"Oh dear, oh dear, my wife, let me explain."

"Explain what? All you ever do is cheat people out of money. Don't you have enough spirit stones? You've fleeced millions from the Myriad Glory Rankings alone! Now you're setting your sights on my family's wealth? Have you gone completely mad?"

"Ow!"

Wan Lei grabbed the small hand that was pinching his ear and said earnestly,

"Wife, we're a family. Your money is my money, isn't it?"

"Pah! My family's money is mine. I have elder brothers and sisters, and millions of kinfolk! It's nowhere near your turn!"

"No, what I mean is, we're going to get married eventually, right? Think about it, you're the little princess of the Fang family, the most esteemed woman in the Central Domain. If someone wants to marry you, the betrothal gifts can't be small, can they? If the gifts are too meager, your father won't agree, and more importantly, we'll lose face. I, on the other hand, am just a disciple from a fallen family. Even if our entire clan emptied its coffers, we wouldn't even amount to a single strand of the Fang family's hair. Since the money is eventually going to your father anyway, why not get it from him first, and then give it back later?"

When it came to swindling, Young Master Lei's intelligence was never outmatched.

"Huh? You're stealing my father's money just to give it back to him later?"

"Exactly,"

At this point, Young Master Lei's acting skills kicked in again. Tears welled up as he put on a thoroughly pathetic show.

"Wife,

Do you think I enjoy scamming people?

Do you think I enjoy robbing wherever I go?

Do you think I, Wan Lei, am someone who loves money?

Do you think I'm doing all this for myself?

Do you think I, Wan Lei, don't care about my reputation?

I'm doing this for our future,

To be able to marry you,

To be able to be with you happily forever.

Wife...

I...

It's not easy for me!

It's not easy!!!"

"Alright, alright, don't cry anymore. I understand you. I'll listen to you."

Fang Xiaoyu, though speaking with concern, had a peculiar expression on her face.

"So, what should we do?"

"Scam my father, and scam everyone in the Thunder Wind Realm!"

"Mhm!"

"Earn lots and lots of money!"

"Right!"

"And don't give the earned money to my father either!"

"Correct!"

"And make him give us more dowry!"

"That's right, wife, you've understood!"

Wan Lei excitedly hugged his understanding and good wife.

The three good brothers who were witnessing this display of affection were stunned. They really wanted to tell Fang Xiaoyu, "Silly girl, you've been tricked." But then, considering Wan Lei's usual modus operandi, they thought, "Forget it, let him cheat. It's not our family's money being cheated, and it's better if we all suffer together; it's not fair if only we are swindled by Wan Lei."

In reality, they didn't know that Fang Xiaoyu's intelligence always surpassed Wan Lei's. She was being deceived only because she was willing to be.

"Alright, you three, if you have nothing else, you can go. Once this matter is handled well, I'll give you your cut. That'll cover what I owe you, both principal and interest."

"Okay, okay, Brother Lei, we'll leave now... Wait a minute, Brother Lei, it costs spirit stones to take the teleportation array from here to the Fang family. Uh, our storage bags."

"Oh, right. How much per person?"

"Five thousand each."

"Okay..."

As Wan Lei was about to pay, Fang Xiaoyu stopped him. Her small face was serious.

"Don't get cheated. The Fang family is in the north; it's not that far. Two thousand five hundred per person is enough."

"..." The unlucky trio.

Truly, they weren't family, but they did enter the same household. These two are not good people.

Seeing their indignant gazes, Fang Xiaoyu smiled shyly, her big eyes rolling, her pretty face full of mischievousness.

"Um... when we get there, do you know what to say?"

Wan Lei slung an arm around Hong Lian's shoulders, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, yes. We three met you, got beaten by you, were heavily injured and unable to fight back, and only managed to escape with our lives by the skin of our teeth."

"Oh ho, very sharp, young man. Off you go then."

"Will do."

The three good brothers, tasked with the glorious mission of helping Young Master Lei scam his father-in-law, set off. Fortunately, they hadn't ventured too far in, so they just needed to retrace their steps. After all, they were favorites of the Goddess of Fortune and would not die.

"Alas, such fine lads. Every time I encounter them, good things happen. I must treat them well from now on."

Young Master Lei watched their retreating figures, growing more fond of them.

"Should we... talk about how you'd rather die than marry me?"

"This..."

The two set off again, and this time, they accelerated their pace. The Wood Immortal Secret Realm had been open for several days. The large groups of people who had entered earlier had already gone deep inside. Their progress was too slow, and all the good stuff had been snatched up by others.

They moved swiftly through the forest. Ordinary trees and vines could not hinder them. They didn't stop for demonic beasts, quickly shaking them off and continuing their journey. They didn't encounter anything too dangerous on the road, as the dangerous places had already been marked by those who came before. The method of marking was the dried-up corpses.

The forest was vast. They traversed it for more than two days without finding its end. Perhaps the Wood Immortal Secret Realm was entirely made of trees. The surrounding landmarks were too similar, all trees. They didn't even know how long they had been flying. The only thing they could sense was that the light was growing dimmer.

From the second day onwards, they encountered more and more cultivators. These people moved in groups, were highly vigilant, and avoided them from afar upon seeing them.

"Alas, we've been traveling for so long and haven't seen a single acquaintance. When will my grand plan to show off be realized?"

Young Master Lei was quite troubled.

He had been holding back for five years.

Five years without showing off.

Do you know how I've spent these five years?

"Who do you want to meet?"

Fang Xiaoyu asked with a half-smile.

"Hmm... Wan Liuchuan? Heavenly Calculator? The Central Domain's chosen few... Who would be good to show off to? I think, after all, I am the protagonist. Protagonists should have their wishes granted, the kind who can meet anyone they wish to meet."

"Tsk, do you really think you're a character in a book?"

"Yes! That fat guy said I'm the male protagonist, and you're the female protagonist. We're both incredibly powerful."

"Bah."

Fang Xiaoyu didn't bother to retort and flew forward. After a moment, she suddenly stopped.

"Oh, your wish has indeed come true. You can meet whoever you want. It seems you've been thinking of her all along."

Wan Lei was bewildered by Fang Xiaoyu's words. When he flew closer, he almost slapped himself. *Serve you right for your glib tongue; now you can't explain yourself!*

In the distance, a group of women were locked in a fierce battle with a ten-foot-tall monkey. These were disciples of the Kui Lian Sect. The leading woman, Wan Lei hadn't met her before, but he recognized her as Yue Lingxi. Behind Yue Lingxi was a woman in black, who was injured.

"Man Yaoyao..."

"Yes, your Man Yaoyao."

————

(It's been many years since we last saw our adorable sister Yaoyao. Don't you miss her? They're about to meet. The cold, proud萝莉 Fang Xiaoyu versus the sweet and charming older sister Qi Man Yao, how will these two women who are both devoted to Wan Lei collide? Tomorrow, the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, "Ferryman of Heavenly Tribulation" will be featured with a grand front-page recommendation on the Zongheng platform, both on the app and the computer web page. This is the first time for a double grand recommendation, especially during the Spring Festival. Da Zhuang has decided to do a burst of updates. The exact number of chapters will depend on how much I can write today, but it should be nine chapters, nearly twenty thousand words. Brothers, let's get those subscriptions and rewards going! For the sake of the burst update, let's go, go, go!)