Chapter 1 Time to Eat

It was already six o'clock. Hao Ren quickly washed his face, washing away the lingering exhaustion from sleeping for more than ten hours. He then went to the first-floor restaurant with Vivian, who was full of complaints from not resting well. Behind them was Lily, who looked like a wandering ghost. The werewolf girl had been energetic since the middle of the night, and now it was finally her "nap time" again, and she was as sleepy as a dead dog.

Hao Ren truly felt that it was amazing that a person's biological clock could be so strong.

"Landlord, I want to sleep... I also want to eat lunch, and I want to lie on the ground and rest..." Lily muttered behind Hao Ren, her voice weak. She looked like a tired dog who was clinging to its owner's feet and refusing to move. However, even Vivian didn't dare to say it out loud at this moment: Lily's pride as a "werewolf" was exceptionally strong. Even in this sleepwalking state, if you compared her to a house dog, the girl would still jump up and bite you, leaving teeth marks all over your body. Even wearing three layers of stab-proof vests wouldn't be enough to withstand her bite.

"It should be breakfast at this time," Hao Ren said, looking at the morning light outside the restaurant that hadn't fully brightened yet. He helplessly reminded the confused werewolf beside him. London had shaken off the embarrassment of being an industrial fog capital, but the climate conditions of this area, with its morning fog, thick clouds, and changeable weather, had not changed. The weather today wasn't very good. Although the morning sun had risen, the light outside still looked a bit dim. In the next few hours, it would either be dense fog or a cloudy day.

"Look, there he is," Vivian suddenly tugged at Hao Ren's clothes and pointed to a conspicuous table outside the restaurant. "That 'Nangong,' he's quite punctual. I didn't even expect it from a guy who's involved with demon hunters. Tsk tsk."

Because Nangong was more or less likely to be related to demon hunters (even with a one percent chance of being the "real deal"), Vivian had an instinctive dislike for him. It wasn't quite hostility yet, but she certainly wouldn't be smiling when she talked about him behind his back.

"After watching yesterday's TV, I suddenly feel that we don't need to go with this dangerous element at all," Hao Ren said hesitantly. "There are people everywhere around Yoford Castle now, all looking for ghosts. Do we still need a guide?"

"Of course, we do," Vivian rolled her eyes at Hao Ren. "Do you know how to get from London to Brusael?"

Hao Ren was stunned. He had actually forgotten about that.

At this time, Mr. Nangong had already seen Hao Ren and his group of three. He immediately waved to them, looking amiable. Hao Ren saw that it was no longer realistic to turn around and leave, so he had to lead Vivian and Lily to greet him. "Good morning."

"Morning, you guys aren't late," Nangong said with a slight smile, then looked at Lily, who was swaying behind Hao Ren with her eyes closed, with a bit of astonishment. "Um, what's wrong with this girl?"

"She hasn't adjusted to the time difference. It's her nap time," Hao Ren shrugged helplessly. "Are we leaving now? Or should we eat here first?"

Nangong said that time wasn't urgent and that being ten or twenty minutes late wouldn't delay the trip. So Hao Ren simply decided to fill his stomach first. The hotel offered a free breakfast buffet to every guest, and he had to get his money's worth before checking out. Lily was getting more and more sleepy at this time, and she was about to become completely unconscious. But miraculously, the werewolf girl didn't delay eating in this situation. Hao Ren followed Lily's diet and got her a plate of food. Lily ate it all while keeping her eyes closed, relying on her sense of smell. Not even a single vegetable leaf was left...

Nangong watched in amazement, which made Hao Ren and Vivian nervous. They were afraid that this so-called demon hunter would see Lily's inhuman nature from her special circumstances. As it turned out, this Nangong was either a con man or a fake. He just exclaimed in surprise and didn't even think that the "demon" he was supposed to hunt was sitting next to him.

