Li Qiang said seriously, "I need a job. The salary doesn't matter, as long as I can eat."
The middle-aged woman stammered, "You... you, we don't need to hire anyone. Why don't you try somewhere else?"
Li Qiang wouldn't give up until he achieved his goal. He put on a dejected look and said, "Sigh, I've been wandering around Sea City, looking for work. I've spent all my savings, and I'll be homeless tomorrow. Auntie, this is my only hope." He added a little bit of Sound Bewitchment Cultivation Method to his words.
The middle-aged woman was on the verge of tears. She said with pity, "Poor child, why don't you work in our shop? The wages may not be much, but we'll provide plenty of food."
Li Qiang felt secretly ashamed that he had to resort to such means to stay.
He quickly thanked her, saying, "Thank you, Auntie." He felt a little embarrassed afterward.
The middle-aged woman called out into the room, " Xiaorong Rong's father, come out quickly!"
A middle-aged man came out from the inner room. He was wearing a white apron, his hands were covered in white flour, and his face was deeply wrinkled, giving him an honest and simple appearance. He asked, " Lihong, what's the matter?"
Lihong smiled and said, "I've hired a helper for you. By the way, young man, do you know how to make pastries?"
The middle-aged man looked up in surprise, his wrinkles deepening. He said, " Lihong, our pastry shop is so small, we can't afford to hire workers... you..."
Li Qiang hurriedly said, "Uncle, I don't care how much you pay me, as long as I have a place to stay and eat." He used his Sound Bewitchment technique again.
How could two poor mortals resist Li Qiang's Sound Bewitchment? The middle-aged man lifted the hem of his apron to wipe his hands and said in a muffled voice, "Well... alright, I'll give you five hundred yuan a month, and you can eat and live at the shop."
Li Qiang only asked to stay; he didn't care about money or food. He said, "Thank you, uncle. Thank you, aunt. My name is Li Qiang; you can call me Little Li."
Lihong said, " Little Li, my surname is Cai, you can call me Auntie Cai. There are only three people in our little shop. The child's father's surname is Qi, you can call him Uncle Qi. He's an honest man, he just keeps his head down and works hard. We also have a daughter who helps out in the shop..."
Before she could finish speaking, the girl came out of the room and exclaimed, "Dad, Mom, what are you talking about... Huh... Who is he?" She was stunned when she saw Li Qiang.
Since Li Qiang cultivated to the Seven Star Heaven Realm, his temperament has changed greatly. With deliberate concealment, he is not much different from an ordinary person, but his appearance is exceptionally handsome.
He didn't change his appearance this time because the Chongxuan Sect has a rule that the leader must obtain the permission of the successor brother, and absolutely cannot force the brother. Back then, Fu Shan waited for Li Qiang for several years.
Now, Li Qiang is in the same boat. He can't deceive this young girl, and he can't even use Sound Bewitchment techniques on her.
The young girl was stunned by Li Qiang's appearance, and her face turned bright red in a moment of disbelief. This was understandable, after all, Li Qiang was a super expert in cultivating gods, and his aura was not something ordinary people could withstand. Fortunately, Li Qiang had already tried his best to restrain himself.
Cai Lihong said, " Little Li, this is my eldest daughter, Qi Xiaorong. She just graduated from university and hasn't found a job yet, so she's helping out at home."
Li Qiang said, "Hello, Xiaorong Rong. My name is Li Qiang, and I'll be working at your family's shop from now on." He didn't use Sound Bewitchment; his tone was very sincere.
Qi Xiaorong seemed rather eccentric. After a moment of dazedness, she waved her hand and said, "Hey, who's your sister? Mom, why did you hire a stranger to work for you? Does he have any identification...? Hey, let me see your ID."
She extended her hand without any hesitation, looking completely distrustful.
Li Qiang was extremely calm. He smiled and took out the ID card Zhao Hao had given him, handing it over and saying, " Xiaorong Rong is very cautious. This is my ID card."
Qi Xiaorong took the ID card, glanced at it, and exclaimed in surprise, "My god, twenty-eight years old? I thought you were only eighteen! Hmm, never mind, here you go. Anyway, my mom hired you, so I don't care." She tossed the ID card to Li Qiang and turned to go back into the inner room.
Cai Lihong said a little embarrassedly, " Xiaorong is stubborn, please don't take it personally... By the way, do you have anything else to take care of? Or are you going to work now?"
