LAVW – Chapter 13 The Power of Poverty

The morning sun rose high in the sky.

Guan Rouzhi, who had grabbed onto Long Ye, broke out in a cold sweat from anxiety.

Seeing Long Ye’s dark expression, she hurriedly asked in a low voice, “Xiao Ye, why are you here?”

According to her daughter’s plan, since the Long family had agreed to their conditions, Long Ye shouldn’t have come out at all. Guan Rouzhi had felt a bit guilty for wronging the child, but not seeing him was better—less awkward.

But now that he had suddenly appeared in front of her, she had no choice but to pull him aside to speak privately, hoping not to cause a scene.

Her guilty conscience made her feel embarrassed and conflicted, and she avoided his gaze.

Long Ye spoke directly, “Aunt Guan, I want to see her. Please pass my message to her.”

“This… Even if you see Qingqian, then what…” Guan Rouzhi hesitated. She tried to persuade him, “How about just letting it go?”

“Xiao Ye, you’re both good kids,” she said, speaking on behalf of her daughter. “Qingqian had no choice… You don’t know how difficult things are for a young girl.”

As she spoke, Guan Rouzhi held onto Long Ye’s hand and started to cry.

Long Ye recalled the days when Li Qingqian had been absent, and how Guan Rouzhi had similarly cried to him, telling him about her daughter’s hardships.

He coldly pulled his hand away. “Aunt Guan, just deliver the message. I’ll be waiting for her at the old dock today. If she doesn’t come, I might have to disturb you all again.”

“You… It was you last night!” Guan Rouzhi’s face was filled with shock.

Long Ye didn’t want to say more. He turned and walked away with long strides.

After leaving the crowd, he took a quiet path toward the abandoned dock.

Luo Feng Town was near both a river and a lake, and a waterway ran through it. The winding river stretched past the Jiutian Peak mountain range.

Due to changes in the river’s course, a new dock had been built for convenience, leaving the old one abandoned. It had become an exceptionally quiet place.

“Squeak, squeak.”

“You think this will make her come?” Shi Qian, his companion, doubted the effectiveness of the threat.

Long Ye was certain. “She’s smart. She’ll come.”

“This morning, we went around town, and no one had heard about the broken engagement. If this wasn’t intentional, that wouldn’t be possible. To achieve the outcome she wants, she will show up.”

After seeing Guan Rouzhi’s guilty expression, Long Ye ruled out the small possibility that Li Qingqian had been forced into this. There was only one truth: she had done it on purpose, and Aunt Guan had known for a long time.

They had all worked together to deceive him, an outsider.

But there was one thing he couldn’t understand. He muttered softly, “Why didn’t she just tell me earlier…”

If she had told him sooner, he wouldn’t have made things difficult for her family. It wouldn’t have hit him like such a sudden blow.

“Squeak, squeak.”

One reason is hard to say, and another is… you’re actually pretty good too!

Shi Qian seemed to be in a chatty mood. “Squeak, squeak, squeak.”

And now, she can say it because she’s found a replacement.

“What’s a replacement?”

Long Ye noticed that beast language differed from human speech. Shi Qian often used words he didn’t quite understand.

Shi Qian explained, “Chirp, chirp, chirp—”

Some carriages had wheels that easily broke, so they carried a spare wheel for replacement. That extra wheel was called a “spare tire.”

In other words, Long Ye was the wheel that had been replaced. The spare tire had taken his place.

Long Ye vaguely felt that the language of these spirit beasts was brutally vivid.

The abandoned dock sat on the riverbank. Since it had once been prosperous, many houses had been built nearby. But now, it was nearly deserted, making the place seem all the more desolate.

Shi Qian and Long Ye sat on the river embankment under the shade of a large willow tree.

They didn’t have to wait long.

About half an hour later, Shi Qian saw the legendary fiancée for the first time.

Li Qingqian wore an elegant lotus-green dress, her hair styled in a delicate updo. Her beauty was serene and refined. As she walked along the overgrown pathway, she seemed out of place yet still captivating.

