Gao Yuan frowned as he locked gazes with the old man. He subtly tried to pull away from the alchemist, but the wrinkly arm of the man wouldn’t budge an inch.

This old-timer is obviously up to no good. How did young master Han even find out about a shady character like this? Gao Yuan observed the smiling old man again, but no matter how much he looked, the man looked nothing more than a fraud.

Could he be one of those hidden experts who like to pretend they’re destitute and unimportant? Gao Yuan mused.

“C’mon, don’t be like that,” the old alchemist urged. “I only have the good stuff,” he said with a charming smile, exposing his crooked teeth.

Gao Yuan subtly closed his nose as a waft of unpleasant air assaulted his nostrils. “I don’t have a lot of money. I’m not sure I can afford your merchandise,” he said.

“Today is your lucky day then. There’s a special promo just for you,” the old man said with an even broader smile.

Meanwhile, Gao Yuan frowned. “How much is it?” he asked.

“How much do you have right now?” the old man said, his beady eyes shifting toward the sackcloth sticking out of Gao Yuan’s clothes.

I knew it. He’s a scammer. But it doesn’t look like he’s going to let me go if I don’t buy something from him. But I don’t have the coins to waste on this fraud, Gao Yuan thought, still struggling to free himself from the man’s grip.

“I can see doubt in your eyes, young friend. How about we go over there,” the alchemist said, pointing toward the alley. “You can test out a couple of my products without prying eyes.”

Gao Yuan vigorously shook his head, “No!” he said vehemently, the previous ordeal still fresh in his mind. There was also the possibility the old man could beat him and take his coins, and maybe organs amongst other things.

“I’m not going anywhere with someone I only just met, and I’d appreciate it if you let me go,” Gao Yuan said.

“I understand, but there’s no need to shout. One would think I’m asking something ludicrous of you,” the old man said as he loosened his grip.

At that same moment, Gao Yuan turned to leave, but the voice of the old man reached him again.

“Young friend, are you sure you want to leave just like that? This could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s your choice, though. I’m not stopping you if that’s what you really want.”

Gao Yuan stopped in his tracks, turning toward the smiling old man. Other scammers would have tried to convince him to stay, but the old man only casually reminded him that he might be missing out on a golden opportunity.

This is definitely a scam, right? Gao Yuan pondered, unable to discern anything from the old man’s shady visage. Damn it! I know I’m going to regret this, but let’s see what happens.

He exhaled softly before approaching the old man.

“All right, give me the cheapest item in your collection. I can only afford to pay one bronze draconia for it.”

Gao Yuan reached into his coin sack before retrieving the bronze coin. “So, do we have a deal?”

The old man beamed as he nodded approvingly. Reaching into his faded robes, he retrieved a tiny transparent bag filled with white powder. He observed the nearby passersby before leaning closer to Gao Yuan. “I call this Snow White. Trust me, your life will never remain the same after taking a whiff of this bad boy.”

The old man discreetly passed the bag to Gao Yuan while grabbing the bronze coin at the same time. Then he turned to leave, but this time, Gao Yuan called him back.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” he said, meeting the confused gaze of the old man.

The old man pondered silently for a moment, then his eyes lit up. He extended his right hand toward Gao Yuan. “Forgive me, nice doing business with you.”

This time, it was Gao Yuan’s turn to be confused. “Who’s talking about a handshake? Aren’t you supposed to give me instructions on how to use it?”

“Oh, so that’s what you were talking about,” the old man said with a bashful smile. He awkwardly scratched the back of his head as he continued. “There’s a unique way of using it from where I’m from, but that would be too complicated for someone like you. Let your imagination take the lead. You can sprinkle a bit in your tea or use it to season your food or something. If that’s all, it was a pleasure doing business with you.”

The old man turned to leave again, but Gao Yuan called out to him a second time. “Stop right there, you swindling old bastard. Give me back my money!”

Before the old man could retort, a series of explosions rocked the area followed by a cacophony of screams.

“It’s the jade-faced midnight-smiling rapist!” A man screamed, fleeing in the opposite direction of the explosions.

Meanwhile, hundreds of men clad in black sprinted toward the site of the explosion. While the red-light district was infamous for housing all manner of shady characters, there were strict rules one had to follow, lest they meet an untimely death at the hands of the enforcers.

