Chapter 8: Three More Years Until Marriage
1104 Words
The bartender followed the man’s gaze, casting a quick look before turning back, his interest waning. “Yeah, she’s pretty young.”
"She’s not that young," Fu Yunshen chuckled lightly, his tone lazy. "Three more years, and she’ll be of legal marriage age."
The bartender, taken aback by the comment, didn’t know how to respond. Instead, he lowered his voice, his expression turning more serious. “You should be careful, though. You’ve been marked for bounty.”
“Hmm?” Fu Yunshen raised an eyebrow, clearly unfazed. “How much are we talking?”
“SS-level bounty. Ten billion dollars. It’s currently the seventh highest on the list,” the bartender said, eyeing him. "At least ten hunters on the most-wanted list have accepted the bounty. You must realize just how hated you are now, right?"
Being in the top ten of the bounty list meant you were a target for everyone—kill you or lose the chance to make a fortune.
Fu Yunshen’s eyes glinted with amusement as he smirked. “Well, they still have to find me first.”
The bartender conceded, nodding. “IBI can’t even track you. Your ability to hide is probably second only to the person at number one.”
IBI, short for the International Bureau of Investigation, was the top global law enforcement agency.
“That’s not even worth comparing,” Fu Yunshen replied casually. “The number one spot has been held by the same person for years. I’ve only just made it onto the list.”
The bounty on the person at number one was so astronomical that even if you added the sums for the next nine spots, it wouldn’t match. It was enough to rival the GDP of a small nation in Ozhou, and yet no one had dared take it on. It was almost as if that person couldn’t be found at all.
“I really wonder, though, who this so-called ‘Divine Calculator’ is,” the bartender mused, shaking his head. “How could someone be more hated than you?”
Unlike other bounty targets, the person at number one had left no trace—no information at all. The title "Divine Calculator" seemed too brazen, almost absurd. Even the ancient shamans and witches of Ozhou had never dared call themselves "divine," and the modern fortune tellers weren’t much better—mostly charlatans.
Fu Yunshen’s eyes curved into a playful smile. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
The bartender leaned in, speaking low, “I’m just saying, you’re already hated enough. Ten billion bucks is a lot of money. That could buy you an island. And you know, those hunters on the list? They’re crazy.”
Fu Yunshen’s smirk grew as he got up and slipped on his coat, a devil-may-care attitude in his movement. “Don’t drink too much. It’s bad for your health.”
The underground market didn’t require any identification to enter. It was a lawless zone, and everyone had something to hide. The sides of the streets were lined with shops, each one more eccentric than the last, and the architecture varied as widely as the goods on display. Some buildings were designed in ancient Roman, Gothic, or Baroque styles from Ozhou, while others mimicked classic Chinese garden architecture.
Ying Zicheng’s eyes swept across the market, her gaze catching on several shops bearing signs that read “Fortune Telling.” There must have been at least a dozen of these types of stores, but only one gave off a faint aura of energy.
Tarot cards, originating from Ozhou, had once been immensely popular in the Middle Ages. She had dabbled with them herself, but the origin of the cards remained a mystery. True tarot decks were rare, and most available ones were nothing more than useless scraps of paper.
Perhaps she should find a real deck before her abilities fully returned.
Adjusting her mask, she moved through the crowd, her mind sharp as she scanned the items around her. In the bustling market, there were many street vendors selling broken antiques—most of them were fakes, though a few hoped to catch someone eager for a deal.
Within just a few seconds, she had examined over a hundred items. Unsurprisingly, every single one was a counterfeit.
It wasn’t until half an hour later that her eyes finally landed on what she’d been searching for. It was a small, almost insignificant ancient coin, tucked between several Qing dynasty porcelain items.
The coin was badly worn, dirtied with mud, and at first glance, it looked like something handmade. But as she crouched down and examined it more closely, her eyes sharpened, and she immediately calculated its origin and value.
A Qin silver half-tael coin, minted in 339 BCE during the Warring States period.
At over two thousand years old, its value exceeded five million yuan.
She squatted down, glancing at the coin before shifting her attention to a stone bowl beside it. “How much for this one?”
The vendor, a young man, gave her a dismissive glance, clearly not impressed by her appearance. “Five hundred for the bowl,” he said, his tone dripping with condescension.
Ying Zicheng turned her gaze toward the coin again. “And this?”
“Take it, take it,” he said, waving her off impatiently. “Just take it and leave. Don’t mess up my business.”
He was eager to get rid of her, clearly more interested in scamming richer customers. But she wasn’t leaving empty-handed.
She set five hundred yuan on the counter without hesitation, picking up both the bowl and the coin. As her fingers grazed the coin’s surface, she felt a sudden surge of clarity. Her mind clicked, confirming what she’d already suspected.
At that moment, the vendor scoffed loudly. “Poor thing. No taste at all, thinking you’ve struck gold.”
Nearby, another stall owner overheard and shook his head. “Don’t be so blunt. She’s still got some dignity.”
“Dignity?” The young vendor laughed. “These poor souls have no idea what they’re doing. What’s worse, they’re everywhere now. Some people think they’ve found treasure, but it’s all fake.”
He sneered again, dismissively eyeing her. “This bowl? I got it for five bucks off a site called ‘Taobao.’ The coin’s just a thing I picked up in the park. Worthless.”
Yet, for all his mockery, it didn’t matter. Ying Zicheng knew exactly what she had. She was just playing the game for now, until the time came when she'd reveal her true abilities.
- Writer
