"Stop!"
Just then, a loud shout rang out, stopping the middle-aged man. Hao Shuai strode forward with a cold look, picked up the mask from the ground, and walked over to Naruto. "Naruto, do you want to buy this mask?"
"Oh, it's Teacher Hao Shuai~~" Naruto recognized him and hurried to his feet. "Yeah, I want to buy the mask, but~~"
"Have you paid for it?" Hao Shuai interrupted.
"Not yet~~"
"Then give me the money." Hao Shuai held out his hand.
"Ah~ oh~~" Naruto had no idea what Hao Shuai was planning, but obediently handed him the money in his pocket.
Hao Shuai took the money and turned to face the middle-aged man he had stopped—the shopkeeper. In a chilly voice, he asked, "How much for the mask?"
Intimidated by Hao Shuai's imposing presence, the shopkeeper quietly replied, "Twenty taels."
Hao Shuai picked out a twenty-tael bill from the money Naruto had given him and flicked it onto the ground in front of the shopkeeper. "Pick it up. The mask's bought."
"You~~" Seeing the money on the ground, the shopkeeper knew Hao Shuai was standing up for Naruto and humiliating him. His teeth clenched and his fists balled as he started forward, ready to argue with Hao Shuai.
But when he saw how big Hao Shuai was, then looked at his own five-foot frame, the shopkeeper decided it was wiser to back down. Still, he kept up a defiant front. "Hmph~ I'd never sell my things to a demon~~"
Whoosh~~
Before the shopkeeper could finish, Hao Shuai darted forward, grabbed him by the throat with his right hand, and lifted him into the air. His expression darkened. "A demon what~~"
"Ugh~ ah~~" The shopkeeper desperately slapped at Hao Shuai's hand, managing only to make helpless, choking sounds.
Hao Shuai