Chapter 1370: Secret Instructions
A knock sounded, and Ban Kui looked towards the door. Gu Yi, however, didn't react much. Even if the knock sounded hurried, making it easy to guess that something had happened, she still managed to maintain her composure. As the manager of Stillness Apothecary, if she couldn't even keep her calm when things occurred, how could she have led Stillness Apothecary to its current height?
Ban Kui's gaze had immediately shot to the door because his position was different; his division of labor with Gu Yi wasn't the same. He needed to constantly ensure the safety and unchallenged authority of Stillness Apothecary. That's why his reaction was a bit stronger than Gu Yi's upon hearing the frantic knocking.
"Come in."
Gu Yi spoke calmly, her voice even. As her words fell, the door was immediately pushed open, and a female clerk rushed in, flustered.
Seeing this, Gu Yi dropped the casual demeanor she had with Ban Kui. The helpless expression from before vanished, replaced by a frown and a look of displeasure.
"What's with the panic? Has the sky fallen?"
Gu Yi's tone carried annoyance, and the female clerk naturally caught on to her manager's displeasure. However, she didn't apologize, for in her anxious state, she simply had no time to offer an apology or admit fault.
"Manager, the boss is here! The boss has arrived, he's downstairs right now."
Gu Yi knew her clerk wouldn't lie to her, much less joke about something like this. So, she didn't double-check the veracity of the news with the female clerk. Her figure flashed, and she vanished from her spot. A gust of Yin wind swept through, and when Gu Yi reappeared, she was already outside the door.
Ban Kui's reaction was equally swift. The moment Gu Yi vanished from her spot, he too disappeared, reappearing right behind Gu Yi. So rushed was he that he hadn't even had time to put away the Ghost Art booklet he was studying.
Seeing the two leave, the clerk immediately followed them, flustered. Her panic stemmed from two reasons: one was Yang Haoran's identity, and the other was her knowledge of Yang Haoran's failed wedding with Xu Meijing.
Gu Yi and Ban Kui arrived downstairs and indeed saw Yang Haoran strolling leisurely within the apothecary. The vast majority of customers recognized Yang Haoran and respectfully bowed to him. While not every customer's bow to Yang Haoran was heartfelt, Yang Haoran was, after all, one of the Underworld Office's Guardians, so a superficial show of respect was certainly necessary.
To the continuous bows from the customers, Yang Haoran returned each with a smile, then continued his stroll. When Gu Yi and Ban Kui rushed to his side, Yang Haoran was holding a Dānyào porcelain bottle, examining the notes on it.
Ban Kui was about to bow and speak, but Gu Yi interrupted him with a wave of her hand. Although Ban Kui was a little puzzled by Gu Yi's action, he didn't say much more. Out of trust in Gu Yi, he chose to remain silent.
As for the female clerk who had reported the news and followed them closely, Gu Yi waved her away.
Neither Gu Yi nor Ban Kui spoke, unwilling to disturb Yang Haoran. It wasn't until Yang Haoran finished reading the notes on the Dānyào porcelain bottle and placed it back in its original spot that Gu Yi respectfully bowed to him.
"Boss!"
Seeing this, Ban Kui understood that it was his turn to speak, so he also respectfully bowed to Yang Haoran.
"Boss!"
Yang Haoran nodded with a smile, a faint smile still gracing his face as always.
Seeing that Yang Haoran appeared no different than usual, Ban Kui secretly breathed a sigh of relief, for Yang Haoran's condition seemed quite stable. Gu Yi, however, felt the opposite; she thought Yang Haoran's overly normal reaction at this moment seemed abnormal instead.
"Boss, the apothecary has been progressing quite well recently. Business is great, customers are flowing in endlessly, and the reviews for our apothecary are quite high. Furthermore, we've recently developed several new types of medicine, each with different effects. Boss, would you like to take a look? " Gu Yi asked with a smile. Although Yang Haoran appeared no different than usual at this moment, she subtly sensed that something was amiss. She didn't ask any sensitive questions, but instead directly opened the conversation with the apothecary's progress.
Hearing her, Yang Haoran gently shook his head, then spoke.
"There's no need to look this time. I trust your character, and I also trust your abilities. Since you've already handled this matter properly, there's definitely no problem; it's fine if I don't see it. If I had ample time, I would indeed like to see the new medicines you've developed. However, time doesn't permit it right now. I have an important matter to attend to shortly, so I can only see them next time. I hope you can give me a pleasant surprise then."
Upon hearing this, Gu Yi could only hastily agree, simultaneously confirming the faint suspicion in her heart: her boss's mood, it seemed, was not as calm as it appeared on the surface.
Time doesn't permit, what could be so urgent?
Back when she first started following Yang Haoran, Gu Yi would most likely have succumbed to her curiosity and asked. But now, though her appearance hadn't changed, her heart had matured. She knew that no matter how curious she was about some matters, she couldn't openly inquire. So, at this moment, she didn't do such a foolish thing; instead, she respectfully nodded and affirmed his words.
"Let's go to your office. I need to brief the two of you on some important matters beforehand."
Yang Haoran continued to speak. Ban Kui didn't react much, merely curious about what important secret instructions Yang Haoran had for the two of them.
Gu Yi was different from Ban Kui. Because Gu Yi's thoughts were more meticulous and her mind more agile than Ban Kui's, her depth of understanding problems was entirely different. This led to her heart involuntarily quickening its beat the moment she heard Yang Haoran say those words, and a bad premonition welled up within her.
Gu Yi dared not ask further. With a mix of apprehension in her heart, she led Yang Haoran back to the office she had shared with Ban Kui earlier.
This office, rather than an office, was more aptly described as a study. Because Gu Yi loved all kinds of books, she collected every book she deemed worth collecting in her office, which was why the room was filled with bookshelves, densely packed with various volumes.
Yang Haoran was also a book lover, and his own study contained quite a few books. However, compared to Gu Yi's office, his collection was utterly dwarfed in terms of both quantity and variety.
It wasn't Yang Haoran's first time in Gu Yi's office, so he was aware of the situation within and wasn't surprised by the immense number of books.
Upon entering the office, the first thing Yang Haoran did was set up a restrictive barrier, enveloping the entire office within it.
Seeing Yang Haoran's extreme caution, let alone the meticulous Gu Yi, even the gruff Ban Kui realized the gravity of the situation.
One must understand that this was Stillness Apothecary, and specifically Gu Yi's office. Employees wouldn't approach without urgent reason, and outsiders had no right to step in. Furthermore, if anyone were to disregard the rules and force their way in, their combined strength would naturally allow them to sense it.
In other words, speaking here, even without setting up a restrictive barrier, would be quite safe. Unless something unexpected happened, no one would know their conversation.
Yang Haoran undoubtedly knew this. Since he knew, yet still set up a restrictive barrier here, and did so the very first moment he entered the office, it showed the extreme importance he placed on the upcoming arrangements. His main purpose in doing so was, of course, to ensure absolute confidentiality for the impending instructions, preventing any possible accidents.
Half an hour later, the restrictive barrier in Gu Yi's office was dispelled. Yang Haoran was the first to step out, with Gu Yi and Ban Kui following closely behind.
Yang Haoran was still the same, a faint smile gracing his face, making it impossible to discern his true emotions from his expression.
Ban Kui's expression was solemn, his brows slightly furrowed, as if there was a problem he couldn't quite grasp, causing him to rack his brain in thought.
Gu Yi's brows were also tightly furrowed, but her expression was different from Ban Kui's; she was filled with worry.
Moonlit Night God
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