Page 103

-He's really grown up...-

-No-

-To be precise, he was never a rebellious rich kid. He's always been like this, from childhood to now-

When he was little, the boy stood below the stage holding his aunt's hand, solemnly promising he'd win first place next year and give her the little bell prize.

Later, he did indeed stand on the award podium and publicly gave that string of bells to his aunt.

Xinyao had never misjudged him. She just didn't fully understand the true thoughts deep in the young man's heart, even though she had lived with him for sixteen years.

For a moment, Xinyao felt she was the most incompetent one.

She thought she knew Yino inside out, but today she felt like she was meeting him for the first time.

Unfamiliar, yet familiar...

"Yino, you're much more impressive than your aunt imagined."

The red-robed girl smiled with satisfaction, her light golden phoenix eyes rippling slightly. Although Yino had made the promise to her in her capacity as the Hundred Spirits Pavilion Master, Xinyao still felt a warmth in her heart. Her pampering of this little pervert at the Grand Tutor's Mansion hadn't been in vain.

She waved her hand grandly, crossing her legs in a different direction under her skirt, and said generously:

"Since Young Master has made such a promise, this Pavilion Master will only take one Paper Vine."

"But remember, this Paper Vine isn't given because of your aunt's face, but because this Pavilion Master is betting on the future you just earnestly planned out."

"When you leave today, cultivate well. Don't disappoint this young lady!"

Upon hearing this, Yino outside the curtain first felt joy in his heart, but after carefully savoring the Hundred Spirits Pavilion Master's words, cold sweat broke out on his forehead as he remembered an extremely embarrassing matter.

Originally, Yino hadn't disguised his request for forbidden drugs because he believed the Hundred Spirits Pavilion Master was a pure merchant like in the game, who wouldn't care about customers' identities or backgrounds.

But today, if the Hundred Spirits Pavilion Master could make an exception not to sell him forbidden drugs because of his aunt, then she would also likely tell his aunt about Yino's true appearance!

"Um..."

"If I give you another Paper Vine, could you not tell my aunt about what I said tonight?" Yino couldn't help but feel nervous, speaking softly with difficulty.

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Behind the curtain, the red-robed girl first tilted her head slightly, briefly dazed, then quickly became amused by Yino's sneaky appearance.

"Hmm~"

"Judging from Young Master's unease, you seem very afraid of your aunt finding out you bought forbidden drugs and beating you?"

She hummed happily, not seeming to be acting.

Yino didn't find anything funny at all. His aunt's phoenix-patterned jade feet weren't soft and sweet like ice cream. If she knew Yino had secretly bought forbidden drugs, she would definitely chase him all the way to Wuji Sect and kick his butt in half!

"I'm not joking, Auntie will really kill me..."

"She's your aunt, how could she bear to kill you?"

"It's just an exaggeration, but if she knows I bought forbidden drugs, she'll definitely come all the way here to beat me severely—"

Yino gestured across his chest, speaking with deep pain.

But before he could finish, the girl behind the red mask burst out laughing again:

"Pfft! Hahaha!"

"What? Is it that funny?"

Yino frowned, completely unable to understand the other party's inexplicable sense of humor.

In a sense, he now deeply understood Zi Chen's earlier mood when he broke down with a black face.

This Hundred Spirits Pavilion Master was indeed as rumored, with a mischievous personality. Almost every customer who came to buy from her would be severely humiliated and leave with a black face.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm the Hundred Spirits Pavilion Master, a professional Western Region merchant. I don't usually laugh."

The red-robed girl cleared her throat and sat up straight again.

"Go on, how does she beat you?"

"Every time, she first pins me down, then ties me up tightly with red rope, then presses me on the bed, then she takes off her shoes, and while scolding me, she kicks me hard in the butt—"

Halfway through Yino's empathetic description, he suddenly heard some stifled laughter and abruptly looked up at the red-robed girl behind the curtain.

Under that red mask, the girl's delicate body shook as she nodded.

"Mm, I'm not laughing, go on, continue..."

"You! I know you definitely don't understand, after all, you haven't seen it with your own eyes. Although my aunt usually looks lively and cute, a delicate girl who makes people want to protect her, this is just her disguise! Once I went to the Phoenix Pavilion, just because I touched something I shouldn't have, she flew into a rage and beat me fiercely like a mad dog. It's really...

really hard to describe how terrifying it was—"

"Pfft pfft pfft! Hahaha--!"

Finally, the red-robed girl behind the curtain could no longer hold back. She burst into laughter, laughing so hard she leaned back, even her pair of white jade feet exposed under her skirt swayed back and forth under the long chair.

"You've been laughing the whole time! You never stopped!"

Yino slammed his fist on the floor, completely broken down by the other party.

He had described it so seriously, but it only resulted in the other party's more schadenfreude-filled laughter.

"In short, I'm begging you, please don't tell my aunt about today's matter. If I get my butt beaten to a pulp by her, your Hundred Spirits Pavilion will lose a super big customer with unlimited potential in the future!"

"Alright, alright, Young Master can rest assured. This Lady is a professional merchant who has operated in Western Province City for many years, conducting honest business... So, Young Master, please trust my credibility!" Xinyao pressed her lips together to suppress her laughter, nodding very seriously multiple times.

For a moment, Yino also took a deep breath, and his suspended heart finally relaxed.

"Forget it, I've said all I needed to say. Thank you again, Pavilion Master, for giving me so many excellent pills today."