“Don’t move.”
In the darkness, Moen felt the tender warmth of a soft body.
Through the thin fabric, Moen could sense the warmth and an exquisite texture. Two magnificent, rounded forms engulfed him like a torrential tide, making him hard to breathe.
There was a faintly familiar fragrance, though he couldn’t recall where he’d smelled it before. It burrowed into his nostrils, stirring his heart. Two slender hands pressed his head firmly, hiding him within the folds of a large black robe.
In such close contact, Moen didn’t know where to place his hands. Instinctively, he braced himself on what was beneath, and his hand touched the smooth, silky sensation of dove-like skin.
Though he couldn’t see, the tactile sensation alone convinced him… these were definitely black silk tights!
He didn’t know who this person was, but if she wore black silk… she must be a good person, right?
Relaxing his guard slightly, Moen suppressed his urge to draw his blade and curled up a bit, making the cramped situation slightly less uncomfortable for both of them.
The footsteps of the strange figure approached.
“Not delicious…”
“Not delicious…”
“Not delicious…”
The sounds grew closer.
Moen could feel the ground trembling slightly with each of those heavy steps.
“Huh?”
The strange figure stopped.
Standing at the alleyway entrance, he glanced around.
“Strange, strange, strange, strange…”
Like a predator unable to locate its prey, the figure paced around the intersection hesitantly.
“Not delicious, not delicious, not delicious, not delicious…”
Though he couldn’t see him, Moen’s entire heart was clenched.
Even if the figure remained indecisive, should he decide to enter their alleyway, they would certainly be discovered.
Which meant…
One in three odds.
“Little rooster, whichever I choose, that’s the one. Over here, delicious.”
In the end, luck seemed to favor Moen for once. The strange figure picked the opposite direction, continuing his staggering pace away and vanishing into the darkness.
It was only after confirming the figure had truly left that Moen let out a gasp, raising his head from the waves of softness he’d been submerged in and greedily sucking in fresh air.
Although the sensation had been wonderful, Moen couldn’t help but note that had the figure loitered any longer, he might have ended up suffocating to death under the waves of a lethal “chest murder.”
“Thank… thank you.”
Panting heavily, Moen earnestly expressed his gratitude.
After all, for a girl to sacrifice so much to save him, it was a favor immeasurable in magnitude.
“No need to thank me.”
The figure cloaked in the oversized black robe, which couldn’t even hide her curvaceous and alluring silhouette, casually straightened the slightly disheveled folds of her cloak and replied indifferently.
She didn’t seem to mind at all.
But when Moen heard that voice, he froze in place.
That voice, though obviously processed in a peculiar manner, was one he remembered distinctly.
His head shot up immediately. Sure enough, the familiar figure in the black robe entered his sight.
“You shameless swindler—it’s you!”
The humiliation of being deceived time and again rushed back to his mind, leaving him momentarily stunned before he angrily whispered in frustration:
“And you have the nerve to show up in front of me!”
“Swindler?”
Hearing Moen’s accusation, the figure under the black robe seemed slightly caught off guard. Her shadowed eyes beneath her hood studied Moen carefully, as though recalling something, and her gaze soon took on a peculiar glint.
“Oh, so it’s you.”
“Yes… yes, it’s me!”
By now, Moen had realized he wasn’t acting under a disguise, but still puffed out his chest in defiance.
When dealing with swindlers like her, one should never back down. It had to be a swift and decisive victory aimed at seizing the initiative; otherwise, he’d undoubtedly be led around by the nose again.
“You, wretched swindler—you’re here anyway, so why don’t we settle the score once and for all?”
“Oh? What score, exactly?”
“Stop playing dumb.”
Moen sneered. “You’ve deceived me again and again, treating me like a fool. If we don’t settle that score properly, don’t expect to walk away!”
“Oh, so you mean you want to settle all scores between us, once and for all?”
“Exactly!”
“Then…”
The shopkeeper suddenly leaned closer and whispered, “I saved you—how do you plan to settle that score?”
“…”
Moen’s expression froze.
Right. She had saved him.
Why had he turned around and forgotten about that so quickly?
If they were truly settling scores, then this one…
“And you touched over my body just now, didn’t you?”
The shopkeeper continued closing the distance. Though she wasn’t using any magic or combat aura, Moen could feel the oppressive pressure building around him.
It felt as if a small rabbit had curled up on a lonely island, only to be surrounded by raging tsunamis from all directions.
“That… that was because you initiated it!”
“Oh? So you grabbing my thigh—that was also my initiative?”
“That was an accident! An accident! I had nowhere to put my hands…”
“Boo-hoo, you touched me all over; now I’ll never be able to marry. What should I do…”
Step by step, the shopkeeper advanced as Moen retreated step by step.
Until… there was nowhere left to retreat. He could feel his back pressed firmly against the corner of the wall.
The shopkeeper leaned in close, pressing one hand against the wall behind him, the way a street ruffian might intimidate an innocent girl.
“So, you tell me: since we’re settling scores, how should we account for these two?”
“I… I have money. I can offer you money. Name your price.”
Moen trembled and stammered, deliberating over what he had to offer. All he could think of was money.
“Money isn’t everything. Sure, I am a bit short on money lately, but I don’t want that.”
“Then… then what do you want?”
Moen’s eyes widened in terror as he noticed the shopkeeper’s gaze roving over him. To his alarm, her expression resembled that of a hungry wolf staring at an unsuspecting rabbit.
No way. She couldn’t possibly be craving my body, could she?
What if she wanted me to pay with… my body?
Could it be that my days of preserving my virginity and unblemished body were over?
The very thought was…
“What… what exactly do you want?!”
“I want…”
The shopkeeper lowered her head, her familiar scent once again flooding Moen’s senses. Additionally, due to their close proximity, Moen could clearly make out the smooth half of her chin peeking out from beneath the hood.
Her pink lips glistened faintly, curling into a mischievous smile.
It was a smile Moen knew all too well.
“Senior?”
In that instant, without a shred of thought, the words tumbled out of Moen’s lips like clear springwater descending from the heights above.
The air froze for a moment.
“Oh? So I’ve been exposed already? I was hoping to tease my junior a little longer.”
With a sigh of regret, the shopkeeper straightened up and pulled back her hood.
Though the light was dim, Moen could still make out the face he knew so well.
Her usually tied-back hair now cascaded freely behind her. Her eyes remained as crystal-clear as water, more captivating than the moon in the sky.
The tear-shaped mole near the corner of her eye added a touch of allure, but it wasn’t gaudy or excessive—just enough to draw anyone’s gaze irresistibly toward her.
The smile playing on her lips was naughty and devilish, as though capable of ensnaring a man’s very soul.
“Here we are again, junior. How have you been?”
