Chapter 367: The Little Flower Girl

At 3:00 PM, Chen Erbao got up right on time. He washed up, ran to Bai Xiaoqing's door, and started pounding on it.

A moment later, Chen Erbao heard the sound of rustling from inside the room.

Chen Erbao sat on the sofa and began to contact the person in charge of the Zhao Group in Sanjiang City.

The other party's attitude was still very respectful. It seemed Zhao Feng had already put in a good word. They agreed to go see the factory building tomorrow morning.

Putting down his phone, Chen Erbao thought it over and then called Zhao Hai.

"How's the training for the security personnel coming along?"

'Sanjiang City is a complicated place; I can't be careless about security!'

Zhao Hai seemed to be training his staff, answering breathlessly,

"Er Bao, we already sent a batch of experienced employees to Mianyang City today. For the rest of the security team to be ready for duty, it'll probably take a few more days."

Chen Erbao's brow furrowed as he fell into thought.

'What if I leave the Spirit-Containing Object in Sanjiang City tomorrow and someone steals it…'

'A few more days…'

An idea sprouted in Chen Erbao's mind.

'Since the security can't be put in place right away, I might as well just clean up the underground forces of Sanjiang City myself!'

To Chen Erbao, the so-called "mafia" was nothing more than child's play, not even worth his notice.

Rather than spending a fortune training highly skilled security guards, it would be better to just wipe out all the gangs. That could even be considered delivering heavenly justice!

Chen Erbao pressed his fingers to his temples, pondering the feasibility of this plan.

'It wouldn't be difficult, but if I act so unscrupulously against ordinary people, will the Security Bureau have a problem with it?'

'Hard to say!'

He decided to sound out the Security Bureau tonight.

After all, on the surface, they were the top authority in China. He had to give them some face.

Chen Erbao's physical body could probably withstand bullets without a problem, but if a missile came his way, he'd still be toast!

The Spiritual Power of a Qi Refining Stage cultivator couldn't hold up against high-powered thermal weapons!

CREAK!

The door opened, and Bai Xiaoqing slowly walked out.

Chen Erbao turned to look, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

Bai Xiaoqing had been dawdling in her room for ages and finally emerged wearing an outfit that highlighted her youthful vitality.

Although she was nearly thirty, she took excellent care of herself and was very beautiful. Dressed in a beige sweater and a long skirt, no one would doubt it if you said she was a college student.

Seeing Chen Erbao staring at her, Bai Xiaoqing's face grew a little hot.

"What are you looking at?"

Chen Erbao chuckled.

"Looking at my wife!"

Sometimes, the distance between a man and a woman is closed through just such casual jokes.

As Chen Erbao expected, Bai Xiaoqing rolled her eyes at him. But she was already used to his flirtatious talk, so she wasn't angry. She crossed her arms and looked at him.

"It's after three. Aren't we going to see the ancient town? Let's get going, or it'll be dark soon!"

'And just who was it that spent half an hour dawdling in their room?'

Chen Erbao was indignant. According to his original schedule, they had plenty of time!

The two of them went outside the hotel, got in the car, and headed straight for the ancient town.

The Jiangnan Water Village ancient town was steeped in history. Its green bricks, white tiles, curved eaves, and covered corridors all exuded a rich historical atmosphere.

In less than half an hour, they arrived at a small town on the outskirts of the city. They parked the car outside and followed the light crowd onto the streets.

Just as Chen Erbao had expected, after only a few steps, he saw two "ancient-style photography" shops. Racks of colorful Hanfu and other historical costumes hung at the entrances, catching the eyes of tourists.

Of course, they were almost all female tourists.

Chen Erbao almost laughed out loud watching the miserable expressions on the faces of the men accompanying their female partners.

He glanced sideways at Bai Xiaoqing.

"You don't want to take photos like these, do you?"

He had a strong aversion to taking photos now and had zero patience for it.

Bai Xiaoqing scoffed.

"Only little girls like that stuff. I'm not interested… wait a minute. If Zhiqing had asked to come take pictures, would you have agreed?"

she asked, her eyes wide.

Chen Erbao looked at her with a half-smile.

"If Zhiqing found out we ditched our business trip to come here, what do you think she'd think?"

"You… you damn hooligan!"

Bai Xiaoqing's face alternated between red and pale. Angrily, she gave his waist a sharp pinch and turned to walk away.

Chen Erbao grimaced in pain and followed her.

'Just because my Cultivation has progressed doesn't mean I can't feel pain!'

The town wasn't very big. Besides the photography studios, there were just shops selling food and local specialties. Chen Erbao lost interest after a quick glance, but he found himself quite drawn to the ancient-style architecture on either side of the road.

He felt that his ancestors truly had a unique aesthetic sense. The white walls and grey tiles complemented each other perfectly, creating a comfortable and peaceful feeling.

Before long, the two reached the end of the street. Looking at the endless wheat fields in the distance, Bai Xiaoqing was a little disappointed.

"There's nothing much to do here…"

Chen Erbao had long expected this. The truth about traveling is that the scenery is mostly the same. Apart from a few exceptionally unique tourist destinations, the rest are pretty much interchangeable.

'What's the point of leaving a place you're sick of, just to go to a place someone else is sick of?'

'What's important is who you go with…'

'The experiences along the way are the most precious things.'

"Let's head back. The hotel manager recommended a couple of good restaurants. Want to go try one?"

"Okay!"

The sky was growing dim and a cool breeze was blowing. Bai Xiaoqing subconsciously shrank her neck.

"Mister, buy a flower for the lady!"

The two had just turned around when a plainly dressed little girl approached them, holding a large bundle of flowers, and spoke timidly.

The little girl was thinly dressed, and her small body trembled slightly from the cold.

Her messy hair was casually tied up, but her face was clean. Her large, dark eyes, however, held a trace of fear and pleading.

Chen Erbao's sharp eyes noticed what seemed to be bruises on the little girl's wrist, though they were partially hidden by her sleeve and hard to see clearly.

His brow furrowed slightly as he pondered something.

Bai Xiaoqing, on the other hand, wore a look of pity and heartache. She knelt down, took the flowers, and asked softly,

"Little girl, where are you from? It's so cold, why aren't you wearing warmer clothes?"

The little girl didn't speak. She just stared at Bai Xiaoqing with her big, dark eyes, occasionally glancing furtively toward the end of the street, tears welling up.

With a sweep of his peripheral vision, Chen Erbao spotted a hooligan-looking young man sitting at a roadside stall not far away, nonchalantly keeping an eye on them.

He decisively pulled money from his pocket, handed it to the little girl, and pulled Bai Xiaoqing away.

"Er Bao, she's so pitiful!"

Bai Xiaoqing looked at the bright red flowers in her hand, but her mood was anything but happy.

Chen Erbao answered distractedly,

"There are a lot of pitiful people in the world. You just help where you can…"

"Then why were you in such a hurry to pull me away? I wanted to give her money to buy some clothes!"

"…"