Lu Yuanbin slowly turned his head and saw Old Nine standing nearby, dressed in a cotton-padded jacket.

Old Nine was only about five feet seven, with a scar on his face, small eyes, and thin brows. The way he looked at people from the corner of his eye was especially sleazy.

He wasn’t alone; he had two of his lackeys with him.

His two lackeys, on the other hand, were big and burly, looking incredibly strong.

Putting on airs like this was just Old Nine’s style.

But he was, after all, one of the top figures in the black market, with no shortage of men under him.

A fake smile appeared on Lu Yuanbin’s face.

"Mr. Jiu, are you here to buy something too? You’d better hurry. The stalls will be closing up soon."

As he spoke, he shifted his body to the side, completely blocking Gu Jiaojiao from view. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Old Nine had been watching for a moment and had caught a glimpse of Gu Jiaojiao’s profile.

He could tell from her profile alone that she was a great beauty, and he had a weakness for beautiful women. That’s why he wanted to see her face.

But she was with Lu Yuanbin, which made him a little hesitant.

"Don’t tell me this is Third Master’s girlfriend?"

"Third Master sure is protective of her."

Mr. Jiu looked to be in his thirties. His small eyes were fixed on Lu Yuanbin, his entire presence radiating a sinister air.

It was the first time he’d seen Lu Yuanbin act so protective of a woman. He was treating her like a precious treasure, not even allowing a single look at her face.

The more Lu Yuanbin tried to hide her, the more Old Nine wanted to look.

He craned his neck, constantly trying to peer behind Lu Yuanbin.

But Lu Yuanbin was too tall. Even standing on his tiptoes, Old Nine couldn’t see a thing.

Still, that fleeting glimpse had been enough to leave him breathless.

"Third Master, don’t be so stingy. Since she’s one of us now, let her come out and get to know the guys."

He and Lu Yuanbin had a long-standing grudge. The punk had only been in the market for two years, yet he’d already snatched his top-dog position.

Their men were constantly fighting over territory, and it wasn’t uncommon for brawls to break out. This was just business as usual.

But the two of them had never openly turned on each other.

He figured Lu Yuanbin wouldn’t get into a real fight with him over a woman just for taking a look.

After all, there were plenty of women out there. If one was gone, you could just find another.

But Lu Yuanbin was in no such mood.

"It’s not convenient."

"Surely Mr. Jiu wouldn’t force the issue, would he?"

Mr. Jiu scoffed.

"Now, why would you say that? As if I’d dare make things difficult for you. You know my personality, my... hobbies. That piece of the black market you’re sitting on—you took that from me. So how about this? You give me the woman, and I won’t fight you for the market anymore."

He put on an air of confidence.

A woman for a huge piece of the market. He was sure Lu Yuanbin would see the sense in that.

But Lu Yuanbin’s expression turned cold.

"Mr. Jiu, in the black market, we each make our own way. I, Lu Yuanbin, have no interest in using a woman to secure my position."

"I’m being generous with you right now. But if you want to make this ugly, Mr. Jiu, I’m more than ready to oblige."

Mr. Jiu froze for a second before laughing.

"Third Master, is this really necessary? You’d really turn on me for a woman?"

"No respect for your elders?"

He walked forward with a smile, not believing Lu Yuanbin would actually dare to defy him.

He’d been running in the black market for years and had plenty of men. There was nothing to be gained by Lu Yuanbin making an enemy of him.

Besides, Lu Yuanbin was alone today.

Even if things got physical, so what? He wouldn’t be the one to lose out.

With this in mind, Old Nine’s words and actions grew even more brazen.

"Third Master, now that’s just not right of you. We’re all buddies here. No need to be so secretive just because you’ve got a girl. Bring her out, let your brothers have a look and give you our approval."

As he spoke, he reached out to push Lu Yuanbin aside.

But his small eyes were glued to Gu Jiaojiao, who was still behind him. He was determined to see just how beautiful her face really was.

Lu Yuanbin knew Old Nine’s true nature—sleazy and lecherous. If he saw Gu Jiaojiao’s face, she would be in for a world of trouble.

He shot out a hand and blocked Old Nine’s.