Texas stared, dumbstruck.
Even her tail stopped midair.
Chen Xiu walked to her, angled his body slightly—forty-five degrees—then cast a sideways look down at her.
He remembered some "Master Jiao" insisting that this was the most handsome entrance angle. A frontal approach made you look a bit dumb.
"My lady," he said in a low, rich voice, "would I be fortunate enough to invite you to lunch?"
Texas's ears twitched. She dodged his offered hand by instinct.
Then, as if refusing to lose on momentum, she forced her neck to turn back and met his gaze.
Her heart thumped uncontrollably.
So she put on a cold face and slapped his hand away.
"Cut the oily flirting."
She stared straight into his eyes and stated it like a fact.
"Back in the day, anyone who tried getting friendly with me like that would leave with at least a few ribs broken."
"Fair," Chen Xiu nodded. "Those thugs last night can testify. So—am I handsome?"
"You are," Texas admitted without lying. "If you worked at a high-end male club in Columbia, that face alone would get you promoted to senior manager."
"Small vision," Chen Xiu argued immediately. "I'd be a Blue Card Crow superstar, minimum."
Texas blinked—then realized he wasn't wrong.
Among the celebrities she knew, very few could stand next to him and not be crushed.
"Clothes make the man," Chen Xiu said, spinning once. "Your taste is solid. You picked the perfect outfit… By the way, where'd you buy this Yan robe?"
Texas's ears twitched again. She liked the praise.
"At the market," she answered. "Kaiyue Clothing Shop."
Chen Xiu silently memorized the name—then changed back into his old yellowed outfit.
To avoid misunderstanding, he explained:
"This is formal wear. It's inconvenient for chores, and it's too eye-catching in the slums. I'll wear it out only when I need to."
Texas watched him carefully fold it away, and said nothing.
While they were enjoying themselves—
Someone else was exploding.
"Damn it! Useless! All of you are useless!"
Zhongyi Hall's third-in-command roared, kicking his men one by one like they were bowling pins.
"A whole person vanished and none of you noticed!? What am I feeding you for?"
"Boss, we only realized at dawn Huang Mingjie was gone. We thought he left early…"
A bulky Perro man knelt clutching his gut, his face twisted in pain as he tried to justify himself.
Pan Hu sneered.
"Use your pack-beast brains. If that kid could escape Lungmen on his own, would he need us? You think the Guard Department is decorative?"
"Boss—found something!" A thug in a long jacket rushed in. "There are climbing marks on the exterior wall by the window, and the lock was picked. He was taken."
Pan Hu's heart sank.
This didn't look like the Guard Department.
It was probably a bounty hunter.
The question was: which side? Would they send him straight to the Guard Department—or come negotiate?
Huang Mingjie himself didn't matter.
But his father was a key business partner of Zhongyi Hall. If this wasn't handled properly, it would affect Second Brother's deals.
Pan Hu dialed a number immediately.
If Huang Mingjie wasn't in the Guard Department's hands yet, there might still be a way out.
After a few rings, a frightened, timid voice answered.
"Tiger—Tiger Boss… the repayment date isn't for a few more days. Don't worry, I'll definitely get the money—"
"Han Jin." Pan Hu cut him off. "This isn't about the money. Check if Huang Mingjie's been caught. That's easy for you."
"Easy, easy—right away."
Keys clacked rapidly.
Then Han Jin replied, fast.
"Tiger Boss, Huang Mingjie's warrant was withdrawn. The one who turned him in was a Sarkaz named Chen Xiu."
"Chen Xiu? Sarkaz?" Pan Hu's eyes bulged. "Any detailed info?"
"Not in the system. He's undocumented. Not from downtown."
Pan Hu hung up.
If he wasn't from downtown, he was slums.
To give Huang's father an explanation, Pan Hu had only one choice: find that idiot demon and kill him.
"All of you heard it. Find him. Dig three feet into the ground if you have to. Drag out this Sarkaz named Chen Xiu— I'm breaking his horns myself!"
So Zhongyi Hall's men moved.
Inside the Guard Department office, the line went dead.
Han Jin kept the phone to his ear for a long while before he dared put it down.
His eyes drifted to the screen.
Bounty: 30,000.
His heart pounded.
Repayment day was only a few days away. The amount he still lacked… was exactly thirty thousand.
With Tiger Boss's ruthlessness, that Chen Xiu guy was probably doomed.
If so, paying the bounty to him would be a waste, wouldn't it?
Better for Han Jin to pocket it.
The more he thought about it, the more feasible it felt.
He chuckled as he started operating.
"A slum nobody. I can squeeze trash like you whenever I want."
…
"WHAT? The Guard Department says the bounty was issued normally, but you didn't actually get a cent!?"
In Grey Tail Hall, Lin Yuxia glared at Uncle Niu, who had returned to report. Her voice rose sharply.
Uncle Niu scratched his head. "I asked several times. They all said the system showed it was paid."
Lin Yuxia's stomach dropped.
She could guess what happened.
Someone in the Guard Department had dared swallow the bounty.
Not "dock" it—straight-up steal it.
She remembered Chen Xiu coming to her that morning, and a chill of shame crawled through her.
If she hadn't helped him, if she'd told him confidently to go to the Guard Department himself…
Wouldn't that have harmed him?
His faint, bitter smile flashed in her mind.
If he truly suffered injustice, what could he do? Who would help him get his money back?
No.
She had to demand justice.
Lin Yuxia clenched her small fist. The surge of anger was so intense Uncle Niu barely dared breathe.
"Yuxia," the Rat King arrived at last, smiling. "What's got you so angry?"
Lin Yuxia didn't hide it. She explained everything.
"Dad! This is too much! They're parasites gnawing at Lungmen!"
The Rat King nodded. "So what do you plan to do?"
"Drag the culprit out and teach them a lesson!" Lin Yuxia declared.
The Rat King slammed his cane once.
"Nonsense! You think the Guard Department is someone you can 'drag' people out of now?"
Lin Yuxia shrank back, unwilling. "Then what? File a report through official channels?"
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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