Chapter 37: An Unexpected Encounter

After receiving the gold coins from Kiro without hesitation, Rod finally showed a knowing smile. He weighed the money bag, feeling its substantial weight, and his lips curved into an even wider smile. “Heh, I’ll pay you back when I have money!” Seeing Kiro’s expression, Rod said this excitedly before quickly running toward the blacksmith shop across the way.

“Hm? There’s also a clothing store here?” Suddenly, Rod stopped in his tracks. There was indeed a clothing store in front of the blacksmith shop. Frowning at his wrinkled clothes, he walked over.

Previously, he had no money, but now that he did, his confidence grew, and his desires expanded under the temptation of wealth—human greed began to show. To be honest, it seemed Rod hadn’t visited such a store since arriving in this world. Out of curiosity, he headed toward the clothing store to see what made the clothes here different.

“Go away! Don’t disturb my business!” Just as he reached the store entrance and was about to enter, a man rushed toward him, speaking urgently, as if worried that Rod’s arrival might affect his sales.

Frowning, Rod pushed the man’s hand away and glared at him coldly. Then he looked down at himself and frowned even more. Indeed, he looked rather disheveled at the moment, almost like a beggar. Seeing this, he finally understood why Kiro and the others had insisted so strongly that he change clothes.

Still, Rod continued to glare at the man. “Get back! If you don’t move, I’ll chop you up!”

The man’s contemptuous look and disgusted expression annoyed Rod. It seemed he hadn’t encountered such a look in a long time. Clearly, it might even be his first time meeting such a beggar. The man froze for a moment before instinctively pulling his hand back. This ragged, disheveled man gave him a different impression—unlike the usual beggars who came here to ask for alms!

“I’m here to buy clothes, you idiot! Stop looking down on me and get out of the way!”

Pushing the man aside, Rod snorted coldly and strode inside.

“You… stop right there!” It wasn’t until Rod was gone that the man regained his senses. He rushed forward, grabbed Rod’s arm, and shouted loudly.

Pulled again by the other person, impatient Rod pulled hard. With a sharp “ssss” sound, his entire sleeve was torn off, causing him to lose his balance and stumble forward.
“Ah…” A cry was heard—clear and melodious. The next moment, Rod felt himself landing on a soft cushion. Hmm, there was also a faint fragrance, quite pleasant!
Yet just as he wanted to enjoy this comfort in silence, he sensed the entire store suddenly becoming quiet. Then he felt a tremendous force pulling him from behind. Turning around, he saw the same man standing coldly behind him.
“You, you scoundrel!” Before Rod could stand properly, that voice came again.
Sssss… This time, Rod was stunned. Standing across from him was a tall, graceful woman with red hair. Her face was flushed red, as if it might squeeze out juice, as she glared at Rod with a mix of anger and shyness.
Sssss… Seeing this woman, Rod couldn’t help but swallow hard. Now he understood—was the cushion he had felt earlier her? It seemed things had escalated! Rod inwardly groaned in frustration.
After taking two deep breaths, her face gradually returned to normal. She continued to glare at Rod with a cold expression, frowning tightly, but saying nothing.
The crowd parted, and another petite girl stepped forward—appearing to be her friend. Their appearance caught Rod’s eye, presenting a striking contrast. Indeed, one was mature and graceful with a slender figure; her brows were arched, her nose slightly upturned, her face as fair as jade yet carrying a hint of coldness. Her attire wasn’t extravagant, but her light yellow dress emphasized her graceful figure even more. Around her neck hung a small, luminous pearl that cast a soft glow, elevating her elegance to another level.
Next to her stood a girl in a light pink gauze dress, about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a mischievous expression. Though young, she already showed signs of being beautiful. She had an oval face and lively eyes. Lacking the maturity of the other woman, she possessed a lively charm. Even in such a situation, Rod couldn’t stop observing—beauties, absolute beauties!

In his mind, he had already started scoring them. By the standards of beautiful women, the taller one could easily score over 85 points, while the shorter one would definitely score over 80 without any problem.
“Sis, are you okay?”
After quickly understanding what had happened, the girl looked worriedly at the woman in light yellow clothes beside her and asked anxiously. Then she turned her gaze toward Rod, with a hint of disgust and contempt.
“You scoundrel! Hmph, don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. How dare you bully my sister? I’ll make you pay!”
With that, she strode angrily toward him!
“Xin’er, don’t… It’s okay, I’m fine!”
Fortunately, just as Rod didn’t know what to do, the woman reached out and pulled back the petite girl. Otherwise, Rod really wouldn’t have known how to handle the situation.
“Sis…” The pulled-back girl complained unhappily.
“Reid, what’s wrong with you? Don’t you know we’re busy? How did you let him in?”
At the same time, a cold shout came as a middle-aged woman slowly stepped out of the crowd and snapped at them.
“Cough, cough, cough… Boss, I… I’ll have him out right away!” The man’s expression changed drastically upon seeing her, as if terrified, and he hurriedly apologized.
The situation had escalated, and finally, the shop owner noticed. The woman stepped forward to the two girls and asked concerningly, “Miss, are you okay? I’m sorry for the trouble caused. As an apology, your bill today will be waived entirely.”
“No… it’s okay. Really, it’s no big deal!” Waving her hand lightly, the woman regained her gentle and graceful demeanor.
“Get out of here now! Or don’t blame me if I become rude!” Another loud shout came, and at the same time, the man grabbed Rod and tried to drag him outside.
“Thud…” A muffled sound was heard, leaving everyone stunned as they stared in disbelief at that beggar-like man.
In that instant, the man spun nimbly and executed a perfect backflip, knocking the tall Reid to the ground. That muffled sound was Reid falling.
Regular customers who frequented the shop were even more shocked, blinking in disbelief at what they saw.

