Chapter 178: Moving House

Li Yi, who had been packing at home, had returned to normal, but he was completely unaware of his sudden transformation earlier, as if nothing had happened.

"Nutrient fluid, money, photo albums, property certificate, damn it, fake human skin mask. Just take the important things; leave everything else behind. Buy new stuff after moving to the new place—it won't cost much anyway."

Li Yi quickly finished packing and carried large and small bags.

Just as he was about to leave, his peripheral vision caught a shadowy corner of the living room.

On one wall of the living room, the surface was uneven, shadows undulating, and far off, three human silhouettes stood motionless, looking eerie; faintly, he felt those three figures were watching him, making him deeply uneasy.

But when Li Yi changed his angle, the light shifted, and the three silhouettes vanished.

"I must've imagined it. But I almost forgot—I need to take this hanging spear too."

Li Yi shook his head, his gaze finally settling on the hanging spear. He immediately freed one hand and used the Guidance Technique to draw out cosmic energy from within his body.

As his palm glowed faintly, he reached out and grasped the phantom spear.

Just as he had expected.

The hanging spear was now firmly in his hand.

"So it works. To touch this spirit artifact, physical contact won't do—you need cosmic energy, just like when I held the demon-headed great sword in the Four Seas and Eight Zones." Li Yi thought to himself.

He was moving house; this hanging spear could not possibly be left behind—he had to take it to the new home.

Besides, supernatural incidents had erupted throughout the old district; keeping the spear nearby would serve as protection.

After confirming nothing was left behind, Li Yi shut off the water, electricity, gas, and locked the door—he doubted he'd return for a very long time.

This sudden move left him with a pang of reluctance; he had lived here for years, enduring the darkest period of his life, and the place held deep memories—it also carried the presence of his late grandparents.

But under current circumstances, staying here would mean taking on serious risk.

One cannot dwell only on the past; one must look forward.

Li Yi quickly adjusted himself, picked up his bags, and left his old home.

"Lu Jue, let's go. I've finished packing—take me to Peace Financial Tower." Li Yi got into the car and said at once.

"I know where that is," Lu Jue nodded. "But last time I passed by, it was still under renovation—I'm not sure if it's finished yet. By the way, Li Yi, you should call your interior designer. If it's not ready, it won't be suitable for moving in."

"Whether it's suitable doesn't matter—what matters is that it's close to the Peace District, safer. But you're right—it reminded me. I'll call and check the renovation progress."

He immediately picked up his phone and dialed Zheng Lan's number.

The call connected quickly; a woman's voice, accompanied by the noise of construction, came through: "Hello, is this Li Yi?"

"It's me, Zheng Lan. I'd like to ask—how's the renovation of Peace Financial Tower going? Is it ready for occupancy?" Li Yi asked.

"Main construction is complete. Only finishing touches remain—should be done in two days. Occupancy is no problem. I used only eco-friendly materials—no air pollution. Want to come see the site? I'm here supervising right now." Zheng Lan said.

"Good, I'm on my way." Li Yi hung up and put down his phone.

Lu Jue said, "Looks like your interior designer is reliable—less than a month and she's got a whole tower ready."

"She's Zheng Gong's cousin—a contact in the Investigation Bureau." Li Yi said. "She's helping out just because of our friendship."

"No wonder," Lu Jue realized.

As they chatted, the car soon arrived beneath Peace Financial Tower.

Nothing like the overgrown wasteland it had been before.

The area around the tower had been re-landscaped, many streetlights installed, and a gate erected at the entrance—no vehicles could enter without permission. The exterior had been completely renewed: the glass walls cleaned, missing sections repaired, and the interior lit brilliantly, no longer the abandoned ruin it once was.

When Lu Jue's vehicle arrived, Zheng Lan, having been alerted in advance, remotely opened the gate.

"Li Yi, you're really extravagant—turning a whole tower into your home? Do you live here alone?" Looking at the gleaming new tower, Lu Jue couldn't help but look envious.

"Just my family for now," Li Yi said, stepping out of the car.

"A tower this big, just one person living here? Even if it got haunted, no one would know." Lu Jue sighed.

"Li Yi!"

At that moment, a woman's voice called out. Zheng Lan, smiling, waved from inside the tower and hurried over.

"Zheng Lan." Li Yi nodded in greeting.

"Where have you been all this time? Zheng Gong has been looking for you everywhere—he even asked me. After you left last time, you vanished. If you hadn't called me out of the blue, I thought you'd gone missing. Thank heaven, you're back!" Zheng Lan patted her ample chest and let out a long breath.

"So big."

Beside her, Lu Jue glanced and inwardly marveled.

