Volume 12 Chapter 54

Hong Jiu and Master Qi caused the water surface to roil as they surfaced and struggled to shore. Master Qi let herself fall into the bushes despite mud getting on her face. Her water fiend gear allowed her to fearlessly navigate the waters; however, running for her life, not to mention for two hours straight, took its toll on her. When a shadow blocked out the moonlight, she looked up to see Hong Jiu. Most surprising to her was that he wasn't even breathing hard, yet she felt as though she wasn't getting enough oxygen.

As the wind billowed his bright red dress, Hong Jiu kept a face as still as a statue whilst peering into the distance. God forbid Master Qi could figure out what deep philosophies he was pondering. Thoughts inundated her mind, rendering her speechless, so she gave up and buried her face in the ground.

Little did Master Qi know, Hong Jiu didn't have an easy time tracking her down. Given plenty of valuable treasures were in Night Fortress' possession, it was suspicious for such a valuable item to resurface. By extension, the one in possession of it also needed to be cautious if they wanted to keep it a secret. To track down the whereabouts of the suit that suddenly showed up again, he had to contact numerous contacts as well as jump through numerous hoops. As a matter of fact, he couldn't find any useful leads until he came across Mountain Monster, who was dispatched to the pier, eating noodles, banging on the table with her chopsticks whilst cursing, "I've been guarding this place for bloody ages. Has Shen Yiren forgotten about me? What's the freaking point of having me guard the pier when they already have their hands on the money? Is the thief a fish or something? Can they swim out of the city?"

Mountain Monster's complaint reminded Hong Jiu that Blood Demon had three suits for operating in water: lake spirit, water fiend and ocean monster. Therefore, he linked them to Yongheng Bank's case. There was no question Li Muye was behind Yongheng Bank's case. Accordingly, Hong Jiu immediately looked into Northern Wondrous Warrior Manor's recent activity, thereby discovering Master Qi had been out for days. Hong Jiu subsequently made haste for Yongheng Bank's Zhenjiang branch to dig up clues on their lost money. Gradually, he tracked down Master Qi.

In total, it took Hong Jiu three days to catch up to Master Qi. Seeing as the deadline to return was up, he planned to make his way back to the capital, which was when he came across Master Qi locked in combat. Originally, he had no plans to intervene, but he decided to step in upon recalling their previous match.

Leader, Leader, it is not I who is disloyal. It is that this lass is too barbaric. Had I not came to her aid, she would have perished to Fiends' Genesis' trio. It will take me another day to reach the capital. Until then, please look after yourself.

Hong Jiu erased the image of Ming Feizhen being bullied in the capital out of pain and turned to Master Qi. "You all right?"

"I'm fine..." replied Master Qi, still panting a tad. "How come you're not even fazed?"

Growing up in the north, Hong Jiu shouldn't have been a match for the trio who resided in a domain of water. His secret, if it could be considered one, was he that his mentor - Ming Huayu - had a screw loose. He was thrown into a dangerous forest where violent beasts roamed, thrown into the middle of a gang fight, thrown into a warzone and more, all in the name of training. Swimming? He was kicked into a freezing lake and told to swim. What was an average lake compared to the freezing lake?

Master Qi stood up. She wasn't much shorter than Hong Jiu, and her curves were pronounced under her form-fitting garments. Though there was mud on her face, it didn't diminish her beauty in the slightest. Yet, Hong Jiu showed no interest in her.

"In that case, I shall take my leave."

"Wait!"

Hong Jiu stopped but didn't turn around. "Say something."

"You..." Notwithstanding being the one who called out to him, Master Qi didn't know why she called out, so she threw out the first question that came to mind. "Why are you wearing a woman's clothing?"

"... I thought I was going to get a thanks." Hong Jiu subconsciously touched his nose. The truth was that his attire was a disguise, but how was he supposed to tell the person he was tailing that he was tailing her? Hence, he answered, "Just felt like it."

Master Qi stepped backward. "You sicko!"

"You're done now, right?"

"No. Why did you save me? As well, what are you here for?"

"Obviously t-..." The second question reminded Hong Jiu that not only was he running late but also had nothing to show for it. That wasn't the end of the world, but the answer was right in front of him now. If he were to go back at this point, he'd probably cop a beating. He quickly turned around and smiled. "Obviously to... let you have a guess."

Master Qi chuckled. "You were worried I forgot you have to eat dog crap, so you came to honour your word."

Why does she still remember that?

"We ought to rediscuss that deal because, at the time, w-"

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'm here for business. You're with Liu Shan Men, so we do not share the same interests. I am grateful for your help; let us write off the bet. See you later." Master Qi saluted with her hands, then departed.

This must be karma! She wouldn't let me go when I wanted to leave, and now she wants to leave. How can I stop her from leaving?

"Wait, do you know what I'm here for?" Hong Jiu inquired.

"How should I know?"

Hong Jiu's eyes went in circles. "I-I'm here for you."

A silence accentuated the foliage's rustles. Two red, very red, roses bloomed on a maiden's cheeks.