*Hiss, the Peach Talisman lasts longer than I thought...*
Zhang Yuanqing quietly let go of his boxer briefs, which he had been about to pull off, looked toward the bedroom doorway, and sighed helplessly. "I'm changing. Could you knock before walking into someone else's room?"
"I... I called out to you..." Little Green Tea had not expected to walk in on such a scene either. Caught off guard, she stammered, but her eyes were fixed straight on Zhang Yuanqing's body, glittering brightly.
Firm, well-defined chest muscles, sculpted abs, a sexy Adonis belt, long and powerful legs—his body proportions were flawless, the muscle lines sleek and smooth...
Xie Lingxi could hardly tear her eyes away.
"If you're done looking, hurry up and get out. If I were any more pretentious, I'd already be clutching my chest—no, clutching my crotch and screaming." Zhang Yuanqing made an annoyed shooing motion.
"Brother Yuanshi..." Xie Lingxi did not leave. Instead, she asked an entirely unrelated question: "Is Sister Guan Ya your girlfriend?"
"Yeah!" Zhang Yuanqing gave a definite affirmative.
"Liar." Xie Lingxi wrinkled her nose. "Th-Then why don't you two sleep together at night? I haven't heard *that* sound at all."
*Oh, right, this girl has short-range clairaudience...* Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing's gaze drifted to the pink headphones around her neck.
This prop could eavesdrop on nearby sounds. Back when they traveled together to the Wuhen Hotel to deliver the last will of Ashamed to Be a Father, she had used it to monitor Xiao Yuan's movements after Xiao Yuan entered the hotel.
"Do boyfriends and girlfriends have to sleep together?" Zhang Yuanqing declared with righteous indignation, "Platonic love is the truest, most captivating kind. Of course, I'm sure Guan Ya will come around sooner or later."
*Maybe tonight,* he silently added in his head.
Xie Lingxi had a sudden realization, and a bright smile lit up her face, making her look exceptionally happy. Then, as if making up her mind, she gathered her courage and said in a soft voice:
"Actually... actually, Brother Yuanshi, I've always admired you. I don't like guys my age because they're too childish. Even guys your age are childish to death.
"But you're different, Brother Yuanshi. You're more mature than others your age, and you're so handsome, so smart... Being around you always makes me happy, and I feel so safe.
"I observed you for so long, but before I could make a move, that hateful Guan Ya snatched you away..."
Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself: *You really ought to think before blurting these things out. Rushing in with a direct attack like this leaves me with no idea how to respond. This doesn't fit your personality at all.*
*Well, confessing when nobody else is around does fit her personality, but she's definitely influenced by the Peach Talisman...*
Just as he was pondering how to "tactfully decline" Xie Lingxi, the young girl stepped forward briskly, stood before him on her tiptoes, and pecked him on the cheek, her face blushing crimson:
"Brother Yuanshi, one year from today, I'll be eighteen. I won't be pretentious and difficult like Sister Guan Ya."
"What are you two doing?!"
A voice laced with shock and rage rang out from the doorway.
Startled, Xie Lingxi and Zhang Yuanqing jerked their heads around. Standing there was Queen, wearing tiny hot pants and an off-the-shoulder short-sleeved top.
She stood in the doorway in white flip-flops, staring at them in utter shock.
A moment ago, Queen had felt an inexplicable flutter in her heart. Driven by some bizarre impulse, she had walked upstairs, and on another strange impulse, had decided to check on the captain—only to witness a scene that made her blood boil.
"Queen, d-don't misunderstand..."
Zhang Yuanqing was screaming internally: *Is the Peach Talisman really this potent?! Luring them in one after another?!*
Just then, Queen quietly shut the door behind her. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two. "No need to explain, Captain. I know Xie Lingxi was hitting on you."
With that, a cryptic smile formed on her lips:
"Captain, you wouldn't want Guan Ya finding out what just happened, would you?"
*Queen, are your ancestors from Japan?* Zhang Yuanqing said helplessly, "Do you want a raise, or do you want to apply for long-term use of a prop?"
Queen shook her head, her two silver earrings swaying. She stared at Zhang Yuanqing, smiling sweetly:
"Captain, there's something I've wanted to tell you for a long time."
The corner of Zhang Yuanqing's mouth twitched. "Are you going to say you've admired me for a long time, too?"
Queen froze for a moment. "How did you know? Well, yes. Captain, I've admired you for a long time. Give me a chance, won't you? I want to compete fairly with Guan Ya."
Having spoken her mind, she let out a long breath, feeling immensely relieved all over.
As an open-hearted woman who loved and hated with passion, she was not about to act bashful and demure like a little girl when she saw a guy she liked. If she liked him, she would pursue him.
