"Anyway, when I get back from work today, I want to see at least twenty Spirit Stones. Otherwise, hmph!"
After dropping that threat-laden remark, Lu Xiang turned around and left the corpse burier's small courtyard, his heart full of displeasure yet tinged with helplessness, his saber already sheathed.
He had come to extort money, but he did not want to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs too quickly. Yet what was the result? Du En would not yield an inch, leaving him nearly unable to save face.
In the end, he had not even been able to leave with an air of might and dominance!
"Bah! That brat really thinks I'm that useless Luo Heng!"
After Lu Xiang stepped outside, he spat a glob of old phlegm at the firewood piled beside the door, his eyes brimming with killing intent.
He had not killed enough of those Iron Hand Gang brats earlier to satisfy himself. If this Du En really refused to recognize what was good for him, then he would simply kill him and chop him into eight pieces!
Thinking this, he could not resist swinging his saber and hacking several pieces of firewood to bits.
His killing urge had yet to settle, already stirring restlessly!
He swept his gaze around once more. When he saw the people who had just come out, craning their necks and peeking over to observe the situation, he suddenly glared at them. Several were frightened out of their wits on the spot, while the rest trembled and shook nonstop.
"Hahahaha!"
Lu Xiang immediately burst into hearty laughter, slung his saber over his shoulder, and swaggered away with his head held high.
The six people still in the courtyard watched that arrogant retreating figure through the gate he had kicked apart.
"Ahem, ahem, ahem... What are we supposed to do now?"
"Drive out a wolf, only to invite in a tiger!"
"Luo Heng was already in a terrible situation before he died, and things got even worse after he died. Wasn't Luo Heng's death for nothing, then?"
"Boss Du, look, why don't you go find the steward and ask for last month's wages? That way, we can make up the rest..."
Du En had said at the beginning of the month that he would represent everyone in asking the steward for their wages. But now it was already the twenty-eighth, nearly the end of the month, and he still had not set out. Naturally, some people had begun to grow suspicious.
Now that Lu Xiang had come to their door, frighteningly forceful, they took the opportunity to stammer out their suggestion.
"Isn't that just sticking your head out for one slash, then pulling it back in for another?"
Wei Ming was unwilling to hear that and immediately became agitated.
Having Du En suffer the steward's malicious harassment first, then return and hand over with both hands the wages he had suffered to obtain to that fellow Lu Xiang—just thinking about it made people furious, yet also gave rise to an inescapable bitterness.
Because that seemed to be the only workable approach at present.
Leaving aside Du En's private savings, even if the six people pooled all their savings together, they truly could not scrape together twenty Low-grade Spirit Stones!
Thus, in the end, everyone turned as one toward their backbone.
Du En merely nodded. "We do indeed need to go ask for our wages."
The others were startled when they heard this. Looking more closely, they discovered that the clothes Du En wore today were clearly his cleanest and most presentable set, kept at the bottom of the trunk.
He only wore this outfit on specific occasions, such as when asking for his wages.
It was not because he was vain or cared about dressing up, but because he did not want to give the stewards any opportunity to nitpick and maliciously make trouble over his appearance!
"You really intend to go?"
Ning Caize's eyes flickered. He hesitated for a while before finally saying, "If we truly have to make up the difference, I can put aside this old face of mine and borrow from some acquaintances. We should still be able to scrape it together."
As a veteran here, he knew people he could speak to in every part of the corpse-related operations.
"If we borrow, we'll have to repay it. We won't escape this ordeal sooner or later, so we might as well make the trip."
One sentence from Du En blocked him off completely and calmly made his resolve clear.
Even if the Blood Eagle Gang had not come knocking, he had still intended to ask for his wages.
He could not really work for nothing!
Moreover, he needed to confirm the steward's precise attitude toward him.
"Sigh~!"
Ning Caize knew he could not dissuade him. He could not help sighing as he looked at Du En's calm face and said, "Even now, you can still remain so composed and unruffled. Your self-control is truly impressive!"
"Hmm, it might also be because I have facial paralysis?"
Du En made a joke that was neither too big nor too small.
Instead, the others were all somewhat stunned.
Come to think of it, he really did look a little like that!
Amid their astonishment, their emotions eased somewhat.
"All right, enough joking. I'll go ask for our wages now. Repair the gate, and as for today's corpse-burying work, I'll leave it to you."
"Mm, don't worry. You don't need to concern yourself with this."
And so, with strange anticipation in their hearts and bitterness churning inside them, the corpse buriers repaired the courtyard gate. After they had gone some distance away, Wei Ming could not stop sighing as they headed toward the Corpse Burial Wasteland.
As for Du En, he had already gone against the flow. While most of the people in the Shack District converged and left, he moved in the opposite direction, approaching the towering city walls that rose like mountains.
The stewards responsible for all sorts of matters outside the city lived and worked in a building called Elegant Courtyard. Sometimes, even the Outer City Affairs Supervisor would come over.
The name Elegant Courtyard seemed completely at odds with the filthy, chaotic, and ramshackle Shack District.
Yet when one truly arrived outside this building near the city gate, one would discover that the scenery here was indeed beautiful, the air fresh, and the spiritual energy abundant. It truly lived up to its name!
It was like a dividing belt between prosperity and filth, serving as a sudden, abrupt transition between the two.
The people in the Shack District all dreamed of moving into Elegant Courtyard, while the people in Elegant Courtyard dreamed of moving into the border city.
When Du En arrived at Elegant Courtyard, the place was quiet and serene, with no other figures visible nearby.
Dressed neatly and wearing a calm expression, he blended harmoniously into the surroundings.
He walked straight through the open main gate, followed the signs, and proceeded steadily forward, finally stopping outside the attic of Corpse Affairs Hall.
Without saying or doing anything, he simply stood there in silence and waited.
Because those in the Foundation Establishment Realm possessed Spiritual Sense, this intangible sense could allow them to "see" various situations from far away, crossing over numerous obstacles.
Therefore, as long as Du En stood there and appeared within the range of the Corpse Affairs Steward's Spiritual Sense, the other party would naturally know.
The steward was named He Bo. He looked well-fed and prosperous, wore luxurious clothes, had a fairly amiable face, and sported two small tufts of mustache.
At that moment, he had just finished his daily cultivation and walked out of the quiet room in the attic, intending to handle some affairs.
The instant he came out, he noticed Du En.
Not bad courage!
As he stroked his mustache, He Bo began to sneer inwardly.
To be honest, he did not like Du En.
The reason was actually very simple: he disliked that calm, unhurried expression.
When this sort of person walked through Elegant Courtyard, he seemed unexpectedly harmonious, without the slightest discord. It gave people the illusion that the two sides were actually equals of the same kind.
What sort of standing did you have? How were you worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as me?
A mere lowly laborer and base wretch should honestly bow and scrape, trembling with fear and trepidation!
Thus, He Bo had long been waiting for Du En to come ask for his wages again.
Although he had long been thinking of teaching Du En a harsh lesson, when he saw that Du En was still just as obstinate as ever and had learned nothing, the nameless fire in his heart could not help but flare up!
Therefore, he did not waste any time. He simply raised his hand and waved, opening a window. Then he smoothly pulled out a pouch, weighed it in his hand, and tossed it out with murky malice.
"You want your wages, right? I'm giving them to you. But whether you can catch them will depend on your own ability!"
Before you continue