Chapter Twenty-One: Four Stunning Beauties

Chapter Twenty-One: Four Great Beauties

Xu Yun naturally understood that the mighty Violent Fox Sovereign was not afraid of death itself; what truly terrified her was who would take care of Guo Guo if she were gone. Ah, who could have imagined that the little princess from Feng Qiansui's family possessed such charm that even Qiu Yan could forget herself for her sake.

At this moment, Ruan Qingshuang and Guo Guo came down the stairs.

Ruan Qingshuang, though she found Qiu Yan somewhat unapproachable, still spoke kindly: "The room is tidied up. Qiu Yan, you don't look well. Why don't you go upstairs and rest?"

"Thank you." For those two words to leave Qiu Yan's lips meant she was truly grateful to the extreme.

Qiu Yan went upstairs to rest, while Guo Guo circled around Xu Yun, peppering him with questions. Xu Yun merely responded vaguely, knowing that Guo Guo wouldn't understand most things anyway. In this way, she wouldn't worry too much.

Ruan Qingshuang had gathered the gist: something inexplicable had happened in Guo Guo's family, Qiu Yan brought her out, then accidentally lost her. Xu Yun hadn't revealed much more.

...

Before dinner, Qin Wan'er returned to the Medicinal Cuisine Restaurant brimming with excitement. The moment she entered, she slapped thirty thousand yuan from her pocket down in front of Guo Guo at the reception desk.

"Wow!" Guo Guo's eyes sparkled green. "Wan'er, did you win the lottery?"

"If that's how you want to see it, I don't mind." Qin Wan'er chuckled, hurriedly pulling Ruan Qingshuang beside her. "Qingshuang, the Four Wolves Gang went to bail out their guys today, and obediently coughed up all the money they'd extorted from you!"

Ruan Qingshuang was astonished. She hadn't dared hope to recover the twenty thousand yuan that Lü Bao and the Four Wolves Gang had swindled from her. Now, not only was the money returned, but there was an extra ten thousand.

Guo Guo was not shy; the extra ten thousand was perfectly reasonable as interest.

"Since you're here, don't stand on ceremony—come help prep the dishes." Xu Yun truly treated Qin Wan'er as family.

Qin Wan'er accepted her loss with good grace, shooting a glare at Xu Yun. "Fine, I'll prep the dishes. What's the big deal?"

At that moment, Qiu Yan came down the stairs. Qin Wan'er glanced toward the staircase, her body tensing slightly.

Perhaps assassins and police officers are instinctively wary of each other—when their eyes met, both paused. Earlier in the afternoon, thanks to Guo Guo's presence, neither had noticed the other. Now, things were different.

"Ahem! What are you staring at? If Qingshuang doesn't say something, do neither of you plan to work?" Xu Yun cleared his throat to dissolve the tension. "Whoever's supposed to carry plates, carry plates. Whoever's supposed to wash vegetables, start washing."

No sooner had Xu Yun finished speaking than two men and two women entered the Medicinal Cuisine Restaurant.

Guo Guo quickly darted behind the reception desk, ready to make some money. Qiu Yan and Qin Wan'er stopped fixating on each other and set about their tasks.

"Guo Guo, who is Qin Wan'er?" Qiu Yan asked casually during a lull.

Guo Guo replied proudly, "Wan'er is a police officer. Ever since I met her, I'm no longer afraid of those troublemakers."

Police officer?!

Qiu Yan couldn't help but grow more wary of Qin Wan'er. As someone from the underworld, she naturally had a strong aversion to the police. Her dislike for them was easily on par with Xu Yun's.

The Medicinal Cuisine Restaurant was already thriving, but after tonight's word of mouth, business was even more extraordinary! The chef was said to rival those of the imperial court.

The proprietress, Ruan Qingshuang, possessed autumn-water brows, jade-like skin caressed by a gentle breeze—a blend of external beauty and inner wisdom.

Waitress Qiu Yan had skin like snow, a graceful bearing like a maiden, an unparalleled allure.

Handywoman Qin Wan'er, with hands as delicate as tender shoots, skin as smooth as white jade, radiated sweetness and dignity.

Receptionist Guo Guo was clever and lively, adorably silly, and charmingly pretty.

With such a lineup, how could the restaurant not be the talk of the town? The four great beauties—sweet, elegant, graceful, and alluring—all gathered at the Medicinal Cuisine Restaurant. The luckiest one was the busy chef inside. The Four Wolves Gang probably now understood why Xu Yun preferred to stay here rather than join their grand quest for dominance.

The restaurant was packed all night! Some patrons even ordered dishes just so Ruan Qingshuang or Qiu Yan would bring them to their table, hoping for a closer encounter. Xu Yun mused: if these fellows knew that Qiu Yan was a ruthless killer, would they still dare eat what she served?

Qin Wan'er's arms were sore and aching, and she deeply regretted betting with Xu Yun. If only she'd known, she wouldn't have dared.

Xu Yun, on the other hand, was much more relaxed. He'd merely stir the pot a couple of times, delegating all the work to Qin Wan'er, showing not the slightest bit of chivalry. Well, what could he do? Qin Wan'er was a police officer, after all.

"Hey, Xu Yun, what does Guo Guo's sister do?" Qin Wan'er kept feeling there was something odd about Qiu Yan.

"Uh..." Xu Yun couldn't tell the truth, so he made something up. "I heard she used to be a flight attendant. What do you think—pretty, isn't she?"

