Like Cinematic Disarm, Gilded Influence was also a power based on a rule, though its manifestation wasn't as dramatic.
The Twin Snakes hadn't run away or tried to kill Alba Li at the first opportunity. They thought it was because they feared Leo's strange martial arts.
In reality, they were being influenced by Gilded Influence.
The skill's effect on people was invisible and intangible.
The fact that the Twin Snakes chose to stay willingly subverted the onlookers' understanding of the world.
But then again, if they were in the same situation, facing the unpredictable Alba Li, they probably wouldn't dare to run either.
Perhaps the Twin Snakes are just looking for an opportunity to kill the boy, most people, including Tie Chuanjia, concluded.
Hiring your enemies as bodyguards—at best, it was a display of bold confidence; at worst, it meant you had rocks in your head.
Two corpses lay on the tavern floor.
Roxanne Tang was unconscious.
Li Xunhuan was asleep.
The Twin Snakes had retrieved their swords and now stood opposite Leo, looking constrained.
The scene grew even more bizarre.
After silently staring at the bodies of Zhuge Lei and Zhao the Second for a long moment, Leo said, "White Snake, go and get the money from their bodies. They're dead, we shouldn't let the money go to waste."
Leo had discovered the greatest secret of Gilded Influence.
But to use it, he needed money.
The money he used to hire the Twin Snakes was borrowed.
He couldn't borrow money every time he wanted to use the skill.
Leo had read the original novel and knew the Twin Snakes were wealthy. But having just hired them as guards for a few taels of silver, it seemed wrong to immediately rob them.
He wasn't Lu Xiaoshu; he didn't thrive on collecting negative emotions. It was best to avoid things that would ruin his reputation.
That could lead to Gilded Influence failing to recruit people in the future.
But looting corpses didn't carry the same guilt. In games, don't you get gold and gear from killing monsters?
He wants me to loot a dead body?
It would be one thing if we were alone.
But…
The White Snake glanced around, the muscles in his jaw twitching violently. He froze on the spot. Did the reputation of the Jade-Blooded Twin Snakes mean nothing anymore?
As the White Snake hesitated, Leo's brow furrowed.
The Black Snake coughed and shot his brother a pointed look.
The White Snake snapped out of it, quickly forcing a smile for Leo. He then retrieved the money pouch from Zhao the Second's robes and respectfully placed it in front of Leo.
Leo eagerly emptied the pouch. Loose silver clattered onto the table. There were probably twenty or thirty taels.
Tie Chuanjia had resolved to ignore Leo, but seeing him loot the dead, he couldn't hold back. He coughed heavily. "Young Master Bai, a gentleman loves wealth, but he acquires it through proper means."
Just then, the White Snake brought over Zhuge Lei's money pouch and handed it to Leo.
Leo took it, looked at Tie Chuanjia, then at the bodies on the floor, and nodded earnestly. "Uncle Tie, you are right."
With that, he picked up two silver ingots from the table.
He thought for a moment, then put one back.
Then, Leo tossed the remaining ingot onto the counter. "Innkeeper, the dead deserve respect. Please bury them and let them rest in peace. Use the rest of the money to buy some paper money to burn for them."
"…" said Tie Chuanjia.
"…" said the innkeeper.
Tie Chuanjia suddenly felt no desire to stay in the tavern any longer.
Leo had appeared as Li Xunhuan's supposed nephew. If word of what happened here got out, it wouldn't matter to him, but Li Xunhuan's reputation would be ruined.
"Young Master Bai, the Young Master and I must head towards the pass. Are you coming with us?" Tie Chuanjia helped the drunken Li Xunhuan to his feet and extended a perfunctory invitation.
"Thank you, Uncle Tie. It would be my honor!" Leo grinned, seizing the opportunity.
Tie Chuanjia flinched, wishing he could slap himself. Why did I have to say that? Just leave!
But what was done was done.
