Chapter Nine, the wealthy son of the Pei family.

Who can control matters of budding romance?

Damn it, we must never allow this ruthless and money-loving young girl to corrupt the honest and simple young master

Dare to threaten her? Hmph, if I don't make you cry out for your father and mother, I won't bear the surname Wu

She shot a glare at the brat with annoyance, just as she was about to say a few words to reprimand him, a harsh voice came from behind her

It was better not to mention pearls; once they were mentioned, Ling Bo immediately thought of the time when Pei Yuan had knocked her down and had once been willing to offer pearls as an apology. A vein throbbed on her forehead. Without waiting for the dazed boy beside her to respond, she turned her head and asked, "Hey, take out the pearls and let me have a look, don’t let anyone deceive you!"

With this introduction, Ling Bo immediately understood the identities of the three individuals, and thus gave Pei Yuan a big smile. The young man with a dark complexion was Luo Qige; the one who had once scolded him was Zhang Fang, Luo Wuge; and the remaining one, who was particularly burly, was Zhang Erge. This distinction made it quite easy to remember.

She was happy, but the other three could not share in her joy. Pei Yuan, the dull young master, seemed to be oblivious to everything, yet this time he was unusually warm towards a girl of unknown origin. What could this signify? Luo Wu even imagined the furious expression of his master, and he couldn't help but let out a sigh.

Since he could remember, he had grown up in Tingzhou, surrounded by vast grasslands and countless tents of foreign herdsmen. As a child, when he accompanied his father outside, he had seen herdsmen and women, deeply in love, rolling on the grasslands. He had once curiously asked his father about it, only to receive a stern reprimand, stating that this was a wild coupling, unacceptable to the heavens and parents. Thus, this early lesson extinguished any faint thoughts he had begun to develop about the opposite sex.

By the time Ling Bo realized what had happened, the person behind her had already vanished without a trace. However, even though she did not catch the person, she could ascertain that the voice undoubtedly belonged to a certain dark-faced man. Repeating that sentence with great interest, she immediately revealed a sly smile.

Although my young master is wealthy, do not even think about having designs on him

The shopkeeper, being an old hand in the business, would not be easily intimidated by such a conversation. Just as he was about to retort with a sarcastic remark, he noticed Ling Bo waving something in his left hand. Upon seeing the emblem on it, which he had encountered a few times before, he realized it belonged to someone he absolutely could not offend. Instantly, he was taken aback, his eyes darting as he quickly apologized, producing a bag of genuine high-quality He Pu South pearls, along with two spinning beads as a gesture of goodwill. With a beaming smile, he then escorted the person out the door.

Ling Bo interrupted Pei Yuan's question with a smile and asked in return, "Little Pei, are they your family?"

Pei Yuan, upon hearing that explanation, couldn't help but be taken aback, and turned to Ling Bo to ask, "Xiao Ling..."

After a few words, not only was Pei Yuan rendered speechless, but the three individuals on the other side were also left dumbfounded. They had already found this seemingly extraordinary young lady from a wealthy family quite remarkable, and now she even understood these tricks. Could it be that anyone one encounters in Luoyang is a master? With no counterarguments to offer, and considering the considerable expense of this bag of pearls, the three of them had no choice but to follow Ling Bo back to the shop where Pei Yuan had purchased the pearls, preparing to assist the young master in cleaning up the mess once again.

At the moment of parting, Pei Yuan originally intended to inform about the inn where he was staying, but was stopped by Luo Wuyi. He could only agree to meet the next day, which was the evening of the Lantern Festival, at the gate near Yongtai Fang in the South City at the hour of the dog, and then he left reluctantly. Ling Bo stood in place, staring at that figure for a while, and suddenly burst into laughter. She turned around and had not taken a few steps when, unexpectedly, a gust of wind suddenly came from behind her. Just as she was about to dodge, she realized that something sharp had struck her from above, followed by a hard voice ringing in her ears.

While walking, he accidentally stepped on the foot of a certain young lady, and he immediately offered a jade pendant worth at least ten thousand coins as compensation. When he encountered a wealthy young lady riding through the streets, he was so bewildered that he did not know to avoid her, nearly receiving a whip from her family's servant. As for giving extra money to the women in business when purchasing items, that was even less significant, as it happened every few days—this does not even account for the day he carelessly ran into the street just before curfew, almost colliding with a galloping horse.

After receiving Pei Yuan's affirmative response, she began to scrutinize the three individuals with great interest. The dark-faced fellow was clearly not a good person, being lecherous and talkative, as one could easily tell. The one who had started cursing seemed to be some sort of strategist, though he likely had some skills. The other, broad-shouldered and robust, appeared to be a bodyguard; his demeanor suggested he was quite solid and somewhat taciturn.

