Peerless Bodyguard of a Stunning Beauty

Zhao Rong distributed the four solar-powered Instant Teleportation bracelets to the three women and his assistant, explaining, ”Once you have your bracelet, just copy me. Raise your arm and point it toward the sun. Then, I’ll press the button, and we’ll all be transported from this icy Arctic to the northwest of China. So, make sure you do exactly as I do, and don’t get distracted.”

Listening to his instructions, the three women and the assistant immediately mimicked his actions, raising their arms high and aiming them at the sun. When Zhao Rong saw that everyone had their arms raised and had absorbed enough solar energy, he pressed the Instant Teleportation button.

In a flash, the group of five vanished from the frozen Arctic and reappeared in China’s northwest. When they opened their eyes, they stared in awe at the countless gullies and ravines of the Yellow Earth Plateau before them.

Lili looked around at the scenery, astonished. ”Brother Zhao Rong,” she asked curiously, ”have we really arrived at the mountain region where Killer King Wang Jingang is hiding?”

Zhao Rong surveyed the barren hills, the swirling sand, and the intense ultraviolet light. ”This should be it,” he said, nodding. ”Judging by the environment, we’ve arrived at Wang Jingang’s hiding spot.”

Yu Lan suddenly spotted a village in the distance with smoke rising from it. ”Look over there,” she said, ”there’s a village!”

When Xuelian saw the mountain village, her stomach grumbled. ”Back in the Arctic, we ate nothing but seal, walrus, whale, narwhal, polar bear, king crab, and krill. Even though it was all highly nutritious, I felt like something was missing. Now that I see that little village, all I want is a bowl of steaming hot noodles.”

At the mention of noodles, the assistant licked his lips, practically drooling. ”Eating meat every day in the Arctic really made me crave a hot noodle soup. Let’s hurry over to that village and ask for a bowl.”

With that, the assistant and the three women strode eagerly toward the small village. Just as they were heading off, dreaming of a hot meal, Zhao Rong called out from behind them, his tone sharp with caution. ”Everyone, slow down! Wait for me. Something about this village doesn’t feel right.”

Hearing him say something was wrong, they stopped, a bit reluctantly. ”Brother Zhao Rong, what could be wrong? Aren’t you being paranoid? This village looks just like any other ordinary village in the country. The houses are low and simple, and there aren’t many people or trees. The fields are terraced on the hillsides. Look, their crops are just corn, sorghum, and millet. The weather here is obviously too cold to grow rice or wheat. Let’s not overthink it and just go get a bowl of noodles. Our stomachs will thank us for it.”

Clutching her stomach, Lili added, ”Brother Zhao Rong, please don’t overthink it. Let’s just hurry to the village and get something to eat. Besides, we’re not asking for a handout. We have plenty of money and will definitely pay. Our visit might even help make this little village richer!”

But Zhao Rong’s gaze was fixed on a small boy standing at the village entrance. He frowned and said, ”Haven’t you noticed? That boy at the village entrance only looks about seven, but he has the mature expression and steady gaze of a middle-aged man.”

Following his gaze, Yu Lan also saw the boy and gasped. ”Holy moly, is everyone in this village born old? You’re right, Brother Zhao Rong. That seven-year-old boy doesn’t act like a normal kid, all playful and silly. He looks like he’s carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, with his brow all furrowed and his eyes full of determination and courage.”

Hearing this, Zhao Rong walked over to the boy, patted his head, and pulled a piece of candy from his pocket. ”Little friend,” he said, ”what’s the name of your village? Here, uncle will give you some candy.”

Before he could finish, the boy slapped the candy from Zhao Rong’s hand onto the ground. Then, he looked up and asked for a cigarette. ”Don’t treat me like a child, okay? I may only be seven, but I was an assassin in my past life.”

Xuelian was stunned. She stepped forward to get a closer look at the boy. ”Are you kidding us?” she asked in utter disbelief. ”How could a seven-year-old boy like you know anything about your past life?”

The boy picked up a brick from the ground and, with shocking force, smashed a duckling that happened to be waddling past. He then said fiercely, ”None of the people in our village drank Meng Po Soup before we were reincarnated. So not only do we remember our past lives, we also remember our enemies.”

As he spoke, he grabbed another small boy who was passing by, and the two began to brawl. When Zhao Rong saw two boys, no older than seven or eight, trying to bash each other with bricks, he immediately rushed forward and pulled them apart. ”Why are you two fighting?” he demanded in shock. ”And why so viciously? You’re using bricks! That’s not how little boys behave.”

The frowning boy pointed at the other, who was pouting. ”In my last life, he was the man who killed my father. So in this life, I have to beat him up every time I see him.”

Zhao Rong assumed he had to be joking. He turned to the pouting child and asked, ”Is your friend messing with me? How could you possibly remember your past lives? And you were his father’s killer? This sounds like a melodramatic plot from a TV show.”

Just as Zhao Rong was convinced the frowning boy was making it all up, the pouting child suddenly nodded with absolute, unnerving certainty. ”He’s right,” he told the group. ”None of us in this village drank Meng Po Soup before being reincarnated. We all remember what happened in our past lives.”