Once the matter was settled, Xiaoyue returned to the other two.
Aria glanced at her as she came back, exchanging a silent look.
No issues, let’s go.
“Xiaoya, it’s already noon. Shouldn’t we get something to eat?”
“Yes! Time to eat! There’s this restaurant I love—I’ll treat you, Sister!”
“Sure, lead the way.”
Xiaoya marched ahead with unstoppable energy.
Nothing is more important than eating!
Xiaoyue trailed behind, only catching up after taking the packaged books from the store owner.
After the three left, the owner counted her earnings, grinning from ear to ear.
My judgment was spot-on—they’re definitely rich ladies. They didn’t even haggle!
Four sets, sixteen books in total—she’d made a small fortune.
But her joy was short-lived.
Six uniformed officers suddenly entered the shop from both sides.
The owner froze.
The leading officer stepped forward, flashing a badge.
“Routine inspection.”
Routine?! With this many people?!
If you didn’t say ‘inspection’, I’d think that you’re after a murderer!
The inspection wrapped up quickly, with violations confirmed.
The store owner was taken away, and the store was temporarily sealed.
Even as she was hauled into the 1-1-01 patrol car, she still couldn’t figure out what she had done to warrant such a heavy-handed response2.
I just skirt the edges a little! They usually turn a blind eye to this kind of business!
Although an investigation was bound to happen…
Damn it, today’s earnings are definitely gone, and I’ll probably be fined more!
Unaware of the aftermath, the trio continued toward Xiaoya’s recommended restaurant.
Although she claimed that she was treating Aria, there was no guessing whose stomach the food would actually end up in.
Xiaoya suggested teleporting to save time, but Aria and Xiaoyue immediately vetoed the idea.
It was best to behave in public. Even if Xiaoya was absolutely confident that no one would notice, it wasn’t worth the risk.
Aria and Xiaoya walked ahead while Xiaoyue carried the heavy bag of books behind them.
That said, given her current physique, the weight was nothing to her.
Xiaoya had offered multiple times to store them in her small bamboo basket or with Spatial Magic, but—
No way in hell am I handing them over!
Three strikingly beautiful women walking down the street—one of them struggling with a large bag—naturally drew attention.
And with attention came the inevitable random encounter event: kind-hearted ‘big brothers’ offering to help.
The prettier the target, the higher the appearance rate.
So, of course, they triggered it.
Three men approached, each with a dyed streak of hair, gold rings, or steel studs—their outfits screaming avant-garde street fashion from another era.
One glance was enough to tell that these were upstanding citizens who frequently volunteered to assist pretty girls on the streets.
“Hey there, where you headed? Lemme carry that for you—we’ll even escort you,” one said in a ‘gentlemanly tone’, already reaching for the bag.
He tried to yank the bag—
But it didn’t budge.
Aria’s brow twitched, but Xiaoya tugged her sleeve.
“It’s fine, Sister. Every society has its bad apples.”
“…That’s true.”
Aria’s expression smoothed over.
Might as well observe how these kind of people act—it’s a glimpse into the society’s underbelly.
Xiaoya turned back, raising her voice, “Oh? You look like you’ve run into some trouble. Need help?”
She really wanted to say ‘small fry’.
But in front of Aria, she had to maintain some decorum—she’s a princess, after all.
Xiaoyue spoke flatly.
“Go ahead. I’ll handle this and catch up.”
“Alright, don’t take too long!”
“I won’t.”
The ‘helpful trio’ instantly realized that they’d messed with the wrong people.
They turned to flee—only for the freakishly strong woman to appear in front of them.
“L-look, we didn’t do anything. Let’s just call it even, yeah? Three against one—who knows how things’ll go if we fight?”
Xiaoyue wasn’t in the mood for chatter.
She struck lightly, just enough to teach a lesson. There were no serious injuries.
But!
Their clothes and hair weren’t so lucky.
A chunk of hair missing here, clothes shredded into rags there… They look like they could’ve passed as Beggar Sect disciples now.
“What rotten luck!”
After Xiaoyue left, the trio slunk into an alley, hoping to sneak home unnoticed.
Even professional ‘model citizens’ would fail sometimes. They just need to be more careful next time.
But the moment they stepped into the alley—
They were surrounded by officers, some already drawing their guns.
Their faces went pale.
Did we break some Heavenly Law?!
Since when does loitering warrant this kind of response?!
Without a word, the three were handcuffed and hauled away.
Xiaoyue retrieved her bag of books and jogged to catch up.
Unnoticed by her, one book was missing—only fifteen remained.
Meanwhile, a certain little loli held Aria’s hand with her left while her right fidgeted around.
Her range was long enough, and snatching a book from less than a hundred meters away was more than easy.
But she couldn’t read it in front of Aria. She had to be sneaky.
How to read secretly when Sister and Xiaoyue are around?
Simple—just read it in the Jade Empire!
She stuffed the book into the Golden City.
At the same time, inside the Jade Empire’s palace—
Yulia slowly opened her eyes.
“Interesting. Let’s see what this is all about.”
She reached into her robes and took out the book.
Her gaze fell on the cover—and on the title.
“…”
Whatever, keep reading.
She flipped through the pages faster than even Aria had.
By the time she processed the content, she had read the entire book.
The next moment—
Yulia’s cheeks flushed red.
Immediately, she made a decision—
Time to sleep. Good night!
Forced shutdown.
Back on Bluestar, Xu Xiaoya stiffened.
Aria glanced over, about to ask what’s wrong—
Xiaoya’s face turned crimson, the redness spreading down her neck and beyond.
Psssssh!
Steam burst from her head as she collapsed onto Aria.
“Awawawa—”