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(A/N Cat Burglar: Master had been earned, this also included Thief: Master, as the prerequisite skill. Ninja Mission Reward, ha-ha, just joking.)

 

Chapter 228  Ning Qian, I Don't Love You! by Harem-Fan

 

     The next day, after punishing-rewarding my Immortal Loli, I was readying for my date with Mei.

     Mei is straightening my yukata and messing up my hair a bit, to make me look like I did in high school, she grins and tells me why.

     "I liked you better back then Rick. No matter how I dressed or even if I wore makeup or not, you always let me look good, but... Lately your handsome looks seem to be improving a bit, and I feel like I have to try too hard, so just don't fix your hair, fufu."

     I kinda feel like she is cursing me here and protesting.

     "Mei, why do you seem to be my only wife who wants me to be just average looking? I thought all women wanted handsome men?"

     Mei opened my robe and pointed to my chest.

     "Rick, even most of your scars are fading a bit, at this rate you will be too good looking, and I am not the only one you know? Even Hinata and the others are trying extra hard to make sure they keep their looks up. Hell, even Lucy has been hitting the gym every-other day, and she is a couch potato."

     Damn, my cultivation has been healing my bodies past body traumas, and I am slowly perfecting my body and health, so I only say.

     "Sorry."

     After swatting my chest, Mei kisses me, then explains.

     "Don't say sorry for getting fit. I am just saying, dress down a little, fufu. I still love your body, get me?"

     "Yes mam, roll out of bed and wear wrinkled clothing, got it."

     "Ufufu, Stupid, now let's go comedian."

     After we got dressed, we took a rickshaw to the Karaoke Studio for the meeting...

-

     As I led Mei into the establishment, I neared booth 13 that was reserved for Mei and her contact.

     The first thing I discovered outside the room was an older woman sitting at the door reading a magazine in a chair. I could tell this woman pretending to be someone's mother was actually a Master level Kung-Fu Master. When the woman looked up and saw me, her eyes dilated for a moment in recognition of my face.

     My guess is it is because I look like my Father, and it made her surprised just how much we look alike. But like a good spy, she went back to her magazine ignoring us.

     Mei, ignoring the woman, entered room 13...

-

     (The following part is in Chinese.)

     Sitting on one of the couches in the 20×20 room was the young woman I met in the buffet, with deep blue eyes, long black hair, with a C-cup figure, and wide hips. She in the China Empire would be the iconic, athletic body and a jade beauty.

     In her deep smoky voice she asked.

     "Mei Xia, the Shadow assigned to Rick Tang. Good come and sit, we have much to discuss."

     I say to Mei not hiding my words.

     "Her name is probably fake, but she said it was, Qian."

      The woman ignored my snarky remark and said to Mei.

     "Ning Qian, is this one's name from the Qian Nobility, you have heard of them, correct?"

     Mei nodded and said.

     "Yes, ranked 7th of the 7 Noble Clans under the Emperor himself. And what mission does the Shadow have for us this time?"

     Ning pulled out a black case and opened it, there were ten vials of a clear liquid in it. The vials were smaller than half a pinky. She said,

     "Tomorrow night, I have invitations to the Emperor's, Son's 18th birthday party, and he along with 3 other men must be dosed with this drug. So the mission is to attend the gathering and under the nose of the men, slip them this drug to stop their future lines, or make them come to us for the cure. The Emperor has only this one Son, and if he fails to make a child, well, his era ends there and political chaos will make seizing political control easy in ten years."

     Mei frowns and asks.

     "Are you planning on using seduction to get close enough to slip the drug in? And what do you need me to do?"

     Ning's eyes drifted to me and she said,

     "Mei, you are useless on this mission, it is Rick that needs to aid me here."

     I was sipping a coffee I bought in the lobby and I paused, looked up and said.

     "Excuse me? I am not one of your shadows, and if dicks keep going limp around me, I think suspicions will fall on me, so no."

     Somehow my words seemed wrong when they came out of my mouth, but I ignored them. Ning said.

     "This is your Father's plan, so just do it. You are the Yellow Emperor, and this should be easy for you."

     "First, my Father and I are on different sides. Second, if the next words out of your mouth have anything to do with threatening Mei or Ling, then I will use everything in my power to end anything you care for."

     Ning bit her lip in frustration but calmed and said.

     "We would never touch the reverse scale of a Dragon, so be assured. I cannot tell you much, but our goals align in the end. This is more than Eurasia vs China Empire. This has more to do with your peaceful future. This is why your Father sent me to work with you personally. He trusts only you outside his control."

     I am a bit petty here because of his staying hidden, so I take it out on his shadow.

     "How can I trust a man who could not even let his troubled Son know he was fine? I suffered a lot without him, so what do you know about my happiness, little lady?"

     She closed her eyes to think of her next words to not set me off, and I underestimated her negotiation ability. She has been trained well. She opened her eyes and said.

     "Do this mission with me, and I can let you speak in person to your father..."

     I squint my eyes in surprise and ask her one thing.

     "Wait, my Father is here in Tokyo right now?!"

