Zhou Yi

Er Gou listened, a chill crawling over him. He instinctively felt over his body, but had no idea where Chu Qing's Demonic Seed was.

He didn't think Chu Qing would lie to him... His martial arts were formidable, and he'd killed someone like Tang Xi without a second thought.

Before him, Er Gou was as insignificant as an ant. Why would Chu Qing bother deceiving 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 isn't a good name. Pick a new one for yourself."

Er Gou got to his feet and scratched his head.

"Master, I... I never went to school as a child. I don't know how to choose a name."

I don't know how, either!

Chu Qing found himself in a bit of a bind.

Er Gou's name was clearly the sort meant to keep a child safe by sounding lowly. It really wasn't a name he could use for the rest of his life.

"What's your surname?"

Chu Qing asked again.

After finishing that bout of crying, Er Gou seemed to feel as if a great weight had lifted from his heart. The fierce determination that had long lingered there was gone, and a touch of honest simplicity showed through.

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

Chu Qing pondered hard, weighing it over for a long while before he finally said,

"'One beginning, all things renewed.'

"From today on, your name will be Zhou Yi."

His voice was full of profound wisdom. Er Gou listened, dumbfounded, and felt that this man truly was extraordinary!

Even choosing a name was such a learned matter.

He nodded again and again.

"Good, Master. I'll remember. From today on, my name is Zhou Yi."

Seeing this, Chu Qing felt a little relieved. Choosing names really was a tough business, and not one suited to him.

Fortunately, he'd managed to muddle through this time. He immediately said,

"Zhou Yi, I have a few things I need you to take care of."

"Please give your orders, Master."

Zhou Yi had already made up his mind. Whatever Chu Qing asked him to do, even if it meant climbing a mountain of blades or diving into a pot of boiling oil, he wouldn't hesitate.

But Chu Qing only spoke softly.

"I want you to take over Chen Ji Oil and Grain Store on North Main Street in Heavenly Dance City."

"Huh?"

Zhou Yi stared blankly, then scratched his head.

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

If he'd had money, how could he have lived in a place like this?

"You don't need to worry about that."

Chu Qing spoke gently.

"You'll be working for me, so of course I'll provide you with money.

"Listen to me first... After you take over the oil and grain store, run it as usual. You'll be responsible for its profits and losses.

"After that, every night at midnight, go to the back alley of the store. There's a large rock there.

"Turn the rock over. If there's a letter underneath, take it.

"Then put a large vat in the courtyard, with a basin on top.

"If there's a letter, fill the basin with water and put the letter beneath it.

"If there's no letter, put out a basin all the same, but don't fill it with water.

"Have you remembered everything I said?"

Zhou Yi fell silent for a while. After making sure he'd memorized every word Chu Qing had said, he nodded.

"Yes, Master. I've remembered."

"Good."

Chu Qing nodded, reached into his robes, and took out a handful of Gold Leaves. After estimating the price of the oil and grain store, he separated out some and handed them to Zhou Yi.

He also gave him some loose silver.

Zhou Yi looked at the Gold Leaves and silver, then accepted them without a second thought.

"All right. You may go."

Chu Qing waved his sleeve, sending him on his way.

Zhou Yi was about to leave, but couldn't help turning back.

"Master, how should I find you when I need to?"

Chu Qing shook his head.

"You don't need to look for me. If anything comes up, I'll find you."

"Yes."

After hearing that, Zhou Yi asked no more. He glanced at Tang Xi's head on the ground, picked it up, and said,

"This humble one will take his leave."

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

Only after Zhou Yi was out of sight did Chu Qing leap up and follow him.

There were many drawbacks to working alone.

In his current circumstances, taking jobs was often a matter of sheer luck. That wasn't sustainable.

So he needed to build up a force of his own.

But he didn't need to establish a vast organization like the Sin Mirror Platform... He only needed "eyes" to see and "mouths" to speak.

That meant his people didn't need to be powerful experts who could leap across rooftops.

Only by putting down roots among ordinary people could they learn more.

Zhou Yi was his first experiment.

If he didn't get greedy and run off with Chu Qing's Gold Leaves and silver, then they would have established a basic level of trust.

From then on, all the oil and grain store's profits and losses would be his.

He could support himself with the shop, marry, and raise children. Great wealth might be out of reach, but living comfortably wouldn't be difficult.

But if he ran off with the money... Chu Qing wouldn't go after him.

That was because Chu Qing hadn't completely removed the Demonic Seed inside Zhou Yi.

It wasn't that Chu Qing had deliberately held something back. Rather, Zhou Yi's Demonic Seed had taken deep root and couldn't be undone overnight.

The Purple Cloud Void Scripture contained the Purple Cloud Divine Skill, which could dispel foreign streams of true qi. In a certain sense, the Demonic Seed counted as foreign true qi, so it could be dispelled—more or less.

But that would take time...

Chu Qing hadn't told Zhou Yi about this because he wanted to see what kind of person he was.

As for whether that was unfair to Zhou Yi, the fact was that Chu Qing had already saved his life. If Chu Qing hadn't appeared, Zhou Yi's final fate would have been to have his heart cut out while he was still alive, then be devoured completely.

And Chu Qing had helped him get revenge, too.

He was the one who had said he would entrust his life to Chu Qing...

If, under these circumstances, he still ran off with Chu Qing's money, then he would deserve whatever fate befell him.

Chu Qing followed Zhou Yi all the way. He saw him first find a deserted spot and use a short knife to completely ruin Tang Xi's face. Then Zhou Yi walked along a small path, seemingly searching for something.

A short while later, a stray dog suddenly darted out of the grass. Zhou Yi had probably been bitten by one before; when he saw this dog, he instinctively shuddered, then flung the head to it.

The dog must have been starving for who knew how long. It grabbed the head and ran off, as if afraid someone would snatch it away.

Only then did Zhou Yi smile faintly. He turned toward a clothing shop and changed into a decent set of clothes from head to toe.

After that, he went to a bathhouse. By the time he came out, he had changed into the new clothes.

Once he'd finished all that, he headed straight for the oil and grain store.

When he came out, the store's former manager was with him. The two of them went together to the City Lord's Mansion.

Transactions involving shops of this kind had to be registered with the City Lord's Mansion.

The whole process wasn't quick. By dusk, the oil and grain store had a new owner.

Only then did Chu Qing leave. The first step toward building trust had been taken.

As for everything else, they would see how things went.

Chu Qing had his own affairs to attend to as well.

He'd been staying at the inn for quite a while. For an assassin, it was best not to remain in one place for too long.

So he bought a small courtyard to use as a place to stay.

He'd thought there'd be nothing to do over the next few days, and all he had to do was wait for the "big job" to begin.

But that evening, as he sat meditating at home, someone suddenly hurried through the night, stirring up gusts of wind with their passage.