Chapter 24: A Visitor
Inside the three-story quiet room, moonlight poured in like water, and the area near the god and demon list was like a black hole, absorbing all the surrounding moonlight and transforming it into a soft beam of light that shone on Ling Xiao's head, supporting his cultivation.
After a long while, Ling Xiao's hand gestures changed, and the beam of light from the god and demon list shining on Ling Xiao's head immediately disappeared. As he exhaled softly, Ling Xiao slowly opened his eyes, released his hand gestures, and the god and demon list also descended from mid-air onto the altar.
It was already 1:30 AM. Ling Xiao finished his evening cultivation, re-closed the heavy iron door on the third floor, and then slowly went down to the second floor. After a quick shower, Ling Xiao returned to his bedroom.
His room was empty. Ling Xiao smiled lightly. In the past, Gan Jing, knowing he couldn't do certain things, had teased him several times. Now, it was likely that the roles would be reversed.
Ling Xiao had heard the story about beasts and those worse than beasts. For someone like him, doing things was more about following his heart.
Ling Xiao walked to Gan Jing's door, pushed it gently, and the door opened. At this moment, Ling Xiao couldn't help but chuckle again as he stepped inside.
Ling Xiao and Gan Jing had been together for three or four years. As a single man and woman, they were together almost every day. Even if there was nothing originally, something would develop over time, especially since this was America. Between the two of them, everything that could be done, except for the final step, had already been done.
When she woke up the next morning, Gan Jing prepared breakfast as usual, but as she walked, her steps were slightly unsteady, and her lips twitched slightly from pain.
When Ling Xiao came down from the third floor after his morning cultivation, Gan Jing was already sitting there eating breakfast alone. Usually, she would wait for Ling Xiao to come down and eat together, but today was clearly different. Heh heh... Ling Xiao walked up to Gan Jing, gently kissed her forehead, and whispered, "Are you okay? I didn't know..."
"Stop!" Gan Jing glared at Ling Xiao fiercely, while pinching his waist hard, saying, "Don't say another word, or I won't talk to you."
"Alright, alright." Ling Xiao looked at Gan Jing's feigned stern expression, smiled tenderly, and sat down beside her, saying softly, "Don't go anywhere today. Rest well at home. I'll call the school later to take a day off. I'll stay home and keep you company today. It's settled."
"Mm!" Seeing Ling Xiao's determined expression, Gan Jing was very happy inside, but she still nodded, feigning calmness.
Ling Xiao indeed had a lot of things to do at the Pharmacy, including organizing many medicinal herbs, ordering, and delivering goods.
After tidying up, Ling Xiao stood by, watching Gan Jing finish with the last customer, then he walked over, stepped behind the counter, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Gan Jing, asking in a low voice, "Where did you put that thing?"
Gan Jing looked at Ling Xiao, slightly stunned, but she quickly reacted, reaching under the counter on her right side. A Smith & Wesson MP9L pistol was immediately in her hand.
This was an MP military/police model pistol introduced by Smith & Wesson in 2005. It was adopted by law enforcement agencies in over a dozen countries worldwide, with a solid reputation, easy maintenance, simple repairs, low failure rate, reasonable price, and excellent after-sales service.
The gun in Gan Jing's hand was more suitable for women. Ling Xiao had specially asked Beckett to get it for her, along with the gun permit, of course.
Ling Xiao nodded in satisfaction. With a flick of his hand, a Glock 17 pistol appeared in Ling Xiao's hand, which he then casually tucked under the counter, saying to Gan Jing, "Put an extra one there. If something unexpected really happens, two guns are more reassuring than one."
"Are you worried the Japanese will come knocking?" Gan Jing frowned; she immediately guessed Ling Xiao's thoughts.
"Better safe than sorry!" Ling Xiao nodded lightly and said, "If I'm at home, there's naturally nothing to worry about. If I'm not at home, you'll have to be more careful, especially recently."
Ling Xiao was still somewhat worried that the Japanese might find clues from Qin Ming and then track him down. The Nisshin-kai people weren't police; they never needed evidence to act, just an idea.
Ling Xiao's worries were not unfounded. After confirming that Qin Ming had entered Zhang Xiaotian's home, Yashida Jiro immediately began to investigate all Chinese men in the city who had a good relationship with Qin Ming. Although Ling Xiao was wearing a mask at the time, that Monkey King mask had already revealed a lot.
Just after the afternoon, an unexpected guest arrived at Ling's Pharmacy.
A middle-aged man in a dark, well-tailored suit walked in. He had an ordinary appearance, neat clothing, neatly combed hair, and a distinct military bearing as he walked. As soon as he entered, the man said directly, "I'd like to buy some cold medicine, if that's possible."
"Of course, no problem. Can you describe your cold symptoms?" Gan Jing, looking very professional, meticulously inquired about the middle-aged man's condition, to avoid missing any hidden symptoms. Otherwise, being sued in court later would be very troublesome.
Generally speaking, most of the people who came to Ling's Pharmacy were Chinese. Everyone understood how Chinese medicine worked. The problem arose with the occasional white customers. They only half-understood Chinese medicine and came to buy herbs mostly out of curiosity. If they had any problems after taking the medicine, they would immediately sue Ling's Pharmacy.
The most disgusting thing was that some people intentionally came to buy medicine, concealing the true, terminal illness of themselves or their family members from the doctor. Not long after, the patient would die, and then they would immediately sue the Pharmacy.
In America, human life is paramount, and coupled with unfamiliarity with Eastern culture, the jury in those courts could easily rule against the Pharmacy, not only requiring large monetary compensation but potentially even Ling Xiao or Gan Jing being charged with murder and ultimately going to prison.
Some Americans took advantage of this, knowing that the Pharmacy feared this, and they didn't want to go to court. If their deception was exposed, it would be troublesome, so they directly blackmailed the Pharmacy. Therefore, Gan Jing was extremely careful when selling medicinal herbs to these people.
Not only were the Pharmacy's surveillance cameras always on, but even when handling the medicine sales procedures, Gan Jing would meticulously write down all the symptoms described by the buyer on the prescription, then write down her diagnosis and all the herbs used, and then have the other party sign it.
These various methods were to protect their own interests. They couldn't be blamed for being too cautious; it was simply very difficult for Chinese people to live in America.
Looking at the prescription Gan Jing handed over, a smile of appreciation appeared on the middle-aged man's face. He nodded and immediately signed the prescription.
Ling Xiao had been standing at the aisle entrance, watching this middle-aged man. This person gave him a very different feeling, somewhat like a legendary federal agent, FBI? DEA? ATF? A series of three-letter federal agencies appeared in Ling Xiao's mind.
Taking the Chinese patent medicine sold by Ling's Pharmacy from Gan Jing, the middle-aged man smiled. His gaze shifted slightly and fell upon Ling Xiao, who was standing nearby.
"You must be Mr. Ling Xiao. Hello, I'm Phil Coulson." The middle-aged man said, revealing two rows of white teeth.
Coulson, Phil Coulson. Upon hearing that name, Ling Xiao couldn't help but be slightly stunned, widening his eyes as he looked at him, a look of surprise on his face.
"You know me?" Seeing Ling Xiao's expression, Coulson frowned and asked with a puzzled look.
"The name sounds familiar!" Ling Xiao nodded lightly, blinked, and said, "You should be a federal agent, right? FBI, DEA, ATF, or CIA?"
Watching Ling Xiao talk nonsense so earnestly, Coulson couldn't help but laugh.