Chapter 85: The Escort Mission

Chapter 85: Escort Mission

“What on earth? You want me to be a babysitter?”

Li Hongshen shot up from his seat, staring in disbelief at Luo Si across the table. Luo Si, a little helpless, nodded.

“Well, not exactly a babysitter. It’s more of a partnership—escort a lord into the Middle Zone. You’re going in anyway, so it’s just convenient, and besides, the client specifically requested you.”

“You’re joking, right? I’ve told you before, I don’t take babysitting jobs. Listen, even if I starve, am so poor I eat dirt, and get swept out of the Endless Wilds, I still won’t lower myself to be a babysitter.”

Luo Si shook his head, bemused by Li Hongshen’s strong reaction. He couldn’t fathom why the client would insist on Li Hongshen.

As a prodigy with a steady income, Li Hongshen had no need to bring others along, let alone put himself in such trouble for a bit of money—even if the amount was considerable.

“All right, I’ll refuse for you. Too bad, the client’s offer was generous. If they hadn’t insisted on you, I’d have fought for it myself.”

Luo Si stood up, dusting off his pants, ready to leave, but Li Hongshen called out behind him, his face uncertain, voice less than firm.

“Wait—who exactly is the client? How much are they offering? Is it really that much?”

Luo Si didn’t turn around, but the corners of his mouth lifted.

“As far as I know, it’s a lady lord. She’s offering two thousand first-grade Blood Crystals, cash on the spot, the deal’s right in the Endless Wilds. All you have to do is escort her to the designated location. The camp’s already arranged.”

“Say no more. I’ll take the job. Where’s the meeting point? When do we leave?

Just so we’re clear, it’s not because she’s a lady lord, or because the payment is generous.

You know me—I just want to contribute to the Elite Society, finish my designated tasks, and become a full member as soon as possible.”

“Understood. Of course I know you. Since you agree, you don’t have to do anything. She’ll come to you to assemble. Don’t worry.”

...

“Why is it you?”

Li Hongshen gazed at the lord before him, his expression awkward.

“Why can’t I be here? Is the Endless Wilds your private property? Or do you run Peng City No. 1 High?”

“No, that’s not it. I mean, didn’t you and your uncle go to Domain City? When did you come to Peng City No. 1 High? I looked around when I arrived and didn’t see you.”

“I was born in Peng City, registered here, so of course I awakened here, and then naturally attended Peng City No. 1 High. What, you didn’t want to see me?”

“No, not at all. I missed you terribly.”

Luo Si hadn’t lied—this client really was a lady lord, and moreover, someone Li Hongshen knew. He’d assumed the client was some investor who’d heard of his name, but never expected it to be her.

She was called Li Fuzhen. She wore a simple ponytail, her figure strikingly curvaceous, accentuated by a pair of long legs clad in leather pants, making her irresistibly alluring.

Her skin had a healthy pink glow, an oval face, willow brows, cherry lips, a delicate nose, and enchanting eyes combining into a truly beautiful visage.

She had two older brothers, Li Fubao and Li Fugui, and her father was Li Jiaqiang—the director of Peng City Time-Space Management Bureau, the very one who had guided Li Hongshen through customs equipment when he first crossed over.

When Li Hongshen had just moved into the Starting Point Orphanage, Li Jiaqiang often visited, bringing Li Hongshen and his children to play together.

Back then, Li Hongshen found it childish to play with kids six, seven, or eight years old, especially indulging a girl’s games of make-believe, which felt mortifyingly embarrassing.

But he was helpless against a girl with uncanny strength. Who would believe that the delicate princess could pin down a transmigrator from Blue Star, even after he’d gained physical advantages from crossing over? He couldn’t resist.

Li Hongshen and her two brothers could only cooperate with her performances, those memories repressed deep in his mind, more embarrassing than anything in his previous life.

For him and his two fellow sufferers, the happiest moments were visiting museums, the only times they could escape her control. Those visits also sparked Li Hongshen’s initial curiosity about civilization, reshaping his worldview.

This lasted until Li Hongshen turned thirteen, old enough to live independently, and he moved back home from the orphanage.

That same year, Li Jiaqiang was promoted and transferred to the 44th Domain’s Time-Space Management Bureau as chief, overseeing the entire domain’s bureau.

The family moved to the 44th Domain’s central city. Li Fuzhen cried miserably then, clinging to Li Hongshen, and he wept too—mostly because she nearly broke his arm.

Later, Li Hongshen learned that Li Fubao and Li Fugui attended school in the central city. He’d assumed the strong girl would join her brothers there, never expecting her return.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back? I thought it’d be much later before we met. It’s so good to see you now.”

“Is that so? I don’t see much ‘good’ in your face. Someone’s heartless—after the trial, not a single message for his childhood companion, as if you’d forgotten me.”

Li Hongshen looked embarrassed. He had genuinely forgotten, overwhelmed by inheritance paperwork and preparations for the Endless Wilds.

...

“So, how did you join the Elite Society? You could’ve just told me. If you’d asked, I’d have come right away. Why issue a paid task? Now a share goes to the Society—it’s a loss.”

“Yes, too much a loss. But if I hadn’t issued a task, someone might never respond from the Wilds. By the way—is Li Bingbing pretty?”

“We’re just ordinary friends, moved together in the Wilds once, nothing special—so, when do we depart?”

“No rush, no hurry. Plenty of time. Since you say issuing the task is a loss, I should at least make it worthwhile, right?

So I think, if I make you mine, the money won’t be wasted, just a transfer from one hand to the other—the fee’s no more than a handling charge, don’t you agree?”

“What are you planning? No, don’t—stay away, don’t!”

...

Li Hongshen was dragged into the room without resistance. The sounds of tearing clothes, cries, and shrieks left the warriors outside bewildered.

Eventually, Elder Ma Wu shook his head, rubbing his back as he walked away.

“Getting old, getting old. The young are truly wild these days.”

The other warriors followed Ma Wu, leaving some to keep watch outside.

The commotion lasted from morning till dusk, with the guards rotating shifts; clearly, departure was off for the day.

Inside, on the bed, Li Hongshen lay with tousled hair and sweat pooling on his body, staring listlessly at the ceiling.

With no warning, no defenses, he’d lost so much—documents preserved through two lifetimes gone in a single day.

And such actions, according to the latest laws of his prior world, would warrant at least three years of prison. At this thought, a solitary droplet slid down his cheek—whether sweat or tears, he couldn’t tell.

Li Fuzhen lay beside him, gazing tenderly at his face, her arm draped across his chest.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take responsibility for you.”

(End of chapter)