Forge a path to success

Chu Hengkong smiled upon seeing this: "You're a city lord after all, so you should put on some airs."

"You're all better now, why put on airs!" Ji Qiufeng said, beaming. Ji Huaisu, whose food had been stolen, cursed the old man for being disrespectful and ran off to replenish his ammunition. Youyou climbed onto Jie An's head and ordered the cook to take it to see the flowers. So, only two men remained on the street, eating cheap snacks and watching the street scene illuminated by lights.

Ji Qiufeng took out a pill, round and shiny with golden light, like a glowing bead.

【Saha World Eternal Bliss Pill】

[Rating: Level 5]

【Origin: Mysterious Realm of Senluo - Huilong City】

[Effect: Cleanses away external contamination at particle level 5 and below, and temporarily isolates the user from external contamination below the Second Abyss. Enhances all abilities of the user for a short period. When taken by someone from the external path, it provides an additional cleansing effect.]

[Longing: This mortal world is not a Buddhist paradise; our karmic bodies suffer endlessly. A clear mind brings lasting joy; even this Saha world can be a pure land.]

Ji Qiufeng gazed at the pills as if looking at a long-lost friend. After a long while, he put the pills away and let out a sigh.

"You don't understand what you've done."

"I made a pill for Jie An, that's all," Chu Hengkong said.

In the distance, Jie An was picking through several bouquets of flowers, his movements appearing more composed than before. This impulsive fellow seemed to finally be at his age; perhaps before, he had always been a child in his own heart, living in a shadow he could never catch up with.

“Back then, I wanted to find him a stable path, not seeking fame or fortune, but just peace and safety. But Jie’an wouldn’t allow himself to live that way. He said that even if he couldn’t go to the battlefield, he still wanted to do his best for the city… At that time, I thought that he and my father were the same in their bones, both too proud, and we must never let ourselves look down on ourselves.”

“You’re a proud person too, aren’t you?” Chu Hengkong said. “Now the biggest problem is solved. It seems we’ll all have to take a backseat for now and watch the city lord show his might.”

"Not for now," Ji Qiufeng said with a slight smile. "This medicine is too good; Xiao An could only make this one pill. I can't let you down; we have to wait for the best opportunity to use it."

When would be a good time? Wouldn't it be better to take the medicine first? Chu Hengkong was too lazy to think about it; he trusted Ji Qiufeng wouldn't make the wrong choice. In any case, he wouldn't be unemployed anytime soon. They then started discussing mundane topics, such as how to get a raise and how to pay the salary…

Soon after, everyone returned, chatting and laughing as they walked into the joyful crowd.

Chapter 39 Killer Holiday

A faint white light appeared in the darkness, casting a hazy glow over the room.

Ji Huaisu shifted restlessly a few times, then, unable to bear it any longer, she sat up and pulled back the curtains. The stark white light made her head reflexively shrink back. She stared out the window for a while before realizing that there was actually sunshine today.

On the last day of the holiday, the weather cleared up in Huilong City!

Local residents find it hard to resist sunny days, and this was especially true for Ji Huaisu, who had spent several days navigating the dark swamp. The unpleasantness of being awakened by the light vanished instantly. She jumped out of bed, inwardly cheering, and pondered where to while away this rare day off.

First, go to a safe workshop to soak up the sun... get some exercise, then have lunch at an outdoor restaurant... In the afternoon, you could consider boating in a public area... or having afternoon tea would also be nice. Or perhaps cycling around the city? Maybe try a picnic on the grass?

As Ji Huaisu stepped out of her room, she almost wanted to jump off the building to take a shortcut, just like someone else had done. But this thought made her stop and look at room 302 next door.

This floor was originally reserved for senior detectives, and due to a well-known shortage of manpower, she had been living there alone from the beginning. However, the situation changed recently; a certain assassin who had performed a great service and been promoted was given a better dormitory and now lives next door to her.

Thinking that it wouldn't be very fun to spend a rare holiday alone, Ji Huaisu tried knocking on the door: "Hey! Are you there?"

"Yes. Please."

The door opened automatically; Chu Hengkong had actually activated the house's built-in voice control function. Considering this guy, while he didn't bother with his appearance, he was never sloppy either, so he shouldn't have turned his place into a garbage dump… but…

Ji Huaisu took off her shoes in the foyer before entering the house. After searching around but finding no slippers, a sense of foreboding washed over her. Such beautiful weather, and this guy hadn't even drawn the curtains or opened the windows; the room felt deathly still. She blinked, took in her surroundings, and immediately cried out in despair, "My God… what kind of life have you been living?!"