“The Jade-faced midnight-smiling rapist?” Gao Yuan frowned, cocking his head backward. He had never heard of such a person. He turned toward the alchemist, and he too had the same look of bemusement.

“Hey, friend,” the alchemist called out to a random man. “Who is the Jade-faced midnight-smiling rapist?”

The young man regarded the alchemist and Gao Yuan for a moment as he cleared his throat. “It seems you two aren’t from around here.”

“You’re right,” the alchemist said. “Is he that famous in these parts?”

“I would rather say notorious,” the man said while shaking his head. “That bastard has assaulted over twenty prominent men in the red-light district and other regions over the last year. The most annoying thing is that he always announces his next victim. Yet, he has never been caught.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Gao Yuan and the alchemist exchanged glances as soon as the man finished speaking.

“So, who did he assault this time?” Gao Yuan asked, unable to quell his curiosity.

“I’m more interested in his potential next victim. After all, I believe this is where he’s going to meet his waterloo,” the man said.

“Why do you say so? Is the person that powerful?” the alchemist asked, equally as curious as Gao Yuan.

However, the man simply shook his head. “To be honest, he’s more of a renowned waste. There’s no way he can stop the Jade-faced smiling rapist. His clan, however, that’s a different matter.”

“Don’t keep us in suspense. Who are you talking about?” Gao Yuan inquired.

The man leaned in a little closer while observing his surroundings. “Apparently, that rapist is targeting the son of the late Valiant Dragon.”

“What?!” the alchemist and Gao Yuan muttered at the same time.

“Sheesh, lower your voice. Are you trying to get in trouble or something?” the man said as he covered the mouths of the duo. “I know it’s shocking, but news of the matter should have reached the elders of the Han clan by now. I’m more than a thousand percent confident they would eliminate that rapist. You two better get out of here as soon as possible. Unless you want to risk getting interrogated by the enforcers.”

“Thank you,” Gao Yuan said softly.

“You’re welcome. Just a heads up, if you meet anyone asking you to lower your pants or something, run as fast as you can. That’s the MO of that bastard. Goodnight.” The man bade the duo farewell as he hurriedly exited the area.

“Sheesh. The number of weirdos we have nowadays. What’s the world coming to?” the alchemist sighed softly before turning toward Gao Yuan. He opened his mouth to speak again but realized the young man had frozen in place with his hands covering his behind.

“Hey, are you okay? There’s no need to be all that scared. It’s not as if that rapist has his eyes set on…” Before he could finish his statement, Gao Yuan exploded into a race, fleeing the area faster than any of the other passersby.

“What the hell got into him?”

[The discussion probably resurfaced a traumatic memory for him!]

[Changing the topic, aren’t you going to leave?]

“I'm finished here, and there's nothing more to do. I might as well head home.”

Unnoticed by the mortals and cultivators nearby, the appearance, physique, and attire of the unkempt old man gradually transformed into that of a moderately handsome youth wearing simple black clothing.

[Congratulations on selling your first batch of merchandise!]

[You have received 5000 fame points!]

[You can now actively sell your products to other residents of Celestial Ridge!]

[Other rewards!]

* Two thousand bone marrow washing liquid.

* Spiritual wine of the highest quality.

* The blood of a five hundred-thousand-year-old fiend.

* Two immortal level movement techniques.

* One-time domain expansion pack.

[You have received a new mission!]

[Personally sell your products to seven mortals!]

[Reward: 5000 fame points!]

Han Rui, who had once again adopted a different appearance, sighed as he perused the messages from the system.

“This would have been much simpler if you had allowed me to sell them through my subordinates, you know.”

[Yes, but that’s not the agreement we had.]

“How was I supposed to know you wanted me to sell them personally? Why do you think I’ve invested so much resources into the clan?” Han Rui retorted.

[You’re free to disregard our agreement, but a scintillating penalty awaits you!]

“Shitty system,” Han Rui mouthed underneath his breath.

[I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.]

The young man sighed inwardly as he continued exiting the area. On his thirty-second step, another system notification appeared.

[Aren’t you bothered about being targeted?]

“You’re joking, right?” Han Rui chuckled. “I’m strangely amused that I was chosen of all people. I can only wish that guy good luck. He’s sure as hell going to need it.”

[Are you going back home now?]

