Chapter 356: Know who I am?

Objectively speaking, Qin Wanru's masked appearance was not ugly; it could only be described as ordinary. However, her impressive figure and back view inspired endless fantasies in people. Consequently, the huge disparity and disappointment upon seeing her face made people instinctively find her ugly.

As a duchess, Qin Wanru was accustomed to everyone around her treating her with utmost respect, fearing even the slightest offense.

Ordinary men had no chance to approach her. Even the few who could get close were self-aware enough not to stare. How could this compare to being surrounded and openly scrutinized by a group of men now?

What was even harder to accept was being called ugly. Even though she knew it was because of the mask on her face, she still found it intolerable.

At that moment, another person spoke up:

"I think she's alright, not too bad. Especially, she seems to possess a noble aura, a unique charm."

"How the hell can you see nobility in this? Are you blind?!"

"Don't say that, her demeanor does seem a bit different."

"Damn it, with a figure like that, her face doesn't matter. I'd definitely go for it!"

Sensing Qin Wanru trembling with anger, Zuan was a little surprised that, given her temper, she hadn't lashed out. She was probably worried about alerting others and causing trouble.

However, these people were truly going too far. Zuan lightly coughed, stepping forward to block them. "Did you eat shit before you left home today? Your mouths stink!"

Those men had never heard such offensive words before and instantly flew into a rage:

Anger value from Ji Wuli: 765!Anger value from Chen Bo: 765!Anger value from Jin Zhu: 765!Anger value from Long Zi: 765!

Qin Wanru, who had been fuming with anger beside him, couldn't help but smile faintly at that moment. She used to think Zuan's mouth was too venomous, but for the first time today, she found his words rather endearing.

"You little punk, do you know who we are?" The four men roared, menacingly advancing towards the pair.

"I haven't had the pleasure," Qin Wanru said coldly. These men had clearly seen that the two of them were strangers and thought they would be easy targets.

"It's simple, we are East Despicable, West Lecherous, South Lustful, and North Shameless!" The four men introduced themselves while striking poses, clearly a well-rehearsed act.

Qin Wanru: "..."Zuan: "..."

He hadn't expected such ridiculous characters to exist in this world.

"I can see that," Zuan remarked, unable to resist a sigh. "It certainly matches your temperaments."

"Since you know our great names, then obediently leave this woman," Ji Wuli said. "Even though her face is a bit ugly, her figure is top-notch, so our brothers will make do."

Qin Wanru was about to explode with rage, truly wishing she could slice these scoundrels into a thousand pieces.

At this point, Zuan coldly stated, "Then do you know who *I* am?"

Hearing the unusual tone in his voice, the others were momentarily stunned. "We don't know, who might you be, sir?"

"I'm relieved you don't know." No sooner had Zuan's words fallen than he moved, transforming into an afterimage and instantly slapping each of them across the face.

His Sunflower Phantom steps, refined by Mi Li, were even more miraculous and swifter.

Ordinary people couldn't react in time. The four men only saw a blur, then felt sharp pain in their mouths as they were sent flying into the air before crashing to the ground.

Qin Wanru's eyes widened beside him. In that brief instant, even she hadn't clearly seen how Zuan had moved.

Moreover, she hadn't expected him to act so decisively. Hadn't he just said they needed to keep a low profile here and avoid attracting attention?

The four men were utterly dazed from the blows. Their heads buzzed, and they felt something wrong in their mouths. When they spat, several teeth fell out.

"You... you... how dare you provoke us four brothers? Aren't you afraid of retaliation!" The four men pointed at Zuan, cursing indistinctly as they tried to get up and fight. However, their faces had just been hit, leaving their heads somewhat dizzy.

Zuan chuckled. "You don't even know who I am, so how can you retaliate?" With that, he took Qin Wanru's hand and walked further inside.

The four men were left standing there, questioning their lives. What that guy said made too much sense; damn it, they couldn't refute him.

The thought only made them angrier.

Anger value from Ji Wuli: 888!Anger value from Chen Bo: 888!Anger value from Jin Zhu: 888!Anger value from Long Zi: 888!

Qin Wanru followed Zuan as they went deeper inside, quickly finding seats among the crowd. She couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you say earlier that we needed to keep a low profile and absolutely avoid trouble?"

Zuan sighed. "I couldn't just stand by and watch you get bullied, could I?"

Qin Wanru froze, taking a long moment to collect herself. She remembered a time when she was young, and Chu Zhongtian had protected her in the same way.

Since she had become a duchess, there was nothing left that required her to take risks. She hadn't experienced the feeling of being protected like this in many years.

However, she quickly regained her composure, subtly withdrawing her hand. "But won't this draw attention?"

Zuan replied, "Don't worry. There weren't many people around there, and we finished quickly, so it shouldn't have attracted too much attention."

Qin Wanru finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Soon, people continued to pour in, and they even saw the four men searching around for their whereabouts.

However, due to the unique nature of the auction, each guest had a relatively independent space. The four men's searching behavior quickly drew dissatisfaction, and guards who arrived upon hearing the commotion stopped them. It was unclear whether they were ultimately expelled or relocated.

Not long after, a graceful woman with a beautiful face walked onto the stage to announce the start of the auction, eliciting whistles from many in the audience.

Zuan remained calm. He was usually surrounded by women of unparalleled beauty; while this woman was attractive, she paled in comparison to his female confidantes.

And in terms of figure, she wasn't as good as Qin Wanru, who was sitting beside him.

Huh? Why does that feel a bit strange...

On stage, various treasures were soon displayed, and a heated bidding war erupted. Several items even made Zuan's heart stir, but remembering the real purpose of his visit, he dismissed any thoughts of diversion.

Finally, it was time for the grand finale. When it was revealed to be a large batch of salt permits, gasps echoed through the venue.

Evidently, they were also aware of the Chu family's situation; acquiring these salt permits would certainly offend the Chu family.

However, those capable of attending this auction generally possessed considerable power, and some had even received prior notice.

Before long, the first bidder emerged, followed by a second, and soon everyone was caught in a heated competition.

In this era, salt represented wealth. With salt permits, one could legitimately sell private salt, making it an extremely profitable business.

Thus, the auction price continued to climb.

Even Qin Wanru herself felt the urge to bid several times. After all, the price of buying the salt permits here would certainly be much lower than the 16 million taels they needed to compensate, making it a profitable deal no matter what.

Zuan stopped her. "These are originally ours. Why should we spend money on them? Don't worry, someone will bring them to us soon."

No sooner had he spoken than a group of burly men burst in from outside, led by Sang Qian. He scanned the room and declared loudly, "We've received a public report of illegal transactions here. We are now here to seal off the premises. All unrelated individuals, please vacate immediately."