Chapter 137: What a masterful honey trap!

Noticing the shopkeeper’s frequent glances, Yan Shu grew restless. She took out the Mystic Mirror to contact Xiao Jihan.

Sigh, just over an hour ago, she had sworn that exchanging Mystic Mirrors between them was unnecessary, only to be immediately proven wrong.

Soon, Xiao Jihan answered, though his expression was far from pleasant.

Before Yan Shu could speak, he said first, “Wait here a moment. I’ll be back soon.”

Then the Mystic Mirror went dark, cutting off the connection.

Yan Shu frowned slightly, thinking she had just heard a scream.

Could it be that Xiao Jihan got into a fight with mortals on his very first day descending the mountain?

One must know, the male lead is actually someone who disregards rules entirely. He only follows his own moral code. The only respect he shows for the cultivation world's rules is this: as long as he conceals his identity, no one knows it’s him causing trouble, so he hasn’t broken any rules.

Yes, this is the male lead’s logic.

Just as she pondered this, Xiao Jihan returned. His face was as usual, and he offered no explanation for his late return. After paying, he took her away.

Yan Shu noticed that although his expression was normal, his aura was low and heavy, clearly showing his bad mood.

Curious, Yan Shu asked, “What happened? Did something occur when you were exchanging the silver?”

At these words, Xiao Jihan’s face darkened immediately. He glanced at her coldly and said, “It’s time for Xuantian City to have a new city lord.”

Hearing this, Yan Shu’s curiosity deepened. “What exactly happened?”

Xiao Jihan didn’t answer right away but said, “It’s inconvenient to talk here. Let’s find an inn and discuss it in detail.”

It was already late morning, and the bustling street wasn’t a good place for conversation. They also needed a place to stay, so they found what looked like a decent inn and checked in.

However, something unexpected happened during check-in.

Yan Shu assumed they would get two rooms as agreed, but Xiao Jihan only requested one. When she tried to suggest sending a message, he whispered, “This is all the silver we have left.”

Hearing that, Yan Shu was stunned. Could there really be someone who could trick the male lead?

The male lead was famously shrewd, always thinking ten steps ahead, a master strategist. How could he fall into such a trap?

Had he never faced the ordeal of slaying his master? Had he never been hunted? Had his intelligence never truly matured?

While she was still shocked, Xiao Jihan finished the check-in and even registered them under the title of a Thunder Gate Taoist couple.

And so, without fully realizing it, Yan Shu went from immortal maiden to wife.

Yan Shu: …

Just tell me, how did a little distraction suddenly turn into having a husband?

Suddenly, Yan Shu realized something was amiss. She thought carefully about how her boundaries had been gradually crossed.

First, in Medicine King Valley, due to room constraints, she had to share a space with Xiao Jihan for meditation—a reasonable arrangement.

Then there was a bed. Waking up to find they shared the same bed wasn’t a big deal; it was just lying down instead of sitting.

And they only shared the bed once every ten days, each occupying one side, so it wasn’t much different from usual.

Next came eating and sleeping together at Xuantian Sect, and now, they had the official status of Taoist partners.

She felt a headache coming on. It wasn’t that she was too carefree or lacked restraint. It was that every step forward was just the right amount.

From sharing a room for cultivation to occasionally resting on the same bed, from three people in Medicine King Valley to just the two of them on the Supreme Peak, and now, because of silver, they had a name for it.

Could she be blamed?

She was innocent.

Absolutely not because the male lead was handsome!

Absolutely not because sleeping together was comfortable!

Absolutely not because having a handsome man by her side put others at a disadvantage!

Absolutely not!!

Feeling justified, Yan Shu entered the room and watched as Xiao Jihan dismissed the innkeeper, replaced the bed with a red silk canopy bed, and then cleansed the room with a Dust Removal Technique.

Yan Shu wondered why he was so attached to that red silk canopy bed. Would he carry it wherever he went from now on?

After finishing, Xiao Jihan took out a tea set from his miniature pouch and a pot of spiritual spring water he had somehow prepared earlier. He warmed the water with his spiritual power, poured two cups, and finally spoke slowly: “I was deceived.”

“Ah? You really were tricked?” Yan Shu asked in surprise. “How did it happen?”

Xiao Jihan’s cold eyes darkened as he recounted the events in a low voice.

Aside from the incident in Fantian City, this was his first time wandering the mortal realm.

After leaving the early tea shop, he casually asked someone where the exchange shop was. The person not only told him but warmly offered to lead him there.

Xiao Jihan sensed something was off but refused. The man said, “Immortal, you might not know, but we mortals have a saying: ‘Rely on the mountain to eat the mountain; rely on the water to eat the water.’ The people of Xuantian City rely on Xuantian Sect, so naturally, they eat the immortal’s rice. If I take you there, the exchange shop will give me a small introduction fee.”

At that time, Xiao Jihan was still a naive child inexperienced in the world. The man’s sincerity seemed genuine, and it didn’t affect him, so he trusted him and followed him to an exchange shop.

Upon entering, as the man had said, the shop gave him two silver ingots, and the man happily left.

Everything seemed fine. Xiao Jihan inquired about the exchange rate and handed over the spiritual stones to the shopkeeper.

Hearing this, Yan Shu was surprised: “You… just gave it to them?”

Xiao Jihan’s face darkened even more, and with a serious expression, he countered, “When buying something, shouldn’t you pay first?”

Uh…

That made sense.

Yan Shu asked, “And then? They took the spiritual stones but didn’t pay?”

Xiao Jihan’s face turned even darker. “They counted the stones in front of me, then told me they didn’t have that much silver and asked me to wait. Then they went to fetch the silver.”

Yan Shu sensed something was off and asked, “What about the spiritual stones?”

“They were still on the table,” Xiao Jihan glanced at her with a somewhat muffled and frustrated tone. “But those were no longer the original stones.”

A perfect immortal con!

Just like in her previous life, watching anti-fraud videos on television. One showed a cashier counting money before the customer’s eyes, but the amount kept shrinking so fast it was impossible to see with the naked eye.

Although Xiao Jihan was a cultivator, these people lived off such tricks and naturally had their skills.

Yan Shu asked worriedly, “So… how much silver do we have left now?”