Zhou Yi

Er Gou listened with his hair standing on end. He instinctively touched his own body, yet had no idea where the Demonic Seed Chu Qing spoke of was.

He did not believe Chu Qing would deceive him... His martial arts were formidable; he had killed someone like Tang Xi as easily as speaking the words.

Before him, Er Gou was as lowly as an ant. Why would Chu Qing need to go to such trouble to deceive him?

At once, he dropped to his knees with a thud:

"Thank you, Master, for saving my life."

Master...

Chu Qing fell silent, standing with his hands behind his back:

"Get up. Er Gou is not a good-sounding name. Give yourself another one."

Er Gou got to his feet and scratched his head:

"Master, I... I never attended a private school as a child. I do not know how to choose a name."

Neither do I!

Chu Qing felt somewhat troubled.

Er Gou was clearly the sort of lowly name meant to make a child easy to raise. It truly was not a name he could use for a lifetime.

"What is your surname?"

Chu Qing asked again.

After that bout of crying, Er Gou seemed to have cast a huge stone from his heart. The fierceness that had always coiled in his chest was gone, and a few traces of simple honesty showed through instead:

"Master, this lowly one's surname is Zhou."

Chu Qing racked his brains and deliberated for a long while before finally saying:

"The first yuan begins anew; all things are renewed.

"From today onward, you shall be called Zhou Yi."

His voice was full of unfathomable profundity. Er Gou was left utterly dazed, feeling that this man truly was extraordinary!

Even choosing a name held such immense learning.

He immediately nodded again and again:

"Good, Master. This lowly one will remember it. From today onward, I am Zhou Yi."

Seeing this, Chu Qing let out a slight sigh of relief. Naming people truly was a great old problem, one unsuited to him.

Fortunately, he had muddled through it this time. He said at once:

"Zhou Yi, I have several matters for you to handle."

"Please give your orders, Master."

Zhou Yi had already made up his mind. No matter what Chu Qing asked him to do, whether climbing mountains of blades or descending into cauldrons of boiling oil, he would spare no cost.

But then Chu Qing spoke softly:

"I want you to take over Chen's Oil and Grain Shop on North Street in Heavenly Dance City."

"Ah?"

Zhou Yi froze for a moment, scratching his head as he said:

"Master... this lowly one has no money."

If he had money, how could he possibly live here?

"You need not worry about that."

Chu Qing said softly:

"Since you are working for me, you will naturally not lack silver.

"First, listen to all I have to say... After taking over the oil and grain shop, continue operating it as usual. Profits and losses will be yours to bear.

"After that, every night at midnight, you must go to the back alley behind the oil and grain shop. There is a large stone there.

"Turn over the stone. If there is a letter beneath it, take the letter away.

"Then prepare a large vat in the courtyard, with a basin placed atop the vat.

"If there is a letter, fill the basin with water and place the letter beneath it.

"If there is no letter, you must still place out a basin, but there is no need to fill it with water.

"Have you remembered everything I said?"

Zhou Yi was silent for a while. Only after confirming that he had remembered all of Chu Qing's words did he nod:

"Yes, Master. This lowly one has remembered."

"Good."

Chu Qing nodded. He took a handful of gold leaves from his robes, estimated the price of the oil and grain shop, then gave a portion to Zhou Yi.

He also took out some loose silver and handed it to him.

Zhou Yi looked at the gold leaves and silver. Without overthinking it, he accepted them.

"Very well, you may go."

Chu Qing flicked his sleeve, dismissing him.

Zhou Yi was about to leave, but could not help turning back:

"Master, how should I find you ordinarily?"

Chu Qing shook his head:

"You need not seek me out. If anything arises, I will seek you."

"Yes."

After hearing this, Zhou Yi asked no more questions. He glanced once more at Tang Xi's head on the ground, picked it up, and held it in his arms:

"This lowly one takes his leave."

With that, he walked out of the Land God Temple.

Only after Zhou Yi could no longer see him did Chu Qing leap up and follow in Zhou Yi's footsteps.

There were many inconveniences to fighting alone.

Given his current circumstances, obtaining jobs often depended on great luck. That could not last.

Therefore, he needed to build some forces of his own.

Yet he did not need to establish a vast organization like the Mirror of Sin... He only needed "eyes" that could see and "mouths" that could speak.

Thus, the people under him did not need to be masters who came and went on high.

Only by taking root among the common people could one learn more.

Zhou Yi was one such trial.

If he did not see money and have his eyes light up, taking Chu Qing's gold leaves and silver to flee, then the beginnings of trust would be established.

From then on, all profits and losses from that oil and grain shop would belong to him.

He could fully support himself with that one shop, and even take a wife and have children. Great wealth and high rank might not be possible, but living comfortably would not be difficult.

But if he took the money and ran... Chu Qing would not go looking for him either.

That was because Chu Qing had not completely removed the Demonic Seed from his body.

It was not that Chu Qing had deliberately kept something in reserve. Rather, the Demonic Seed had taken root too deeply; it was not something that could be broken in a day or two.

The Purple Mist Ruoxu Scripture contained the ability of the Purple Mist Divine Skill to dissolve foreign true qi. In a sense, the Demonic Seed counted as foreign true qi, so it could barely be dissolved.

But that required time...

Chu Qing had not laid this matter bare because he wanted to see Zhou Yi's character.

As for whether this was unfair to Zhou Yi, Chu Qing had in fact already saved his life. Had Chu Qing not appeared, his final end would have been to have his living heart carved out and be devoured completely.

Moreover, Chu Qing had avenged him.

He himself was the one who had said he would hand his life over to Chu Qing...

Under such circumstances, if he still took Chu Qing's money and fled, then he could only be said to deserve death.

Chu Qing followed Zhou Yi all the way. He saw Zhou Yi first find a deserted place and use a short blade to utterly ruin Tang Xi's face, then walk along side paths as though searching for something.

Before long, a stray dog suddenly sprang from the grass. Zhou Yi had perhaps been bitten by one before; upon seeing the dog, he instinctively shuddered, then casually tossed the head to it.

The stray dog had no idea how long it had been hungry. It seized the head in its jaws and ran, as though afraid someone would snatch it away.

Only then did Zhou Yi reveal a faint smile. He changed course and went straight to a clothing shop, changing into a respectable outfit from head to toe.

Afterward, he went to a bathhouse. By the time he came out, he had already put on his new clothes.

Having done all this, he headed straight for the oil and grain shop.

When he emerged from the oil and grain shop, he was with its original shopkeeper. The two went together to the City Lord's Mansion.

For transactions involving such shops, one had to report them at the City Lord's Mansion.

The entire process was not quick. It was not until evening that the oil and grain shop officially changed owners.

Only then did Chu Qing leave. The first measure of trust had temporarily been achieved.

As for the rest, they would see as they went.

Chu Qing had matters of his own to attend to as well.

He had stayed at the inn for rather too long. As an assassin, it was best not to remain in one place for too long.

Thus, he went through several turns before buying a small courtyard as a place to stay.

He had thought that there would be nothing to do in the coming days, and that he only needed to wait for that "big job" to begin.

Yet unexpectedly, that night, as he sat meditating at home, someone suddenly moved through the night, stirring gust after gust of wind-rending sounds.