Chapter 72 The Big, Dark Bug

Jiang Lehui's hand, which was holding chopsticks, froze in mid-air, her eyes wide open, and her mind buzzing.

Xunxun? What kind of name is that!

He and Xie Xun have known each other since they were seven or eight years old. They've been through thick and thin together for over a decade, experiencing each other's most embarrassing and immature phases. Their friendship is so strong that they could share a pair of pants.

Even so, he would at most call out "Ah Xun," and calling Xie Xun by his full name was considered a serious gesture.

But the fact that this strange man so naturally called out such an intimate and affectionate name as "Xunxun" in such a matter-of-fact tone gave Jiang Lehui goosebumps all over!

What alarmed him even more was that Xie Xun didn't refute him! Clearly, he was used to calling him that.

Jiang Lehui's gaze shifted back and forth between the two. The more she looked at Fu Qinghuai's hand deliberately resting on Xie Xun's shoulder, the more ambiguous it seemed. Xie Xun accepted it naturally, just like they usually interacted like this.

This is so unusual!

Ah Xun knows his temper best. He has an extremely strong sense of boundaries. When will he tolerate a friend putting his arm around his shoulder like that and using such a mushy nickname?

In a flash, he remembered that Xie Xun had casually mentioned during his introduction that Fu Qinghuai was an ordinary person who knew magic.

And then there's the excessively intimate way they're behaving.

Jiang Lehui gasped sharply, instantly understanding.

Good heavens!

Ah Xun didn't go out to run errands; she clearly went on a romance! And she even found a boyfriend who knows magic along the way!

No wonder he was vague when I asked him on WeChat before, only saying that a friend helped him.

These are no ordinary friends.

This clearly means they're officially together!

Jiang Le's gaze fell once again on the ambiguous atmosphere between the two, her feelings were complicated, like a spilled spice bottle.

On the one hand, I felt a sense of relief that my friend had finally come to his senses, but on the other hand, I was overwhelmed by the amount of information.

"Um, Brother Fu..."

He cleared his throat, trying to make his expression look natural, and asked in a tentative tone, "Are you dating Ah Xun?"

Upon hearing this, Fu Qinghuai's lips curved into a pleased smile.

Instead of denying it, he pulled Xie Xun closer to him and frankly admitted, "Brother Jiang, you figured it out?"

Xie Xun frowned, his ears turning red. Just as he was about to speak, Fu Qinghuai's fingers on his shoulder twitched.

His body stiffened slightly, and he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue, only turning his head to glare fiercely at Fu Qinghuai.

Jiang Lehui saw this reaction as nothing short of tacit agreement!

It's just a little trick by the young couple!

"I've figured it out! I have to see it out!"

Jiang Lehui instantly became excited, slapping his thigh hard, "Great news! Ah Xun, you finally...!"

He hesitated for a long time before swallowing back the words "someone wants me," and then excitedly pulled out his phone.

"Then we definitely have to go on this cruise! Let's treat it as our honeymoon! I'll cover it all for you, buddy!"

Jiang Le replied, her fingers flying across the keyboard, "I'll transfer the tickets to you right now, a double room! You have to get it!"

Xie Xun looked at Jiang Lehui's "I know" expression and his temples twitched. "You know nothing!"

He gritted his teeth and whispered, "Jiang Lehui, it's not what you think..."

"I know, I know, we need to keep a low profile!"

Jiang Lehui looked like he understood everything, winked and lowered his voice, "Don't worry, I'm very strict! But you two are a good match, Brother Fu is definitely not an ordinary person!"

He happily transferred the ticket, feeling he had made a huge contribution to his friend's life-long happiness. Only then did he finish the last bite of his meal and get up, quite satisfied.

"Alright, Ah Xun, then I won't disturb your time together!"

Jiang Lehui grinned as she held the amulet, "See you on the ship! Bye-bye, Brother Fu~"

After Jiang Le left humming a little tune and the shop door closed, Xie Xun immediately shook off Fu Tinghan's hand, his face grim. "Did you do this on purpose?"

"Didn't you just tacitly accept him as your boyfriend? Why are you turning your back on me as soon as he leaves?"

Fu Qinghuai grinned mischievously, deliberately moving closer, his intimate breath spraying onto Xie Xun's sensitive skin. "Or... do you want me to tell Jiang Lehui that we already practiced dual cultivation that night in the Miao village..."

"Shut up!" Xie Xun's ears turned bright red, and she stepped on his foot.

Fu Qinghuai neither dodged nor flinched, but instead wrapped his arm around his waist and chuckled, "You stepped on me well. Every place my wife touched smells sweet. Are you throwing yourself into my arms?"

Just as Xie Xun was about to lash out, his phone rang. He forcefully broke free from Fu Qinghuai, took out his phone, and saw that it was a WeChat message from Jiang Lehui.

[Jiang Le replied: Oh right, Xun! I forgot to tell you, our company was acquired by Ren'an Group a day ago! This cruise trip was a special employee perk arranged by the new boss!]

Immediately following, there is one:

[Jiang Le replied: I heard the new boss will also be joining us, and he might even give us red envelopes! This is a huge win!]

