A low grumble…
After more than ten seconds of dead silence, Shi Qiang and Xiao Zhao could no longer hold back and swallowed hard, looking at the still violently shaking sandbag, which had cracked open, spilling sand and sawdust everywhere…
“Holy crap, h-how is that possible…”
Tang Linhhao rubbed his eyes vigorously, seemingly unable to believe that what he had just witnessed was real…
“Are you sure this isn’t an illusion? Or maybe he’s a magician?”
Zhen Zhou’s eyes were wide with shock, his mouth agape, finding it unbelievable that what he saw was true.
Indeed, Wan Yunting’s display, much like when he first levitated a flowerpot in front of Kang Nuolan, was beyond the scope of normal human understanding.
What’s more, he was now doing it from eight or nine meters away, projecting his internal energy outwards and cracking the sandbag with a single palm. The consequences of this if it were directed at a person would be unimaginable; it would be a definite death sentence.
Wan Yunting let out a soft breath. That palm strike had consumed a considerable amount of his internal energy. He turned to look at Zhong Hongmei standing behind him. Although her expression wasn’t as exaggeratedly shocked as Shi Qiang’s, her face was frozen, her gaze filled with disbelief.
However, she knew that reaching the Huajin (化劲) stage of martial arts allowed for the projection of internal energy to strike targets from a distance.
Achieving this required being in the late Huajin stage. Currently, Zhong Hongmei could only strike objects from one to two meters away, but due to insufficient internal energy, the destructive power was not strong.
But now, Wan Yunting’s palm strike had covered a distance of eight to nine meters to hit a sandbag with such immense power. Zhong Hongmei, deeply shocked, immediately thought that this person in front of her might have broken through the Huajin stage and entered the Danjin (丹劲) stage!
“Ms. Zhong, can you guess what stage my martial arts have reached?” Wan Yunting looked at her and asked with a smile.
Zhong Hongmei, snapping out of her shock, paused and then said, “Danjin?”
“Yes, I just broke through not long ago, so I can only strike anything within ten meters!” Wan Yunting nodded and smiled.
However, his statement seemed like a boast in front of Zhong Hongmei.
Shi Qiang and the other bodyguards, hearing him speak, still found it hard to believe. This was a scene straight out of a wuxia novel, yet it was happening before their eyes. Thus, ordinary people like Shi Qiang found it incredible and inexplicable.
“Ms. Zhong, let’s get back to business.”
Wan Yunting walked towards her and said with a smile, “Of course, you lost this bet!”
Looking at the young man before her, Zhong Hongmei felt a mix of emotions. Despite her competitive spirit, she had to admit defeat at this moment.
“Let’s talk in my office,” Zhong Hongmei said, turning and reaching out. Her secretary, who had recovered, handed her jacket. Zhong Hongmei, putting on her high heels, led Wan Yunting to the second floor to her office…
“Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, it’s real…”
“Wh-what the heck, can someone tell me how he did that?!”
Shi Qiang and the others on the first floor exploded, surrounding the sandbag that Wan Yunting had cracked from a distance, exclaiming with profanity…
Back in the office, Zhong Hongmei asked Wan Yunting to sit down and then inquired, “Mr. Wan, may I ask who your master is?”
Wan Yunting looked at Zhong Hongmei’s sharp phoenix eyes intensely fixed on him. He shook his head slightly and smiled, “Ms. Zhong, I can only say that my skills belong to the Taoist lineage, but it’s not convenient to reveal my master’s name.”
Zhong Hongmei immediately felt a bit of regret, as she had hoped to inquire about Wan Yunting’s master and see if she could pay a visit to learn from them.
“Also, my master has already passed away, so that’s all I can say,” Wan Yunting added.
“I’m sorry.”
Upon hearing that his master had passed away, Zhong Hongmei felt even more regret.
“Alright, Ms. Zhong, let’s get back to the main topic.”
Wan Yunting looked at her, not wanting to waste any more time. He said, “You lost the bet, so you have to agree to be my bodyguard for a month. I’ll also hire your six senior bodyguards. Tell me your monthly fees.”
Regarding the bet just made, Zhong Hongmei conceded her defeat wholeheartedly and nodded, saying, “Since I lost the bet, I can protect you for free for a month. As for Shi Qiang and the other six, they are senior bodyguards, and their monthly salary is fifty thousand!”
Wan Yunting nodded with a smile, “Fifty thousand, that’s reasonable.”
The strength of Shi Qiang and the others was at the late stage of the Wudao Anjin (暗劲) realm. Even ten ordinary people couldn’t get close to them, and they were sufficient to deal with ordinary assassins.
This was unless Fang Tai and Chen Guangyang sent out experts at or above the Huajin stage to kill him, or to deal with his family.
The reason he made this bet with Zhong Hongmei was to have her, a late-stage Huajin expert, protect Fang Yanxi.
Wan Yunting was leaving for Kunlun Mountain the day after tomorrow. The fifteenth was the grand ceremony for ancestor worship at the Wuliang Daoist Temple, and he might have to stay there for ten days to half a month.
“Ms. Zhong, I plan to cooperate with you long-term. For your services this month, I will still pay you at market rates. I can’t have you be my bodyguard for free, especially since your company has just been established,” Wan Yunting said, crossing his legs and smiling at Zhong Hongmei.
Hearing him say this, Zhong Hongmei didn’t refuse. Her company had indeed just been established with not much business, and she knew that the person before her was no ordinary individual.
After all, ordinary people wouldn’t hire bodyguards.
“Please wait a moment, I’ll go draft the contract now.”
