Sun Baodao, the Fraud-Busting Expert 1

Such a coincidence startled Ming Yu considerably. Could this burly man in front of him actually possess some genuine ability to divine the secrets of heaven?

However, he still harbored lingering doubts about Wen Jiu's competence. Perhaps the fellow had simply stumbled upon the right answer by sheer luck; he could just consider the six hundred star coins as money spent for peace of mind.

Ming Yu had no other questions to ask, so he simply stood up and said, "Master, I have matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving first."

The suspicion in his eyes was instantly seen through by Wen Jiu. Yet, she made no effort to detain him, merely tossing him two self-folded protective talismans.

"You are the first customer at my little stall, take these talismans as a token of friendship."

"Mm-mm, thank you." Ming Yu didn't even glance at the two talismans, casually tossing them into his smart-ring storage space. Then, he hurried off in haste to rendezvous with Lu Yan.

Following the location sent by Lu Yan, Ming Yu soon spotted Lu Yan and the others standing in front of an iced beverage shop.

The military district soldiers assisting with their operation were stationed nearby. Lu Yan stood there, coldly and rigidly upright like a green pine, a sight captivating enough to catch the eye of every passerby.

Dammit, he really should have forced Lu Yan to use a virtual avatar setting.

His own handsome face as Master Ming Yu was completely unworthy of mention standing next to Lu Yan.

"Brother Yan, I'm back." Ming Yu let out a deep sigh; he might as well content himself with being the humble green leaf that set off Lu Yan's red flower.

Lu Yan merely nodded with indifference, then activated his optical screen panel to signal the small squad lying in ambush.

Seeing this action, Ming Yu immediately put away his previous devil-may-care demeanor, standing straight at attention, fully prepared for combat.

"Suspicious individuals have been targeted. Prepare to begin interception."

Both the use of smart rings and entry into the StarNet world required the mental power of a real person in the physical world.

In particular, entering StarNet via mental power meant that once inside, the physical body remained completely immobile. Although one could perceive the surrounding physical environment, as long as one did not disconnect from StarNet, the physical body could not be controlled.

Therefore, the primary mission for Lu Yan and his team was to intercept the wanted criminal Kou Xiao as he attempted to log out of StarNet. The special energy guns they carried were uniquely equipped to control a target's forced retention in StarNet and even inflict damage on their mental faculties.

Upon receiving the order, Ming Yu felt a twinge of confusion. How was it that while he was busy having his fortune told, Lu Yan had successfully locked onto the suspects?

Yet, since Lu Yan was the captain and commander of this mission, all he needed to do was follow orders.

***

Lu Yan slowly closed his eyes, his formidable mental power instantly blanketing the entire Starlight Night Market, allowing him to perceive any movement in an instant.

"Requesting temporary evacuation near Stall 065 in Zone B..." Lu Yan opened his eyes, his ink-black pupils now transformed into a brilliant azure. His expression was even more aloof than before, resembling a robot devoid of emotional fluctuations.

Yet, at that very moment, a trace of fluctuation abruptly appeared on his cold visage.

"Log out of StarNet immediately and proceed to physical coordinates: No. 30, Arcs Street, Polk District."

With those words, all squad members who received the signal logged out of StarNet instantaneously. No one asked why; they only knew to execute Lu Yan's orders.

***

Wen Jiu was bent over her desk once more, beginning to draw other types of talismans.

After all, she hadn't practiced talisman-crafting for quite some time. As the saying goes: skip a day of practice and your hands grow slow; skip two days and you lose half your skill; skip three and you become an outsider; skip four and you're just staring blankly.

Even with her innate talent, practice remained essential.

Yet Wen Jiu differed from ordinary people. While others could draw at most three talismans a day before feeling their spiritual energy depleted, she was practically a human printing press for talismans, churning out thirty or forty daily without breaking a sweat.

