Chapter 375: Dragon Claw Hand

Half an hour later, Yang Chen arrived at Mo Qianni's apartment. He found the door unlocked, clearly prepared for his arrival. As he gently opened the door and walked in, he was greeted by the tantalizing aroma of sesame oil and cilantro. The dining table had traces of white flour scattered on it, and the kitchen was filled with steam.

Mo Qianni, dressed in an apron with her hair tied up in a simple ponytail, was bustling around the kitchen, looking every bit the domestic goddess. Seeing Yang Chen enter, she wiped a bit of sweat from her temple and smiled sweetly. "Dinner will be ready in half an hour."

Yang Chen, not in a hurry, walked into the kitchen and stood behind Mo Qianni. He wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered in her ear with a smile, "I'm not that hungry yet. How about we get some exercise before dinner?"

Mo Qianni knew exactly what Yang Chen meant. She playfully patted his forehead with her hand. "Stop fooling around. I just need to stir-fry a couple more dishes. Why don't you go watch some TV for a bit?"

Yang Chen glanced at the counter, which was already laden with six or seven different dishes, both meat and vegetarian. "Why so much? Plus, there's dumplings too. How are we supposed to eat all this?"

Mo Qianni smiled mysteriously. "We have more guests coming. You'll see."

"More guests? Who?" Yang Chen was puzzled.

"You know them. You'll find out soon enough," Mo Qianni teased.

Before Yang Chen could ponder further, there was a knock on the door.

"Go open the door," Mo Qianni urged him.

Curious, Yang Chen walked to the door and opened it.

Standing before him was a combination of a burly man and a petite beauty. Yang Chen blinked, ensuring he wasn't mistaken. "Why is it you two?"

"Long time no see, Big Brother Yang," Yezi said with a giggle.

Tianlong grinned broadly. "Haha, why can't it be us? You're here to mooch a meal, and so are we."

The visitors were none other than Yezi from Dragon Group and Tianlong, one of the Eight Divisions. What were they doing together at Mo Qianni's place?

Mo Qianni walked out from the kitchen carrying a cold dish. With a charming smile, she greeted, "Yezi, Tianlong, come on in and have a seat."

"Qianni, let me help you," Yezi said, sticking her tongue out at Yang Chen before running into the kitchen to assist Mo Qianni.

Yang Chen, catching Tianlong, frowned and asked, "Are you here to play some trick on me again? Last time, you tricked me into fighting in Tibet. What's the deal this time?"

Tianlong sighed. "Why do you say that? It was the traitor 'Broken Blade' who set that up against you, not us. Besides, you already know about the fight we're here for in Zhonghai. Yezi and I are here for a personal visit with Miss Mo, not for any official business."

"Personal visit?"

"Yezi has kept in touch with Miss Mo. You didn't know?" Tianlong asked, surprised.

Yang Chen truly hadn't known about it. Looking at the kitchen, he saw the two women chatting and laughing, clearly getting along well. Mo Qianni had kept in touch with Yezi all this time. Not to mention the initial deception during that incident, but how they reconnected and maintained a close relationship showed Mo Qianni's magnanimity. It was evident that her capacity for understanding and forgiveness was greater than most men, which explained her success in the business world.

Sitting in the living room with Tianlong, Yang Chen poured two cups of water. After chatting about recent events for a while, Yang Chen asked, "Why are you and Yezi here together? What about the other Dragon Group members?"

Tianlong chuckled sheepishly, "Haven't you figured it out? What's our relationship?"

"What relationship?" Yang Chen genuinely didn't know.

"We're dating!" Tianlong couldn't hold it in any longer, and his face was full of pride as he spoke.

Yang Chen almost spat out his water. Looking at Tianlong's rugged physique and square face, then at Yezi's petite figure, he was surprised that the two of them had become a couple.

When the two women finished in the kitchen, the dining table was full of dishes, with three steaming plates of dumplings included.

Yang Chen looked at Yezi and said, "Girl, you don't have much taste, huh? How did you end up with Tianlong?"

Yezi blushed, glancing shyly at Tianlong. "I don't know either."

