I Can Devour Spirits

In the Document Library, Duan Rong was reviewing the accounts at an increasingly rapid pace. The account books brought by Xiao Yu and Huang Qing were swiftly flipped through, and he could quickly locate the entries he was looking for. He merely glanced at them, jotted down the figures, folded the pages, and set them aside.

Thanks to Duan Rong’s increased speed, Xiao Yu and Huang Qing also hastened their search for account books on the shelves.

Especially Xiao Yu, now she could find two books in the time it took Huang Qing to barely find one.

The account books needed by Duan Rong were on those particular shelves, so Xiao Yu could quickly familiarize herself with them with some effort.

Every time Duan Rong verified an account, he would stack the related account books in three piles, placing them on the floor against the wall in nested order.

Gradually, the piles of account books against the wall grew larger...

Unnoticed, dusk was already upon them.

From the corridor and the hall outside the Document Library came chaotic footsteps. After a day of work, the back hall account room had already dispersed.

Duan Rong moved a pile of account books from the desk to the wall and looked up at Xiao Yu and Huang Qing standing by the shelf. Xiao Yu was fine, as she was a Martial Artist, but Huang Qing was weary, his forehead beaded with sweat, clearly exhausted.

Duan Rong returned to the desk, glanced at the open summary account book for the twelfth month. For several hours this afternoon, the number of accounts checked was better than expected. Initially slow, the pace soon picked up.

At this rate, they should have no problem finishing checking the twelfth month’s accounts in the remaining four days.

Duan Rong looked at Xiao Yu and Huang Qing, saying, ”Good work, let’s call it a day. We’re done for now.”

Xiao Yu and Huang Qing breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

There was an inexplicable relationship forming, with Duan Rong becoming their de facto leader. If he had asked them to continue working, they probably would not have objected.

Huang Qing was already drenched in sweat, his arms and calves aching. As an accountant, he was typically not physically active, and his stamina was poor.

Duan Rong looked at Huang Qing, saying, ”Huang Qing, you should head home for some rest.”

Gratefully, Huang Qing agreed and walked out of the Document Library, fatigued.

Only then did Duan Rong close the summary account book in hand. With Huang Qing gone, Xiao Yu gazed at Duan Rong, her eyes filled with questions she had been holding back while Huang Qing was present.

Duan Rong recognized Xiao Yu’s expression, realizing that if he didn’t explain now, she wouldn’t let it go. He spoke openly, ”There’s something wrong with the accounts. Someone’s been embezzling money.”

Xiao Yu’s heart skipped, surprised not by the embezzlement, but by how she believed Duan Rong’s shocking revelation instantly and unquestioningly.

She wondered internally if she would believe the same story from someone else.

Had she already come to trust Duan Rong so deeply?

Under the dim light, Xiao Yu’s eyes flickered; she stood there, somewhat dazed, watching Duan Rong.

Duan Rong simply said, ”Let’s leave.”

He extinguished the lamp in the corner of the desk, plunging the Document Library into darkness.

Step by step, they walked towards the door in the dark.

The Document Room was silent; they could hear each other’s footsteps and breathing...

The short distance felt much longer in Xiao Yu’s mind...

They reached the Document Room door, where Xiao Yu locked it. In the hall, there were still two apprentice accountants flipping through account books, clearly not finished with today’s tasks...

They walked out of the back hall account room, meandering in the twilight.

Suddenly, Duan Rong remembered that among the dozen or so accounts he checked that afternoon, those verified by Xu Shouxian, Wang De’an, and Zhu Shicheng had similar discrepancies.

But any account signed by Xu Fuxian was clean, without a single discrepancy.

Duan Rong pondered, knowing Xiao Yu had grown up in this Escort Agency and likely understood more. He asked, ”Is Xu Shouxian’s brother named Xu Fuxian, also serving as chief in the back hall account room?”

Xiao Yu exclaimed ”Ah.”

While walking in the dark with Duan Rong earlier, her mind was strangely unfocused, not yet completely recovered. Duan Rong’s sudden question startled her.

Xiao Yu composed herself, replying, ”Xu Shouxian and Xu Fuxian are indeed brothers. Xu Fuxian is the elder brother, Xu Shouxian the younger. However, there’s not much age difference. Decades ago, when the old shopkeeper was alive, the brothers joined the Escort Agency together as apprentices in the account room.”

”Later, they both became chiefs in the account room.”

”After the old shopkeeper passed away, the new shopkeeper took over, dismissed the original chief accountant, and promoted Xu Shouxian to chief accountant of the Escort Agency.”

”Around that time, the brothers’ relationship began to strain.”

”It was said that during Xu Fuxian’s eldest son’s wedding, his younger brother Xu Shouxian wasn’t even invited. As the eldest of the next Xu Family generation, everyone in the clan congratulated them, yet he excluded his own brother, which seemed to break their connection.”

Duan Rong smiled faintly, ”You’re quite familiar with these old stories.”

Xiao Yu’s expression shifted slightly upon Duan Rong’s gaze, saying, ”Heard them from the old Gatekeeper while playing around as a child.”

Conversing, they reached the Martial Arts Arena in the middle courtyard.

Duan Rong waved goodbye to Xiao Yu, then veered towards Liu’s House.

Standing there, Xiao Yu watched Duan Rong’s figure for a while before heading towards her own courtyard.

Walking along, Duan Rong thought about Xiao Yu’s story of Xu Shouxian and Xu Fuxian, the two brothers.

The wedding of Xu Fuxian’s eldest son, such a significant event being deliberately kept from his younger brother, suggested a deeper rift between the brothers.

Was it truly because Xu Shouxian was hoarding money and excluding his brother, leading to their estrangement?

Duan Rong felt it wasn’t the case.

Xu Shouxian likely had some regard for his brother; after all, he was the chief accountant and trusted by Ruan Fengshan. For decades, he remained tolerant of his brother, allowing him to serve under him as chief and even entrusting him with significant accounts. From Xu Shouxian’s perspective, he still cared for his brother.

Duan Rong knew from his investigation that the accounts Xu Fuxian managed weren’t insignificant, and a little tampering could easily result in profit. Yet, Xu Fuxian’s accounts remained immaculate.

Duan Rong sensed a stubbornness within those accounts, suspecting Xu Fuxian refused to collude with his brother, thus severing their relationship!

Duan Rong chuckled internally, reflecting on how these two brothers, one sly and the other upright, were bound by kinship—a twist of fate!

Duan Rong sighed, entering Liu’s House.

Upon entering, he immediately closed the door and quickly moved into the main room. He took out pen and paper, writing down the discrepancies and related accounts from the afternoon’s investigations clearly on paper.

All these figures were committed to Duan Rong’s memory—a skill acquired from the Copper Abacus Artifact Spirit after devouring Li Jun, achieving Master Level Virtual Plate Mental Calculation.

Mental calculation, in essence, ties closely to memory. Especially the capacity to process such a vast array of data mentally requires exceptional memory skill.

Satisfied after reviewing his work by lamplight, Duan Rong nodded approvingly, then headed out for a meal.