Chapter 74: Not Many, Just About a Hundred

“Nan, why did you only just get back?”
Wang Ke had been waiting at the door for almost an hour.
When he suddenly saw Liu Piaopiao walking behind Gu Xiangnan, he was utterly stunned.
“Aren’t you... are you Liu Piaopiao?”
Wang Ke was so excited he stuttered a little.
Liu Piaopiao smiled and nodded politely.
Gu Xiangnan introduced them, “This is my friend, Wang Ke. This is my Fourth Senior Sister, Liu Piaopiao. That’s her agent, Sister Hong, and this is her assistant, Xiao Lin.”
Wang Ke rubbed his hands on his clothes a few times to make sure they weren’t sweaty before shaking Liu Piaopiao’s hand.
“I never thought Nan’s fourth senior sister would be a famous star. Nice to meet you all!”
Liu Piaopiao was so dazzlingly beautiful that Wang Ke didn’t even dare meet her gaze.
Once inside, Liu Piaopiao called Gu Xiangnan upstairs to her room.
Her almond-shaped eyes were bright with affection as she took Gu Xiangnan’s hand. “Junior brother, you’ve truly grown up, and you’re getting more handsome by the day.”
“A few days ago, our eldest master sought me out and specifically asked me to help you improve your cultivation.”
“Even if I weren’t here to help our eldest sister this time, I would have come to find you!”
Hearing how candid his fourth senior sister was, Gu Xiangnan felt a pang of disappointment in his heart.
“So, is she just here to complete a task?”
A blush crept across Liu Piaopiao’s lovely face.
“Of course your senior sister likes you... Don’t you remember? When we were children, I used to steal kisses from you all the time.”
“So... what about now, should we wait till evening?”
Gu Xiangnan’s heart skipped a beat and, almost without thinking, he blurted out the question.
“There are so many people downstairs; it’s not exactly convenient. Evening would be better.”
Suddenly Liu Piaopiao remembered that they were in their eldest senior sister’s house. Doing anything at home would be awkward.
She suggested, “Tonight I’ll book a hotel room. No outsiders to disturb us.”
Gu Xiangnan agreed.
He hadn’t slept all night, having been focused on alchemy, and was feeling rather tired.
He gave Wang Ke a quick explanation and asked him to help take care of their guests.
Then he went back to his room to catch up on sleep.
He didn’t know how long he’d slept when his phone suddenly rang. Groggily, he reached for it and saw it was an unfamiliar number with no name attached.
He hung up straight away.
But the phone rang again.
He hung up once more.
But the caller persisted and dialed a third time.
Annoyed, Gu Xiangnan picked up. “Hello? Who is this?”
“Is this Gu Xiangnan? I’m Boss Li from the gym.”
“The gym?” Gu Xiangnan’s fuzzy mind began to clear.
When he first arrived in Jiangning, he’d worked as a coach at a gym for a month.
“Oh, Boss Li! What’s up?”

Gu Xiangnan was a little confused.
He’d quit after finding his eldest senior sister, so it had been a while. What could this be about now?
“Gu, you’ve got a package delivered to the gym. Can you come by today to pick it up?”
Did he ever order anything online while he was there?
No.
He didn’t even have a bank card back then. How could he have shopped online?
“Boss Li, you must be mistaken. There’s no way it’s for me. Just throw it out.”
Gu Xiangnan was about to hang up.
Boss Li suddenly said,
“I saw the sender’s name—it’s some ‘Senior Sister’ or other. The package is labeled ‘Important Documents.’ If it’s not yours, I’ll just throw it away.”
“Wait—hold on. I’ll come take a look.”
Hearing that it was sent by a senior sister—though he didn’t know which one—made him hesitate.
What if it really was something important?
He decided to go in person.
Wang Ke drove him.
“Nan, when you have time, you should learn to drive. It’ll be more convenient for you in the future.”
Gu Xiangnan made a sound of agreement.
He couldn’t help but miss Wang Mei’s motorcycle.
Little Loli Taoyao sat beside Gu Xiangnan, asking curiously, “Master, are you going to buy candied hawthorn for Taoyao?”
Wang Ke, having finally gotten over his fear of her, asked,
“Aren’t you foxes supposed to like meat? Why do you want candied hawthorn?”
Taoyao rolled her eyes. “We don’t have candied hawthorn in Fusang.”
“Besides... I do love meat, especially human flesh!”
She tried her best to look scary, baring her little teeth and making clawing motions with her hands.
Wang Ke shrank back nervously.
“Pfft—”
Gu Xiangnan laughed. “Don’t listen to her tall tales. I’ve never seen her eat meat.”
Joking like this, they soon arrived at the gym.
Wang Ke went to find a parking spot.
An old lady was selling candied hawthorn by the roadside.
“Buy some! I want to eat it!”
Taoyao looked longingly at the treat, her eyes shining.
“No. It’s dirty.”
Gu Xiangnan dragged her away despite her protests.
He led Taoyao into the gym.
Boss Li was waiting near the entrance. “Gu, your package is in the office. Come with me to get it.”
Gu Xiangnan followed him inside, with Taoyao reluctantly trailing behind, her lips pursed in a pout.
As soon as they entered, Gu Xiangnan sensed something was off.

It wasn’t the weekend, nor was it after work hours.
At this time, there shouldn’t have been a rush, yet the gym was packed to the brim.
“Boss Li, business is good today.”
Gu Xiangnan glanced around; the place was full of burly men with bulging muscles.
They were clearly all fighters.
These people were not here for good intentions!
Boss Li gave a cold laugh. “They’re all here for you.”
“Oh? Are they all interested in my private coaching sessions?”
“They want to buy your life!” Boss Li shouted.
With a loud crash, the rolling shutter door slammed shut. There was no intention of letting him leave.
Gu Xiangnan frowned. “I have no quarrel with you. Why lure me here?”
“Gu Xiangnan, first you injured Park, the miracle doctor from Goryeo, and then you hurt the assassin they sent after you.”
Boss Li’s voice was full of resentment.
“And what does that have to do with you? Aren’t you a citizen of Huaguo?” Gu Xiangnan was still puzzled.
“All the gyms in Jiangning are owned by Goryeo people. Why do you think every gym teaches Taekwondo?”
“This is how Taekwondo infiltrates Huaguo, gradually replacing kung fu.”
Before he finished speaking, Gu Xiangnan moved forward and kicked Boss Li under the chin.
A sharp crack sounded.
Boss Li’s jawbone was shattered.
He collapsed to the ground with a thud, unable to stand from the pain.
“I detest traitors like you the most,” Gu Xiangnan said darkly.
Boss Li spat out a mouthful of blood, making muffled, garbled sounds as he gestured furiously.
He meant for everyone to attack together!
The men in the room doffed their jackets, revealing their martial arts uniforms underneath.
They closed in, surrounding Gu Xiangnan and Taoyao.
Suddenly, there was a banging sound at the shutter door, mixed with Wang Ke’s voice calling out.
“Nan, are you in there? Nan?”
Gu Xiangnan gathered his breath into his dantian and replied, “I’m inside. I’m fine. Don’t come in.”
His voice, powered by his inner energy, carried far.
Wang Ke heard him clearly.
Who was Nan, after all?
There wasn’t a single person in all of Jiangning who could best him.
“Nan, are there a lot of people in there? Should I call Brother Feng and get some guys over?”
“Not many—just about a hundred or so.”