Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Little Lady~

Wrong.

Something was very, very wrong.

Shen Tang couldn’t stop looking around. She even rubbed her eyes once, as if that would fix the world.

When the scene stayed the same, she turned to Qi Shan. “Yuan Liang… we didn’t come to the wrong place, did we?

Did we stumble into some strange illusion? Or cross some kind of portal? It’s not right. None of this is right…” She twisted back toward the gate they’d entered through.

The line outside was endless, slowly creeping forward.

Those commoners were mostly in rags, exhausted and hollow-eyed. But the commoners inside the city looked well-fed and rosy, their clothes clean and decent.

The contrast was so grotesque it made her doubt her own sanity.

Qi Shan’s expression didn’t change. “What’s not right?”

Shen Tang stabbed a finger toward the gate. “Look outside. Then look inside. How is any of that right?”

After days of ruin and desolation, Xiao City’s bustle felt like a lie.

And yet the boundary between hell and comfort was just a wall and a moat.

Qi Shan lowered his eyes. A faint sneer tugged at his mouth, like he’d seen this too many times to bother reacting. “Young Master Shen, you need to travel more. See more. Then you won’t be surprised.”

Shen Tang scowled. “You’re calling me jumpy?”

“That’s exactly what I mean.”

Shen Tang’s jaw tightened. She had the sudden, constant urge to crack open this man’s skull and see what was rattling around inside.

Passing a tavern, Qi Shan pointed to a spot beside the entrance. “Young Master Shen, wait here. I’m going to ask about something. I’ll be back in about two hours.

Stay here. Don’t wander.”

“Ask about something?” Shen Tang snorted. “Looking for your debtor?”

Qi Shan didn’t answer directly.

Shen Tang waved him off. “Fine, go. Go early, come back early. We still need somewhere to sleep tonight, and I’m not sleeping on the street or under a bridge.”

Qi Shan stared at her for a moment, whatever complicated fire had been burning behind his eyes sputtering out under her bluntness. He let out a long sigh.

“Mm,” he said, sounding tired. “And you—don’t wander.”

After he left, Shen Tang waited a little, then turned and rented a small stool from the tavernkeeper. Moto lowered itself obediently beside her.

About a quarter-hour later, a voice came from above her—carefully polite, forcedly dignified.

“How should this little lady be addressed?”

Shen Tang looked up.

A middle-aged man stood there, a bit too well-fed, his features coarse. His eyes fixed on her in a way that made her skin itch.

She pointed at herself. “Me?”

After nearly a month in this body, someone had finally gotten her gender right.

Those commoners before? Every last one of them had been led straight into a ditch by Qi Shan.

What a sin, Qi Yuan Liang.

The man smiled and leaned closer. “Yes, yes.”

Shen Tang was pretty—handsome enough that, even at just over ten, you could already see what she’d become in another year or two. Fair skin, clean aura. Her clothes weren’t expensive, though, so she probably wasn’t from a truly wealthy house.

And the way she stared at everything with open curiosity made her look like a fresh, inexperienced child.

Easy to fool.

The man had noticed Shen Tang and Qi Shan the moment they arrived. At first, he hadn’t dared think too much—because Shen Tang had been with Qi Shan.

In this world, one of the easiest ways to die was to offend a man dressed like a scholar, wearing a hair crown and pin, looking refined and calm. You never knew whether he possessed a literary heart.

But now Qi Shan was gone, and Shen Tang was alone.

Their accents screamed outsider.

A fat sheep, walking on its own legs. If he didn’t butcher it, when would he ever open for business?

Once he got her moved, Qi Shan returning wouldn’t matter.

Shen Tang sat on her stool, eyes wide and guileless, and gave him a bright, harmless smile. “What is it?”

The man smiled back. “It’s like this. The young lord who was with you earlier asked me to bring you to an inn.”

“Yuan Liang told you to come get me?”

“Yes. I’m a hired hand at the Fragrant Splendor Inn.” He nodded quickly. “Your young lord—moon-white robe, tall, thin face—right? He said you were waiting in front of this tavern.”

As he described Qi Shan, Shen Tang nodded along.

“Yes, that’s Yuan Liang… but he said he was going to ask about something and told me to wait here—”

The man cut in smoothly. “Ah, that. The young lord ran into an old acquaintance. He can’t get away right now.”

Shen Tang watched his face, still smiling, half believing.

The man asked, as if kindly, “Little lady, are you worried I’m a swindler?

Then how about I wait here with you until the young lord comes back? You’re a little girl. It’s not safe to sit out on the street alone.”

Shen Tang waved her hands quickly. “No, no. That’s not what I meant.”

Then she tilted her head, as if suddenly concerned. “If you stay here, won’t that delay your work at the inn?”

The man laughed, broad and generous. “Not a problem. Delay is delay. I can’t just watch a little lady sit out here. It’s dangerous.”

Shen Tang’s expression wavered, just slightly.

The scene didn’t go unnoticed.

The tavernkeeper glanced up at the man, snorted quietly, and looked away. The other shopkeepers nearby also recognized him—a notorious thug in this area. He often went to villages around Xiao City to scout promising boys and girls, kept them for a year or two, and if they grew well, sold them for a high price. Outsiders were his favorite prey.

This time, he’d clearly set his sights on this little lady.

The tavernkeeper spat inwardly, but said nothing.

This was a hard year. Everyone struggled to eat. And cutting off someone’s income was like killing their parents. Offend a thug like this and you could forget about doing business in Xiao City.

Better to have less trouble than more.

He even sneered inwardly at Shen Tang’s “naivety.”

The man’s eyes were long and narrow, rat-like. When Shen Tang wasn’t looking, his gaze crawled over her face and clothes. His whole manner was light and improper.

Only a sheltered noble child would fall for him.

And there she was, smiling and chatting like they were old friends.

What they didn’t know was that Shen Tang had a reason for the patience.

He was the first person to get her gender right.

That alone bought him a few more words.

But Shen Tang’s smile never softened.

If he backed off, fine.

If he tried something… she’d send him to “bliss” early.