The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

The street near the city gate had always been crowded with street vendors. The loud shouts of a few burly men instantly drew what was a small gathering into a crowd several layers deep.

"You little brat, are you looking for a beating? That's our merchandise. What do you think you're doing, clinging to it and not letting go?"

The little girl, who looked like a beggar, shook her head and sobbed, "But it's already dead! It's dead!"

Chen Dong pieced together what happened from the crowd's discussion.

The wolf cub was the burly men's merchandise. It had suddenly bitten one of them and tried to escape, only to be clubbed to death with a wooden stick. Now, the little girl was clutching its body, refusing to give it back.

The man who had been bitten roared, "Even dead, we can sell the meat, and its fur is worth some silver! Don't think we won't get rough with you just because you're a little girl!"

The onlookers chimed in as well. "Just give it back, little girl. It's not yours to begin with!"

"That's right!"

"You look like a beggar, but they still need that to sell. What right do you have to just snatch it?"

"Where's your family, little girl?"

The crowd murmured all sorts of things, but no one wanted to see the little girl get beaten up by the burly men.

Just then, the little girl shoved someone aside and tried to run for it, but one of the burly men grabbed her by the neck.

"You're really asking for it!" he said, reaching to snatch the wolf from her arms.

"Stop! I'll buy the wolf," Chen Dong called out, cutting them off.

The crowd turned at the sound of his voice. Seeing Chen Dong dressed in the robes of the Cyan Sky Sect, they quickly parted to make a path for him.

One of the burly men asked respectfully, "Master Cultivator, how much silver are you offering?"

Chen Dong casually took out a Low-Grade Spirit Stone and tossed it to the man. It was far more valuable than silver.

An Earth Rock Wolf cub was only worth two or three Spirit Stones. As an adult, the demon beast was only a first-tier creature, equivalent to the Qi Cultivation Stage, so it had little value as a tameable beast. A dead cub was worth even less—no more than a few pieces of silver. So, when Chen Dong tossed them a Low-Grade Spirit Stone, the burly men were naturally ecstatic.

The man holding the girl immediately released her and bowed repeatedly to Chen Dong.

Seeing a Cultivator from the Cyan Sky Sect handle the matter, the crowd quickly dispersed.

When Chen Dong turned around, the girl had vanished. But no matter how fast she ran, she couldn't escape the range of his Divine Sense, which was as powerful as a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator's.

Chen Dong followed leisurely.

In a remote corner by the city wall, in a spot so overgrown with thickets that even the city guards didn't patrol it, the little girl clutched the dead wolf cub and ducked into the brush.

She gently placed the wolf cub on the ground. She then went back and rearranged the bushes, erasing any trace of her entry. Returning to the cub's side, she closed her eyes and extended her senses, confirming no one was nearby. Then, she placed her small hands over the cub's wounds. A pure radiance flowed from her palms, and the little wolf's injuries began to heal at a visible rate.

After a few breaths, the once-dead cub stirred, its life restored. It opened its eyes, about to let out a happy yelp, when the girl placed a finger to her lips. The little wolf, surprisingly, understood instantly and clamped a paw over its own mouth.

The little girl smiled in relief at the sight... but her smile faltered, giving way to a wave of sadness as large teardrops began to fall from her eyes.

Seeing this, the cub instinctively moved closer, licking away her tears as if to comfort her.

The little girl shook her head slightly, pulled the cub into an embrace, and stroked its fur with a forlorn expression.

Chen Dong was reluctant to interrupt such a tender and beautiful moment. But this girl was clearly no ordinary person. At first, his Great Divination Art had only given him a faint clue—a subtle glow on her that others lacked. But paying a little more attention had led him to witness this incredible scene.

AHEM! Standing outside the thicket, Chen Dong coughed softly twice.

The sound made the little girl's face turn deathly pale. 'That's too close. That's not the sound of a random passerby.' She knew she'd been discovered. 'I just arrived in Lexian City... I suppose this is my fate!'

Abandoning any hope, the little girl crawled out of the thicket and stared coldly at the figure in blue robes. 'Why isn't he attacking? Why hasn't he signaled for backup? Does he want to capture me alive for some great merit?'

'To get this close without me noticing, his Divine Sense must be stronger than mine. That means he has to be at least at the Nascent Soul Stage.'

'I don't know why he's wearing the robes of a Cyan Sky Sect Inner Sect disciple when his cultivation only seems to be at the Foundation Establishment Peak... but that Divine Sense can't be faked. I can't afford to make a move. We're inside Lexian City. If I alert the humans, I'll have zero chance of escape.'

Neither of them spoke for a moment. Only the cub in the girl's arms bared its fangs at Chen Dong.

Chen Dong finally broke the silence with a sigh. "Who are you?" he asked slowly.

The girl's brow furrowed. 'Does he not recognize me? Right, I'm disguised as a little girl right now.' She secretly gathered power in her fingertips. 'If I could kill him instantly, maybe I'd have a chance to escape. I don't want to kill anyone, but I can't even imagine what would happen to me if I fell into the hands of the Human Race.'

'Better to die fighting than be captured alive!'

Chen Dong's left eye began to glow, his tone turning chilly. "Are you planning to make a move?"

The girl saw the strange light in his left eye. She couldn't find a single opening.

"What is it you want? If you expect me to surrender without a fight, that's impossible!"

Chen Dong's eyes narrowed. "Demon Race?"

Her face filled with hatred. "You're asking a question you already know the answer to!"