Chapter 334: The Pharmacy and Old Friends

Jiang Li? Why is there a missing person notice with her photo here?

Wasn’t she supposed to be on vacation? How could there be a missing person notice with her photo here?

Wait, could her vacation route be the Dream Come True Journey?

After a brief moment of contemplation, Lu Yibei suddenly stood up, pressed herself against the window, and reached out to grab the fluttering missing person notice to take a closer look.

However…

The thin piece of paper danced in the wind stirred up by the Giant Train, like a carefree butterfly, tantalizingly close yet impossible to catch.

In the end, she could only watch helplessly as it flew away.

Two seconds after the missing person notice disappeared from view, Lu Yibei made a bold decision: she was going to jump off the train.

Though it sounded dangerous, as someone from Country Z who had watched the precious video collection of early humans taming trains-“Railway Guerrillas”-she was confident she could land safely.

With a swift motion, she pulled open the window, the fierce wind rushing in, whipping her fiery red hair into a frenzy.

Standing at the open window, she tightened the strap of her guitar case, crouched down, ready to leap out.

Then.

She quickly retreated.

It was too high; she didn’t dare jump.

The Giant Train was moving at a considerable speed, having already left the Lanruo Inn Customs Shop station, with an abyss below that seemed bottomless, from which eerie, terrifying roars faintly echoed.

Lu Yibei thought, “…”

That was impulsive, too impulsive. Even if it really was Jiang Li, I can’t risk my life for her!

Since there’s a missing person notice, there must be more than one. Maybe I’ll see it at the next station.

Even if the next station doesn’t have it, I can wait for the train to return and search at the Lanruo Inn Customs Shop station, can’t I?

With this reasoning, Lu Yibei quickly convinced herself.

Not long after Lu Yibei left the Lanruo Inn Customs Shop station.

As the Giant Train departed, the guests who disembarked at this station were gradually led away by the welcoming girls, disappearing through different exits, leaving the platform increasingly deserted.

However.

Bie Suzhen remained standing stiffly at the edge of the platform, not daring to move.

Seeing the number of people and hauntings on the platform dwindling, she knew this wasn’t a viable situation. If she couldn’t find someone to help her soon, she’d have to wait for the next Giant Train to pass.

That would mean waiting at least thirty hours!

Just as Bie Suzhen was calculating how to save herself, a surprised voice came from behind her.

“Suzhen… Suzhen? Is that you?”

She turned around and saw the empty platform, a familiar face appearing behind her, eyes wide with surprise. “What are you standing here for?”

“Now that you’re back, go report to Madam! You’ve been gone so long without a word, we thought something happened to you!”

The newcomer was a woman appearing to be in her thirties or forties. Her face, still quite refined, bore a few fine wrinkles, and her burgundy bodycon dress accentuated her alluring curves, exuding a certain charm reminiscent of “a woman past her prime, yet still captivating.”

Upon seeing the woman, Bie Suzhen felt as if she had encountered a long-lost relative, her nose tingling with emotion, nearly bringing her to tears on the spot.

“Sister, it’s so good to see you. Please help me.”

The woman, known by the stage name Yun Jin and affectionately called Yun, was a legendary figure at the Lanruo Inn Customs Shop.

As a human, she joined the Customs Shop at eighteen and worked there for twenty years, effortlessly transitioning her persona from sisterly to maternal, embodying the spirit of dedication and professionalism.

“Help you? How?” Yun asked, suddenly noticing the delicate little object in Bie Suzhen’s arms, her eyes lighting up with curiosity. “Oh? What’s this? It’s quite pretty. Did a client give it to you?”

As she spoke, she reached out to take the glass bottle from Bie Suzhen’s arms.

Many women are naturally drawn to beautiful things, and the small, exquisite glass bottle shimmered with a dazzling rose-colored light, emitting faint psychic energy fluctuations that reminded one of certain psychic energy-infused gems.

