How Much Is Your Life Worth?

Sikong Jing froze at her words, his gaze falling on the Jade Hairpin in Luo Ning's hand. According to Su Yuexi's description, this was indeed the Jadeite Hairpin. The woman before him also carried the faint aura of a sixth-level Dark Realm cultivator.

But she was injured, and her fighting strength was nowhere near what a sixth-level Dark Realm cultivator should possess.

With just one glance, Sikong Jing had judged Luo Ning's condition clearly and precisely.

He shook his head and replied expressionlessly, "You've got it wrong. I'm here to get the Jadeite Hairpin in your hand back."

"Hm?"

Luo Ning paused for a moment, then sneered again. "A cheap trick. Are you trying to distract me?"

Sikong Jing froze again. It seemed this woman was extremely wary, though he could understand why. Someone wanted to kill her, after all.

Thinking of this, Sikong Jing took out the written agreement Hengyu Pawnshop had signed with Su Yuexi.

He waved it in his hand, then tossed it lightly over. "My wife pawned the Jadeite Hairpin. Before the agreed term was up, the pawnshop broke the agreement and sold it to you. I'm here to get it back."

Sikong Jing had no interest in this woman's affairs. He only wanted to redeem the Jadeite Hairpin.

But Luo Ning didn't even try to catch it. She let the agreement flutter to the ground, her eyes still fixed on Sikong Jing.

Then Sikong Jing took out the hundred Gold Crystal Coins he had taken from Hengyu Pawnshop and said, "This is what you paid for the Jadeite Hairpin. I'm returning the full amount. I hope you'll give the hairpin back."

With that, he tossed the hundred Gold Crystal Coins over as well.

But Luo Ning still didn't catch them. The sneer on her face deepened, and she even mocked him. "It seems I thought too highly of the Lei Ying Merchant Guild. Not only are your methods cheap, you actually followed me here and tried to assassinate me with such a ridiculous excuse."

In her eyes, everything Sikong Jing had done was meant to distract her.

Sikong Jing furrowed his brow. This woman left him speechless.

"Lei Shuang sent you, didn't she?"

"The pawnshop, the hairpin, the written agreement—and then sending a mere sixth-level Bright Realm cultivator to lower my guard before making your move?"

"Did she really think someone below the Dark Realm would dare travel alone at night from Yunye City to the relay station?"

True energy surged through Luo Ning's body as she confidently exposed Sikong Jing's little trick.

"And this business about the term not being up? How did Lei Shuang think I'd believe that?"

"A man who's only a sixth-level Bright Realm cultivator leaves the city in the middle of the night for his wife's hairpin? What a clumsy excuse."

Luo Ning spoke with self-assured certainty. She had no idea how important the Jadeite Hairpin was to Su Yuexi.

Sikong Jing's mouth twitched as he stared at Luo Ning, even more at a loss for words. At last, he explained, "I don't know who Lei Shuang is. And is it really so strange for a sixth-level Bright Realm man to leave the city at night for his wife?"

The moment he finished speaking, Luo Ning's expression turned dark as water. "Either go back and report to Lei Shuang, and stop playing tricks, or I'll kill you right now."

She didn't believe a word Sikong Jing said. Traveling through the wilderness at night as a sixth-level Bright Realm cultivator was a near-certain death sentence.

Who would believe someone would risk everything for his wife's hairpin?

What kind of lovestruck fool even existed in this world?

To Luo Ning, every one of these details was proof that he had come to assassinate her.

Sikong Jing's gaze suddenly turned cold. He stared hard at Luo Ning, then drew a deep breath before speaking. "If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't need to play tricks. It wouldn't matter how wary you were."

"Hm?" Luo Ning froze. The next instant, a murderous aura crashed down over her.

Boom!

Sikong Jing shot forward like a thunderclap. In a flash, he appeared before Luo Ning. His true energy was still at the sixth level of the Bright Realm, but it was several, even dozens of times more violent than that of anyone else at the same level.

Just as Luo Ning instinctively tried to react, Sikong Jing's first punch exploded toward her, striking a weakness in her true energy.

His second punch followed, smashing into her injured right shoulder. His third blow shifted from a fist to a palm blade. With a swish, it pierced through Luo Ning's already riddled true-energy barrier and reached her flawless white neck.

