Inside a villa on the outskirts of River Sea City, a sunken rectangular swimming pool glistens with rippling water.
Splash!
A young man wearing swimming trunks catapults himself into the water.
The tranquil surface of the water is instantly disrupted with a beautiful splash.
He swims freely around the pool, showing off his skills in different swim styles, his muscles relaxed, evidently enjoying himself.
"Escaping from the bullets and violence of the battlefield, returning to my childhood hometown, feels pretty good!"
As Ning Tian varies his swimming styles, he occasionally stretches his body for a few rounds of freestyle, or, on his back, looks up at the azure sky and performs some backstrokes.
"But swimming alone does feel a bit lonely. If there were a few beauties accompanying me for a playful water fight, that would be perfect!"
As he contemplates this, he suddenly senses a subtle water flow fluctuation nearby. Having emerged from battlefields soaked in blood, he has developed heightened alertness. How could such an anomaly evade his notice?
In an instant, he changes to a diving position, moving swiftly like an incredibly agile fish.
Later, with a forward swipe of both hands towards the anomaly in the water flow, he grasps!
Suddenly, a sensation that is both smooth and springy courses through him from the palm of his hand to his whole body.
Submerged underwater, Ning Tian actually caught a leg.
To be exact, it is a long and slender woman's leg.
In an instant, the water stirs, the woman struggles slightly in the water, and she gestures towards Ning Tian.
She was hiding underwater, remaining stiff from anxiety.
Ning Tian felt quite surprised. How could there be a woman hiding in the pool?
Could it be a surprising gift left for him by his grandfather?
"Exactly here!"
"Search the whole place! I can't believe she could sprout wings and fly!"
Abruptly, a series of gruff and vicious shouts came from outside the villa's yard walls.
A group of blond youths stormed into the villa, one by one looking fierce and terrifying, turning the place upside down. The leader of the group, whose arm was covered in fancy tattoos, ceaselessly hurled coarse, brutal insults -
"Damn woman, daring to go against us, she is asking for trouble!"
"The floozy is left unguarded today, there's no one protecting her, it's the perfect time. If I catch her, I will not be merciful!"
...
From inside the water, Ning Tian heard everything clearly. He let go of the woman's legs, moved his arms, and swam to the surface, then swiftly leaped out.
Splashing water everywhere, both the tattooed man and the blond youths received a fright!
"Who the hell are you?" glared the tattooed man, warningly staring at Ning Tian.
The blond youths behind him, holding weapons like steel pipes and machetes, glowered maliciously at him, ready to attack at any moment.
"Are you here to enjoy my graceful and handsome swimming style?" asked Ning Tian, while he reached out for a towel from the poolside lounge chair to dry himself off, casually glancing at these blond youths.
The tattooed man's face was ice-cold, he annoyedly said, "When I ask you something, you bloody answer immediately!"
"Answer my question first!" Ning Tian's gaze suddenly became cold and deadly serious. Being the king of the Underworld organization, his hands stained with the blood of his enemies, he emanated a fierce aura cultivated from battles in fields of corpses and oceans of blood.
The tattooed man and a few other youngsters with dyed hair were immediately daunted by the overpowering aura they felt from his gaze. The former couldn't help clenching his fists and exclaimed, "Brother, we're looking for a woman, who we saw entering here. If you've seen her, can you please tell us, we'll be very grateful!"
Ning Tian gave a slight smile, pointed towards the entrance, saying, "Over there."
The tattooed man's eyes brightened, and he quickly rushed over, searching around the door thoroughly. Let alone the woman, he couldn’t even find a single feather!
Frustrated and exasperated, he returned to Ning Tian, sneering at the corner of his mouth, "You little brat, dare to play me? That woman clearly isn't there!"
Ning Tian merely yawned, "You misunderstood, I meant that the door is there, and you can get lost from there."
The tattooed man was furious in an instant, and the other dyed hair youths were also indignant. They exchanged glances and rushed towards him.
Ning Tian casually tossed the towel aside, awaiting their charge. His robust figure, like a cheetah entering the jungle hunting for prey, easily smelled the scent of incoming prey. Masterfully dodging, avoiding the bombardment of the dyed hair youths, he clenched his fists, releasing a formidable force that knocked them all down immediately.
These youngsters, regardless of their physique, reaction speed or tactics, in front of Ning Tian, were no different than kindergarteners.
The tattooed man struggled to get up, enduring the excruciating pain all over his body, seeing that the situation was unfavourable he quickly yelled, "Brothers, retreat first!"
Within a moment, the group of dyed hair youths, like a flock of frightened birds, hurriedly fled from the villa.
As Ning Tian turned around, he saw a woman emerging from the swimming pool. She was drenched, her flimsy dress clinging to her fair skin, outlining a perfect figure.
The woman had a plain face, yet it was astonishingly beautiful; her round melon seed-shaped face, thin willow leaf eyebrows, black as ink eyes, a petite and prominent nose, bright white teeth, and rosy lips made her extremely attractive.
Such a beauty made Ning Tian's eyes dazzle.
"Have you seen enough?" The woman questioned angrily, her face stern.
Ning Tian squinted his eyes and grinned, "Not enough."
"I'll gouge out your eyes if you keep looking!" The woman's fine brows furrowed in fury.
Ning Tian's smile faded away as he asked calmly, "Tell me, what brings you here? Those men seemed rather unsavory."
At this moment, Wen Muyue was filled with anxiety. She had been pursued by enemies all the way here. If it weren't for her desperate evasion into this place and diving into the swimming pool and having met him, she'd likely be in a dire predicament now. But could she just tell all this to a complete stranger?
So she played it cool, "Just passing by. Saw the swimming pool and decided to take a swim."
"Is it that simple?" Ning Tian chuckled, "Could it be that those people wanted to admire your swimming technique?"
"Well... sort of!" Wen Muyue grimaced, filling in gaps with fabrication. She noticed Ning Tian's well-toned body gleaming under the sunlight, hinting at a flawless physique. But her cheeks flushed when her gaze slid to where he was only clad in swim trunks.
"Seen enough?" Ning Tian returned the question with a teasing smile.
Embarrassed, Wen Muyue blushed heavily, "Sorry for the interruption. Goodbye!"
She turned to leave towards the mansion entrance.
"Do you want to come in? Take a shower, change into some dry clothes before you go?" Ning Tian laughingly looked at the silhouette that her soaked clothes stuck to her skin revealed. He kindly reminded, "If you go out like this... cough cough, you’re likely to catch a cold."
Wen Muyue halted, then suddenly turned around and gifted Ning Tian with a radiant smile, "Thanks for the advice. It's a good idea."