"W-What are you doing?" Ryan Ling was stunned. He never expected Cindy Nang to be so bold—she actually started stripping down to her bra just to enjoy the air conditioning.
"It's hot! I'm just cooling off. If you feel awkward about boys and girls together, then go sleep in my room instead!" Cindy giggled.
"What nonsense! You picked that room yourself. Now you're hot and want to live in mine? Dream on. I'm not falling for your tricks!" Ryan said, taking off his own sweaty shirt.
"You're really not a man! This is the only room in the house with AC—why does Sister Huifen let you have it?" Cindy argued, rushing over again.
"Do I need to explain myself to you?" Ryan snorted. "And you never said why you spent a fortune to rent that oven of a room, did you?"
"You're pretty sharp. Of course I have my reasons for not telling you—it's for your own good. You clearly have some skills, so it's a waste to hole up here. Why not work for me instead?" Cindy shot back.
"Work for you? I don't like taking orders from a woman!" Ryan thought this woman's background was anything but ordinary—someone like her coming to Sansha Island had to mean business.
"You—!" Cindy took a deep breath, nearly losing control of her sealed Earth-Tier Void Realm aura before forcefully suppressing it again. "Forget it! If you don't want to work for me, fine. Dog meat doesn't belong on the table anyway!"
"That's right, I'm dog meat and you're dragon meat. I'm about to take off my pants and go to sleep, so please leave immediately." Ryan made a shooing gesture and started undoing his belt.
"Fine, you win!" Cindy snapped, biting her lip and slamming the door as she stormed out.
Right after, a loud shout echoed from outside the door.
"It's so hot!"
Outside the door, the cool breeze from the AC was blowing. Ryan grinned—Cindy really was pretty clever, trying to chase him out by stripping. But his skin was thicker than a city wall; if she wanted him gone, she was dreaming.
Of course, if Cindy released even a trace of her Earth-Tier Void Realm aura, all the heat would vanish instantly.
But this woman didn't let out even a hint. Clearly, she was hiding her power on purpose—didn't want anyone to notice.
And for an Earth-Tier Void Realm to be this cautious, that 'someone' she was hiding from had to be a big deal.
......
Next morning, Cindy—half heat-stroked—headed out early. On her way, she saw Ryan still chilling and doing morning exercises, glared twice, then stomped off in a huff.
"Bro, what's up with Miss Nang? I heard you two arguing last night—you didn't do anything to her, did you?" Sister Huifen came out holding a few steamed buns.
"No worries, we were just chatting. She's just got a loud voice, that's all!" Ryan said, grabbing two buns without hesitation.
"You know, you're not getting any younger. Honestly, Sister Huifen kept Miss Nang around mostly for your sake, you know that?" Sister Huifen leaned in.
"For me? For what?" Ryan was confused.
"Look at you, so clueless. Still single, aren't you? With how you acted last night, you'll never get married. I'm worried for you! You should've just let her stay with you—would've been great!" Sister Huifen said anxiously.
"Sister, you—you saw everything?" Ryan was speechless. He just realized that even with his peak Foundation-Building powers, he hadn't noticed Sister Huifen secretly watching.
"Don't worry about that! Stop eating and go chase her! A beauty like Miss Nang showing up in this dump is a once-in-a-century miracle. Go get her, make her your wife—that's the real mission. Hurry up, and best if you can make her your woman tonight!" Sister Huifen urged, clearly more anxious than Ryan's own mom.
Ryan scratched his head, speechless. Sister Huifen meant well, but he hardly lacked women—his bus could almost be full already.
Down below, Xiaoru tugged Ryan's sleeve, giggling. "Big brother, be brave! I know you can do it. Don't worry about looking ugly, just be confident!"
"Pfft!" Ryan was speechless—this was the first time he'd ever gotten this kind of pep talk.
"Go on, hurry up!" Sister Huifen said, almost grabbing a broom to whack him on the butt.
Ryan didn't dare linger a second longer—he hurried out of the courtyard.
Thinking about it, Sister Huifen really was funny. But she had a point—even the Ghost Elder said Cindy Nang was no ordinary woman, and following her might actually pay off.
Cindy Nang was strong, and her disguise skills were nearly unbeatable. She'd sealed up all her aura, looking just like a regular person. But to Ryan, these tricks were child's play—his own concealment was on another level; nobody could spot him if he didn't want it.
After tailing Cindy for a bit, Ryan saw her meet up with the same group who'd followed him yesterday. Compared to Cindy, they were way worse off—hiding in the bushes all night, unable to use their Void Realm aura, so they were covered in mosquito bites and looked totally miserable.
"Good job, everyone. Hang in there a little longer—I'm sure those bastards will make a move in the next few days!" Cindy said, trying to comfort them.
"We're fine, Miss. How was your night? You look a little worn out!" one of the subordinates asked with concern.
"I'm fine, just some punk... Forget it, just gotta survive a few more days!" Cindy clearly meant Ryan, but stopped herself and changed the subject.
"Understood, Miss. Should we go scout again today?" another subordinate asked.
"Alright, I'll go with you. If anything seems off, we move immediately—no way we're letting them take the national treasure. Those damn Japs..." Cindy said 'Japs,' then seemed to regret it and swallowed the rest.
"Okay, everyone split up!" Cindy waved, and her team began discreetly surrounding a relatively fancy four-star hotel in Sansha City.
Ryan heard those words loud and clear. So Cindy had come to Sansha Island to deal with Japanese agents—just like the Ghost Elder said, she really did have righteous energy. Since she was on such an important mission, he figured he ought to help out too.
From reclaiming Shark-Fishing Island to wiping out the Mitsui clan, Ryan had always shown zero mercy to Japanese agents—none of them were any good. And hearing Cindy mention 'national treasure,' it was obvious they'd come to Sansha Island to smuggle one out. No way was he letting them succeed; not only would they fail, they'd lose their lives in Huaxia too.
Ryan clenched his fists, determination set.
But just as he steadied himself, another thought popped up. Since it was Japanese troublemakers causing chaos, Chiharu Mitsui's reaction when he first arrived on Sansha Island made sense.
She definitely wasn't scared of sensing the true dragon's aura like he'd thought—clearly, there was something else going on.
"Ryan, you're right. Chiharu Mitsui isn't afraid of the dragon aura—she's terrified of a top-tier Japanese master. Now that she's with you, she's a traitor, and the Japanese hate traitors most of all. That's why she's scared!" the Ghost Elder said inside him.
"You're right, that makes perfect sense!" Ryan nodded. The Ghost Elder's explanation was solid.
And this key intel probably hadn't reached Cindy's crew yet. Suddenly, Ryan sensed that Japanese powerhouse's presence—and even he felt a little intimidated. The enemy was nearly as strong as Philip Qin, and Ryan wasn't ready to face that level yet!
If Cindy and her team moved now, it'd be suicide!
The more Ryan thought about it, the worse it seemed. Seeing Cindy about to vanish into the crowd, he rushed after her—maybe Sister Huifen's matchmaking was getting to him, but suddenly Cindy felt super important.
But just as he caught up, one of Cindy's subordinates shouted, "Miss, those Japs are about to make a move! If we let them succeed, it'll be too late—let's strike first!"