Chapter Ninety-Four: The New Replaces the Old

The jade bathtub was truly comfortable. Whether for the sheer delight in the heart or for the pleasure it gave in practice, it was far beyond what an ordinary tub could compare with.

He had been about to keep his jade beauty company in a languid midnight dalliance when a sound from outside made Tang Long’s ears twitch slightly twice.

Habits forged on the battlefield run deep, sinking into the marrow. They are not things one can abandon in a short time.

He had weathered monstrous storms; on every mission he had ever gone out on, the people he faced were top-tier experts of world-class caliber. Compared with those little fish and shrimp, these were nothing more than petty thieves in Tang Long’s eyes.

“Some cat in heat is yowling outside in the middle of the night!” Tang Long patted Gou Yuniang in his arms, his eyes flashing as he signaled for her to get up first.

“What’s wrong?” Gou Yuniang looked at Tang Long in confusion. They had just been reaching the best part, so why had his tone suddenly changed so drastically?

“Nothing.”

Tang Long gave the back of her thigh a pat. Once Gou Yuniang shifted away, he smiled and said, “Behave and wait for me. Don’t go running around. I’ll clean up the little stray cat outside first, then come back and clean you up.”

With that, he stepped out of the jade bathtub, took the towel from the rack, wrapped it around his waist, and walked outside.

Thieves and normal people do not walk the same way. Ordinary footsteps are heavier, while a thief’s are bound to be lighter.

The more elite the expert, the less sound he makes when walking.

So if it had been the heavy steps of an ordinary person, Tang Long might not have taken notice. It was precisely this light tread, however, that made his vigilance rise instead.

Only one person could guess where he was now, and the only one who wanted Tang Long dead was Liu Meijia, that slutty harlot.

His ears twitched twice. Tang Long chose a direction and walked that way, knowing the other party would certainly come from there.

This three-story villa was too large, and at night all the lights were left on. Even if there was no one inside, the lights would not go out. Whether that was wasteful or not was their business; perhaps there was some reason for it, and no one else knew.

Tang Long stopped behind a corner wall, listening to the footsteps drawing near. A faint smile rose at the corners of his mouth.

Judging the distance, he waited until the other person had just poked out and was about to turn the corner, then gave a soft, “Hey,” and barked at him.

Who could stand that? Sneaking in at dead of night, thinking he was undetected, only to be startled by someone out of nowhere. His soul nearly flew clean out of him; he was only a breath away from screaming, “Mother of God!”

Damn, that was terrifying. You do not play like that. People frighten each other to death.

“You, you...” The man stared at Tang Long in terror, trembling all over.

Tang Long grinned at him and said, “Me? What about me? Why are you wandering around in the middle of the night instead of sleeping? You know, guys like you used to be the sort of petty thieves I’d twist a dozen heads off in one night. I’ve toned my temper down now.”

His voice paused. The smile vanished from his face, and in an instant the temperature around them seemed to plunge. In a cold, sinister tone he said, “Do you want your head removed, or do you want to get lost right now?”

The air around them was thick with killing intent. Cold sweat soaked the man’s back. For someone like this terrifying monster, they had sent him over to deal with him?

And he was supposed to be just an ordinary village chief?

“I-I’m leaving right now!” The man forced out a smile that was uglier than a grimace, nodding and bowing with not a shred of backbone left.

Tang Long fixed him with a stare. “Go back and tell Liu Meijia this: if there’s a next time, I’ll twist her head off and use it as a ball.”

“Okay!”

The petty thief did not dare say another word. He backed away a couple of steps, turned, and ran. Too damn scary. That filthy bitch, Liu Meijia, was trying to get him killed!

Watching the little thief’s retreating figure, Tang Long let the smile fade and frowned slightly.

Killing him would have been effortless. The problem was what to do after that. This was home soil, and right now he was an ordinary man. He could not just kill whoever he pleased.

“Liu Meijia.”

He mouthed the name, a trace of frost flashing in his eyes before it quickly receded.

Forget it. I’ll give her one more chance.

Besides, Fishhead Village was thriving in every respect. To ruin such a promising situation over Liu Meijia would be plainly unwise.

Gou Yuniang really was obedient. When Tang Long returned, she was still sitting dutifully in the jade bathtub.

“What happened outside?” Gou Yuniang asked in confusion.

Tang Long shook his head and smiled. “Nothing.”

He pulled the towel from his waist.

...

In the morning, Tang Long opened his eyes and looked at the woman sleeping beside him, wrapped in his arms. He could only sigh inwardly. Some things seemed beyond human control.

Since it had happened, he did not feel there was anything to regret. That was life. Once a choice was made, there was no retreat.

Tang Long tried to draw his arm out from beneath Gou Yuniang’s neck, but the slightest movement woke her.

“You’re awake?” Gou Yuniang looked at Tang Long, her face reddening with a mix of shyness and embarrassment.

Tang Long smiled. “Go back to sleep a little longer.”

Gou Yuniang asked softly, “Are you leaving?”

Tang Long rubbed the bridge of his nose, looked at her skin as smooth and luminous as fine jade, and said with a wicked grin, “Not leaving. Just going to take a piss.”

Take a piss?

Blushing, Gou Yuniang let him go.

After a flurry of activity, Gou Yuniang got up and made breakfast for Tang Long, gentle as a newly married little wife.

Tang Long also noticed something else: once she put her clothes on, Gou Yuniang seemed to become very reserved and restrained, as if she could not fully let go. From the various experiences of the night before, she was not at all as crude as that Yang fellow had claimed. In fact, at times she had been quite proactive. He guessed that perhaps it was just that when she was with him, there was no real atmosphere.

Newer faces replace the old; perhaps the new are even better than the old.

“You’ve got such a great figure, and your skin is so nice. Why do you wear such old-fashioned, conservative clothes?” Tang Long asked, looking at her outfit with some incomprehension.

Gou Yuniang said softly, “When I’m carving things, it gets dirty. Dust can easily get into my clothes.”

Tang Long shook his head. “That’s not a reason. You can wear work clothes while you’re working, and when you’re done, change out of them and wear regular clothes.”

Gou Yuniang fell silent. She did not know how to explain it to Tang Long. She only felt that dressing this way was more comfortable, and also gave her a better sense of protection.

Tang Long knew as well that some habits were not so easily changed.

At nine thirty in the morning, a truck arrived at Treasure Phoenix Carving Factory. The driver got out and asked the gate guard for directions.

“That’s right, this is Treasure Phoenix Carving Factory!”

The driver said, “Then I’ve got the right place. Boss Liu asked me to deliver a shipment here. He said to hand it over to you once I got here.”

Gou Yuniang stared at Tang Long in disbelief. Had Liu Meijia actually sent back the truckload of jade rough that had been hauled away?

Tang Long only smiled without saying a word. If that wench dared not send it back, she would know the consequences. Of course, he was also very clear that the feud between him and Liu Meijia was far from over.