When these words fell, Han Jiuqiu and Qiu Fuchun were instantly stunned. They froze in place, their eyes glazed over, not knowing how to react for a moment. How did a simple kidnapping turn into something the other party was actually looking forward to?

  Han Jiuqiu felt a twinge of compassion, patted Qiu Fuchun’s arm gently, and persuaded in a low voice: "Miss, don’t cry. We... we won’t hurt you. We’ll head to another house right away." After speaking, he turned to Qiu Fuchun and added, "Let’s switch houses. This young lady’s crying is really heart-wrenching—I can’t bring myself to go through with it."

  Qiu Fuchun had the exact same thought. After all, even though they were taking a risk for the ore, they had no desire to pick on a young lady who was sobbing her heart out. But much to their surprise, just as the two were about to turn around, the young lady’s crying suddenly spiked, and she shouted sharply: "Don’t leave! You can’t leave! Take me with you! Hurry—take me away! I’ll stop crying, I promise!"

  Han Jiuqiu paused, hesitated to turn around, and his tone was filled with confusion: "Miss, did you mix up the people? We’re bad guys—kidnappers. You... you really want to come with us? This isn’t a game."

  "That’s right!" The young lady wiped her tears fiercely, her face still streaked with moisture, but her tone was firm and unyielding, "Aren’t you kidnappers who steal money and harass women? Hurry up and kidnap me! I have some private savings here—I’ll give you all of it. I just beg you to get me out of this cage!"

  After saying that, the young lady even tried to strike a coquettish pose awkwardly, attempting to look charming—but ended up looking rather ridiculous instead.

  Only then did the two get a good look at her. Her face was caked in heavy makeup, layers of rouge and powder completely masking her true appearance—at her age, she should have been as pure and delicate as a lotus flower, so why did she dress so gaudily?

  Qiu Fuchun sighed quietly to himself: Could we have run into a love-crazed fool? To encounter something like this on our first kidnapping—we really got off to a terrible start.

  But before the two could dwell on it, the young lady suddenly pulled herself together, her expression turning serious as she raised her hand in an inviting gesture: "Please have a seat, two heroes. I’m not a love-crazed fool. It’s just that I’ve lived a life of luxury since I was a child, and I’m not bad-looking—so people like you have targeted me more than once. My father dotes on me, his only precious daughter, and over the years, he’s chased away countless groups of kidnappers who came to our door. Most of them were after money; they’d throw a few threats, and my father would hand over the cash without hesitation."

  She paused, a hint of unbridled excitement flashing in her eyes, and her tone lightened a little: "I’ve never been kidnapped in my entire life. I’ve always found it fascinating, and I hope you two won’t let me down!"

  The two exchanged confused glances. Was she really out of her mind? How could there be someone in the world who begged kidnappers to take her away? The people in Pisha City were truly bizarre.

  The two steeled their hearts and made up their minds to leave, to find another target. While it was still dark, maybe they could pull off one more job, quickly raise enough money to transport the ore, and get out of here as soon as possible.

  Having made their decision, the two bowed slightly to the young lady, apologized stiffly: "Miss, excuse us—we’ll take our leave now." With that, they prepared to turn around and head out the door.

  "Stop!" The young lady suddenly changed her demeanor, shouting sharply in a menacing tone, her eyes glinting with threats, "You started this—don’t blame me for fighting back! If you dare to leave empty-handed today, I’ll gather everyone in the mansion, march into the city, beat gongs and drums, and yell that someone’s trying to kidnap and rob! I don’t believe you two are powerful enough to take on the entire city, or to hide from the Pisha Palace guards!"

  Han Jiuqiu and Qiu Fuchun exchanged glances, realizing they were in trouble. They really had gotten off to a terrible start—running into someone so stubborn, who even knew how to threaten them back. If she really made a scene and told the whole city, their identities would be exposed for sure, and their plans to transport the ore and investigate clues would be completely ruined.

