Chapter 1369: I Have no Bottom in My Heart
Inside the Jingran Pharmacy, the clerks bustled about. Gu Yi, as the manager, naturally no longer needed to go out and receive guests as she once did. Nowadays, apart from individuals of extremely high status, other customers no longer required her personal attention. To put it bluntly, other customers simply weren't qualified to be personally received by her, the manager. She merely needed to perform the duties expected of a manager.
It wasn't just her; Ban Kui no longer needed to stand at the pharmacy's main entrance maintaining order as he did in the beginning. To ease Ban Kui's burden and highlight his status, Gu Yi had brought in a group of powerful enforcers for Jingran Pharmacy. Each of them was strong, and Ban Kui served as their captain. He only needed to manage them; guarding the door, maintaining order—none of these tasks required the captain's personal involvement anymore. The hired enforcers were perfectly capable of handling everything.
Behind Jingran Pharmacy stood Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing, two Guardians. Under normal circumstances, no one foolish enough to cause trouble would dare do so here. Furthermore, the Underworld had its own rules, making those who dared to stir up trouble at Jingran Pharmacy even rarer.
However, no one could guarantee that accidents wouldn't happen. If an incident occurred and Jingran Pharmacy didn't even have a decent group of enforcers, it wouldn't just be an embarrassment for the pharmacy itself; it would also be a slap in the face to Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing, the two Guardians.
Therefore, Gu Yi's decision to maintain a group of powerful enforcers for Jingran Pharmacy was the result of careful consideration. Had she not thoroughly thought through the issue from multiple angles, she certainly wouldn't have expended a considerable amount of resources on them.
Of course, these enforcers, regardless of their identity or status, were no different from other clerks; they simply had different roles. This meant that even if considerable resources were invested in these enforcers, it was still nurturing strength for Jingran Pharmacy—a force that could prove useful in critical moments.
In an office packed with bookshelves, Gu Yi sat in the main seat, absentmindedly flipping through a book. From her current expression, it was evident that her attention was not on the book at all; her mind was undoubtedly preoccupied with other matters.
In this office filled with various books, in addition to Gu Yi's exclusive seat as manager, there was also an exclusive seat for Ban Kui, the security captain, though Ban Kui's seat was not the main one.
The difference lay in the fact that Gu Yi was reading a book introducing the human geography of a certain continent in the mortal realm, while the thin booklet Ban Kui was looking at contained cultivation incantations and hand seals for a Ghost Art.
The similarity was that neither of them had their attention on the book or the booklet in their hands; they were both absentminded.
"Big oaf, do you think the boss and madam will completely break up over this incident?"
Gu Yi, who usually loved reading, found herself unable to concentrate. So, with an irritated sigh, she slammed the book shut, looked towards Ban Kui, and asked.
Hearing this, Ban Kui didn't put down the booklet; his gaze remained fixed on it. However, he didn't ignore Gu Yi, instead lightly shaking his head before speaking.
"I don't know, but I do hope they can reconcile."
Although Ban Kui was absentminded at that moment, he still forced himself to memorize every hand seal and incantation in the booklet. He knew his mind wasn't as sharp as Shui Ling's, and his memory was utterly crushed in comparison, so he could only rely on rote memorization to retain this information. Even with something on his mind, he didn't want to slack off.
Gu Yi wasn't surprised by Ban Kui's direct and concise answer, having spent so much time with him that she knew exactly what kind of person he was. However, feeling a bit down at the moment, she still felt a hint of dissatisfaction with his response.
"Aren't you stating the obvious? Of course I hope they can reconcile! I wanted you to use your brain and analyze whether the boss and madam will completely break up because of this incident, but you just say 'I don't know' and that's it!"
After years of working together, Gu Yi and Ban Kui had a very good relationship. Otherwise, Gu Yi wouldn't call Ban Kui "big oaf" so naturally, and Ban Kui wouldn't show the slightest dissatisfaction about it.
Precisely because their relationship was so good and both were well aware of each other's personalities, Gu Yi wasn't so particular when speaking to Ban Kui. If she was displeased, she said so directly, even letting her dissatisfaction show on her face.
"Whether my brain is useful or not, you know better than me, its owner," Ban Kui said without lifting his head. There wasn't the slightest hint of displeasure in his tone, as if he were evaluating a stranger rather than talking about himself.
"Ugh, your brain really is just an ornament. A mind needs to be used often to stay sharp. Every time something comes up, you don't use your brain to think, and it'll only get duller."
Gu Yi sighed, a helpless expression on her face. Ban Kui's personality sometimes truly gave her a headache. Whenever she needed someone to discuss matters with, Ban Kui could never offer her good advice. Yet, apart from Ban Kui, she had no better option, which made the situation quite vexing for her.
At that moment, a thought suddenly struck Gu Yi: she needed to cultivate some intelligent confidants herself. Otherwise, every time trouble arose, she'd have to use her brain alone, with no one offering any useful advice. Not only would efficiency suffer, but it was also incredibly exhausting. If she could cultivate one or a few intelligent confidants under her, she could live a little easier.
"I'm not a person who uses my brain to begin with. Forcing me to use my brain, what's the difference between that and forcing a rooster to lay eggs? I'm just a brute. When fighting, I can charge to the front, but asking me to use my brain to think about problems is truly too difficult for me."
Ban Kui's reply left Gu Yi with an exasperated expression, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"Haha, you're right. It really is too much for you. I shouldn't have asked you such a complicated question to begin with."
Gu Yi gave a helpless, wry smile. She wasn't blaming Ban Kui; she was simply marveling at his straightforwardness.
As Gu Yi's words fell, Ban Kui put down the booklet in his hand, then turned his gaze to the helpless Gu Yi, and asked with a serious expression.
"You're smarter than me. Things I can't figure out, you definitely can. Do you think the boss and madam will completely go their separate ways because of this incident?"
Ban Kui's question made Gu Yi's mouth twitch slightly. Then, realizing his meaning, she retorted exasperatedly.
"If I had a clear idea, would I have asked you such a difficult question just now? I didn't even spare your pig brain, willing to take a chance and ask you, hoping to hear your opinion on this matter. This alone is enough to show how utterly uncertain I am about this. You're asking me this question now; do you think I can give you an accurate answer?"
Gu Yi's words were quite impolite, but Ban Kui didn't get angry. He knew Gu Yi harbored no ill will. Only when they were alone would Gu Yi speak to him so frankly; if outsiders or other clerks were present, Gu Yi would never speak to him that way.
Although his brain wasn't sharp enough, he wasn't a fool. So, he could still understand some things, and he understood them in his heart; he just didn't express it with words or body language.
Not only did Ban Kui not get angry, he actually thought Gu Yi's words made a lot of sense, so he nodded in agreement.
"You're right. You even asked me, so it seems you really are uncertain about this."
Ban Kui said earnestly, his words once again leaving Gu Yi exasperated.
In truth, Gu Yi wasn't entirely without guesses about the situation. She had her suspicions, but she was unwilling to admit them or accept them, which was why she wanted to hear Ban Kui's opinion. However, from the looks of the current situation, Ban Kui clearly couldn't offer her any psychological comfort.
Just at that moment, hurried footsteps echoed from outside the corridor, immediately followed by a frantic knocking at the door.
Moonlight Night God
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