53: Chapter 53 The Horror of Roses

The blazing sun hung above the upturned eaves of Taiping Old Street, baking the bluestone pavement until it was slightly scorching.

Outside the shop door, the roar of that ostentatious red Ferrari's engine had not yet completely died down.

Young Master Qin was dressed in brand-name haute couture, his hair slicked back shiny and smooth.

Holding a bouquet of ninety-nine red roses large enough to cover half his body with both hands, his face was piled with a sycophantic smile.

Lin Ye stood behind the glass counter, his expression instantly darkening.

This kid had barely escaped with his life at the old mansion on Linjiang Road last time, yet today he actually dared to run over to the Funeral Shop to curry favor—and the object of his affection was actually Leng Yue!

"Master Lin, is Sister-in-Law upstairs?"

Young Master Qin was completely oblivious to the chill in Lin Ye's eyes, craning his neck and peering around on his own accord.

"I haven't been able to sleep at night since I went back these past few days. As soon as I close my eyes, my head is full of Sister-in-Law's earth-shattering slap."

"If Sister-in-Law hadn't stepped in, I, Young Master Qin, would have long become food in that water ghost's belly. This bouquet of flowers is the finest Grand Classique rose air-freighted from Bulgaria; only this flower is worthy of Sister-in-Law's peerless grace..."

Before Young Master Qin could finish his sentence...

The faint light on Lin Ye's retina flickered wildly, and the system's mechanical voice, carrying a hint of delighting in chaos, rang out crisply in his mind.

"Ding! "My Lord, Please Behave Yourself" System notification: Detected a wealthy scion of Jiangzhou attempting to curry favor with your exclusive female zombie. The head of the household's territory cannot be violated. Host, please make a decision within three minutes to defend your sovereignty!"

Three options appeared on the light screen:

[Option A: Thunderous Wrath — Grab the lightning-struck peach wood sword at hand, shout 'A friend's wife is off-limits!', and swat this reckless rich kid flying along with his flowers.]

[Reward: Martial Artist Physique +5. Consequence: You will lose an excellent cash cow and will likely be detained by the Jiangzhou police.]

[Option B: Warn the Monkey by Striking the Tiger, Turn His Force Against Him — Have Leng Yue release a trace of her menacing aura to thoroughly extinguish his unrealistic lustful thoughts, and take the opportunity to probe his true purpose for coming.]

[Reward: +200 Husband Points, intercept a hidden plot clue.]

[Option C: On the Brink of Cuckoldry — Generously accept the roses, present them to Leng Yue on his behalf, and praise his exquisite taste.]

[Reward: Obtain the title [Green Turtle Cuckold]. Consequence: Leng Yue will feel deeply humiliated and go wild on the spot; the Red Lotus Karmic Fire will burn you and Young Master Qin into ashes.]

Lin Ye scanned the three options, a sneering cold smile curling up at the corner of his lips.

"I choose B."

As Lin Ye's thought settled, he didn't fly into a rage; instead, he pulled over a chair and sat down in a relaxed manner.

He picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and looked at Young Master Qin with a playful gaze:

"Sending flowers to express gratitude? Young Master Qin, this gesture of yours is quite rare. Wife, someone has specifically come looking for you. Why don't you come out to greet the guest?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth...

The door curtain deep inside the shop leading to the backyard moved without any wind.

A bone-chilling coldness swept out from behind the curtain without warning.

The Funeral Shop, which had been sweltering hot just a second ago, instantly felt like an ice cave.

A fine layer of white frost rapidly condensed on the glass doors, and a chilly fragrance of spider lilies filled the air.

Leng Yue stepped out with slow, measured strides.

Today, she was wearing a dark black, high-collared, form-fitting cheongsam.

The cheongsam had an extremely high slit; as she walked, a pair of legs as fair as top-grade mutton-fat jade were looming in and out of sight.

Her long, silver-white hair was pinned behind her head by a pitch-black ebony hairpin, with a few strands of black hair falling beside her delicate collarbones.

There was no superfluous expression on her strikingly beautiful face; her deep crimson eyes locked coldly onto Young Master Qin standing at the doorway.

"You want to give me flowers?"

Leng Yue parted her red lips slightly, her voice as crisp and cold as shattered ice striking jade.

The moment Young Master Qin met those red eyes, he felt as if his heart were being squeezed tightly by an invisible giant hand.

The bellyful of flattering words he had prepared stuck in his throat; he couldn't even make half a sound.

His legs trembled violently out of control, and his teeth chattered clack-clack.

"I... I..."

Young Master Qin's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty, and cold sweat instantly soaked his expensive silk shirt.

Leng Yue slightly raised her right hand, which wore a dark jade archer's ring, and pointed gently across the air at that tender, blooming bouquet of red roses.

"Crack, crack..."

A series of freezing sounds echoed.

Within just two seconds, those ninety-nine top-tier roses air-freighted from Bulgaria were completely encased in a layer of eerie blue ice, from petals to stems.

"Bang!"

Young Master Qin's hands trembled, and the rose bouquet dropped onto the bluestone floor, instantly shattering into a pile of ice bits.

"Mundane flora, tainted with worldly impurity—how dare it dirty my eyes?"

Leng Yue looked down at him contemptuously, golden-red karma fire faintly dancing in the depths of her eyes.

"If you're tired of living, I don't mind sending you on a trip to the Underworld."

