En also noticed Zhong Shenxiu's unusual gaze, and felt equally perplexed. He had merely pulled out a few stones he had collected earlier from his magic ring out of boredom. These stones were not only beautiful but also smooth and pleasant to the touch, very comfortable to hold.

He hadn't expected that the moment he revealed these stones, Zhong Shenxiu detected them, his eyes shining as if he had spotted prey!

Perhaps everyone is wondering, what exactly are these stones? Why is Zhong Shenxiu so interested?

They were none other than Immortal Stones, and moreover, high-grade ones!

As everyone knows, to face his tribulation, Zhong Shenxiu had used up every single Immortal Stone he had collected. To think he would encounter high-grade Immortal Stones here—how could this not astonish him!

Charlotte glanced at Zhong Shenxiu, then at those beautiful stones. After a slight pause, she actually produced similar stones from her own magic ring.

This action startled Zhong Shenxiu again. He hadn't expected Charlotte to possess high-grade Immortal Stones, and the ones she held were even larger than those in Fuen's hand!

What was going on? Where did they get so many high-grade Immortal Stones?

Zhong Shenxiu’s...

"Um," Charlotte asked tentatively, "Why do you like these stones so much?"

As she spoke, she extended the stones in her hand toward Zhong Shenxiu, signaling her intention to give them to him.

Zhong Shenxiu didn't reach out to take them. He shifted his gaze from the Immortal Stones to Charlotte's face and asked seriously, "Where did you get these stones?"

He was genuinely baffled that after spending so many days with Charlotte, he was only now learning she possessed high-grade Immortal Stones!

In truth, Charlotte hadn't intentionally concealed anything; she simply didn't know how significant these beautiful stones were to Zhong Shenxiu! She kept them simply because they were pretty, nothing more!

"We picked them up!" Charlotte answered honestly.

"Where did you pick them up?" Zhong Shenxiu asked again.

"In the stream in the 'Damp Forest'," Charlotte replied meekly, Zhong Shenxiu's gaze not allowing her a hint of concealment.

"How many did you pick up?" Zhong Shenxiu inquired again.

"N-not many, just a few," Charlotte was like a child caught doing wrong being interrogated by a parent.

"Are there any more there?" Zhong Shenxiu pressed on, which was what he truly wanted to know.

"There are plenty. That whole stream was full of these stones; we just casually picked up a few!" Charlotte couldn't quite grasp Zhong Shenxiu's intent, not understanding why he cared so much about the stones. Hadn't he asked them to collect stones before too? Did he perhaps have a 'stone fetish'?

When a woman lets her imagination run wild, you simply can't argue!

"Woman, come with me for a moment!" Zhong Shenxiu announced, and then, leading Robin, he departed first.

Although Charlotte didn't know what Zhong Shenxiu wanted, she dared not question him and hurried to follow.

Ris, standing nearby, wanted to go too, but fearing Zhong Shenxiu might rebuke him, he could only watch the three depart emptily.

"Hey, why does our Captain listen to that little boy so much?"

As soon as Charlotte left, her subordinates immediately started gossiping.

"Yeah, I find it strange too. Look how our Captain, just because the little boy casually mentioned something, followed him off like a puppy without asking anything. It's really weird!" another chimed in.

"Heh heh, I bet our Captain has been conquered by that little boy," one of them said lewdly.

"That makes sense," someone else agreed, leaving another speechless.

"I never thought our Captain would be an older woman chasing a younger man. Fuen, you might be out of luck!"

"D-don't talk nonsense!" Fuen immediately defended himself, though his face flushed slightly!

"Hey, do you think our Captain is going to be the second wife? Look at the girl next to that little boy; she seems to hold a much higher status than our Captain!" someone whispered.

"Hey, hey, don't talk nonsense just because the Captain isn't here! Be careful if it gets back to the Captain, you'll be in trouble," Caine said with a smile, trying to mediate. However, his words were completely ineffective; these men carried on as before!

Later on, someone even speculated whether Charlotte's child, if she had one, should call Zhong Shenxiu 'big brother' or 'daddy,' which drew another round of hearty laughter!

Ris, listening nearby, was utterly speechless! He thought to himself, Is this really Charlotte's mercenary group? How could they be like this?

In fact, the subordinates joking about their Captain didn't mean they lacked respect for her. It was precisely in mercenary groups like theirs that team cohesion was strongest! To be honest, apart from Charlotte, the leader, the 'Cloud Rift Mercenary Group' had no one who could truly be called an expert. However, they were united. And it was this unity that prevented other mercenary groups from looking down on them.

Ris couldn't bear to listen any longer. He was still an adolescent boy and couldn't stomach these adult jokes. He quickly scurried away, planning to go see Angelyah, who had just finished her match!