I often visit this small shop. Who doesn’t know Reid’s abilities? Who doesn’t know that behind this seemingly ordinary shop lies a powerful backing?
Reid is an intermediate warrior. Just by his status, working as a guard at such a shop already reveals its background. It seems no one in this small town dares to cause trouble here.
Yet, such a shop and such a man as Reid were now thrown to the ground, upside down—how ridiculous! It shocked everyone while also arousing excitement.
“I didn’t mean to! I told you not to touch me!” Rod clapped his hands and, feeling pain from his wound, said innocently to Reid lying on the ground.
His face turned red as he quickly got up, breathing heavily, ready to retaliate against Rod.
“Hehe, I’m here to buy clothes. Um, this beautiful lady must be the owner, right? I suppose you wouldn’t turn away a customer, would you?” Without waiting for Reid to explode, Rod approached the woman with a smile and said boldly.
After all, women love to hear kind words, especially compliments. And sure enough, Rod’s plan worked quickly: “Reid, go outside first!” The woman stopped Reid from acting, gave him a look, frowned, and said coldly, “Of course. Customers are gods; we have no right to turn you away!” This time, her gaze held deeper meaning, making Rod feel uneasy.
“Hmph, kid, I warn you—better not let me find out you’re here to cause trouble, or else!”
With a cold gaze at the smiling Rod, Reid snapped before turning and walking outside.
The end of this drama disappointed many.
“M-Miss, I’m truly sorry. I really didn’t see you just now. I swear by the great Light God, everything I said is true! Please believe me!”
After getting rid of that annoying Reid, Rod stepped forward earnestly to apologize to the woman.
Perhaps out of caution, upon seeing Rod’s actions, the woman stepped back quickly and said, “It’s okay!” But her red face once again revealed her feelings.
“Xin’er, let’s go!” Then she pulled the woman beside her and prepared to leave.

“Eh…” Reaching out, he tried to call the woman back, but in the end couldn’t speak—perhaps not knowing what to say. With a sigh, the moment came to an end, and his hand, suspended in mid-air, was helplessly withdrawn.

“I hope you can find clothes you like. Let it be this time. I don’t want to see anyone causing trouble in my little shop again!” Seeing the woman about to leave, the woman gave Rod one last look and said something insinuating before chasing after the two women, seemingly determined to keep her promise.

…

“Sis, are we just giving up? He was causing trouble here! Weren’t you always ruthless before? Why today…?”

While Rod was embarrassed, the two women who left didn’t stay idle either. They turned back and glanced at the strange man still standing in place. The younger woman asked her companion in confusion, “Xin Er, don’t oversimplify things. Don’t you feel something different about him? Besides, you know perfectly well what’s going on right now. It’s better not to stir up trouble!” With a sigh, the older woman retorted.

“Different? I don’t think so… Wait, there is—he’s younger than those who used to come asking for money or causing trouble before, and also looks more disheveled! Hmm… Oh, and he’s also a bit more handsome.”

Frowning slightly and looking pensive, Xin Er carefully recalled, then suddenly seemed to realize something important. With a gasp, she exclaimed loudly, “No! Hehe, Sis, you’re not falling for him, are you? Wow, that’s huge news!”

“You little girl, always thinking about such nonsense. Enough, I’m too lazy to deal with you! Come on, let’s leave quickly. It wouldn’t be good if someone finds us. Father will definitely get angry then!” The gentle-looking beauty said helplessly, shaking her head at her mischievous sister.

“Hmph, really. Fine, I’ll stop talking. If not for you pulling me back, I would’ve killed that pervert already! I’ve seen too many of these people. Hehe, but it wasn’t a loss—we even got these clothes for free!” Xin Er said excitedly, holding up the clothes in her hands.

The gentle-looking beauty tapped Xin Er’s head, almost rolling her eyes—wasn’t her sister exactly like this?

Amidst cheerful scolding, the two slowly walked away and disappeared into the bustling night market.