Li Qiang said, " Auntie Cai, I'm fine. Let's go to work now."
Uncle Qi said, " Little Li, you can stay here and help sell the pastries. You don't need to come to the kitchen to help." He assumed Li Qiang definitely couldn't make pastries, and then turned and went back into the inner room.
Cai Lihong said, " Little Li, here's the price list for the pastries. Familiarize yourself with it and keep an eye on the shop while you're at it. I'm going to buy some groceries and will be right back." She took off her apron and hurriedly went out.
Li Qiang was surprised that this family was so open-minded, entrusting the shop to him so readily after hiring someone.
He picked up the price list, quickly memorized it, and then rapidly checked it against the pastries on the shelf. He completed this small task in just a few minutes.
Before long, Li Qiang had sold a lot of pastries. Without exception, he used Sound Bewitchment to entice people to buy them, and even those who just came in to take a look were persuaded to buy quite a lot.
He was originally a businessman, so he thought it was normal to use some tricks to get people to buy things. After all, it was food, and there was no question of whether it was suitable or not. So he simply went outside to solicit customers.
As Li Qiang's Sound Bewitchment shouts rang out, everyone who heard them flocked into the small shop.
When Cai Lihong returned to the shop, she was surprised to find that all the pastries were gone, and the shelves were empty.
Li Qiang stood behind the counter, smiling broadly, and said, " Auntie Cai, all the pastries for today have been sold. Here's the money collected; every single transaction is recorded."
Cai Lihong looked at Li Qiang in disbelief. This was too outrageous. She had only been gone for an hour, and Li Qiang had sold out all the pastries in the shop.
She went to the cashier, checked the accounting computer, and found that Li Qiang had not only sold the pastries produced that day, but also the pastries that hadn't been sold in the previous days and were about to expire.
She asked, both surprised and delighted, " Little Li, how... how did you sell it?"
Li Qiang, preoccupied with flattery, only then realized that his actions were inappropriate; he couldn't very well admit to using Sound Bewitchment to entice people to buy. He scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly, "Well, I guess everyone wanted pastries today... I didn't know they'd sell so well, haha."
Cai Lihong blushed with excitement and shouted, " Xiaorong Rong's dad, come out quickly, come out quickly!"
Uncle Qi rushed out from inside and asked, "What's the matter that's so urgent?"
Cai Lihong pointed to the empty shelves and said, " Little Li sold all the pastries. That kid is really capable."
Li Qiang was completely bewildered. If calculated by Earth's age, he was many times older than Cai Lihong, yet she was calling him a child. However, to be a guide for once, he didn't mind, thinking, "Calling me 'child' won't hurt me; let her call me that if she likes it."
Uncle Qi's face lit up with joy as he said, "I know. All the pastries that just came out of the oven in the kitchen are sold out, and someone even ordered more than a dozen cakes. We'll have to work overtime tonight." The wrinkles on his face smoothed out.
Li Qiang was finally relieved. He was afraid that the elderly couple would suspect him, which would make things difficult.
Cai Lihong said happily, "Let's close for today. I'll make some dishes to treat everyone. Little Li, take a rest. I'll go tidy up the rooms and settle Little Li in."
She happily walked towards the back room. Uncle Qi smiled honestly and turned around and went in.
Li Qiang breathed a sigh of relief, a warm feeling welling up inside him, as if he had returned to his own home.
" Day and Night Cake Shop " is a very small shop located in a small alley in a residential area. It is a two-story low building in a very remote location.
The buildings in this residential area seem to be quite old, mostly six or seven stories high. They're a bit better than slums, but clearly not a place for wealthy people to live.
Just two intersections away from this residential area lies a bustling commercial street, making this land attractive to many real estate developers. However, the demolition costs are substantial, which is beyond the reach of most developers.
Li Qiang was assigned to a small room next to the kitchen, which could only fit a single bed.
This used to be a storage room, very small, with a single bed taking up most of the space. Li Qiang didn't care where he lived, as long as there was a place to sit.
Cai Lihong said apologetically, "There are only two rooms upstairs, and there's really no room for you. You'll have to make do here."
Li Qiang smiled and said, " Auntie Cai, it's alright. I live downstairs and can watch over the shop."
" Day and Night Cake Shop " is not open 24 hours a day; it usually closes at 9 p. m. Today, because all the pastries were sold out, it closed in the afternoon.
