CHAPTER 703: Beaten Black And Blue

Han Shuo had not expected that just a few days after his Celestial Pearl Pharmacy opened its doors, his first customers would be this gang from the House of Lavers, in addition to Carmelita and Andre.

Cage, Teng Fei and Eve, who entered the shop, did not pay much attention to Andre and Carmelita, whose backs they turned. They thought the two were just random, ordinary customers.

A thought crossed Han Shuo's mind as he saw the three enter. He put on a mischievous smile and said, "Sorry, the shop is closed right now. Please leave!"

"How can a shop be closed for business when the front doors are wide open?" Teng Fei said with a warm smile. They did not leave as Han Shuo had instructed, but walked further into the shop.

"You scum, don't think that just because you and Elder Sister Donna have become friends that you can think so highly of yourself. Let me tell you, as long as you are not in our House of Lavers, not even Elder Sister Donna can protect you!" Cage was born arrogant and of course did not care about Han Shuo's instructions. He continued to march in with great strides.

Andre, who was facing Han Shuo, showed feelings of displeasure on his face. However, he did not turn around. Carmelita's face, meanwhile, was filled with disgust. With her back to the three of them, she coldly groaned, "Uncultured bunch, he said the shop was not open for business. What are you still doing in there?"

"And who might you be? Don't interfere with the business of our House of Lavers!" This pretty young lady, Eve, did not forget to mention her family name again.

Unfortunately for her, she did not know that she was actually talking to the infamous woman of the House of Sainte - the demon that no sane person in the City of Shadows would dare offend. The power and influence that Eve possessed was nothing compared to that of Carmelita,

"Little whore, so what if you are of the Lavers? Has the City of Shadows become a territory of your House of Lavers?" Carmelita turned and stared at Eve with her eerie, cold, triangular eyes. The terrifying energy on her body slightly overflowed, causing an immense feeling of intimidation.

This terrifying behaviour that suddenly erupted from Carmelita, coupled with her malevolent and hideous face with fierce eyes staring at Eve, had frightened her so much that she screamed, "Monster!

Nothing could have infuriated Carmelita more than that word!

Carmelita's original intention had been merely to intimidate Eve, but the word that came out of her mouth had completely enraged her. It was as if Eve had stabbed her in a sore spot deep in her chest.

A shadow flashed through. No one saw how it happened, but in an instant Carmelita had Eve by the scruff of her neck. She was lifted high into the air. Carmelita stared at, What did you say? Say it again. I dare you!"

Eve kicked her legs into the empty air. Her face was filled with uncontrollable fear. With Carmelita holding her neck so tightly, she couldn't speak even if she wanted to. It was only at that moment that the terrified Eve knew who she was facing. Her heart was filled with even more terror.

Eve's older brother, Cage, was sweating profusely. Seeing that his sister's life could be taken at any moment, he hastily got down on one knee and pleaded piteously, "Miss Carmelita, my little sister is foolish and immature. Please forgive her slip of the tongue. We, the House of Lavers, have loyally and devotedly assisted the House of Sainte in all matters of government for many years. Your Gracious Ladyship, please spare her for the sake of our Lavers family!

Teng Fei, who had come with the siblings, had long been aware of this devilish woman's reputation. He, too, was growing anxious. But since he wasn't a resident of the City of Shadows, his words carried no weight here. He could only stare at Carmelita in shock and silence.

"Ahem..." Andre cleared his throat softly after turning around. First he knitted his brows and looked at Cage, drenched in cold sweat. Then he turned to the enraged Carmelita and said, "The House of Lavers has indeed done well over the years. Although this young lady is wrong to have spoken so insultingly and should be taught a lesson, she is not to be killed".

"I know I'm ugly, but for so many years, no one has ever had the guts to say those words to my face. Today, however, I could not have predicted that I would meet someone so unafraid of death. Hehe... good... very good. You said I look like a monster? Well, let's make you look like one too! Carmelita said with an evil smile on her face. A knife appeared out of nowhere in her grasp as she threatened to disfigure Eve.

It was only at that moment that Han Shuo realised just how domineering and threatening Carmelita was. He had previously been sceptical about some of the hearsay about Carmelita because all this time, Han Shuo had only seen the good side of Carmelita. After seeing how Carmelita had no qualms about disfiguring Eve of the Laver family, Han Shuo finally realised why everyone in the City of Shadows was so afraid of her.

Han Shuo sighed. He knew that he had to intervene. No matter what offence Eve had committed, for Donna's sake, he could not sit back and watch. Otherwise, it could cause an irreparable rift in their friendly relationship.

Han Shuo appeared beside Carmelita in an instant. Before her knife could pierce Eve's tender skin, Han Shuo fanned Eve's cheeks with his large hand. PapPapPap... PapPapPap... A rhythmic slapping sound began. After a while, Eve's cheeks became as swollen as a pig's head. Everyone was laughing at her appearance.