Zhang Yuanqing sighed. "Giving you a chance wouldn't be an issue, but I just hope neither of you dies of embarrassment later."
"No way!" Xie Lingxi clung to Zhang Yuanqing's shoulder and puffed her cheeks at Queen. "Brother Yuanshi is mine! You can't steal him!"
Queen gave her a side-eye. "Wait until you're an adult to say that, little sister. Besides, the captain isn't yours either. On paper, he's Guan Ya's. If you have the guts, go say that to Guan Ya."
The little green tea said coyly:
"Brother has never belonged to anyone! How could you treat Brother like a piece of merchandise!"
Right then, the bedroom door flew open with a loud *bang*.
Guan Ya stood in the doorway, a charming, sweet smile on her face:
"Oh, everyone's here. Let's head down to the combat training room together, shall we?"
***
Fujia Bay, the dining room.
Clad in white, Fu Qingyang returned to the residence looking travel-worn. Stepping into the dining room, he immediately paused.
Ling Jun was sitting listlessly by the table, staring blankly with hollow eyes, looking thoroughly traumatized.
Not far from him stood the female cook, faint disappointment hidden within her pretty eyes.
"Prepare dinner!"
Fu Qingyang instructed the cook, pulled out a high-backed chair, and sat down. Fixing his gaze on Ling Jun across the table, he said:
"You look just like you did last time when you said, 'The ancients truly did not deceive me.'"
The last time Ling Jun had uttered those words was after Annie tactfully rejected him.
Ling Jun sighed. "This time it's much worse. This time, my Dao heart shattered..."
Fu Qingyang thought for a moment and said:
"Did Yuanshi Tianzun steal two women from you this time?"
Ling Jun: "Not at all. But as your prospective cousin-in-law, aren't you acting a bit too calm about Yuanshi Tianzun picking up other women?"
Fu Qingyang remarked flatly:
"What, should I weep and wail, begging Guan Ya not to beat him?"
***
"Damn it, what a violent woman!"
Inside the wrecked bedroom, Queen, bruised and battered, hung off the edge of the bed. Her upper body rested on the floor while her lower body remained on the mattress as she groaned in agony:
"My... my arm feels dislocated. Captain, do you really want to be with Guan Ya? You're going to suffer domestic violence in the future. Why don't you consider me instead?"
Zhang Yuanqing, sporting a black-and-blue face himself, lay flat on the floor, grimacing in pain:
"Shut up, haven't you had enough of a beating? Tsk, I think my kneecaps are shattered. I'll need to lie here for at least an hour to heal."
Beside them, Xie Lingxi—equally bruised and battered—silently wept:
"Sob, sob, sob... How could she be so mean? I already said I wasn't going to the combat training room, so she beat me right here...
"Brother, your girlfriend is terrifying!"
*Could it be that the Peach Talisman doesn't just attract peach blossoms, but also peach calamities? Tomorrow I'll draw another one for Ling Jun and use him as a lab rat...* Zhang Yuanqing sighed:
"Lingxi, when you do wrong, you own up to it; when you take a beating, you stand at attention."
***
Jiangchen Apartments, balcony.
Dressed in a pair of loose shorts and a black tank top, Mr. Bill leaned one hand against the railing while holding a mobile phone in the other.
"President, what are your orders?"
"Any movement from those lunatics at the Bacchus Club?"
"Ever since their sneak attack on Ante Pharmaceutical, they've gone into hiding. The Five Elements Alliance hasn't found any trace of them yet."
"Tsk, are the government people completely useless? They're better at corruption and bribery than anyone, but the moment real business comes up, they drop the ball," an older man's voice grumbled over the phone.
"President, when it comes to searching for a needle in a haystack, authorities all over the world are equally incompetent," Mr. Bill said fairly.
"Tsk, your Chinese is getting better and better. Next Saturday, pick a place for dinner. I have something important to discuss with you. Heh, never talk about major matters over the phone. Let me tell you, technology these days is ridiculously advanced. They can tap your calls without even planting a bug." The older man sounded as if he were boasting of some extraordinary wisdom:
"Now you understand why governments around the world support their own mobile phone brands, right? We at the Merchant Guild should have our own dedicated communication devices too. I'll look for something in the Spirit Realm one of these days."
*What on earth is he rambling about...* Mr. Bill sighed inwardly and replied, "Understood. I will be there on Saturday."
Hanging up the call, footfalls sounded behind him.
His lifestyle assistant, draped in a sheer silk nightgown, stroked her blonde hair as she walked out holding a glass of whiskey.
"What did the President want?" She handed him the drink.
