The protagonist committed numerous evil deeds.

Chapter 38: A new character has appeared!

Once their injuries had healed, Wen Li and the others set off without delay. However, as soon as they left the Jiang residence, the government confiscated everything, including the remaining money inside.

Flying on a sword is a tiring activity that consumes both spiritual energy and physical strength. Standing on the sword for a whole day or being exposed to the wind for a whole day is truly unbearable.

"Why don't we stop and rest at that little shop up ahead?" Wen Mingzhu suggested.

Zhao Sicheng nodded immediately. He was the only son in his family, and his father protected him very well, so he had never suffered much hardship.

Wen Li wasn't actually tired; after all, their Xuanling Sect had time limits for missions, and she'd even flown for three days and three nights straight before. Shen Yingsi and Xie Xiao clearly didn't consider this distance a big deal either. Since no one said anything, they stopped at the small shop.

It couldn't really be called a small shop; it was just a tea stall set up by the roadside. The tea wasn't very good, but it wasn't cheap. There weren't many people at the tea stall; besides the five of them, there were only two or three other customers.

Wen Li first took out the Second Master's bowl, poured water, and watched him start drinking before preparing to go to the tea stall. As soon as she turned around, she found Shen Yingsi standing behind her, not having left. Behind Shen Yingsi, Wen Mingzhu and Xie Xiao were waiting expectantly for him, while Zhao Sicheng waited for Wen Mingzhu with a mournful expression behind them.

Wen Li was puzzled. She was just feeding a dog, and so many people were waiting for her. She was really flattered.

There was a table and two benches. After taking their seats, Shen Yingsi sat next to Wen Li, with Xie Xiao, who had successfully snatched a seat from Wen Mingzhu, beside him. Wen Mingzhu and Zhao Sicheng sat opposite them.

The scalding hot tea was steaming, with tea leaves floating on the green water, and a small pebble mixed in.

Wen Li took out the pebble, took a sip of tea, and felt her stomach warm up as the scalding tea entered her mouth, as if the chill of the day had been blown away. She blew on it contentedly and drank a few more sips.

"It tastes so good!" Wen Li thought happily.

"Pah! What kind of tea is this?! It tastes awful!"

Wen Mingzhu took a sip and couldn't help but spit it out, which drew the boss's sidelong glance.

Zhao Sicheng, standing to the side, also looked troubled: "Boss! What's going on here? There are pebbles in here!"

Wen Li awkwardly put down her teacup, but when she looked to the side, Shen Yingsi was still drinking without changing his expression.

The boss, a burly man in his thirties, walked over with an extremely impatient expression, a white handkerchief draped over his shoulder.

Before Zhao Sicheng could speak, the shopkeeper launched his attack: "Gentlemen, can you tell where this is? It's the middle of nowhere, with no shops or villages in sight. All we see are travelers who have been traveling for days on horseback. We're lucky to even have a drink of water. You can choose whatever you like."

“But this price is so high, you have to guarantee it’s at least clean,” Wen Mingzhu said, pointing to the pebbles in Zhao Sicheng’s bowl.

"Hey, you know what, my prices are actually reasonable. I walk this far every day to open this shop, do you think I'm just sitting around doing nothing? If you're so capable, go eat at another restaurant!"

The boss glanced at them, and as he walked back, he kicked the chair next to him hard, saying deliberately, "It's tiring enough to come all this way to open a shop every day, and now I have to deal with you young masters and ladies too."

Zhao Sicheng and Wen Mingzhu were so angry that their cheeks turned red. Wen Li comforted the boss with schadenfreude: "Brother, you really have it tough. You might even encounter monsters in this desolate wilderness. Now that I think about it, your price is actually too low."

"That's right!" Those words really hit the nail on the head for the boss.

If he couldn't support his five children by working in town, he could certainly earn more here, but it would be like earning money on a knife's edge. If he were to encounter a monster one day, he could die and no one would even know.

