Chapter 93

In a certain northwestern noodle shop, Long Ze held a large clove of garlic in his left hand and a pair of chopsticks in his right, eating the oily noodles in large bites, sweating profusely. He occasionally picked up the ice-cold beer on the table for a sip.

When the phone rang, Long Ze was startled. He had been waiting for this call for too long. He quickly slapped the chopsticks on the table, pulled out his phone, glanced at it briefly, and answered. Then, a voice that made his heart leap came through the earpiece:

"Brother Long, the target is home!"

"Really!?" Long Ze shouted in a high-pitched voice, causing the other diners to look at him. But he didn’t care, wiping the sweat from his face, he asked urgently, "Are you sure it’s that person?"

"It can’t be wrong," Xiao Lu said confidently, "I carefully compared the photo you posted in the group. It’s definitely that face. And he was carrying a child, which matches the person’s characteristics. He just got home, and I saw him open the door and go in."

Long Ze smiled, "Well done!"

Xiao Lu added, "Brother Long, now that we’ve found the person, what about the ten thousand yuan you promised..."

Long Ze pursed his lips, displeased, "Are you just after the money? When have I ever gone back on my word? Don’t worry, as long as I see the person, the money is definitely yours."

Xiao Lu immediately said happily, "We’re brothers, I know your character. I was just afraid you might forget."

"Ha, damn." Long Ze took a toothpick and started picking his teeth, saying, "Ask what you should, but don’t ask what you shouldn’t. Haven’t you heard that the more you know, the quicker you die?"

Xiao Lu immediately shrank back, hurriedly saying, "Got it, got it, I won’t ask anymore. I’ll keep watching here."

"Good."

After that, Long Ze hung up the phone, opened WeChat, found a friend marked as "Fatso," and sent a voice message:

"Brother, I have news on the person you’re looking for."

Soon, "Fatso" replied, "Where is the person?"

Long Ze stood by the curb, a toothpick in his mouth, one leg up, and grinned, sending a "you know" emoji to the other party, then stared at the WeChat chat interface expectantly.

Not long after, "Fatso" transferred 400,000 yuan. When Long Ze saw the number, his eyes widened. He rubbed his eyes, confirmed that there were indeed five zeros, swallowed hard, and with trembling fingers, tapped the screen. The 400,000 yuan was immediately credited.

"Damn! It’s like a dream." Long Ze slapped himself, muttering, but he was still unsatisfied. His eyes gleamed greedily as he said, "Brother, we agreed that if I found the person within 48 hours, I’d get 100,000 yuan, and an additional 10,000 yuan for every hour earlier. It’s been less than 14 hours, so you owe me 440,000 yuan. Don’t worry about the change, just transfer me another 40,000 yuan, and it’s all good."

After saying this, Long Ze anxiously watched the WeChat chat interface. After about ten seconds, "Fatso" transferred another 40,000 yuan.

Long Ze let out a long breath, feeling relieved after receiving the money. He said, "Brother, don’t blame me for being nitpicky. You’re a big shot, I’m just a small fry..."

"Cut the crap, where is the person?"

"Jiangnan Waterfront, the same villa as yesterday. My man saw him go in a few minutes ago."

"Alright. I hope you’re not lying to me, or you know what I can do."

Long Ze couldn’t help but think of the terrifying skills Fang Yuan had displayed the night before, and he was instantly frightened. He quickly replied, "No, no, I wouldn’t dare. I’m telling the truth."

After that, "Fatso" didn’t reply, and Long Ze hummed a tune, walking away confidently. He had long wanted to buy a car but never had the money. Now, with 440,000 yuan credited, he had to buy a car outright. An Audi would do, and it would give him some face in society.

...

In the villa.

After putting Qi Qi to bed for her afternoon nap, Lin Fan left the room. He敏锐地 noticed that the room was different from when he left, with some furniture moved or reoriented, but he didn’t think much of it, assuming the housekeeping service had moved them.

After a quick scan, Lin Fan sat cross-legged on the living room sofa and began to meditate.

Although Lin Fan was now at the mid-stage of the Qi Cultivation realm, equivalent to a martial arts grandmaster on Earth, he was already a top expert. However, he knew that cultivation required constant improvement; any slack would lead to stagnation. Cultivation was like rowing against the current; if you don’t advance, you retreat. Moreover, Lin Fan knew that Earth was far more complex than he initially thought. Although he hadn’t yet encountered anyone with higher cultivation, he was certain such people existed, just not easily revealed. He understood the principle of thriving in adversity and perishing in comfort.

Around 2:30 PM, Lin Fan emerged from his meditation, suddenly opening his eyes. A flash of light passed through his pupils as he looked toward the door. He could clearly sense a true qi fluctuation approaching, getting closer and closer, and soon it was right at the door.

The visitor was not friendly.

Lin Fan narrowed his eyes, realizing that the martial artist outside was coming for him.

Thinking about it, he smiled, inwardly sighing that this was just in time to give him a better understanding of the martial arts world.

With that, Lin Fan stood up, wearing slippers, walked to the front door, and pulled it open. There stood a man.

The man looked to be around 25 or 26 years old, slightly overweight, with a fair complexion. He had a pleasant appearance, dressed in casual clothes, and was chewing gum. He stood with his arms crossed, looking relaxed. When he saw Lin Fan open the door, he smiled brightly:

"Master Lin, long time no see."