He couldn't take back his words. Tie Chuanjia wasn't as thick-skinned as Alba Li, so he had to grit his teeth and travel with him.
Leo pinched Roxie's philtrum to wake her from her faint.
Still dazed, Roxie had no idea what was going on as she dazedly followed Leo into a horse-drawn carriage.
The shock had been significant, and she wasn't fully lucid.
The Twin Snakes, like a pair of genuine bodyguards, followed the carriage on horseback.
No one thought anything was amiss.
Having the Twin Snakes following the carriage made Tie Chuanjia's skin crawl. He drove the carriage with trepidation. After hesitating for a long time, he lowered his voice to warn, "Young Master Bai, the Jianghu is treacherous. you are too quick to trust people."
Leo smiled faintly. "Uncle Tie, don't overcomplicate things. Be merciful when you can, and your path will only grow wider."
He would never reveal the secret of Gilded Influence.
Tie Chuanjia's breath hitched. His desire to see Leo fail grew even more urgent. He knew it was wrong, but he couldn't help it.
A moment later, curiosity got the better of him again. "Young Master Bai, your swordsmanship is rather strange."
Little Li's Flying Dagger, which never missed, had become a legend in the martial world.
But compared to Alba Li's technique, the Flying Dagger was child's play.
At least the Flying Dagger was within the realm of normal.
But…
The image of the Twin Snakes flying forward to catch the sword replayed in Tie Chuanjia's mind.
Can that really be considered martial arts?
With money in his pocket, Leo felt secure. The heavy purse in his robe was a comfort. He chuckled. "That wasn't swordsmanship. That was sorcery."
"…" said Tie Chuanjia.
"Oh, right. Uncle Tie, your money." Leo found two silver ingots in his pouch, leaned out of the carriage, and handed them to Tie Chuanjia. A good borrower always repays.
"I don't want dirty money from a corpse. I'm afraid of retribution," Tie Chuanjia said, turning his face away with a grim expression.
"…" Leo was taken aback and sheepishly withdrew his hand. "Alright, I'll pay you back when I earn my own money."
Silence.
The only sounds on the road were the crunch of horse hooves on snow and Li Xunhuan's snores.
And the clinking of silver as Leo played with his money pouch.
Tie Chuanjia felt an inexplicable surge of irritation. "Young Master Bai, you seem to come from a wealthy family. Why covet a dead man's coin? It's a disgrace to the name of a hero!"
"Which of your eyes saw that I come from a wealthy family?" Leo asked.
"That translucent, crystal-like bottle you used to serve the Young Master wine. It must be worth a thousand gold pieces, no?" Tie Chuanjia grumbled.
"…" Leo froze, then smacked his forehead. Of course. I'm an embarrassment to all transmigrators.
Scarcity creates value. Cross-world trade was obviously much more profitable than looting corpses.
Leo looked at the glass bottle, still holding a small amount of wine in the corner of the carriage, and fell silent for a moment. "Brother Tie, that wine bottle of mine, worth a thousand gold. How much do you think I could sell it for to Long Xiaoyun?"
Screech!
Tie Chuanjia yanked hard on the reins.
The horse neighed shrilly as the carriage came to an abrupt halt.
His jaw tightened. Such a promising young man, how did he get so fixated on money?
Caught off guard, Leo bumped against the carriage wall. Fortunately, it was padded with thick fur, so it didn't hurt much.
Leo lifted the curtain. "Uncle Tie, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, my hand slipped," Tie Chuanjia said through clenched teeth.
Before the words were even out of his mouth, a high-pitched voice came from the woods. "A hero emerges from the youth indeed! I didn't think Young Hero Li would discover us, hidden so deep!"
As the voice spoke, two figures emerged from the forest: an old man with high cheekbones and a sallow face, and a withered, skinny man who looked like a monkey.
"Chief Ranger Zha, and the Shadow-Walker, Master Yu the Second," Tie Chuanjia exclaimed.