Along the wide avenue, Wu Fangming and his two companions quickly approached the City of Spades.
From a distance, the architectural style of the Spade City stands in stark contrast to the other three suit cities.
Built against the mountain, it mainly adopts the classical Chinese style, showcasing a unique charm.
On the surrounding flat land, single-story courtyards are scattered in a well-organized manner, each residence exuding the solemnity and elegance of a government office or official residence. On the mountain, however, are clusters of small houses built against the slope, offering a unique charm.
A small river cascades down from the mountaintop, like a silver ribbon running through the heart of the city.
Small bridges span the flowing water, with a small bridge every five steps and a large bridge every ten steps, creating a beautiful picture.
Deep within the city, at the highest point of the mountain, stands an ancient pagoda, its towering height seemingly reaching the heavens, evoking a sense of seclusion and detachment from the world. At the very top of the pagoda rests a wooden plaque shaped like a spade.
Like a deity, it silently guards this city, witnessing the joys and sorrows of Paradise Island.
It's hard to imagine that a city built on bloodshed could have such an ethereal feel.
Chuanliu did not intend to stay in Spade City for long. She, Zhuiming, and Wu Fangming found a low-key restaurant along the river and sat down to rest for a while.
"Boss, three bowls of vegetarian noodles, please," Wu Fangming said loudly.
"They're here, they're here."
A thin man came out; he looked like the shop owner.
He held a notebook in his hand and nodded as he wrote down their requests.
However, as he watched the stranger's departing figure, Chuanliu frowned slightly.
She glanced discreetly at Wu Fangming and Zhuiming, noticing that their gazes were also fixed on the "shopkeeper."
She whispered to the two of them:
"There's something wrong with this person."
Wu Fangming frowned and replied:
"You think so too?"
Chuanliu nodded, his voice lowering slightly. "There weren't many customers in the shop, and we only ordered simple vegetarian noodles. There was no need for him to take notes. This action seems more like a deliberate act, to cover up that he's not an employee of this shop."
Zhuiming tilted his head slightly, observing the man's details. "Although he is thin, his clothes look somewhat bulky. He is probably hiding some weapon in his clothes."
Wu Fangming added, "That's right. I noticed that he walked with a steady gait, his breathing was even, and the muscles in his exposed arms were clearly visible. Moreover, although his movements seemed ordinary, his lower body was stable, and he turned very nimbly. He must be a trained fighter."
Chuanliu leaned back in his chair, seemingly nonchalant, but he was silently observing everything around him out of the corner of his eye.
The three did not leave immediately.
They remained still, knowing that any unnecessary actions would only alert the mysterious man before they could figure out his purpose.
A short while later, the man came over carrying three steaming bowls of noodles.
"The noodles for the three of you are here."
He forced a broad smile, his triangular eyes scanning back and forth between the three men, seemingly casually, yet all of them noticed him.
Chuanliu responded with a polite smile, but his eyes followed Chuanliu's movements closely until Chuanliu turned and walked back to the kitchen.
She gently stirred the noodles in the bowl with her chopsticks, a subtle, enigmatic smile playing on her lips.
"Do you think there's any poison in this noodle dish?"
Zhui Ming smiled knowingly, "Why don't you try and see?"
About fifteen minutes later, when the fake shopkeeper came out of the kitchen again, the three of them were lying on the table, seemingly in a deep sleep.
He said hesitantly, "Didn't we administer muscle relaxant? How come they're asleep? Did it work? Green Hair, come out and take a look."
As soon as he finished speaking, the man called Green Hair ran out of the kitchen.
Green Hair shouted excitedly, "Second Brother, you're amazing! You took care of Wu Fangming and the others so easily!"
There was still a hint of uncertainty in "Second Brother's" tone, but looking at the three sleeping soundly, his original doubts vanished.
"Forget it, the black market people probably gave us the wrong medicine. I never thought they would be so easily fooled!"
As if remembering something, he continued with some annoyance, "I should have just poisoned him. If we had killed him, the boss might have promoted me, and I could have given you the 'Two of Spades' position."
Another person chuckled and immediately flattered, "Second Brother, you should think of it this way: if we capture Wu Fangming alive and hand him over to the boss, wouldn't that be an even greater achievement?"
"Second Brother" nodded, finding the idea reasonable. "You're the one with the best ideas. Call the brothers out and help us tie them up."
Immediately, the latter shouted, and about five or six people, wielding wooden sticks, rushed out of the kitchen in a menacing manner.
Green Hair moved closer and gently poked Wu Fangming's head with a stick. Seeing that he didn't react, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He said angrily, "Wu Fangming, you've finally met your match! Now that you're in my hands, I'll show you what I'm made of!"
As he spoke, he raised the wooden stick, as if to smash it hard against Wu Fangming's head.
However, "Second Brother" interrupted, saying, "Green Hair! Don't forget our plan is to capture the boss alive! Stop right there!"
Upon hearing this, Green Hair, though somewhat unwilling, still kicked Wu Fangming hard before retreating to the side in a huff.
He saw the unconscious woman beside him, licked his lips, and asked, "Second Brother, who is this woman?"
"Second Brother" glanced at Chuanliu indifferently, "She must be Wu Fangming's woman."
Green Hair grinned lewdly, his hands rubbing together like flies. "Then, could you... give it to my little brother?"
"Second Brother" knew that Green Hair was a lustful wretch, and he sneered, "This woman should also be handed over to the Boss for disposal."
Green Hair curled his eyebrows, his hands hovering above the flowing water, wanting to move but not daring to.
He swallowed hard, about to make contact, when "Second Brother" sternly stopped him, "Didn't you hear what I just said?"
Green Hair trembled with fright, and said in a dry voice, "I, I just wanted to see what she looked like."
Seeing that "Second Brother" didn't say anything more, Green Hair chuckled and helped the unconscious girl up from the table.
The moment he saw the woman's face, Green Hair suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Eh!"
"This, this..."
"Second Brother" was also taken aback when he saw the woman's face, but when he saw Green Hair's jaw drop in surprise, he impatiently scolded him:
"It's just a woman, don't act like you've never seen anything like this before. Why are you so surprised?"
Green Hair snapped out of his daze and pointed at the stream, explaining:
"No, no, second brother, I know this woman."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
