For a brief moment, he wondered if it was simply his imagination, or if this female was truly that skilled at pretending.

A faint smile curved his lips as he answered slowly, his tone still gentle.

"Just a passerby. I saw you here alone and came to take a look." His gaze drifted to the fish lying on the ground before returning to her, lingering with quiet scrutiny.

"A female who can hunt like this..." he added meaningfully, "that’s quite rare."

Su Qinglan lowered her head further, her fingers tightening ever so slightly as though she were nervous.

"I... I was just trying my luck..." she replied softly, her voice careful and restrained, her posture perfectly embodying the image of a harmless female.

Yet beneath that flawless act, her mind was anything but calm.

Every nerve in her body was drawn tight, alert and ready. Because she knew very well this man standing in front of her was far from harmless.

Rong Yanchen stood by the river with a faint smile, his eyes fixed on Su Qinglan as if he had found something interesting.

His tone was casual, almost gentle, as he asked, "Are you a female from Dragon Beast City?"

Su Qinglan lowered her head slightly and nodded. "Yes," she answered softly.

Rong Yanchen narrowed his eyes just a little. "Strange. I have never seen you before."

Hearing this, Su Qinglan almost rolled her eyes.

Was he someone who knew every single female in the city?

How could he say such nonsense so confidently?

But on the surface, she only gave a polite and shy smile. "I just came of age... and I don’t go out much. I’m very shy," she said in a soft voice.

Rong Yanchen’s lips curved slightly as he repeated her words, "A shy female?" He clicked his tongue lightly and added, "I have never seen a shy female hunt like this."

Su Qinglan’s fingers twitched slightly. She was already getting annoyed, but she held it in. She lowered her gaze again, pretending to be embarrassed, while inside she was already cursing him countless times.

Why was this man even here talking nonsense with her?

Did he recognize her?

But if he did, why was he not capturing her? What exactly was he trying to do?

Before she could think further, Rong Yanchen stepped closer. Without any hesitation, he reached down and picked up one of the fish from the ground, casually inspecting it.

The moment she saw him touch it, Su Qinglan almost lost her composure. It was not about the fish... it was about him touching her food. Her appetite was already disappearing just thinking about it.

At the same time, Stove, who had transformed into a vine, trembled slightly.

A faint killing intent rose from him, and even the little flower plant stiffened, her petals shaking slightly.

Rong Yanchen suddenly paused. His brows furrowed as he felt a strange chill, as if something was staring at him with hostility. He quickly glanced around, but all he saw was the timid female in front of him.

There was nothing else. His eyes narrowed slightly. That feeling was real, but it was not coming from her. That made it even stranger.

Before he could think more about it, Su Qinglan quickly stepped forward. "Don’t... don’t touch it," she said in a slightly anxious tone.

"I will ask my beast husband to handle it. These fish have thorns... you might get hurt."

She tried to sound concerned, but in truth she only wanted him to stop touching her fish.

Rong Yanchen, however, misunderstood completely. His smile deepened as he said, "Oh? You care about me getting hurt?"

Su Qinglan was speechless.

She really wanted to say that she only cared about her fish, but she held it back and lowered her head again, continuing her act.

Unfortunately, Rong Yanchen did not stop. Instead, he became even more persistent, insisting on helping her and continuing to touch the fish one after another.

Su Qinglan’s patience was reaching its limit. This man kept talking nonsense, touching her things, and acting as if he was doing her a favor. Her smile became stiff, and her hand slowly clenched. She had tolerated enough.

Before Rong Yanchen could say another word, she suddenly raised her hand and delivered a clean slap to the back of his neck.

Everything happened in an instant.

Rong Yanchen’s expression froze, and then his body went limp as he collapsed straight onto the ground. The surroundings fell silent for a moment, as if even the river had paused.

Su Qinglan blinked and looked down at him. "That easy?" she muttered under her breath. She studied him for a second, then snorted lightly.

"This is the powerful man everyone talks about? Truly pitiful."

She stepped forward and casually stomped on his hand. "You wasted my time," she said calmly.

"I came here to relax, not to listen to your nonsense." After stepping on him once more, she turned away as if nothing had happened.

She then began gathering the fish neatly, thinking about how to carry them back.

Just then, a young beastman passed by and immediately approached her. "Sister Qinglan, do you need help?" he asked eagerly, but his gaze soon fell on the man lying unconscious on the ground, and he hesitated for a moment.

Su Qinglan smiled brightly, as if everything was completely normal. "Yes, brother. Help me carry these back. I’ll give you a bowl of fish later," she said cheerfully.

The young beastman’s eyes lit up instantly. Everyone knew that the food from her house was always delicious.

Without wasting any time, he quickly picked up all the fish, moving so fast it looked like his feet had wings.

"I’ll take them now!" he said excitedly before rushing off.

Su Qinglan nodded with a satisfied smile. Then she turned back and glanced at Rong Yanchen, who was still lying flat on the ground, completely unconscious.

"...Serves you right," she muttered softly.

With that, she turned and walked away, heading back toward her house, leaving behind a certain powerful man who had been knocked out so easily, still unaware of what had just happened.