The World Is Like This

Jing Tao had already finished her morning lessons and was currently in the kitchen.

Suddenly, she felt a gentle breeze brush past her back.

She turned her head and saw an old man with brass rings tied to his beard standing behind her, his expression kind.

"Master!"

Seeing the old man, a sincere smile appeared on Jing Tao's face:

"Since you've come, Master, let's have breakfast together!"

The old man waved his hand:

"It's quite a coincidence; that child has the same thought as you—he has already treated me to breakfast."

That was truly unexpected news.

Jing Tao looked at her master.

Such behavior was certainly in line with her master's temperament.

Jing Tao said earnestly:

"Master, what do you think of Xu Yi?"

The old man pondered:

"I trailed behind him from a distance and watched him all night, yet I couldn't discern anything about his nature."

Jing Tao felt a slight disappointment in her heart, but she did not express it.

The old man stroked the brass rings on his beard:

"That is why I spoke to him directly just now."

Jing Tao was expectant:

"And?"

The old man was concise:

"He struck without hesitation last night, which shows he is a ruthless character with no reverence for life."

"He gave me char siu to eat, which shows there is kindness in his heart."

"He resisted that Demon Incense, which shows he is not a demon."

Jing Tao's heart skipped a beat.

Demon.

The demon her master spoke of was the same entity among the Hundred Night Miasma—the demons, ghosts, monsters, spirits, and immortals.

Within the Hundred Night Miasma, monsters, ghosts, monsters, spirits, and immortals were relatively common; their individual natures varied, and they were not necessarily all evil.

Only this [Demon] was a creature of extreme evil; not only were they extremely rare, but once they appeared, they were bound to cause disaster.

Puxi City had experienced three major cases in the past few years—

The 48-Chain Murder Case, the Skull Chisel Case, and the Human Flesh Candle Case.

The explanation given to the public for these cases was that bad people had committed bad deeds.

In reality, the true culprits behind them were all demons.

As the most vicious, cunning, powerful, and bizarre of the Hundred Night Miasma, the [Demon] was a target that every Night Roaming God would hunt.

Hearing her master confirm that Xu Yi was not a demon, Jing Tao felt slightly relieved.

If Xu Yi was not a demon, then he could still become her capable assistant.

The old man looked at Jing Tao and said slowly:

"I taught him the method to cultivate spirituality. If he can successfully ignite his spirituality and refine a bit of divinity, I will seek out the inheritance of a Night Roaming God for him."

Jing Tao asked in a low voice:

"And if he cannot?"

The old man said:

"With such strong spirituality, if he cannot become a Night Roaming God, he will sooner or later turn into a Hundred Night Miasma himself.

In that case, I will have no choice but to kill him."

The old man spoke of killing as if it were a trivial matter, his expression unchanging; he must have been just as ruthless a character as Xu Yi in his youth.

Jing Tao was suddenly at a loss.

The old man looked at Jing Tao and sighed:

"Do not think that because you are alone and have no one to help you, you are at a disadvantage and must find a partner to get things done."

Jing Tao felt very uneasy inside.

She sighed:

"Nothing can be hidden from Master."

The old man pondered for a moment and said:

"Xu Yi is a righteous man; you can be friends or siblings with him.

But there is no need to insist on becoming husband and wife."

"Your father sent you to a girls' school back then precisely so you could become a noble lady, to use your status to find a worthy husband and never have to struggle for a living again."

"Your father is not a man who fawns over the powerful, nor is he someone who abandons righteousness for profit."

"It is simply that this world is as it is.

If you cannot marry into the nobility, you can only marry a commoner whose life hangs by a thread, spending your days exhausted by the struggle for survival.

As you age, life becomes rougher; before you even reach thirty, your face is covered in wrinkles, your back is hunched by labor, and your hands are ruined by the chemicals in the textile mills.

To grow old just like that, obscure and ordinary...

That is not what your father wanted to see."

There was a sigh in the old man's voice:

"And it is not what I want to see either."

"In this world, a single penny can stump a hero; without money, you can do nothing.

Even some high-ranking Night Roaming Gods, whose spiritual nature makes them ill-suited for business, must run themselves ragged just to survive.

Money is truly a thing more terrifying than any demon."

The two fell silent for a long while, with only the sound of the steamer lid being lifted by steam echoing in the kitchen, turning the morning into a quiet, white-noise-filled sanctuary.

"When one is in the pugilistic world, one cannot always act according to one's own will."

The old man said this in a low voice, then cast aside his superfluous emotions:

"In any case, as long as he is alive, just get along well with him."

Jing Tao indicated she understood.

At the same time, she told the old man about Ji Xiao "coming back from the dead."

Upon hearing this, the old man was greatly astonished and followed Jing Tao to the cellar.

The old man circled Ji Xiao three times, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper:

"This is nothing more than a low-class little demon...

Although she is a fox demon, her spiritual nature is so faint she cannot even become a household deity.

How could she have come back from the dead?"

Ji Xiao asked in surprise:

"What coming back from the dead? I never died!"

The old man had heard about Ji Xiao from Jing Tao, so he did not engage with her, instead leaving the cellar with Jing Tao. Once they had closed the door and moved far away, he said to Jing Tao:

"This matter is suspicious.

There isn't a single word of truth in that little fox demon's mouth; I fear we won't be able to pry anything out of her.

This little fox demon originally transformed at the Neon Grand Ballroom on Songding Gate Street in the Twenty-Third Shop district, so the problem must lie with the ballroom.

Do not be impatient; let me go and investigate it first."

Jing Tao indicated she understood.

Xu Yi went to the Peacekeeping Hall, reconciled the accounts with Duan Hu, and after confirming that everything was settled, he arrived at the Jing Family residence at No. 2, 38th Shop District.

It was already nearing 7:00 AM, and the main street of the 38th Shop District had already experienced its first wave of the daily commute—most of the textile mills that housed the largest labor force started work at 7:00 AM and ran until 7:00 or 9:00 PM.

If it were any later, Jing Tao would have to go to school.

Xu Yi entered the main gate and saw Jing Tao; the strange fragrance he had smelled before appeared once more.

Fragrance—there was a peculiar scent on Jing Tao. This was the closest Xu Yi had ever been to her, and the fragrance grew increasingly intense. Xu Yi finally identified that a portion of the scent was the rich aroma of osmanthus flowers.

The strange thing was that, within that rich osmanthus scent, there was actually a faint, lingering trace of gardenia!

The fragrance passing through his nasal cavity was intense one second and light the next, and mixed into these two scents was a tiny, indescribable hint of grass jelly.

The very moment he caught that trace of grass jelly scent, Xu Yi's mind went ethereal, as if every wish he had ever held in this life had been fulfilled, leaving him without joy or sorrow, his heart unburdened.

Smelling this fragrance, it felt as if even the pain in his wrist had vanished...

Eh?

Xu Yi looked at his left hand in a daze.

It seemed...

It really didn't hurt as much anymore...

Xu Yi lingered in that fragrance, lost in thought for a moment, and only regained his senses when Jing Tao called out to him.