Chapter 147 — The Long-Awaited...

Lan Ling had been out of touch for so long, and now she had suddenly sent someone to deliver something to him—how could Yang Ce not be stirred?

"It's right here." Zhang Zhishen carefully drew a small box from inside his coat and handed it to Yang Ce. "Miss Lan asked me to pass this on to you."

"Thank you." Yang Ce forced down his inner excitement and took the small box, wanting nothing more than to open it on the spot, but with outsiders present he had to hold back; he tucked it carefully into his coat as though afraid of damaging it.

"You're welcome." Zhang Zhishen gave a simple, honest laugh. "What a coincidence—I never thought I'd run into you like this, heh. But Mr. Yang, you really are something. That camera couldn't escape your eyes."

"I'm just a bit more careful than most." Yang Ce waved a hand. "Why are you suddenly calling me Mr. Yang? It sounds awkward."

"You're a friend of Miss Lan's, so of course I have to be respectful. And besides—" Zhang Zhishen broke off here, as if weighing his words. He hemmed and hawed for a good while before saying, "Mr. Yang, aren't you going to look at what Miss Lan sent you?"

"Oh, that. I'll look when I get back." Yang Ce was puzzled—I'm not even in a hurry, so what are you in such a hurry about? "I've got some other things to take care of today. I'll treat you to a meal another day."

Having said that, Yang Ce waited for Zhang Zhishen to say his goodbyes. The hint had been obvious enough. Yet Zhang Zhishen just stood there in front of him, unmoved, offering no word of farewell.

Yang Ce was a little exasperated—his send-off had been plain enough, so why was Zhang Zhishen still standing there like a stone? He had no choice but to say, "Well, let's leave it at that for now. I'll be going."

Seeing that Yang Ce meant to leave, Zhang Zhishen immediately looked troubled. After hesitating for ages, he said, "Mr. Yang, where are you headed? Let me come with you."

"You come with me?" Yang Ce was taken aback. "That won't be necessary, Brother Zhang. I know you mean well, but I really do have business to attend to and can't have you along. Can we have a meal together another day?"

"That's not it, Mr. Yang. How about this—could you just take a look at what Miss Lan sent you first? There's a letter from her inside as well," Zhang Zhishen said, stumbling over his words.

Yang Ce was baffled. My wife writes me a love letter—what business is it of yours when I read it? Why do you seem more anxious about it than I am? What on earth was going on with this Zhang Zhishen? Could there be some trick?

Seeing Yang Ce's strange expression, Zhang Zhishen had no choice but to say, "Mr. Yang, once you've read Miss Lan's letter, you'll understand. I'm the bodyguard she sent to protect you."

"What?" Yang Ce's jaw dropped, and he stared at Zhang Zhishen in disbelief. "You're saying Lan Ling found you to be my bodyguard?"

Zhang Zhishen nodded, his face wreathed in smiles. "That's right, Mr. Yang. I'm the bodyguard Miss Lan sent to keep you safe. My code name is 007."

"007?" Yang Ce nearly keeled over. "Good God—James Bond."

"Not James Bond," Zhang Zhishen said, shaking his head. "I'm a made-in-China 007."

A dozen black lines sprouted across Yang Ce's forehead. This Lan Ling—where on earth had she dug up such a character to be his bodyguard? Was this some kind of joke? He said, a little helplessly, "Tell me, Mr. 007, do I really look like I need your protection?"

Zhang Zhishen smiled wryly. "Mr. Yang, Miss Lan sent me. She told me to stick with you, so I have to stick with you. Please don't make this hard for me. Just read the letter she wrote you and you'll understand."

"She tells you to stick with me and you're this obedient?" Yang Ce said, exasperated. "Is she your mother or something?"

But no sooner had the words left his mouth than he regretted them. If she's your mother, doesn't that make me your father? If I had a son like you, I'd die of frustration. You're a piece of work, and your girlfriend's a piece of work too.

"Uh, you could put it that way." Hearing Yang Ce's words, Zhang Zhishen actually nodded solemnly, as though he thought it made perfect sense.

"What? What did you say?" Yang Ce's eyes went wide, and he nearly lost his footing and sat down hard on the ground.

"Miss Lan is actually—" Zhang Zhishen glanced at Jing Yu beside Yang Ce and did not go on.

"Xiaolu, go back to the car and wait for me a moment." There were some things Yang Ce did not keep from Jing Yu, but there were others he could not let her know—especially matters concerning Lan Ling, some of which touched on secrets like "placing gu." Yang Ce did not want more people to know about such things.

Jing Yu said nothing. Curious as she was, she knew that Yang Ce and Zhang Zhishen must have something private to discuss. Yang Ce had hidden very little from her—only now. So Jing Yu understood that this must be something Yang Ce could not tell her, and she would not be the tiresome sort to pry. She nodded and walked briskly toward the car Yang Ce had parked outside the police station.

Only when Jing Yu was far away did Zhang Zhishen say, "The truth is, I'm Miss Lan's seventh disciple. Miss Lan is my master—master, master. That is to say, a teacher is like a father. But since Miss Lan is a woman, you could say she's like my mother."

"Huh?" Yang Ce's shock today simply could not be surpassed. Lan Ling had disciples—and from the sound of it, quite a few. This fellow was ranked seventh, which meant Lan Ling had at least seven disciples. No wonder his code name was 007.

"You see, Mr. Yang, I can't disobey my master's orders. So please don't make this hard for me—just take me on," Zhang Zhishen said pitifully.

"Take you on." The moment Yang Ce heard those three words come out of Zhang Zhishen's mouth, a chill ran through him and gooseflesh covered his whole body. If he really let this fellow tag along beside him, there'd be no end of jokes every day.

"Look, I don't need your protection. How about this—let's have a fight. If you beat me, I'll agree to let you stay. If you lose, then you go back," Yang Ce said after thinking it over for ages and failing to find any other grounds for refusal.

"Mr. Yang, there's no way I'd be a match for you," Zhang Zhishen said with a wry smile and a shake of his head.

"Then how are you supposed to protect me?" Yang Ce looked at Zhang Zhishen, baffled.

"What I'm good at is placing gu." Zhang Zhishen's earlier playful expression vanished, and his face turned serious at once. "Master said someone here might mean you harm, and that the other side is skilled in gu. She was afraid you'd be in danger, so she sent me and my girlfriend to protect you. Master said that although your body can resist most gu insects, there are some formidable ones you still can't withstand."

Placing gu. Yang Ce suddenly understood—so that was it. Thinking of the man Shu Ying had sent earlier to place gu on him, Yang Ce felt a chill of fear. Indeed—when it came to fighting skill, ordinary people were no match for him, and even if he met his better, he could more than hold his own in defense. Only this art of gu was something he did not understand and had no ordinary means of countering.

At this thought, Yang Ce understood Lan Ling's good intentions. That girl, a thousand li away, never for a moment forgot his safety. What surprised him, though, was how rapidly little Lingling had progressed in just over four months—she was already a master with disciples of her own.

"Your girlfriend is Lan Ling's disciple too?" Yang Ce glanced at Zhang Zhishen's girlfriend and asked.

"Yes." Zhang Zhishen nodded and explained, "Since you're one of us, Mr. Yang, I won't hide anything. Xiao Qi isn't actually the kind of wanton woman you might imagine. In that video you saw, it was because someone had placed gu on her. Anyone struck by this particular gu, when it flares up, will strip off their clothes and do all sorts of bizarre things."

To be continued.