When Xue Liani saw Zhao Rong present his back to the old man, she leaned in worriedly and whispered in his ear, "Brother Zhao Rong, I saw your back when you were bathing before. It was completely smooth, without a single mole, let alone a tattoo. If you show the old man your bare back like this, won't you give yourself away?"
In contrast to Xue Liani's caution, Zhao Rong casually pointed to his back and said to her, "Why don't you take a look for yourself and see if I have a tattoo?"
Hearing this, Xuelian imdiately went around to his back. When she saw the tattoo, she was stunned. Her mouth fell open as she exclaid, "Brother Zhao Rong, when did you get a tattoo on your back? And it's a Wolf King, too!"
Zhao Rong looked at Xue Liani's surprised expression and said cheerfully, "Xue Liani, you're so forgetful. Don't you rember? When we joined the Wild Wolf Sect, the sect's young hero, Achilles, tattooed this Wolf King totem on my back."
Hearing the na Achilles, Xue Liani couldn't help but ask, "Brother Zhao Rong, are you talking about Achilles, the young hero of the Wild Wolf Sect? Didn't you kill him in a fight? How could he have had ti to give you a tattoo?"
Listening to Xuelian's words, Zhao Rong shot her a aningful look. "Xue Liani, think carefully. Are you sure you're not mistaken? As a high-ranking mber of the Wild Wolf Sect, how could I possibly kill Achilles?"
When the old man heard Xue Liani, however, he imdiately knelt before Zhao Rong. "Big Brother, even though I was far away, I heard rumors that the Wild Wolf Sect's young prodigy, Achilles, had been killed. I never expected he was killed by a fellow sect brother... Big Brother, you are truly formidable. I was blind and failed to recognize your greatness. Please accept my bow..."
Seeing the old man kowtowing to him, Zhao Rong quickly helped him up. "Sir, at your age, there's no need for such a grand gesture toward a young man like ."
"I never imagined that today I would et not only a high-ranking mber of the Wild Wolf Sect but also the genius who surpassed him," the old man said, full of admiration.
Seeing that the old man was rather long-winded, Zhao Rong made an excuse. "It's getting late. We need to hurry back and deliver this Snow Lotus to the Gang Leader."
Hearing that the young hero was leaving, the old man eagerly offered, "Since you're leaving, let see you off. I know the way to the nearest train station..."
At the ntion of a train, Zhao Rong imdiately refused. "We'll be flying back, not taking the train." Pointing into the distance, he added, "There's no need to see us off. We'll just call for a ride to the airport and catch a plane from there."
The old man's eyes widened. "Young hero, didn't you arrive by train? We don't have an airport here, and this area isn't even accessible by car."
Realizing he had slipped up again, Zhao Rong explained awkwardly, "Ah, I forgot to ntion. We didn't take a comrcial flight. We ca on a private plane."
Hearing that the young man had arrived on a private plane, the old man's eyes nearly popped out with envy. "Wow, young man, you're incredible! So young, and not only a high-ranking mber of the Wild Wolf Sect, but you also have a private plane at your disposal. I am thoroughly impressed, truly in awe..."
Then, his expression turned pitiful. "Sir," he pleaded, "since you're taking a private plane back to the Wild Wolf Sect in Xijing City, could you do a favor and take with you? I was sent to these desolate mountains and the Gobi Desert by the sect's higher-ups when I was young, and I've been stuck here for twenty years. Honestly, twenty years is more than enough. In all that ti, I never started a family, married, or had children. In fact, I've never even slept with a woman..."
Seeing the old man was getting long-winded again, Zhao Rong interrupted him. "Sir, we'd love to take you from this remote and desolate place to the neon lights and hustle of the big city. But you see, the private aircraft we took from Xijing City isn't a large plane; it's a very small helicopter. Its passenger capacity is only three, so besides the pilot, there's just room for and this young lady. If we tried to take you along as well, the aircraft might crash mid-flight..."
Hearing about the possibility of a fatal crash, the old man imdiately took a few steps back. "Since the aircraft is so small and unsafe, you two should just go on ahead. I'll stay here and continue to await orders. However, when you get back to the Wild Wolf Sect, please tell the Gang Leader that a loyal disciple is still waiting for his command here in the Western Regions."