The dining table, cabinets, and walls were completely bare, a pristine white expanse resembling a newlywed's home. The benches were devoid of cushions and backrests, instead draped with dirty clothes, a stark demonstration of a relaxed lifestyle where "clothes baskets are unnecessary and sofas can be substituted." The floor was only dusty enough to warrant a quick sweep in a couple of days, suggesting someone who cleans regularly only every few weeks. The dried fruit, snacks, and other perks collected from the queue were piled in a corner of the hall; many seemed ready to be unearthed, but the sheer height of the pile deterred anyone from even looking.

Chu Hengkong's dormitory was indeed not a garbage dump, because there really wasn't much garbage there... His dormitory was practically a doghouse! A completely unfinished, bare doghouse!

"I'm just living here normally," Chu Hengkong's voice came from the bedroom. Ji Huaisu rushed in, finding him lying calmly on the bed, completely unfazed, as if he had nothing to lose. She quickly drew back the curtains to let in the sunlight, and looked around, feeling even more desperate: "Don't you think something's missing from your house?!"

The room was even cleaner than the outside. Apart from a pitiful two or three books on the bookshelf, there was practically nothing there... The green coat was hanging on the chair, and there were no other clothes. The entire wardrobe was empty!

Chu Hengkong sat up abruptly, dressed in his usual black shirt and trousers. His response to Ji Huaisu's question was remarkably calm: "Less than before."

"And then?" Ji Huaisu glared at him intently.

"It doesn't matter," Chu Hengkong said, finding it strange. "It won't affect my normal living arrangements."

"I don't even want to talk about your floor anymore. Forget about the decorations and trinkets, where are your clothes? Your slippers? Your sheets and blankets?" Ji Huaisu stomped her foot in frustration, pointing to the empty wardrobe. "Assassin, don't you think you should buy something from that thing?"

Chu Hengkong looked down and saw the girl's white socks on his dirty floor, and felt a little embarrassed: "Two sets of clothes are enough, and I only bought one pair of slippers since I live alone... Sorry, I forgot to remind you that you don't need to take off your shoes."

"It's not a matter of reminding or not reminding..."

At this moment, Ji Huaisu felt a deep despair. This despair stemmed from a fundamental difference in perception. Some people felt that the dormitory was like their own home and had to be well-maintained, while others felt that as long as there was a bed to sleep in, that was enough. Generally speaking, the latter were either unlucky kids who were used to a hard life or people who had experienced special things... Thinking of this, she felt a chill run down her spine and quickly asked, "Hey, did you live in this kind of environment when you were an assassin?"

Chu Hengkong looked completely bewildered.

"No. I was living in a villa converted from an old building. There were many carpets on the floor and famous paintings in the hallways."

"Then why did you live like this?" Ji Huaisu was utterly exasperated. It was like a rich young master willingly living in a doghouse and thinking it was fine; there was no way to understand it.

"I'm an assassin, I'm only responsible for my job." Chu Hengkong tried to explain common sense to his partner, "Houses, cars, and other things outside of work... the boss will take care of those for me."

"Your boss's image in my mind has instantly changed from a ruthless mafia boss to a fussy housekeeper!" Ji Huaisu covered her face. "I've had enough! Get up and clean! Wash all the sheets and duvet covers while the weather's nice, then come shopping with me!"

Chu Hengkong said incredulously, "Are you kidding me? I have a day off today..."

"Give it to me! Do it!!"

·

"I wasted my holiday." Chu Hengkong said expressionlessly.

Under Ji Huaisu's orders, he spent nearly an hour and a half tidying up his room. Most of the process was meaningless, such as wiping dust off places that were completely unnecessary, sweeping the floor that looked okay, and washing the sheets, duvet covers, and pillowcases that weren't too dirty. Now, Ji Huaisu had dragged him to the shopping street, where he walked alongside young men and women in the sunlight, picking out small, useless paintings, blankets, and potted plants.

Ji Huaisu was examining a spherical cactus when he heard this and sneered, "So what were you originally planning to do? Practice martial arts all day?"

"Practice martial arts for half a day," Chu Hengkong corrected. "Spend the remaining half day fishing in the swamp. Wash your coat if you have time."

