Peerless Bodyguard of a Stunning Beauty

When Zhao Rong saw the medicine Xue Lianmei was holding, his heart burst with joy. ”Xue Lianmei, you really think of everything! You’re so much more meticulous than I am...”

Before Zhao Rong could finish, Xue Lianmei opened the medicine box, popped a pill into her mouth, and swallowed it with a sip of mineral water. ”Brother Zhao Rong, after taking this pill, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

Seeing that Xue Lianmei had already taken the medicine, Zhao Rong swallowed hard and fumbled with his clothes. ”Xue Lianmei, when do we start?”

Xue Lianmei pointed to a clean, flat patch of ground. ”Brother Zhao Rong, how about we do it here? What do you think?”

Zhao Rong looked at the spot, then took a moisture-proof mat from his Magic Ring and laid it on the ground. ”This place is good. It’s fairly level and suitable for what we’re about to do. Plus, with this mat, our knees won’t get hurt.”

When Xue Lianmei saw Zhao Rong lay out the mat, she said excitedly, ”Brother Zhao Rong, you’re so thoughtful...”

With that, they gazed tenderly at each other, slowly moving closer to the mat. Just as they settled down and were about to begin, a man suddenly approached from a short distance away.

He shouted toward them, ”Excuse me for interrupting, but can you tell me how to get to the bazaar at the foot of Tian Mountain?”

Interrupted right as they were about to start, Zhao Rong was furious. ”Damn it, are you blind? Can’t you look for it yourself?”

Xue Lianmei was just as annoyed by the sudden intrusion. ”What an oblivious idiot,” she cursed. ”Can’t you see we were about to...”

The stranger was completely baffled. ”I’m just a passerby asking for directions. Do you really have to curse at me like that?”

Still angry, Zhao Rong pointed vaguely in the direction of the bazaar. ”Go straight and turn left when you see a poplar tree. After you see a well, turn right. Then, when you see a building for drying grapes, go straight, and you’ll be there.”

The stranger nodded. ”Thank you, sir.”

As the man walked away, he muttered to himself, ”I traveled all the way from Xijing City by train to the foot of Tian Mountain, all to find that elder and get the Snow Lotus from him. I have to bring it back to heal the Gang Leader of the Wild Wolf Sect...”

Hearing this, Zhao Rong and Xue Lianmei were stunned. They turned and stared at each other.

”Xue Lianmei,” Zhao Rong said, astonished, ”do you think this guy is the real messenger sent by the Wild Wolf Sect to find the elder and get the Snow Lotus?”

Xue Lianmei nodded firmly. ”Judging by what he was muttering, there’s no doubt about it.”

”We used his name to get the Snow Lotus from the elder,” Zhao Rong said, growing uneasy. ”If he finds the elder and they successfully make contact, won’t we be exposed?”

Xue Lianmei’s mind raced. ”Brother Zhao Rong, you’re right. We absolutely cannot let this man meet the elder. Otherwise, not only will we be exposed, but the elder might give him another Snow Lotus. If this guy takes a Snow Lotus back to the Wild Wolf Sect, it’ll be used to heal their Gang Leader!”

Zhao Rong said thoughtfully, ”And if the Wild Wolf Sect’s Gang Leader recovers, we’ll have another powerful enemy. So, no matter what, we can’t let this stranger meet the elder. We can’t let them recognize each other or establish contact.”

As he spoke, an idea formed in his mind. He whispered to Xue Lianmei, ”Xue Lianmei, I’ll use Instant Teleportation to find a makeup shop in the bazaar and get disguised as an old man. I’ll also find a fake Snow Lotus. You play along with me, and we’ll fool this Wild Wolf Sect disciple.”

Hearing the plan, Xue Lianmei nodded in agreement. ”Brother Zhao Rong, that’s a brilliant plan. Let’s do it!”

Zhao Rong immediately used Instant Teleportation and found a makeup shop in the bazaar. He walked in and said to the owner, ”Hello, please apply makeup to make me look like an old man in his fifties. Remember, it has to be believable.”

The owner understood immediately. In less than half an hour, he had transformed Zhao Rong into a convincing old man. After Zhao Rong paid and looked in the mirror, however, he was surprised. The owner hadn’t just made him look old; he had turned him into a foreign old man with a high-bridged nose, deep-set eyes, blonde hair, and a full beard.