"Look at her, does this look like a pig's face?" said Han Shuo to an astonished Carmelita who was still holding a knife in her hand. Carmelita's anger diminished greatly after seeing Han Shuo turn this beautiful lady into a pig lady. She couldn't help but laugh wickedly and said, "Indeed, she looks just like a golden girl! Bryan, you really are quite adept at making both sides swell up equally.

Hehe..." She was in a daze and had absolutely no idea what had just happened. Her eyes were filled with confusion.

"Alright, alright, let's not waste any more time and energy on these people. I will drive them out!" Han Shuo said to Carmelita with a smile as he casually grabbed Eve out of her hands. After the round of slapping, Carmelita's mood improved a little. She did not continue with her plan to disfigure Eve, but loosened her grip on Han Shuo.

Han Shuo breathed a sigh of relief. After taking the confused Eve from Carmelita, he pushed her towards the startled Cage. While winking at Cage, he shouted angrily, "This shop has not officially opened yet! Go away!"

Cage was startled by Han Shuo's loud shout and hastily caught the staggering Eve. After giving Han Shuo a strange look, he started to leave the shop with Eve and never looked back. Teng Fei stared blankly for a moment before giving Han Shuo a friendly smile and leaving with the siblings.

Shortly after the three of them left the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy, Eve finally came out of her daze. She shrieked and cried loudly at once, perhaps at the discovery of her new pig-like face. She blurted out something as she cried. After focusing his attention to listen for a while, Han Shuo heard something about wanting to kill him. Han Shuo scoffed and inwardly remarked that Eve was indeed too stupid to realise that she had been rescued.

After the trio walked away some distance away, Andre turned to Han Shuo and gave him a look of praise. It was only natural that a figure as influential and powerful as he could see the true intentions behind Han Shuo's attack on Eve. The House of Lavers was a considerable family clan in the City of Shadows. If Carmelita were to disfigure Eve for such a small matter, it would appear that the House of Saint was overly oppressive. Han Shuo's sudden intervention had indirectly helped him. This improved the favourable impression that Andre had of Han Shuo. He noted that although Han Shuo's strength was poor, his behaviour and judgement were praiseworthy.

"Consider her unlucky. If you had not turned her into a pig's head, I would have turned her into a real monster!" Carmelita said angrily.

"Well, I think that's all the business we'll be doing today. And you, you have a medicine to try, so I'll let you go!" Han Shuo said with a smile. He was very casual when talking to Carmelita.

Carmelita was dying to know the effectiveness of Han Shuo's medicine. Therefore, after hearing these words, she nodded and replied, "I will go try it immediately!" Carmelita thanked Han Shuo and excitedly returned to the Sainte Residence, leaving her uncle Andre behind.

Andre was very understanding of his niece's temperament and of course wouldn't take offence. After seeing Carmelita leave Han Shuo's Celestial Pearl Pharmacy in a hurry, Andre turned around and smiled at Han Shuo. He nodded and said, "Young man, I owe you a debt of gratitude. If it wasn't for your quick thinking, this young lady would have been disfigured. Even though my House of Sainte isn't afraid of that happening, it will still cause us trouble. We might even be accused of bullying the House of Lavers."

"When I first arrived on Elysium, Miss Donna of the Lavers family was very kind to me. Although the few of them may be prejudiced against me, I cannot stand by and do nothing for Donna's sake. You don't have to thank me. I only did it because I didn't want to go against my conscience," Han Shuo told the truth as it was. He did not intervene to help Andre and the Sainte family.

However, after hearing Han Shuo's explanation, Andre admired Han Shuo even more. He praised him, "Very good! Repaying kindness is a virtue. It's excellent that you adhere to this virtue! Carmelita has indeed found a worthy friend. Right, don't worry, I'll go say hello to the patriarch of the Lavers family. This young fellow named Cage is no fool, and he should know that you have done this in good faith. They probably won't give you any trouble for it."

"I hope so!" While Eve was leaving, Han Shuo had heard her repeatedly screaming about killing him while crying profusely. Even though he had saved her from being disfigured, if she was not smart enough to see that and instead selectively remembered being slapped, well, it was really hard to say if she would give him trouble!

"All right, no matter what, I owe you for this favour. I should go now. Goodbye," Andre said with a smile and waved as he left the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy.

Many more people entered the shop after Andre and Carmelita had left. However, since the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy did not have a reputation yet, and the effects of the medicine pellet described sounded exaggerated to most people, in addition to the high price, even though there had been a lot of human traffic, no one was willing to spend so many black crystal coins to make a purchase, not even the cheapest rejuvenation pill.

However, Han Shuo was not worried. He believed that with Carmelita's promotion and Andre's help, the medicinal pellets he had carefully refined would one day sell like hot cakes. In fact, he believed that day wouldn't be too far off.

To express his gratitude for Carmelita's help, Han Shuo was refining some medicinal pellets to remove toxins from her body. Once these medicines took effect, Carmelita's unsightly skin would see some improvement. Considering how active and involved she was in the City of Shadows, it wouldn't be long before the entire city knew about his Celestial Pearl Pharmacy.