Zhao Rong nodded impatiently. "Alright, we get it. We're leaving now. Bye." With that, he grabbed Xue Liani's hand, turned, and made a quick getaway.
The old man watched their retreating figures and called out, "Farewell, young heroes! Have a safe journey."
When Zhao Rong and Xue Liani heard the old man's words, their walk turned into a run. In no ti, they reached a secluded spot.
There, Xuelian asked curiously, "Brother Zhao Rong, I rember you've never had any tattoos. How is it that I saw such a large Wolf King tattoo on your back just now?"
Hearing Xue Liani's question, Zhao Rong laughed. "Xue Liani, to deal with that old man, I used Instant Teleportation to pop over to a tattoo shop."
When Xue Liani heard this, she was utterly shocked. "Brother Zhao Rong, did you really get a tattoo?"
Tattoos have so many downsides, she thought. They lower your immunity, affect blood circulation, and worst of all, people with tattoos can't donate blood for a good cause...
Listening to her, Zhao Rong teased, "Little Sister Xuelian, how about I take off my clothes and show you my tattoo?"
Xue Liani's eyes suddenly filled with tears. "Brother Zhao Rong, I really don't like n with tattoos, especially a handso man like you. It's just heartbreaking..."
But before she could finish speaking, Zhao Rong had already revealed the tattoo to her. He chuckled and said, "Xue Liani, try picking at my tattoo. See if you can peel it off."
Hearing this, Xue Liani reached out her right hand and gently picked at the tattoo on Zhao Rong's back. To her amazent, it ca right off. She then took a towel from her backpack, poured so mineral water on it, and started scrubbing his back vigorously. "Brother Zhao Rong, so the tattoo on your back wasn't actually inked on..."
Zhao Rong chuckled, feeling an itch on his back from her scrubbing. "Of course not. Tattoos are painful and expensive. Most importantly, they're ugly. Why would I change my own preferences for so trivial matter related to the Wild Wolf Sect?"
As Xue Liani wiped his back, she said, "So, Brother Zhao Rong, you used a two-pronged approach: you drew part of it and stuck on the rest to put a Wild Wolf King tattoo on your back?"
Zhao Rong gave her a thumbs-up. "Little Sister Xuelian, you're so smart! You saw right through it—that my tattoo was pieced together from half drawing and half sticker."
By then, Xuelian had wiped his back completely clean. She ran her hand over his smooth, clean skin. "Brother Zhao Rong, I like you just like this, all clean. That's when you're sunny, pure, a true warm-hearted man."
Zhao Rong turned to face her. "It's a good thing that old man wasn't as clever as you. If he had discovered my tattoo was fake, he definitely wouldn't have given us the Snow Lotus and its seeds."
Xue Liani smiled. "Brother Zhao Rong, didn't you realize the old man is clever too? I don't think he failed to notice the tattoo was fake because he isn't smart. Rather, his eyesight is probably just bad. That's why he couldn't see clearly that your tattoo was a forgery and not actually inked on."
As Xue Liani finished speaking, her gaze turned incredibly affectionate. When Zhao Rong t her eyes, he felt a jolt of electricity. At the sa ti, as Xue Liani stared tenderly into his eyes, he stared right back into hers with equal affection. After their shared glance, they both understood what was about to happen between them.
Xue Liani looked at him with deep affection and asked, "Brother Zhao Rong, when you ca out this ti, did you happen to bring any... you know?"
Hearing her words, Zhao Rong's eyes went wide. But then he shrugged helplessly. "I left in such a hurry. I figured we'd use Instant Teleportation, get the item, and teleport right back, so I didn't bring any protection..."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he was so filled with regret he wanted to slap himself.
How could I be so careless? Why don't I know to seize the opportunity at all tis? he thought. If I had just been a little more mindful and brought a box with ... wouldn't we have been able to take care of business on this trip?
Just as Zhao Rong was drowning in regret, Xuelian suddenly pulled a small box from her pocket. "Brother Zhao Rong, although you didn't bring any... I did. Will this work?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers