Chapter 62: The Return of the National Treasure

Immediately after, Yun Ketian was subjected to a vicious beating and interrogated about Lu Ming’s whereabouts. Having been thoroughly pummeled, Yun Ketian quickly confessed the truth, saying that Lu Ming had gone out on business but he didn’t know where. Despite several rounds of harsh questioning, the woman realized Yun Ketian was telling the truth and let him go.

Afterward, the woman glanced around the general store, frowned at its furnishings, and ordered Yun Ketian to lead the way to the furniture market, where she purchased a sofa set. Sporting two black eyes, Yun Ketian paraded through the streets, moving furniture and fetching meals. During this time, he considered escaping, but the moment he tried, he was caught and beaten again, his phone confiscated. From that moment on, Yun Ketian gave up any thought of running and simply waited for Lu Ming to return.

Now, at long last, seeing Lu Ming come back, Yun Ketian sat on the edge of the sofa, looking as wronged as a bride bullied by her in-laws. Even now, he couldn’t figure out the relationship between the two and dared not speak rashly to Lu Ming. If he said the wrong thing and provoked that crazed woman into another beating, and Lu Ming refused to intervene, he would truly suffer unjustly.

In the end, Lu Ming seemed helpless against the woman as well. He drooped his head and sat beside Yun Ketian, glancing at his still-swollen eyes and bursting into hearty laughter.

“What’s so funny?” Yun Ketian snapped irritably.

Lu Ming suppressed his laughter and said, “Why did she beat you? Tell me, and I’ll get revenge for you.”

Yun Ketian asked worriedly, “But can you beat her?”

Lu Ming glared, “Beating her is child’s play, don’t worry.”

Only then did Yun Ketian recount how he had pretended to be Lu Ming.

Upon hearing the story, Lu Ming laughed again, then patted Yun Ketian’s shoulder and said, “My charm isn’t something you can simply imitate. By the way, that woman’s a lunatic, a gambling addict—don’t mess with her.”

Lu Ming then looked at the woman still sprawled on the sofa and shouted irritably, “Qin Lan, what exactly do you want?”

Only then did Yun Ketian learn that this violent woman was named Qin Lan.

Qin Lan replied, “I already told you—I’m out of money, so I came to ask you for some.”

“All my money’s already gone to you people. What do I have left?” Lu Ming retorted.

“That’s not my problem. Otherwise, you’ll just have to keep me.”

“I’m not your father—why should I?” Lu Ming shot up, indignant.

“Because I’ve risked life and limb with you, so you have to take care of me,” Qin Lan replied lazily.

Lu Ming instantly wilted, slumping back onto the sofa, gazing at Qin Lan with a headache.

This Qin Lan had once been one of his most capable subordinates, captain of the sniper squad, a martial artist who had already reached the inner school stage, and a decorated veteran on the battlefield. Highly competent and beautiful to boot, Qin Lan was immensely popular among Lu Ming’s mercenary group, with no shortage of admirers. However, her temper was notoriously explosive—anyone who tried to court her ended up with a bruised face. Over time, no one dared flirt with her. She earned the nickname “Flame Rose,” meaning her temper could ignite at the slightest spark.

On top of that, she had a fatal vice—gambling. Whenever the mercenary team had no mission, Qin Lan would request leave to fly to the casinos, never returning until she’d lost every penny. After years as a mercenary, she hadn’t saved a cent and even ended up owing Lu Ming a large debt. When Lu Ming finally disbanded the team, he wrote off her debts and gave her several million as severance. Yet, within less than a year, she’d squandered every bit of it.

“Look, you can’t just freeload here forever. I’m broke myself these days,” Lu Ming said, switching to a gentler approach since his firmness had failed.

At that moment, Qin Lan stubbed out her cigarette, sat up, and spoke. “Boss, I had no choice. The money you gave me—I went to the casinos for a month and lost it all. After coming back, I held out for a few months but couldn’t resist going to Macau for another round. I lost all the borrowed money and ended up deep in debt to loan sharks. I had no choice but to run. Luckily, I remembered you lived here and came to hide for a while.”

“Don’t expect me to pay off your gambling debts,” Lu Ming snapped.

“That’s not what I meant, boss. I just needed a place to stay. I’ll figure out the money myself,” Qin Lan said sheepishly, looking at Lu Ming.

In truth, it wasn’t just the loan sharks that drove Qin Lan to seek out Lu Ming. After the team disbanded, bored and restless, she had gone to the casinos in America and lost everything before returning home. After a few idle months in the country, she was at a loss for what to do—other than being a mercenary, she couldn’t think of anything she was suited for.

