Hello, Welcome to Merit Supermarket (SUPERMARKET)
he two rested at the hotel for the night.
At eight o’clock the next morning, they were abruptly awakened by the ringing of a phone.
To be precise, only Jiang Chenyi was awakened.
Huo Yunxi had woken up around six and had been sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room while watching the city for two hours.
“We’ve got work. Director Zhou is calling us.”
Looking at the relaxed Huo Yunxi, Jiang Chenyi suddenly remembered something—he seemed to have forgotten to buy a phone for Huo Yunxi.
If the other had a phone, then future calls could be handled by him.
If there was any urgent matter in the call, he could just handle it alone!
Wow! Free labor!
He just didn’t know if the merit earned from the other’s work could be credited to him.
Jiang Chenyi was fantasizing beautifully, but the supermarket quickly poured cold water on his hopes: [Of course not, you two have no relationship.]
Such a cold tone instantly shattered Jiang Chenyi’s expectations.
Huo Yunxi listened to their conversation and, seeing the young man’s sparkling eyes dim in an instant, he felt a bit of pity in his heart.
“I don’t mind. Just give it all to him. Didn’t he spend a lot of merit to wake me up before?”
The supermarket coldly refused: [This is the rule. Otherwise, what if all the store owners become lazy and idle in the future?]
At this point, the two of them had nothing more to say.
This was indeed a hidden danger.
They put aside their thoughts and quickly headed to the Public Security Bureau.
Upon arriving at the bureau, they encountered an experience completely different from yesterday—the police officers inside were unusually enthusiastic when they saw the two of them.
"Ah, Little Jiang is here! Have you had breakfast? Would you like something to eat?"
"Mr. Huo is here too! We have soy milk and fried dough sticks here. Would you like some?"
"Do you two want some coffee? I brought coffee powder from home. It’s really fragrant!"
"Want some biscuits? They’re my personal stash…"
"Get lost, Old Zhang! Your biscuits are probably expired! How can you offer them to Little Jiang?"
"Hehehe, it’s not like I have anything else besides biscuits!"
Jiang Chenyi was almost overwhelmed by the crowd. Fortunately, at the critical moment, Huo Yunxi stepped in.
His eyes narrowed, and a surge of killing intent instantly radiated from him that intimidated the group of police officers.
"Don’t scare them. They’re just being kind."
Jiang Chenyi patted Huo Yunxi’s chest, signaling him to relax, and then turned to the police officers in front of him: "Where’s Director Zhou? I need to see him about something."
The others quickly pointed him in the right direction while shrinking their heads and stepping back.
Good heavens, who exactly is this Mr. Huo? His killing intent is something even the police might not be able to withstand.
Director Zhou had stayed up all night and was now drinking strong tea while waiting for Jiang Chenyi.
As soon as he saw the young man, he didn’t waste any time and directly brought up the people from the Celestial Masters Association: "Four people came from there and demanded to see you. But it seems their focus isn’t really on their own people."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chenyi immediately knew what they were after.
Most likely, it was the excessive amount of Merit on his body.
However, he wasn’t very keen on meeting them right now: "Let them wait. We’ll deal with other matters first."
Then, without waiting for Director Zhou to respond, he brought up the urgent matters he had been thinking about yesterday—that younger sister’s situation, the escaped third-in-command, and the trafficked children.
When Director Zhou heard that Jiang Chenyi was proactively asking about whether to make a trade, he was thrilled!
"If you hadn’t brought these things up, I would have mentioned them too. I’ve handed Yu Xiaohua’s case to Old Yao. You can go directly to him later. As for Yuan Xiao, I’ll find a few people for you. They’ve all made significant contributions, and according to your terms, they should have a lot of Merit. Let them make the trade with you."
As for the last matter, he planned to first upload the data on the trafficked children from this organization to the higher-ups and wait for the capital to arrange a unified response.
Regarding the issue of finding the trafficked children, Director Zhou specifically explained to Jiang Chenyi: "It’s not that we don’t want to help find them, but…"
Before he could finish, Jiang Chenyi waved his hand: "I understand what you mean."
This human trafficking organization had existed for so many years, and the children they trafficked must have come from all over the country.
It would be impossible for the Chashan City Public Security Bureau alone to completely resolve this.
In that case, it would be better to directly report it to the national level and let the state, based on the list provided, instruct the public security bureaus of each province to search for the children.
It’s much more convenient for local people to search within their own territories than for outsiders to do so.
Moreover, the higher-ups had provided a detailed address this time. If they still couldn’t find it… it would be enough to prove that someone was involved.
