I Can Devour Spirits

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a tall beggar at the entrance of the alley, running towards him.

This man saw that Duan Rong was short in stature, and was eyeing the steaming hot flatbread in Duan Rong’s hand, clearly intending to snatch it.

Just as the tall beggar was about to pounce on Duan Rong, Duan Rong suddenly turned around and gave him a sly smile.

In that instant, a tiny spot of light appeared before the tall beggar’s eyes.

The light flickered on and off, like the tail light of a firefly dragging through the night.

As soon as the light appeared, it burrowed into his forehead.

The next moment, not far from his vision, stood an absolute beauty.

In his entire life, he had never seen such a beautiful woman. Her eyes seemed to drill into his heart like bugs.

The beauty looked at him with a charming smile, continuously waving at him.

Her outstretched soft hands were as delicate as boneless, fair and flawless.

The beggar laughed foolishly, following the breathtaking beauty towards the street side, drool dripping from his mouth as he stared intently at her, forgetting all about the little beggar and flatbread he had just seen.

The stunning beauty stood by the roadside and suddenly placed a soft, fair hand in front of him.

The beggar immediately grabbed that hand and started to kiss it passionately.

The beggar kissed madly for a moment, but suddenly, the air around him was filled with uproarious laughter.

Then, the stunning beauty before him vanished like a bubble, and the delicate hand in his grasp disappeared almost simultaneously.

The thing he had just been madly kissing was actually a piece of hardened, black dog feces that had been lying on the street for days.

By then, Duan Rong had already left, biting into his flatbread.

Because it was almost dusk by now.

Although the teahouse still bustled with noise in the evening, lively as ever.

But at this point, Duan Rong decided to find a new place to eavesdrop.

He had been listening at the teahouse for several hours in a row, and by now, the Huaying Building would already be opening for guests.

The people in Huaying Building were not as densely packed as those in the teahouse, but those who could enter generally were the sons of wealthy families; Duan Rong was eager to listen in on their news.

Moreover, Duan Rong overheard guests in the teahouse mention that the current owner of Huaying Building was a guy named Bai Rong. Although Hu Huanhuan was still managing Huaying Building, she was merely in charge of operations and had to rely on Bai Rong for everything.

Hu Huanhuan and Duan Rong had some past dealings. She was the ex-lover of the vile doctor Shen Ping, who had once helped Duan Rong. Thus, Duan Rong was genuinely concerned about Hu Huanhuan’s current situation.

On his way, Duan Rong had already finished his flatbread.

As he passed by a street-side beef soup stall, the aroma almost made its way into his nose. He barely resisted the urge emanating from his stomach and quickly walked past.

Not far from Huaying Building, Duan Rong nestled under the eaves of the courtyard of an abandoned house.

He folded his arms around his shoulders, pretending to doze off while simultaneously projecting his Divine Sense to envelop the surroundings. He focused his perception to thoroughly observe both inside and outside Huaying Building.

As night fell, more guests gradually flocked into Huaying Building.

No matter the earth-shattering changes occurring in Xianggu County, it could not stop people from seeking pleasure and entertainment!

They extracted decrepit remnants of decayed joy from these already soulless prostitutes to soothe their own numb hearts.

Duan Rong directly ignored those decadent scenes, only listening in for useful information.

Yet, while the air was filled with sounds of revelry throughout Huaying Building, a room in a remote corner on the second floor remained exceptionally quiet.

Inside the room, a young man dressed in white sat by a desk under a bright candle. He appeared to be just over twenty years old, his face fair, his hair and fingernails meticulously groomed, though his brows carried a hint of wickedness.

This man was Bai Rong, the owner of Huaying Building, currently reviewing last month’s financial accounts.

Hu Huanhuan stood not far from the desk, looking somewhat tense.

As Bai Rong read, his expression grew increasingly pleased.

”Not bad, last month’s revenue increased quite a bit,” Bai Rong remarked with a faint smile. ”Manager Hu truly has a knack for business.”

Hu Huanhuan replied, ”I dare not take the credit, it’s all thanks to you, Boss Bai, cultivating the Four Great Demonesses over these two years, which gradually overshadowed the Four Great Flower Shadows.”

Bai Rong replied, ”Each has their strengths.”

Hu Huanhuan’s face was cold. Though she praised them verbally, her heart was uncomfortable. The work of the Four Great Demonesses was more degrading than the flesh trade in Scarf Hat Lane, and engaging in such lowly business, she felt, brought down Huaying Building.

But now she was under someone else’s control, and how Huaying Building was run was not up to her.

Bai Rong, seeing Hu Huanhuan’s expression, knew what she was thinking.

Bai Rong closed the account book, stood from the table, walked up to Hu Huanhuan, and squeezed her chin.

Hu Huanhuan winced from the pain in her jaw, her neck stretched high, veins bulging on her forehead and neck.

She gritted her teeth, enduring the pain without making a sound.

Seeing Hu Huanhuan’s defiant appearance, Bai Rong’s anger flared further. He spat on her face and snarled, ”You’re just a whore yourself, so stop pretending to be noble. I know you look down on my methods, but I’m telling you, from now on, this place answers to me. You’d better behave and work honestly; if you try any tricks, I won’t hesitate to kill you!”