Qin Dynasty: Ying Zheng is my brother, I am the Bad Commander

"You are right, sir. I was being presumptuous." Situ Wanli nodded repeatedly, his smile growing even brighter. "Then please make yourself at home, sir. If you see anything you like, just tell the servants in the hall, and I will give you the most satisfactory price. I will not disturb your enjoyment any longer. Farewell."

After speaking, Situ Wanli bowed respectfully once more before turning to leave and attend to other important guests.

After dismissing Situ Wanli, Ying Chen, along with Yan Fei and Jing Ni, began to wander around the spacious and noisy Qianlong Hall on their own.

The interior space of Qianlong Hall is extremely large and is divided into several different areas.

There is a medicinal herb area displaying various rare and exotic plants, an antique area displaying ancient bronzes and jade artifacts, and a weapons area with glints of swords and a chilling atmosphere.

Each booth was surrounded by customers haggling over prices, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

Although Yanfei said she wasn't interested in these mundane things, it was a woman's nature that made her gaze linger for a few more moments when she saw the exquisitely carved jade jewelry and the Western Region gemstones that shone with a strange luster.

Ying Chen keenly noticed the change in her eyes. If Yan Fei's gaze lingered on something for more than three seconds, he wouldn't even ask the price; he would simply wave his hand and have the servants of Qianlong Hall wrap it up.

"Why...why did you buy so many useless things?" Yan Fei frowned and asked, looking at the several large brocade boxes held by the servant behind her.

Although she was not short of money, Ying Chen's extravagant spending still made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"Money can't buy my happiness. Anything that can get my fiancée to glance at it is an honor for it." Ying Chen leaned closer to Yan Fei and chuckled, "What, feeling sorry for your husband's money?"

"Boring." Yan Fei's pretty face flushed slightly. She turned her head away and ignored him, but the corners of her tight lips seemed to lift up slightly imperceptibly.

Jing Ni remained quietly on Ying Chen's other side, her gaze like radar, constantly alert to all movements around her. She didn't even glance at the gold and silver jewelry.

For her, the only treasures in the world were the sword in her hand that could kill, and the man in front of her who had pulled her out of the abyss.

The three of them weaved through the bustling crowd.

Just then, Ying Chen's gaze inadvertently swept over a private room on the second floor of Qianlong Hall.

Through the half-open beaded curtain of the private room, he could vaguely see Han Fei, dressed in purple, sitting at a table, talking about something. On the table between the two of them was a seemingly ordinary wooden box.

A glint of light flashed in Ying Chen's eyes.

He knew that the wooden box contained the key clue that caused the 100,000 taels of gold to "disappear into thin air" in the rain – the Water Disappears Gold.

However, Ying Chen only glanced at it briefly before looking away, without getting involved.

Han Fei's predicament, the internal strife in Han, Ji Wuye's ambition, and even Wei Zhuang's test are nothing more than a few pieces vying for power in a corner of this grand chess game of chaos.

"What's wrong?" Yan Fei noticed the pause in Ying Chen's gaze and glanced in the direction he had been looking, but only saw the lowered beaded curtain.

"It's nothing, just two trapped beasts testing each other in their cages." Ying Chen chuckled and pulled Yan Fei along as they continued walking forward.

After passing through the antiques section, the three arrived at the relatively quiet weapons section.

Various swords, spears, and halberds are displayed here. Although there are many sharp weapons made of refined steel, in the eyes of true masters, these are nothing more than ordinary iron.

Ying Chen had no interest in these pieces of junk and was about to leave.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.

His gaze passed over several martial arts practitioners who were selecting weapons and landed on a display stand in the corner of the weapons section.

There were two people standing there.

One of them was a young swordsman who looked to be in his early twenties. He was dressed in a slightly worn, grayish-white swordsman's outfit, and his hair was casually tied back with a strip of cloth. He was holding a gourd of wine in his hand and was tilting his head back to drink.

Although the young man looked somewhat unkempt and even had the air of a down-on-his-luck drunkard, his upright posture and the sharp glint that occasionally flashed in his eyes while he was drinking made it impossible to ignore the free-spirited and unrestrained chivalrous air about him.

At his waist hung a long sword without a scabbard, wrapped only in coarse cloth.

Although the sword blade was not visible, Ying Chen's keen senses allowed him to faintly perceive the sharp sword energy hidden beneath the coarse cloth.

Beside the young swordsman was a woman dressed as a swordsman as well.

The woman was not very old, about seventeen or eighteen years old.

She wore a clean and neat light blue outfit that accentuated her youthful and graceful figure. Her long, black hair was tied up high with a jade hairpin, giving her a dashing and heroic appearance.

What is most striking is her exquisitely beautiful face.

Her skin was as white as snow, and her features were delicate and refined. In particular, her large eyes were as clear and bright as autumn water, revealing an innocent and lively quality that seemed to purify all the filth in the world.

At this moment, the exquisite woman was pointing at a short sword inlaid with several gems on the display stand, tugging at the young swordsman's sleeve, as if pleading for something.

The young swordsman, however, rubbed his empty money pouch with a wry smile and kept shaking his head.

Upon seeing these two, a complex light flashed in Ying Chen's eyes, a mixture of surprise, amusement, and a barely perceptible hint of anticipation.

"Interesting, I didn't expect to run into them here." Ying Chen's lips curled up slightly as he muttered to himself.

"Do you know them?" Yan Fei followed Ying Chen's gaze and also noticed the couple.

With her discerning eye, she could naturally tell that the young swordsman was quite skilled, while the woman, though of average martial arts ability, possessed exceptional beauty and temperament.

"We don't know each other yet, but we'll get to know each other soon."

Ying Chen released his grip on Jing Ni's hand, holding only Yan Fei's hand, and walked straight towards that corner.

Jing Ni followed silently behind.

As Ying Chen approached, he overheard the conversation between the man and woman.

"Senior brother, this short sword is so beautiful, and the blade is so sharp, it's perfect for me. Please buy it for me!" The woman in green shook the young swordsman's arm, pouting and pleading.

The young swordsman took a swig of wine, his face contorted with worry. "Junior sister," he said, "it's not that I don't want to buy it for you. Look at the price tag—fifty taels of gold! Even if I sold myself, I wouldn't be worth that much. We didn't have much money for this trip, and I already spent my last bit of silver on this fine wine the other day. How about... we look at something else?"

"Hmph! You're just a drunkard! What else can you do besides drinking?" The woman in green angrily shook off his arm and turned her head away. Although she complained, there wasn't much real anger in her clear eyes. She just looked at the short sword with a hint of regret.

"Cough cough..."