THE REAL PROTEGE-Chapter 492: DOES YOUR FACE HURT?

To use a Chaos Stone for mere trinkets was not merely extravagant — it was unheard of, unprecedented, a gesture so audacious it bordered on the insane. It was like using a divine relic to buy bread, burning a priceless painting for warmth, or trading a dragon’s pearl for a handful of rice. Its value was so astronomically high that even sect leaders and clan heads treated each stone as a treasure to be hoarded in the deepest vaults, guarded by formations and protected by blood oaths. Wars had been fought over single Chaos Stones. Entire families had been annihilated for possessing them. And here, in a modest boutique, Shi Min had produced one with the casual indifference of someone paying for tea.

The Shock and Face-Slapping Dialogues

The moment Shi Min placed the Chaos Stone on the counter, the boutique fell into a stunned silence so complete that even breathing seemed to cease. Time itself appeared to hesitate, caught in the gravity of what had just occurred. The stone pulsed faintly with an inner light that seemed to exist in colors beyond the typical spectrum, its surface swirling with fragments of primordial energy — like a miniature storm of creation and destruction contained within a crystal sphere no larger than a child’s fist. Tiny lightning bolts of pure chaos energy flickered across its surface, and those with spiritual sensitivity could feel its power pressing against their consciousness like the weight of an ocean.

The attendant’s hands trembled violently as she reached for it, her fingers hovering above the stone as though afraid it might burn her — or worse, that she might prove unworthy even to touch such a treasure. Her voice broke as she stammered, her carefully cultivated professional demeanor crumbling entirely. She bowed so deeply her forehead nearly touched the counter, her elaborate hairstyle coming partially undone from the force of her obeisance.

"Young Master Shi Min... this... this is far too much. A Chaos Stone could buy not only this boutique, but half the street!"

Whispers erupted among the women, their faces pale.

"A Chaos Stone... here?!"

"That’s a treasure sect leaders hoard for breakthroughs!"

"He used it... for them?"

"Who are they?"

The Jealous Women’s Desperation

One woman, her face twisted with envy, tried to salvage her pride.

"He’s wasting such a treasure on ignorant girls. Surely, Young Master, you’d rather spend it on someone worthy."

Another chimed in, her voice dripping with false sweetness.

"Yes, Brother, why not on us? We would know how to honor such a gift."

One lady was so indignant that she could only stamp her feet.

Their words were desperate, their smiles brittle. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Shi Min’s Cold Rebuke

Shi Min’s gaze swept over them, cold and sharp. His voice was calm, but it cut like a blade.

"True ignorance," he said, each word falling like a blade, "is speaking without knowing one’s place. Ignorance is presuming to judge those whose worth you cannot begin to comprehend. These girls are under my protection — under the Li Clan’s protection. If a Chaos Stone is wasted, it is wasted on the air required to hear your words, not on treasures given to those I value."

The women flinched as though physically struck, their faces contorting into masks of humiliation — all pretense of beauty stripped away by the ugliness of their exposed malice and crushed pride. Shame and fury warred in their expressions, but beneath both emotions lay fear. They had overstepped catastrophically, had insulted those under the Li Clan’s protection, and the consequences could be severe. None dared speak again, their earlier boldness evaporating like morning mist under a merciless sun.

Then Shi Min turned to the lady nearest to him, "As for you, I have seven sisters, and I don’t think you are one of them, so please don’t call me brother. I don’t deserve it."

The lady’s face flushed from embarrassment. She opened her mouth to rebuke, but upon seeing Shi Min’s stern demeanor, she swallowed her words. She ran out of the shop crying.

Ren and Lily’s Pride

Ren lifted her chin, her eyes gleaming with pride that burned brighter than any spiritual flame. She had not asked for this protection, had not hidden behind her brother’s power, but she would not insult him by refusing it either. This was family — this was what it meant to belong to the Li Clan.

"Yeah. There isn’t anything else that catches our eye."

Lily adjusted her newly acquired hair accessory with deliberate slowness, sliding it into her dark hair with practiced ease. Her lips curled into a faint smile that held no warmth — only the cold satisfaction of victory and the promise of remembered slights. The hidden weapon’s edge caught the boutique’s lantern light for just a moment, a deliberate flash that served as a silent reminder to all watching: she was no helpless girl requiring rescue, merely a blade that had chosen, for now, to remain sheathed.

Lily turned to the ladies watching them, silently asking, ’Does your face hurt?’

The Crowd’s Reaction

Outside, Reginald, Leeroy, and the others who had witnessed the exchange through the boutique’s open door exchanged astonished glances, their expressions ranging from shock to disbelief to dawning understanding. Even they, who had accompanied the Li Clan and witnessed numerous displays of wealth and power, had never seen anyone — let alone Shi Min, who was known for his calculated precision in all things — casually spend a Chaos Stone on what amounted to decorative trinkets.

Four Eyes whispered to Jack, his voice hushed.

"Do you realize what that stone is worth? I heard a single shard could fuel a cultivator’s breakthrough. Entire sects would kill for it."

Jack nodded, his eyes wide.

"And he used it... for a pendant and a hairpin."

The attendant felt the Chaos Stone in her trembling palm, like a burning coal, its energy seeping into her meridians, making her entire arm tingle with power she was unprepared to channel. The store manager, who had been reviewing inventory in his private office when he heard the commotion — the sudden silence that spoke louder than any shout — came running. His robes billowed behind him as he rushed through the curtained doorway, his face flushed with concern and the beginnings of anger at whatever had disrupted the harmony of his establishment.

But when he saw Shi Min standing before the counter, and the Chaos Stone gleaming in his attendant’s shaking hand, the manager’s legs nearly gave out beneath him. He almost knelt on the spot, his cultivated dignity warring with the instinctive urge to prostrate himself before such overwhelming wealth and power.