Peerless Bodyguard of a Stunning Beauty

When the onlookers saw Zhao Rong preparing to fight the dozen or so thieves, they were all astonished, their eyes wide and mouths agape. They scrambled to persuade Zhao Rong not to fight the blond-haired ruffian.

An old man, carrying a shoulder pole with Snow Lotuses for sale, stepped forward and advised Zhao Rong, ”Young man, this must be your first time at our grand bazaar, right? This blond fellow is the most vicious tyrant around here. If you provoke him, that kid isn’t afraid to kill someone...”

Hearing that the blond man before him was a tyrant, Zhao Rong grew righteously indignant. ”What I, Zhao Rong, enjoy most is eradicating scum like ruffians and tyrants. Since he’s a tyrant, then today I’ll ensure he can no longer be one.”

A little girl walking through the crowd peddling Snow Lotus flowers looked at Zhao Rong and said, ”Big Brother, anyone can tell you’re an outsider. You mustn’t provoke this blond tyrant... My dad offended him, and because of that, his tendons were severed in his arms and legs. Now he’s paralyzed in bed and can’t take care of himself...”

Seeing how pitiful the little girl selling Snow Lotuses was, Zhao Rong took out ten thousand yuan from his Magic Ring and pressed it into her hand. ”Here’s ten thousand yuan. Use it to take good care of your father.”

A man who had been running a Snow Lotus shop in the bazaar for over a decade also stepped forward to warn him. ”Young man, you need to be more observant! You must not provoke this blond. If you do, you won’t even make it out of this bazaar alive.”

Listening to the crowd’s warnings, Zhao Rong looked at the blond man with disdain. ”Blondie, just how many years have you been plaguing the people here to make everyone so afraid of you?”

Before Blondie could speak, the man with white hair behind him stepped forward, pointed at Zhao Rong, and cursed, ”Kid, watch your mouth! What do you mean my boss has been plaguing people? It’s more like the people around here have been plaguing my boss!”

Zhao Rong looked at the white-haired thief and scoffed, ”Kid, you’re something else. I just don’t get it. Of all the colors you could have dyed your hair, you chose white? You were trying to look cool and failed miserably. It’s just disgusting to look at.”

Hearing Zhao Rong mock his white hair, White Hair shrieked, ”Fuck! The one thing I hate most is when people assume I dyed my hair! Let me tell you, kid, I didn’t dye it! I have albinism, and that’s why my hair is so white!”

Learning that the thief had albinism, Zhao Rong kindly advised him, ”If you have a medical condition, you should go to a hospital for treatment instead of being a thief. Your appearance is far too conspicuous.”

Furious, White Hair took another step forward. ”It’s precisely because everyone discriminates against me, looks down on me, and treats me like an outcast that I became a thief! I did it so the people around here would fear me!”

Hearing his words, Xuelian couldn’t help but mutter under her breath, ”What an idiot. Such an inferiority complex.”

When White Hair heard the woman insult him, he immediately strode forward, pointing at Xuelian’s nose as he cursed, ”I may be a nobody, but in this bazaar, I’m the number two badass, second only to my boss, Blondie! You dare mock me, you bitch? I’ll kill you!”

As he spoke, White Hair drew a machete from his waist and swung it toward Xuelian.

It all happened in a flash. Zhao Rong executed a swift side kick, sending the machete flying from White Hair’s grasp. Another front kick sent the man himself sailing through the air.

Seeing his lackey taken down so easily in two moves, the shocked Blondie yelled to his nearby men, ”Boys, be careful! This outsider has some skills!”

The hoodlums surrounding Zhao Rong all pulled daggers from their waists, their eyes filled with murderous intent.

Zhao Rong shielded Xuelian and told her, ”Xuelian, go sit over there for a bit. After I take care of these ruffians, we’ll continue our search for the Snow Lotus.”

Xuelian, full of confidence in him, said with a smile, ”Brother Zhao Rong, I’m rooting for you!”

With that, she slipped out of the crowd, found a nearby stool, and ordered a cup of chilled kumis, which she began to sip calmly.

At this moment, Zhao Rong was completely encircled by more than a dozen men. He stood alone in the center of a ring of thugs, all wielding weapons and wearing ferocious expressions.

Blondie roared, ”Get him, boys! Kill him!”

At his command, the group of savage thugs charged at Zhao Rong, who faced them with utter composure.

The first thug lunged, stabbing a knife toward Zhao Rong’s heart. Zhao Rong sidestepped, grabbed the man’s forearm, and with a simple Joint Lock, broke the limb. The thug collapsed to the ground in agony.

