Making Flender Cosplay as Ginseng

Li Jin walked into the general store. It looked as though it hadn't been cleaned in a long time, and dust danced in the sunlight.

His gaze went straight to the space behind the counter. A middle-aged man lay in a reclining chair, his eyes glinting with cunning behind black-framed glasses.

There was no doubt about it: this was Flender.

Knowing he had found the right place, Li Jin carried the Snow Maiden in his arms and began wandering around the store.

The Ice Empress followed him inside, waving a hand in front of her nose in disgust.

"Li Jin, what good things could there possibly be here? It's all junk, covered in dust, and there's a rotten, moldy smell. Who knows how long it's been sitting here? Nobody must ever come to this store."

Flender's heart jumped. The little girl had exposed the truth about him in a single breath. He grew anxious, his heart rising into his throat.

A few fat sheep had finally come along. If they ran off, he would regret it too late.

He wanted to get up and argue with the little girl.

But he was an old hand in the ways of the world. He kept his cool and continued putting on an aloof act.

Even though his hands had each squeezed an imprint into the arms of the chair, he didn't so much as lift an eyelid.

It was as if he were asleep.

Li Jin didn't answer the Ice Empress. He wandered once around the store.

On a wooden shelf, he spotted a yellow crystal containing strands of fine, threadlike material.

Plate crystal hair gold!

Li Jin picked up the plate crystal hair gold, walked over to the counter, and tossed it down.

He wasn't a nasty person. He wouldn't resort to trickery and robbery just because the man was Flender.

"Shopkeeper, how much?"

After he spoke, the store fell silent for a long while before Flender opened his eyes, as though he had just woken up. He spoke lazily.

"Five hundred Gold Soul Coins."

Li Jin raised an eyebrow. He wasn't angry; he just found it funny. Sure enough, Flender couldn't escape his true nature as a crooked merchant. He was treating Li Jin like a fat sheep.

Fair enough. His looks, clothes, and bearing all made it obvious at a glance that he was quite wealthy.

"Fifty Gold Soul Coins. Take it or leave it!"

Flender felt a surge of excitement. In his view, the boy's willingness to bargain meant he really wanted the stone.

Since he really wanted it, he couldn't blame Flender for showing no mercy.

If he closed this deal, Shrek Academy could hold out for a long time yet.

Certain he had Li Jin in the palm of his hand, Flender grew even more brazen.

"Heh, I've changed my mind. Five thousand Gold Soul Coins. Take it or leave it."

"You and I both know what this crystal is worth. Five thousand Gold Soul Coins is definitely a bargain for you."

"Buy it now, and it's five thousand Gold Soul Coins. Haggle again, and it'll be fifty thousand."

Li Jin smiled and picked up the plate crystal hair gold.

"I'm not buying this stone anymore..."

Flender didn't panic when he heard that. He figured the boy was only playing hard to get.

Then Li Jin's next words made him leap to his feet.

"...I'm just going to rob you!"

Carrying the plate crystal hair gold, Li Jin turned and walked away.

He really hadn't paid.

Flender unleashed a burst of Soul Power. Black wings grew from his back, and seven Soul Rings rose one after another-yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black-whipping up a gale inside the store.

Furious, he wore a vicious grin as he said:

"Brat, in the entire Soul Master World, the people who can take something from me, Four-Eyed Cat Owl Flender, can be counted on one hand. You're not one of them!"

"You've angered me. Today, you're leaving that crystal and five thousand Gold Soul Coins behind!"

With that, Flender lunged at Li Jin.

The gale stirred the ends of Li Jin's hair and the corners of his clothes, but his expression remained calm. Mount Tai could collapse before him without changing his expression. Even when Flender revealed his Soul Saint cultivation, he only said mildly:

"Bingbing, plant this guy in the ground and make him cosplay as ginseng."

The Ice Empress rubbed her fists and flexed her palms. She had long been unable to control her urge to hit someone.

As soon as Li Jin gave the word, she charged out without another word.

A flash of emerald-green light passed, and the Ice Empress moved second but arrived first, appearing right in front of Flender.

Flender's vision blurred, and then he lost control of his body and plunged toward the ground.

The Ice Empress had grabbed him by the collar and thrown him down.

A heavy thud rang out as he struck the ground, followed by a cry of pain.

"Ah..."

The Ice Empress landed and planted a foot on Flender's back.

"What trash! How dare you provoke a human this empress is protecting!"

Then she punched the ground beside Flender, smashing a hole straight into it. Following Li Jin's instructions, she planted Flender in the hole with only his head sticking out. That was cosplaying as ginseng.

Flender's head spun, his chest felt tight, and he could barely breathe. His Soul Power had been jolted apart, and he felt as though every bone in his body had come loose.

Bitterness filled his heart. What kind of monster was this?

She looked so young, yet one punch had left him like this.

He was a Soul Saint, for heaven's sake!

After filling the earth back in, the Ice Empress dusted off her hands, thoroughly pleased with her handiwork.

She turned and saw that Li Jin had already left the store with the Snow Maiden in his arms, so she hurried after them.

"Wait for me!"

Meanwhile, inside the store!

Flender's Soul Power had been jolted apart, and he couldn't muster any strength. Dizzy and muddleheaded, he could only watch them leave.

His mouth hung open, and he was full of regret.

Seeing Li Jin's good looks, fine clothes, and impressive bearing, he had assumed the boy was a fat sheep he could squeeze as he pleased.

Who could have guessed that he also had such a hot-tempered bodyguard?

Just then!

A crystal ball with a slight flaw in its appearance rolled off the wooden shelf where it had been sitting and onto the counter.

Sunlight streamed in through the doorway and struck the crystal ball. The light passed through it and converged on a single point, where the temperature rose rapidly.

That point of light happened to fall on a piece of parchment in the corner.

In only a moment!

With a puff, the parchment caught fire.

The flames grew fiercer and soon set the counter, the wooden shelves, and even the entire store ablaze.

Flender watched, dumbstruck.

How the fuck could he be this unlucky?!

He quickly came to his senses and let out a heart-rending howl.

"All my belongings!!"

For a miser like Flender, killing him outright would hurt far less than making him watch helplessly as all his belongings burned to ashes.

Flender tried to struggle out of the ground, but his Soul Power had been scattered too thoroughly. He couldn't gather it again anytime soon.

"Help... fire!"

"Ahhh, all my belongings! Old Zhao, Old Li, Old Shao, Old Lu, get over here, quick!"

Zhao Wuji, Li Yusong, Shao Xin, and Lu Qibin certainly couldn't make it in time.

On the street, Li Jin glanced back and saw that a great fire had broken out where the store stood. He wasn't surprised in the least.

Treating me like a fat sheep, Flender? You're Zhao Zilong from head to toe!

Li Jin looked away and found a hotel to stay at, carrying the Snow Maiden and bringing the Ice Empress along.

In his room, he smashed the plate crystal hair gold and collected every strand inside.

Normally, the strands were curled up, but as soon as Soul Power was infused into them, they would immediately straighten.

Li Jin tried controlling them with Spiritual Telekinesis and found that he had no trouble at all.

The Three-Edged Ice Spike is a devastating weapon with astonishing destructive power. The Dragon Whisker Needle is a little toy for torturing people. They serve different purposes, and this is a good haul too.