This was also a test from the higher-ups. As for whether someone would be foolish enough to expose themselves… well, the knife had already been sharpened :)
Seeing that Jiang Chenyi understood his meaning, Director Zhou couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
For Director Zhou, Jiang Chenyi was someone he didn’t want to antagonize.
The young man’s abilities were comparable to a Celestial Master—even stronger than one—and his temperament was also good.
As long as it was a positive matter, he would basically respond to any request.
Moreover, asking for his help didn’t require spending a lot of money. Although it was a Merit Points transaction, Merit was of no use to them anyway!
So, in the eyes of these ordinary police officers, Jiang Chenyi was like a free helper!
And a highly effective one at that!
He wiped his face and pulled out an envelope from the drawer, which contained Jiang Chenyi’s travel expenses and a bonus for his act of bravery.
“This… the Director said to calculate the travel expenses according to his rank. He’s currently in the capital and can’t return, so he specifically instructed me to hand this to you personally.”
The Director was also overjoyed and told him to treat this distinguished guest well.
Jiang Chenyi didn’t even glance at it and directly handed the envelope to Huo Yunxi, who was behind him: “Here, your salary.”
Huo Yunxi and Director Zhou were momentarily stunned, but then their eyes softened.
“By the way, there’s something I’d like to ask of you. Could you arrange an ID card for Huo Yunxi? If possible, I’ll send something to the bureau after the transaction is completed.”
Previously, when he had cleared up the rumors about Huang Jue, he had already promised Officer Zheng to send a small gift.
Now, with these two favors combined, the small gift would probably need to be upgraded.
Director Zhou waved his hand: “Such a small matter, it’s simple. Just ask Old Yao to handle it for you when you see him later.”
Although, he was somewhat curious about what Jiang Chenyi would bring.
He wasn’t curious about whether the item was valuable, but rather about its function.
But Jiang Chenyi’s lips were always the tightest. He made a “shh” gesture: “Hehe, you’ll find out when the time comes! Don’t worry, it’ll definitely be something good.”
After getting Director Zhou’s approval, Jiang Chenyi hurried over to Team Leader Yao.
Coincidentally, Team Leader Yao was also looking for Jiang Chenyi: “Perfect, the young lady is here!”
The young lady he was referring to was Yu Xiaohua.
In fact, it wasn’t just Yu Xiaohua who had come, but also Qi Yun.
“Ah! Mr. Jiang, you’re here too!” Seeing Jiang Chenyi, Qi Yun immediately felt at ease and quickly pushed Yu Xiaohua forward.
In just a few days, Yu Xiaohua’s condition had completely changed from before.
She no longer curled up to minimize her presence, her eyes had become brighter, and she seemed much more cheerful overall.
“Hello, Mr. Jiang!” This younger sister was an honest person and immediately gave Jiang Chenyi a 90-degree bow upon meeting him.
Jiang Chenyi examined her and indeed, her Merit had increased significantly.
It seemed that his decision to have her go home and steal that list had been absolutely correct.
“Why are you here too?” He turned to Qi Yun while feeling puzzled as to why the two of them were together after the variety show had ended.
Qi Yun puffed out her chest and declared confidently, "I want to protect Zhao Zhao! You don’t know, but the women in that village actually dared to cause trouble for Zhao Zhao. If it weren’t for me, she would have been dragged back by those people!"
Her words made both Jiang Chenyi and Huo Yunxi frown simultaneously.
"What do you mean? Who wanted to capture her? Wasn’t the evidence of the crime handed over to the police? Shouldn’t all the suspects have been arrested by now?"
However, Qi Yun grew even angrier. "Yes, that’s why those trying to capture Zhao Zhao were all former victims of trafficking!"
Once victims, they had now turned into accomplices!
Jiang Chenyi’s eyes quickly turned cold.
He had been careless as he forgot that some people would rather drag others down with them than see them thrive.
"My mistake. I thought too highly of them. I’m sorry!"
As he spoke, he expressed his gratitude to Qi Yun. "If it weren’t for you, she probably wouldn’t have made it out."
Qi Yun hugged Yu Xiaohua tightly. "Because Zhao Zhao is worth it. She’s a good girl, and she shouldn’t have to stay in that disgusting place any longer!"
In that village, the men were vile, and some of the women who had been bought had turned into accomplices, while the rest had gone mad.
Yu Xiaohua couldn’t return to the village, but she had no money and couldn’t stay outside either. In other words, if Qi Yun hadn’t taken her in, she truly would have had nowhere to go.
