Chapter 324: Living on Together, Slowly

At the hour of the Dragon (7-9 AM) the next day, the scorching sun hung high in the sky, its dazzling and searing rays seemingly capable of igniting the entire desert.

In Eternal Slumber City, the sand-covered streets shimmered with a golden hue under the intense sunlight, while rolling waves of heat filled every corner.

If this were a city inhabited by humans, the streets would already be bustling with vendors and hurried pedestrians. However, in Eternal Slumber City, nearly all the shops remained closed, and there was not a single street vendor in sight.

Yet, within this seemingly desolate ancient city, figures clad in tattered clothing appeared in the streets and alleys. Each of them held a broom made from some unknown dried grass, sweeping away the remnants of last night’s litter and the yellow sand that had blanketed the stone-paved roads overnight.

In front of Taste of Freshness Inn, a dark-skinned man and a woman were sweeping the sand away from the entrance. Behind them trailed a little girl, around seven years old.

The woman, drenched in sweat, paused her sweeping to wipe her forehead before reaching over to wipe her husband’s sweat as well. She sighed, “Husband, life in this demon city isn’t easy. We may have food to eat, but if we have to sweep the streets under this blazing sun every day, we’ll be baked to death before long…”

“It’s fine for us adults, but the child can’t take it.”

Hearing this, the dark-skinned man also stopped. Looking at his daughter’s flushed face, his heart ached. “Let’s wait a little longer. Once the innkeeper comes out, we’ll find a way to plead with them to take the child in as a servant.”

The woman turned to look at the inn’s signboard and muttered, “Taste of Freshness?”

The next moment, her eyes lit up with joy. “Husband, this inn is quite big! If we can work here, no matter how hard it is, it’s still better than sweeping the streets outside!”

Realizing his wife was getting ahead of herself, the man chuckled bitterly. “Wife, we can only try to get the child in. There’s no place for us here.”

“Huh? Neither of us can stay?” The woman frowned. “I was even thinking of finding a way to get Third Aunt’s whole family in too.”

“I wonder how they’re doing…”

“Husband, do you know where that sneaky-looking guy from yesterday placed them?”

“Third Aunt is getting old. If she has to sweep the streets like us, her body won’t hold up… Should we check on them after work?”

“Keep your voice down!” The dark-skinned man glared at his wife, lowering his voice in reprimand. “You must address him as ‘Lord Mi’!”

“This isn’t a human city. These demons aren’t ordinary people with bad hearing—they can hear everything!”

“If Lord Mi overhears you, the consequences will be dire!”

Realizing her mistake, the woman quickly slapped her mouth and said anxiously, “It was just a slip of the tongue… just a slip of the tongue…”

The man sighed bitterly and said, “Enough. In this demon city, we have to fend for ourselves. Stop worrying about Third Aunt’s family…”

“If we can take care of ourselves, that’s already good enough.”

“Oh…” The woman hesitated, sensing something deeper in his words. But having just spoken out of turn, she refrained from asking further.

The man, after ending the conversation, turned his head away, a trace of frustration flickering across his face.

Before long, the sound of a wooden latch being undone echoed from the inn’s doors. As the doors swung inward, a young man appeared before the family of three.

The young man merely glanced at them under the eaves before walking back inside, expressionless.

“Young sir! Young sir!”

The dark-skinned man hurried forward, stopping just before the inn’s threshold. Smiling earnestly, he cupped his hands and asked, “Young sir, has the innkeeper woken up yet?”

Without turning around, the young attendant replied, “I don’t know. How could a lowly worker like me know the innkeeper’s whereabouts?”

Seeing that the young attendant had no intention of engaging further, the man suddenly dropped to his knees with a thud.

“Young sir! Please help us! We are refugees from Great Wu, desperate and suffering. We wish to see your innkeeper and beg them to take in our child as a servant!”

Beside him, the woman hesitated for only a brief moment before kneeling as well, pleading earnestly.

Their little girl, caught off guard, grew teary-eyed as she anxiously followed her parents’ example, kneeling before the young attendant.

The attendant remained with his back turned, standing still for a long moment before finally speaking.

“The innkeeper can’t take in too many people. She usually wakes up at the hour of the Snake (9-11 AM).”

With that, he strode quickly into the main hall of the inn and disappeared.

Once he was gone, the dark-skinned man stood up and helped his wife and daughter to their feet. Letting out a long sigh, he turned to his daughter and said,

“Little Lian, remember this—if the innkeeper takes you in, you must show the utmost respect to that big brother. He helped us today. You must always remember this kindness, understand?”

The little girl named Little Lian nodded, though she didn’t fully comprehend. “Father, I understand.”

“Good, good. As long as you remember.”

The dark-skinned man reached out and brushed the yellow sand from his daughter’s cheek, smiling as he said, “If you manage to enter this inn, no matter how the people inside treat you—whether they scold you or beat you—you must endure it. As long as they give you food, you must stay quietly. Do you understand?”

Little Lian nodded again. “I understand, Father… Won’t you and Mother come with me?”

The dark-skinned man pinched his daughter’s thin cheeks and smiled. “If you are accepted, you will be able to earn your meals just like your mother and me. The three of us can work together, earn our meals together, and slowly survive together. Does that sound good?”

Little Lian nodded firmly. “Yes! Little Lian will work with Father and Mother, and we’ll survive together!”

Inside the inn’s main hall, in a corner, Gu Ning’an sat at a wooden table, eating flatbread with stir-fried sea buckthorn berries at a leisurely pace.

His seat was near the edge of the hall, so as long as the family outside didn’t step into the main area, they wouldn’t notice him. However, he could hear their conversation clearly.

So that dark-skinned man had mentioned finding a livelihood—turns out, he had come to Eternal Slumber City to work as a street sweeper. And judging by his words, he seemed to know this so-called “Lord Mi”. Otherwise, he probably wouldn’t have even secured that sweeping job.

“Doubao, do you know what this Lord Mi does?”

As soon as Gu Ning’an finished speaking, the glowing Doubao, who had been curled up by the table, stretched out and responded, “Sir, I know! Lord Mi runs a brokerage that specializes in dealing with refugees…”

“In Eternal Slumber City, Lord Mi has some connections and maintains good relations with various shops and factions… He mainly provides them with labor…”