After breakfast, the group of people went to the front desk to check out and left the hotel with their luggage. Hao Ren and the others didn't have much luggage. All together, they only had one large travel bag. Logically speaking, the men on the scene should be responsible for carrying this, but Vivian unceremoniously tied the big bag to Lily's body. The latter suddenly had tens of kilograms of extra weight while she was half-asleep, but she actually fell asleep! She was led by Vivian as a porter, following Hao Ren and smelling the scent, just like yesterday.

"Her only advantage is her strength. It would be a waste of talent not to let her carry it." Vivian waved her hand, not caring about the strange look on Hao Ren's face. "Don't worry, she's happy to do it—even though she's sleeping right now."

Hao Ren felt awkward. He saw Lily carrying the luggage of three people while sleeping, walking like a bullied little daughter-in-law (purely a psychological effect). In the end, he couldn't help but step forward and switch the bag to his own back. "Forget it, don't always bully her."

Lily opened her eyes in a daze, and she even knew what had happened. "Thank you, Landlord. I'm not tired..."

Vivian snorted. "Pointless male chauvinism. You guys haven't made any progress after all these years."

Hao Ren laughed dryly and glanced at Nangong beside him. This tall, thin man who claimed to be a demon hunter had much more luggage than the three of them. As expected of someone who claimed to travel around the world every now and then. His luggage alone was bigger than the travel bag on Hao Ren's back. It was an extra-large suitcase that looked sturdy and heavy, even bigger than the one Lily had dragged when she first came to his house. The sound of it being dragged on the cement road was deafening. God knows what was inside.

"What's in this suitcase of yours?" Vivian, as expected of someone old and wise (she can't hear these four words), immediately asked curiously, acting like a naive girl.

"It's all for 'work'," Nangong said, dragging the huge suitcase, but still maintaining his clean and neat image. A white shirt and black suit pants, even with a suitcase half his height behind him, made him look like a successful entrepreneur rushing to a meeting. "I use them to fight against evil. This suitcase has suppressed at least hundreds of demons and evil spirits."

"Real demon hunters don't need so many tools," Vivian returned to Hao Ren's side and said in a low voice. "They themselves are weapons. It looks like we can rest assured."

What Hao Ren was thinking at this time was: why is the difference in image so big when we are both men? He looks like an entrepreneur going to a meeting even when dragging such a large suitcase. How come I look like I'm on the road to beg for wages when carrying a travel bag...

And so, the two parties, each with their own hidden agendas (is this idiom appropriate?), embarked on a journey to the town of Brusael. In any case, having a professional who travels frequently and knows the way saved a lot of trouble. With Nangong's help, Hao Ren and his group of three finally didn't get lost in the ancient and intricate streets of London and smoothly boarded the train to their destination.

Nothing was said along the way. The four people were bumping around on the train for a whole day.

Because there was a stranger beside them, Hao Ren and Vivian couldn't talk about too many confidential matters, making the journey particularly dull. The only thing worth mentioning was that Lily woke up from her "nap" in the middle of the trip and spent a long time fidgeting in her seat. By the time the train was about to arrive, she was sleepy again. It was a waste that she had been so excited before leaving, but after arriving in England, all she did was sleep and stare blankly. She finally had some free time, but she spent it shaking around on the train.

When the train arrived at Brusael Station, it was almost dusk. There were very few people getting off here. It seemed that not everyone was interested in coming to such a remote place to hunt ghosts. Hao Ren followed the station announcement, which was as familiar as his native language, and arrived at the platform, finding that this place was even more remote and desolate than he had imagined.

The train station was extremely small, with only two railway tracks passing through it, one of which was abandoned. The small station was basically surrounded by bare wasteland. The view was filled with brownish-yellow sand and gravel, and the only green was the wild grass and shrubs that grew randomly in the wind. From the station, you could see the small town of Brusael not far away. The buildings in the town were already somewhat old, and the entire town was small, almost like a village.

He didn't know how this town was built in such a godforsaken place. The feng shui of this place reminded Hao Ren of the Earth Office of Heaven—also known as Wangba Tuozi.

Nangong sniffed the air, an interested expression on his face. "I smell the aura of a 'big guy'."