Self-Discipline

After sacrificing the lifespan he had traded from the Spirit Master, Luo Qiu gained a full two hundred days of life.

After several trips to the limit, minus the scattered amounts he had used, Luo Qiu discovered that the thirty days he had possessed at the beginning had become enough for him to live another year.

As the number of transactions and the frequency of sacrifices increased, this figure would probably only grow longer.

There was actually not much for the Black Soul Envoy to learn.

There were only two things: how to make data cards and how to entice clients. Perhaps because Taiyinzi himself had been a Daoist Cultivator, he showed exceptional progress while learning these things.

In less than two days, Taiyinzi had already gone out as an "intern" and brought customers to the club.

"Master, it's already the third day, but Jiang Chu still doesn't seem to be planning to come."

You Ye brought Luo Qiu two sandwiches and a glass of orange juice for lunch, casually mentioning the matter as she chatted.

Luo Qiu leisurely picked up a sandwich without taking his eyes off the book he was reading. He said unconcernedly, "Perhaps he thinks there might still be a turning point... His son won't be able to hold out much longer."

"Last night, I gave that woman a Black Card without a discount." You Ye appeared to be wiping the counter absentmindedly when she suddenly spoke.

Luo Qiu froze. After a moment of silence, he said, "Since you've given it to her, then so be it. But let me know first next time and wait for my approval."

"You Ye understands." The Maid's movements as she wiped the counter became a little livelier, and a smile appeared on her face.

Luo Qiu noticed these subtle changes, but his gaze remained on a line of text on a certain page of The Origin of Blue and White Porcelain.

How should he put it?

From You Ye's perspective, she had done nothing wrong.

The club existed for the sake of transactions and sacrifices. It was understandable that she would seek out suitable candidates. On the other hand, perhaps because the previous boss had been far too listless and passive, this old employee, who had served for three hundred years, hoped that some changes would take place after the arrival of a new boss.

Of course, it was also possible that she had wanted the club's owner to obtain more transaction funds, or had worked hard from the very beginning so that Luo Qiu would not reach the end of his life.

But it was also possible that You Ye herself possessed certain mechanisms she had not discovered. Luo Qiu had not completely trusted this "old employee" from the beginning.

Perhaps it was because it would take a long time.

That was simply how relationships between people worked.

On the other hand, the club itself was incomparably important to its owner, and carried an unimaginable allure. By continuously making transactions, one could enjoy endless life. As the number of transactions increased, one would also gain many incredible abilities.

It sounded very tempting and gave one plenty of motivation, didn't it?

Didn't one want to plunge headfirst into it, obtain an endless lifespan, and gain even more powerful strength?

But what came afterward?

After becoming addicted to countless transactions, what difference would it make even if one possessed hundreds or thousands of years, or even more time? One would only want more, endlessly repeating the dull buying and selling for that sake. Only when a transaction succeeded would one's heart stir, bringing a little satisfaction.

How was that different from Zhong Luochén, who had been deprived of his sense of happiness?

Would one either repeat the same thing endlessly, knowing only how to bring an endless stream of sacrifices to the club, or become like the previous boss, turning into a walking corpse after being unable to endure the loneliness or seeing through all of this?

Thinking this, Luo Qiu suddenly understood that what a client needed to resist was the longing and desire rising from within. As for him, the owner of this club, the only thing he needed to do was not think about how to make his lifespan infinite, but how to preserve himself with every increase in power.

To give you endless life and earth-shaking abilities, yet leave you unable even to know who you were, losing your true nature... In the end, perhaps he himself had become the greatest and most special "client" behind the club.

Originally, if he did not act as passively as the previous boss had and simply let things take their natural course, his lifespan would gradually accumulate anyway.

Just like now.

In less than ten days, he had already gone from his original thirty days to an entire year.

"You Ye, we're not opening today. Come out for a walk with me."