     Ning said nothing but nodded her head to confirm, and even Mei looked taken aback. For him to leave China after his revival was huge. By all rights he should stay there, but I asked.

     "He is a, or rather is the Shadow himself, why can he not go with you on the mission? Why is he sending me in?"

     She pouts and says,

     "He only told me I had to do this mission with you, and would not tell me his whole plan, he is stingy."

     I cross my arms and ask again.

     "Then why is he here? For me, or something else entirely?"

     She crossed her arms in annoyance and said.

     "He said I had to perform a mission off our home soil and he came to personally oversee my mission."

     Huh? Okay this does not add up, so I asked.

     "Are you his daughter or something? You seem to talk about him like a mentor or Father, and your looks? Are you my half sister?"

     She seemed to take offense and stood, pointing at me in anger and scolded me.

     "He is not my Father you idiot! Are you dumb, this noble me is Chinese... I am Chinese, not Eurasian, you goof!"

     I looked at Mei and asked.

     "Did I ask something wrong? She looks a little Eurasian, right?"

    Mei, seeing the shadow ready to explode, only covered her smile with her sleeve knowing I am now messing with her.

     But the woman took a few deep breaths and sat back down. Ning calmly said.

     "Work with me Rick Lee. This task will make your future more secure, and we will both benefit. Please come as my date to the party, and administer the drug with your exceptional skills. Helping me will also let me owe you a favor, so?"

     I shake my head and tell her.

     "Your half baked plan won't work, if you bring me."

     "Huh, Why won't it work, I do not understand?"

     I smile like a chump with my palms up in helplessness.

     "Ning Qian, I don't love you, that's why it won't work. Anybody that knows me, knows I will not be with a woman I am not in love with. And your plan will be suspected. I don't know if you got the memo, but I am really fucking famous around well most everywhere. So what am I supposed to say to others when they ask me how I met you, or are you my new lover, and well any number of holes in your ship of lies."

     Mei has not removed her sleeve admiring the look on this clueless shadow who has not stepped out of China. Ning said.

     "We will come up with our relationship, you are an actor, right?"

     "Sure, my acting skill is not in question, but you sure are. You will blow our cover in no time. If my hand touches you in the wrong way, or you are forced to kiss, all of those will be seen through. Plus the biggest issue I have is what I tell my harem, fuck I am in to deep already."

     She hates that I keep making sense and she wants to pull my cheeks to get rid of my smug smile, so she took out her phone and made a call, presumably to my father, because my enhanced hearing kinda caught his voice a little, but what I heard come from her mouth, about made me want to burst out of the room like the Kool-aid Man, but fleeing rather than entering.

     Her face was full of shame as she handed me her phone. She looks like she ate a bucket of live worms. I put the phone to my ear and his voice came through.

     [Hey there Partner, don't start throwing me questions in anger and hurt. I deserve anything you want to hit me with. In fact, I will let you hit me all you want when the mission is done. Just do this, because the one thing you can count on, is I do this for you. Just grunt to acknowledge you understand me?]

     "I hear you..."

     [Good, now put on your acting face because what I am going to say next is going to make you flip that table in front of you, he-he. Okay, jokes aside... If you marry this girl in front of you, China will be under your control. She is the daughter of the Emperor, and her husband will control the direction of China. Plus she is pretty, just a bit sheltered. Do this and I and your Grandfather will have total control here. But... I want you to treat her nice, like really nice. Do you hear me?]

     "What are you playing at old man?"

     [Sigh, do not act like a clueless kid now just because it's me. Our family has sacrificed too much for the Yellow Emperor, so now it is time for you to do your part. How are you going to make the world a better place without some sacrifice? This is a marriage of convenience (tag's been there from day 1) and the sure path to peace in the world once the Li are dealt with. Make China yours, I have been working here since you were 5 years old, knowing who you were. Both of your mothers paid the price, and this girl in front of you... Her mother also died for you.]

     "What?"

     My eyes landed on Ning and she was only looking at the music on the screen playing, then my Father finished.

     [She wants revenge for her mothers death, and I just told her to also marry you. She will do it, but please realize her pride is high. Treat her how you would treat Mary, okay. Do the mission, then I will meet you, and then you will take her back to Eurasia with you as your wife. The two of you can make up whatever love story you want. Love is not even necessary, but this marriage will give you all the power you need to end the Li of Eurasia. This is the only thing I will ever ask you to do for me, and your Grandfather. Click... do do do...]

     "D-Did you just hang up on me?!"

     Mei seeing Ning and my reactions figured who was on the phone, and she asked.

     "Rick, are you... Okay?"

     Ning looked at me and said to Mei.

     "My mission has changed, I am to marry the Yellow Emperor, humph."

     I asked the wrong thing again...

     "Ning Qian, are you even 18?"

     After her stunned look, she actually jumped over the table and started to shake my lapels on my yukata, and roared with the music in the background.

     "I cannot strangle your father to death, so you will do you bastard! Arhg!"

     She cannot hurt me at all, and for some reason, seeing her like this, made my lips curl in satisfaction.

     But, she never answered me?

 

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