To hide his embarrassment, Xu Yi calmly pretended everything was fine. "It's all taken care of," he said, then smiled at her without another word.
Jing Tao was considerate, too. She took out the contract she had stayed up all night writing and handed it to Xu Yi.
"This is the security contract for Lingtong Hall. Your salary is fifty silver dollars a month.
"As for the others in the security department, recommend anyone you like. I'll take them all."
Fifty silver dollars was already more than most ordinary people in Puxi City earned in a month!
For the poor at the bottom of society, like rickshaw pullers, even with good weather and the best business, they could earn no more than twelve silver dollars a month.
Textile workers also earned around twelve silver dollars a month. If they fell ill or needed time off, their wages would be even lower.
At other factories, skilled workers like printers and mechanics could earn as much as forty silver dollars a month.
That was about the going rate for respectable jobs.
A security chief's salary of fifty silver dollars a month was quite generous, even if the job might put his life in danger.
What job didn't carry some risk?
Jing Tao added, "But you have to make sure the factory's normal production isn't disrupted."
In other words, Lingtong Hall would be his territory for collecting protection money from now on.
Xu Yi reluctantly held out his right hand and took the contract. After reading it, he set it on the stove and signed his name.
Jing Tao took the contract from Xu Yi. After signing her name in the space for the first party, she said seriously, "You helped me enormously. In principle, this job isn't nearly enough to repay what I owe you.
"But I don't have many resources at my disposal right now, so this is all I can offer for the time being.
"When the time comes, I'll repay you properly."
Jing Tao was actually very nervous. She knew her offer wasn't sincere enough, and she was also afraid Xu Yi would make demands—like insisting she put his people in management.
This time, Xu Yi had killed off nearly half of Lingtong Hall's management. Recommending people for the factory—putting his own people in there—would have been a perfectly normal demand.
But Xu Yi didn't.
He really didn't!
Jing Tao had spent all of last night thinking through every possible outcome.
She had considered Xu Yi's background in the gangs and remembered her father's meeting with Mr. Ye Hai when he was still healthy. After they met, her father's face had been ashen, and Mr. Ye Hai had looked unhappy too. Clearly, their business deal had fallen through.
Xu Yi was Mr. Ye Hai's disciple. Now he had a chance to name any price he wanted and held all the leverage. It wouldn't have been surprising if his demands were outrageous.
She had imagined being reduced to a figurehead. She had thought of countless ways to defend her authority, including marrying herself off...
The one thing she hadn't expected was that Xu Yi would make no demands at all!
She felt disappointed.
And alongside that disappointment, she was uneasy.
Perhaps making no demands was the biggest demand of all.
If he wasn't making demands now, was he saving them for later?
Was he certain she couldn't offer him a satisfactory reward right now, certain she couldn't satisfy his appetite, and that was why he wasn't asking for anything?
Jing Tao felt both embarrassed and indignant.
What exactly did you want?
Xu Yi just looked at her.
As he kept looking, he suddenly noticed Jing Tao's face turn red. He was instantly bewildered.
Xu Yi thought it over, then finally worked up the nerve to ask, "Miss Jing Tao, could you give me something personal of yours? A sachet, perhaps?"
The moment he said it, they both fell silent.
An awkward, ambiguous atmosphere grew between them, but Xu Yi's undisguised sincerity kept it from boiling over.
He wasn't after her body.
All he really wanted was a sachet!
Jing Tao had seen that much for herself.
A profound sense of loss and disappointment rose within her.
Those feelings cleared her head a little.
Thinking of his unusual spirituality, she began to understand. Scent seemed to have some special significance to his spirituality.
"Wait here."
Jing Tao went back to her bedroom on the second floor. Before long, she came back down with a pendant.
"Here."
The pendant looked like jade, or maybe emerald. It had patterns running through it, and perhaps it was agate...
Xu Yi knew nothing about jade ornaments and couldn't tell what it was.
The pendant was about as thick as a thumb, encased at both ends in silver clasps etched with cloud patterns. It looked as though the jade were wrapped in clouds.
A red cord was attached to the silver clasp at the top. Its color had faded, clearly showing its age.
Xu Yi took the jade pendant and placed it in his palm. To his surprise, it felt warm.
He squeezed it, then opened his eyes wide in astonishment.
Not only was the jade warm, it was also slightly soft!
Along with its warmth and softness, the aura coming from the pendant kept stimulating him.
Xu Yi forced himself to look away from the pendant and slipped it inside his shirt. He let out a slow breath, expelling some of the heat rising inside him, then forcibly changed the subject to distract himself.
"What happened with Ji Xiao?"
Jing Tao had already asked her master to investigate, so she replied, "It's being looked into."
Xu Yi nodded. "I'll go to Lingtong Hall today and introduce myself to the people in the workshops."
Jing Tao replied, "Tonight, then."
Jing Tao was uncertain. After weighing her options, she decided she would have to rely on her power as a Night Roaming God to provide a show of force.
As a Ghost Messenger among the Night Roaming Gods, most of Jing Tao's spirituality was tied to controlling ghosts. Ghosts were one of the Hundred Night Miasmas, and could only exert their full strength at night.
She couldn't go to school today. She needed to seek out the people marked with check marks on the list. They hadn't taken part in the struggle to force Jing Hesheng out, nor had they helped destroy her branch of the Jing family. They had no grudge against her, and most of them could become her allies in the future.
But some of them were fence-sitters through and through. They appeared to keep their heads down and get along with everyone, but who knew whether the bottles they held contained sugar or poison?
This time, Jing Tao intended to force those fence-sitters to choose a side.
Lingtong Hall wasn't as big as a major pharmaceutical plant, but it was still one of the leading producers of medicine and skincare products in the 38th Shop District. There was a lot at stake, and many people wanted a share. She had to be careful as she reentered the game and redistributed the profits.
Only then could she ensure that Lingtong Hall ran smoothly in the days ahead and regained its former glory.
Those were all the reasons she had chosen tonight.
Xu Yi heard the unease hidden in her voice and answered gravely, "No problem."
"Just relax. The people who needed to disappear have disappeared.
"If the ones who are still around don't know how to leave with dignity, I can help them do it."
Before you continue