Seeing Yun’s hand reaching over, Bie Suzhen’s pupils contracted, and she hurriedly stopped her, “Don’t touch it! It’s a bomb!”

Yun, “???”

Over the next three minutes, Bie Suzhen, on the verge of tears, briefly explained to Yun how she had been hired for a hefty sum, only to be captured by the King of Hauntings in Hua City, and how that scoundrel had forcibly stuffed a bunch of bombs into her arms when disembarking.

“Sister, don’t be afraid. This thing doesn’t seem dangerous for now…”

“I’m not afraid.”

“Not afraid? Then why are you standing twenty meters away, hiding behind a pillar?” Bie Suzhen rolled her eyes at Yun, who had retreated to a safe distance. “Anyway, hurry back and inform Madam. I fear this might be…”

“A terrorist attack!”

Upon hearing this, Yun nodded repeatedly, not daring to delay, and turned to run back into the Lanruo Inn Customs Shop.

The Lanruo Inn Customs Shop had a daily footfall of over ten thousand, with thousands of employees, making it a densely populated place. Leaving five “weapons” capable of killing Class B hauntings in such a location indeed posed a serious threat.

Twenty minutes later, inside the Lanruo Inn Customs Shop.

Bie Suzhen was led to a large door deep within the Customs Shop. Pushing it open, she entered an ancient-looking room.

The room was spacious, with a dome painted with golden peonies overhead and several columns of white Han marble. The walls were also carved from white stone bricks, with golden orchids blossoming exotically among them. Red silk curtains fluttered in the breeze throughout the space.

Reclining on a rosewood throne chair was a woman in a light, flowing dress. Her silky black hair was styled into a serpent bun, and her willow-leaf brows, poised yet tender, framed a pair of world-weary, almond-shaped eyes. Her black dress outlined her slender waist, and her long, fair legs peeked out from under the hem.

She was like a bewitching flower in full bloom, a Black Peony that never withered atop the Lanruo Inn.

This woman was the owner of the Lanruo Inn Customs Shop, known as Black Peony.

As Bie Suzhen entered, a parrot with heterochromatic eyes in the woman’s arms suddenly took flight, landing on the ground. With a flash of light, it transformed into a girl.

This girl was both a pet and an assistant of Black Peony, known as Hydrangea.

However, the girls in the Customs Shop usually addressed her with a “Mr.” in front of her name.

“Suzhen, I’ve just checked those trinkets you brought back; they’re not bombs at all. You’ve been duped,” Hydrangea said, turning to glance at three Alchemical Bombs completely disassembled on a table nearby. “Based on my analysis, the main components are just Alchemy residue and a small amount of disaster water.”

“Such mixtures are usually stable and pose no danger.”

Hearing this, Black Peony stood up, walked over, and gently patted Hydrangea on the shoulder, whispering, “Hydrangea, sometimes we can’t just consider the usual circumstances. After all, the other party is a city’s King of Hauntings. We can’t judge their actions by normal standards.”

As she spoke, she beckoned to one of the Alchemical Bombs on the table, which floated towards her.

With a fierce punch into the air, a powerful surge of psychic energy fluctuation erupted from her delicate body.

Spurred by the psychic energy, a pale glow within the bomb gradually intensified, becoming blindingly bright, and a delicate palm imprint slowly emerged on the surface of the bomb.

Suddenly, a frenzied light spilled from the cracked bomb, spreading outwards, and an explosive roar burst forth.

“Boom-!”

Yet, in the midst of this violent explosion, no one showed any signs of panic; at most, they merely raised their hands to shield their eyes from the intense light.

Every business has its rules, but the prerequisite for others to follow those rules is to have enough power. Places like the Lanruo Inn Customs Shop are no exception.

And Black Peony was the rule of the Lanruo Inn Customs Shop. It was her presence that kept both the lawless hauntings and the vicious human criminals gathered together without ever causing any trouble.

It can be said that the Lanruo Inn Customs Shop is absolutely safe for those who follow the rules; conversely, if necessary, she could also become the most terrifying haunting.

