Chapter 210: You Owe Me Big Time
Yu Luo had no interest in detoxifying pills—especially not at the prices in Feng City’s auction.
Every single item that appeared felt like it was digging into her flesh, making her heartache as if she were bleeding out of money.
Besides, with her current identity, who would even bother to poison her?
If she had that much money to waste, she might as well rely on her mother—who could probably just do a blood cleanse or something that would work better than these expensive antidotes.
As expected, the detoxification pill was immediately bid up to 5,000 taels per pill.
5,000 taels of gold meant 50,000 taels of silver—all that money just for a single antidote pill. And yet, the bidding war only intensified, quickly pushing the price toward 10,000 taels of gold.
Yu Luo lost all interest.
Looking around at the crowded auction hall, she decided to leave early and retrieve Ming Ye before the event ended.
She didn’t want to deal with too many people at the exit—and she especially didn’t want to risk getting tangled up with that annoying man any longer.
With that in mind, Yu Luo sent Zhang Hu to fetch Ming Ye while she and Tao Ming quietly slipped toward the auction’s exit while everyone else was still obsessed with the detoxification pills.
However, she had no idea that as soon as they stepped out of the auction hall, several pairs of eyes locked onto them.
The moment they exited, a cold night breeze sent a shiver down Yu Luo’s spine.
“Young Master, should we head straight back to the inn?”
“Of course. Unless… you were planning to visit the brothel?”
As she spoke, Yu Luo pulled out a 1,000-tael silver note and casually held it up in front of Tao Ming.
“1,000 taels should be enough for one night, right? You go ahead—I won’t tell Zhang Hu.”
Tao Ming stared at the silver note, his face filled with shock.
Then—as if electrocuted—he stumbled backward, frantically waving his hands.
“N-no, Young Master! I d-didn’t mean it like that! I would never go to such a place!”
“Oh, relax. You’re a man, aren’t you? Besides, you’ve never even touched a woman before. Just think of it as a treat from me.”
Yu Luo continued teasing him, pretending to shove the silver note into his hands.
She wanted to see if Tao Ming had the guts to accept it.
Hearing her words, Tao Ming’s expression shifted from surprise to alarm.
His eyes flickered with something—perhaps understanding, perhaps sympathy—before he shook his head even more vigorously.
“No! I won’t go!”
“Those places… I don’t know… those women… they might be…”
He trailed off, his voice hesitant.
“Forget it. They’re probably just unfortunate souls. Let’s not talk about it. I’m serious—I’m not going!”
But the moment Tao Ming finished speaking, Yu Luo’s silver note suddenly vanished from her fingers!
With a quick swipe, Tao Ming had snatched it!
Yu Luo: ???
“You just said you weren’t going! I knew you were all talk!”
She crossed her arms, glaring at Tao Ming, who was now hastily tucking the silver note into his robes.
Tao Ming grinned sheepishly.
“Hehe, Young Master said it was a gift, right? So, I’ll just save it instead.”
“Maybe one day, I’ll give some to my family. And the rest… I’ll use to buy myself a wife. That way, I won’t ever need to visit a brothel!”
Yu Luo: …
She almost bit her tongue out of frustration!
Who said Tao Ming was dumb?!
This little brat even found a loophole in her words!
“Fine! Keep it!”
“Consider it a wedding gift from me!”
She rolled her eyes and was about to drop the conversation when—
Out of nowhere, several dark figures lunged at them with swords!
Yu Luo’s martial arts skills had never been tested in real combat before.
Compared to Tao Ming—who had grown up dealing with danger—her reaction was slower.
While Yu Luo was still mourning her lost 1,000 taels, Tao Ming had already yanked her behind him and unsheathed his broadsword!
By the time Yu Luo spun around, she saw three masked men attacking them.
Tao Ming charged forward without hesitation—one against three.
From the very first move, he went all out.
But despite his skills, he wasn’t on the level of true martial arts masters.
Within ten moves, he was already at a disadvantage.
And in the blink of an eye, three swords thrust toward Tao Ming’s chest!
Damn it!
Before Yu Luo could think, she instinctively raised her arm, aimed her crossbow, and fired three bolts straight at their attackers!
The three men had never seen a weapon like hers before.
Completely unprepared, they were struck by the arrows—two in the shoulder blades, one in the chest!
For a split second, their attacks slowed down.
Yu Luo didn’t hesitate—she pulled the trigger again, sending another barrage toward them.
At the same time, Tao Ming steadied himself and lunged forward with his broadsword—
SLASH!
A spray of warm liquid splattered across Yu Luo’s face!
She blinked, momentarily blinded by blood.
When she cleared her vision, she saw a body collapsed on the ground—while the other two masked men fled into the night.
Tao Ming—still cautious—gave the corpse a few extra slashes, ensuring it was truly dead before turning back to Yu Luo.
His eyes widened in horror.
“Young Master, are you okay?!”
Yu Luo wiped the blood from her face with her sleeve.
Her voice was calm as she replied—
“I’m fine.
This isn’t my blood. Let’s find a safer place to wait for Zhang Hu.”
But before she could move, a figure landed in front of them—Zhang Hu.
And in his arms—Ming Ye.
The boy’s delicate features were framed by chains, his lips pale from the cold, his thin clothes offering no protection.
Yu Luo felt a sudden wave of anger.
She strode up and slapped him lightly on the shoulder, her voice sharp with frustration—
“Brat! Do you know how much gold I had to spend to buy you?!”
“You owe me BIG time!”
Ming Ye blinked.
His brilliant purple eyes locked onto hers—full of warmth.
Even though he remained silent, his joy was unmistakable.
He was truly happy to see her.
And for the first time, Yu Luo saw it—
Even though he never said a word, the look in his eyes spoke volumes.
