Mr Wang wiped his tear stained cheeks as Liu Yon placed the recording device into his suit pocket, both men sat in silence while Mr Wang collected himself. Once there were no tears falling, Liu Yong asked a few questions. “Did you ever see Fan Lei again, or his assistant?”

 

“No, even after we found out about Xiao She’s passing we searched for them but we found nothing.” Liu Yong sat back in his chair, Mrs Wang came back into the house holding two cases and a small pouch, both cases looked as if they had just been dug out of the damp dirt outside. “Take these with you, we don’t want them.”

 

Liu Yong stood up and took the things from the fragile looking woman before asking for the address they met Fan Lei at, after getting all the information he needed Liu Yong left the small house and walked back to his car. A small group of elderly women had crowded around the passenger side of the car holding various snacks and gifts. Liu Yong got closer and heard the old ladies coaxing Zhou RenShu to open the window for them. “He’s so cute, let granny see you properly.”

 

“Why would he open the window for your ugly face, I have sweet cakes little one, you can have the whole plate.” Liu Yong clicked the button to unlock the back storage of the car, the elederly women all turned and saw Liu Yong but paid him no attention as they continued to try and spoil Zhou RenShu. Inside the car Zhou RenShu waved lightly at the bickering women.

 

“Mr, why won’t this little boy take our snacks?” Liu Yong closed the boot of the car and walked to the drivers doors, unlocking the car. “See if he wants them now.”

 

The elderly women all tapped on the window almost scaring Zhou RenShu, he shyly pressed the button for the window and soon hoards of snacks were shoved into his skinny arms, various hands pinched his pale cheeks too. “He’s even cuter without the glass blocking his face.”

 

“Little one, will you be visiting granny again?” Zhou RenShu couldn’t speak as multiple hands pinched his cheeks, leaving red marks. Liu Yong sat down in his seat and turned the car on, the elderly women were quick to react as they snatched their hands out of the window, if they had reacted any slower their arms would no longer be attached to their bodies.

 

“Do you want a custard bun Liu Yong?” A soft bun was held by Liu Yong’s jaw, Zho RenShu had already eaten a bun himself in the few seconds it took to get back on the road. Liu Yong took the bun and held it while driving with one hand, when he changed gears, he would let go of the wheel, scaring Zhou RenShu. “Eh, I’ll hold it for you.”

 

On the quick drive to the building where everything happened, Zhou RenShu fed Liu Yong various snacks while eating his full as well. After finding the building, the area had obviously changed a lot from all those years ago. All the buildings in the area were tens of stories high and filled with businessmen and women. Liu Yong parked the car and told Zhou RenShu to stay as he walked up the short concrete steps to the entrance of the building, he had no official seal so he could only enter if security allowed it. “Sir, what are you here for?”

 

Liu Yong looked up to see this building was now an accounting company for large corporations. “I have a meeting, a worker was going to meet me in reception.”

 

The security opened the door and watched as Liu Yong walked to the front desk, seeing the woman talking respectfully to Liu Yong, the security guard didn’t bother with him any longer. Inside Liu Yong politely greeted the reception staff. “Hello beautiful ladies, I need some help today. Are you willing to help me?”

 

Both women blushed as they nodded their heads. “Thank you, I’m a building historian and am currently researching the oldest buildings in S city. I believe this could be one of the first buildings built when this city was first occupied. How long has this company resided here and is this the only company to own this building?”

 

Both women listened seriously to Liu Yong’s words before thinking carefully, the woman sitting furthest from Liu Yong spoke after some time. “This company has owned this building for close to fifty years however before the owner bought it, the building had been vacant for an extended amount of time.”

 

Hearing this the other woman spoke too. “I know that there is a storage room in the basement, it’s more like a warehouse down there but I know that whatever was left from the previous owner was all stored down there. I can lead you there personally sir.”

 

Liu Yong gave both women a warm smile before thanking them, the woman left behind cursed her luck as she had to stay back and handle other people walking through the doors. The receptionist leading Liu Yong chatted happily, ecstatic she had the opportunity to be in the presence of such a handsome man. Liu Yong wasn’t wearing any disguise since there was no need outside the city, he had to keep the facade of having a warm presence since his usual cold face could scare away the receptionist.

 

“Is it a hard job, being a building historian?” Liu Yong gave a light no as a reply, they were currently going down in the elevator when the receptionist received a call. “Oh no, Sir I need to go back to the front desk. I’ll let you into the storage room since a card is needed to enter it and leave the door open. When you’ve finished you can close it behind you and use the elevator.”

 

“Thank you.” Once inside the room Liu Yong was finally left alone and he seriously gazed around the large room. The lights above his head were dim but enough. Inside the room were various miscellaneous items as well as piles of boxes, most likely holding folders. The room held a strong scent of dust meaning nothing in the room had been touched for a long time, maybe since the building had been bought.