Most of the gods who entered Han Shuo's shop would be shocked by the astronomical prices. Even some of those gods with sufficient purchasing power were unwilling to risk their money, as they had no idea if they would be so effective. Therefore, even though many of them had come to Han Shuo's shop for five days in a row, not a single one of them had bought anything.

Han Shuo would sit on the first floor and rest his eyes when it was empty. Sometimes he would silently watch the people walking around his shop or explain something to the potential customers from time to time. He lived in leisure during those first days.

One day, a beautiful woman entered the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy. She had long brown hair that fell over her shoulders, dark lush eyebrows, bright eyes, a long nose and bright red lips. She had a pair of beautiful, slender legs. She had a modest but elegant and refined quality about her. The sky-blue, skin-tight battle suit accentuated the wonderful curves and contours of her body.

Having lived in the City of Shadows for some time, Han Shuo had encountered many women. However, he had seen few who were as beautiful as she was. Perhaps only Donna's appearance could be compared to hers. Although Han Shuo was rather surprised to see such a beautiful woman walk into his pharmacy, he did not act particularly passionate. He simply continued to sit in his chair, relaxed and untroubled, as he looked around his shop.

After the beauty had entered the shop, a group of young men, who seemed to be her suitors, followed her and spread around her as if she were the centre of the universe. These men were also dressed in battle fatigues. They looked like they had just come out of a gymnasium.

"Miss Jiya, why would you come to a shop like this? As far as I am concerned, this shop is complete nonsense. I really can't understand how they have the guts to sell all these medicines at such a ridiculous price!" a golden-haired young man with a handsome appearance and a tall and straight body remarked scornfully after seeing the price tags.

However, the beauty named Jiya paid no attention to the golden-haired young man's words. She glanced around with her beautiful eyes before fixing her gaze on Han Shuo. She smiled faintly and asked in a rather interested manner, "Excuse me, are you the owner of this pharmacy?"

Han Shuo nodded but did not rise to greet them. He replied casually, "Yes, I am. The medicines all have clearly marked prices and the functions are clearly written on them, so I will not waste words explaining them. Please help yourself. If you'd like to buy something, you can do so with crystal coins. But if you are sceptical about their effectiveness, you may leave the pharmacy in silence. Thank you for your cooperation," Han Shuo had tried to sound enthusiastic to his potential customers a few days before. But in the end, not a single person was willing to spend money. Therefore, he was now too lazy to make any unnecessary explanations. He had decided to rely on Carmelita to promote his pharmacy instead.

However, Han Shuo's indifferent and arrogant attitude seemed rather strange to these people. In every shop, the owner would try to sell as much as possible as quickly as possible and would be very enthusiastic towards every potential customer. Han Shuo's apathetic and inattentive attitude actually seemed rather insulting to these people.

"Are you actually doing business?" This beauty named Jiya obviously did not expect there to be a shop owner like Han Shuo, and never thought that he would be so rude. She immediately called him out with dumbfounded eyes.

Only in the Lowgod realm, weak, no symbol of a great family clan. He must be an outsider, for I have never seen him before. Does he want to do business or not? Jiya thought as she looked at Han Shuo.

"Oi, you there, are you doing business or not? The City of Shadows is big, but I have never met a shop owner as arrogant as you. You are new in town, aren't you? You must be, because you did not even recognise Miss Jiya! Have you not heard of the House of Kinson?" the golden-haired man said, displeased with Han Shuo's arrogance.

Kinson Family, one of the five major family clans. Oh, no wonder... So this is her... After being reminded by the golden-haired man, Han Shuo immediately remembered Jiya's identity.

She was the daughter of the patriarch of the Kinson family. She had cultivated in the energy of the Combat Aura and possessed Late-stage Midgod strength. She was one of the most famous young people in the City of Shadows.

Jiya wasn't just famous for her beauty. She was also known for going against her family's wishes to cultivate in either the energy of death, destruction or darkness. Instead, she cultivated in the energy of Combat Aura, which was not as common on Elysium. Nevertheless, her cultivation of the Combat Aura was fruitful, surpassing many others of her age.

Jiya, who had cultivated to the Late-stage of the Midgod Realm, was more powerful than Donna, who was at the Mid-stage of the Midgod Realm, even though she was younger than Donna. That alone was very impressive. In the City of Shadows, Jiya was second only to Carmelita in talent.

"Of course I have heard of the Kinson family. But still, this is the practice of my shop. The price and the use are very clearly written, so I don't think I need to explain anything. If you want to buy something, go ahead. If not, just leave the shop so you don't get in the way of other customers," Han Shuo said calmly. He was calm and unperturbed.

"How dare you talk to me like that! Say that again and I will tear down your shop!" the golden-haired young man, who did not want to appear weak in front of Jiya, suddenly shouted angrily. He thought that Han Shuo was a newcomer to the city and had no one to back him up.

Han Shuo narrowed his eyes. With an eerie and cold expression, he replied, "Do it. I dare you."