The Black Book: Seven Deadly Sins

Suddenly turning around, the cold gaze immediately broke off, and the young man carefully surveyed the sea of people on the street. After a long while, he regretfully clicked his tongue.

"Sir, you're finally back!"

As he stepped into the door of the Anti-theft Bureau, Yan Yunsheng excitedly came forward, babbling a work report.

"Sir, the talents of that gentleman are truly astonishing. Not only did he manage the alley like an impregnable fortress, but the gangs in other alleys couldn't get a foothold, and a variety of industries are blooming like a hundred flowers!"

"In just two months, the permanent population of Lechang Square has increased by nearly fifty percent, and the tax revenue has doubled!"

Listening absentmindedly to Yan Yunsheng's report, Zhu Haomiao smiled knowingly.

Desire is the driving force for human progress!

[Greed] may not be great at everything, but in economics, it's a God among Gods!

Of course, the premise is a supreme will holding the reins, steering and constraining the direction of [Greed].

Otherwise, uncontrolled [Greed] will expand infinitely, devouring everything like cancer cells, ultimately playing itself and the entire world to death.

"Sir, the entire Imperial City is praising your outstanding ability, saying you should be promoted to County Magistrate!"

Hearing this, understanding that Yin Tianze was building momentum for him, Zhu Haomiao casually waved his hand.

"I get it. Was there anything else while I was gone?"

When it came to official business, Yan Yunsheng's face became serious, and he nodded heavily.

"Shortly after you left, someone else broke into the prison, but this time they sneaked in quietly at night, knocked out two on-duty brothers, and didn't kill anyone."

Saying this, Yan Yunsheng raised a gloating smile, lowered his voice, and whispered.

"At that time, all the prisoners in the dungeon suddenly fell ill after you... uh, and I was worried about how to report it to the General Office."

"Now it's fine, the accounts are balanced directly."

Hearing this, Zhu Haomiao gave Yan Yunsheng a strange look.

"Was it a killer breaking in to massacre again?"

"Does the General Office believe it?"

Yan Yunsheng shrugged: "Whether they believe it or not, the fact is the people are dead, and someone else is carrying the blame, so eventually, it'll be left unresolved."

"..."

"Alright then."

Nodding with mixed feelings, Zhu Haomiao thoroughly inquired about the situation before returning to the long-missed Pingyang Marquis Mansion.

"Young master!"

Upon arriving home, Zhu Haomiao noticed some unfamiliar new faces in the mansion.

"Has the mansion hired new people?"

Hearing this, the excited maid's expression froze, and she nodded slightly anxiously.

"Yes, with just a few of us, we really couldn't maintain the operation of the mansion, and you left us some money, so we took the liberty to hire some new people."

Seeing the maid's anxious demeanor, Zhu Haomiao smiled gently.

"You can decide on such trivial matters by yourselves, no need to report specially."

Looking around, the young man nodded in satisfaction, clearly noticing that the entire Pingyang Marquis Mansion had taken on a new look.

Previously, with only a few old and weak women left, the vast mansion didn't have enough hands for cleaning and maintenance, signs of desolation and decay were visible everywhere.

The originally exquisitely neat garden overgrew without a gardener's pruning, and even the paths were covered with brambles and weeds.

Now, although the entire Pingyang Marquis Mansion hasn't returned to its peak of prosperity and thriving flowers, it basically resembles a lively big family's courtyard, no longer an eerie ghost house at night.

After touring the mansion, as the sky gradually darkened, Zhu Haomiao returned to his bedroom to sleep. In the middle of the night, he suddenly woke up, sensing a slight, stinging threat behind him.

Recalling the prying eyes he sensed at Lechang Square this afternoon, the young man opened his eyes a slit, seeing a shadow silently approaching from the corner of his eye.

Detecting a faint, alluring fragrance, Zhu Haomiao frowned slightly, realizing that the individual's hostility wasn't intense, seemingly harboring other intentions.

Secretly gathering his strength, a barely perceptible dark gold-scaled illusory shadow appeared on his body. Pretending to sleep, the young man wanted to see what this person was up to.

Casually lifting the bed curtain, the shadow appeared undeterred by startling Zhu Haomiao, leaning in and softly calling near his ear.

"Little brother, wake up~"

Like dream whispers, ethereal words with bizarre power penetrated his mind. In an instant, Zhu Haomiao's keen spiritual sense seemed coated with glue, becoming sluggish and dull.

"Wake up~"

"Wake up~"

...

The echoing calls reverberated endlessly, Zhu Haomiao feeling as though he was floating in the clouds, not waking, but becoming more muddled and dazed.

In a dazed state, the young man slowly opened his eyes, his empty, unfocused gaze fixed on the figure standing by the bed.

It was an exceptionally beautiful woman, her bewitching eyes shimmering with two swirling, strange lights, as if trying to draw in a person's soul.

Meeting her gaze, Zhu Haomiao's expression grew more vacant, his dilated pupils completely losing focus.

Seeing his dull, lifeless eyes, the woman's lips curved slightly upward as she asked.

"Where did you hide Huo Hong?"

"Huo... Hong?"

"Overlord Blade·Huo Hong."

"Prisoner... hidden in... the dungeon..."

"He's not in the dungeon, I checked. It's empty in there. Think again, did you hide him somewhere special?"

The gentle voice, as sweet as honey, continued to echo softly, like a living thing drilling into his mind, the eerie power manipulating his intellect, urging the young man to reveal his innermost secrets.

"Prison breakout... transfer... General Office... Prison..."

Hearing the young man's monotonous response, the beautiful woman's brows furrowed slightly.

If he's transferred to the Arresting Department's prison, it'll be troublesome, as its defenses can't be compared to a normal alley...

Elegantly folding her arms and supporting her chin, she stood by the bed contemplating for a moment before leaning down, whispering softly by the boy's ear.

"Huo Hong is a very important figure, you must transfer him back from the General Office."

"Yes... must... return..."

"Additionally, sort through Huo Hong's belongings when he was captured, and see if there's a red stone."

"Red... stone..."

"If not, then gather all clues, investigate where he might have hidden, and find that stone!"

"Find... the stone..."

Listening to the young man muttering repetitively, the beautiful woman nodded in satisfaction, lowering her voice, using a whisper-like volume to speak softly.

"Sleep now, forget your troubles. Tonight, you just had a good dream..."

Embedding the command deep into his subconscious, watching the young man's empty, dazed eyes slowly close, the beautiful woman sighed lightly and gracefully turned to leave.

Only after she disappeared beyond the door did the sleeping young man abruptly open his eyes, staring in the direction she had gone.