It is said that once, a Class A Haunting, relying on its formidable strength, tried to cause trouble. Black Peony made it disappear quietly from the Lanruo Inn Customs Shop in less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

As the roaring faded and the explosion was contained within a certain range by Black Peony’s powerful psychic energy fluctuation, until the pale firelight completely dissipated.

“See, Hydrangea, this thing is more powerful than it looks! I almost lost control,” she said softly. “I wonder what that King of Hauntings was thinking, leaving such a thing behind.”

Turning to Bie Suzhen, her casual demeanor carried a hint of indifference.

“She…” Bie Suzhen slightly parted her lips, paused for a few seconds, then explained, “Madam, Calamity said this was left for my self-defense.”

“Oh?” Black Peony raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by Bie Suzhen’s response. “Then why did you tell Yun it was a terror attack?”

“Be-because…” Bie Suzhen stammered, “She didn’t tell me how to use it when she left, so I thought…”

“Enough,” Black Peony interrupted. “I understand now. It seems she didn’t mean any harm. You’re free to go and rest.”

“Yes!” Bie Suzhen replied, following Yun, who had brought her here, out of the room.

Once Bie Suzhen and Yun were out of earshot, Hydrangea approached her Madame, whispering, “Madame, are we just letting this go? After all, she came from Hua City. Could there be any issues?”

Although Lanruo Inn Customs Shop, Cinnabar Pharmacy, and Dream Come True Entertainment City are part of the same travel route, each operates independently.

However, like the universal use of chips, information and news are often exchanged among them.

Recently, the tale of a mysterious girl from Hua City who challenged the Big Boss of Dream Come True Entertainment City fourteen times, only to repeatedly fail and eventually vanish, had spread far and wide.

Hydrangea could guess where the girl had gone, so upon hearing about the appearance of the King of Hauntings from Hua City, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

“Of course not,” Black Peony said, narrowing her eyes. “That’s why I want you to follow her and see what she’s up to.”

“Understood,” Hydrangea nodded, transforming into a parrot and flying out the window.

If Lanruo Inn Customs Shop is a paradise for certain people or hauntings, then Cinnabar Pharmacy is pure hell.

Before the Giant Train even reached the station at Cinnabar Pharmacy, Lu Yibei could smell the strong medicinal scent wafting through the window.

The scent wasn’t like the gentle aroma of a traditional medicine shop; it was more like the pungent mix of chemical reagents and herbs, quite overwhelming.

Lu Yibei was familiar with this smell; she had encountered it while making Alchemical potions, and Alchemy residue had a similar odor.

As the train slowed down, a city ravaged by time came into view, giving a sense of being transported to a war-torn era.

The train moved through the city, which lay in ruins, with skeletal remains and decaying steel scattered everywhere. Emaciated figures with sunken eyes watched the train from the shadows beside the tracks, their gaze calculating, as if plotting something sinister.

The sky was overcast, filled with dust, and the air was thick with the sound of heavy machinery. Towering chimneys belched acrid black smoke, while glimpses of molten fire flickered through the gaps of low buildings.

Staring at the dilapidated city, Lu Yibei couldn’t help but furrow her brow.

Here, the city bore a striking resemblance to the one in her Dream. The difference was that the city in her Dream seemed to have suffered a catastrophe, everything was silent, as if it had already died.

But here, it was as if the city was sick, gravely ill, beyond cure, merely lingering on, slowly heading towards its demise.

Before Lu Yibei could take a closer look at the dilapidated city, the Giant Train had already passed through it, entering a station marked by the passage of time, and came to a halt at the platform.

At this moment, the train’s broadcast came on.

“This is where the Cinnabar Pharmacy is located. There’s not much to say about it, just a place that sells medicine, any kind of medicine you can imagine.”

The man with the bowler hat sounded rather perfunctory, his tone carrying a hint of disdain.

Any kind of medicine you can imagine? Lu Yibei repeated the man’s words in her mind, pondering.

The broadcast came on again.

