Chapter 354: The 350th Beauty Coming Out of the Bath
Among the eight eccentrics, aside from these five, plus Qiu Yong and the newly joined Ling Chen, there was one more person, also the most mysterious.
He was considered mysterious because he was usually silent and reserved, hardly spoke, and always preferred to sit alone. This man was about forty years old and went by the name Xu Ming. He was the second oldest among the eight eccentrics, with a very ordinary appearance that wouldn’t stand out in a crowd.
After Qiu Yong finished introducing everyone, Ling Chen quietly asked Xia Yue for more information, but even Xia Yue didn’t know much about Xu Ming’s background, only that Xu Ming was one of the senior members.
"Elder Qiu, should we... perhaps become sworn brothers?"
Qiu Yong replied with a light smile, "There’s no need for such formalities. We eight eccentrics don’t care for those common rituals, but a drink is unavoidable."
"Let’s go, my treat," Ling Chen said generously.
After the drinks, it was already midnight. Ling Chen said his goodbyes to Qiu Yong and the others, then drove back to Wealthy Manor in a drunken state.
Once he entered his room, Ling Chen didn’t even bother to shower before collapsing into bed and falling asleep, until the next morning when he was woken up by Nanrong Wanqing.
Smelling the scent of alcohol on Ling Chen, Nanrong Wanqing frowned slightly and chided, "Don’t you know to drink less? Too much alcohol is bad for your health."
With sleepy eyes, Ling Chen looked at the beautiful Nanrong Wanqing by his bedside and flashed a grin. Before she could dodge, he grabbed Nanrong Wanqing’s hand and pulled her into his embrace, savoring her intoxicating fragrance.
"How annoying," Nanrong Wanqing, blushing, beat on Ling Chen’s chest, her delicate body wriggling slightly as she tried to break free from his arms. However, their bodies were tightly pressed together, and her movement instantly prompted a morning reaction from the just-awakened Ling Chen. Fortunately, they were covered with a quilt, which spared them any embarrassment.
Ling Chen, unable to resist the adorable face of Nanrong Wanqing, flipped over, pinning her delicate body beneath him and went straight for those tempting red lips, savoring her sweetness without any restraint.
Nanrong Wanqing struggled briefly before melting into Ling Chen’s tenderness, wrapping her arms around his waist, passionately reciprocating.
"Wanqing, breakfast is ready, you guys..."
Just then, Su Lin suddenly appeared at the bedroom door. Seeing the two people on the bed closely entwined, Su Lin’s pretty face instantly flushed red, and she quickly covered her eyes, complaining, "Cousin, could you at least be a bit more discreet?"
Caught red-handed by Su Lin, Nanrong Wanqing felt incredibly embarrassed and hurriedly pushed Ling Chen away, dashing out of the room as if fleeing, not daring to stay a second longer.
Ling Chen climbed out of bed smilingly, stretched lazily, knowing that flirting with a beauty early in the morning is good for both mental and physical health.
After taking a shower and changing into a set of clean clothes, Ling Chen made his way to the dining room, only to find Su Lin had already left for school, and Nanrong Wanqing was sitting at the table alone, eating cereal. When she saw Ling Chen, her newly regained composure was again compromised as a blush crept up her cheeks, looking irresistibly shy and charming.
"What did you do last night?" Nanrong Wanqing tried to change the subject.
"I was drinking with some friends."
Thinking of last night’s events, Ling Chen rubbed his slightly aching forehead. It felt almost like a dream—him becoming a member of the eight eccentrics. While he was pondering, the ringtone from his cellphone in his pocket went off. Ling Chen took out his phone, glanced at the incoming number, and quickly answered, "Elder Qiu, you looking for me?"
"Still calling me Elder Qiu?"
Hearing Qiu Yong’s chiding tone, Ling Chen immediately realized his mistake and corrected himself with a smile, "Big brother."
The eight eccentrics didn’t care about seniority, regardless of age; everyone addressed Qiu Yong as Big Brother. Being the sixth oldest, they all called Ling Chen either Ling Chen or Big Brother.
"Ling Chen, if you’re free later, come to the hotel; we have a task to undertake."
"No problem, I’ll be there on time."
After breakfast, Ling Chen and Zhong Wei took a group of people to send Nanrong Wanqing to the headquarters of Hongyu Group, and then he drove alone to the hotel where Qiu Yong and the others were staying.
In the Chinese-style tea restaurant on the third floor of the hotel, Ling Chen met everyone who was dining.
"Brother Ling, you should be clear about our main purpose for coming to East Sea City this time."
Hearing Qiu Yong’s words, Ling Chen’s mind stirred, and he asked, "Is it for Dongfang Yu?"
"Correct." The one-armed man Yuan Yun nodded and said, "Since we killed Dongfang Yu’s disciple back then, Dongfang Yu will look for revenge sooner or later. Given this, we might as well take the initiative and just take him down."
"Dongfang Yu is a master from the Earthly List, big brother, do you guys have a way to deal with him?"
Qiu Yong pointed to the Archer God Zhang Zhongfeng sitting next to him and said with a smile, "With your third brother here, what’s there to fear?"
"That’s true."
Ling Chen nodded silently. Back then at Zongming Mountain, Zhang Zhongfeng had forced He Ziyun to retreat with three arrows, demonstrating overwhelming strength.
"Brother Ling, you’ve stayed in East Sea City for quite a while, can you find a way to help us locate Dongfang Yu?"
"Big brother, I’m not sure I can, but I can try. How about this, I’ll ask someone to look for him first, and notify you if there’s any news."
"Alright, thank you for your trouble."
Ling Chen grinned and said, "We’re brothers, no need for formalities."
...
Leaving the hotel, Ling Chen drove directly to Qingyun Martial Arts Hall. To find out Dongfang Yu’s whereabouts, he could only seek assistance from He Ziyun.
Knocking on the door of the martial arts hall, Little Hua looked at Ling Chen listlessly, quite different from her usual enthusiasm, showing an unhappy face. Seeing this, Ling Chen scooped up the little girl into his arms and asked, "What’s wrong? Did someone upset you?"
"Sister Xiaozhu is sick," Little Hua said sorrowfully.
"Xiaozhu?" Ling Chen was slightly shocked and asked, "Is she in the academy?"
"She’s in her room; Master said Sister Xiaozhu is very sick."
"Let’s go, take me to see her."
Reaching the door of Zhu Xiaozhu’s bedroom, Little Hua suddenly grabbed Ling Chen’s sleeve and said, "Big brother, you go in by yourself first. Master asked me to fetch medicine for him, and I almost forgot."
"Alright."
Ling Chen responded, set Little Hua down on the ground, and then pushed open the door to enter the bedroom.
As soon as he entered, Ling Chen froze on the spot. Inside the room, steam was swirling, and the fragrance was rich. Through a hazy mist, there was a large wooden tub near the window. Along with the sound of water, a snowy figure stood up from the tub, her hair dancing, cascading down her delicate back, and her tender shoulders covered with droplets.
Although a layer of steam obscured the view a bit, it did not hinder Ling Chen from clearly seeing the elegant and fair body.
Gazing at the beautiful curves and voluptuous figure, Ling Chen’s mind went blank, and his breath involuntarily held still.
At this moment, the beauty in the tub was completely unaware of Ling Chen’s presence behind her. She kept moving out of the tub and turned towards the clothes on the bed. However, the moment she turned around, her eyes were immediately drawn to Ling Chen standing at the doorway.