Xiao Manxuan held the reins in her hand, skillfully directing the white horse, taking winding paths and numerous forks within the Xiao Mansion. It seemed as though she and the horse had a telepathic understanding; a slight tug on the reins and the horse would move in tune with her thoughts.
She looked back several times and saw no sign of Lin Tian, convinced that he had surely lost by now. Passing through rockeries and ponds, Xiao Manxuan could see the mansion's gate, but a familiar figure was standing in front of it—it was none other than Lin Tian.
Although he had promised Elder Han, Lin Tian still wanted to teach Xiao Manxuan a lesson. The little girl had been spoiled since childhood, developing a willful temper. Without taking the edge off her spirit, his days as her bodyguard would be tough.
"Lin Tian, you did that on purpose, didn't you? You're so fast, yet you still compete with me, just to see me make a fool of myself and piss me off!" Xiao Manxuan yelled indignantly, the little girl clearly agitated, and she didn't slow the galloping horse, charging directly at Lin Tian.
Damn, playing cavalry charge, huh? Since you like playing so much, let's play big. Lin Tian stepped forward and suddenly released a zombie aura, pressing down on the white horse, which startled and abruptly stopped in its tracks.
"Ah!"
Thrown forward by inertia, Xiao Manxuan flew out of the saddle, her pretty face full of shock. Lin Tian strode forward a few steps, casually caught her in his arms, and skillfully stepped back several paces to absorb the force of the impact, preventing her from getting hurt. A faint fragrance entered Lin Tian's nose; he sniffed, recognizing the scent was neither perfume nor shower gel, but rather fresh and clean.
Once the little girl snapped back to reality, she realized she had fallen into the hands of a thief.
"You—let me go," Xiao Manxuan immediately started struggling and shouted angrily.
"Do you stand by the condition you promised? If you agree, I'll let you down," Lin Tian took the opportunity to make her confirm her words.
"I agree, I agree. Everything as Grandpa Han arranges, alright?!" Xiao Manxuan found she couldn't break free, her eyes darting before she suddenly spoke up.
Only then did Lin Tian set her down on the ground. As soon as Xiao Manxuan touched the ground, she ran off and didn't look back until she was far away, then threw back a sentence.
"Lin Tian, you're a big bully, picking on me. When you become my bodyguard, I won't let you off," she declared.
What a threat, Lin Tian thought, amused, shaking his head. From little thief to bad guy and now upgraded to big bad guy, she really was just a naive young girl.
Bored, Lin Tian waited for a while until Elder Han finally strolled over, and Lin Tian informed him everything was settled.
"Heh, Xiao Tian, you did the right thing. Second Miss has needed to face some setbacks for a while now. I'll handle things from here. Go and get ready. You'll move into the Xiao Family's residence tomorrow." Elder Han had other matters to attend to and arranged for a driver to take Lin Tian back.
As for moving into the Xiao Family, Lin Tian was mentally prepared, given his role as a personal bodyguard. As they passed the city hospital, he asked the driver to go back first while he visited an injured colleague. When he came out, it was already late.
"Almost forgot, I still have a job at a bar. It's not too far, anyway, let's go resign." Lin Tian realized the hospital wasn't far from the bar where he had been working.
It was just the beginning of the night when Lin Tian entered the bar, he noticed only one person was sitting in the entire hall—an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl dressed in a purple gown. Her features were obscured by her cascading hair, making it difficult to see her face clearly. It was odd that she had come to the bar but ordered a juice, an eccentric preference.
With no one in the hall, Lin Tian had to go to the manager's office on the second floor to find the bar manager. He hadn't reached the door when he heard the manager's voice from inside. Although the sound was faint, Lin Tian's keen hearing didn't miss a thing.
"Qiangzi, keep it low-key, blatantly peddling goods on my turf; this is a respectable bar."
"Hey, Manager Qian, are you kidding me? You, respectable? Who would believe that? You just want a piece of my recent earnings, don't you? It's a simple request, no problem—we can all make money together."
"Ha, Qiangzi is straightforward, but I still need to remind you, the woman from last time is still lying in the hospital. It would be wise to be careful."
Manager Qian actually condoned others selling goods under the table. Last time, Lin Tian inadvertently saw them carrying someone out foaming at the mouth; he thought it was just an overly drunk patron, not someone who overdosed on that stuff.
Compared to the petty thieves who steal and rob, these people were much worse. Lin Tian did not consider himself a saint, but poisoning his fellow countrymen had crossed a line of basic humanity.
With a "click," Lin Tian effortlessly broke the lock on the office door and walked in.
"Who's there?" The two people inside were quite startled; the door was clearly locked, so how could anyone get in—especially when they were discussing things that couldn't bear the light of the day?
"You're... Lin Tian, what are you doing here? Did you hear anything just now?" Manager Qian's face was stern as he loudly scolded Lin Tian.
"Of course, and I heard it very clearly." Lin Tian's words made both men narrow their eyes, revealing a snake-like glare.
The one called Qiangzi glanced sidelong at Lin Tian and said somberly to Manager Qian, "What's the deal with your guy here? If he leaks what we're doing, we're done for. You better handle this."
"Oh, there's more that I don't know about? Well, I've already sentenced you to death." As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Tian was in front of them in a flash, grabbing their necks with one hand each. The two men emitted "hehe" sounds, their eyes filled with disbelief.
As Lin Tian's hands gripped their necks, the pulsing of the carotid arteries suddenly triggered the bloodlust he had suppressed the day before. He realized he hadn't eaten in a day, and the hunger surged like ocean waves.
"Hehe, you both deserve to die!" Lin Tian suddenly revealed his zombie fangs and, before the terrified eyes of the two men, he bit into Qiangzi's neck. Qiangzi's eyes bulged and his legs kicked a few times before he went still.
Fresh blood flowed into Lin Tian, and a strange energy was absorbed by his body, making him feel even stronger. Tossing Qiangzi aside and turning to the fainted Manager Qian, Lin Tian bit into his artery and quickly drained his blood.
After consuming the blood of two men, Lin Tian's hunger miraculously disappeared, and the strange energy seemed to have a similar yet different effect to the moonlight.
"Zombie, so you're here. There was a strong zombie aura in Victory Park last night; it appeared suddenly and then vanished, making it impossible for me to find you. Hmph, today you've met your match."
A surprised voice came from the entrance, and as Lin Tian turned around, he saw a girl in her late teens standing at the door. Her face was covered with a purple veil, revealing only her bright, sparkling eyes; she wore a purple short skirt, and her long legs were fair and straight. She held a purple whip in her hand, completely unfazed by Lin Tian's zombie fangs.
"Aren't you afraid of me?" Lin Tian dropped Manager Qian's body, puzzled, as Manager Qian had been scared into fainting just moments ago.
The purple-clothed girl seemed to hear something hilarious, she clasped her belly and burst into loud laughter, devoid of any ladylike image. After a while, she recovered, pointed at Lin Tian with her delicate hand, and said, "You're such a cute zombie. Me, a demon exorcism girl of the renowned Zhang family, afraid of you, a stinking zombie? That's laughable. Let's see how you handle my Demon-suppressing Whip!"