"Yezi said she found me honest and a good man," Tianlong said, without a hint of embarrassment.

Yezi pinched Tianlong's arm, stopping him from saying more, which only made Tianlong pull her into a bear hug.

Seeing this, Mo Qianni couldn't help but tease, "You two, stop being so lovey-dovey in my house. It's making me feel sour."

The four of them laughed and sat down to eat. What Yang Chen had thought would be a dinner for two with Mo Qianni turned into a meal welcoming two unexpected guests, leaving him feeling a bit disappointed.

During the meal, most of the food was devoured. Yang Chen helped Mo Qianni carry the dishes back to the kitchen.

Taking advantage of a moment alone, Mo Qianni cautiously asked Yang Chen, "Honey, are you angry that I kept in touch with Yezi?"

"Why would I be angry?" Yang Chen asked in return.

"I didn't tell you," Mo Qianni said softly. She had wanted to mention it several times but, due to her strong self-esteem, felt there was no need to report her personal friendships, especially since it was just phone contact with Yezi. Today, since Yezi was visiting Zhonghai and wanted to see her, they ended up with this impromptu dinner.

Yang Chen smiled lightly, "As long as you don't see a problem with it, why would I mind? You're not a clueless little girl; you know how to choose your friends."

Mo Qianni's heart eased, and she smiled brightly. "Thank you."

After not seeing each other for a long time, the four of them sat together, drinking hot tea and eating snacks like dried fruits, engaging in lively conversations. Yang Chen found it particularly amusing to tease the "Beauty and the Beast" couple, Tianlong and Yezi. Whenever Yezi got shy, she would retaliate against Tianlong, only to be playfully countered in the end.

Time flew by during their casual chat, and before they knew it, it was already past eleven at night. Yezi and Tianlong, realizing the time, decided to leave as they had important matters to attend to in Zhonghai.

Throughout the evening, both Yezi and Tianlong avoided discussing the impending confrontation with Sandstorm and Vantian, aware that Yang Chen didn't like talking about it and didn't want Mo Qianni to get suspicious.

Just as they were about to leave, the lights in the apartment suddenly dimmed!

All the electrical appliances fell silent as well.

Power outage?

The apartment plunged into darkness, but Yang Chen's vision was unaffected. He had a feeling this wasn't an ordinary power outage.

Mo Qianni instinctively moved closer to Yang Chen, softly asking, "Could it be an electrical fault? Why would the power go out in winter?"

"It's not a power outage. Look, the other buildings outside still have their lights on, but only our building is dark," Yezi pointed out, glancing out the window. Yang Chen sensed something amiss. Seeing Tianlong and Yezi standing near the window, he quickly shouted, "Tianlong, Yezi! Get down!"

Just as the words left his mouth, before Tianlong and Yezi could react, two dark figures suddenly leapt up outside the large window of Mo Qianni's apartment!

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Fire serpents burst outside the window as fierce bullets shattered the fragile glass, shooting straight at Tianlong and Yezi's backs!

Thanks to Yang Chen's warning, Tianlong's warrior instincts kicked in. He quickly grabbed Yezi and pushed her down, shielding her with his body!

Tianlong knew he could dodge the bullets, but Yezi, with her less developed combat skills, couldn't.

Yang Chen had to protect the shocked and defenseless Mo Qianni. As soon as the shadows appeared, he swiftly moved her to a relatively safe corner of the room.

When Yang Chen turned back, he saw Tianlong, who had shielded Yezi, lying on the ground, clearly hit by two bullets in the back!

"Tianlong! Tianlong!" Yezi, realizing what had happened, screamed in terror as she saw blood oozing from Tianlong's mouth.

Tianlong practiced the Shaolin Dragon Claw Hand technique but not the protective arts like Golden Bell Cover or Iron Cloth. In that critical moment, he had no choice but to take the bullets aimed at Yezi, resulting in serious internal injuries.

Mo Qianni, who had been moved to safety by Yang Chen, was pale with shock. The sudden violent turn of events left her in a state of utter panic and confusion.

However, the two dark figures were not finished with their assault!