Nan Shiying’s tea-drinking paused. Hearing the stir, Bai Zhi looked up at the two and mumbled, “What’s wrong?”
“Bai Zhi, did you bring money?” Lü Wan, remembering Bai Zhi had paid the bill before, asked expectantly.
Bai Zhi shook her head, “There are only a few copper coins left. What’s wrong, isn’t all the money with you?”
Lü Wan said with annoyance, “The money is gone.”
“What, you mean the money is lost, you…”
Lü Wan immediately covered Bai Zhi’s mouth, glanced at the waiter who kept peeking over, glared fiercely at Bai Zhi, and reprimanded, “What are you yelling about!”
Bai Zhi slapped Lü Wan’s hand away, her eyes wide, “You’re blaming me? The money is lost, so what do we do? If we can’t pay the bill, we’ll be arrested. Getting arrested isn’t the worst, but if everyone finds out the Princess Consort sneaked out of the manor while being punished, then we’re finished.”
Lü Wan’s face turned from white to paler, almost bloodless. She felt utterly self-reproachful. After a moment of thought, Lü Wan suddenly looked up and said to Nan Shiying, “Princess Consort, you go first. We two will stay. Even if we get arrested, it won’t be a big deal.”
Bai Zhi quickly nodded in agreement, “Yes, yes, yes, as long as you aren’t discovered.”
Nan Shiying glanced at the two, calmly took a sip of tea, then put down the teacup, tidied her clothes, and walked towards the neighboring table.
Bai Zhi and Lü Wan looked bewildered.
Why was the Princess Consort walking towards those people? She wasn’t going to beat them up to vent her anger and then escape without paying in the chaos, were she?
It wasn’t that they were overthinking; their Princess Consort was indeed capable of such things!
Nan Shiying approached the group and placed a hand on one of their wine cups. The胖子 (pàngzi - fat man) whose cup was held paused for a second, his gaze moving up along the fair, tender hand. Seeing Nan Shiying, he was taken aback again.
Whose young gentleman was this? So delicate and fair?
Just like a girl!
“What does brother mean by this?” the胖子 asked.
Nan Shiying sized up the胖子, making him a bit irked. He snatched the wine cup back and raised his voice, “What exactly do you want?”
Nan Shiying sighed, “Alas, alas, alas,” not minding the hand that was brushed by the胖子’s sleeve. Shaking her head, she said, “Brother, I see a dark aura around your forehead and a greenish tinge on your nose. You must have a hidden ailment. If you drink alcohol, the vapors might trigger it. Your eyes are already red, indicating you’ve reached your limit. If you drink this cup of wine, your body will surely experience problems. At best, you’ll be in unbearable pain; at worst, you could die. You…”
“Get lost, get lost. Who is this charlatan? Waiter, what’s wrong with your Dongbo Tower, letting all sorts of things in to disgust people?”
The胖子, enraged, slammed the table and stood up, pointing at Nan Shiying’s nose and shouting.
The waiter who had been watching them rushed over, bowed deeply, and apologized to the胖子, “Esteemed guest, please calm your anger, please calm your anger. I will escort this person away immediately.”
Saying this, he turned to glare at Nan Shiying and reached out to push her.
Bai Zhi, like a young calf, rushed forward, pushed the waiter to the ground, and shouted angrily, “Don’t touch my elder brother.”
Fine, they were working together.
The waiter climbed up from the ground, rolled up his sleeves, and was about to lash out. Nan Shiying pulled Bai Zhi behind her, grabbed the waiter’s wrist, and glared at him, “Is this how Dongbo Tower treats its guests?”
The waiter tried to pull his hand away, but couldn't. He glared with indignation, sneering disdainfully, “Guest? A guest who eats for free?”
Nan Shiying suddenly smiled. She turned her head and said to the胖子, “Look closely at this face. If you die after drinking this wine, remember to have your family come find him. If they don’t stir up trouble until Dongbo Tower closes down, then your family hasn’t tried hard enough.”
“You…”
The胖子 shivered. He found this wandering charlatan before him rather strange. He couldn’t help but wonder: Did he really have a hidden ailment?
The waiter, however, sneered again and said to the胖子, “Esteemed guest, although I am just a lowly waiter, I have seen many suspicious characters. This one is just a charlatan spouting nonsense. I suspect they’ve eaten something and have no money to pay, so they’re trying to con someone out of some money. Please don’t mind, I will deal with them now.”
Nan Shiying showed a hint of embarrassment, as if her trick had been exposed. The胖子’s heart settled.
He tilted his head back, drank the wine in his cup in one gulp, then threw down the wine cup, pushed the waiter aside, and looked at Nan Shiying. He opened his mouth, and a strong smell of alcohol billowed out, “Boy, I’m drinking this wine. I want to see if I fall to the ground later, or if you get beaten to a pulp by me!”
Nan Shiying watched the胖子, whose blood surged as his wine breath transformed into vital energy, and shook her head helplessly, sighing, “Brother, why must you do this? Forget it, forget it. Life and death are fated, and fortune and wealth are determined by heaven. I shouldn’t have spoken unnecessarily.”
She held her sleeves, a trace of pity flowing from the corners of her eyes, giving her a truly ethereal, immortal-like aura.
The胖子 almost laughed out loud. He glared and roared, “Still playing games with me? Let me tell you today who you can provoke and who you can’t!”
As the胖子 spoke, he suddenly swung his fist.
His fist, as large as a sandbag, seemed to carry a fierce wind. If this punch landed on Nan Shiying’s face, she feared she would be disfigured.
Nan Shiying remained motionless, slowly raising her hand, and began to count, “One, two, three!”
At the count of three, the胖子’s fist suddenly stopped a few millimeters from her cheek.
Everyone was slightly stunned and looked at the胖子. The胖子, who had been full of vigor and had a rosy complexion just moments ago, was now covered in sweat, his face as pale as paper.
Pain, heart-wrenching pain, bone-piercing pain.
This pain overflowed from his heart and instantly spread throughout his body. The胖子 felt as if he were being molded and squeezed at will by a pair of large hands, every inch of his skin, every bone, being violently torn and crushed in the process.
“Ah!”
He couldn’t help but let out a roar and curled up on the ground.
This sudden turn of events stunned everyone present.
The waiter had already fled to the back of the crowd in fright. Lü Wan also took the opportunity to run to Nan Shiying’s side, shielding her.
“Brother, brother, what’s wrong?”
The胖子’s friends nervously grabbed his arm, asking with great concern.
The胖子 was in too much pain to speak. He could only lift his head with all his might, looking at Nan Shiying with a pleading expression.
Sensing the胖子’s gaze, his friends snapped back to reality. One of them, a relatively handsome man, cupped his fists towards Nan Shiying and apologized, “Sir, we were blind earlier and wrongly accused you. We beg you to overlook our faults and save our brother. We offer our sincerest apologies here.”
As he spoke, the man bowed deeply to Nan Shiying.
Nan Shiying waved her hand, her face showing hesitation. She struggled for a moment, but ultimately couldn’t stand by and watch him die, “Forget it, forget it. I can only do my best.”
“Thank you, sir.”
The man thanked her again.
Nan Shiying looked around, found a suitable teapot, picked it up, and suddenly smashed it towards the胖子’s heart.
“Sir!”
The man’s terrified cry immediately echoed throughout the entire Dongbo Tower.