The Bottom Blind Stream (Second Update)

Xu Yi's gaze followed the pale blue, tasseled trail of incense smoke. He watched as the smoke crossed the perimeter wall, wound around a grey-black wash-stone clock tower, and vanished into the chapel behind it.

"I hope Ye Miao can study well... As long as she can excel in her studies in this era, a bright future awaits her."

Xu Yi turned his head and began to walk back.

The street where St. Mary's Hall was located was near the foreign concessions. The roads were well-paved with asphalt, and the plane trees on either side could not fully block the sun. As the afternoon light hit the asphalt, the heavy scent of tar wafted across the road.

Xu Yi smelled this odor but chose to ignore it, his mind occupied by an important matter:

"That old man said that once I took the incense burner back and could smell the scent, I would naturally know the method for tempering my spirituality.

It seems now that the method for tempering spirituality is to ignite the incense burner and wait for the smoke to rise and manifest as illusions.

If I successfully resist the illusions and hold fast to my original intent, my spirituality will be enhanced."

"Probably... that seems to be how it works, right?"

Without anyone to guide him, Xu Yi felt like he was trying to cross a river without even a stone to step on; he had to "figure it out himself."

As he walked, Xu Yi recalled what had just happened.

"The old man said himself that as long as one can smell the fragrance, one can become a Night Roaming God."

"I can indeed smell the fragrance in the incense burner now.

And I have gained the ability [Trace the Source of Fragrance].

So, am I a Night Roaming God now?"

Xu Yi felt a bit strange.

"Aren't Night Roaming Gods supposed to be heroic outlaws skilled in fighting and killing?

At the very least, shouldn't they be assassins or sorcerers walking through the night?

I ignited the incense burner, burned my spirituality into divinity, and became a Night Roaming God, but...

Why is my divine ability tracking scents?"

This was not what Xu Yi had imagined a Night Roaming God to be.

Xu Yi held his breath for ten seconds, closing his spiritual vision.

He decided that once he finished his business tonight, he would ask Jing Tao what exactly was going on with him.

Xu Yi returned to the 38th Shop District and spent over three hours in the study. After coming out, he first used the restroom, then spent two copper coins on a bowl of wontons at a street stall. Eating as he went, he headed toward the Peacekeeping Hall.

Upon arriving at the Peacekeeping Hall, Xu Yi cupped his hands in a salute to Duan Hu:

"I'll have to trouble Second Brother to back me up today."

Xu Yi had already discussed this with Duan Hu yesterday, so Duan Hu was well-prepared:

"Good brother, let's set off."

Duan Hu called over a group of men who had been waiting in the alley next to the Peacekeeping Hall. There were about a dozen of them, all tough-looking thugs.

There were many hoodlums on the streets, but very few could reach the level of a gang like the Green Gang.

Most of the idlers and gamblers who did nothing all day were just small-time characters struggling to get by; they didn't even belong to a gang, let alone fight for territory. They mostly engaged in petty theft: stripping pedestrians of their clothes, snatching felt hats, or using rope nooses to drag people into dark alleys to rob them of their garments...

Such people were not respectable, let alone capable of being enforcers.

The thugs Duan Hu had gathered were of a higher caliber.

These men already belonged to gangs, and when it came to doing business or seizing territory, they played with real blades and guns. Each one was a ruthless character who had clawed their way up from the bottom.

Duan Hu had spent a long time in the underworld; not only did he have connections, but he had also earned his reputation with his fists. Every one of these men had been beaten into submission by him.

In the underworld, one looked at fists first, then loyalty, and only then at money.

Duan Hu had conquered them with his fists, practiced loyalty when dealing with his brothers, and provided enough money. If not for this, he likely wouldn't have been able to keep such fierce men in check.

The group exchanged a few lines of underworld jargon to go through the motions. Once the others learned of Xu Yi's status, they cupped their hands in respect.

A Green Gang enforcer held a much higher status than an ordinary street fighter. This was because a Green Gang enforcer not only had the backing of the Green Gang's reputation but also possessed connections and territory. When a fight broke out, they could call for backup; if arrested by the police station, they had ways to bail people out; and when trouble arose, they could settle it.

Every hoodlum in the 38th Shop District wanted to apprentice into the Green Gang, but the Green Gang wasn't easy to join. The masters within the gang were arrogant and wouldn't take on disciples lightly.

However, these men could still be considered "half-members" of the Green Gang—

As long as they acknowledged a formal disciple of the Green Gang as their boss and could exchange the proper jargon when meeting in the alleys, they were considered part of the Green Gang.

The ordinary members of the Green Gang were as numerous as the hairs on an ox!

After finishing the jargon, the group headed toward 56 38th Shop District.

By the time they reached the Big Factory District behind 56 38th Shop District, the sky had turned completely dark.

Although it wasn't raining, the air was damp. Perhaps because the sun had been so strong during the day, causing the moisture to evaporate, the fog was very thick tonight, with visibility less than 50 meters—

Xu Yi stood at the street corner of the Big Factory District, his eyes unable to pierce the mist, and naturally, he could not see the Lingtong Hall ointment factory.

The Big Factory District at night was not pitch black. Although there were no streetlights, the factories provided ample light. Even relying solely on the scattered light from the buildings, it wasn't completely dark.

Suddenly, a call came from the darkness not far away:

"Xu Yi."

It was Jing Tao.

Xu Yi raised an eyebrow.

Jing Tao stood in the darkness, no more than five meters away from him, yet he hadn't caught a single trace of her scent until just now.

She is clearly using spirituality... or perhaps divinity, to mask her presence, Xu Yi thought.

Xu Yi knew full well that although he had become a Night Roaming God, the methods at his disposal were still far inferior to those of a "veteran" like Jing Tao.

Xu Yi joined up with Jing Tao, and after Duan Hu instructed his subordinates not to spill blood, damage the machinery, or harm the ordinary workers, they led the group into the Lingtong Hall factory.

Last night, nearly half of the managers and workshop supervisors in the various offices of Lingtong Hall had been killed, and the remaining management had nearly failed to coordinate operations when they arrived for work today.

The factory hadn't started production all morning.

It was also this morning that Jing Tao had gone door-to-door to visit the few surviving members of management, building rapport and working on them one by one.

She had long since pondered the entire affair, considering the interests and relationships involved, which was why she had checked these specific names on the list to let them live.

Now, by persuading them to remain at the factory and assist, she was demonstrating her ability to plan strategically and exert precise control.

These surviving managers had been terrified by the carnage of the previous night; they didn't need to think twice to know that the Jing Family's direct line was responsible, and two of them had even fled with their families, disappearing without a trace out of fear of being purged.

As for those who remained, they had much to consider:

Even looking at the entire industrial zone, Lingtong Hall was considered a medium-sized factory, housing five full assembly lines, dozens of mechanical devices, and supporting hundreds of employees.