 

First Liu Yong opened the boxes closest to the door, like he thought they were filled with files. It seems this building really was used for experimenting but all of these are for cultivators and how to achieve better cultivation and energy when training soldiers and officers. Liu Yong placed the folders in his hand down and he walked further into the room. The shelves weren’t like the ones you would find in a library, instead they were more like ones used to hold industrial equipment and palettes.

 

The room was too large to sift through everything personally, if Liu Yong was to stay inside the room for an entire week, he still wouldn’t have been able to go through everything. Without much hope Liu Yong stood in the middle of the large space and concentrated on searching the room for energy. There of course wouldn’t be another living being in the room but anything would give Liu Yong a hint on where to start searching.

 

Slowly Liu Yong’s strong cultivation was used to search the large room, though everything was feeling the same, Liu Yong was thinking of stopping and searching around the room for anything about Fan Lei himself when he felt something warm near the left back corner of the room.. The energy is innocent, almost like a child. What is that?

 

Not wanting to waste anymore time, Liu Yong ran to the area where he felt the energy, this area wasn’t as packed as the rest of the room and it seemed as if all the belongings here were purposely excluded from the other things in the room. The warm energy was more prominent now and Liu Yong moved box after box before finding what he was looking for.

 

Inside a cardboard box, was a handful of USB sticks as well as two stones. One was completely baron of life while the other was emitting a warmth. The stone was small, the size of a grown adults thumbnail, it was a simple stone you would find at any river but Liu Yong already knew the original owner of this stone with one look. 

 

What is Wang She’s stone doing here? Why is it emitting a warm energy? Demons aren’t capable of storing energy and cultivation inside objects. Was this done by Fan Lei? Liu Yong put the stone back and searched through the rest of the box. Aside from the stones and USBs there was also an unopened letter with no address. With no need to stay any longer Liu yong carried the box out with him and exited the building with ease. Zhou RenShu had fallen asleep with a lap full of snacks while waiting.

 

Placing the box beside the dirty cases and pouch, the business in S City was done. Now it was time to see where Zhou RenShu lived. Inside the car Zhou RenShu only awoke when they were halfway to the main city. Liu Yong stared ahead as he asked Zhou RenShu for his address. At first Zhou RenShu wanted to pretend to be asleep, but he had already sat up and looked directly at Liu Yong. 

 

Reluctantly the name of the alley was said, Liu Yong was familiar with the area as there was a high crime rate, meaning cheaper rents although the living conditions were never great. Zhou RenShu moved the various containers and bags of food to the back seat before settling back into his chair. “Did you find Wu Yun?”

 

Liu Yong had almost forgotten the reasoning he had given Zhou RenShu and shook his head lightly. Zhou RenShu didn’t look sad or happy to hear this. “It’s best if you park a few streets away from my living complex, Liu Yong. People might steal your car.”

 

“Okay.” They were less than 1km away but Liu Yong turned around and drove to an area with clothing shops before parking. The sun was setting as they walked to the small alley where Zhou RenShu lived. This is too much of a contrast. Liu Yong probably has a nice house and sleeps in expensive hotels while I live in a damp basement room with no heating or lighting. Zhou RenShu stuck close to Liu Yong the closer they got and he had the urge to walk past his door when they walked down the alley but reluctantly decided against it.

 

As Zhou Renshu pushed the door Liu Yong saw there was no lock, inside there was a staircase leading both up and down. Zhou RenShu timidly led the way down the cold concrete stairs until they reached another door without a lock. As soon as the door was opened a strong smell of mildew filled their noses. Liu Yong had expected bad living conditions but he didn’t think it would be this bad. “How long have you been living here?”

 

“For almost twenty years…... I think. The place I was living in before was better but when I was fired from the cafe I was working at I couldn’t afford the rent so my roommates kicked me out.” Zhou RenShu looked around the room, the concrete floor was colder than he remembered and the space also looked more cramped. I’ve been living here for twenty years? How did I survive?

 

“Is there anything you want to keep?” Zhou Renshu looked around the room, not that there was much to look through and pulled out a small wooden doll. It was obviously old since the paint had fully rubbed off. Zhou RenShu showed it to Liu Yong. “What is it?”

 

“A Kokeshi doll, a friend from the orphanage gave it to me before she was adopted, she was also a snake demon.” The words Zhou RenShu spoke triggered something in Liu Yong. That child was most likely not adopted, RenShu. “Is there nothing else you want to take?” 

 

“No, I don’t really have much and the clothes you bought me are the best clothes I own. Bringing anything else would only be a waste of space.” Liu Yong didn’t say anything as Zhou RenShu led the way back upstairs, Zhou RenShu was halfway up when he noticed Liu Yong wasn’t behind him. In the small room Liu Yong walked around taking in the aged bedding and clothing, everything in the room looked at least 30 years old. Zhou RenShu was about to walk back down when Liu Yong walked out of the room, wearing his usual cold face.