Cai Lihong was busy preparing the meal, and Li Qiang couldn't help, so he asked, " Auntie Cai, is there a telephone here?"
Cai Lihong pointed upstairs and said, "Oh, there's a telephone upstairs."
Li Qiang went up the narrow stairs. There were only two rooms on the second floor, both doors tightly closed. Li Qiang scanned the room with his Divine Sense and immediately knew which room Qi Xiaorong was in.
He knocked gently on the door, Qi Xiaorong called out loudly from inside the room, "Who is it? Come in."
Li Qiang pushed open the door and saw Qi Xiaorong lying sprawled on the bed. When she saw Li Qiang come in, she screamed and jumped up.
Before she could explode, Li Qiang immediately said, "Excuse me, could I borrow your phone?"
Qi Xiaorong was so angry she didn't know what to say. She pointed at Li Qiang and only managed to utter one word. "You... you..."
Li Qiang nodded and smiled, "Me? I'm fine, thank you." He walked directly to the desk and picked up the phone.
Qi Xiaorong opened her mouth wide, unable to utter a single word. This was the first time she had ever seen someone so self-absorbed. She desperately wanted to kick this guy out the door, but he was just too burly and powerful. If he were to make a move, it wouldn't be her who got kicked out of the room, but rather she herself.
She was panting heavily, secretly making plans in her mind.
The telephone on Qi Xiaorong's desk was an old-fashioned model, without a video screen, only buttons. Li Qiang answered the phone and said, " Zhao Hao, it's me. Yes, I'm in Sea City right now. Don't come over. I'll come find you in a while... Is there any progress on what I asked you to do?"
By the time Li Qiang hung up the phone, Qi Xiaorong had recovered. She held out her hand and said, "Ten yuan, give me ten yuan!"
Li Qiang found it amusing, but knowing the answer already, he asked, "What ten yuan?"
Qi Xiaorong smiled slightly, "Phone bill! Ten yuan, hurry up and give it to me!" She thought to herself, "Let's see how you pay this." She knew this guy was penniless.
Li Qiang had a bank card with countless sums of money in his bracelet, but not a single penny in cash. He grinned and said, "Hmm, only ten yuan, very cheap. I'll pay you next time." With that, he walked towards the door.
Qi Xiaorong jumped off the bed and blocked Li Qiang's path, saying, "This young lady doesn't do credit, pay up!"
Li Qiang smiled as he stared at her, using his Divine Sense to probe her constitution. He felt a little disappointed, after all, the Flower of Heart Reflection was designed according to a man's constitution, which was somewhat different from a woman's.
He could only regretfully list Qi Xiaorong as one of the candidates; if he could find someone more suitable, he wouldn't be able to be her mentor.
Qi Xiaorong was thrown into a panic by Li Qiang's gaze. Suddenly at a loss for what to do, she stammered, "You... you... you're awful, you..."
Li Qiang's experience was extraordinary; a simple glance from him left Qi Xiaorong at a loss for words.
He withdrew his Divine Sense, smiled, and said, "Deduct the phone bill from my salary. I'll take my leave now." With that, he turned and left the room, going downstairs.
Qi Xiaorong took a step back, her legs went weak, and she sat on the edge of the bed, muttering, "Outrageous! I will never forgive you..." For a moment, her mind was filled with Li Qiang's deep eyes, as if he could see right through her, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.
Cai Lihong called from downstairs, " Xiaorong, dinner's ready."
Four dishes and a soup were laid out on the table. Li Qiang had no appetite at all, Cai Lihong enthusiastically served Li Qiang food.
Qi Xiaorong frowned, her face contorted in a grimace, and ate absentmindedly, glancing at Li Qiang every now and then, muttering under her breath, "Weirdo, just a weirdo..."
Cai Lihong said, " Xiaorong, what are you saying? Why are you muttering to yourself?"
Uncle Qi said, "Eat, eat. Why isn't Little Li eating? Is it not to your liking?"
Li Qiang quickly smiled and said, "No, it's delicious." He picked up his rice bowl and started eating heartily.
Qi Xiaorong snorted and whispered, "You don't mean what you say!"
Cai Lihong glared at Xiaorong and said, " Xiaorong Rong's dad saw a notice from Baisheng Industrial Real Estate Company about developing this residential area when he was buying groceries today. Sigh, if it's demolished, our little shop won't be able to stay open."
