Who said Prince He was unlearned and incompetent? Shen Qingwu now felt this prince possessed remarkably sharp insight.
With just one glance, he had clearly assessed the situation on the field and returned the home ground to her.
The Seventh Princess quietly tugged at the Fourth Prince’s sleeve, pulling him back two steps. The area around Shen Wushi immediately emptied, turning her into an isolated island under public scrutiny.
She looked around in confusion, casting a pleading glance toward the Fourth Prince, only to see him nonchalantly turn his face away.
With a single glance from Meng Po, the vendor immediately sat on the ground, wailing and lamenting: “Everyone, judge for yourselves! It’s not easy running a small business. If everyone were like this madam, smashing things without paying, how could I survive—”
“You… I’m the victim here!” Shen Wushi stamped her foot in anxiety.
“Meng Po,” Shen Qingwu slowly walked up to Shen Wushi, crossing her arms, “Earlier you said that anything I fancied in the Ghost Market today would be on the house, correct?”
Shen Wushi abruptly looked up, a flicker of hope in her eyes.
“That is indeed the case.” Meng Po replied with a smile.
Having received confirmation, Shen Wushi almost pounced to grab Shen Qingwu’s arm: “Esteemed lady warrior, could you assist me? In the future, for any needs, the Yongyi Marquis Manor will surely repay you!”
“Oh?” Shen Qingwu raised an eyebrow, feigning interest. “Empty promises hold no weight.”
“This…” Shen Wushi had sneaked out of the Marquis Estate to the Ghost Market to repay debts and was lightly dressed without carrying much. After a moment’s thought, she pulled out her personal embroidered handkerchief. “Let this serve as proof!Each major family had its exclusive totem to signify status. This handkerchief bore the Shen family’s Cloud and Thunder Pattern, with the tiny characters “Ling Yi” embroidered in the corner—a woman’s personal handkerchief would have her name written by herself before being embroidered, representing her personal handwriting.
“As for me, I don’t care for future promises.” Shen Qingwu said, taking the handkerchief and storing it away, then looking up with her hands behind her back. “If Madam Shen is willing to receive three palm strikes from me, I will help Madam Shen purchase this cup.”
“You—” Shen Wushi was speechless with anger.
“Madam Shen.” Shen Qingwu suddenly turned, lightly pressing a finger to her lips. “Eight hundred taels.”
This was no small sum, even for the Marquis Estate, let alone for Shen Wushi who had come secretly and wished to avoid attention.
Shen Wushi frowned deeply, then after a moment gritted her teeth and said: “Fine!”
She had practiced cultivation since childhood and had reached the True Realm, Ocean Manifestation. Although this woman before her wore a mask, judging by her figure she couldn’t be over twenty years old—her cultivation level definitely couldn’t surpass her own.
Three palm strikes in exchange for eight hundred taels—it was worth it.
“Barbaric, truly barbaric!” The Fourth Prince shook his head repeatedly. “Even if there’s peerless beauty beneath that mask, she’s still a she-devil.”
Yet Ye Chen watched Wu Xiang with keen interest, a playful glint flashing in his eyes.
Shen Qingwu had already taken her stance opposite Shen Wushi, secretly gathering Neili in her palm.
Shen Wushi also circulated her Neili throughout her body, firmly planting herself in a horse stance, full of confidence: “Bring it on! I won’t retreat a single step within three palm strikes!” She wasn’t someone to be trifled with either.
Soon, a circle of onlookers gathered around.
Meng Po also quietly stepped to the side.
Ignoring Shen Wushi’s provocation, Shen Qingwu’s mind flashed back to the dream…
“We must shatter her bones while she’s alive! This is what their main branch owes us!”
In the dream, her second aunt held an iron hammer, mercilessly breaking her arm.
…
Whoosh—Shen Qingwu no longer held back, fully revealing her cultivation level for all to see.
The Fourth Prince exclaimed in surprise: “She’s actually at the Spirit Realm, Perfection!” Her level was even higher than his. Now the Fourth Prince felt that losing to her wasn’t shameful.
“But Shen Wushi is at the True Realm, Ocean Manifestation level—a full two ranks higher,” the Fourth Prince clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Wu Xiang’s three palm strikes won’t do much to her.”
Ye Chen suddenly let out a soft laugh. “I wouldn’t be so sure.” The sudden surge of aura from Wu Xiang had even made him feel pressure.
No one favored Wu Xiang when a Spirit Realm, Perfection practitioner faced off against True Realm, Ocean Manifestation.
Amid the crowd’s discussions, the first palm strike landed lightly on Shen Wushi’s left shoulder, not even stirring a gust of wind.
Shen Wushi was about to sneer when the corner of her mouth abruptly stiffened.
Crack! Clutching her shoulder, she stumbled back two steps, her face filled with horror. Her shoulder bone had actually fractured!
How was this possible?
