After bidding farewell to Long Meiyan and leaving the restaurant, Long Xiao hailed a taxi. Just as he got in, he noticed he was being followed.
No matter who it was, he had to shake them off quickly. If Ouyang Tuo's identity as Long Xiao were discovered, he would have no peace in the future.
Long Xiao did not return to the Long Yue Hotel. In the car, he called Xiao Ming and told him to pack up and return to Donghai with Ji Yuelan the next day, without waiting for him.
Xiao Ming was surprised and asked, "Brother Long, aren't you coming back with us?"
"Xiao Ming, we might have encountered some trouble. Someone is following me. You guys go back first, and I'll return after I shake off the tail."
After speaking, Long Xiao still worried about Xiao Ming and the others, fearing they might be followed to Donghai.
"Xiao Ming, be careful when you leave. If anyone follows you, just take care of them, don't show any mercy."
"I understand, Brother Long. You take care of yourself too."
After hanging up Xiao Ming's call, Long Xiao called Sun Sizhu again, informing him that he had something to attend to and wouldn't be able to go to buy the house tomorrow, asking Sun Sizhu to purchase the villa on his behalf.
"The villa is easy, but when will you give me the prescription?" Sun Sizhu asked.
"I never promised you the prescription. When I return to Donghai and get the medicine, I'll give you a few pills."
"No way, I want the prescription. Otherwise, I'm not handling the villa." Sun Sizhu insisted.
Long Xiao chuckled and said, "Alright, I'll give you the prescription. You won't be able to concoct the medicine even if I give it to you."
"Who do you think you're underestimating? I'm the Medicine King of Donghai."
After ending the call, Long Xiao sent Sun Sizhu a WeChat message, giving him the prescription for the detoxification pills.
The taxi drove all the way to the western suburbs before Long Xiao asked the driver to stop by the roadside.
It was already very late. Long Xiao found a clothing store that was still open and went in for a look, but bought nothing. He then walked out again.
Soon, Long Xiao figured out that the people following him were two middle-aged men. They were dressed ordinarily, but their clothes were bulging, as if they were hiding weapons.
He walked along the road. Without Ouyang Tuo's ID, he couldn't even find a place to sleep.
When Long Xiao reached under an overpass, he saw some migrant workers drinking. Their bedding was placed in a sheltered spot, indicating they would sleep there for the night.
Long Xiao approached the migrant workers and looked. On the ground were some peanuts, tomatoes, and cucumbers. The alcohol was cheap white wine, and there was only one bottle among the five of them.
"You're drinking like this?" Long Xiao asked, looking quite puzzled.
The three older men looked at Long Xiao and remained silent. A young man couldn't help but say, "How else can we drink? Are you treating?"
Long Xiao smiled and said, "If you want me to treat, I will. I have nowhere to go tonight anyway."
He glanced around. About two hundred meters away from the overpass, there was a small store.
"Let's go. Who wants to go with me to buy some alcohol?"
The older men, seeing Long Xiao's imposing presence and his expensive suit, didn't believe he would buy alcohol to drink with them. The young man who had spoken to Long Xiao stood up and said, "Let's go, I'll go with you."
Long Xiao took the young man to the store. Upon entering, he said, "Bring me four bottles of your best liquor, and whatever cooked food you have."
The shop assistant saw Long Xiao's expensive suit and knew he was a man of means. She directly brought out four bottles of Wuliangye and packed a large bag with cooked chicken, ham, and other items.
Long Xiao didn't even look at what he was buying. He took out his phone and paid directly. After paying, Long Xiao and the young man picked up the items and were about to leave. Long Xiao turned back and went into the store again to exchange a thousand yuan in cash.
On the way back to the overpass, Long Xiao asked, "Little brother, how much do you earn a day?"
"Four hundred. But we haven't worked for five days, and the foreman isn't paying us, so we can't leave. We can't afford a hotel, so we have to sleep here."
After a brief chat, they returned to the overpass. The other migrant workers were delighted to see Long Xiao had really bought so much food and such good liquor. They all stood up happily.
"Don't be shy, open it up and let's drink and eat meat," Long Xiao said heartily as he sat down on the ground.
A dark-skinned man poured the Wuliangye into a disposable cup and handed it to Long Xiao, saying, "Brother, judging by your attire, you should be a wealthy man. Why are you out here drinking with us in the middle of the night?"
Long Xiao took a sip of wine and sighed, "I'm a good husband to my wife, but I can't control myself downstairs. This time, I made a mistake and my wife kicked me out."
The migrant workers burst into laughter and clinked glasses with Long Xiao. After a few drinks, they were all a little tipsy and started telling jokes. Soon, they all felt like old friends.
The two middle-aged men who were following Long Xiao hid behind the green belt, watching Long Xiao from a distance. They felt strange and began to suspect they had followed the wrong person.
Long Xiao spread out his Five Elements Qi, and the situation within a radius of thirty meters was reflected in his mind. He had already detected two groups of people watching him.
To return to Donghai smoothly, he had to get rid of these people following him. There were two groups within thirty meters, and there were certainly others outside. He still didn't know how many people were following him.
It was past midnight after they finished drinking. The young man said, "Brother, it's almost dawn in a few hours. Why don't you sleep here with us?"
Long Xiao readily agreed, "Okay, I'll sleep under the bridge with you tonight."
The young man enthusiastically offered Long Xiao a shared bedding. Long Xiao didn't stand on ceremony and took off his jacket before lying down.
After the young man lay down, Long Xiao said in a low voice, "The thousand yuan I exchanged earlier is in my jacket pocket. It's yours. In the morning, wear my suit and head east. It would be best if you could hail a taxi and drive for an hour before coming back to get your things."
"Brother, what do you mean? Why..."
"Don't ask why, just go. You'll earn a thousand yuan for an hour's drive, which is enough for your drinks tomorrow."
The young man chuckled, "Enough, of course, it's enough. We drink cheap wine, and we don't even spend a thousand in five days."
As dawn broke, Long Xiao woke the young man up and whispered, "Get dressed and go. If we have a chance to meet again, I'll thank you properly."
The young man was about the same height as Long Xiao. In the dim morning mist, he put on Long Xiao's suit and walked east along the road.
As Long Xiao opened his eyes and observed his surroundings, he quickly discovered that five groups of people were following the young man.
After waiting for another ten minutes, Long Xiao scanned his surroundings. Seeing no one else watching the area, he removed the human skin mask from his face and put on the young man's clothes.
The groggy 'Chiyan Worm' flew up and landed on Long Xiao's shoulder, burrowing into his collar.
The young man's jacket was a bomber jacket, and the Chiyan Worm went directly into the pocket inside.
Long Xiao tidied up the bedding, put it away, and then went up to the road above the overpass, where he flagged down a taxi.
"Master, drive west, to the closest county town to Jingcheng."
The driver glanced at Long Xiao, seeing him dressed in clothes typically worn by migrant workers, and said, "Three hundred."
Long Xiao didn't say anything and directly took out his phone to pay.
The driver, having received the money, smiled and said, "Please sit tight, we'll depart immediately."