"Xie Xiao, give the boss an extra five taels of silver. Once all the guests have left, go home and reunite with your family as soon as possible," Shen Yingsi's voice came from behind the mask.

"Okay, Fourth Brother."

Everyone present marveled at Shen Yingsi's kindness, but Wen Li secretly shook her head, thinking he was just putting on an act. In fact, Shen Yingsi was indeed faking it; he was completely unable to empathize with the suffering of others.

The boss, who had been feeling melancholic, immediately beamed with joy and accepted the gift with both hands: "You gentlemen are truly compassionate and merciful, like bodhisattvas incarnate! I don't know how grateful I can be to you."

As he spoke, he picked up their teacups and said, "There are pebbles in them, right? I'll get you a new cup right away."

Watching her boss's eager back, Wen Li couldn't help but sigh, "It's so good to be rich. Luckily, I'm a hidden rich woman now."

"Wait a minute, take this and soak it."

As she spoke, Wen Mingzhu took out a packet of fine Longjing tea from her Qiankun bag: "This was given to me by my father. I thought that since my fourth brother likes it, I brought it along as well."

Then, changing the subject, she looked at Wen Li and said, "Sister, you probably haven't tasted such fine tea before."

Seeing Wen Mingzhu's provocative expression, Wen Li replied, "I've never drunk it. I usually use it for foot baths."

After saying that, he gave Wen Mingzhu a fake smile.

"Is that so?" Wen Mingzhu looked naive, but clearly didn't believe it.

"With her poor, stingy appearance, she still soaks her feet," Zhao Sicheng mocked.

Si Xiaxia couldn't help but complain that the female lead and the second male lead were getting more and more annoying. She decided that from now on, she would stop treating Wen Mingzhu as her daughter. After all, her current host was a vicious female supporting character.

If Zhao Sicheng had said that in the past, Wen Li would have fought with him long ago. But things are different now. She is truly wealthy now, and thinking about the money in her spatial storage, Wen Li feels a secret joy, as if she is the only one who is sober in a world of fools.

Wen Li scoffed at Zhao Sicheng, suppressing the urge to smile.

Looking at Wen Li's suppressed laughter, Zhao Sicheng wondered if she had gone mad.

When the tea was served, Wen Li resolutely refused to drink another drop. After all, from now on, this kind of tea was only fit for her to soak her feet.

Strangely, Shen Yingsi didn't touch the tea in front of him.

Wen Mingzhu asked, "Fourth brother, aren't you going to drink tea?"

Wen Li didn't know what Shen Yingsi's expression was like behind his mask, but she clearly heard his apologetic voice.

"This tea is indeed used in my palace for servants to soak their feet."

Wen Mingzhu and the others looked grim. Zhao Sicheng swallowed the tea in his mouth and almost started cursing, disregarding the proper distinction between ruler and subject.

Xie Xiao was completely surprised. He had been by His Highness's side for so long, how could he not know?

Before she finished her tea, Wen Li felt a gaze on her. Turning around, she saw a woman in her fifties sitting in the seat behind her.

The woman had a long, stern, even somewhat harsh face. Her face was thin and wrinkled, making her jawline appear high. Most striking was a scar that ran from her left eyebrow down to below her right cheek—quite alarming. Her face was weary and weathered, except for her long, narrow, and shrewd eyes, which seemed unusually bright.

When the woman saw Wen Li turn around, she didn't look away but instead smiled at her.

Wen Li felt strange and then awkwardly looked away.

"That woman looks terrifying! And she was peeking at us." Wen Mingzhu also noticed the woman over there.

Zhao Sicheng quickly reassured her, "Don't be afraid, I'll hit her if she dares to come any closer!"

"Have some tea, and leave as soon as you're done," Shen Yingsi said.

Hearing him say that, Wen Mingzhu didn't say anything more.

After Wen Li and the others left, the woman remained in a daze for a long time until the boss urged her to come back to her senses.

The woman placed the money on the table, got up and left, muttering, "It really looks like it."