Meanwhile, Zhong Shenxiu and his companions had found a secluded spot.

Zhong Shenxiu suddenly turned toward Charlotte, causing her to feel an inexplicable nervousness, especially as his gaze seemed ready to devour her whole!

"Hey, woman," Zhong Shenxiu finally spoke, "How about we make a deal?"

Charlotte looked up in astonishment, her eyes full of questions.

Zhong Shenxiu continued, "You give me all those stones you picked up, and you take me to that stream you mentioned. In return, I will give you a sword. You can choose one from these!"

As he spoke, Zhong Shenxiu actually brought out the swords he had previously refined.

Charlotte froze. She had a vivid memory of those swords; each possessed a distinct magical attribute. She had even used one before and knew its power and value. She never expected Zhong Shenxiu would give her one of these incredible swords; she almost threw her arms around him for a deep hug!

"How do you feel about this trade?" Zhong Shenxiu asked again when he saw Charlotte only looking excited and not speaking.

"I—I agree!" Charlotte nodded vigorously, afraid that if she hesitated, Zhong Shenxiu might go back on his word.

"Then choose the sword you desire now!" There was little fluctuation on Zhong Shenxiu's face, not even a change in his tone.

Charlotte trembled slightly with excitement, her gaze darting back and forth between the swords. Facing such magnificent blades, she was almost overwhelmed by choice and couldn't decide which one would be best!

"Woman, you need to hurry; don't waste my time!" Zhong Shenxiu reminded her.

Charlotte wanted to be quick, but each of those swords was so unique that it was genuinely hard to choose.

Fearing that taking too long might anger Zhong Shenxiu and result in her getting none, Charlotte quickly pointed at one of them: "I choose this one!"

The sword she chose was the one she had used last time. She felt that since she had used it before, it meant she had a bond with this sword, and she was also very satisfied with its appearance!

The sword she selected was entirely silvery-white, with a relatively narrow blade, and clear plum blossom-like patterns were visible. It perfectly matched a woman's slender frame!

"Woman, bring over your stones now," Zhong Shenxiu had to prompt her again.

Charlotte snapped back to attention and quickly took out all the stones from her magic ring, presenting them before Zhong Shenxiu. Robin, standing nearby, took the stones for Zhong Shenxiu and placed them into his own magic ring.

"When do we leave for that stream in the 'Damp Forest'?" Charlotte couldn't help but ask, as she was desperate to receive the sword quickly!

"I will notify you," Zhong Shenxiu said flatly. It wasn't that he didn't want to leave immediately; it was because he had something else to take care of first.

"Oh." Charlotte's expression showed disappointment, wondering when this notification from Zhong Shenxiu would arrive.

"Hey, woman, take this," at that moment, Zhong Shenxiu unexpectedly tossed the sword Charlotte had just chosen over to her.

Charlotte caught it instinctively but stood there dumbfounded! She hadn't expected Zhong Shenxiu to give her the sword so early. In her estimation, she thought she would only receive it after taking him to the stream!

"Woman, don't forget what you promised me! If you dare to run, even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I will find you!" After dropping this warning, Zhong Shenxiu departed with Robin.

Charlotte stood there foolishly, clutching her sword, pondering Zhong Shenxiu's words or perhaps simply basking in her joy!

In the small courtyard, Ris and Angelyah had just entered.

"Sister Charlotte, you're back already," Ris said to Charlotte, who was practicing something with a foolish smile on her face.

Charlotte stopped her movements and turned to look at Ris and Angelyah, saying with a cheerful smile, "I only got back a little while before you."

"The Master isn't here?" Ris found it strange. He remembered Charlotte leaving with Zhong Shenxiu; how was it that only Charlotte had returned?

"Not yet," Charlotte continued to say with a smile. It seemed she was truly in a great mood today.

"Oh, by the way, Sister Charlotte," Ris hesitated, "there's something I don't know if I should tell you..."

"What is it?" Charlotte asked softly.

"Well, Sister Charlotte, after you left, your subordinates said a lot of bad things about you!" Ris wasn't usually one to tattle, but if he didn't tell Charlotte, he felt terribly guilty, as if he were an accomplice.

"Oh, is that so?" Charlotte's expression remained smiling, as if this sort of thing was commonplace for her. "What did they say?"

"They said..." Ris swallowed, glancing at Angelyah, who also looked curious, before continuing, "They said Sister Charlotte was conquered by the Master, and that you were an older woman chasing a younger man, talking about you being a second wife, a mistress, and so on."

Ris recounted what he had heard in one breath.

"What???" Charlotte's eyes instantly flew wide open,