He's Simply a Genius

Xu Yi found a deserted street corner, crouched behind the stone lion at the alley entrance, and after a moment of deliberation, took out the Fox Incense.

He snapped the Fox Incense in two, tucked one half back into his pocket, ignited the other with a match, and with lightning-fast movements, shoved the burning end into a glass soda bottle before quickly sealing it with a rubber stopper.

As this half of the Fox Incense burned inside the bottle, releasing white smoke, Xu Yi's eyes flickered; he caught a glimpse of a faint, shimmering flow of light within the haze.

It lasted only an instant before the light vanished, leaving only the white smoke swirling inside the bottle like the morning mist of Puxi City.

"This sliver of light is the unique spirituality of the Fox Incense as a Mystic Remains."

"Just as I thought, it isn't the incense itself that causes the body to stiffen, but the smoke containing this unique spirituality."

Soon, the oxygen inside the sealed soda bottle was exhausted by the burning incense; the half-stick, only about five centimeters long, had barely burned a fraction before it slowly turned to ash and extinguished in the blink of an eye.

Xu Yi scrutinized the thick smoke trapped within the bottle.

"If the Fox Incense burns for more than three minutes, the spirituality becomes uncontrollable."

"Since this piece has already extinguished, it definitely won't go out of control!"

"Once this bottle is smashed, it should be able to force anyone within a certain range to lose control of their body."

"The range and duration certainly won't be as great as when the incense burns normally—it won't reach ten square meters—but it shouldn't be too small, either."

The Zhengguanghe soda bottle was only the size of a palm, so Xu Yi tucked it inside his jacket.

Now, inside Xu Yi's jacket, he had a soda bottle filled with gasoline on the left and the bottle filled with Fox Incense smoke on the right.

Both soda bottles would prove to be of great use.

This was the busiest time of day in the 38th Shop District, and Xu Yi wove through the crowds, moving constantly amidst the scents of food, evaporating rainwater, rotting wood, body odor, and the earthy smell of a foreign land.

These scents, devoid of any spiritual essence, drew no reaction from him, nor did he pay them any mind.

It wasn't until the second whistle of the arriving steam train sounded that Xu Yi stepped into a narrow alley.

The plaque above the alley entrance bore the words "Upholding Justice" in gold leaf; the shop inside was cramped, with a counter that could only accommodate two people sitting side-by-side.

This was the "Peacekeeping Hall" opened by Xu Yi's Second Senior Brother.

The gang factions in the 38th Shop District were intricate and complex; to avoid frequent clashes between their underlings, gang headquarters and strongholds were usually not located on the main streets of the 38th Shop District. For instance, Mr. Ye Hai's Golden Orchid Nunnery was situated by the Green Shore River at the edge of the district.

Only the Second Senior Brother, who not only feared no trouble but actively courted it, had rented a shop in the very territory where he collected protection money and named it "Peacekeeping Hall."

Operating under the banner of "Upholding Justice," the Peacekeeping Hall was essentially a business for hiring thugs.

The name "Peacekeeping Hall" was incredibly arrogant, so when the Second Senior Brother first opened the shop, he frequently clashed with others. Even their master, Mr. Ye Hai, had repeatedly urged him not to be so flashy, telling him that a young man should learn to hide his edge.

The Second Senior Brother refused.

If anyone wanted to smash the sign of the Peacekeeping Hall, they had to answer to the Second Senior Brother's fists first.

In the months after opening, the Second Senior Brother used his fists and blood to prove his resolve, successfully protecting the shop's sign.

Later, after other gangs paid a certain price, they finally realized the Second Senior Brother was not to be trifled with.

Coupled with the fact that the Second Senior Brother never actively expanded his territory, the other gangs stopped making things difficult for him and allowed this arrogant shop to exist on the main street of the 38th Shop District.

Given the motley mix of people in the 38th Shop District, it stood to reason that such a formidable "Peacekeeping Hall" shouldn't exist.

The Second Senior Brother was clearly an exception.

