The several fox spirits exchanged glances, and Ling Yue couldn't help but snap, "Hey, you man, do you have any idea what high-grade, superior tea this is? Ordinary people can't even dream of tasting it, let alone witnessing our proprietress's masterful tea ceremony!"

The middle-aged man cried out, tears threatening to spill, "That's too expensive!"

Su Chan had initially intended to charge a symbolic hundred yuan—just enough for good luck to start the business—but she never imagined the man would mistake it for ten thousand!

Su Chan quickly waved her hands to clarify, "No, no, not ten thousand."

The middle-aged man visibly flinched, his face turning ashen as he stammered, "D-don't tell me it's a hundred thousand?"

Ling Yue and the other little foxes, unaware of the true stakes, were inwardly delighted to see the price escalating on its own. The more we earn, the more we get! they thought gleefully.

The little foxes, always eager to stir up trouble, began chiming in with malicious encouragement, "A hundred thousand isn't unreasonable, after all. There's only our one establishment in the entire world where one can sip tea of such celestial quality; if fate hadn't brought you here, you wouldn't have tasted it!"

The pale-faced middle-aged man looked from one spirit to the next, and a chilling realization dawned upon him: he had indeed walked into a veritable den of thieves.

He frantically patted his wallet and pulled out a thick wad of bills, his voice trembling, "This is all the money I have. Ladies, please, just let me go?"

The moment the cash hit the table, the little foxes snatched it up, grinning as they began counting.

Su Chan felt a prickle of unease. She quickly snatched the money back and placed it on the table, saying firmly, "No, no, not this much money. Don't take it."

The little foxes, misunderstanding her intention, quickly put the cash back on the table, announcing loudly, "Right! Not that much money!"

The middle-aged man was utterly overcome with tears. He emptied the rest of his pockets, choking out, "Beauties, this is everything I possess. I truly have no more."

The little foxes craned their necks, looking at the pile of money spread across the table—some singles, some larger notes. They couldn't tell the exact amount, but the dazzling array of colors was enough to blur their vision.

Seeing their attention completely diverted, the middle-aged man promptly spun around and bolted for the stairs.

Su Chan chased after him, shouting, "Hey! It wasn't supposed to be this much money!"

Having barely escaped the clutches of the she-devils, the middle-aged man refused to believe her, running full-tilt without looking back.

Su Chan watched him sprint into the busy street. Realizing she couldn't possibly drag him back into the road, she yelled, "You haven't even finished your tea!"

The middle-aged man immediately staggered, nearly falling. He let out a sharp cry, his voice full of heartbroken indignation, "I'm not drinking anymore! I can't afford it!"

His loud wail drew the attention of passersby, and seeing everyone pointing at her, Su Chan quickly retreated back into the teahouse.

Back inside, Su Chan watched the little foxes happily counting their spoils, but a strange feeling settled in her stomach. She murmured, "Did we do something wrong? I feel like something isn't quite right here."

The little foxes certainly didn't feel they had done anything wrong. They giggled merrily, "Proprietress, aren't you happy we made money? There must be several thousand here! We can close early today! If we make this much every day, our lives will be so much better!"

Su Chan shook her head hard, lightly biting her tender, red lower lip between her teeth. She tilted her head and muttered to herself, "No, I really feel like we did something wrong again..."

Su Chan and the little foxes had no idea that this small incident would precipitate a catastrophic disaster for Li Yundong...

The middle-aged man ran a great distance before daring to glance back at the beautiful-filled den of thieves. Seeing it made a torrent of complex emotions flood his heart.

He had walked in once and emerged utterly destitute! His entire recent paycheck was gone!

Heavens, even a casino wouldn't drain a man this fast!

Did being beautiful grant them the right to do whatever they pleased?

The more the middle-aged man thought about it, the angrier and more resentful he became. No, I must expose them! In broad daylight, under the heavens, there are businesses brazenly fleecing customers like this!

With that thought, the man immediately pulled out his phone and dialed the television station, quickly recounting the situation.

Before long, a news van roared up. A young man and a uniformed beauty stepped out.

The middle-aged man spotted them immediately and rushed over, pouring out his woes like an oppressed peasant. "You've finally come! You must bring justice for me! My newly received wages are gone—how am I supposed to explain this to my wife when I get home?"

The young man turned out to be Han Lin, who had previously courted Feng Na. Carrying the camera, he asked with excited curiosity, "Where is this den of thieves you mentioned? We absolutely must expose such illegal and unscrupulous merchants!"

The middle-aged man looked as if he had found a savior, bowing slightly. He grasped the young man's hand excitedly, saying, "Good, good! With your words, I feel reassured!"

Han Lin slapped his chest and laughed heartily, "Tell us where this wicked shop is, quickly, and lead the way!"

The middle-aged man hastily started guiding them. Han Lin exchanged a meaningful look with the anchorwoman before parking the car and hurrying to catch up.

As they walked, Han Lin grew increasingly uneasy. The surrounding shops looked strangely familiar, and he recalled the middle-aged man mentioning being fleeced at a teahouse. He stopped the man and asked, "Hey, where exactly is this teahouse you mentioned, and what's its name?"

The middle-aged man pointed ahead, his face contorted with indignation, "There! Right there!"

Han Lin glanced in the direction indicated. Standing there was a two-story teahouse with gracefully upturned eaves, classically magnificent decor, and a dazzling golden plaque above the entrance bearing three flowing, almost ethereal characters: Di San Xian!

Han Lin immediately cursed inwardly: Damn it, this is the one place you shouldn't mess with! Do you have any idea who showed up when this place first opened?

Han Lin's face instantly darkened. He scrutinized the middle-aged man with suspicion, wondering: Is this fool trying to set me up?