Before her senior martial brothers and sisters descended the mountain for practical training in the past, they would always come to her to collect a bundle of talismans. She had even joked that when she went down the mountain herself, she would make them return every single talisman she had lost.

Never in her wildest dreams had she expected that instead of descending the mountain for training, she would end up transmigrating to another world for training.

With fluid and effortless strokes, Wen Jiu finished drawing a binding talisman. Twirling it between her fingers, she skillfully tossed the yellow paper aside to let the ink dry.

Just as she intended to practice a few more to keep her hand in, she abruptly sensed an unusual sensation—much like someone watching her from the shadows. Wen Jiu cast her gaze around, but found nothing out of the ordinary.

"Boss, what are you selling here?"

A crisp female voice rang out. Looking up, Wen Jiu saw a young girl with twin ponytails squatting in front of the neighboring uncle's stall, curiously fiddling with the jars and bottles on the ground.

Seeing business arrive, Kou Xiao put on a fawning smile, picked up a small pink jar, and said, "Young lady, you really know your goods! This whitening cream of mine is made using an ancient Hua-Xia secret formula."

The innocent girl accepted the small pink jar handed to her. Opening the lid, she found it filled with a thick white cream, accompanied by a rich, emanating floral fragrance.

"Mister, how do you use this?" The girl asked, looking somewhat intoxicated by the floral scent.

"Just apply it to your face every night, and within a month, you'll be a shade lighter." With that, Kou Xiao stretched out his rough hand, held up a number of fingers, and continued, "Only eight hundred star coins."

Hearing this, the girl looked down at the pink jar with a hint of reluctance. This price was truly a bit steep for her; ordinary skincare and whitening essences only cost three hundred star coins a tube.

Seeing her put the jar down, Kou Xiao hurriedly added, "Don't rush off, young lady! This is made from an ancestral ancient Hua-Xia secret formula, entirely natural with zero industrial additives. Not only does it whiten and tenderize the skin, but it also eliminates acne and blemishes. Even sensitive skin can use it!"

Prompted by these words, the girl grew somewhat hesitant. She had naturally dark skin and was prone to breakouts, frequently becoming the butt of her classmates' jokes. If this whitening cream was truly so miraculous, eight hundred star coins didn't seem terribly expensive after all.

Thus tempted, she gritted her teeth, prepared to buy a jar and give it a try. "Mister, I'll take—"

Watching the naive young girl before him, the smile on Kou Xiao's face grew progressively wider. There really was no shortage of fools in this world.

Pfft.

Before the girl could finish her sentence, a short chuckle escaped from Wen Jiu's stall next door.

The girl turned her head toward Wen Jiu in bewilderment. Upon taking in Wen Jiu's fierce appearance, she instantly recoiled and shrank her neck back.

The uncle next door looked terrifying; could he be planning to rob her?

Instantly reminded of various social news stories she had browsed on StarNet, she hurriedly dropped the jar of whitening cream and fled the scene in a flurry.

"What's your game, neighbor? You let the fat sheep I practically had in my grasp slip right away!"

Watching the young girl vanish into the distance, Kou Xiao pointed a finger directly at Wen Jiu in rage. Had he not thought Wen Jiu looked equally fierce-faced, he would have already grabbed a tool and given her a beating.

"I don't have any game. I just remembered something funny, that's all." Wen Jiu propped her chin on one hand over the wooden table, making no effort to conceal the trace of teasing amusement on her face.

Ten minutes prior, she had watched Kou Xiao pick up this exact same pink jar and try to fool an old grandmother by claiming it was an ancient Hua-Xia herbal formula specifically for rheumatism and joint pain—asserting that a single jar would cure it completely, and at a fraction of the cost charged by regular hospitals outside.

With Wen Jiu's acute sense of smell, a single sniff of the scent was enough to confirm the jar contained the exact same substance.

A single formula that could cure diseases and also serve as skincare cream? Why hadn't the Interstellar Federation put him up on a pedestal as a national treasure?