After being reborn, all I want to do is run away.

Chapter 144 Losing money and eliminating disaster

"Shen Xu, you've arrived so early today. Have you already given up?" Li Xiaoyi asked, sipping her green tea with an elegant air.

"How could that be! You probably can't afford to pay for the Nourishing Essence Pills I've brought out!" Shen Xu said with an air of absolute certainty.

"Oh? Then take it out and let me see!" Li Xiaoyi couldn't help but be a little surprised. Could it be that the curse of that evil ghost mask wasn't so strong after all, and he actually brought back the Nourishing Yuan Pill?

Shen Xu took the backpack off his back with a smile, but his smile froze the moment he opened it. "Where are my big porcelain vases?!"

"What? You can't produce it?" A playful smile appeared on Li Xiaoyi's face.

Shen Xu immediately smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Xiao Yi, you have to believe me, I actually really made a lot of Nourishing Yuan Pills."

Seeing Shen Xu's smile, Li Xiaoyi couldn't help but smile too. Then she slowly walked to his side and whispered in his ear, "Let's go eat! King of Rock-Paper-Scissors."

During the meal, Shen Xu couldn't help but be a little absent-minded. He was wondering why Li Xiaoyi was so sure that he couldn't bring back a Nourishing Yuan Pill. Could that old man be one of Li Xiaoyi's people? But he didn't think so, yet she was highly suspicious.

Li Xiaoyi's attitude towards him was also strange. As a friend, Li Xiaoyi was too intimate with him. He wouldn't be so narcissistic as to think that Li Xiaoyi liked him. He had only known Li Xiaoyi for a few days in this life, so what exactly did Li Xiaoyi want from him?

Instead of overthinking, he decided to ask directly, so he took the initiative and said, "Xiao Yi, why are you so sure I can't bring back any Nourishing Essence Pills?"

Qingyun seemed to want to speak, but was interrupted by a look from Li Xiaoyi.

Li Xiaoyi slowly explained, "Because you are under a curse called 'financial loss,' which will prevent you from saving any money. However, it is not without its benefits; the money you lose will help you avert a future disaster."

"Curse! Financial ruin!" No wonder he always lost his Nourishing Essence Pills for some inexplicable reason. It turned out that he was cursed. But when exactly was he cursed, and who did it?

"Xiao Yi, do you see any way to lift this curse for me? How can I survive without money!" Shen Xu pleaded.

"Since you have already triggered this curse, it cannot be lifted. Because you have already lost a lot of money, it means that a great calamity awaits you in the future, and it is still unknown whether the money you have lost will be enough to protect you from this calamity. The time to lift the curse will be when you find that you can save money again."

"You mean I'll be penniless for an unknown period of time in the future!" Shen Xu suddenly felt as if his sky had fallen.

Li Xiaoyi said calmly, "With me here, you won't starve."

"No way, would that make me a gigolo?" Shen Xu stood up and refused without hesitation.

"Aren't you living off me right now?" Li Xiaoyi raised her head and looked at Shen Xu with a charming gaze.

Shen Xu avoided Li Xiaoyi's gaze and slowly sat down. "This is too unfair! This woman is terrifying! What exactly does she want?"

He could no longer treat Li Xiaoyi normally as before. He admitted that he was attracted to Li Xiaoyi, but it was mostly lust at first sight. Moreover, there is no love or hate without a reason in the world. His experience in his previous life taught him that having too much contact with Li Xiaoyi was definitely not a good thing.

He had originally thought that he could get along with Li Xiaoyi like ordinary friends in this life, but now it seems that he has one more woman to avoid.

After Shen Xu sat down, a long silence fell over the dinner table. Sensing the somewhat heavy atmosphere, Qing Yun suddenly felt that she shouldn't be there.

But this situation didn't last long, and soon Xiaoxi came in to report that other people had arrived.

"Shen Xu, why are you here so early today? And you came with Xiao Yi and Qing Yun. Tell me honestly what you were doing?" Xiao Ruohuang asked curiously.

"I didn't eat dinner, so Miss Li invited me to eat with them. Don't overthink it!" Shen Xu immediately explained.

After hearing this, Li Xiaoyi looked at Shen Xu with a hint of coldness in her eyes.