The middle-aged man hadn't noticed Han Lin's change in expression. He pointed grimly at Di San Xian, saying, "Reporter, look, look! It’s this shop! It's criminal, truly criminal!"

Han Lin, his face grim, asked, "Are you absolutely certain this is the place?"

The middle-aged man nodded vigorously, "It is this one! Absolutely certain!"

Han Lin grunted, turned back, and signaled the anchorwoman, "Let's go. Back in the car!"

The female anchorwoman had also run afoul of Han Lin at this very spot before. Seeing Di San Xian, her expression turned equally sour. She rolled her eyes at the middle-aged man and scoffed, "So annoying. Even pranks shouldn't be played like this!"

The middle-aged man stared at the two of them, utterly confused, as they turned and left. He stammered, "Hey, what's wrong with you two? No exposure? What's going on?"

Han Lin felt too embarrassed to tell him directly that Di San Xian had powerful connections and he couldn't afford to provoke them. He rolled his eyes at the man and said, "Call 12315 and complain to the Consumer Association. We can't handle this case."

With that, he and the anchorwoman turned and got back into the car, speeding away.

The middle-aged man stood stupidly on the street, unable to process the situation for a long time: Why had they been so eager to expose the shop moments ago, only to flee now? Was their change of heart that fast?

He stood dumbfounded for a while, the injustice eating at him. He slapped his thigh and dialed the Consumer Association again. At first, when he explained the situation, the voice on the other end was righteously indignant, vowing to expose and shut down such a crooked business. But as soon as they clearly heard the name and location of the "den of thieves," their tone instantly flipped, their mood plummeting from the fiery enthusiasm of a volcano to the frozen desolation of an arctic plateau.

The middle-aged man stared at his phone, which was spitting out a continuous dial tone, and finally realized with dull clarity: Could it be that this den of thieves has extremely powerful backing?

The moment this thought surfaced, the man was overwhelmed with sorrow: It must be! Otherwise, how dare they fleece customers so blatantly in the open light of day?

Accepting his fate, the middle-aged man dejectedly started walking home. Fortunately, he still had a few coins left, enough to take the bus all the way back.

Arriving downstairs at his apartment building, the thought of the impending storm from his wife sent a chill down his spine. His wife was from Sichuan; her temper, like a scorching chili pepper, was no joke.

He finally dragged himself upstairs and was reaching for his key at the door when his wife suddenly swung the door open, smiling with genuine surprise. "I knew it was you coming back!"

The middle-aged man blinked. "How did you know I was home?"

His wife was reasonably well-preserved, with a trim figure and a dignified appearance. She wore a casual house dress cinched at the waist with an apron. She chuckled, "My cousin's nephew is here. He just did some divination and said you'd be back soon, so he told me to open the door. I was half-skeptical, but look, there you are, you silly goose!"

The middle-aged man glanced inside and indeed saw three young, handsome men sitting in the living room. They were dressed fashionably, yet they exuded an aura that felt completely out of place in the urban setting—like three ancient people wearing modern clothes.

The eldest of the three young men stood up when he saw the master of the house arrive, bowing slightly and smiling, "Hello, Uncle. My name is Zhang Cunyi."

The two young men beside Zhang Cunyi also stood up, bowing and introducing themselves, "Hello, Uncle, I'm Zhao Ping." "I'm Qian Tong!"

The middle-aged man, consumed by sorrow and anxiety, had no heart for pleasantries and merely nodded before sinking dejectedly into his seat.

His wife noticed this and secretly kicked him, her annoyance clear. "Hey, what's wrong with you? Are you soulless? This is my distant relative visiting Tiannan City; why aren't you even offering a greeting?"

The middle-aged man forced a smile and nodded at the three young men.

Zhang Cunyi, the eldest, didn't take offense. He returned the nod with reserved formality. Seeing the man's unhappy expression, he assumed his arrival had caused discomfort. He smiled and said, "Auntie, I have some matters to attend to, so my two fellow disciples and I should be taking our leave now."

His wife immediately frowned, displeased. "Leaving right after you arrive? Are you looking down on your distant relative? Sit down, sit down! You must at least stay for dinner before you go!"

Saying this, she firmly pushed Zhang Cunyi back onto the sofa and then dragged her husband into the bedroom.

As soon as they were inside, the wife launched into an angry tirade. "What is wrong with you today? Did you lose your soul? You look utterly lost! Do you have any idea how important my distant nephew is? He is a renowned figure in Chengdu, Sichuan—known locally as Zhang the Half-Immortal! Do you know how respected he is there? Even the mayor treats him with courtesy! And you sit there with a face like a coffin!"

The middle-aged man knew he couldn't hide the truth after being scolded like that. He resigned himself to his fate and explained the entire incident from beginning to end.

Upon hearing it, his wife jumped three feet in the air. She immediately grabbed his ear and launched into a furious curse, "You old lecherous turtle-son, you only went over there because the young girl was pretty, didn't you? You threw away this month's money? Oh my God, what are we going to eat this month? I'll curse your entire ancestral line!"

The middle-aged man hunched over, not daring to retort, sitting timidly on the edge of the bed to take his scolding. He sighed, just about to try and defend himself, when he suddenly heard Zhang Cunyi ask in a deep voice from the doorway, "Auntie, did Uncle just mention the Di San Xian Teahouse located on the pedestrian street in Tiannan City?"

The middle-aged man looked up in astonishment and asked, "You know about that den of thieves?"

======================================================= My mother-in-law is having surgery tomorrow, and I have to return to Shanghai to care for her personally. I, Tang Tang, don't have a single chapter drafted... I will only be able to post one chapter for now~ I will be back in Suzhou on the 15th. I ask for my readers' understanding, apologies, apologies~~ D