“I’d love to, but someone went ahead and gave me a new mission. Do you know how hard it is to convince people to buy something from you in this world? At least back on Earth, you could just create some online shops and a few curious or stupid people would go shopping. But you run the risk of getting beaten if things don’t work out here.”

In that manner, Han Rui quietly exited the area along with the others. Meanwhile, far away from the explosions, Gao Yuan continued running aimlessly away from the red-light district. Each time the smiling face of the middle-aged man filled his mind, he increased his pace.

I can't believe that man was the Jade-faced smiling rapist… but how did I survive that encounter? he thought to himself as he continued running. A stray thought then filled the mind of the young man, and he came to a screeching halt.

Damn it, I totally forgot to get my coin from that swindler. That scoundrel better hope I don't find him.

He then turned eastwards. I hope young master Han will be okay. I can't even begin to imagine what will be going through his mind once the news reaches his ears.

Gao Yuan reached into his pocket, retrieving the item he had paid for. “What am I going to do with this?” he muttered.

Gao Yuan gritted his teeth as he scrutinized the powdery substance. “Once in a lifetime opportunity my ass. Now that I'm taking a proper look at it, doesn't this resemble sugar?”

He gently opened the seal, and a sweet fragrance instantly assaulted his nose, spreading as far as a hundred meters in an instant.

“What's that heavenly smell?” a passerby exclaimed, pausing in her tracks.

“Something smells good. What a delightful fragrance. I can feel all the stress in my bones washing away,” another man remarked.

“Holy shit. I think I’m about to breakthrough…” the cultivator charged toward an alley, and a burst of qi soon filled the area.

“This is the smell of a treasure. I must have it!” a brutish man roared as he anxiously searched for the origin of the smell. And he was not alone; in a mere span of ten seconds, hundreds of cultivators and mortals fervently searched for the origin of the smell.

What the…? Gao Yuan cautiously and naturally sealed the bag before returning the item to his inner robe. Like the others, he too pretended to search for the treasure while cautiously making his way out of the area.

However, the young man could do nothing to hide the lingering excitement in his eyes. He cautiously circled around a few streets before stopping at a random tavern. He observed the passersby, probing to see if he would recognize any of them, but all he saw were unfamiliar faces. He exited the tavern as quietly as he entered, proceeding to another tavern, repeating the same process over ten times before heading toward the more remote corners of the city.

There, he quickly rushed into a dilapidated house surrounded by a potato farm. Gao Yuan locked the door behind him, leaning against it with a sense of urgency. Retrieving the small bag again, he couldn't stop his arms from shaking.

What exactly did that senior sell to me? Gao Yuan pondered to himself as he stared at the transparent bag.

He discreetly opened the seal, and the delightful fragrance once again permeated the air. This time, he wasn't concerned about the scent traveling far, given that the farm was situated in a remote area.

Gao cautiously dipped his left index finger into the powdery substance before bringing it to his nose for a sniff. An overwhelming urge coursed through his body; he felt his inwards threatening to collapse if they didn't get a taste.

What the hell is this thing? Gao Yuan frowned as he wrestled with his urges.

Unable to suppress his primal desires any longer, he licked the tiny powder covering his finger. At that very moment, Gao Yuan froze in place, his eyes rolling inward while his chest heaved uncontrollably. Foam poured from the corners of his mouth as he muttered gibberish.

The phenomenon lasted only a moment, and Gao Yuan returned to normal. This time, with his mouth opened wide, he swallowed the entirety of the powder. Blinding light escaped from his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth as he violently trembled in place. The skies over a thirty-thousand-meter radius had turned golden, alerting every mortal and cultivator within the vicinity. No one knew what was happening, but they were confident that a treasure was about to emerge in the mortal world. Lightning and violent winds shook the skies, as if the heavens were angered by the existence of the mortal world.

Then, wondrous hymns echoed across the city, and phoenixes and dragons danced across the turbulent skies while the heavenly bodies raged on. Every corner of the city remained deathly silent as its inhabitants watched the strange manifestations across the skies. Like a dream, the mythical creatures and violent elements disappeared, and the starry night sky and lonely moon returned.

Meanwhile, in a tavern far away from the potato farm, Han Rui nonchalantly stared at the starry skies while sipping tea from a steaming cup.

He took it, huh. Thankfully, he wasn’t an idiot, Han Rui thought, his lazy gaze lingering on the colorful streaks darting across the starry skies.