Chapter 27
Challenge the Bull Warrior
After speaking, Paco, like a victorious general, gave Xiaoyu no chance to refuse and strode confidently into the crowd.
Once Paco's figure had completely disappeared from Xiaoyu's sight.
Xiao Yu, who had been so aggressive, instantly collapsed.
Then, stiffly, he turned his head slowly to look at Riley, who hadn't said a word the whole time and was now smiling and watching him. Feeling extremely guilty, he shrank his neck and pleaded pitifully.
"Um... I know it's presumptuous of me, but Riley... you'll sign up for the competition, right...?"
"Hey kids, I think I heard the game? Did I miss something fun? Haha, just kidding. Look, this is a Mexican specialty, it's effective in preventing heatstroke. I bought some for you two too."
However, before Riley could respond, Uncle Long, who was in charge of gathering information, came out wearing a large Mexican-style sombrero and swayed as he walked.
Then, thinking that no matter how he thought about it, it was only a short time away, and even if it was Xiaoyu, she shouldn't cause any trouble, he deliberately put on a stern face to scare Xiaoyu, just for fun.
When Uncle Long took out two smaller straw hats, he put them on Riley's and Jade's heads respectively.
Full of confidence in his judgment and smugly awaiting praise, Uncle Long then realized that after he finished speaking, the usually quick-witted Xiao Yu fell into an eerie silence.
This gave Uncle Long a sudden sense of foreboding. As his smile faded, he asked again, his voice lacking confidence.
"...Xiaoyu, you haven't caused any trouble, have you...?"
"Of course not, Uncle Long. Not only did Xiaoyu not cause any trouble, she also found the whereabouts of the talisman."
"Really?! Where is it?!"
"On the wrestling stage tonight, that bull charm is embedded in the mask of one of the wrestlers, codenamed 'Bull Warrior'."
"Ox Warrior... There really is an ox in the Chinese zodiac... Xiaoyu! You've really been a great help! You're truly my niece! I'll go and find out more information now, you guys wait here for me!"
"No problem, Uncle Long, I'll keep a close eye on Xiaoyu."
However, just as Xiaoyu subconsciously closed her eyes, waiting to be scolded by Uncle Long.
Riley, who had been silent all along, took a step forward at this moment, attracting Uncle Long's attention, and without blushing or panting, made up a story that was half true and half false.
When Uncle Long was overjoyed, he immediately went to investigate the truth based on the clues provided by Riley.
Riley then crossed his arms, glanced at the dumbfounded Xiaoyu beside him, and teased her meaningfully.
"Hey, wake up, Xiaoyu, are you stunned? You finally realize how handsome I am?"
"Oh, come on! Why...why are you lying? If Uncle Long finds out, you'll get scolded along with me!"
It wasn't until Riley's teasing tone that Xiaoyu belatedly realized what was happening and couldn't help but blush.
But soon, he thought about how angry Uncle Long would be when he found out he had been tricked.
Xiaoyu couldn't help but shudder and quickly grabbed Riley's hand, trying to take the opportunity to escape the town.
"Fine, since we've already said it, let's just run before Uncle Long gets back!"
"Who told me to be your 'date tonight' date? Besides, why run away? I wasn't lying... Didn't you notice that there really was a bull talisman on that poster just now?"
"Wh...what male companion! You clearly know I am...wait, really? I didn't even look closely!!"
"Hmm, I have no reason to lie about things like this. Just now, some reckless silly girl challenged me to a duel, and I don't have the habit of running away without a fight, so I had no choice but to accept the challenge~"
"Yay! I knew Riley was the best! Don't hold back, beat that bull warrior to a pulp! Let that brat know who the real strongman is!"
"I'll try my best, but before that, we need to shake off the 'little tail' chasing us from behind."
Seeing Xiaoyu, who is usually fearless, looking like a frightened rabbit and clearly flustered, Riley almost couldn't help but burst out laughing.
After hearing Riley's explanation, Xiaoyu's mood quickly brightened, and without thinking, she jumped into Riley's arms and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.
Meanwhile, after holding Jade firmly in his arms, Riley pretended to be disgusted by the saliva on his face and tried to wipe it on Jade's collar. He then whispered something meaningful in Jade's ear. At the same time, based on Jade's general understanding of the town's terrain that she had gleaned from looking around during her conversation with Paco, he quickly planned a route forward.
No sooner had Riley left than he entered the bustling market, the Black Hand gang, who had been following Riley and his companions, followed them like shadows.
Unfortunately, having already been discovered by Riley, their supposedly foolproof tracking operation was destined to end in vain.
Look, here it is.
In the short time it took to turn a corner, Riley used this brief blind spot to imitate Actor's wall jump from Prototype, and quickly rushed to the top of the building with Jade in his arms.
And just like that, they easily dumped the Black Hand gang members in the heart of the busiest market area. This ensured that even if they decided to abandon their search for Riley and Jade, the crowded environment would prevent them from easily escaping the market in the short term.
Finally, I managed to fill out the registration form before the registration point closed, becoming one of the many contestants challenging the Bull Warrior tonight.
"Oh, what do you mean the Bull Warrior will never take off his mask... I bet he already knows what kind of power the Bull Talisman possesses, which is why he doesn't want to take off the mask!"
Of course, this was happening while Riley and Jade were busy signing up to challenge the Bull Warrior.
Uncle Long sneaked into the backstage of the wrestling arena, pretending to be a room attendant, in an attempt to obtain the Bull Warrior mask, but was ruthlessly rejected, so he returned the way he came, somewhat dejected.
But in order to present a reliable adult image to the children.
After estimating that he had returned to Riley and Jade's vicinity, Uncle Long still forced himself to remain calm, put on a few smiles, and greeted them to himself.
"Hey, I'm back. Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long? On my way back, I saw a shop selling hot tacos. It looked like there were a lot of customers, so they must taste really good. Want to try some... Wait, Riley? Jade?"
But halfway through his sentence, looking at the empty steps in front of him, where there was no trace of Riley and Jade, Uncle Long's smile froze on his face.
Uncle Long, who had just broken down and was holding his head in his hands, couldn't help but cry out in anguish.
"Oh, please, why is it always like this?!"