  The young lady crossed her arms, a playful smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, and said slowly: "Why not sit down and talk this through? After all, you can’t escape. Why not grant my wish, and we can both get what we want—it’s a win-win, isn’t it?"

  The two weren’t worried about her playing any stalling tactics. Even if they were trapped here, with their cultivation and skills, they could move freely even in an army of a million—let alone deal with a boudoir lady and a bunch of servants. They were confident they could handle it.

  Qiu Fuchun gritted his teeth, forcing out a sentence that was totally unfit for a kidnapper, his tone dripping with helplessness: "What... what do you want?"

  He kicked himself silently: This is so passive! Way too passive! On our first kidnapping, not only did we fail to take the upper hand, but we’re being held hostage by a little girl. If word of this gets out, we’ll be laughed at forever.

  The young lady smiled cunningly, her eyes full of scheming, and said slowly: "It’s simple. Kidnap me like you planned, hide me in Changsheng Cave, then go ask my father for ransom. He’s extremely wealthy, with a fortune beyond imagination—he’ll never hesitate to pay. In the meantime, you have to ‘humiliate’ me day and night, non-stop, make it look real. Once you get a satisfactory ransom, send me back. How does that sound? It’s basically exactly what you planned for the kidnapping, right?"

  As she spoke, she turned around and started packing her things without waiting for their answer, moving quickly. She muttered to herself as she packed: "I’ve had this planned for ages. I have almost everything ready. Now—let’s go."

  Han Jiuqiu and Qiu Fuchun stood rooted to the spot, staring at each other in complete shock. All they wanted was to leave, but they were afraid the young lady would make good on her threat and ruin their plans.

  Changsheng Cave was far away. Traveling back and forth would take a lot of time, which might delay their ore transportation plan. But for now, they had no choice but to take it one step at a time—first, they’d go along with the young lady’s wishes to keep her quiet.

  The two stood dejectedly, like two defeated roosters, their faces filled with resentment and helplessness.

  They suddenly realized: Ever since they snuck into the Southern Dynasty and arrived in Pisha City, from the moment they met Bruce, they’d been led around by the nose. They’d outsmarted Bruce, but then they’d been manipulated by this weird young lady—passive at every turn.

  This feeling of being powerless to control their own fate was absolutely terrible.

  Could it be that they weren’t acclimatized to this place?

  It seemed that even if you were going to do something bad, you first had to understand the local customs and people’s personalities. Otherwise, it was like crossing a river blindfolded—pits and obstacles at every step.

  As they were lost in thought, they saw the young lady carrying several bulging bags, rushing out of the house with quick, clattering steps. She tilted her chin at the two, her tone matter-of-fact: "What are you standing around for? Come help! These are all my things."

  Han Jiuqiu and Qiu Fuchun felt as if they were under a spell. They actually stepped forward obediently to take the bags—they didn’t even realize they’d already become the "tools" of this "hostage."

  The young lady casually tossed the biggest bag into Qiu Fuchun’s arms, then turned around and ran back into the house clattering, muttering: "I forgot my important box!"

  Qiu Fuchun weighed the bag in his arms. It looked huge, but it was surprisingly light. He couldn’t help but wonder: What’s in here? Could it all be clothes and jewelry?

  Han Jiuqiu reached out and squeezed the bag in his hand. It felt soft to the touch, and he was just as confused—completely unable to guess what was inside.

  Just as their confusion grew, the young lady came out of the house again. This time, she was holding an exquisite small leather box, which she stuffed into Han Jiuqiu’s hand without a second thought, her tone calm: "Some gold, silver, and valuables—enough to get us through the next few days on the road. Once the ransom comes in, everything will be fine."

  Her tone and posture were nothing like a hostage waiting to be kidnapped. Instead, she looked like the leader of this kidnapping gang, ordering around her two "underlings"—and she looked quite arrogant while doing it.