Dreamland (4th update)

Jing Tao sat in the office chair Jing Hesheng had used years ago, hunched over the desk to study the documents before her, rubbing her temples:

"Puxi City has developed well over these years, the commodity economy is becoming increasingly prosperous, and the gross profit of Lingtong Hall has been steadily rising... it's already more than five times what my father made back in his day.

But the workers' wages haven't risen.

Not only have they not risen, but those bastards have even slashed the workers' benefits again and again.

The workers resisted a few times, but were suppressed by the security team... it was truly tragic."

Xu Yi watched Jing Tao, feeling a sense of emotion in his heart.

He didn't understand business, but when it came to the ways of this world, he actually knew a thing or two.

This was a time of great upheaval, a Puxi City where various ideologies and schools of thought were colliding and merging; the poor were becoming poorer, and the rich were becoming richer.

Like Jing Tao, born into an asset-owning family, she had received a universal moral education but had not inherited the ruthless, vicious nature of the older generation, allowing her conscience to flourish.

Then again, conscience is something that is partly formed by experience, but mostly innate.

A born bad seed can never become a bodhisattva who saves the suffering.

Jing Tao was still looking at the documents, speaking in a low voice to Xu Yi, though it was more of a self-reflection:

"The profitability of Lingtong Hall is quite good; the wage increase I promised the workers today is completely manageable.

Many of these workers are old hands who have been with the Jing Family for years. I'm thinking, with this new recruitment and expansion of production, once things are on the right track, if possible, I want to raise their benefits even further...

It would be best to establish a formal system for benefits so that other workers can see that if they work hard for my Lingtong Hall, they will definitely be well rewarded."

Hearing these words, Xu Yi felt deeply moved.

Back that night outside the Zhang Family mansion, he had known that Jing Tao possessed a conscience.

Regardless of anything else, being willing to share profits with the employees was the first step toward success.

The principle that "wealth dispersed brings people together" was one Xu Yi held as a golden rule.

Around two in the morning, the machines on the first floor of Lingtong Hall were still running. The roar of machinery and the boiling of boilers in the large factory area blended together. Among the usual noises that accompanied one another, the whistle of the steam train was missing, which felt somewhat strange.

Fortunately, the depth of the large factory area was significant, and the residents of the 38th Shop District were long accustomed to these noises, so when the croaking of frogs and the chirping of crickets emerged once more, people drifted into their dreams as usual.

Jing Tao finished dealing with the vast majority of the remaining issues and leaned back in the office chair, her left hand supporting her head, while a fountain pen spun back and forth between the index and middle fingers of her right hand.

She wasn't sleepy at all; in fact, she felt somewhat exhilarated.

She had never imagined that it would be so easy to take back the family business.

Over the past few years, she had to be ready at any moment to face those wicked relatives, practicing her divinity diligently every day, risking backlash to refine evil ghosts just to ensure her father had food to eat, all while trying not to let her studies fall behind...

She felt like a spinning top, rotating from the moment she woke up until she was utterly exhausted.

She had long ago accepted the fate her father had laid out for her—

Study hard, learn to speak fluent foreign languages, and hopefully meet a noble boy at a school mixer—a foreigner would be best, but a local noble wouldn't be bad either—and ideally get pregnant before graduation, so she would truly have the chance to marry into a wealthy family...

When Xu Yi appeared, she hadn't realized that her fate had quietly begun to turn.

Seeking Xu Yi's help was merely an impulsive attempt on her part.

—Or perhaps it was some sort of hormonal flutter that had sparked those unrealistic fantasies.

But who could have imagined that such a half-grown boy could actually handle those vicious relatives in the factory and take it back for her!

Who could have imagined that he would not only help her reclaim the factory but also return the power to her.

It all felt like a dream, and even now, it felt unreal.

Jing Tao drifted into a daze.

It wasn't until the sound of light, rhythmic "tap-tap" footsteps echoed on the stairs outside the office that she recognized them as Xu Yi's.

She looked at Xu Yi, who had just walked up from the first floor:

"Have you used the incense burner my master gave you?"

Hearing this, Xu Yi realized that the old man from this morning was actually Jing Tao's master!

"I have."

Since Jing Tao wasn't afraid of Xu Yi knowing about her relationship with her master, Xu Yi naturally wasn't afraid of letting her know his situation, so he said bluntly:

"I smelled the scent in the burner; does that mean I've become a Night Roaming God?

But this ability is just too..."

Jing Tao finished his sentence:

"Too strange."

Jing Tao had long known that once Xu Yi converted his spirituality into divinity, that divinity would likely be ill-suited for combat.

Xu Yi nodded:

"Yes, too strange."

Jing Tao looked at the thick night outside the window, her voice as light as the evening breeze:

"Violence is a very effective tool, but under normal circumstances, what a Night Roaming God uses to solve problems is not violence.

The problems that can be solved by combat are, after all, limited.

What a Night Roaming God relies on to solve problems is, more often than not, those strange and bizarre divinities.

Therefore, even if you feel your divinity is mediocre, there is no need to belittle yourself.

In many cases, what determines whether a divinity is powerful or not is not the divinity itself, but the person who uses it."

Xu Yi heard these words and opened up a new line of thought he had never considered before; although it was not entirely clear, he still benefited greatly.

Jing Tao said earnestly:

"My master said that once you can convert spiritual essence into divinity, he will find a legacy for you."

She paused for a moment:

"However..."

Thinking of the kindness Xu Yi had shown her, she had already decided to tell him the truth:

"The legacies of the Night Roaming Gods are numerous, chaotic... and very bizarre.

Some have been passed down from ancient times.

Some were created by people who became gods in the contemporary era.

Some were created by the Hundred Night Miasma... these are more special and are not easily encountered.

Many legacies have been severed due to wars, chaos, and the changing of dynasties.

For those severed legacies to be continued, one must rely on the insight of a contemporary Night Roaming God and make sacrifices to engage in trial and error... in short, it is extremely difficult."

Xu Yi understood what she meant:

"That incense burner belongs to a severed Night Roaming God legacy."

Jing Tao felt it was very effortless to talk to Xu Yi.

She nodded and explained:

"That incense burner originally came from an extremely ancient hidden sect. Master once toyed with that incense burner for many years, but he still couldn't figure out any detailed methods."

Xu Yi said thoughtfully:

"His divinity is not suitable for using this incense burner."

Jing Tao confirmed:

"Yes, Master is a [Ferryman], one rank higher than a [Ghost Messenger]. His divinity can use incense, but the incense he uses is different from the incense in this burner."