"Thud!"

Young Master Qin's knees went weak, and he fell directly onto his knees over the ice fragments.

"Sister-in-Law, spare me! Master Lin, save me!"

Scared pale as a ghost, Young Master Qin scrambled on hands and knees to the glass counter and tightly hugged the table leg.

"I swear to Heaven that I don't have the slightest inappropriate thought! The real reason I came today is that I have a hugely important matter to ask Master Lin to help me with. These flowers... these flowers were just an icebreaker!"

Lin Ye set down his teacup, a trace of realization flashing in his eyes.

A dignified wealthy scion of Jiangzhou, no matter how lust-muddled he was, wouldn't go so far as to openly poach someone's partner in their own shop.

Whatever tricks this kid had up his sleeve were definitely not as simple as they appeared on the surface.

"Alright, Leng Yue, stow your power. If you scare Young Master Qin to death, who's going to foot our bill?"

Lin Ye waved his hand.

Leng Yue let out a cold snort, and the soul-chilling cold surrounding her instantly dissipated.

She naturally walked to Lin Ye's side, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Her gaze remained icy, looking like a guardian deity.

"Get up and speak. The floor is cold."

Lin Ye pointed to the round stool opposite him.

As if granted a grand pardon, Young Master Qin scrambled up trembling, sitting on the round stool with only half his butt touching the seat.

Reaching into his breast pocket, he carefully pulled out an invitation card that was pitch-black with dark gold patterns lining its edges, respectfully handing it onto the counter with both hands.

"Master Lin, please take a look at this."

Lin Ye lowered his gaze and fixed his eyes on the black invitation card.

The material of the card was remarkably strange; cold to the touch, it faintly exuded the smell of aged preservatives.

No text was printed on the cover, only a spider lily embroidered with silver thread.

"Yin-Yang Ghost Market, dark web auction?"

A flash of surprise passed through Lin Ye's eyes as he spoke the origin of the invitation.

In the hand-written notes left behind by his grandfather, there were brief mentions of such secretive gatherings.

Ever since the resurgence of the spiritual aura tide, the government established the Bureau of Abnormal Phenomena Management for regulation.

To avoid official scrutiny, rogue cultivators of all walks of life, tomb raiders, and even aristocratic families practicing unorthodox arts spontaneously organized these underground auctions.

The items circulated at the auction were all rare treasures that could not see the light of day.

Freshly excavated burial grave goods, ominous artifacts carrying bloody grudges, and even Underworld folk remedies capable of extending one's life.

Seeing Lin Ye recognize the object at a glance, the awe on Young Master Qin's face grew even deeper.

"Master Lin truly has eagle eyes. I bought this invitation card at a steep price from a tomb-raider captain."

Young Master Qin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said with a bitter face.

"Ever since I experienced that incident at the old mansion, I've developed a lingering fear, always feeling like dirty things are watching me at any moment."

"I figured relying solely on hiring bodyguards is useless; I need to get a real magic artifact that can ward off evil and save my life to carry around."

He swallowed his saliva and continued: "This Yin-Yang auction is taking place tonight on the 'Mingyue Cruise Ship' on the Jiangzhou River."

"I heard that among the finale items, there's a supreme Buddhist treasure capable of expelling a hundred ghosts and suppressing negative qi. With my mortal eyes, I'd be completely in the dark if I go. If I accidentally buy an ominous object, I might not even know how I died."

Hearing up to this point, Lin Ye already understood his visitor's intention.

"You want me to go as your expert appraiser, and double as your bodyguard on the side?"

"Precisely!"

Young Master Qin nodded repeatedly, patting his chest in assurance.

"Master Lin, as long as you're willing to make this trip with me, whatever item catches your eye at tonight's auction under fifty million, I, Young Master Qin, will foot the bill! Once it's done, I'll offer another five million as compensation for your hard work!"

Immensely generous.

A limit of fifty million, plus five million in cash.

Such generous terms, across the entire metaphysics community of Jiangzhou, were enough to make countless sect leaders who claimed to be aloof fight over it till their heads broke.

Lin Ye felt a stir in his heart.

The lightning-struck peach wood sword in his hand was indeed handy, but he lacked a high-rank magic artifact that could truly hold down the fort.

Although the defensive robe on Leng Yue was Earth-rank, there was so little fabric that it could only be worn as innerwear.

Frost Star was currently at a crucial phase of evolving into a high-tier Corpse King, and likewise required a massive amount of natural treasures.

This underground auction, which gathered extraordinary people and eccentric masters from all over Jiangnan Province, was definitely not to be missed.

"Ding! Daily task evaluation completed: +200 Husband Points, current points: 2,650. Hidden plot clue 'Nether Auction' activated. Host, please proceed to the venue and investigate the traces of the Yinshan Sect remnants!"

The system's prompt rang out at just the right time, giving Lin Ye even greater reassurance.

"I take this job."

Lin Ye put the black invitation card into his pocket, his tone calm and composed.

"Awesome!"

Young Master Qin almost jumped up in excitement.

"Master, at eight tonight, the cruise ship sets sail from the abandoned pier in the south of the city. I'll send a car to pick you up at seven!"

After settling the details, Young Master Qin dared not linger in the Funeral Shop any longer. Terrified that Leng Yue might cast another glance at him, he profusely thanked them and backed out of the shop, speeding away in his Ferrari.