"Zheng Gong's looking for me? I remember giving him a heads-up before I left. Maybe my absence was longer than expected, and things changed more than he anticipated." Li Yi asked, "By the way, is he in a hurry?"

"Very. And more than once. Now that you're back, I suggest you go to the Investigation Bureau—he's still working there." Zheng Lan said at once.

Li Yi said, "Alright. After I move in, I'll go to the Investigation Bureau right away."

"Who's this?" Zheng Lan then turned to Lu Jue.

"He's Lu Jue, a friend of mine. He helped me move and came along to take a look. By the way, how's the renovation going? Everything alright?" Li Yi asked.

Zheng Lan shook her head with a wry smile. "At first it went smoothly, but after too many things happened, it got messy. Luckily, your tower's location is excellent—close to the Peace District. Many people want to work here because it's safe, and I paid well. In the end, I didn't let you down—I've nearly finished the whole thing."

"Too bad your timeline was so tight—I could've added a few more floors."

"For now, functional is enough. By the way, my parents' medical pods have arrived—where do you think I should put them?" Li Yi asked, pointing to the two pods on the side of the car.

Zheng Lan said, "The tower has thirty floors. According to the original plan, the thirtieth floor is for cultivation and temporary rest, the twenty-ninth for personal leisure, and the rest for storage and idle space. Li Yi, I suggest placing your parents' pods on the first floor."

"On the first floor? That doesn't seem right," Li Yi frowned.

Zheng Lan explained, "Since only your family lives here, placing them on the first floor makes it convenient for you to care for them—you'll pass through the first floor every time you come and go, whether to visit or tend to them. If you put them on an empty floor, you won't notice if something goes wrong. And putting them in the cultivation area is bad too—cultivation generates energy fluctuations that could interfere with the pods' operation."

Hearing this, Li Yi found it reasonable.

"Is there a room on the first floor?"

"Of course. I designed a spacious, well-lit room facing the sun—you could use it as a reception area. Placing the pods there is no problem at all," Zheng Lan said.

"Alright, I'll move the pods in. Lu Jue, can you handle one each?" Li Yi turned to ask.

Lu Jue said, "No problem, but I'll carry your father's pod."

He dared not touch Li Yi's mother's pod again—who knew what terrifying, unknown change Li Yi might suddenly undergo.

"Hm?" Li Yi was puzzled, but quickly nodded.

The two quickly carried the two medical pods down from the car.

"Follow me."

Zheng Lan led the way, saying, "I installed many smart systems in this building—lights, doors, surveillance, even the elevator—all controllable. I'll give you a phone later to manage all electronic devices. I heard a company recently developed a Smart Life System, but licensing costs over a hundred million. If you can integrate it, the building's security will be far superior."

"Smart Life? That's a thing?" Lu Jue exclaimed.

"I heard it from a colleague—it exists. Far more advanced than our old smartphone systems. Supposedly, the Smart Life System has human-level intelligence and can converse normally with you. Unbelievable," Zheng Lan said.

Lu Jue whistled. "The world really has changed."

"Probably not a product of our world's technology," Li Yi's eyes narrowed—he immediately thought of cross-world entities.

If the Cross-World Organization exists, someone must have succeeded in crossing over—just like me. But some entered not a martial world, but a technological one. Acquiring a Smart Life System from such a world wouldn't be hard.

And systems like this can be infinitely replicated—own one Smart Life, own countless ones.

"Possible. After the Skyfall Event, many things not from our world appeared. Someone might've found advanced tech, reverse-engineered it, and triggered a technological boom," Zheng Lan nodded. She didn't immediately think of cross-worlds, but instinctively linked it to the Skyfall Event.

Soon after.

The group entered the first floor of the tower.

The floor was already tiled, illuminated brightly by lights. Zheng Lan led them to a heavy steel door, which opened via facial recognition. Inside was a spacious, bright room equipped with a bathroom, storage, and many green plants—warm and comfortable.

"Indeed, very good," Li Yi sniffed.

Even cultivators could sense the air was fresh, unpolluted, and the temperature comfortable.

"Of course. Constant temperature, constant oxygen, air purification. Though we renovated fewer areas, the living space can't be half-done—it'd cause trouble later," Zheng Lan smiled, but then winced with chest pain.

The renovation had gone far over budget. Li Yi's advance payment was gone, and she had personally put in several million.

But she thought it was worth it.

Li Yi had saved her life, and her cousin Zheng Gong had greatly improved after using Li Yi's oddity cultivation chamber. Compared to that, her out-of-pocket money meant nothing. If she acted stingy, she'd seem petty—she didn't want to leave a bad impression.

