Chapter 83: The Little Clerk Is Not to Be Trifled With

"What should I cook today?" Jiang Xiaoyue muttered to herself, flipping through the booklet in her hand as she walked toward the nearby market.

Resting her chin in one hand while her delicate, arched brows knitted together, she found marketing and cooking to be a monumental challenge, one that required her absolute and meticulous attention.

"Better pick something simpler... otherwise, if I mess it up, that lousy boss will definitely use it as an excuse to fire me!" With that thought, Jiang Xiaoyue quickly selected a few simple dishes from the book and began organizing the necessary ingredients in her mind.

Before she knew it, she had already walked a considerable distance away from the shop.

"Target enters the trap in thirty paces, ready the black crossbows!"

"Target enters the trap in fifteen paces, ready the Spirit-Binding Net!"

"Why is it so deserted today?" Jiang Xiaoyue closed her book and looked around, only now realizing that after walking for so long, she hadn't encountered a single pedestrian.

"Why is it so strange today?"

Suddenly, she caught the strange rush of a sudden wind!

Immediately following, a massive, bright silver net gleaming with a faint metallic luster cascaded from the sky, binding Jiang Xiaoyue tightly within its mesh!

This silver net was peculiar, tightening its grip the more she struggled!

"I suggest you don't bother struggling." At that moment, two lines of men emerged, sealing off the path ahead and behind her completely. "This Spirit-Binding Net is forged from the silk of a thousand-year-old Asura Spider. Not only is it incredibly resilient, but it also possesses the power to suppress spiritual energy and martial qi. Even a high-tier demonic beast equivalent to a high-ranking Martial Grandmaster would have no choice but to surrender tamely when ensnared by this net!"

The leader was a tall, burly martial artist clad in a long red robe. His narrow eyes gleamed with a sliver of cold malice as he pointed to the pitch-black, heavy crossbows held by the men behind him: "They're poisoned. One careless mistake, and your little life is forfeit!"

"What do you all think you're doing?" Jiang Xiaoyue was furious, never expecting to be treated this way just for stepping out to buy groceries!

"Doing?" The red-robed martial artist grinned savagely. "Don't be afraid. We are simply asking the young lady to take a little trip with us. We won't harm anyone."

The red-robed martial artist turned to ask a man beside him: "Has everything been thoroughly investigated? No other issues?"

"Thoroughly checked!" answered a short martial artist whose aura indicated his strength was absolutely not to be underestimated. "This little girl was taken in by that boss surnamed Fang on the very night she was kicked out of the Jinfu Inn. Since the shop opened, she is the only one who has been closest to him."

"Truly a kind-hearted boss." A dark smile crept across the red-robed martial artist's face. "A kind-hearted boss like him probably wouldn't have the heart to see this little girl's face get slashed, or see her sold into the black market, would he?"

The red-robed martial artist walked unhurriedly up to Jiang Xiaoyue, drawing the dagger from his waist. He deftly twirled the blade in his hand, a bloodthirsty smile gracing his features: "We've already investigated. That little shop is guarded by an expert, whom we probably cannot touch, and that boss surnamed Fang possesses a bizarre strength that we cannot accurately gauge. So, you can't blame us for making a move on an unarmed little girl like you."

When Blood Net did things, even if the mission was merely to capture a ten-year-old girl, they still investigated everything thoroughly!

"Don't count on your boss to save you. By our estimates, he is at most at the Martial Grandmaster realm, whereas we here..." He swept his gaze across the crowd, his voice dropping into a low, deliberate cadence, "are all above the Martial Grandmaster realm!"

As he spoke, the surrounding air grew icy cold. Intent to kill sliced against the skin like frost, and this freezing malice, accompanied by a massive pressure that felt almost tangible, enveloped the entire street!

Even the surrounding men couldn't help but shudder involuntarily!

"The boss's killing intent is as terrifying as ever..."

"So frightening... that little girl must be about to cry from terror, right?"

The red-robed martial artist gently patted Jiang Xiaoyue's cheek with the flat of his blade, laughing wantonly: "After all, she's just a little girl."

"Uh... so you guys are only at the Martial Grandmaster realm." Just then, Jiang Xiaoyue spoke up in a sweet, clear voice.

It seemed Jiang Xiaoyue had been dazed for a moment just now, and had only just processed everything.

The air suddenly fell dead silent.

"Only... Martial Grandmaster realm?" Everyone looked at each other. They suddenly felt like laughing. A mere ten-year-old girl actually said they were "only at the Martial Grandmaster realm"?

But they found that they could no longer laugh!

Their eyes stared fixedly at the spot where Jiang Xiaoyue stood, as if they had witnessed something completely beyond comprehension!

With a sharp tearing sound, the net that possessed supreme resilience was actually ripped open with a massive tear by a pair of delicate hands as fair as mutton-fat jade!

Every single member of Blood Net, who had been completely insufferable just a moment ago, felt their hearts drop as an inexplicable chill surged into their minds!

Didn't they say she was just a ten-year-old girl?!

The kind who was kicked out with nowhere to go before being taken in by the boss!

Wasn't she just a petty shop assistant?!

Why could she tear the Spirit-Binding Net with her bare hands?!

What the hell?! What kind of strength was this?!

A flood of question marks filled everyone's minds, and everyone felt as though their brains had short-circuited!

"Playing tricks! At barely ten years old, whether you're a cultivator or a martial artist, how powerful can you be?!" The red-robed martial artist's face twisted in rage. "Kill her! I want to see just how long she can keep up this act?!"

At ten years old, no matter how much of a genius one was, whether a martial artist or a cultivator, their strength would be limited!

This was an absolute certainty!

Of course, they could never have imagined that the seemingly harmless little girl standing before them was neither a cultivator nor a martial artist!

...

Wan Qi served as a captain in the Jiuhua City Patrol Guard, and the area he was responsible for happened to be the vicinity of the Origin Internet Cafe.

Just as he patrolled near the vegetable market, he suddenly heard several miserable shrieks!

"What's going on?!"

"The sound came from the south!"

"Move! Quick, go check it out!"

The place where Wan Qi stood was not far from the source of the sound, and he quickly spotted a secluded alleyway at the end of the street.

Focusing his gaze toward the exit of the alley, he saw a little girl about twelve or thirteen years old, wearing a snow-white palace dress and looking as exquisite as a porcelain doll, carrying a grocery basket as she skipped away, humming an unfamiliar tune.

"???"

"Go check it out!" Wan Qi immediately led his men forward. Looking into the alley, he was stunned on the spot!

More than ten burly men in red robes lay scattered all over the ground inside, and not a single one could scramble back up!

Only one thought remained in the minds of everyone from Blood Net: "What... kind of petty shop assistant is this?!"

"Boss... these people..." a guard spoke up uncertainly, "why do they look a bit like the people from 'Blood Net'?"

"Blood... Blood Net?!" Wan Qi froze first, and then his eyes practically beamed with light. "Arrest them! Arrest them all! We've struck gold this time!"

"Go... quick, go report to the City Lord!" Wan Qi shouted on the spot.

"To the City Lord's mansion from here... isn't that a bit too far?" The guard blinked in confusion.

Wan Qi slapped the back of the questioning guard's head on the spot: "Go to that internet cafe nearby!"

"..."

...

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