Xie Xun stared at the screen, his eyes gradually turning cold.

Ren'an Group.

Isn't it just the Liu family?

It turns out that everything was already part of the Liu family's plan from the moment Jiang Lehui proposed the cruise trip.

At that moment, a text message arrived from an unknown number.

[Mr. Xie, the cruise ship is ready and awaits your arrival. We look forward to catching up in person; I hope you will not refuse. Sincerely, Liu Yongchang.]

Fu Qinghuai glanced at the text message, a hint of amusement flashing in his peach blossom eyes. "The arrangements are quite thoughtful, even saving the trouble of invitations."

Xie Xun put away his phone and looked out the window at the deep night.

No wonder Jiang Lehui's brow was furrowed with worry, and her colleagues around her were having a series of misfortunes. It turned out it wasn't an accident; the Liu family had already cleared the area.

They used Jiang Lehui's company to set up a scheme, using ordinary employees as pawns.

The Liu family has overstepped their bounds this time.

His eyes turned cold. Since the other party had made it clear that they wanted to play games, he would play along to the end.

He would then see if the Liu family truly wanted to negotiate with him, or if they would propose other conditions. Seeing that the other party didn't seem inclined to discuss things amicably, he had to be on guard.

"Eat quickly, and then pack your things."

Xie Xun had lost his appetite, so he put down his chopsticks and went into the inner room. He couldn't go to this trap empty-handed.

Fortunately, I bought the Soul-Locking Chain and the Seven-Star Sword at the Ghost Market beforehand, which are very handy to use. Fu Qinghuai is also very helpful, and Xiao Lü has been upgraded to the point that she can directly devour evil spirits.

However, there were very few talismans and yellow paper left, and the shop didn't have much stock either.

I need to go to the back street of the temple tomorrow to restock some goods, and also check if Old Zhang has any new cinnabar.

He opened the drawer to take stock of his belongings, mentally planning what he needed to buy.

We need to prepare some glutinous rice and some black dog blood. The Liu family is coming in strong this time, so we need to be prepared for several things.

Fu Qinghuai was leaning against the door frame at some point. "Do you need my help, Xunxun?"

"Just stay out of trouble." Xie Xun said without looking up. "Come out with me tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am."

Fu Qinghuai chuckled, unable to resist his glib tongue again, "Accompanying my wife shopping is my greatest pleasure."

Xie Xun: "..."

He really can't go a day without being speechless.

Xie Xun ignored the old ghost who was spouting nonsense and reached out to pull out the coiled little green dog from his collar.

This guy has recently swallowed a lot of evil spirits, and his snake scales are now shimmering with a faint bluish light, glossy and beautiful.

"Stay home and guard the house."

Xie Xun put it into the snake box, patted its head, and said, "Eat the mice in the next box when you're hungry, and don't cause any trouble."

Little Green flicked its tongue and reluctantly curled up into a ball.

Xie Xun picked up the cloth bag and walked out, while Fu Qinghuai followed slowly, his posture no different from that of a bully patrolling the streets.

Old Zhang's shop is at the very end of the alley. It's just past eight o'clock now, so the old man is definitely still awake.

Sure enough, from a great distance, one could hear the sounds of gunfire from anti-Japanese war dramas coming from inside the store.

Xie Xun pushed open the door and went in. Old Zhang, who was behind the counter, was engrossed in watching the show and kept slapping his thigh as he followed the plot, shouting, "Well done! Kill these little devils!"

"Uncle Zhang." Xie Xun knocked on the glass counter.

Old Zhang finally snapped out of his daze, pushed up his reading glasses, and said, "Oh, Little Xie's back? What do you want?"

"Vermilion, black dog blood."

As Xie Xun spoke, his gaze swept across the shelf, "Two more reams of yellow paper, please."

Old Zhang bent down to rummage through the items, then suddenly stopped and pulled a crumpled red cloth bag from under the counter.

"Perfect timing, I got some good stuff the other day."

He mysteriously opened the cloth bag, inside which were several dark red objects: "Cinnabar ground from the heartwood of a jujube tree struck by lightning, a rare find."

Xie Xun picked up a piece and examined it closely under the light. Its color was deep and dark, with faint thunder patterns.

It is indeed top-quality goods.

"I'll take them all." He simply took out his money. "The black dog blood has to be fresh."

"We've been preparing for this for a while!"

Old Zhang happily accepted the money, then turned around and took a glass bottle from the refrigerator. "I just took it out this morning; it's full of yang energy!"

Fu Qinghuai stood at the door, frowning in disgust; the smell made him very uncomfortable.

Old Zhang then noticed Fu Qinghuai by the door, squinted at him for a moment, and leaned closer to Xie Xun, lowering his voice, "Xiao Xie, your friend... seems a bit off."

Xie Xun accepted the item without changing his expression. "My cousin from afar has a special constitution."

"oh……"

Old Zhang was skeptical, then glanced at Fu Qinghuai's pale, almost lifeless face. "It is indeed quite unusual."

As he was leaving, Old Zhang suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, try to avoid going out at night lately. The streets aren't safe; people keep fainting for no reason, and when they wake up they say they saw a big, dark bug!"