Zhong Hongmei asked him to sit on the sofa for a while, then got up to draft the contract with her secretary. After waiting for half an hour, Wan Yunting signed the contract with her and prepaid the fee for one month.
“Then, Ms. Zhong, starting from you, please report to my place. I’ll make arrangements then,” Wan Yunting said as he stood up, smiling at Zhong Hongmei, “I hope our cooperation is pleasant.”
“Alright, I’ll see you out…”
Zhong Hongmei’s expression softened considerably. She personally escorted Wan Yunting downstairs and watched him drive away…
“Sister Hongmei, we made a miscalculation. This Wan Yunting is a big celebrity in Hua Du City.”
In the training grounds, Shi Qiang and Xiao Zhao were looking at Douyin videos on their phones, which contained many videos introducing Wan Yunting’s information…
“Hua Du City’s people’s anti-drug hero, Vice Chairman of the Lingnan Traditional Chinese Medicine Association, attending physician in the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine at Southern Hospital, TCM teacher at Xingyao Elementary School, philanthropist, and someone who served seven years in prison…”
Sitting in her office chair, Zhong Hongmei watched the video specifically introducing Wan Yunting’s information on her phone. She hadn’t expected him to be a person with so many identities.
At that moment, her phone rang. It was Pang Yuan calling. Zhong Hongmei answered, her face cold, and said angrily, “Old Pang, why didn’t you clarify Wan Yunting’s identity before?”
Pang Yuan, in his police office, had just called Wan Yunting and already knew about the bet between Wan Yunting and Zhong Hongmei. Pang Yuan gave a wry smile and said, “Hongmei, I didn’t expect you guys to get into a fight…”
“Humph, you owe me a meal.”
Zhong Hongmei snorted angrily and hung up his phone. She then continued watching Douyin, gathering all of Wan Yunting’s information…
At this moment, Wan Yunting was driving his car. His phone, placed beside him, rang. He picked it up and saw it was Fang Yanxi calling, “Where are you?”
“I just came out of Red Rose Bodyguard Company. I’ll come to find you, let’s have dinner tonight,” Wan Yunting said with a smile.
“No need, just come directly to my house. My parents and grandfather are here,” Fang Yanxi said.
“Alright, I’ll be there now. I haven’t seen your grandfather in a while either,” Wan Yunting said with a smile.
“Mhm, I’ll head back after work. That’s all for now.”
After hanging up the phone, Wan Yunting made a U-turn and drove towards the villa complex where Fang Yanxi lived…
It was already half-past five in the afternoon when he arrived at Fang Yanxi’s doorstep.
“Madam, Mr. Wan is here.”
The nanny opened the door and welcomed Wan Yunting in, calling out to the house.
“Xiao Wan is here…”
Immediately, Du Xiumei came out. She was still wearing an apron, clearly preparing dinner in the kitchen. Seeing Wan Yunting, she enthusiastically pulled him along and said with a smile, “Xiao Wan, how’s your injury? Yanxi told me you were discharged the day before yesterday. Why didn’t you rest more in the hospital?”
“Auntie, my injury is almost healed, so I don’t need to rest,” Wan Yunting said with a smile.
“Xiao Wan is here…”
At this moment, Fang Guowen and the elder, Fang Shoushan, also personally came out from the tea room. Wan Yunting went up and said with a smile, “Uncle Fang, Elder, you’re getting stronger and healthier.”
“Yes.”
Fang Shoushan, with a ruddy complexion, happily grabbed Wan Yunting’s arm and said with a smile, “I even participated in the senior marathon a while ago.”
“Really? It shows, Elder, you’ve become much younger,” Wan Yunting said as he walked towards the tea room with them.
“Haha, I still need to practice more.”
Fang Shoushan smiled and entered the tea room, “Xiao Wan, please sit. Guowen, go and brew another pot of good tea…”
“Okay.”
Fang Guowen smiled and asked Wan Yunting to accompany the elder first, while he went to his study to get a cherished Pu’er tea to brew…
“Xiao Wan, is your injury okay? Why didn’t you rest more in the hospital?” Fang Shoushan asked him with concern.
“My injury is not serious. Look, I’m full of life,” Wan Yunting said, spreading his hands and smiling.
“It’s good that you’re fine.”
Fang Shoushan and Fang Guowen were relieved to see he was alright, but they also inquired about the group who had kidnapped Fang Yanxi earlier.
Wan Yunting didn’t hide anything. He briefly explained the cause and course of events to them, sighing, “It’s my fault for implicating Yanxi. I must apologize to Uncle Fang and you, Elder.”
“Ah, don’t say that.”
Fang Shoushan waved his hand, and Fang Guowen nodded, saying, “Xiao Wan, you don’t need to blame yourself. It’s not your fault at all. We hope the police can quickly catch those criminal drug traffickers.”
“Yes, we are actively investigating the mastermind behind this. I will cooperate with the police to eradicate them completely then,” Wan Yunting nodded.
“Then you must be careful too,” Fang Shoushan patted his thigh, saying with concern.
“Don’t worry, Elder.”
Wan Yunting could feel the familial concern from Fang Shoushan and said with a smile, “I went to the bodyguard company today and hired some bodyguards. I will protect Yanxi and all of you well.”
“Yes, that’s very thoughtful.”
Fang Shoushan and Fang Guowen nodded, also knowing that the senior sister and junior brother, Xu Lingwei and Li Zihang, who were currently accompanying their daughter were also hired by Wan Yunting to protect her safety.
“Miss Fang is back…”
The nanny’s voice was heard from outside. Fang Yanxi had returned from work, bringing the senior sister and junior brother, Xu Lingwei and Li Zihang, with her…