Peerless Bodyguard of a Stunning Beauty

Chapter 63: Chapter 55: The Forgotten Assistant

As a man with a green face and fearsome tusks rushed up to Zhao Rong, he suddenly pulled a stack of cards from his pocket. ”Buddy,” he said, ”come to our bathhouse whenever you’re free. Take these.”

It turned out this fierce-looking fellow was the owner of the bathhouse. Zhao Rong had initially assumed the cards were for a regular bath, but when he took a closer look, he froze. They weren’t just bath cards; they were for service packages priced at 398, 498, and 598.

Zhao Rong took a sharp breath and politely declined. ”Boss, thank you for your kindness, but I’m still a virgin. I should probably stay away from places like that.”

Hearing this, the owner replied, ”Young man, I’m giving you these package cards because I see you as a hero! They’re all completely free. What are you afraid of?”

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Zhao Rong said, ”Boss, thank you for your kindness, I...”

Before he could finish, the owner’s eyes landed on the four beautiful women accompanying him. He exclaimed in admiration, ”No wonder you refused my bath cards... It turns out you already have four beauties at your service!”

Startled, Zhao Rong quickly tried to explain, ”Boss, you’ve misunderstood. I’m just an ordinary bodyguard. My relationship with these four is purely professional.”

However, before he could finish, the four women stepped forward, playfully slapping his arm and teasing him. ”Darling, you’re obviously our husband! Why are you trying to hide it?”

The women burst into laughter. Hearing them call Zhao Rong ”husband,” the bathhouse owner’s eyes went wide. He stared at Zhao Rong and declared, ”Young man, you are far too successful! You’re the very definition of a successful man in my eyes.” As he spoke, his voice filled with admiration and envy.

Because Zhao Rong had rid the streets of a menace, the surrounding shop owners not only waived his bill but also the bills for Lili, Yu Lan, Xuelian, and Tao Hua. Seeing the merchants’ generosity, the four women didn’t hold back, picking out some of the most expensive clothes they could find.

They left the brand-name stores on East Main Street laden with their haul. When they followed Zhao Rong to the parking lot and opened the trunk to store their bags, they all froze. They had completely forgotten to let the Assistant out.

When they opened the trunk, they found him so pale and disheveled from the lack of air that he barely looked human. The Assistant, who had been certain he was about to suffocate, burst into tears of relief the moment the trunk swung open. Everyone stared in shock, stunned to see him there.

Zhao Rong felt terrible and helped the man out of the trunk. ”Assistant, we’re so sorry. We truly forgot about you. It was completely unintentional, please don’t take it to heart.”

Tao Hua also looked embarrassed. ”Assistant, I’m really sorry. We forgot we put you...”

In stark contrast to their pity, Yu Lan said bluntly, ”Assistant, people like you are just a waste of space. You might as well be dead.”

Hearing Yu Lan’s cruel words, the Assistant was crushed. I came on this trip for you, Yu Lan! I specifically tagged along to impress you... But who would have thought that instead of impressing anyone, I’d get forgotten in the trunk of a car and almost suffocate to death? At this thought, he began to sob bitterly.

Seeing him cry, Zhao Rong tried to comfort him. ”There, there. I’ll give you a card that’s guaranteed to make you stop crying.”

A card? What kind of card could he possibly give me? A meal voucher for some cheap restaurant? It’s nothing special. the Assistant thought, continuing to cry.

But when Zhao Rong pulled a card from his pocket and handed it to him, the Assistant’s tears stopped instantly. Wiping his eyes, he asked, ”This 598 card... what kind of packages does it include? Is it really free?”

It turned out that when Zhao Rong had returned all the cards to the bathhouse owner, he had accidentally kept the most expensive one in his pocket. To console the traumatized Assistant, he decided to give it to him. The card worked like a shot of adrenaline, instantly making the Assistant beam with joy.

「The next day.」

The group of six prepared to go to class at the True Martial Gate, but the car only had seats for five. Everyone’s eyes turned to the Assistant, hoping he would agree to ride in the trunk again. However, the trunk had already become a source of major trauma for him. Refusing the trunk, he instead chose to ride on the car’s roof rack; he would rather be blasted by the highway winds than suffocate again. After the high-speed journey, his once-handsome hairstyle had been whipped by the wind into a messy afro.

When the six of them walked into their classroom, they were surprised to see Liu Tianxiong, the braggart who had been arrested two days prior. Apparently, he had been temporarily released after posting bail. Though Liu Tianxiong was still in their class and on their team, none of them knew that he had been turned by the Second True Mage’s faction.