"The President wants to meet this Saturday. He didn't state the specific reason." Mr. Bill took the glass, took a sip, and sighed, "I really want to return home. It feels awful being targeted by the Bacchus Club. Fortunately, I bought those Evil-Breaking Talismans from Yuanshi. They give me enough capability to guard against accidents."
The female assistant held a different view: "No matter how strong consumables are, once used, they're gone. Props, on the other hand, can be used repeatedly. Darling, this deal wasn't worth it."
"No, it was very worth it!" Mr. Bill chuckled. "The Slide-Tackle Shoes could only save me five times, whereas the Evil-Breaking Talismans can save me twenty times. So in my eyes, they're more important than a prop. You can't evaluate the value of an item purely by the item itself; you have to look at the demand.
"Besides, those shoes are a Void-class prop, overlapping with my attributes, so they aren't irreplaceable.
"Furthermore, I acquired a prop crafted by an ancient cultivator. It may not be exceptionally powerful, but it possesses a precious attribute—scarcity!
"Once I return to my country, I'll put it up for auction. I'll inform the Spirit Realm walkers of Chinese descent that I hold a prop left by ancient Chinese cultivators—an antique of immense historical value, symbolizing the glory of an ancient civilization, which inadvertently fell into foreign hands... Believe me, they'll be clamoring to buy it back so an antique from their ancestral homeland doesn't remain lost abroad."
The blonde woman was persuaded, her face filled with admiration. "Oh, darling, you truly are a shrewd businessman."
***
The next day, Zhang Yuanqing walked out of Guan Ya's bedroom, letting out a lazy yawn.
Last night's beating had not been in vain. After nursing his knees back to health, he had quietly sneaked into Guan Ya's room and suggested they sleep together on the pretext that his own room was too messy.
Surprisingly, Guan Ya had not refused. She probably felt a sense of crisis as well and decided her young boyfriend deserved a little sweetness.
Although his handle had not managed to plug Guan Ya's loophole, spending the night holding the mature beauty's soft, voluptuous body felt like a massive step toward revolutionary victory to Zhang Yuanqing.
Now that they were sharing a bed, could a little rubbing against each other be far off?
And once they got to rubbing, could visiting the baby's palace be far behind?
Humming a cheerful tune, he headed into the bathroom to wash his underwear.
At the breakfast table today, only he, Guan Ya, and Jiang Jingwei were present. Queen and Xie Lingxi had declined to join them, citing reasons such as feeling unwell or having an upset stomach.
Once the Peach Talisman's effect wore off, both of them were mortified beyond belief, questioning their entire lives, unable to process what they had done all night long.
"They're not eating breakfast?" Hearing this, Jiang Jingwei was overjoyed. *Such a good thing?*
She quickly said, "Then give me their portions! My teachers taught me from childhood never to waste food."
*Ring, ring, ring—*
The phone in Zhang Yuanqing's pocket rang. Seeing the caller ID, his spirits instantly lifted, and he answered right away.
"Brother Li, thought it over?" he asked with a smile.
"I can join the patrol team, but I won't provide my personal identification information, nor will I join the official faction. I'll only exist as a temporary worker," Li Chunfeng said. "When it comes to work, I'll do everything in my power to help you. But for matters outside of work, you cannot force me, nor may you pry into my privacy. If you agree, I can report to Songhai today."
*As expected, a member of a secret organization. But by raising so many conditions, you're practically telling me you have secrets. Still, this counts as a form of honesty—truly a friend who went through thick and thin with me...* Zhang Yuanqing chuckled:
"No problem. But we have to make a covenant: you cannot attempt to harm me in any way."
Li Chunfeng did not hesitate: "Agreed!"
Ending the call, Zhang Yuanqing immediately sent Li Chunfeng the address to the Fujia Bay Villa.
After finishing breakfast, his phone rang once more. The caller ID showed Fu Qingyang.
"Boss, what's up? I was just about to tell you that a new colleague will arrive in Songhai today. I'll bring him over to handle onboarding procedures. His situation is a bit complicated..." Zhang Yuanqing explained Li Chunfeng's conditions.
"Approved!" Fu Qingyang granted his request as usual.
"Wait, but this doesn't comply with standard procedure. Boss, you really agree?"
"He's your subordinate; you are responsible for managing him. If something goes wrong, you bear the consequences!" Fu Qingyang said indifferently.
That was Fu Qingyang's style. He was generous enough to fulfill most of your requests, but he would never act as a babysitter or a tutor.
"What did you call me about?" Zhang Yuanqing brought the conversation back on track.
"There's a mission that requires you to make a trip," Fu Qingyang said.
Chapter 332