Zhao Rong scratched his head, thinking about the elder they had met earlier. Can a disguise like this really fool the Wild Wolf Sect’s messenger?

Just as he was hesitating, he saw the very same elder he had met before walk into the same makeup shop.

Upon seeing him, Zhao Rong was shocked. What are the odds? I come to this makeup shop, and the elder I just tricked comes here too?

But an even bigger surprise was yet to come.

The elder sat down and said to the makeup shop owner, ”Hello, you can remove this makeup from my face now.”

When Zhao Rong heard him talk about removing makeup, he couldn’t help but wonder, Could it be that the ’elder’ I met wasn’t an old man at all, but a young guy in disguise?

Before he could finish the thought, the shop owner began removing the man’s makeup. About ten minutes later, the process was complete. When Zhao Rong saw the man’s true face, he was utterly dumbfounded. The ”elder” was actually a young man around his own age.

But if he’s a young man, why would he disguise himself as an elder and exchange a code phrase with me?

As Zhao Rong puzzled over this, he overheard the conversation between the owner and the young man.

The owner chuckled. ”I really don’t get it. Why would a handsome young man like you want to look so old?”

The young man admired his own reflection in the mirror. ”If I didn’t make myself look older, the disciple from the Wild Wolf Sect would see that my face hasn’t changed in nearly twenty years. He would definitely get suspicious.”

Hearing the word ”suspicious,” Zhao Rong’s eyes darted. Could the Snow Lotus he gave me be a fake?

Just as this doubt crossed his mind, the young man suddenly pulled a square box from his robes. Opening it, he said to the shop owner, ”Ah, you don’t know the half of it. The reason I look so young is all thanks to this Snow Lotus, which I use to nourish myself. If the Wild Wolf Sect disciple knew I was fifty but still looked this young, he’d definitely suspect the Snow Lotus I gave him was a fake. That’s because I’ve been eating the real one, bit by bit, as medicine to maintain my youthful appearance.”

With that, the young man roared with laughter.

The owner was so amused he waived the fee for the makeup removal. ”So you’re saying you tricked the messenger who came all this way from the Wild Wolf Sect and gave him a fake Snow Lotus?”

The young man finished admiring his face and began combing his hair. ”I didn’t just give the messenger a fake Snow Lotus,” he replied. ”I also gave him a packet of poisonous seeds. When they plant them, the Snow Lotus flowers that bloom next year will all be toxic. I’m going to poison that whole bunch of bastards who never treated me like a human being.”

Hearing such venom, the owner asked curiously, ”Since you’re a disciple of the Wild Wolf Sect, why do you want to harm them?”

The young man laughed again before explaining, ”Years ago, when the higher-ups sent me to this desolate frontier, they promised I would only have to stay for one year. They said they would bring me back and make me the Vice Sect Leader.

”But those liars broke their promise. Even worse, they toyed with my good faith.

”Ever since I came to this sparsely populated northwestern border, no one has ever checked on me, cared for me, or looked after me.

”It was only when the Gang Leader of the Wild Wolf Sect fell ill and needed a Snow Lotus that he finally remembered I existed.

”But even then, he only thought of getting the Snow Lotus from me. It never crossed his mind to bring me back from this godforsaken place to the mainland, back to the bustling, vibrant Xijing City, where I could enjoy the crowds, the neon lights, and the beautiful women...”

Listening to his story, the owner had a flash of understanding. ”So that’s how it is. I think you did the right thing. If someone treated me like that, I’d do the same to them.”

As Zhao Rong listened to all of this, everything clicked into place. He had thought he was the clever one for tricking the elder and getting the Snow Lotus, but he hadn’t expected to be so thoroughly outwitted. This young man was the truly cunning one.

At the same time, however, Zhao Rong saw his opportunity.

When the young man walked out of the shop, confidently carrying the real Snow Lotus, Zhao Rong immediately followed.

Watching him walk ahead, Zhao Rong thought, The Wild Wolf Sect has always been a cancer on society, preying on the weak and committing every evil imaginable. The only reason I didn’t attack you before, you disciple of the Wild Wolf Sect, was because I thought you were an old man. Now that you’ve shown your true face as a young man, I, Zhao Rong, won’t be holding back. And that real Snow Lotus you’re carrying... I think it’s about to find a new owner.

With that thought, Zhao Rong began to sneak up on him.