She stopped just outside the shade of the willow tree.

Her expression was calm—unlike Guan Rouzhi, whose guilty demeanor had made her wrongdoing obvious. Instead, Li Qingqian’s tone remained steady as she asked Long Ye, “Mother said you were looking for me. Is there something you need?”

Beneath her sleeves, her hands were clenched tightly, her knuckles slightly tensed.

Long Ye gazed at her and suddenly felt she was a stranger.

Perhaps it was because she was dressed in a style she had never worn before, her appearance more refined and noble than ever.

Li Qingqian also studied Long Ye, but what caught her attention wasn’t him—it was the small creature perched curiously on his shoulder.

It looked like a mouse, except for its large ears. Its fluffy white fur made it quite cute, but beyond that, it didn’t interest her much. What truly caught her attention was the surge of strength radiating from Long Ye. She only cared about things that were useful.

Shi Qian sensed the strange atmosphere and let out a sharp squeak to break the silence.

Say something.

Only Long Ye understood.

But the first to speak was actually Li Qingqian. She asked, “Is that your pet mouse? It’s really cute. What is it saying?”

She knew she had to say something. As Long Ye had implied, she didn’t want to make an enemy of him—she just wanted this whole situation to pass quietly.

Shi Qian also turned to Long Ye, but seeing the boy’s heavy and confused expression, he immediately knew this weakling was unreliable.

Looks like he had to step in.

So Shi Qian cut straight to the point and squeaked loudly:

“Quit the nonsense—give back the money and the stuff!”

Shi Qian believed there were two major problems right now: weakness and poverty. Strength was hard to gain, but being broke was just as miserable. He didn’t want to keep sleeping in abandoned temples or struggling through rough journeys with no food.

Besides, it was clear that Long Ye’s romance wasn’t going anywhere. Might as well focus on making money!

Hearing this, Long Ye—who had always considered himself smart—felt his brain freeze for a second.

Originally, he had wanted to ask Li Qingqian why she did it. But now that she was standing in front of him, he realized there was no point.

Thanks to Shi Qian, his anger had already been drained by everything that had happened—the fight with Long Ming, escaping the ancestral hall, fleeing for his life last night. The real reason he had called her out wasn’t to get answers; it was to bring closure for himself.

But how had the conversation suddenly shifted to asking for a refund?

Li Qingqian, sensing the odd white mouse’s displeasure, furrowed her delicate brows and looked at Long Ye.

Realizing his partner was completely useless, Shi Qian lifted his paw and smacked Long Ye’s ear in frustration.

“If you don’t know what to say, just repeat after me!”

Then he let loose another barrage of squeaks:

“I want a luxurious beast mansion! I want to eat premium nuts every day! I want fresh spirit beast milk! I want to chew on spirit stones! Money, money, money!”

Under this flood of demands, Long Ye once again felt the crushing weight of poverty.

Ever since he left home, all his food and water had come from the little spirit beast. He had a few spirit stones, but they wouldn’t last long.

And standing right in front of him was the main reason for his poverty—Li Qingqian.

The unbearable weight of being broke, along with the lingering frustration, made him do something he had never done before: he put aside his pride and said bluntly, “He’s saying you should give the money back.”

Shi Qian clenched his tiny paws. Nice.

Li Qingqian, however, was completely thrown off. Her composed expression finally cracked, replaced by bewilderment.

“You… what did you just say?”

Shi Qian, in the tone of a strict coach, barked aggressively:

“Squeak!”

Give back the money!

Long Ye translated, “Return the spirit stones and belongings.” This time, he even added, “That’s also my own request.”

Even though Long Ye’s translation lacked the emotional intensity of Shi Qian’s demand, it still got the point across effectively.

Li Qingqian’s face flushed red. Against the color of her dress, she looked just like a delicate flower, yet she was being ruthlessly battered by the storm of reality.