Tu Xiao'an left the noodle shop, dejected.

He decided to look at it differently. He'd gone into the shop, eaten a bowl of noodles, and even gotten to see a gorgeous woman's naked body—all without spending a single cent.

'No matter how I look at it, I didn't lose out.'

'So I have no reason to be upset.'

Besides, whether his body worked or not, he wasn't some desperate lecher to begin with.

Right. After reassuring himself like this, Tu Xiao'an's frustration dissipated. He glanced back at the noodle shop one last time, secretly committing the name Luo Ziyun to memory.

Continuing down the Ancient Street, he hadn't gone far before he passed Wei Xian Pavilion. He saw several police cars parked at the entrance, with many officers going in and out.

At a glance, anyone who didn't know better would have thought Wei Xian Pavilion was being raided.

Soon, Tu Xiao'an saw an acquaintance at the entrance—it was Wei Xian Pavilion's Big Boss Su, Su Yu.

Su Yu was dressed in a sharp suit, but his face was grim as he gave a statement to a police officer. It looked as though his restaurant had been robbed.

Tu Xiao'an watched for a moment. When he saw Su Yu finish his statement, he walked over and said, "Boss Su, what happened?"

Su Yu was a little surprised to see Tu Xiao'an, but his tone was still amicable. He shook his head and sighed. "Brother Tu, it seems your efforts yesterday were all for nothing."

"What do you mean?"

"My restaurant's Dragon Snake was stolen in the middle of the night."

Su Yu was furious. What kind of situation was this? He'd heard of people stealing gold and silver, but who the hell steals a snake in the middle of the night?

The Dragon Snake was not only incredibly valuable, but it was also tied to his, Su Yu's, fortune. He was a businessman, and businessmen cared most about their luck.

Now that the Dragon Snake was gone, Su Yu felt like he might as well close down Wei Xian Pavilion for good.

Although he had called the police, he didn't hold out much hope that they could find his snake.

'Huh... The Dragon Snake was stolen?'

Hearing this, Tu Xiao'an's expression turned strange. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

'Stealing a snake? What an astute thief.'

Stealing a snake might seem ridiculous, but the Dragon Snake was a rare Snake Species worth five million, and it had a special significance. Getting your hands on it was more profitable than robbing a jewelry store.

Tu Xiao'an couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for Big Boss Su. He had spent five million to buy the Dragon Snake, and just yesterday, he had paid another five million for Tu Xiao'an to treat it. The check was still in his pocket.

That five million, however, was essentially for its Snake Skin.

In the end, though, it had all been a fruitless effort; he had done all the work for someone else's benefit.

"Damn that thief! How dare they steal something of mine, Su Yu's! They better hope I don't find them."

Su Yu's eyes flashed; he was genuinely enraged.

As Tu Xiao'an looked at him, a thought suddenly struck. He remembered the bowl of shredded pork noodles he had just eaten at the noodle shop.

'The noodles used a snake broth base, and wasn't it made from a rare Snake Species?'

The broth had been incomparably delicious, containing a surge of Energy that Tu Xiao'an had recognized with a single sip.

'Could it be... the snake broth was made from the Dragon Snake?'

Suddenly, Tu Xiao'an couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath. 'This is insane!'

The more he thought about it, the more certain he became.

A rare Snake Species... they're incredibly hard to come by.

The noodle shop over there was making soup with a rare Snake Species, and Wei Xian Pavilion over here just lost a rare Snake Species.

It couldn't be a coincidence.

Besides, the proprietress of the noodle shop had told him earlier that she'd gotten a nice Snake Species last night and decided to use it to make broth for her noodles.

What's more, the noodle shop and Wei Xian Pavilion were only about ten storefronts apart. The moon is seen first from the nearest pavilion—it would have been convenient to steal.

"Brother Tu, why aren't you saying anything?"

Su Yu asked, noticing Tu Xiao'an was spacing out.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just feel it's a pity for you, Boss Su. Such a fine Dragon Snake, gone just like that."

'If Su Yu knew that the Dragon Snake tied to his fortune had possibly been turned into noodle soup, he'd probably cough up blood from rage.'

But Tu Xiao'an wasn't entirely certain yet. He needed to go and verify the truth for himself.

He offered a few simple words of comfort to Su Yu. Since there were still police officers in the restaurant looking for clues, he used that as an excuse not to disturb them and left.

As soon as he left, Tu Xiao'an headed back, arriving once again in front of the noodle shop, where a huge crowd was lined up.

This time, however, he was in no mood to wait in line. He went straight to the front, intending to walk right in.

This action immediately drew the dissatisfaction and shouts of the people waiting in line.

"Hey, what's with you, kid? Do you know how to wait in line?"

"No manners at all. Trying to cut?"

"Let him. He'll get what's coming to him in a second."

Why was everyone waiting so obediently? Because cutting was useless. A tall, formidable-looking man was guarding the door.

If you didn't follow the rules, he'd toss you out without a second word.

Sure enough, the large man at the door stopped Tu Xiao'an. Just as everyone was gloating and getting ready for a show, they saw Tu Xiao'an open his mouth and say something. Incredibly, the tall, formidable man then stepped aside, clearing the path for him.

Tu Xiao'an held his head high and walked right in.

Instantly, the people in line were all dumbfounded. Since when had that hot-tempered giant become so reasonable?

The sun must have risen from the west.

Just then, a skinny man, wanting to try his luck like Tu Xiao'an, rushed forward and tried to get inside.

A moment later, he was sent flying high into the air in a strange arc.

The crowd erupted in an uproar...

Tu Xiao'an entered the noodle shop again and saw that Luo Ziyun had once again reverted to her ugly, "widow-faced" disguise. She was smiling and bantering with some of the customers.

She was putting on a flirtatious act, smiling coquettishly without end.

Unfortunately, with her current ugly face full of freckles and wrinkles, the customers could only suffer in silence.

It was an eyesore. A total eyesore.

Just then, the proprietress saw that the next customer to come in was Tu Xiao'an, and she was surprised.

Tu Xiao'an quickly walked over and pulled her, in all her "widow-faced" ugliness, to the back of the shop—though not to the small bedroom. He was about to speak, but she beat him to it.

"Well now, little brother, are you back because you're still upset you couldn't have me earlier?"

Tu Xiao'an rolled his eyes hard. He really wished she wouldn't say things like that to him while looking like this.

'Doesn't she know it's disgusting?'

"The Dragon Snake from Wei Xian Pavilion up the street was stolen. Was that your doing?"

With her "widow face," she glanced at Tu Xiao'an. "Yes, it was. What about it?"

Er...

Tu Xiao'an froze.

He had expected her to deny it, but he'd barely asked before she admitted it outright, catching him completely off guard.

'This mysterious woman really never plays by the rules.'

Stealing something from someone, yet acting so brazen about it, as if she were just taking what was hers.

"Why did you steal the Dragon Snake? That was their restaurant's prized treasure!"

Luo Ziyun, still in her "widow face" disguise, said, "We're both doing business on the same street. Naturally, I have to kick them while they're down. If I steal the Dragon Snake, won't Wei Xian Pavilion's business plummet?"

"You think I'd believe that load of crap?" Tu Xiao'an sneered. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

'They're running a huge restaurant, and you're running a little noodle shop. Are you really worried about them stealing your business?'

'That's giving yourself way too much credit.'