“Da-da, da-da…” Dozens of AK-47s fired in unison.
“Ah!” Xiao Dai screamed and crouched down, covering her head in fear.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Muzzles flashed with fire as bullets rained toward the group!
“Hmph!” Li Wanji snorted coldly and slammed a strand of true Qi into the ground. The Qi transformed into a protective barrier, blocking all incoming bullets.
“Huh? I’m not hurt?” Mo Ruyan realized she was unharmed and let out a sigh of relief. She saw the bullets suspended mid-air beside her, caught in a shimmering, transparent energy ripple.
“Ah!” Mo Ruyan exclaimed, eyes wide in shock. “This is… body-protecting Gang Qi!”
“You’re… a Grandmaster!”
She looked at Li Wanji, completely stunned.
“A Grandmaster…” Xiao Dai covered her mouth with her slender hand, disbelief flashing in her beautiful eyes.
Last year, the Xiao family had paid a huge price trying to win over Master Chen. But because one of their young masters had offended Chen Fan, he rejected their offer outright.
Xiao Dai never imagined that her charming business partner was actually a Grandmaster-level powerhouse! She couldn’t believe her eyes. Thinking back to how she’d asked him to take off his clothes just to check out his muscles—and even touched him—her cheeks burned with embarrassment. My god, how could I have done something so foolish?
It would be one thing if it were just a good-looking guy.
But this was a Grandmaster!
Everyone knew a Grandmaster could not be insulted.
To offend one was to die!
At that moment, Brother Long noticed something was off.
“What’s going on? Are they ghosts or what? Why can’t we break through?” he said in panic. He then recalled that his master was also impervious to bullets and blades.
Could it be…
“This is bad! That man is a cultivator—retreat immediately!” Brother Long finally realized the truth and shouted the order.
“Stay right here. Don’t move!” Li Wanji said calmly.
The next moment, his figure flickered and vanished like a ghost, reappearing instantly beside Brother Long.
Thud, thud, thud…
All they heard were the eerie sounds of heads rolling. Brother Long’s men dropped one by one, their heads landing with heavy thuds and tumbling across the ground.
The brutal scene made Li Qinglan nearly throw up.
Mo Ruyan and Xiao Dai, however, remained composed.
“So this is the boss’s strength…” Hong Yue muttered in awe.
“Otherwise, how do you think he lifted that boulder weighing several thousand kilograms to save us?” Hou Zi grinned. He had long known Li Wanji wasn’t a normal man.
Back when he and Hong Yue were panning for gold in the mountains, there was a sudden landslide. A massive boulder rolled straight toward them. Just when they thought death was certain, Li Wanji appeared, held the boulder in place with one hand, then kicked it away.
At the time, both of them were stunned.
“Please spare me, Grandmaster…” Brother Long whimpered in fear.
But the next second, his scream rang out!
“Ahhhh!!!”
Thud, thud, thud…
Brother Long’s head rolled across the ground, eyes wide open in disbelief. Even in death, he couldn’t accept it—one of the underground overlords of Mingyun City, Brother Long, was dead.
“All done. Get someone to clean up this mess,” Li Wanji returned and withdrew the barrier, then ordered Hong Yue, “Investigate how this group got in. Also, hire a few reliable security guards.”
“Yes.” Hong Yue nodded.
“I’ll get some bodyguards too.” Mo Ruyan took out her phone and made a call.
Afterward, they all went out for a meal.
Gu Qingning’s chain restaurant, called Qingcheng Tower, had a decent reputation. It specialized in southern cuisine, and most of its clientele were local tycoons or visiting internet celebrities.
Mo Ruyan took a bite of roasted goose. “This must be from a farm-raised goose. The skin’s too fatty. The plum sauce makes it edible though.”
Xiao Dai sipped her five-finger fig root chicken soup. “The flavor’s a bit bland. They must’ve used sun-dried cultivated fig roots. The aroma is halved.” She picked out a root from the pot and examined it. “This one’s a coarse-leaf three-finger fig. The fine-leaf five-finger and seven-finger ones are the most fragrant, but they must be wild.”
“You two are food critics or something?” Li Wanji was surprised.
“Hehe, we’re just used to eating the best. So when something is subpar, we can tell instantly.” Mo Ruyan stuck out her soft pink tongue playfully and looked at Li Wanji with sparkling admiration, her gaze practically turning gooey.
Xiao Dai looked at Mo Ruyan’s lovestruck expression and sighed helplessly. Her friend had always been hopeless when it came to handsome men—especially one this capable.
After thinking for a moment, Xiao Dai said, “If we’re going into the food business, we have to do it to the highest standard. That means top-grade ingredients and seasonings.”
Mo Ruyan agreed, “Absolutely.”
“Right. We’ll need to hire people to set up farms in the mountains and gather wild herbs and spices,” Li Wanji said. That was the only way to dominate the high-end market.
“Leave that to me. Our family has operated in the south for years, and I have access to several mountain areas.” Mo Ruyan patted her chest confidently and took on the task.
“A few mountains won’t be enough,” Li Wanji said.
“Alright, I’ll leave it to you. By the way, I have an idea—we should open a shopping mall,” Li Wanji said, recalling the luxury mall from his previous life that had been adored nationwide.
“A mall?” Xiao Dai frowned. “But our city already has a lot of large malls. Is it necessary?”
“You don’t get it. Those malls mostly sell low-quality goods. We’ll sell only premium products,” Li Wanji said.
“Okay. What will it be called?” Xiao Dai asked.
“Let’s name it… Shouxiqu Mall.” Li Wanji said.
Xiao Dai blinked, confused. What kind of name was that?
…
After dinner, everyone went home.
Xiao Dai and Mo Ruyan rode in the same car.
Xiao Dai was driving, her expression a little gloomy. She seemed unhappy.
“Hey, Dai’er, what’s wrong today?” Mo Ruyan yawned from the passenger seat.
“You know why.” Xiao Dai lowered her gaze and sighed.
“The Cang family guy came to force the marriage again?”
“Yeah. You know the type—he keeps mistresses in the Canglong Club but pretends to be a sweet, innocent boy in front of me. It’s hilarious.”
Xiao Dai sneered.
“That’s really unfair to you. But hey, if Master Chen couldn’t help you before, maybe our little pretty boy can do it now.” Mo Ruyan grinned. “Why not offer yourself to him in exchange for help against the Cang family?”
“You mean you want to offer yourself, right?” Xiao Dai rolled her eyes.
“Hehe, of course I do. I dream about playing poker with Brother Wanji now.” Mo Ruyan clasped her hands over her chest and closed her eyes, lost in fantasy.
“You’re such a lovestruck fool. It’s fine to admire someone’s looks, but once feelings are involved, it usually ends badly,” Xiao Dai said helplessly.
“But I can’t help it. I really like him. He’s so capable and so handsome!” Mo Ruyan looked like she was going crazy.
…
At that moment, Li Wanji had no idea he was being talked about by two stunning beauties.
He returned to the villa.
“Nuonuo, did you miss your aunt?” As soon as he entered, he saw Chen Lanyi playing on the sofa with an adorable little girl in her arms.
Just then, a stunning housewife walked out holding a plate of fruit salad.