Jiang Chenyi also realized this and felt a pang of guilt.
But Yu Xiaohua shook her head frantically. "This has nothing to do with you!"
Jiang Chenyi patted her head as his expression gradually firmed. "I was careless. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re properly taken care of."
Yu Xiaohua wanted to say more, but Jiang Chenyi pulled her toward Team Leader Yao and not giving the young girl a chance to speak.
The group arrived in front of Team Leader Yao, who directly handed the case file regarding Yu Min to Jiang Chenyi.
Seeing this, Qi Yun silently left the office, while Huo Yunxi, taking advantage of his height, stood behind Jiang Chenyi and peered over his shoulder.
The more he read, the angrier he became.
"Serene Harmony Village? Hah, the people in that village truly disgrace the words 'serene harmony'!"
His voice, filled with anger, was deeper than usual and sent an unexpected shiver down Jiang Chenyi’s spine.
What was worse, that shiver quickly spread downward from his neck.
"Don’t talk so close to my ear!" Jiang Chenyi instantly bristled as he elbowed Huo Yunxi forcefully.
Huo Yunxi, who had been seething with anger, was caught off guard by the push with his expression freezing momentarily.
But when he looked at Jiang Chenyi in confusion, he was met with a fierce glare that left him even more bewildered.
Jiang Chenyi rubbed his ears and focused all his attention on the file to avoid Huo Yunxi’s pitiful gaze.
Yu Xiaohua and Team Leader Yao were equally puzzled as they were also unsure why Jiang Chenyi had suddenly become upset.
Fortunately, Jiang Chenyi’s unusual behavior was quickly suppressed.
He placed the file back on the table with his expression cold. "First, let’s gather the women who are mentally unstable. Once their families are found… we’ll see if those families are willing to take them back."
He had originally intended to suggest that their families negotiate with him, but he suddenly remembered: not all the families of these victims might be willing to take them back.
Some might find them shameful, some might find them troublesome... Simply taking them home might not even be possible, let alone making a deal.
Huo Yunxi immediately saw through Jiang Chenyi's thoughts, but he believed there would still be people who would always care about their own children.
"If we're going to make a deal, let's choose from those who are willing to take them home."
Jiang Chenyi pursed his lips and nodded, though he still felt a bit uneasy inside.
"Then... what if their families don't want to take them home... what should we do?" Yu Xiaohua's eyes were slightly red.
Putting herself in their shoes, she deeply sympathized with the women who had been trafficked to this place.
Because, in the eyes of the men in the village, there was no difference between her and them.
They were not people, just commodities, and no emotions needed to be invested in commodities.
The point raised by Yu Xiaohua also troubled Jiang Chenyi.
However, he quickly stopped worrying. At worst... he would make the deal for them—forget everything about the village, forget their cold and heartless families. They could live on their own, and if there were many of them, they could band together for warmth.
As he thought about it, Jiang Chenyi gradually relaxed.
At worst, he could ask Zhang Miaomiao and the others if there were any film crews in need of extras. Survival came first.
Now that the issue with Yu Min's village was mostly resolved, they just needed to wait for the trial.
Jiang Chenyi reported Huo Yunxi's situation to Team Leader Yao, who said it was a small matter and immediately took a photo of Huo Yunxi.
"How should we calculate the age? What about the household registration?"
Jiang Chenyi glanced at him and decided to set the day Huo Yunxi took human form as his birthday. As for the year... just three years older than himself. The address was simply filled in as the supermarket, which indeed could be considered Huo Yunxi's "birthplace."
"Alright, come and pick it up the day after tomorrow." They could expedite the process to get Huo Yunxi's ID card made.
At the same time, Team Leader Yao also changed Yu Xiaohua's name to Yun Zhao.
Yun was her mother's surname.
As they left the office, the people arranged by Director Zhou were already waiting outside.
To make a deal, they needed to return to the supermarket.
But before going back to the supermarket, Jiang Chenyi almost forgot he had one more thing to handle.
Just as he stepped out of Team Leader Yao's office, he was stopped by the Celestial Master who had arrived yesterday.
"Wait! What did you do to them?" The Celestial Master questioning Jiang Chenyi was furious.
After seeing the two detained individuals yesterday, they found that their souls seemed to have suffered extreme torment.
Even after two days, the two had not recovered mentally.
Jiang Chenyi coldly stared at the people in front of him.
These individuals were likely the elite of the association, judging by the exquisite clothes they wore and the magical tools they carried.
Moreover, both the clothes and the tools were highly effective, and comparable to the goods on the second floor of the supermarket.