 

The two men slowly walked back the way they came when Liu Yong shoved Zhou RenShu into the wall. He cried out in pain but Liu Yong was too busy to see if he was okay. A group of 3 men closed in on Lu Yong at once, two men held metal rods while the third held a small knife. Zhou RenShu slid down the wall as he clutched his small wooden doll in fear. Liu Yong had no feeling of fear in his body as he stood up fully, he was pissed! “Do you want to die today?”

 

The three men laughed as they went to strike the tall man, with a single kick forward the man holding the knife flew back 10 metres, the two men looked at their friend in horror. Liu Yong took the time to punch the man to his right in the jaw then stomach before rotating on the ball of his feet and punching the third man to his left in the throat. Both men dropped their metal rods as they clutched their bruising flesh but Liu Yong wasn’t finished with them.

 

A hard stomping kick landed on the choking man's thigh, while he was screaming in pain Liu Yong swung around to land a roundhouse kick on the other man’s face. Zhou RenShu shut his eyes and covered his ears so that he didn’t have to see or hear what was happening in front of him. The man that was holding the knife caught his breath and picked his knife u from the damp concrete. Instead of joining his friends in getting beaten to a pulp, he stumbled over to the frightened Zhou Renshu.

 

“Hey! Leave them if you don’t want your little friend to be in worse shape than them.” Liu Yong dropped the man he was holding up with one hand, the body dropped to the ground heavily. Zhou RenShu dropped his doll as he gripped at the hand holding his throat from behind but he felt a cold blade move along the tender skin, stopping his movements. Liu Yong wiped his brow then straightened his suit. The man holding the knife looked at Liu Yong surprised. “Hey! Look at me. I have a knife against this boy's throat and you're fixing your suit?”

 

“You won’t harm a single hair on his head.” Liu Yong's voice chilled the man’s blood, even the men lying unconscious on the ground shivered. Although a seed of fear had been planted in the man’s chest he refused to back down. The blade against Zhou RenShu’s throat dug in with the intention of drawing blood but for Zhou RenShu, there was only the pain of something digging into his skin. Aside from the discomfort, Zhou RenShu’s body was fine. Liu Yong's cold eyes landed on the blade digging into Zhou RenShu’s tender skin.

 

Before the knife holding man could process Liu Yong’s movements, a heavy blow landed against the back of his head. The blade fell from the man's hand and the choking grip loosened, freeing Zhou RenShu. Fat tears streamed from Zhou RenShu’s large eyes as he crouched down to pick his doll up. Liu Yong pulled the unconscious man back to his also unconscious friends then called the emergency number. Zhou RenShu rubbed the dirt from his doll then wiped his eyes. Liu Yong returning to his side “Are you okay?”

 

“The knife didn’t cut me.” Zhou RenShu rubbed his neck before feeling the chain Liu Yong had given him. Liu Yong came over and lifted the slender jaw with a single finger, looking at the pale neck that was completely intact. “Their cultivation is low and the weapon had no cultivation either, that’s why the knife had no effect on you.”

 

“So if someone with cultivation like yours were to hurt me, I would be injured?” En, Liu Yong led Zhou RenShu back to the car, as they were pulling away from the curb sirens could be heard making their way to the alley. “Do we return to the hotel now?”

 

Zhou RenShu rubbed his face again to make sure no more tears were left, Liu Yong hummed in agreement as he drove to the hotel. Before turning onto the road where the hotel was Liu Yong wore his disguise. He had no intention of returning his car to his work since he would be driving there once Zhou RenShu was settled in. While waiting in the elevator Zhou RenShu kept an eye on the floors they passed. Don’t stop, don’t stop. No Wang Ling allowed!

 

Luckily for Zhou RenShu Wang Ling was nowhere to be seen and the two men entered their room. Zhou RenShu had spent most of the day in the car but he still felt exhausted. Placing his doll and snacks on the table, he then walked into the bathroom to shower. Liu Yong also placed an arm full of snacks down before calling room service to order dinner for Zhou RenShu.

 

“Eat dinner then rest early, I have something I need to take care of then I’ll return.” Zhou RenShu was changing into his pajamas when he saw Liu Yong placing a single serving dinner on the table, he quickly pulled his pants up before rushing to Liu Yong shirtless.”You’re going again tonight, why?”

 

“Work, dress properly then eat. Don’t try and stay up like last night.” Liu Yong pushed Zhou RenShu towards the bed where his pajama shirt was then walked out of the room in his disguise. Zhou RenShu angrily shoved his head through his shirt that was inside out and backwards but he didn’t care. Without putting his socks on his cold feet he angrily sat at the table filled with snacks and his dinner. He’s going to the bar again tonight but she wasn’t there last night! What do you see in her Liu Yong? Her high cultivation! What’s so good about cultivation?

 

Zhou RenShu continued to stab at his food while eating the snacks from his beloved grannies, only once the noodles were completely disfigured did he feel better and finish off the plate. However once the plate was empty his anger returned. What’s so good about Wang Ling? So she's tall and good at cultivating. I can cultivate too!! Wang Ling you’re not allowed to have Liu Yong!! EVER!!!