Qi Xiaorong's attention was immediately drawn to it. She said, "Although this residential area isn't for the wealthy, it won't be easy for a real estate company to acquire it. Didn't several real estate companies come to acquire it before, but it didn't work out? Most of the people here don't want to move away."
Uncle Qi shook his head and said, "Anyway, I'm not selling my shop, so nobody's going to kick me out."
Cai Lihong said unhappily, "You're so stubborn! You won't compromise on anything... Forget it, let's not talk about this while we eat, I've lost my appetite. Little Li, eat your food."
Li Qiang hadn't experienced something like this in a long time: his family eating together, chatting about everyday things.
He was deeply moved, never expecting that after so long of spiritual practice, the mundane life of an ordinary person would still have such an impact on him.
After dinner, Li Qiang helped Cai Lihong wash the dishes. Uncle Qi was making pastries to sell tomorrow, but he insisted on not having Li Qiang's help, so Li Qiang had to go back to his room by himself.
A month passed quickly. During that time, Li Qiang took some time to visit the Luoge Grand Hall, but still did not see Tianzhen and the others come out.
He went to check the Primordial Realm again, but nothing had happened. Under the organization of Qian Shanyong and others, the cultivators of Sealed Fate Planet were migrating in an orderly manner, and many sects had already selected their secluded cultivation sites.
With Qian Shanyong around, Li Qiang felt at ease. He didn't show his face and quietly returned to Earth.
Li Qiang didn't want to contact Zhao Hao and the others for the time being. Uncle Qi and his wife treated him extremely well, and sometimes he would have the illusion that this place was like his own home.
Qi Xiaorong was the only one who had mixed feelings about him; sometimes she would cause him trouble, and other times she would treat him very well.
Li Qiang was naturally not angry; he generally remained calm. When Qi Xiaorong went too far, he would retaliate slightly to make her restrain herself.
With Li Qiang helping out at the store, business was exceptionally good. At the end of the month, Cai Lihong was pleasantly surprised to find that the revenue for that month was more than the previous three months combined.
But just as she was preparing to expand the store and hire more staff, Li Qiang quit his job.
After enjoying a month of ordinary life, Li Qiang had to leave; he needed to find someone more suitable for the Flower of Heart Reflection.
When Li Qiang proposed to resign, Cai Lihong and Uncle Qi tried their best to persuade him to stay. Qi Xiaorong, unlike her usual shrewish self, leaned against the door and remained silent.
Li Qiang said, " Auntie Cai, Uncle Qi, and Xiaorong, thank you for taking me in. Hehe, maybe we'll meet again in the future. I'm sorry to have bothered you during this time."
Cai Lihong was really reluctant to see Li Qiang leave. This young man was like a god of wealth; since he came to the store, business had been so good that it was unbelievable.
She said, " Little Li, do you feel your salary is too low? If it's not enough... Auntie will give you an increase..."
Uncle Qi said, " Lihong, Little Li isn't short of money. Let him go. Sigh, a small shop like ours can't keep him." Although he was honest, his vision was higher than Cai Lihong's.
Li Qiang refused to accept a single penny. He gave Cai Lihong a contact number and said, " Auntie Cai, if you need any help with anything at the shop, just call me at this number." With that, he turned and left.
Qi Xiaorong didn't say a word, she just stood at the door and glared at them hatefully.
Cai Lihong said, " Xiaorong, why didn't you say goodbye before Little Li left? You have no manners at all."
Qi Xiaorong angrily said, "To hell with him!" and turned to rush upstairs.
She had been enjoying the past month of banter and jokes with Li Qiang, but Li Qiang sudden departure left her feeling extremely disappointed. She couldn't quite describe the feeling, but she couldn't help but want to get angry.
Qi Xiaorong ran quickly into the room and watched Li Qiang's figure gradually disappear through the window. Suddenly, she saw a luxury hovercar parked at the alley entrance. Several burly men in suits stood in front of the car, and one of them bowed to Li Qiang. Li Qiang got into the car, and the luxury hovercar drove away.
Qi Xiaorong was stunned.
Sitting in Zhao Hao's car, Li Qiang asked, "Have you found Big Brother Mo and my master? How are the preparations for the second batch of people to be relocated going?"
