Hearing the noise, Lu Yi looked back.
A pretty young woman strode up behind him with a swagger. She planted her hands on her hips and faced the two thugs as three Soul Rings—two yellow and one purple—appeared around her.
The two thugs glanced at the shop Lu Yi had just left and immediately realized where the young woman came from. They turned and ran.
She did not pursue them. Dismissing her Soul Rings, she turned to the boy, who looked a little younger than her. She paused for a moment before saying, "You look like you're from the south, right? There isn't much work here, but outsiders who come to do business have money to spare. If you can't defend yourself, don't flash your wealth so casually. If this weren't Earth Dragon Sect territory, they'd have stripped you down to your underwear today."
Lu Yi's mouth twitched.
Her warning had started out normal enough. Why had she suddenly gotten so coarse?
Besides going into her family's shop, he did not think he had done anything to show off his wealth.
Surely the one Silver Soul Coin he had tipped the waitress had not marked him as a fat sheep ready for shearing?
Still, he accepted her kindness. "Thank you for the warning."
The young woman paid little attention to his thanks. She looked him up and down, then asked curiously:
"You bought that warmest fur coat. You're not heading north, are you? That's no place to go. Especially this year—far more Soul Masters have lost their lives in the Far North than usual."
Her words put Lu Yi on alert.
Thinking it over, though, he realized the past year lined up with the time when the two Ice and Snow Empresses had left the Far North one after the