Chapter 1169: Chapter 1167: The Secret Sanctuary
"Is this the Midnight Bookstore?"
The sole customer seemed completely engrossed but was evidently agitated. He’d been paying attention to the exchange between the two since Yuan Shan entered.
Seeing Fu Qian reply so crisply, the customer couldn’t hold back and blurted out his question before being shooed away.
"No."
Fu Qian glanced at him with puzzlement.
"Then why are you closing so early?"
This individual found it hard to accept that the quiet sanctuary he’d finally found disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"Eavesdropping on other people’s conversation is unethical, and besides, my turnover today has been zero. By a quick calculation, clearly today is not a good day to be open."
Fu Qian said casually, resting his chin on his hand.
"Doing business isn’t just about making money, you also have to take on your social responsibilities..."
Even though Fu Qian made no special demonstrations, the customer’s face blushed with stimulation, and he subconsciously put the book in his hand down.
"Like helping someone with a sleep disorder, for example?"
Fu Qian nodded thoughtfully, then stood up, walked over to the opposite bookshelf, pulled out three thick tomes, flipped through one, and threw the one with the most formulas over to him.
"No discount, cash only."
"I, I’m not good at math..."
He nearly got hit and fumbled to catch the book after which the customer looked at it and was instantly stupefied.
"Then it’ll be even more effective."
Fu Qian’s face was impassive, not offering any room for negotiation.
...
The customer mustered three seconds’ worth of courage, ultimately not daring to put the book down, shakily taking out money to pay.
"I’m going to complain about you..."
However, while holding the book and walking away, the customer couldn’t help but utter some fierce words.
"Sure, feel free to report me to any relevant department."
Fu Qian readily agreed, even casting a glance at Yuan Shan.
...
"Rare to see you taking business so seriously!"
With a full purchase, Chief Yuan, who had been watching the whole process, couldn’t help but commend him.
"No choice, I have to be serious when there are fewer people."
Fu Qian said while adeptly packing up the trash.
When there are more people, it’s more fun to just chase them away, no need for such hassle, right?
Yuan Shan sighed, finding it hard to accept that she understood him so well.
"But isn’t it a bit wasteful selling a book to someone who won’t read it?"
"How so? A book bought at full price, no matter how abstruse, makes one unable to resist flipping through it."
"...Let’s go, we still have a bit of a journey ahead. Do you prefer spacious or quiet?"
"A bit more spacious and quiet."
"Understood."
...
"Been busy lately, have you been to any interesting places?"
In the cabin, Yuan Shan handed Fu Qian a cup of tea and asked with a smiling face.
"Pretty good, vacation by the sea."
The other party had a casual tone, so Fu Qian also relaxed quite a bit.
"Oh? Was it pleasant?"
Yuan Shan looked sincerely curious.
"I’m so envious, I’ve been insanely busy over here!"
"The weather was bad."
Fu Qian shook his head, but was very satisfied with Chief Yuan’s meticulousness.
This time he had used the special travel permit she had given him, which in theory made tracking him way too easy, but her reaction showed total ignorance of it.
At the present, there was no need for her to feign ignorance about this.
It seemed that she had granted him a considerable right to be forgotten, and she even strictly complied with it herself.
Not in vain had I candidly advised her multiple times before!
"That’s indeed disappointing, but no need to be too sad, the weather’s going to be great where we’re going."
Yuan Shan offered a word of comfort, seemingly quite looking forward to the return trip as well.
"Really been a while since I’ve been back!"
"Speaking of which, I also wanted to ask, considering it’s the Night Watchman’s headquarters, I thought there would be something like a dimensional gate to get us there. We actually have to fly all the way there?"
Fu Qian blinked.
"I get how you feel, but traversing space isn’t so reliable in this world."
Yuan Shan explained with a smile, gesturing around.
"That kind of transportation is quite rare, but let’s look on the bright side, we’ll have more time to chat during the journey. Are you satisfied with this environment?"
"Not bad."
Fu Qian looked at the transportation, much more spacious and luxurious than what he had ridden before.
"Is this your official vehicle?"
"Mine’s not this big. This isn’t a Night Watchman’s asset."
Yuan Shan shook her head with a smile.
"Didn’t you say you wanted more space? The original passengers decided to postpone their trip at the last minute."
Dominant!
It hasn’t been long since his decision, and those elite humans might have been pulled off right before takeoff.
Fu Qian voiced his admiration without feeling anything improper.
He had done something similar a few days ago.
"So can you reveal now why we’re on this trip?"
"I can’t. The answer to that question is not within my authority right now."
Yuan Shan decisively shook her head.
"What I can tell you is that on this trip we’ll meet someone first. He is very much looking forward to this exchange, and will decide on the next steps based on the outcome."
"Does that include executing me on the spot?"
Fu Qian nodded as he listened, asking a sharp question.
"Not entirely excluded... but I will do my best to prevent that from happening."
Yuan Shan’s response was both candid and serious, before her voice lightened.
"So thank you for being willing to come."
"Of course, think positively. It’s a quite interesting place. Unless it’s the worst-case scenario, I believe you’ll like it!"
However, as a Chief, her emotional control was top-notch, and in a second, she transformed into a tour guide.
"If you’re lucky, you might even get to visit Su Gao."
"She’s here too?"
The illustrious figure of his top-class thug naturally popped into Fu Qian’s mind.
"Not often, she’s been busy recently."
Yuan Shan sighed.
"The world’s getting more chaotic."
...
To be fair, the not-so-short journey towards possible death was quite comfortable and enjoyable.
Even though Yuan Shan was very principled and refused to slip any information regarding the Prism of Radiant Transformation, her spirits were high since she didn’t have to work, and she shared a lot with Fu Qian about Shangjing.
According to her, the matter concerning Gulad’s side had been completely resolved.
In the end, the ancient family was deeply grateful for the Night Watchmen’s assistance in rooting out the family’s rotten elements and expressed their strong support for the new city official, Gan Zuoxun.
Meanwhile, Miss Wen, after laying low and consolidating for a few days, finally reappeared in social circles, rocketing up in status and shocking the Shangjing Supernatural Realm with her genius.
Now with her soaring Momentum, she has eclipsed North’s Jiangen and South’s Tyler and is touted as the most likely candidate to reclaim Shangjing’s honor from the Grand Fate Ming Emperor.
And the two who paled in comparison due to the previous turmoil, are now keeping a low profile, nowhere to be seen.
All these intriguing stories, along with excellent ingredients, made Fu Qian listen with great interest.
Of course, all this paled in comparison to the shock he received upon approaching their destination.
"Are you sure we’re not at the wrong place?"
As his gaze returned from the few landmark buildings he could barely make out, Fu Qian’s brows were tightly knitted.
"Different from what you imagined?"
Yuan Shan, on the other hand, looked quite pleased, as if she had long anticipated his reaction.
"Yeah, in my imagination, even if it wasn’t some Sanctuary or magic realm, at least there’d be mountain ranges or floating cities. But this is—"
"A gambling city."
Yuan Shan confirmed his guess.
"But I need to correct you, this place is indeed a hidden sanctuary. Welcome to—"
Her face turned serious in a second.
"Night Holy City."
...I knew it; I’ve never heard about the Northern Headquarters of the Night Executors.