“Oh my god, I forgot about that coat you never take off…” Ji Huaisu tossed the spherical cactus into the shopping basket. “You like a piece of clothing, but you don’t have to wear it every day, right? It’s not even a very pretty piece of clothing.”

Chu Hengkong was stubborn: "This coat is a high-end item custom-made by the family, consider it my... keepsake. It used to be very beautiful, but it has become like this after being worn for a long time."

"Then why don't you go to a clothing store and get it fixed? A high-end one with 400 flow beads should be enough," Ji Huaisu said casually.

"...What kind of solidification?"

"The craftsmanship of the Netherworld God Kingdom's artisans, huh?" Ji Huaisu glanced at him unsurprised. "Never heard of it, huh? You don't care about anything outside of battles and missions, do you? You're practically isolated from normal society. I suspect that if you don't have any orders, you'd rather starve to death on the street than ask if there's any free porridge around."

Chu Hengkong was speechless. He had to admit that the words were spot on. In the two months since he transmigrated, he had a good understanding of the manpower and resources of the various factions in the city, knew about dangerous areas and crime hotspots, and had used most of the common relic weapons. But he had never cared whether there were any service facilities here that were different from those on Earth, let alone knew where there were merchants with fair prices and shops with ample supplies.

The city is home to technology and immigrants from various Dust Isles, but Chu Hengkong knows almost nothing about their unique characteristics outside of combat.

"You're right," Chu Hengkong admitted. "I should be more careful."

"Right~" Ji Huaisu drawled, "Hey, look at this, it's nice! You can put it on your desk."

She chose a green succulent plant that looked like an upright rubber sword. Chu Hengkong glanced at it, then picked up a blue conch shell: "I'd rather put this in; I can listen to the sound of the waves."

The conch shell swayed, producing a desolate, mournful sound of waves. Ji Huaisu's expression was quite strange: "Wow, you really are a psychopath... Why listen to anything but the sound of waves!"

Chu Hengkong stared at her, "Does my liking to fish offend you?"

“It’s not about fishing. The sound of the waves is the most depressing sound in the world.” Ji Huaisu snatched the conch shell and put it down. “Imagine you sitting alone on the edge of a cliff looking at the sea. The world is empty except for the hollow sound of the waves. That sense of emptiness and desolation is like it’s suffocating you. It’s cold and lonely.”

“It’s entirely your fault for thinking differently from others.” Chu Hengkong saw her heading towards the cashier and tried to argue before paying: “Besides, I don’t see anything special about this thing…”

Ji Huaisu held the small plant next to her face and looked at him with a grin: "Think about it again. Don't you think it's cute?"

“Okay, I’ll buy it.” Chu Hengkong readily agreed.

They spent another hour buying various clothes, the variety of materials of which amazed Chu Hengkong, including silk spun by some kind of insect (which is cool in summer), light metals from hot regions (which feel like cloth and are warm to the touch), and fabric sewn together with colloids and plastics (similar to denim but very durable). After all this shopping, it was already noon, and he was taken to a restaurant converted from a large wooden boat to eat stewed chicken, salad, and seafood noodles.

"Half of my vacation is gone."

“Don’t be silly, you’re on vacation!” Ji Huaisu said cheerfully, the silver pendant on her chest gleaming.

Today she wore sunglasses, a long-sleeved white shirt, and slim-fit jeans. Her golden hair, not tied in a ponytail, cascaded over her shoulders. One could see someone trying to project a mature charm, but the constantly sticking-up frizz made the outfit seem somewhat mismatched.

Ji Huaisu noticed his expectant gaze and returned it. Chu Hengkong couldn't bear to say anything hurtful, so he said, "The pendant is nice."

It was a glittering little trinket, with a cluster of radiant protrusions on its crescent-shaped base, like a shooting star rising from the depths. Ji Huaisu gave a forced smile: "I usually wear it..."

"I know," Chu Hengkong said frankly, "that's all I can praise."

"Get lost." Ji Huaisu tried to pinch his tentacles, but gave up because they were too slippery. She wiped her sticky hands: "But this thing is quite beautiful. I heard from my father that it was here when he found me. It might be an heirloom from my biological parents."

This time, Chu Hengkong was truly surprised: "You're not your father's biological son?"

Ji Huaisu looked at him as if he were a fool.

"Why would you think a single man with black hair and black eyes would have a blonde daughter with purple eyes...?"

"Your place is such a mess, why do you care about hair color? Besides, you look exactly like him."