Luo Qiu suddenly shut the book in his hand. Looking at You Ye's surprised expression, he smiled. "If someone comes, we'll know, and it'll be convenient to come back. But time will still be wasted. Taking a walk outside to relax would be nice too."

"But where are we going?" You Ye asked in confusion.

Luo Qiu smiled. "Do you remember how, when we made our first transaction, I had to go personally to make the judgment? How about we go to the hospital?"

You Ye answered without hesitation, "That was because before the first transaction, Master hadn't purchased the ability to obtain client information. It's different now. There's no need for such trivial matters anymore."

"Is it unnecessary?" Luo Qiu said. "I just don't want my memories of being with you in the future to consist only of the four walls of this club."

"Time will dilute memories," You Ye said calmly.

Luo Qiu spoke like someone his age should. "Then we'll keep creating more. Even if we forget, we can revisit the same places. If that still doesn't work, we can take photographs. There are plenty of ways."

You Ye did not insist. She nodded and said softly, "Then please wait a moment, Master."

In a dark alley, a man hurriedly ran. His athletic physique allowed him to weave through the filthy, chaotic alley with ease.

But why had his hiding place been exposed?

Had someone betrayed him?

Those damn cops... Did they think they could catch him just like this? They were still a hundred years too early!

Bang!!!

A sudden loud crack rang out. The man felt a piercing pain, and his entire body fell forward onto the ground. A conspicuous bloody hole had appeared in his thigh.

The man clutched his wound in agony and turned to look behind him, only to see a middle-aged man in a khaki windbreaker leisurely approaching.

It was that cop who had suddenly brought people to his hiding place! Gritting his teeth, the man quietly moved one hand.

But the moment his palm shifted, he took another bullet. It pierced straight through his palm, making him let out another agonized scream.

"Idiot. Don't you know I'm the number one shooter in the precinct? I could blow your head off with one shot from even farther away."

As soon as the officer finished speaking, several plainclothes officers rushed out of the rear alley and pinned the man to the ground.

"Officer Ma! You're amazing! You actually found this guy's hiding place so quickly!" one of the plainclothes officers immediately flattered him. "I wonder what kind of incredible informant you have. If possible, introduce me sometime!"

Do you think I'm going to tell you that I have a sister-in-law with extraordinary connections and eyes everywhere?

Officer Ma snorted. "Don't celebrate too early. This guy is only a contact person. The real big fish is still behind him! Take this punk back and interrogate him properly! I want him to spit out everything he knows! Bah, these scumbags! If I weren't still wearing this uniform, I'd have put a bullet through his head!"

The plainclothes officers could only pretend they had not heard him.

How should one put it?

If he did not have this sort of personality, and did not constantly spout such remarks that gave his superiors terrible headaches, this officer would probably have entered the upper ranks long ago.

At that moment, Officer Ma's phone suddenly rang.

He answered impatiently, then his expression changed slightly before he cursed, "Are you idiots? How could someone die while still inside the station?"

Officer Ma received news that the leader of the evil cult organization they had just captured—the old man who claimed to be the Spirit Master—had just committed suicide.

"Damn it! What era is this? Someone actually bit his tongue to commit suicide? Are you kidding me?"

Officer Ma frowned, looking irritated as he escorted the man into the police car.

￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥

PS1: If you find this chapter boring... please don't blame me. This wasn't what I originally intended, but I ended up deleting it and rewriting it anyway... A true strong person uses self-discipline to regulate himself. Seriously, when someone gains power but lacks the corresponding mindset and self-discipline, they will sooner or later become addicted to that power and gradually lose their true nature. Boss Luo is still young and hasn't gone for any "special services" yet (manual deletion), and I don't want him to become a psychological deviant who stands above all living beings and practices Supreme Forgetfulness, because this isn't a cultivation novel, hey =.=

PS2: Let me add something about this book's setting... I don't want to get swept away by the censorship storm, so I had no choice but to play the parallel-world card! Though it isn't of much use.

PS3: Thanks to "Tyrant the Little Fool" and "Meow."