”I’ve been running this market for years, and I always take down my enemies with a single strike,” he screamed. ”I can’t believe I lost to this newcomer today!”

When the onlookers saw Zhao Rong break the thug’s arm, they gasped in collective awe.

An old man clicked his tongue and said, ”This outsider is really something. He took down that knife-wielder in a single move. Truly impressive!”

Next, a second thug stabbed at Zhao Rong’s abdomen with a dagger. Facing this ferocious attacker, Zhao Rong leaped into the air and brought his leg down in a powerful axe kick, crippling the man instantly.

Seeing Zhao Rong’s perfect kick, a girl selling Hami melons swooned, ”Oh my gosh, that guy must have practiced Taekwondo. I just love men who know Taekwondo!”

When the third thug rushed forward with a dagger, Zhao Rong had lost his patience for playing games. He instantly activated his Special Abilities: Instant Teleportation. He picked up two bricks from the ground and, in a blur of motion, smashed them against the heads of the remaining dozen men, one after another.

In an instant, all the thugs were on the ground.

Now, only their boss, Blondie, was left standing. When he saw his underlings felled so easily with a pair of bricks, he staggered back in terror. He took three steps back and stammered, ”Outsider, how are you so damn strong? Did you come here just to wreck my turf?”

Facing the last man, Zhao Rong leaped into a flying kick that sent him sprawling. ”Fuck your turf!” Zhao Rong shouted as the man slammed heavily to the ground. ”I came here to buy a Snow Lotus, but you had to get in my way and make me beat you!”

When the crowd saw the outsider beat more than a dozen local thugs so badly they were left scrambling for their teeth on the ground, they burst into applause.

A beautiful tourist from Hong Kong excitedly ran up and hugged Zhao Rong. ”Mister, you’re amazing! If you hadn’t taught these ruffians a lesson, we outsiders would be terrified to visit here!”

Zhao Rong listened to the girl’s Cantonese, nodded, and said, ”Miss, I’m sure what you said was very nice, but I didn’t understand a single word.”

A casino owner from Macau immediately offered Zhao Rong 100,000 in chips. ”Young man, I see you have extraordinary skills. Why don’t you come with me to Macau and work as a bodyguard in my casino?”

Hearing the offer, Zhao Rong immediately refused. ”Sorry, boss, I’m already a bodyguard.”

Though rejected, the owner still stuffed the chips into Zhao Rong’s pocket. ”Alright, even if you won’t be my bodyguard, I’d still welcome you to my casino to have some fun. Consider these 100,000 chips a gift from me.”

Faced with the temptation, Zhao Rong firmly returned them. ”Boss, the saying goes, ’Nine out of ten gamblers lose.’ Besides, nothing good comes from gambling. Many families have been torn apart because of it. So, I, Zhao Rong, will not set foot in a casino. Please, take these back.”

With that, Zhao Rong handed the chips back to the owner.

Just then, Xuelian rushed up and hugged Zhao Rong’s waist from behind, exclaiming, ”Brother Zhao Rong, I knew taking care of these thugs would be a piece of cake for you! That’s why I acted so scared at the beginning. I was just trying to confuse them, to make them think you couldn’t protect me, that you were weak and fragile. Only by deceiving them could I give you the chance to take them out with lightning speed!”

Listening to her explanation, Zhao Rong was taken aback. He stared at her with wide eyes. ”Xuelian, I had no idea. So you’ve learned how to act weak to lure in your prey, huh?”

Hearing Brother Zhao Rong’s praise, Xuelian shyly lowered her head and murmured, ”Well, they say you become like the people you hang around with. After spending so much time with someone as smart and incredible as you, Brother Zhao Rong, I was bound to pick up a few of your skills through osmosis.”

With that, she let out an infatuated giggle.

Seeing her giggle, Zhao Rong laughed as well, though his was more of a goofy grin.

As the two of them were smiling foolishly, a mysterious old man approached them. ”The Heavenly King covers the earth tiger,” the old man said cryptically.

Without thinking, Zhao Rong replied, ”The pagoda suppresses the river demon.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the old man rushed forward, grabbed his hand, and exclaimed, ”The code is correct! You’re the secret agent the boss sent to retrieve the Snow Lotus from me!”

Saying this, the old man pulled a glittering, golden Snow Lotus from inside his robes.

When Zhao Rong saw the golden Snow Lotus in the old man’s hand, he was stunned speechless.

Could it be, he thought, that I just said something off the top of my head and accidentally stumbled upon a secret code?