Facing their questioning, Jiang Chenyi admitted frankly: "As you guessed, I was the one tormenting their souls. So what? What are you going to do about it?"
Without waiting for them to speak, he retorted, "As the Celestial Masters Association, is this how you stand by and watch your colleagues harm others? Are you sure this is the Celestial Masters Association and not the Association for Aiding Tyranny?"
The Golden Abacus instantly appeared in his hand while wrapped in a thick layer of Merit.
Jiang Chenyi grinned to reveal a malicious smile. "Since you are Celestial Masters, you should be able to see the Merit on this abacus, right? I’d like to know, when did Merit falling on someone become a form of punishment?"
Whether it was someone inherently rich in Merit or an ordinary person with a balanced amount, Jiang Chenyi’s Golden Abacus couldn’t actually harm them.
So it was clear that those who could be harmed by the Golden Abacus were no good people!
The Celestial Masters were left speechless by Jiang Chenyi’s words and unable to refute him.
At that moment, Huo Yunxi, using his power as a Spirit, silently moved behind the Celestial Masters.
He was now waiting for a signal from Jiang Chenyi.
Meanwhile, the people who had been following Jiang Chenyi obediently retreated to a safe distance and ensured they wouldn’t interfere with the young man’s upcoming actions.
The increasingly tense atmosphere finally made the Celestial Masters realize something was wrong.Looking at the young man before them, who was full of ill intentions yet brimming with Merit, and then at the tall man behind them that exuding a murderous aura and ready to strike at any moment, the Celestial Masters finally felt fear.
"You... you can’t attack us! Otherwise... otherwise it’ll be a declaration of war against the Celestial Masters Association!"
This was the only thing they could shout about now.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to fight back, but under the overwhelming pressure of the two men’s gazes, they clearly realized they stood no chance!
Especially since the young man before them could directly attack the soul using Merit!
It was practically a cheat-like ability!
Just as Jiang Chenyi was about to act, a terrifying spherical lightning bolt shot into the police station and instantly struck the Celestial Masters.
In the next second, Jiang Chenyi witnessed an extremely gruesome scene.
The skeletons of these men were literally exposed by the lightning—it was truly a case of "exposing the bones"!
He quickly stepped back while also signaling Huo Yunxi to stay clear of the lightning’s range.
But the lightning seemed to target only those men and leave everyone else unharmed, not even damaging a pen that had fallen nearby.
"Such precise control..." Jiang Chenyi couldn’t help but praise.
As soon as he finished speaking, an elderly man with a long beard walked in.
He was dressed in a black robe, with a red pin on his chest.
The men who had been electrocuted into a daze fainted instantly upon seeing the red pin.
The old man immediately introduced himself upon entering, "I am the Supervisor of the Celestial Masters Association. Their actions have violated the association’s regulations. According to the rules, the two detained will wear Spirit Binding Rings for life and live as ordinary people from now on."
He looked at Director Zhou, who had stepped forward, and continued, "As for the wealth they’ve accumulated over the years, it will all be confiscated."
With that, he handed Director Zhou two collars before saying that simply wearing them would suffice.
Director Zhou glanced at him skeptically and only nodded after seeing Jiang Chenyi’s approval, and then instructed his subordinates to take the Supervisor to the detainees.
When the other party came out, the subordinate said to Director Zhou with great delight, "That thing really works!"
Director Zhou felt much more at ease now.
It seemed that this association was not beyond saving!
At this moment, the Supervisor approached Jiang Chenyi and handed over his contact information: "Young friend, if you notice anything unusual about a Celestial Master, don't hesitate to take action. Then, just contact me to handle the corpse... I mean, the aftermath."
Jiang Chenyi's mouth twitched.
Good heavens, he only intended to punish but this person actually wanted to take lives directly!
However, it must be said that the Supervisor's attitude significantly reduced Jiang Chenyi's negative opinion of the association.
The Supervisor seemed quite busy because after giving his contact information, he dragged those useless individuals away from the police station.
Meanwhile, Jiang Chenyi, along with the police officers and Yun Zhao, hurried back to the supermarket.
As soon as they entered, he took Yun Zhao to the hidden door and left the rest to Huo Yunxi to handle.
Huo Yunxi led them to the courtyard, and along the way, the police officers curiously observed the small supermarket.
When they saw the goods on the shelves, they were almost too stunned to move.
One of them couldn't hold back his tears of excitement, and the item he was staring at was the same can that Director Zhou had seen before—a can that, when consumed entirely, could completely eliminate drug addiction within three years.
