But to be honest, those few people were just outer disciples of a holy land, so it was normal for them to be weak.
Ye Lanshan walked along the bustling street, her mind seemingly elsewhere, moving forward mechanically.
"No, it wasn't me. I didn't steal anything from you." A panicked voice rang out beside Ye Lanshan.
Of course, Ye Lanshan had no intention of getting involved, but unexpectedly, the person grabbed hold of her clothes.
Ye Lanshan looked at her and saw a tear-streaked face. Though it was covered in traces of tears, bruises, and dirt, it only made her appear more pitiful.
"Sir, you must have seen it just now. I really didn't steal his things." Her voice carried a hint of panic, but from an angle others couldn't see, she was secretly casting a charm technique.
Ye Lanshan suddenly caught a whiff of a fragrance. It wasn't like perfume or flowers—it was a very distinct scent, almost like body odor but different. A faint, natural, subtle fragrance slowly emanated from the woman before her.
"I wasn't paying attention, but I believe someone with your abilities wouldn't stoop to stealing." Ye Lanshan sniffed the fragrance, deep in thought. It seemed this young woman was no ordinary person; perhaps she could take her under her wing and use her.
The woman's expression stiffened slightly. She hadn't expected anyone to resist her enchanting fragrance.
The young lady who had just struck her to the ground sneered arrogantly, "How do you know she wouldn't steal? Could it be you're in cahoots with her?"
Ye Lanshan wasn't in a hurry to explain. Instead, she smiled mysteriously and countered, "And how do you know she stole from you? Please provide evidence to back up your claim."
"My pendant was always securely on me, and after just brushing shoulders with her, it vanished. If she didn't take it, who did?" The young lady's aggression wasn't without reason—the pendant held special meaning.
The woman tugged at Ye Lanshan's sleeve, using the leverage to slowly get up, and said pitifully, "Isn't it just a cheap pendant? I have plenty at home. Why would I need to steal yours?"
"If you don't return my things, don't blame me for being rude." The young lady ignored her excuses, cracked her whip on the ground, and swung it toward her.
Ye Lanshan frowned. Watching the woman close her eyes in fear, she thought, *Could I have been wrong? She's just an ordinary woman with nothing special about her.*
The woman heard the whip's sound growing closer, yet Ye Lanshan still hadn't moved to stop it. Panic made her break out in a cold sweat.
*What's going on? Why hasn't he blocked the whip for me? Hasn't he fallen for my charm fragrance yet?*
When the whip was just a decimeter away, she sidestepped, perfectly dodging its arc.
*What a stroke of bad luck. I was just out for a stroll to lift my spirits, and now I'm being accused of theft.*
She hadn't wanted to get involved, but then she spotted a handsome man who, though elegant, seemed listless.
Clearly, he was nursing a broken heart. So she decided to play along, pretending to be a fragile woman to toy with him and maybe swindle some money.
But she hadn't expected him to resist her charm fragrance and show no trace of pity.
"How arrogant." Ye Lanshan watched her coldly adjust her sleeves and spat out those words, her mind racing with countless guesses.
"What, not going to keep up the act?" Ye Lanshan narrowed her eyes and gripped the woman's arm tightly.
The woman rolled her eyes internally but let tears flow again, saying pitifully, "What do you mean by that?"
Before she could finish, another whip came flying. This time, Ye Lanshan grabbed it, flames erupting from her hand, instantly reducing it to ash.
"You... just you wait." The young lady, frightened by his ferocity, stammered in fear.
...
"B-boss, why are you back?" Qing Dai, still shaken by the earlier scene, had just recovered when she saw Ye Lanshan dragging a woman over.
"What are you bringing me to a brothel for?" The woman sensed something was off, realizing this wasn't going as she'd planned.
"You went to all that trouble on the street just to hook someone for fun, didn't you? In this brothel, you don't need to go through such effort. Just a wink, and plenty of men will flock to play with you."
"You're wrong there. When have I ever lacked men? Why would I need to come to a brothel for that?"
"Let's make a deal." Ye Lanshan was done wasting time.
"A deal?" The woman tensed, thinking, *Does he know who I am?*
"Give me the recipe for that fragrance you carry, and I'll give you ten thousand taels of gold. How about it?" Ye Lanshan said calmly, as if she saw through everything.
The woman immediately grew wary, eyeing Ye Lanshan as she replied, "What fragrance? I don't know how to make perfume."
Ye Lanshan said nothing, just narrowed her eyes, leaned in, and whispered something in her ear. The woman's face instantly changed, and she nodded, agreeing to his terms.
"Qing Dai, find a few sharp people to learn the fragrance-making from her." Before Qing Dai could process what was happening, she heard Ye Lanshan's indifferent voice.
"Ah, yes, boss. Don't worry."
...
"Patriarch Ye, that's a bit unfair of you." As soon as Ye Lanshan returned to the Ye residence, a brash voice rang out.
Ye Lanshan frowned and strode over, wondering who dared to be so arrogant in the Ye household.
Ye Luotian closed his eyes, facing the aggressive young man in white, and said firmly, "I'm telling you, you'll never take Ye Lanshan from me."
"Hah, back when your Ye family was at its peak, you couldn't protect Ye Feng. Now that your family has fallen to this state, you think you can shield Ye Lanshan?" The young man in white sneered mockingly.
"No matter how fallen my Ye family is, it's not your place to interfere." Ye Luotian's anger flared, and he glared fiercely at the young man.
Seeing Ye Luotian's fierce expression, the young man feared he might be killed and immediately threatened, "I-I'm warning you, I'm a holy son of the holy land. If you so much as harm a hair on my head, the holy land won't let you off."
Ye Lanshan overheard this as she approached and said angrily, "The holy land again. You people are truly arrogant. What, do you think we're pushovers?"
"You must be Ye Lanshan." The young man in white wasn't angered by her words. Instead, he looked her up and down and voiced his guess.