Chapter 62: Used and Abandoned

At the back gate of the Jian family residence.

Jian Aozhu calmly removed her white cloak.

That was a close call just now; she had almost been caught by those four constables.

Fortunately, she had urgently purchased a "Teleportation Talisman" from the system, otherwise, escape would have been entirely impossible.

Bai Yutang and the others had guessed correctly—Jian Aozhu was indeed directly linked to the fire at the Yifang Pavilion.

Three days ago, in order to steal Pang Shiyuan's reputation points, Jian Aozhu needed to get close to him.

She had used a "Camaraderie Talisman."

This type of talisman is an all-in-one arrangement. Once the host uses it, the system orchestrates various coincidences and conflicts to create suitable opportunities, increasing the target's favorability toward the host.

Of course, the Camaraderie Talisman had its limitations: it could only be used on people who had no prior acquaintance with Jian Aozhu whatsoever, becoming completely ineffective against anyone who held even a shred of memory of her in their mind.

Gu Xingwan, Grand Princess Moli, and Mei Xianghan had all been befriended by her using the Camaraderie Talisman when they first arrived in the capital city of Shengjing, and the targets had been utterly oblivious to the talisman's influence.

Yet, for reasons unknown, Gu Xingwan had managed to break free from the Camaraderie Talisman's effect.

The system had arranged for a merchant surnamed Li to invite Pang Shiyuan to the eastern suburb racetrack to purchase three hundred fine Ferghana horses.

Overjoyed, Pang Shiyuan hurried toward the eastern suburb racetrack. Passing through the dense woods outside the city, he was ambushed by a band of highway robbers.

Extremely ferocious, the bandits slew the coachman without a word and forced Pang Shiyuan to buy back his life with money.

At this critical juncture between life and death, Jian Aozhu descended like an immortal, rescuing the petrified Pang Shiyuan.

With Jian Aozhu's peerless beauty, a mere touch of the Camaraderie Talisman was more than enough; how could that elderly bachelor possibly resist her allure?

Before long, Pang Shiyuan was completely prostrate beneath her pomegranate skirt.

In the past, she would only lightly bleed her prey to ensure a steady stream of benefits, never draining their reputation points all at once.

However, this time was different.

Having moved from a small county town like Jiaozhou to Shengjing, her entire mind had been consumed by the plot to frame Gu Xingwan, leaving her no spare energy to scout for the proud favorites of heaven.

Her inventory warehouse was already empty.

With her grand wedding to Mei Xianghan fast approaching, she had to make foolproof preparations for such a momentous occasion.

She devoured every single one of Pang Shiyuan's 7,400 reputation points, leaving not a single point behind.

The theft had been so ruthless that the King of Hell had crossed Pang Shiyuan's name off the Book of Life and Death and dispatched a soul-hooking decree.

As for how the fire at Yifang Pavilion had started, Jian Aozhu cared not in the least; everything was ordained by the netherworld.

Since she hadn't started it with her own hands, no matter how hard they searched, the blame could never be traced to her.

Bolstered by the extra 7,400 reputation points, Jian Aozhu had redeemed several items from the system to properly restock her inventory.

Today, her father, Jian Liancheng, had gone to the Mei family residence to discuss the betrothal gift list, and by now, he should be returning.

Jian Aozhu headed in the direction of the main hall.

Along the way, she happened to run into Jian Jingyao, the legitimate eldest daughter of the Jian family, who was also heading to the main hall.

Although both clearly saw each other, they pretended to be strangers, not even exchanging a single greeting, their attitude as cold as if they shared a deep, irreconcilable hatred.

The two walked side by side, maintaining a distance of two body-lengths between them.

For the first time, Jian Jingyao felt that the garden path of her own courtyard was far too crowded.

"Bah! Cheap skin, a crow flying onto a branch thinks it's truly become a phoenix? A cheap life born from barren soil, rotten and filthy to the very bone—even if you put on a phoenix robe, you're no princess."

Jian Jingyao muttered sourly in a sarcastic tone.

Jian Aozhu glanced at her sideways and said indifferently, "Is Elder Sister Yao cursing me?"

"Whoever answers is the one being cursed! You're already betrothed to Zhang Yan, yet you still flirt and philander with Young Master Mei, behaving exactly like your cheap mother."

Ever since they were children, Jian Jingyao had treated Jian Aozhu like a soft persimmon to be kneaded at will, and her words had always lacked any shred of politeness.

Her mother was the legal matriarch, and the daughter of the magistrate of Jiaozhou to boot.

Meanwhile, Jian Aozhu's mother was merely a farm girl from a mountain ravine whose vibrant beauty had caught Jian Liancheng's eye, bringing her back to the estate as a concubine.

From the moment they were born, their respective statuses had already been fixed as high and low.

There was no way in this lifetime she would ever turn her fortunes around.

Jian Jingyao would trample on her whenever she pleased; what could Jian Aozhu possibly do about it?

Crack!

The very moment Jian Jingyao finished speaking, her cheek felt as though it had been struck by an iron plate, pain blazing through her as her entire head spun in dizziness.

"Jian Aozhu, you cheap wretch, how dare you hit me?"

The Jian family was a military lineage, and both daughters were fierce tigresses. Jian Jingyao possessed a rudimentary grasp of martial arts as well, and rolling up her sleeves, she prepared to fight her to the death.

"I'll fight you to the bitter end, you bitch!"

Jian Jingyao lunged forward aggressively, but Jian Aozhu remained terrifyingly composed, her fingers shaped like a knife, ready at any moment to slap the other half of Jian Jingyao's face into swelling.

"Stop!"