Aside from slight changes in expression on Ye Chen and Meng Po’s faces, the others were still scoffing at Wu Xiang’s seemingly easy conditions, completely unaware that Shen Wushi was already injured.
…
“I want to shatter her bones while she’s still alive. This is what the main branch owes us.”
In the dream, her second aunt wielded an iron hammer, mercilessly smashing her arm without hesitation.
…
Shen Qingwu’s aura intensified further, her voice low: “Second palm.””
Shen Qingwu gave no time to catch breath, striking again. Shen Wushi hurriedly raised her palm to meet it—
Bang!
The moment their palms connected, Shen Wushi felt as if she had crashed into iron. The jade bracelet on her wrist shattered with the impact, flying shards mixing with the excruciating pain of her palm bones fracturing, nearly making her faint.
Only then did the crowd realize something was wrong.
…
“Your father should have expected this day when he drove us out of the Marquis Estate! Why should you enjoy fine clothes, sumptuous food, and luxurious comforts?”
Her second uncle and aunt, as if possessed, smashed her bones while hysterically screaming, utterly unmoved no matter how she begged and wailed.
…
“Third palm.”
This strike carried killing intent so tangible it shot straight for her face.
Under that terrifying pressure, all of Shen Wushi’s dignity and composure finally crumbled. She shrieked and scrambled backward, tripping and falling to the ground, crawling away on hands and knees in an utterly grotesque posture.
The surrounding people were also shocked. The Seventh Princess exclaimed, “Is she going to kill someone right here?”
Even Meng Po prepared to intervene. No one could die in the Ghost Market.
But Shen Qingwu suddenly halted, slowly withdrawing her hand mid-air.
She looked down at Shen Wushi, who was weeping and trembling uncontrollably on the ground, her voice icy:
“It seems Madam Shen’s backbone isn’t as strong as your tongue.”
“I’ll collect this palm strike another day.”
Silence fell over the entire area.
Everyone was awed by such thunderous methods. Those who had previously looked down on Wu Xiang now composed their expressions.
Shen Qingwu turned and gave a slight nod to Meng Po: “Charge it to my account.”
For a moment just now, she had truly wanted to kill her right then and there.
But this wasn’t the time or place to take her life.
Today was merely about collecting a small debt.
That she could severely injure Shen Wushi was largely thanks to the defensive techniques her master had taught her—Vajra Shield and Turtle Breath Technique. By combining these two methods, she had uniquely created the Bedrock Art.
By concentrating her Neili in a specific part of her body, she could make it as solid as bedrock, turning her flesh into a weapon, all while striking silently. Even when facing opponents of higher cultivation, she could catch them off guard and inflict serious damage.
After a long pause, the surrounding crowd finally reacted, cheering enthusiastically. The Fourth Prince was still shaken, the Seventh Princess’s eyes sparkled, and even Prince He secretly tightened his grip on his jade beads, his gaze fixed intently on Shen Qingwu without concealment.
Only the stall vendor anxiously looked toward Meng Po.
Meng Po’s red lips curved slightly: “Go to the warehouse manager and draw eight hundred taels.”
The vendor immediately beamed with joy, repeatedly bowing with hands clasped: “Thank you, Meng Po! Thank you, Your Excellency Wuxiang!” What a huge profit!
Prince He’s gaze was too intense for Shen Qingwu to ignore, so she gave him a slight nod before continuing deeper into the Netherworld Palace with Meng Po.
The Fourth Prince hastily pulled the Seventh Princess along as they followed: “Royal Uncle, wait for us!”
The lower floors grew increasingly quiet, with no more vendors hawking their wares. Amid casual conversation, the group arrived at the fifth underground level—the lowest floor of the Netherworld Palace.
An additional Mystic Iron Gate stood between the fourth and fifth underground levels, still guarded by Ox-Head and Horse Face.
“The fifth underground level opens only once per month and displays just one treasure,” Prince He explained enthusiastically, having learned from their earlier conversation that Wuxiang was a first-time visitor. “To enter this gate, one must either accumulate fifty thousand taels in spending at the Ghost Market or receive a recommendation from a manager.”
Meng Po, who had been about to speak, promptly closed her mouth and signaled to the guards with a glance.
The gate swung open in response. Shen Qingwu and the other two entered one by one, but a voice stopped them from behind:
“You two are not qualified.”
Looking back, they saw the Fourth Prince and Seventh Princess being barred at the entrance.
The Seventh Princess stood on her toes and called out anxiously: “Royal Uncle—” No one had told her she needed to spend ten thousand taels! Even if she pooled all her silver with her fourth brother now, they couldn’t scrape together ten thousand taels.
Prince He fiddled with his jade bracelet, appearing completely detached: “You only said you wanted to visit the Ghost Market, not that you intended to enter here.” He then turned to Wuxiang with meaningful implication, “If…”
Meng Po smoothly interjected: “The Ghost Market would be willing to grant Your Excellency Wuxiang this favor, allowing you to bring one person inside.”