In fact, after Qianlong disbanded, many other mercenary groups tried to recruit her, some offering even higher pay. But she had no interest and just wandered aimlessly every day. A few months later, bored out of her mind, she borrowed some money from friends and went to Macau. With her luck, she lost everything again and owed a local loan shark a large sum. Unable to repay, she was forced by the loan shark to “work off” her debt. Enraged, Qin Lan fought her way out, injuring the boss and his men before fleeing.

Fortunately, she remembered from past conversations with Lu Ming that his hometown was Xijing, so she came to seek him out. In Xijing, with her understanding of Lu Ming, a few inquiries revealed his whereabouts, and that’s when she ran into Yun Ketian.

At the time, Yun Ketian’s attempt to impersonate Lu Ming nearly made Qin Lan burst out laughing. She held back her amusement, pretended to be one of Lu Ming’s enemies, and gave Yun Ketian a thorough beating to amuse herself.

Poor Yun Ketian, just trying to show off in front of a beautiful woman, had no idea she was a true female tyrant and ended up reaping what he’d sown.

As Lu Ming watched Qin Lan put on her pitiful act, he shook his head. Qin Lan’s gambling addiction was truly a problem—no amount of money would ever be enough. Even if he gave her millions, the outcome would be the same—she’d lose it all.

After thinking for a while, Lu Ming said with a headache, “Qin Lan, you can’t keep gambling. Why not find a proper job?”

Qin Lan shrugged. “Boss, you know I can’t do anything except be a mercenary and kill people. You’re not suggesting I go wait tables, are you?”

This sent a shiver down Yun Ketian’s spine.

“I’ll think about it over the next couple of days and see if I can find you a suitable job. I need to keep an eye on you, or who knows what kind of trouble you’ll get into,” Lu Ming said with a sigh.

“I knew you were the best, boss!” Suddenly, Qin Lan changed her demeanor, rushed over, and planted a kiss on Lu Ming’s cheek.

Lu Ming pulled a face of disgust. “You’re a grown woman, still fooling around like this. How are you ever going to get married?”

Yun Ketian could only look on enviously, sighing at Lu Ming.

“The man who can marry me hasn’t been born yet,” Qin Lan said proudly.

“All right, enough chatter. It’s already noon—let’s get something to eat,” Lu Ming said after checking his phone and realizing it was already past twelve.

“Great! There’s always food with you around, boss,” Qin Lan replied with a smile.

At this, Yun Ketian, his face still miserable, said, “Lu, can’t we just order takeout? I really don’t want to go out.”

Lu Ming glanced at Yun Ketian’s black eyes and laughed heartily. “Fine. We’ll order takeout.”

Yun Ketian’s face lit up immediately. He really didn’t want to go out like this; he’d already decided not to set foot outside until his face returned to normal.

Lu Ming pulled out his phone, ordered several dishes and enough rice for ten people, and the three of them sat chatting while they waited.

More than half an hour later, the food arrived. The three of them devoured the meal ravenously.

Even Qin Lan, who knew Lu Ming well, was shocked at how much he ate. “Boss, when did you start eating so much?”

Lu Ming wiped his mouth and said, “Ah, ever since that last mission out there, I’ve been like this.”

“What was really on that island? Why were you so mysterious and wouldn’t let us go up?” Qin Lan asked curiously.

Lu Ming immediately put on a serious expression. “That’s a secret. Don’t ask.”

“Tch, fine, I won’t,” Qin Lan said, rolling her eyes.

Just then, someone knocked on the door. “Excuse me, is Mr. Lu here?”

Lu Ming replied, “That’s me. What is it?”

“Mr. John’s package has arrived for you.”

“That was quick. Bring it in,” Lu Ming said.

“Very well.”

The man turned and left. Shortly after, three others entered with him, making four in total. Each of the three newcomers carefully carried a special case, handcuffed to their wrists.

They set the cases on the coffee table and unlocked the handcuffs. The leader said, “Mr. Lu, please inspect the items. If everything is in order, please sign here.”

“No need.”

As he spoke, Lu Ming signed the man’s register.

The men took their leave.

Gazing at the cases on the table and recalling the serious demeanor of the deliverymen, Yun Ketian and Qin Lan asked in unison, “What is it?”

Lu Ming grinned with satisfaction. “This is a priceless treasure I fought tooth and nail for, battling enemies day and night and overcoming countless obstacles to obtain.”

“Yeah, right. Braggart,” Qin Lan scoffed.

Lu Ming shot her a look and opened one of the cases.

The moment it opened, Yun Ketian exclaimed, “The Zodiac animal heads from the Old Summer Palace?”

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