Qin Wan'er nodded skeptically. "She is pretty, but I always feel she's different from other people. Just seeing her gives me chills."

"High places are cold. All flight attendants are like that," Xu Yun explained.

Their conversation didn't escape Qiu Yan's ears. Thankfully, Qin Wan'er said nothing more—otherwise, if the two started arguing, Xu Yun wouldn't know how to mediate.

At last, the restaurant's refrigerator was empty, and they could finally close up for the night. Guo Guo counted money until her eyes were red—over ten thousand yuan in a single night, an astonishing figure for a small establishment like Ruan Qingshuang's.

"Shouldn't we celebrate?" Qin Wan'er had never experienced such success before and was naturally excited. "How about I go buy some beer?"

"But I don't know how to drink alcohol," Ruan Qingshuang hesitated. She wanted to celebrate but drinking was not her strong suit.

Qiu Yan, as usual, was reticent. She'd already learned from Guo Guo that Ruan Qingshuang was a police officer, so she had little interest in either her or Qin Wan'er, and simply went upstairs.

Qin Wan'er didn't mind—she didn't care much for Qiu Yan's cold demeanor anyway.

Guo Guo watched Qiu Yan go upstairs and shook her little head. "Wan'er, I'd like to drink beer with you, but I'm still young. What if I turn into a drunkard? Then no one will dare marry me!"

"Heh..." Qin Wan'er laughed dryly, her face darkening. "Trust me, anyone who dares marry you is definitely not ordinary."

Ruan Qingshuang couldn't help but sigh—who knew what kind of young man could handle such an extraordinary little thing in the future?

Finally, Qin Wan'er cast her hopeful gaze at Xu Yun. He was probably the only one who would support her beer celebration.

"Uh, well... you know how things get after drinking. I'm still a pure-hearted young man; if anything happens, who's responsible?" Xu Yun tugged at the neckline of his vest, looking nervously as if he'd been assaulted.

Qin Wan'er was utterly speechless. "Who wants to mess around with you after drinking! Dream on! Even if something happens, no one wants you to take responsibility!"

"Wan'er, if you really want to drink, I'll join you," Ruan Qingshuang smiled. She didn't want to dampen Qin Wan'er's spirits, and she herself was in high spirits.

"Never mind, Qingshuang." Qin Wan'er shot a glare at Xu Yun. "With this guy living here, I don't feel safe. Who knows what could happen..."

Her words made Ruan Qingshuang blush. "It's not just the two of us—there's Guo Guo and Qiu Yan too."

Guo Guo suddenly shook her wristwatch. "Wan'er, when we went shopping for clothes earlier, you said you were working the night shift. Does that mean you're supposed to be at work tonight?"

"Oh no!" Qin Wan'er's expression changed. She'd forgotten all about her shift. The handover was at eight, and now it was past nine. "I have to get going—I'm on duty tonight! Goodbye, goodbye!"

Ruan Qingshuang realized only now, thanks to Guo Guo, and looked apologetically at Qin Wan'er. If not for her help, she wouldn't have been late. "Wan'er, be careful on your way!"

"Mm-hmm!" Qin Wan'er said no more, quickly darting out and speeding off on her bike.

Seeing Qin Wan'er leave, Xu Yun yawned and stood up. "I'm a bit tired—going upstairs to rest for a while."

"Alright, you should rest early," Ruan Qingshuang nodded. Xu Yun had worked hard these past days.

But Xu Yun wasn't actually going upstairs to rest. He'd noticed that when Qiu Yan left earlier, her face looked pale. He worried that if her internal injuries continued to worsen, not even his master could save her.

Bang, bang, bang.

Qiu Yan heard the knock and asked warily, "Who is it?"

Xu Yun didn't answer, but opened the door and entered. He knew Qiu Yan's temperament—words were useless; actions would earn her trust.

"You have two choices now." Xu Yun closed the door behind him and took a small bottle from his pocket. "First option: take the medicine! I have seven Nine-Treasure Revival Pills left; it's not hard to extend your life by a month, but after a month, not even the gods can save you."

Seven Nine-Treasure Revival Pills!?

Qiu Yan's jaw nearly dropped in shock! Such rare medicine was worth over a million on the black market, and even then it wasn't always available. When Feng Qiansui ruled Suzhou and Hangzhou, he only had five or six.

Yet this sloppily dressed fellow produced seven pills in one go. Adding the one he'd given her before, that made eight!

Qiu Yan couldn't help but gasp. This man was far from simple, able to face second-tier experts like Wildcat with ease and produce such treasures—who was he, really?

Xu Yun ignored her shock and continued, "Second option: trust me. I can't guarantee to cure your internal injury immediately, but with long-term care, you'll definitely recover."

Qiu Yan was silent for a while, then a subtle, serene smile appeared on her lips, as if she'd seen through the world. "Alright, I trust you."

As Xu Yun spoke, he produced a delicate silver box, inside which were precisely arranged one hundred and eight silver needles. "Your opponent was formidable, to injure the Eight Meridians of the Violent Fox Sovereign with internal force—certainly no ordinary person."

Hmph. Qiu Yan's eyes narrowed slightly. One-on-one, she wouldn't be afraid, but with two first-class experts attacking together, she had no chance of victory.

"Take off your clothes," Xu Yun said lightly, pulling out a few silver needles.