"How... how can there be such amazing things here... Why did I find out... so late!" A grown man cried uncontrollably.
Huo Yunxi was puzzled, but someone quietly explained, "He had a very close childhood friend who used to be... a narcotics officer. His badge number has been retired."
That childhood friend had voluntarily become addicted to drugs in order to go undercover.
After enduring countless hardships, he finally gathered all the evidence and brought down the drug traffickers in one fell swoop.
But he himself, tormented by his addiction, tragically took his own life.
He had persevered through so much difficulty and pain along the way, but in the end, he couldn't withstand the torment of his addiction.
If this thing had existed back then, his fate might not have been so bleak.
After hearing this, the mood in the room became heavy.
The man cried for a while, then wiped the tears from his face. Though there was still some sorrow in his eyes, there was more joy than anything else.
"Can this be sold? With this can, undercover officers will have one less worry in the future."
Director Zhou had once said the same thing.
But unfortunately, he had asked the wrong person.
"I'm not the person in charge of this supermarket. You'll have to ask him when he comes out."
Everyone snapped back to reality and remembered the young man who had already gone inside.
The crying officer quickly composed himself and determined to buy some of the cans even if it meant going bankrupt.
His childhood friend was gone, but the benefactor who had once saved his friend and the colleagues who had gone undercover with him were still on the front lines of the fight against drugs.
They must need this can!
Noticing the officer's increasingly resolute expression, Huo Yunxi glanced at the can. Below it, the price was clearly marked: 200 Merit Points plus 1,000 yuan.
For people in the police department, this price was practically a steal!
Any narcotics officer, as long as they hadn't committed any crimes, could easily have 1,000 Merit Points.
Huo Yunxi didn't share this crucial information with them because he wasn't the one in charge of the supermarket.
But in his heart, he felt that as long as this group of people asked, Jiang Chenyi would definitely agree to sell it.
No other reason, because this thing could save lives, so the young man would never keep it to himself.
The group of them didn’t obediently sit in the courtyard waiting. Instead, they spread out in front of the Supermarket shelves while carefully reading the detailed descriptions below the products.
These descriptions were actually added by Jiang Chenyi later, and now they conveniently helped this group of people pick out items.
However, their movement didn’t include the second layer of shelves behind the screen.
Although they were curious, after Huo Yunxi explicitly refused once, the police officers retracted their gazes and patiently waited for Jiang Chenyi to return.
Soon, a man and a woman walked out from the deepest part.
Yun Zhao came out with tears streaming down her face.
She wasn’t holding anything in her hands, which meant she had already used it.
Jiang Chenyi patted her head again: "Alright, you’re completely free now. Even if Yu Min is released from prison, he won’t come looking for you. No one will come looking for you."
A while ago, with Jiang Chenyi’s prompting, Yun Zhao reported the village she grew up in.
From under the ancestral tablets in the village’s ancestral hall, they uncovered an account book.
The book detailed the transactions between the villagers and human traffickers over the years—which family bought someone on a specific year, month, and day, where that person came from, and any special characteristics.
There were even some reverse sales—village boys who went to university lured girls from their surroundings to the village and then sold them to traffickers.
This was solid evidence of crime!
At first, the villagers were unwilling to admit it.
If it weren’t for some long-suffering victims stepping forward, the police might have let them go.
But now, the leaders and second-in-command of the organization had all been captured, and the truth was about to be revealed. No matter how much these people tried to argue, it was useless!
Yun Zhao’s actions earned her ten thousand Merit Points—she changed the fate of the women in the village and stopped the villagers from continuing their evil deeds.
And she used all ten thousand Merit Points in a transaction!
The Supermarket’s transaction with her was to erase all the villagers’ memories of her.
From now on, whether it was Yu Min or Yun Zhao’s biological father, even if they met again, they wouldn’t remember Yun Zhao.
So, Yun Zhao was completely free.
Yun Zhao was extremely emotional at this moment.
Years of suffering had finally come to an end today.
From now on, she could do whatever she wanted, and she didn’t have to worry about her friends being lured to the village.
And Jiang Chenyi had also resolved one of her worries—the police station had a reward for reporting, which would be her guarantee for future life!
When she left the Supermarket, what she saw was no longer her brother and father who wanted to sell her, but Qi Yun, who was looking at her with concern.
"Zhao Zhao! How is it? Are you free?"
A bright smile spread across Yun Zhao’s thin face, the most carefree smile Qi Yun had ever seen.
"Congratulate me, I’m free!"
A new name, a new life, and her future was also brand new!