A Face-Con

"Don't come any closer!"

"Handsome, don't be shy. I just want to make friends with you."

"What is it you like about me? I'll change it."

"If it's you, I like everything..."

"I don't like you!"

He ran, she chased; he couldn't escape, even if he sprouted wings.

On the street, two figures raced one after the other. Although Gu Qingzhou had pushed his movement technique to its limits, he still couldn't shake off Guo Jingjing.

"I've seen plenty of men chasing women, but this is the first time I've seen a woman chasing a man..."

Watching the scene, Mo Shang couldn't help muttering to himself. He immediately checked the traits belonging to the other person.

[Golden Trait: Heaven's Favored Daughter]

[Description: A heaven's favored daughter, with extraordinary talent.]

[Purple Trait: Perseverance]

[Description: With unwavering perseverance, you'll succeed at anything.]

[Blue Trait: Face-Con]

[Description: This is a face-con. No further explanation needed.]

"Face-con? That explains it..."

Looking at the traits displayed for her, Mo Shang finally understood.

He'd been wondering why she wouldn't stop chasing Gu Qingzhou. It turned out she'd fallen for his looks.

"Lao Gu, why not just give in? You've been running around here with her for ages..." Mo Shang said to Gu Qingzhou.

"I refuse. Her voice is too unpleasant. A girl shouldn't sound like a man, should she?" Gu Qingzhou refused without the slightest hesitation.

But as soon as he finished speaking, Guo Jingjing, who had been chasing after him, suddenly stopped. Disappointment surfaced on her face.

"So that's how it is? I'm sorry for troubling you..." Guo Jingjing lowered her head slightly, her voice tinged with dejection.

After speaking, Guo Jingjing didn't linger. She darted away, and the other Ten Thousand Flowers Sect disciples followed after her in unison.

"What's wrong with her?" Gu Qingzhou asked, bewildered as he watched Guo Jingjing suddenly leave.

"You've got some nerve asking. Don't you know what you did? You really say whatever comes to mind..." Mo Shang looked at Gu Qingzhou, his tone carrying a hint of displeasure.

"You're a monster." Liu Ruyan shot Gu Qingzhou a look, her eyes full of disgust.

"Scumbag..." Even Jiang Shuyu, who was usually so quiet, couldn't help cursing him.

"I'm sorry. I spoke without thinking..." Faced with their accusations, Gu Qingzhou finally realized what he'd done. At least, he was quick to admit his mistake.

"What good does apologizing to us do? Go apologize to Fellow Daoist Guo!" Mo Shang said, utterly exasperated.

After that, they stopped paying Gu Qingzhou any mind and continued walking, leaving him standing there alone, at a loss.

"But she's already gone. Where am I supposed to apologize? Forget it. I'll probably run into her again during the competition..."

After hesitating there for a while, Gu Qingzhou decided not to dwell on it. He followed Mo Shang and the others away.

As they continued down the street, their attention was soon drawn to a merchant association up ahead.

The group looked up. The four gilt characters "Cangyun Chamber of Commerce" stood out prominently on the sign above the entrance.

"This seems to be the biggest merchant association in the Cang Domain. Want to go in and take a look?" Liu Ruyan asked the others, gazing at the sign.

"Let's not. I don't have many spirit stones."

Mo Shang rejected the suggestion. After all, there were two Children of Fortune in their group.

Places like merchant associations and auction houses were prime settings for show-off-and-slap-the-face scenes.

Even standing outside, Mo Shang could already imagine them walking in and immediately running into some arrogant young master looking for trouble.

Of course, not having spirit stones was just an excuse. It definitely wasn't because he didn't want to go in due to being broke. Definitely not!

"That's all right. If you see anything you like, Junior Brother Mo, I can buy it for you," Liu Ruyan said with a faint smile.

"Uh, then thank you, Senior Sister..." Mo Shang was taken aback. He'd almost forgotten that she was the sect master's daughter—a bona fide rich second-generation heiress.

"Use mine..."

But just then, Jiang Shuyu, who had been quietly standing beside Mo Shang, suddenly spoke. She took out a black-and-gold card and handed it to him.

She didn't say it outright, but her actions seemed to say, He's mine. I'll spoil him!

"A Black Gold Spirit Stone Card?!" Liu Ruyan exclaimed, astonishment showing on her face.

"What's a Black Gold Spirit Stone Card?" Mo Shang, an utter country bumpkin, couldn't help asking.

"You need to deposit a billion spirit stones to get a Black Gold Spirit Stone Card. I've only ever seen one in my father's hands..." Liu Ruyan explained.

As she spoke, a hint of awe entered her gaze when she looked at Jiang Shuyu. She'd heard from her father long ago that Jiang Shuyu had a mysterious background, but she'd never really understood what that meant. Now she finally had a sense of it.

A billion spirit stones was no small sum. Even an ordinary great cultivator of the Question Dao Realm might not be able to come up with that much, yet Jiang Shuyu was only at the Spirit Condensation Realm.

"Whoa, where did you get that?"

Mo Shang was stunned by the explanation. He'd never even seen a hundred thousand spirit stones, yet Jiang Shuyu had casually pulled out a card holding a billion!

"Secret. I'm not telling you." Jiang Shuyu's eyes curved like the moon as she smiled at Mo Shang.

"Fine." Mo Shang looked at Jiang Shuyu and, almost without thinking, gave her a tousle of the hair, ruffling her silky locks.

Feeling the warmth of Mo Shang's palm, Jiang Shuyu blushed faintly, but she made no move to dodge...

"I never knew Miss Jiang had this side to her. I thought she was always so cold..." Liu Ruyan remarked, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.

"She's only like that with Brother Mo. If anyone else tried it, they'd have died more times than I could count..." Gu Qingzhou added with a shrug.

"By the way, are we just going to stand here and watch? Shouldn't we do something?" Liu Ruyan asked again.

"Oh, right."

Only then did Gu Qingzhou catch on. He immediately called out to Mo Shang and Jiang Shuyu, "Hey, that's enough, you two. Even bullying a single dog has its limits, doesn't it?"

The two of them were roundly condemned for forcing their affection on everyone else.

"Ahem, well, let's go into the merchant association first..."

At Gu Qingzhou's reminder, Mo Shang realized that they'd gotten carried away. He quickly withdrew his hand and spoke, then headed for the association's entrance.

They crossed the tall, carved wooden threshold, and the clamor of the bustling streets outside was completely shut out.

The hall was spacious and grand. Its pillars were made of sturdy golden-threaded hardwood with deep, striking grain. Smooth white jade paved the floor, polished until it was spotless.

The air held a faint sandalwood fragrance. It seemed to sharpen the mind and soothe the nerves, lending the place a refreshing atmosphere...

On both sides of the hall stood rows of display shelves against the walls, showcasing jade ornaments, magical treasures, all kinds of pills, and rare natural treasures. The dazzling array was neatly arranged...