The Second Senior Brother's name was Duan Hu. He was thirty years old, burly and muscular, but his mind was far from simple. He hated evil with a passion and prioritized "benevolence and righteousness" in all his dealings, making him quite different from the other disciples.

It was precisely because of this style of prioritizing benevolence and righteousness that the Second Senior Brother was deeply favored by their master.

"Second Brother!"

As Xu Yi sat at the counter, he saw the Second Senior Brother, Duan Hu, wearing a linen short-sleeved jacket, his brows furrowed as he peered through a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, deep in thought over a thick book.

The center of the book's cover was printed from top to bottom in elegant, slender gold-style calligraphy: Yingrui Magazine.

This was an ancient book recording the geographical history, folk customs, historical sites, anecdotes of scholars, and social changes of the Puxi region.

If Xu Yi remembered correctly, the book had been written over a hundred years ago and had only entered the market and become known to the common people after being reprinted by a publisher in Puxi City.

Xu Yi kindly reminded the engrossed Duan Hu:

"Second Brother, you're holding the book upside down."

Duan Hu snorted, not the least bit embarrassed, and slapped the book onto the counter, retorting:

"This is what I call 'the movement of the Tao is reversal.' If you do everything in reverse, success comes all the easier!"

What kind of twisted logic was that!

Xu Yi feigned a sudden realization:

"So that's it! Second Brother possesses great wisdom!"

Duan Hu gave a smug laugh:

"Little Seven, what brings you to see your brother?"

Of the seven disciples under Mr. Ye Hai, Xu Yi was the seventh.

Duan Hu was a righteous man; although they hadn't spent much time together, aside from Ye Miao, he was the one who looked after Xu Yi the most.

Xu Yi truly appreciated the goodwill Duan Hu had shown him since he first stepped into the world.

"I have a business proposition."

Xu Yi said:

"Behind the large factory at No. 56 in the 38th Shop District, there is an ointment factory called Lingtong Hall."

He did not offer much explanation:

"I want it."

Duan Hu raised an eyebrow, a hint of irritation creeping into his tone:

"Oh? Have you started dabbling in 'pig-stripping' as well?"

"Pig-stripping," in earlier years, referred to robbing passersby of their clothes.

In the last two years, as Puxi City grew wealthier and industrialization took hold, the local thugs had become somewhat more cultured; now, "pig-stripping" specifically referred to raiding shops, seizing property, and acting like common highwaymen.

Xu Yi immediately recounted the grievances of the Jing Family to Duan Hu.

Naturally, he omitted the parts regarding the Night Roaming God and the Hundred Night Miasma.

"Poor Miss Jing Tao, still at an age where she should be in school, not only has to go home to cook and feed her elderly father, but she must also constantly guard against relatives coming to seize their mansion—the only property they have left."

Xu Yi let out a long sigh:

"For the collateral branches of the Jing Family to take advantage of the situation and seize the business of Jing Hesheng's family is unbenevolent.

To bully a woman like Jing Tao is unjust.

Since this is happening on Green Gang territory, I cannot allow such unbenevolent and unjust people to bully others at will."

Duan Hu raised his eyebrows in surprise:

"You said those words?"

Xu Yi answered honestly:

"Master said them."

Duan Hu's furrowed expression relaxed, a look of "I knew it" crossing his face:

"Shouldering the mantle of righteousness, awe-inspiring and upright—that is indeed Master's style."

Duan Hu narrowed his eyes:

"Little Junior Brother, if you want to pull off this job, it won't come cheap."

Duan Hu sighed inwardly.

His little junior brother hadn't been through the door for long; he didn't know how much of Master's skill he had learned, but he had certainly inherited Master's ambition in full.

It wasn't that Duan Hu wanted to make things difficult for Xu Yi, but having spent so long in the underworld, he knew that doing evil deeds invited karmic retribution.

He knew that Xu Yi was a novice, lacking in skill, connections, and depth of practice; he couldn't bear such karma or carry such a heavy burden.

In his view, Xu Yi needed to temper himself for a few more years, increase his abilities, accumulate connections, and gain the necessary means before he could start picking off the fat, wealthy "pigs" of the 38th Shop District.