"Miss Xiao, what do you think of your mask? Qingyun said your mask is the most expensive, it must be extraordinary. I'd love to see it." Shen Xu felt he couldn't treat Li Xiaoyi differently; he had to ask everyone.

He didn't notice Li Xiaoyi's increasingly cold gaze behind him, while Qingyun suddenly felt that the temperature around her seemed to drop a little.

"Hehe! I can only say it's great value for money, I really love it, but you guys have to watch from a distance!" Xiao Ruohuang took out a mask from the ring and put it on her face.

After the three had gone some distance, they saw that on Xiao Ruohuang's originally jet-black mask, tiny red sparks began to quietly appear.

These sparks, like twinkling stars in the night sky, were initially few in number, but over time they multiplied and gradually coalesced into tiny points of fire.

These sparks seemed to possess a life of their own, intertwining and merging, soon forming patches of bright red fire. The fire spots spread rapidly, quickly covering the entire mask.

At this moment, the mask had been engulfed by the raging flames, just like crystal-clear lava slowly flowing down Xiao Ruohuang's face.

The flowing lava, carrying intense heat and dazzling light, slid down her cheeks, gradually outlining a lifelike phoenix pattern, radiating endless charm.

"This is just the most ordinary state. Next, please enjoy the true, complete form of this mask!" Xiao Ruohuang's voice came through the mask that emitted an orange-red glow, her tone full of confidence and pride.

As soon as she finished speaking, the molten lava that had been burning fiercely on the mask suddenly seemed to find a new outlet, and began to flow down from the mask continuously. The scalding lava dripped slowly, drop by drop, onto Xiao Ruohuang's bright red dress.

The moment the lava touched the red dress, it emitted a soft hissing sound, and then the two merged perfectly together. It transformed her red dress into a magnificent orange-red fiery gown, as if woven from countless dancing flames, each part shimmering with captivating brilliance.

While everyone was still reeling from the shock, a pair of enormous fiery wings slowly unfurled behind Xiao Ruohuang. These wings were made of crimson flames, and as they burned, sparks flew, illuminating the surrounding dark space.

As its wings unfurled, a high-pitched and melodious phoenix cry suddenly rang out, piercing the silent night sky and echoing for a long time in the darkness.

"So...so beautiful!" Qingyun was immediately stunned by the breathtaking scene before her.

Shen Xu was also stunned. He really didn't expect that the mask could be made like this. Who was the person who made this mask?

However, Xiao Ruohuang in front of them did not last long before her face dimmed, and her mask returned to an inconspicuous black.

"This state consumes too much of my energy, and I can't hold on for much longer." Xiao Ruohuang took off her mask with some regret.

"Who told you to use the Phoenix Wings? The mask didn't give you those wings, did it?" Yuan Wuwei walked in from outside and couldn't help but tease.

Xiao Ruohuang retorted confidently, "Why don't I add that if I have wings!"

"Does that flame-patterned cloak have any other functions?" Zuo Chen asked.

"It seems to only emit light, and it only looks like a flame," Xiao Ruohuang replied.

Zuo Chen laughed and said, "That's right. If it had other functions, it wouldn't be priced this low."

"It seems like only Brother Cen is missing now. Brother Cen always arrives very early!" Qingyun couldn't help but feel a little strange.

"I've arrived!" Everyone looked toward the source of the voice and saw Cen Chong wearing a stone mask, leaning against the artificial hill in the courtyard.

As Cen Chong approached the group, they felt as if a towering mountain was closing in on them, creating an overwhelming sense of pressure.

"This mask is too precious. I would buy it without hesitation even if it cost me ten thousand Nourishing Yuan Pills," Cen Chong exclaimed as he removed the mask.

Zuo Chen said with admiration, "Although most of the masks in the shop don't have much practical function, the mask maker has made the most of what a mask should do. You should all thank Shen Xu for being able to buy such a precious item!"

"I only told you the location; you're only able to buy it because you're very wealthy."

"That's not how it works! The shopkeeper said she was only willing to sell the mask to us because of you," Xiao Ruohuang explained.

"She did this because I sold you the mask?" Shen Xu was puzzled. He couldn't figure out what the witch was up to.

"Weren't we supposed to be discussing the sword selection today?" Li Xiaoyi suddenly reminded him.

“Yes, let’s go inside and talk!” Zuo Chen replied.