Guo Dalu was momentarily stunned. “A Bodhisattva? Where did a Bodhisattva come from?”

  Then he suddenly recalled the cy statue from the temple st night.

  Yan Qi chuckled. “I meant a female Bodhisattva, one who specializes in saving men.”

  Only then did Guo Dalu breathe a sigh of relief. A guilty conscience always makes a thief more nervous.

  Yan Qi asked, “So what delicious food did this ‘Bodhisattva’ make for you this morning?”

  Guo Dalu swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said indifferently, “Nothing special, just some bird’s nest soup, chicken broth, noodles, buns, ham, and eggs.”

  He was practically listing everything he craved, as if saying it out loud could at least satisfy his appetite a little.

  Unfortunately, he couldn't continue—because if he did, his mouth would start watering uncontrolbly.

  Yan Qi sighed. “Not only are you lucky with women, but you′re also blessed with good food. Meanwhile, I′m starving to death—I have to find a pce to eat.”

  Before he could even finish his sentence, Guo Dalu had already cut in, “Where are we eating? I′ll go with you.”

  Yan Qi replied, “No need. Since you're already full, how could I trouble you to come along?”

  Guo Dalu grew anxious and nearly blurted out the truth. Luckily, at that moment, the door of Kuiyuan restaurant creaked open slightly. A man stuck his head out, his eyes half-closed as if he had never fully woken up in his life. With a zy expression, he gnced at them sideways and said ftly, “Our humble shop has food—why go far when you have something close by?”

  Yan Qi and Guo Dalu both burst into ughter.

  “Wang Dong!”

  Guo Dalu ughed and said, “You really come and go like a ghost. When did you get here? And when did you become a waiter at Kuiyuan restaurant?”

  Wang Dong said, “It’s a rare occasion to have Young Master Guo treat us to a meal. If I overslept and missed the chance, wouldn't that be a terrible waste? So I figured, why not come the night before and sleep here? That way, I wouldn′t even have to walk.”

  Yan Qi ughed. “Brilliant idea! Brother Wang, you always pn things fwlessly. The owner must be deeply moved to have such a sincere guest.”

  Guo Dalu, full of unspoken grievances, could only force out a dry ugh. “I′m truly moved—so damn moved.”

  Wang Dong said, “It’s not time for you to be moved yet. Just wait until we start eating—then you′ll really be moved.”

  Yan Qi added, “That’s right, we’ll make sure you’re so moved you’ll be crying your eyes out.”

  Kuiyuan restaurant was quite spacious, with two floors. The ground floor alone had seventeen or eighteen tables.

  At night, the tables were pushed together, and the shop's staff would y out their bedding on top to sleep.

  There were a total of seven staff members in the tavern, all of whom were now groggily waking up, rubbing their sleepy eyes as they greeted Wang Dong with warmth and enthusiasm.

  "Has the person Brother Wang was waiting for arrived?"

  "Hurry up and welcome Brother Wang's guest!"

  Guo Dalu's eyes widened. He really wanted to ask—since when did Wang Dong become these people's 'big brother' too?

  He suddenly realized that Wang Dong was not only unpredictable in his actions but also had a remarkable way of making friends. No matter what, he himself could never befriend the workers at a restaurant like this.

  Yan Qi couldn't hold back and asked, "Have you been to this pce often?"

  Wang Dong replied, "This is my first time."

  Yan Qi was equally stunned, and his admiration grew. Winning over the restaurant staff this quickly in just one night was no small feat.

  Wang Dong said, "Tell me what you want to eat, and I'll have them start cooking right away."

  Yan Qi said, "Give me a bowl of chicken noodle soup, drop in three eggs, fry two pork chops, and bring me some fish and meat as well."

  Wang Dong nodded, "I'll have the same. What about you, Young Master Guo?"

  Guo Dalu swallowed hard and said, "I..."

  Before he could finish, Yan Qi cut in, "He doesn't need anything. He's already eaten so much he's about to burst."

  Guo Dalu was furious, both anxious and annoyed, his teeth itching with resentment.

  His hands itched too—he wished he could shove his fist right into that talkative mouth.

  Yan Qi's eyes darted around mischievously as if he were secretly ughing. Then he suddenly asked, "What about Lin Taiping? Is he here?"

  Wang Dong replied, "Yeah, he is. He's upstairs, still fast asleep."

  Yan Qi chuckled, "Didn't expect him to be such an expert at sleeping."

  But upstairs, there wasn't a soul in sight—not even a shadow.

  In the corner of the room, several tables had been pushed together, with bnkets spread over them. But the bedding was empty.

  Yan Qi asked, "Where is he?"

  Wang Dong was also stunned. “When I came downstairs just now, he was still sleeping here. How did he suddenly disappear?”

  Yan Qi asked, “You didn’t see him go downstairs?”

  Wang Dong shook his head, his eyes fixed on a window.

  Yan Qi chuckled. “Looks like he′s got some tricks up his sleeve too. He didn’t even have to pay the bill, so why sneak away?”

  Following Wang Dong's gaze, he also looked toward the window.

  There were eight windows in total on the upper floor, but only this one was open.

  Yan Qi asked, “Was this window open just now?”

  Wang Dong replied, “No. I don′t like sleeping with the window open—I′m afraid of catching a cold.” He quietly walked toward the window.

  Below was the back entrance of Kuiyuan Restaurant, which faced a small river. A narrow, rickety bridge stretched across it.