“In short, if any passengers need to disembark here, please do so. Once off the train, avoid contact with strangers. For other passengers, unless necessary, please do not leave the train, or you’ll bear the consequences!”

While listening to the broadcast, Lu Yibei saw a few men in oversized clothes with hats pulled low, sneaking off the train. As soon as they stepped off, those figures, resembling mummies, emerged from the shadows, surrounding them like predators hunting prey.

Then, with a thunderous strike, one of the men smashed the head of one of the figures, causing the rest to scatter in panic.

“So that’s how it is?” Lu Yibei murmured, preparing to sit back down.

At that moment, a familiar figure hurried past…

“Ah… Ah-Hua?” Lu Yibei called out tentatively.

The girl’s body stiffened, and she slowly turned around, seeing Lu Yibei’s puzzled face, her expression seemed to ask, “Who are you, miss?”

The girl was indeed Ah-Hua.

This was her third day at the Cinnabar Pharmacy, and the fifth day since Jiang Li’s disappearance.

During these three days, she had traversed this desolate city, where drug-addicted figures were as common as wild beasts, posting missing person notices all over the streets and alleys, yet still found no trace of Jiang Li.

Moments earlier.

She had arrived at the Cinnabar Pharmacy station, seemingly searching for something, her eyes anxiously scanning the surroundings, then she sighed silently, taking out a missing person notice she carried with her, and posted it on a nearby stone pillar.

This was her last visit here; if she couldn’t find her lady’s whereabouts, the only place left was the Lanruo Inn Customs Shop.

However, without Jiang Li by her side, she wasn’t confident she could resist the temptations of such a place and leave unscathed.

After all…

She knew herself to be a bit of a romantic, easily infatuated, and feared she might fall for the charms of the young men at the Lanruo Inn Customs Shop.

As Ah-Hua finished posting the final missing person flyer and was about to leave, a soft call came from behind her. Turning towards the sound, she saw a strange girl with fiery red hair on the Giant Train.

“…?”

Strange, do I know her?

She looks familiar, but I can’t recall where I’ve seen her before.

If we don’t know each other, why does she know my name? Ah-Hua wondered silently.

As she pondered, the girl hurriedly got off the train, crossed the platform, and approached her.

The girl glanced at the missing person flyer on the stone pillar, furrowed her brow slightly, and said in surprise, “So Jiang Li really is missing? I wasn’t sure until I didn’t see you here!”

Ah-Hua sized up the girl in front of her, took a step back, and asked warily, “Who exactly are you, and how do you know our names?”

As she spoke, she deliberately concealed her relationship with Jiang Li.

“Ah, me?” Lu Yibei paused, realizing that Ah-Hua did not recognize her current appearance, and certainly wouldn’t know about the haunting in Hua City, then explained, “I am Jiang Li’s… um, a haunting informant in Hua City. You might not have seen me before, but I have seen you.”

“An informant? What’s your name?” Ah-Hua demanded fiercely.

Jiang Li had haunting informants, and Ah-Hua was well aware of them, but none was this girl.

Lu Yibei thought for a moment and replied, “Wang Buliuxing!”

“Wang Buliuxing?” Ah-Hua repeated the name softly, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Jiang Li always treated her like a sister, and when they had speculated whether Lu Yibei was Wang Buliuxing, they had seriously discussed the probability.

The conclusion they reached was that the probability was over ninety percent.

If she really was Wang Buliuxing, wouldn’t that make her Lu Yibei?

Daring to call herself an informant, shouldn’t she be shamed?

What is she doing here? Ah-Hua thought.

However, although puzzled, a slight warmth rose in her heart.

After Jiang Li disappeared, she had faced many deceptions, feeling lonely and nearly on the brink of collapse.

Now, suddenly meeting someone familiar, even someone she disliked, somewhat relaxed her tense nerves.

If she was willing to help, perhaps the chances of finding miss would increase significantly.

But before that…

There were some things that needed to be confirmed. Ah-Hua thought.