Two days ago, after Liu Tianxiong was thrown in jail, Wang Jingang had not only bailed him out but had also taken him for a bath and given him the full VIP treatment. Eventually, under Wang Jingang’s barrage of flattery and lavish gifts, Liu Tianxiong had defected.

Furthermore, Wang Jingang had already devised a plan. Today, on their trip to the summit of the True Martial Gate, Liu Tianxiong would pretend to fall into the Dragon Cave. When Zhao Rong went to save him, Liu Tianxiong would pull him into the cave, where a giant dragon would eat him, wiping him from the face of the earth forever. The plan was perfect and meticulously designed.

During their first lesson, as the teacher led them toward the summit to absorb the essence of heaven and earth, Liu Tianxiong trailed behind Zhao Rong, biding his time. After his failed attempt to show off his wealth, he was now an outcast, and the girls, in particular, found him utterly detestable.

Along the way, Lili taunted him directly. ”Liu Tianxiong, weren’t you bragging about your Audi A8 and luxury apartment just yesterday? In the end, didn’t Brother Zhao Rong completely show you up?”

Hearing her words, Liu Tianxiong’s face burned with shame. He wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Yu Lan deliberately added, ”Brother Zhao Rong’s one Maybach is worth five of your cars.”

Xuelian chimed in, ”And Brother Zhao Rong’s villa is worth ten of your apartments.”

Humiliated by Zhao Rong two days ago and now by the three women, Liu Tianxiong felt he could no longer stay with this team. Seeing the others piling on, Tao Hua ran from the front of the group to join in.

She sneered, ”My father told me your dad loved to show off his wealth when he was young. I never thought you’d inherit his ’fine’ genes and love showing off too. But even if you’re going to brag, you should at least pick on someone poorer than you. Instead, you chose to show off in front of Zhao Rong, who’s a hundred times richer. Tell me, were you just asking to be humiliated?”

Tao Hua’s words sent Liu Tianxiong into a silent rage. He wanted to lash out, to strike her even, but he knew she had the highest cultivation level on the team aside from the First True Mage. If he confronted her directly, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

First, I’ll get rid of Zhao Rong, and then, step by step, I’ll take care of Tao Hua. Once those two are out of the way, I’ll be able to reign supreme. As for that useless Assistant, I can kick him to death with a single blow. And once I’m in charge, all these gorgeous women—Lili, Yu Lan, and Xuelian—won’t they all be mine for the taking? A villainous laugh echoed in his mind.

Just as he was grinning from ear to ear, the nano-earpiece he wore crackled to life with an order from Killer King Wang Jingang: ”We have reached the vicinity of the Dragon Cave. Prepare to act at any moment.”

Beside the path was a small but seemingly bottomless hole.

Liu Tianxiong gritted his teeth. This must be the Dragon Cave of the True Martial Gate. All I have to do is walk over, grab a vine near the edge, and pretend I’m about to fall. Zhao Rong will definitely come to rescue me.

With this thought, he quickened his pace. As he neared the Dragon Cave, he feigned a stumble and pitched sideways into the opening. Dangling halfway inside, he frantically screamed, ”Zhao Rong, save me! Help!”

Hearing his cries, Zhao Rong immediately rushed over. But as he prepared to help, Tao Hua warned him, ”Zhao Rong, be careful! That’s no ordinary hole. It’s the Dragon Cave of the True Martial Gate! A giant dragon lives inside. Anyone who falls in will be eaten.”

Zhao Rong paused. I accidentally entered a Dragon Cave back at the management training center and even found a Dragon Crystal. Could this cave have a Dragon Crystal too?

The thought spurred him into action, and he moved to rescue Liu Tianxiong.

When Liu Tianxiong saw Zhao Rong approach as expected, he steadied himself by gripping a vine with one hand while his other hand prepared to drag Zhao Rong down into the pitch-black depths. Because it was dark inside the cave and bright outside, Zhao Rong couldn’t see Liu Tianxiong’s treacherous movements in the shadows.

As Zhao Rong reached out to grab him, he suddenly felt his clothes being yanked. In the blink of an eye, he lost his balance and plunged headfirst into the abyss. He was immediately enveloped in darkness and lost consciousness.

When Zhao Rong came to, he slowly blinked his eyes open. A giant dragon loomed before him.

”Human,” the dragon spoke. ”I am Mark. How do you have my younger brother Ma Long’s Dragon Crystal?”