Zhao Hao said, "The two seniors haven't been found yet. We've mobilized a large number of people to search, including in Europe and Americas, but the area is too vast, and we haven't found any leads yet. In addition, the second batch of immigrants has already reached a considerable number, and we are preparing to send even more people."
Nashan was also sitting in the car. He touched his Baldy and said, "Boss, our men are ready to leave anytime. Haha, I'm closing down... It's caused chaos in the underworld lately. Damn it, without us, both the legitimate and criminal worlds are running wild... Oh well, I'm retired from this business anyway, so let them do what they want." He acted like he used to be the best in the world.
Li Qiang smiled and said, " Zhao Hao, send someone to keep an eye on the ' Day and Night Cake Shop.' That little girl there... I plan to introduce her to Hua Meiniang for cultivation. The girl has a very good physique, but unfortunately she's a girl, which is a bit incompatible with the Flower of Heart Reflection. Hehe, I almost became her guide."
Zhao Hao and Nashan both sighed with regret. If they could obtain the Flower of Heart Reflection, they would be incredibly lucky. Nashan repeatedly said, "What a pity, what a pity..."
Li Qiang said, "Drive to the outskirts of the city. I have to go to the Primordial Realm. I'll be back soon." He wanted to hurry to the Illusory God Hall; Tianzhen and the others should be back by now.
Zhao Hao hurriedly said, "Uncle-Master Liu and the others are in a hurry to go to the Primordial Realm. Master, could you wait for them? I'll contact them."
Li Qiang considered for a moment. The monsters on the original planet of the Primordial Realm were quite powerful, and with Liu Dayue and his group going there, their strength would be greatly enhanced. He said, "Okay, contact Liu Dayue immediately. We'll wait for him in the suburbs. Tell them to hurry."
Li Qiang came to the Luoge Grand Hall for the second time in a month. He waited in the hall for two days, but still did not see Tianzhen and the Seven Elders return.
Although Li Qiang outwardly expressed dissatisfaction with Tianzhen, he still considered him a friend in his heart, and he would never stand idly by if a friend were in trouble.
Seeing that there had been no news for so long, he couldn't help but worry.
After much deliberation, Li Qiang finally made up his mind to go and investigate personally.
Returning to the Primordial Realm and then entering the Half-Moon Platform platform at the beginning of the Vortex Crystal Passage again, Li Qiang used his divine eye to observe that the Vortex Crystal Passage was no longer in front of him, but on the left wall.
Looking at the Vortex Crystal Passage that appeared and disappeared intermittently, Li Qiang was in a dilemma. He knew that the passage had to be in the correct location, but he didn't know where the Vortex Crystal Passage would lead.
It took three whole days for the position of the Vortex Crystal Passage to shift slightly.
Li Qiang finally lost his patience. He had many things to do and didn't have time to waste here. But he was unwilling to give up, so he decided to take the risk and give it a try.
Li Qiang was much more cautious than before. As his cultivation level improved, the more he knew, the less daring he became. Although he had the Primordial Realm to escape at any time, he still decided to test the waters first.
He found an ordinary flying sword in the bracelet, melted it with his Divine Yi Power, quickly removed the impurities from the flying sword with Heavenly Fire, and then shaped it with his Divine Yi Power.
Soon, the flying sword transformed into a needle-shaped Law Treasure, about the length of a palm and the thickness of a matchstick, gleaming with a faint blue light.
He looked at it with satisfaction, then flicked his wrist and threw it outwards.
The needle-shaped Law Treasure sent Mars flying as it left his hand. After circling around Li Qiang once, it emitted a crisp, resonant sound.
Li Qiang waved his hand and said softly, "Go!" A flash of green light appeared, and the Law Treasure shot into the Vortex Crystal Passage.
Li Qiang separated a wisp of his Divine Sense and pressed it tightly against the Law Treasure. He slowly sat down and used that bit of Divine Sense to carefully observe the Vortex Crystal Passage.
Soon, the passage began to distort, and bursts of bright flashes erupted from its walls. Fortunately, the Law Treasure was incredibly fast and small, and it passed through before the restrictions could be activated.
Gradually, Li Qiang's remaining Divine Sense began to dissipate, and the image in front of him became blurry. He cast a Divine Spirit Instruction, and the Law Treasure suddenly exploded.
Li Qiang's goal was clear: to cause a change in the Vortex Crystal Passage so that it could quickly alter the channel's behavior.
In an instant, the entire Half-Moon Platform shook.