A faint, razor-sharp glint of true energy clung to the palm blade. Sikong Jing needed only to press a little harder, and blood would spray as her head fell.

The scene froze. The air in the entire room seemed ready to turn to ice.

Sikong Jing's palm blade stopped just beside Luo Ning's neck. His voice was low as he said, "Miss, do you believe now that I didn't come to kill you? If I wanted your life, I could take it whenever I pleased."

"Miss..."

The maid shrieked but didn't dare approach, frozen with terror.

Luo Ning was utterly stunned. She was a sixth-level Dark Realm cultivator, and she had been on high alert the entire time. Yet in the blink of an eye, this man, who was only a sixth-level Bright Realm cultivator, had her at his mercy.

What kind of joke was this? How was it possible?

Even injured, she shouldn't have been so easily defeated. The Bright Realm and Dark Realm were worlds apart.

Then Sikong Jing stepped back slightly and spoke again. "I'm sorry. I only want my wife's hairpin back. Please give it to me."

Luo Ning's expression kept shifting. Then she suddenly snapped, "I don't believe you!"

With that, the true energy of a sixth-level Dark Realm cultivator burst forth.

The next instant, Sikong Jing flashed forward again. Once more, two punches and a palm blade were all it took for Luo Ning's life to fall into his hands.

"You'll get the same result no matter how many times you try. You're struggling in vain."

Sikong Jing's cold voice rang in Luo Ning's ear.

This time, Sikong Jing's gaze fell on the Jadeite Hairpin in Luo Ning's hand. He simply grabbed her wrist and gave it a light twist. The hairpin slipped from her hand at once.

Sikong Jing casually drew it toward himself, and the hairpin flew back into his hand.

After stepping back, Sikong Jing looked at Luo Ning, who was both furious and shocked, and said evenly, "The hundred Gold Crystal Coins are on the ground. I'm taking the hairpin. If you think you've lost out, take it up with Hengyu Pawnshop."

With that, Sikong Jing turned and left, the Jadeite Hairpin in hand.

The matter was actually rather complicated. Luo Ning might have thought the hairpin was worth more than a hundred Gold Crystal Coins. And since she had bought it, she had every right not to want to sell it.

The only one truly at fault was Hengyu Pawnshop.

When Sikong Jing entered the room, he had even prepared himself to bargain with Luo Ning and deal with her digging in her heels.

But since she was being unreasonable, he couldn't be bothered to be polite. He'd just take it and be done.

Luo Ning stared blankly at Sikong Jing's retreating back, completely dumbfounded.

Twice, she had been beaten helplessly by a mere sixth-level Bright Realm man—and he had even snatched the hairpin from her.

What made her feel even more ashamed was that she really had misunderstood him. He had only come to get the hairpin back.

He really could have killed her whenever he pleased. There was no point in being on guard.

Suddenly, a fierce surge of frustration welled up in Luo Ning. Thoroughly annoyed, she called after Sikong Jing, "Wait!"

Sikong Jing stopped and looked back. "What is it?"

"I bought the hairpin from Hengyu Pawnshop, so it's mine. If anyone should settle the score, it should be you. Go settle it with the pawnshop."

"For a hundred Gold Crystal Coins, I won't sell."

Luo Ning glared at him, her eyes slightly reddened, her voice sharp.

She really was too unlucky. She had to deal with the Lei Ying Merchant Guild hunting her down, and now a sixth-level Bright Realm man was bullying her too.

Sikong Jing sighed inwardly. This woman had finally figured it out.

"I admit I misunderstood you just now. I apologize, but I really don't want to sell this hairpin."

Luo Ning pressed her advantage, clenching her fists as she stared at Sikong Jing.

Sikong Jing stared back at her and asked, "How much do you want?"

"No matter how much you offer, I don't want to sell." Luo Ning looked like a sulking child.

After a moment's thought, Sikong Jing glanced toward the outside of the room and asked, "More precisely, how much do you think this hairpin is worth?"

Luo Ning didn't know why Sikong Jing was asking, but she answered seriously anyway. "I haven't had the hairpin appraised yet, but the materials alone are worth at least a thousand Gold Crystal Coins. But I just—"

"How much is your life worth?" Sikong Jing suddenly cut in.