The Price of Deceit and a Shocking Revelation

Oh no! Did Xinyi interpret my words just now as me… entrusting her to this rascal, Li Chunsheng?!

No! Father would never agree to entrust you to such a fellow!

“No! Father would never agree to entrust you to such a fellow!”

Dongyi, in a moment of desperation, blurted out their thoughts.

“Y-y-you, Father, wh-what are you saying?!” Liao Xinyi instantly blushed crimson, stammering, yet her eyes uncontrollably darted toward Li Chunsheng.

[‘Ah, I said my thoughts out loud!’] Dongyi quickly clapped a hand over their mouth, despairing at their daughter’s reaction.

They could only lower their voice, speaking to Li Chunsheng in an almost pleading tone. “I-I’ll return every single Black Iron Coin my daughter swindled from you! So please, I beg you, stop preying on my daughter…”

Li Chunsheng, sensing the timing was right, flashed a strange, knowing smile.

“Of course, Uncle… oh, no, Miss Dongyi. I was only ever after the money, not some beloved man.”

[‘Besides, in terms of looks, your daughter is far from my Senior’s league. And now… she probably can’t even compare to her own father, who has undergone such a dramatic transformation.’]

[‘Hmm? Dongyi, Xinyi. They actually sound like a pair of sisters.’]

With these random musings swirling in his mind, Li Chunsheng cleared his throat. He turned to Liao Xinyi, a hint of apology on his face. “Uncle is right; I was rather abrupt, after all.”

“If I hadn’t asked Miss Liao out, you wouldn’t have faced this danger. Perhaps we all need to calm down, don’t you agree, Miss Liao?”

“I… I don’t mind at all…” Liao Xinyi lowered her head, looking disheartened.

“Alright, since this has happened, let’s end our date here for today,” Li Chunsheng said with a gentle smile. “I imagine you’re still feeling a bit of a headache from the Goblin’s ambush, aren’t you? It’s best to go home and rest properly.”

“Yes, daughter, you should go back now!” Dongyi quickly seized the opportunity. “No one can say for sure if there are other Goblins lurking nearby!”

“Then… alright,” Liao Xinyi nodded, glancing back repeatedly, her departure filled with reluctance as she left.

[‘Li Chunsheng, you wicked man, burdened by countless sins!’] Watching their daughter’s retreating figure, Dongyi roared silently in their heart.

The three of them watched Xinyi’s silhouette vanish around the street corner. Only after confirming she wouldn’t return did Dongyi finally let out a sigh of relief.

The very next second, Dongyi’s rage erupted.

“You brat, let go of me! Have you gotten addicted to grabbing me, huh?!”

“Chunsheng… can you let go of Miss Dongyi now? She seems quite uncomfortable…”

Liuxia and Dongyi, two vastly different young women, spoke almost simultaneously.

Li Chunsheng rubbed his nose, then sheepishly released his grip.

“My apologies, isn’t it normal for buddies to throw an arm around each other?”

“Who’s your buddy?! You impudent, disrespectful brat!” Once freed, Dongyi rubbed their chest, wincing, while spewing curses.

“…He was so rough, he probably left a bruise…” They mumbled under their breath, their voice full of grievance.

Given the crowd, Dongyi felt too embarrassed to undo their clothes and check.

After rubbing their chest for a good while, Dongyi finally felt a little better. They pulled out their Black Iron Card and asked coldly, “How much?”

“Exactly 160,000 Black Iron Coins,” Li Chunsheng stated calmly.

Dongyi gasped, startled. “How is it so much?! Are you trying to extort me, you brat?”

“My Chunsheng is upright and honorable; he would never scam you~” Liuxia interjected suddenly, beginning to tally the expenses one by one. “His colleague was swindled out of nearly 20,000 by your daughter under the guise of romance, and before breaking up, she even manipulated him into taking out an 80,000 loan. That amount should definitely include interest, right? As for the rest, it’s the 50,000 I need for my ID, not a single coin more, not a single coin less.”

Upon hearing the words “getting an ID,” Dongyi first froze, then their cold expression shifted. It was replaced by overt mockery. “Oh my, at a time like this, and you’re still thinking about getting an ID?”

