As he spoke, Zhang Man, who was still holding Liu Ergou, froze motionless.

Looking at the stiff Zhang Man, Liu Ergou continued, "Don't take everyone for a fool! Some things are better left unsaid, for both our sakes. So don't push your luck. Understand?"

Having heard him put it so plainly, Zhang Man naturally understood. She slowly released Liu Ergou and sat obediently to the side, looking like a chastened child.

"I… I understand…" Zhang Man whispered, then began searching the floor for her clothes.

Seeing that she had settled down, Liu Ergou said nothing more and started putting on his own clothes. As he pulled on his shirt, he instinctively touched the breast pocket, where he had kept the Imperial Green Jadeite he brought back from Ting Tian Pavilion.

However, when his hand reached the pocket, he felt nothing but emptiness.

My jadeite is missing!

Instantly, his gaze turned incredibly sharp.

What happened?

But Liu Ergou didn't immediately question Zhang Man. Instead, he slipped his hand inside the pocket and felt around. As he did, he pulled out a pile of fine white powder. Staring at the powder in his hand, Liu Ergou grew pensive.

"Zhang Man, let me ask you something," Liu Ergou said suddenly, his eyes still on the powder.

Zhang Man, who was getting dressed, immediately replied, "Ah, what is it?"

"This morning, when you were taking my clothes off, did you notice anything in my breast pocket?"

Hearing his question, Zhang Man didn't answer right away. She frowned, trying to recall.

Seeing her reaction, Liu Ergou knew instantly that she had no idea he'd put the jadeite in his breast pocket.

After a moment of thought, Zhang Man finally said, "The breast pocket? There was nothing in it when I took your shirt off. What's wrong, Er Gou? Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

"It's nothing," Liu Ergou said, shaking his head and falling silent.

He already had a good idea of how his jadeite had disappeared.

Yesterday, during the stone gambling, the qi inside my body developed a craving for those jadeites. It was by following that craving that I made a fortune. Then, I took the jadeite and left Ting Tian Pavilion. Right after that, I was drugged by Ding Zhengyang. But at the critical moment, a stream of cool energy entered my body. That cool energy must have come from the jadeite, because now it's nothing but powder.

With this thought, Liu Ergou finished dressing in a few swift movements and headed straight into the bathroom. There, he began to circulate his Body Refining Technique. To his astonishment, he discovered that his technique had actually broken through to the fourth level.

He knew that no matter what he had tried before, he could never break through. But today, he had. All the clues pointed to one thing: that piece of jadeite was the key to his breakthrough. He wasn't entirely sure why, but this was undoubtedly a good thing.

This realization lifted Liu Ergou's spirits considerably. He quickly washed up and walked out of the bathroom.

As for the specific wonders of the fourth level of the Body Refining Technique, he had no time to explore them now. He'd figure that out later when he had a chance.

Seeing Liu Ergou emerge, Zhang Man immediately spoke up. "Er Gou, today we…"

She was cut off by Liu Ergou.

"Today?" he interrupted. "Today I have to head back to the village. I left in a hurry before things there were sorted out. Besides, we're all done here. If anything else comes up, just call me."

With that, Liu Ergou turned to leave.

At this point, he really didn't want to waste another word on this woman. She was too scheming. He was very self-aware; despite receiving an extraordinary inheritance, in terms of cunning, he was just an ordinary person. If he got involved with a woman like Zhang Man, he'd probably get played for a fool and not even realize it. The best strategy was to stay far, far away from her.

However, he had only taken a few steps when Zhang Man, who had been sitting on the bed, suddenly shot up and wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"Er Gou, how can you be so heartless? You're just going to leave like that!" Zhang Man said pitifully.

Her tone didn't soften him in the slightest. He replied in the same cool voice as before, "Zhang Man, if you only want me as your boyfriend to get back at Liu Yunxi, I advise you to drop the idea. I may be from the countryside, but I know my own limits. I can't outmaneuver a woman like you, so all I can do is keep my distance. Once I've finished treating your grandfather's illness, let's not contact each other again. That's it."

After speaking, Liu Ergou broke free without a moment's hesitation and moved to leave.

Zhang Man was completely stunned.

She had never dreamed that Liu Ergou would lay his cards on the table so directly, without an ounce of hesitation. Panic began to set in. While it was true that at first, she only wanted to get back at Liu Yunxi by snatching Liu Ergou away from her, after spending this time together, Zhang Man found she had become genuinely interested in him—an interest that was spiraling out of control.

And now, she truly wanted Liu Ergou to be her boyfriend. But things had come to this.

Watching Liu Ergou about to pull open the hotel room door, Zhang Man bit her lip and rushed forward, blocking his path.

Seeing her standing in front of him, Liu Ergou frowned. "Zhang Man, what are you doing? I've already made it very clear. I can't compete with you, so I choose to keep my distance. So, you'd better step aside. Don't exhaust the last bit of goodwill I have for you; that won't do either of us any good. Understand?"

Hearing his words, Zhang Man couldn't help but sigh internally. It seemed her move yesterday had been a terrible one. It had only amplified his disdain for her. But now, she had truly fallen for him and didn't want to let him go.

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