"Really?" Ji Huaisu leaned closer, resting her head on the table. "Do you think I look a lot like my father?"

"Their temperaments are exactly the same." Chu Hengkong said decisively.

"Really? I see~"

Ji Huaisu immediately cheered and happily ate the seafood noodles, rolling them into a ball with her fork. Chu Hengkong's lips twitched; he felt he had wasted some time, spending precious moments talking about meaningless things.

Is this what a typical vacation is like? Putting on nice clothes, going out for a stroll, eating, drinking, and shopping, trying to make your life different from usual.

"I still prefer fishing," Chu Hengkong said, "or playing video games at home."

"Don't be so old-fashioned... By the way, what's playing video games? Like playing cards?"

Chu Hengkong tried to explain: "It's a video game. You control other people on a screen to walk around, buy things, drive cars, or fight..."

"Wow, that sounds so unrealistic. Why don't you do that in real life?" Ji Huaisu took off her sunglasses and looked at him.

Chu Hengkong took his phone out of his pocket and waved it at her: "Because there are many things in games that don't exist in reality. I have a lot of old games saved on my phone and I play them whenever I have time, but unfortunately, they're out of battery now and I can't play them."

"Oh~~" Ji Huaisu examined it for a while, "Why don't you buy a charging plug and try it?"

"..."

"I know you haven't heard of it. Come with me after you finish eating."

The next destination wasn't far from the restaurant, located on the tree-lined Greenway, in a recently renovated three-story building. The shop was like a museum, displaying oil paintings, bottled boats, and all sorts of strange trinkets. The shopkeeper, an elderly man, was overjoyed to see Chu Hengkong: "Oh, it's Detective Chu! Take whatever you want!"

This place was called Iron Paddle Shop, the very shop he had smashed on his very first day here. Chu Hengkong took off his coat and placed it on the counter, waving his hand to decline the old man's offer: "Thanks, I'll just pay the normal price. Could you please fix my clothes and give me a charging plug?"

The old shop owner searched in the warehouse for a while and handed over a small gadget that looked a lot like a power bank.

"These things are very rare now," the old shopkeeper told him. "Few Dust Island dares to use 'electricity' as an energy source... You know, it's extremely dangerous in every way... So its energy conversion rate is low. You might have to spend 200 Flowing Orbs to... Let me think about how to say that word..."

"Charge," Chu Hengkong said.

“That’s right, charging!” The old shop owner was delighted. “How interesting! Every time I see these quirky little things, I want to buy them. Please wait twenty minutes, and I’ll process your coat.”

Chu Hengkong found the round hole for inserting the charging ball on the back of the charging plug. The "charging cable" of this thing was a deformable metal that automatically transformed into the shape of a USB port when brought close to the phone. He tried charging it and found that it actually worked.

"Oh my God."

Ji Huaisu glanced sideways: "Is this something you should be lamenting?"

"It was totally worth it."

The old shopkeeper was quick and efficient, completing the coat treatment in just over ten minutes. After the curing process was finished, the dark green coat looked brand new, and Chu Hengkong was pleasantly surprised to find that the family crest on the back of the coat had returned. It was a cane made of two small snakes intertwined, which, although worn from years of wear, now looked as lifelike as if it had just been sewn.

They carried their bags back to the dormitory and modified the doghouse into a "barely habitable" place. After finishing his work, Chu Hengkong opened his phone with one hand, went straight to the emulator, and selected an old game from the early 21st century.

"What is this... an emerald of oral sex monsters...?" Ji Huaisu peeked out curiously.

“It’s a very classic old game.” Chu Hengkong stared intently. “If you’re curious, you can sit aside and watch me play.”

As Ji Huaisu watched the pixelated figure emerge from the truck, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Your Dust Island is really strange! What's the point of this kind of simple, line-drawn thing?"

ten minutes later.

"Catch it! Oops, I missed... Throw another ball, throw another ball!!"

"There's no ball left."

"Go buy it, hurry up!" Ji Huaisu exclaimed excitedly. "I want to catch that little green thing!"

Twenty minutes later.

"Why is this yellow fox running away? Doesn't it have any manners?"

"Don't take games too seriously."

"This little green thing is producing good food... How does it survive in the wild? Can I fight it for it?"

Ten minutes later, Ji Huaisu, clutching a bag of potato chips, looked serious.

"How about we do this: I can play for ten minutes in exchange for a bag of potato chips?"

"What if I said no."