Chapter 73: 71. Sleeping Early (First Update)

71. Sleeping Early (First Update)

Clang...

The old-fashioned wind chime hanging at the entrance gave a crisp ring. Li Jiahong, who had just walked into the small shop, turned back in surprise to see an octagonal wind chime that looked like a small bell. Squinting to look closer, the material of the bell did not seem to be plastic or metal, and there were some unclear characters and patterns carved onto the bell's base.

The elusive Wei Jiang appeared behind Li Jiahong and said with a smile, "The boss just had me hang it up today, saying it would make it easier for you to hear when someone enters the shop."

"Lin Laoban is truly thoughtful." After hearing this, Li Jiahong, as an employee, felt the boss's meticulous care.

Hearing this, Wei Jiang couldn't help but laugh again, saying, "Of course, actually, I think it's more for Xiao Hei's convenience. Before there was a wind chime, it was always Xiao Hei who would meow first to signal that a customer had arrived."

Li Jiahong was speechless, then carefully recalled and realized that it did indeed seem that Lin Laoban's spiritual black cat had always been the one doing the job of a "doorbell."

Suddenly realizing that his status as an employee was inferior to a cat, Li Jiahong didn't feel dejected; instead, he found it quite interesting.

Lin Laoban never cared about anything and was not concerned with any matters, so when he learned that Lin Ling might still care about his and the little black cat's feelings, he felt not only flattered but also somewhat relieved; at least he knew that Lin Laoban was not a person completely devoid of emotion, just that he didn't have much of it.

"Has the boss already gone out for a stroll?" Li Jiahong asked curiously. He hadn't heard the sound of boiling water when he came in; usually, in such situations, it meant Lin Ling had gone out.

But Wei Jiang shook his head and said, "No, he took Xiao Hei back to his room to go to sleep."

Li Jiahong: "... I remember now, today is the first concert held by Teacher Hai after his death, right?"

"Yes, because it's more convenient to listen to the concert now, the boss felt there was no need to wait for the final concert, so he just went to listen to it directly," Wei Jiang explained.

Li Jiahong said with some emotion, "I hope Teacher Hai can hold the concert smoothly this time; the stage accident last time was too distressing."

"Do you want to go listen too? I'll watch the shop for you tonight," Wei Jiang asked.

"No." Li Jiahong had his own professional ethics; how could he not work diligently during work hours? Slacking off was wrong.

Wei Jiang smiled and said, "Don't worry, this is what the boss said. You can choose for yourself whether you want to go listen. After all, the night is long, and a concert only takes an hour and a half to two hours; it won't take much time."

Hearing that it was Lin Laoban's instruction, Li Jiahong felt tempted, but after struggling with the thought for a while, he still firmly shook his head and said, "Better not. If Ningning finds out that her old man is enjoying something alone, she won't be happy."

"Hahaha, then that's up to you. The boss said you could choose for yourself." Wei Jiang imagined Li Yuning complaining and crying to Li Jiahong and couldn't help but laugh.

Li Jiahong changed into his employee uniform and took his place at the counter. Wei Jiang stood beside the counter, and the two began to chat again when there were no customers.

"Ms. Yu didn't come today either." Li Jiahong glanced at the time; it was already past the time Yu Lianyun usually went to sleep.

Wei Jiang crossed his arms and guessed, "Isn't she on a mission lately? Perhaps the situation has changed." As a former member of the Xuanmi Group, he knew well that the job of a Mysterious Investigator did not have a regular daily routine.

Li Jiahong also suddenly realized and said, "I remember now, it's about the matter concerning that young man who came a few days ago, right? That young man hasn't been here for a long time either. I wonder if he successfully found a job."

"Compared to a job, it's more important for him to save his life now," Wei Jiang shook his head. "That kid has heavy karmic debt on him. Although it's not from this world, those karmic debts are tied to everything he is encountering now. Whether he can survive this tribulation depends on himself."

Hearing Wei Jiang's words, Li Jiahong couldn't help but let out a soft sigh: "Love debts are hard to repay..."

"Why do these footprints look so familiar?" Bu Gaojun looked at the tracks on the ground and muttered.

Li Yingqi gave him an expressionless side-glance and reminded him, "We only saw them today. These are Xin Junmao's footprints."

He Jia'an's special flashlight illuminated the ground, but he did not find any residual substances of the Daughter of Gluttony next to Xin Junmao's tracks. "It seems he came alone."

"Hiss, how can this be?" She Zi'an looked incredulous and said in disbelief, "He was clearly marked by the Daughter of Gluttony and trapped in a state of Lost Soul. How could he come here by himself without the guidance of the Daughter of Gluttony or her Servants?"

"He even tenderly tidied up Zhang Xiaoxiao's remains." Zhao Jing chimed in from the side, looking at her captain with a strange expression. "Captain, are you sure you read the full file on the Daughter of Gluttony? Is there really no one who can break free from the mark of the Daughter of Gluttony?"

"Uh—" She Zi'an was also less confident and smacked his lips, saying, "I... I remember it being like that."

He Jia'an flicked away the cigarette he had bitten out of shape and said, "No need to dwell on it anymore. We only need to know now that Xin Junmao has indeed broken free from the shackles of the mark, and he even ran here himself, courting death... Well, in short, we must save him before he encounters danger."

Everyone nodded, and then the members of the two groups followed the direction of the footprints on the ground, jogging in pursuit.

Walking out of the platform, the Mysterious Investigators were slightly shocked by the vast underground space before them. Stone pillars stood like a forest, strange rocks were jagged, and buildings made of chiseled and pieced-together rocks were densely packed, arranged within this Underground City. There were also a few figures walking on the streets.

This was like a small Underground City!

At the end of the main thoroughfare of this Underground City, facing them was a huge Stone Gate. The Stone Gate was engraved with ancient characters and drawings of the Shenzhou Region, full of the stylistic brushwork popular several hundred years ago. The core symbolic characters among them were the very patterns unique to the image of the Daughter of Gluttony. The Mysterious Investigators had already seen many of them in the Strange Array at the last bus driver's home and in the female assassin's belongings, leaving a deep impression.

The pictographic runes of the Daughter of Gluttony were also widely used throughout the buildings of the Underground City; some were carved on the roofs, some were posted on the doors, they were everywhere.

"Hey, is that person Xin Junmao?" He Jia'an had sharp eyes. He didn't get dazzled by this complex of buildings full of grotesque artistic style and was the first to discover the young man currently being surrounded and escorted by a group of gray-robed people.

The other party was wearing clothing that had nothing to do with the members of the Evolution Heaven organization. Although the distance was far, if one looked carefully, it could still be discovered.

"It's him." She Zi'an squinted, and after seeing the young man's silhouette, he immediately confirmed his identity.

"Get your gear ready, save him!"