Liuxia looked perplexed at that.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem? This is a channel that Young Miss Mu Shengling helped me find…” Li Chunsheng scoffed.

“Heh, it seems that Young Miss doesn’t value you that much, otherwise she wouldn’t have found you such a ‘reliable’ channel.” Dongyi’s mockery deepened, their gaze sweeping between Liuxia and Li Chunsheng.

“Hmph, it seems you’re not a proper Paladin either, you brat. And here I was, valuing you so much, even going so far as to seek refuge with the underworld…”

Recalling the price they had paid for this, Dongyi sighed deeply.

[‘I’ve suffered a colossal loss; not only did I cross my bottom line, but I even turned into a woman…’]

“What do you mean?!” Li Chunsheng demanded.

“It means you were sold out long ago by the person who helped you get that ID,” Dongyi scoffed. “Otherwise, how do you think I managed to precisely target you?”

Li Chunsheng was struck by lightning, standing frozen on the spot. Then, a furious blaze ignited in his eyes.

“Damn it! That bastard! I won’t let him off the hook!” He angrily slammed his fist into a nearby lamppost. The sturdy, thick metal pole bent in response, emitting a grating, agonizing shriek.

“Ah! Chunsheng, haven’t you deactivated that transformation yet?” Liuxia exclaimed, anxious. “Why do you always forget to save money!”

Li Chunsheng looked at his fist, somewhat bewildered, and mumbled, “No… I already turned it off, didn’t I? And the enhancement isn’t that strong, is it?”

He gently stomped his foot again. Subjectively, he hadn’t exerted any force, yet the concrete ground beneath him cracked instantly, leaving two distinct footprints.

“Could it be?” Li Chunsheng’s face was filled with disbelief. He quickly brought up his data panel, and after seeing the numbers, he was instantly stunned.

[Bronze-tier: 999]

“Senior, I… I seem to be at the peak of Bronze-tier now…” he said, incredulous.

“What?! From Black Iron-tier peak, directly to Bronze-tier peak?!” Liuxia was equally stunned. She had never heard of such an exaggerated leap in advancement.

Meanwhile, Dongyi, listening to their conversation, wore an expression as if they had seen a ghost.

“You mean he… was only at Black Iron-tier peak before?” Their voice trembled, feeling as though they were going insane. “How… how could this be?”

To deal with a mere Black Iron-tier individual, they had paid such a heavy price, only to still lose?!!!

At this moment, Dongyi suddenly felt that their entire life was an utter tragedy.

[‘I’m tired. Let it all burn.’]

Their legs gave out, and they sank to the ground, utterly dejected. Due to the flexibility of their new body, they instinctively adopted a very girlish ‘duck sit’ pose.

This sight evoked a pang of pity in Liuxia.

“Uh… don’t take it too hard,” she stepped forward and patted Dongyi’s shoulder, her tone gentle. “Chunsheng… he always does things beyond common sense. Even I often get startled by him. You… you’ll just slowly get used to it later.”

Her tone sounded as if she were comforting a fellow ‘victim’ in the same plight.

Dongyi rallied their spirits slightly. They stood up, shaking the Black Iron Card in their hand. Li Chunsheng understood, and took out his own card.

The two cards touched, and 160,000 Black Iron Coins were instantly transferred.

“Alright, we’re no longer indebted to each other…” Dongyi said weakly, turning to leave.

“Wait, how about leaving your phone number first?” Li Chunsheng grinned, blocking their way. “Who knows, I might need you again in the future?”

“No! Let’s never meet again!”

“Dongyi! Give me your phone number!” Li Chunsheng’s face suddenly turned cold, and he activated his Authority of Command.

“Damn it!” Dongyi’s body, against their will, rattled off a string of numbers.

This time, Li Chunsheng didn’t stop them, letting them leave.

“Phew… I feel so tired. Senior, let’s go too!” He let out a long breath, then very naturally reached out and took Liuxia’s small hand.

Without realizing it, Li Chunsheng could now perform such intimate gestures with Senior Liuxia so naturally.

“Mm, let’s go,” Liuxia smiled faintly, without the slightest hint of awkwardness on her face.

Both of them found this perfectly natural, as if they had reached an unspoken understanding.

The lingering glow of the sunset stretched their shadows long, scattering warm, broken gold across the ground.