! Let's go! Remember your task for today: help me pick out the materials carefully so we can repair this conch!" Su Ye said, walking straight into the artifact street.

Ling Zhu, only half-understanding, quickly pulled up her hood and followed along with her head bowed.