Peerless Little Immortal Doctor

After changing out of his uniform, Xia Liu followed the fingerprint mark left by Guo Man to arrive at the legendary private room, "Zunya," in the café.

The café seemed to have been reserved entirely by Guo Man; there were barely any patrons.

This private room was the only large room on the first floor.

As soon as Guo Man opened the door, a wave of fragrance greeted Xia Liu's senses.

Xia Liu could discern clearly: one was the pure, enchanting fragrance emanating from Guo Man herself,

and the other came from the sumptuous feast spread across the table.

"Welcome, Mr. Xia,"

Guo Man gave a charming smile and gestured for Xia Liu to take a seat.

"President Guo, you don't have to go to such trouble. I'm just a small-time security guard,"

said Xia Liu, visibly startled by Guo Man's hospitality.

He knew full well that he was nothing more than a security guard at Guo's Pharmaceutical, yet to be addressed as "Mr. Xia" was rather unnerving.

"No, no. You're a working professional, and so am I. We're both part of the same world through our work—

how could I degrade myself or place others on a pedestal?"

"Uhh…" Xia Liu was momentarily at a loss for words. This wasn't like him at all.

He was trying to act like a regular guy in front of Guo Man.

Otherwise, even if he encountered the world's greatest leaders or most extraordinary figures, to him, they'd all just be ordinary people.

"Let's eat together. Last time, it was thanks to your words of advice that I caught myself;

otherwise, I might have continued making even bigger mistakes in the future."

"Frankly, I was just acting out of frustration that day. President Guo, I hope you don't hold a grudge against me..."

Xia Liu gave a bitter smile and thought to himself, damn it, this was exactly the outcome he needed.

"A grudge? Not at all."

Guo Man smiled faintly, quietly repeating in her heart, "But I'll remember you…"

"By the way, I've caught wind of some news about your situation. I even had Xilu look into it—

do you have any leads on the matter mentioned in the missing person notice?"

Shortly after the meal began, the atmosphere turned somber, and Guo Man gently broached the topic of Xia Liu's missing wife and child.

"Some leads, but also none. Many people have called me, but they were all just scams."

"I see. Could you tell me your story?"

Guo Man didn't know why she felt compelled to ask this question, but now that it was out, there was no taking it back.

She could only hope it wouldn't sour the mood.

"Hmm, there's nothing particularly secretive about it."

Xia Liu responded straightforwardly. "During my time in the military, my wife lived with me on the base. But in the end,

due to the nature of my assignment, I arranged for them to return home. After I was injured, she took our child and left…"

As he finished, Xia Liu's Spiritual Energy surged uncontrollably through his meridians, and in an instant, blood-red vessels spread across his pupils.

Noticing Xia Liu's sudden change, Guo Man said apologetically, "I'm sorry. My curiosity has reopened old wounds for you.

As compensation, I'd like to leverage my connections to help you."

"That won't be necessary. I'll handle this myself. If I can't find them within a few years,

then it simply means they were never meant to stay in my life. I won't force it."

Xia Liu declined Guo Man's offer.

After all, he already felt somewhat improper about the whole situation.

If he accepted her help, that would indeed cross the line.

The mess he had made—he would clean it up himself.

"I understand. I hope you find them soon."

Though Xia Liu's expression remained impassive, Guo Man could feel the depth of his pain.

Perhaps the only thing keeping him going was the hope of seeing them one last time.

After eating a few dishes, Xia Liu said his farewells to Guo Man.

It wasn't time yet to have deeper engagement with her. He needed her to harbor no suspicions about him at all.

It wouldn't take long for him to achieve that.

However, one thing struck Xia Liu as rather peculiar.

He had noticed that Guo's Pharmaceutical didn't employ a single Martial Artist.

Logically, as the Guo Family's heiress, Guo Man should have Martial Artists protecting her.

But no—her security detail consisted entirely of foreign female bodyguards.

And there was Liang Chao from the Natural Treasures Group.

Even his bodyguards didn't include any Martial Artists.

Could it be that Harbor City had no Martial Artists?

That didn't seem plausible. The Guo Family and the Liang Family were known rivals on the surface,

both involved in the medicinal business catering to Martial Artists.

For neither to be a household of Martial Artists—it was simply impossible for Xia Liu to believe.

Perhaps they were only trying to maintain secrecy, but that didn't matter.

In Xia Liu's eyes, even if Guo Man wasn't a Martial Artist herself,

she could still certainly gain access to the Guo Family's core affairs.

It was only a matter of waiting for the opportune moment.

At 5:30 in the afternoon, Xia Liu left work, taking off his security uniform.

He didn't head home but instead went out alone to continue spreading missing person notices.

He pasted one flyer after another on every bulletin board he could find.

By around 7 PM, Zhao Qian called him, reminding him to wrap things up quickly and join them for dinner.

The venue was a spot called "Old Friends Eatery," a down-to-earth, budget-friendly food joint.

It was full of straightforward, local-style dishes.

Fengzi, a Harbor City local, hosted Zhao Qian and Xia Liu—the two mainlanders—and ordered dishes that suited tastes from the mainland.

When Xia Liu arrived, both Fengzi and Zhao Qian looked at him with envy.

Earlier that day, Fengzi had spotted Xia Liu leaving after changing into new clothes.

Surely, he thought, Xia Liu must have gone to have lunch with Guo Man.

The thought alone filled him with jealousy.

Sitting at the same table with Guo Man—even if only to gaze at her smiling face—

would be enough to satisfy him for three full days.

"Brother Xia Liu, I didn't see it before, but look at you—you've got connections to President Guo. From now on, you're my big bro."

Zhao Qian half-jokingly raised a glass in a toast to Xia Liu.

"Brother Zhao, don't misunderstand. There's truly nothing between me and President Guo. We're not even on familiar terms."

"No way! If you're not close, why would she invite you to lunch? If you're not familiar, why doesn't she ever smile like that at me? Brother Xia Liu,

there's no need to be shy. We're all friends here. Just tell us the truth."

Fengzi gave Xia Liu no chance to refute, cutting straight to the key points.

"Fine, I'll spill. Here's how it happened. I first met President Guo at the Little Red Riding Hood Orphanage…"

Xia Liu didn't hold back and recounted everything about his encounter with Guo Man.

When the story was over, Zhao Qian and Fengzi were utterly dumbfounded.

Xia Liu had reprimanded Guo Man—at the orphanage, no less!

How on earth could he have brought himself to do that?

That was their goddess, a pristine, flawless super-goddess!

But instead of chastising him, Zhao Qian and Fengzi merely gave him a thumbs-up.

"You've got guts. Just knowing you makes me feel accomplished."

"Hahaha! Cheers to that!"

Fengzi and Zhao Qian let their words trail off, choosing instead to let the wine speak for itself.

...

After returning home, Xia Liu drafted a text to update Ye Xuan with his latest findings,

especially the detail about Guo's Pharmaceutical employing no Martial Artists.

The reply he received explained that Harbor City had its own unique Martial Dao regulators.

Any display of cultivation abilities in public or urban settings would come with a steep price.

After several such incidents, the Martial Artist families in Harbor City had grown cautious.

When it came to business in the ordinary world, they assigned responsibility to their non-cultivating family members.

Martial Artists either cultivated at home or roamed the world.

Unless it was a dire emergency, no one dared provoke chaos.