Silence fell.
Then came the envy.
"She bought that from a street vendor?"
"Talk about luck."
"She must've known. Look at her; she's not even surprised."
Zhao Meilin's expression doesn't change. She hasn't known the bracelet's story, but she'd felt something when she first saw the strange white colored aura around it.
A man in a tailored suit steps forward, voice sharp with urgency. "Young lady, I'll give you 30,000 for it."
"what only 30,000. Are you trying to fool the little girl here just because she is alone. Girl, I offer 100,000 for it." another man cpmes forward, increaseing the bid.
"Aren't you doing the same? I am willing to offer 150,000." someone else steps in.
Well aware that the price may go out of the limit, the second man grits his teeth and gives the final price, "Young Girl, my final offer is 200,000 yuan. Even if fragment from a ceremonial vase from Song Dynasty; but in the end id still a fragment not not the actual vase. No matter what, this braclet won't get a higher price than this no matter where you go."
Infact Zhao Meilin is shocked as well. She knew antiques are expensive but the price was still a great surprise to her. Afterall, this her first time selling antiques. Maybe this braclet may be more expensive than this but is in urgent need of money right now and don't even know when she will meet such a generous buyer. It's better is sell it now then regret later.
"Done. I will sell this braclet to you." zhao Meilin tells the man and pass the braclet to him.
The man also transfers the money to her.
After paying 2,500 appraisal fees, Zhao Meilin leaves the antique street.
Wondering about the aura she saw on the the braclet, Zhao Meilin goes through all the information she has gained from the library in the space and soon got her answer.
The aura is called Light Prism. It tells how valuable that thing is and is represented by different colors. Every color has it own value.
The white aura she just saw is the least valuable.
Yellow means the object is little valuable
Orange refers to moderately valuable items.
Red is highly valuable.
While Blue means the item is of exterme value.
And purple refers to the most valuable and priceless item.
The same colored aura can also be seen on people as well; but there, it refers to there talent; How talented they are.
Purple aura is the most difficult to find; be it items or in people. It is nearly impossible to come across something or someone with a purple aura.
She can only see this aura once on something or someone and will only see orange or above aura in human.
Oterwise imagine, your surroundings being like rainbow wherever you go.
Zhao Meilin stared at the bracelet, her mind spinning. So the glow she saw had a name—Light Prism. It wasn't just a pretty light. It showed how special something was. Each color had a meaning. And the white glow she saw? It meant the bracelet wasn't very valuable but this power definitely is. It is something was truly priceless.
This power is amazing. She has a gift. A secret. And now, the world around her looked different. Every person, every item—could be hiding something incredible. And only she could see it.
Humming in excitment, Zhao Meilin go back the familiar road she came from when she sense a movement behind her. All the excitment leaves her body. How can forget all her taining. She can't lose her vigilance just because she has crossed over in a new world.
Changing the the route, she walks towards the dark alley. Sensing the faster movement behind her, she moves towards the alley with a dead end and swiftly enters the space to hide.
Outside;
Footsteps. Fast. Careless. Three figures enter the alley, their shadows stretching long under the flickering streetlight.
"She ducked in here, I saw her!" The fisrt one say.
"Little girl's loaded. 200,000 yuan on her card, easy pickings." The second and the leader of the other two, exclaims.
"Let's make it quick. Boss I also want a cut." the third one request.
Zhao Meilin who has exited the space behind them Sneers;
Little girl?
They had no idea.
She steps out from the shadows like a blade unsheathed.
"You talk too much," she says, voice low and calm. "And you walk too loud."
The thugs freeze. One laughs nervously.
"What's this? You think you're some kind of hero?"
"No," Meilin replies, cracking her knuckles. "I'm just someone who doesn't like being hunted."
The first one lunges. She sidesteps, grabs his wrist, and twists—snap. He screams, dropping his blade. The second charges with a pipe. She ducks, sweeps his legs, and he crashes to the ground with a grunt.
The third, the one who'd spoken first, hesitates. Smart. But not smart enough.
"You're not normal," he mutters, backing away. "Neither is this world," she says, stepping forward. "But I've trained for worse."
He pulls a taser. She kicks it from his hand before he can blink, then delivers a sharp elbow to his jaw. He crumples.
Silence returns to the alley, broken only by the groans of the defeated.
Meilin kneels beside the leader and pulls her card.
"You wanted my card?" she says, holding it up. "Here's a tip: next time, check who you're robbing."
She tosses the card back into her pocket and walks away, her steps light, her vigilance restored.
Leaving the alley behind, she continue her walk in the alley when a scent hits her nose.
A very familiar scent to her.
A smell she can never forget.
The smell of blood.
Zhao Meilin's steps slow as the scent thickens. Metallic. Sharp. Blood. Not just any blood—trained blood. The kind that's been spilled in silence, not chaos.
She rounds the corner and sees it: an old warehouse, its roof half-collapsed, rust bleeding down the walls like old wounds. The scent draws her in.
Inside, moonlight filters through broken glass. Shadows stretch across crates and debris. And then she sees them.
A man crouched beside a woman, his hands pressed to her side, trying to stop the bleeding. Her breathing is shallow, but her eyes—sharp. Alert. Defiant.
Zhao Meilin's gaze sharpens. Around both of them glows a faint red aura, visible only to her. Red: which suggest that they are highly talented. She's never thought she will see two in one place.
There posture and aura clearly suggeststhat they are trained; may be not like her but definitely trained.
Trained to kill without mercy.
"Who are you?" the man demands, voice low but edged with warning.
"Someone who knows what you are," Zhao Meilin replies, stepping closer. "And someone who knows you're not the enemy."
The woman coughs, blood staining her lips. She kneels beside her, assessing the wound with practiced eyes.
"You're lucky," she says. "The blade missed your lung. But you won't stay lucky if you don't get out of here."
"We don't trust hospitals," the man growls.
"Then trust me," Zhao Meilin says, locking eyes with him. "I am here with you"
He hesitates. Then nods.
At the hospital;
VIP area,
The ward's lights flicker as Zhao Meilin looks the woman onto a stretcher. The man stays close, his hand never leaving hers.
"She'll be stable soon," Zhao Meilin says. "I gave the paramedics the right story. No questions asked. Also don't worry about the bills. I have already cleared them all."
"Why are you helping us?" he asks.
"Because I don't waste potential," Zhao Meilin replies. "And because I think we'll need each other soon."
She turns to leave, then pauses.
"Tomorrow. Noon. I'll find you. We'll talk then. For now—take care of her."
The man nods, eyes wary but grateful.
As Zhao Meilin disappears into the night, the scent of blood fades—but the red aura lingers in her mind.
Two assassins. One wound. And a connection she didn't expect.