Li Yi carefully placed the medical pods and arranged their positions, then plugged them in.

As lights flashed, his parents' pods began operating normally.

"Zheng Lan, thank you," Li Yi said with genuine gratitude.

He needed a place to settle his family. Zheng Lan had truly cared, thoughtfully designing this space for him.

"Li Yi, you're too polite. Friends help each other."

Zheng Lan smiled, then added seriously, "But Li Yi, though it's unpleasant to say, I must warn you—your parents' pods are outdated. They can sustain the comatose, but can't provide better care. I suggest you replace them as soon as possible."

"Their condition will improve greatly—possibly even return to their pre-coma health."

"You're right. How much does the latest model cost?" Li Yi nodded seriously. He'd always wanted to upgrade, just never found the chance.

Now that he had a windfall, he'd just bite the bullet and replace them.

"The most expensive on the market is eighteen million. But my cousin Zheng Gong knows someone at Tianhe Medical—they've developed a new internal model not yet on sale. It costs thirty million, with lifetime free after-sales service. If you need it, I can give you their contact." Zheng Lan said.

Li Yi waved his hand. "No need. Zheng Lan, buy me two of the latest models. I'll transfer you sixty million. Also, send me the final renovation payment. Oh, and check on cultivation pods—I want to buy one too."

He immediately transferred eighty million to Zheng Lan.

"Li Yi, you overpaid on the final payment," Zheng Lan checked her phone and said at once.

"This place needs plenty of things. Zheng Lan, just use the extra to buy what's needed. Also, buy me ten million worth of golden nutrient fluid—I need it for cultivation," Li Yi said.

Ten million in nutrient fluid sounded like a lot—it was just one hundred vials.

"Alright, you're not shy at all. But you're handing me this much money—don't you worry I'll run off with it?" Zheng Lan rolled her eyes, then smiled.

Li Yi said, "If you ran off, I'd just bill Zheng Gong."

Zheng Lan laughed. "He can't afford it. Li Yi, wait a couple days. I'll contact the Tianhe Medical person right away—delivery should be quick. I'll arrange everything. Don't worry. The top floor is fully renovated. Let me take your facial scan—you'll have free access."

She pulled out a new phone, took his photo, uploaded his facial data, and set him as administrator.

After a series of operations, Li Yi was now the building's administrator.

"By the way, Li Yi, my access is still active—don't delete me. I'll need to come here and work for you for a while longer," Zheng Lan reminded, handing the phone to Li Yi.

"You keep the phone. Give it back to me after everything's settled. Don't worry—I won't delete it. When you have time, drop by and check on my parents, monitor the medical pod, and if possible, top up the nutrient solution. I'll stash a few things first, then head to the Investigation Bureau," Li Yi said.

"If you're going to order me around like this, just hire me as your butler. The interior design industry's nearly dead—I'm about to be unemployed," Zheng Lan laughed.

"If you don't mind the hassle, I'd be happy to have an extra butler."

Li Yi said it offhandedly, then got busy—after settling his parents' medical pod, he continued moving items with Lu Jue.

Zheng Lan paused, surprised that Li Yi had actually agreed to her casual remark. But then she began to think seriously about it.

Being Li Yi's butler might actually be a good job—he was a rising star in the Investigation Bureau's external operations, young and wealthy, self-made, with limitless potential. Working with him would never be a loss. If things went well, their relationship might even deepen further.

As she imagined it, Zheng Lan slipped unconsciously into fantasy—she even thought this building should be renamed Yi-Lan Tower.

While Zheng Lan drifted into fantasy, Li Yi and Lu Jue had already taken the elevator to the top floor with a pile of belongings.

The brand-new elevator ran swiftly and smoothly, with almost no noise.

Soon, the elevator doors opened, revealing a sleek, luxurious corridor. As Li Yi walked to the end and stood before a massive door, facial recognition triggered its opening, unveiling the panoramic city view from the top of Pinghe Financial Tower.

Warm, comfortable, clean, tidy, opulent, and bright.

Gazing outward, all of Tianchang City lay before him, stirring a sense of grandeur.

Li Yi took one look and felt his ten-million-credit renovation budget had already spent nine million here.

"This place is way more impressive than Yang Yi's old spot."

Lu Jue stepped inside, touched the surfaces, and couldn't stop admiring it—cultivating here would lift one's spirits considerably.

"Yang Yi's place was in Anding District—a building worth at least a few billion. Mine's far cheaper. Only this floor's finished; the rest are raw shells," Li Yi said, shaking his head, then placing key items into the storage room.

The Suspended Spear, however, he placed in a corner of the room—for easy access at any time.