Seeing her friend, whom she had just met, standing there with a curious expression, Pei Yuan quickly walked over and introduced each of the three men, saying: "This is Brother Luo Wu, the steward of my family. This is Brother Luo Qi, the manager responsible for purchases. This is Brother Zhang Er, who has been protecting me all along."

Xiao Ling, why did you let that thief go just now? I noticed the calluses on his hands; he is definitely an experienced criminal. If such a thief is allowed to go free, won't he become a menace to others?

Young Master, that unfortunate little thief will probably never be able to harm others again in this lifetime! This young lady is far more ruthless than you; with just a single instigation from her, those onlookers not only divided up everything he had stolen, but after a good beating, it remains uncertain whether he will even survive!

His mind was filled with chaotic thoughts, completely oblivious to the fact that Ling Bo in front had suddenly stopped. He continued to rush forward recklessly until a frantic shout reached his ears, prompting him to halt. Turning around, he saw the irritated face behind him, and he felt embarrassed, scratching his head. Then, he recalled what had just happened.

Seeing that the young master was still gazing at others, Luo Wu could no longer contain his impatience and gently cleared his throat: "Young master, weren't you supposed to go to the South Market to buy pearls today? It's getting late, and we have already completed our business. Why don't we hurry back to the inn to check the quality of the items?"

After this journey, Pei Yuan certainly regarded Ling Bo as a divine being, and Zhang Er, Luo Wu, and Qi San also looked at him with newfound respect in their hearts, though more than anything, they were on high alert. They had come to Luoyang on an important mission, and if their identities were to be revealed, it would lead to significant trouble

Needless to say, the three pursuers have already caught up, and it is the young man with the black face who is speaking. Although this stretch of road is not long, the pursuit rather than a simple escape has caused him to wind through various paths to get here, leaving him somewhat breathless despite his good stamina. It is one thing for his young master to have good endurance, but who would have thought that this seemingly delicate young girl could run so fast as well. After finishing his words, he noticed that she was looking at him with a calm expression, her face unchanged and her heart steady, which made his right hand ache faintly.

It is said that people need fine clothes and Buddhas need gold adornments. Even in the city of Luoyang, which is home to the imperial palace, there are still those who take advantage of the locals under the emperor's feet to bully outsiders. Therefore, at the beginning, the shopkeeper completely denied the claim, adamantly refusing to acknowledge that the beads were sold from his establishment, and he nearly threatened to report to the authorities that Pei Yuan was making false accusations. In this situation, the honest Pei Yuan certainly turned red in the face, while his three companions were even more furious.

After the recent commotion in the southern city, Ling Bo was utterly at a loss on how to assess the individual before him. If one were to say Pei Yuan was honest, his indignant demeanor while apprehending the thief did not seem to support that claim; yet if one were to assert he was clever, he would occasionally stubbornly cling to his own reasoning. How could there be such a peculiar person in the world

Being pulled around by a woman was still a first experience for Pei Yuan, akin to a young girl being carried to the bridal sedan chair

Is this your first time buying pearls? Ling Bo took out a pearl from the bag, looked at it under the sunlight, and shot a displeased glance at Pei Yuan. "Not only do you look at the size of the pearls, but you also consider their color, weight, and luster. This bag of pearls is indeed large, but unfortunately, they are all of inferior quality. Since you are new to Luoyang, how would you know where the best pearls are sold in the South Market?"

If it were not for the three family members accompanying him to Luoyang who happened to go out to visit guests today, he would never have had the opportunity to take on the task of buying pearls, nor would he have accidentally bumped into the little Ling who was running towards him.

Before the three "loyal" servants had a chance to object, Pei Yuan unhesitatingly took out the pouch containing the pearls from his bosom and handed it to Ling Bo, while saying: "That person also claimed these are pearls from Hepu, and since they are quite large, I spent a full two hundred guan to purchase them"

I said to the shopkeeper, I see the golden sign hanging outside, your establishment is indeed a time-honored brand. If word gets out that you are passing off inferior goods as fine ones, I fear your reputation will be ruined. Ling Bo casually tossed the silk pouch in her hand, her expression seemingly indifferent. My cousin may be an outsider, but my family has a long-standing reputation in Luoyang. The granddaughter-in-law of Mr. Zhang is my cousin, and the palace maid beside Empress Wei is my distant aunt. If I were to mention this to them, you would no longer need to keep your shop open.

Afterward, whether it was reading, recognizing characters, or learning archery and horsemanship, he had never come into contact with any girls of the same age. Upon entering the city of Chang'an and witnessing the charming atmosphere that his father had deliberately concealed, he suddenly became utterly bewildered