Who to Kill?

Yan Luo said:

"I obtained this from the Constabulary.

It is one of the pieces of beeswax that originally wrapped the corpse.

It still retains a trace of the beeswax murderer's spirituality.

Now that you have become a Sniffer, you should be able to use this item to track that person down."

Yan Luo handed the beeswax over.

Seeing the object, Xu Yi felt a shiver in his heart, but he still reached out to take it.

He hesitated for a moment before saying:

"The matter at the factory hasn't been settled yet tonight; I won't be able to handle this until tomorrow."

These words left both Yan Luo and Jing Tao very satisfied.

Putting the factory's affairs first—being loyal to those who entrust one with a task—is a quality anyone would appreciate.

Yan Luo did not say much more—he had made no promises to help.

He could help for a moment, but not for a lifetime; if one could not solve their own problems, they might as well go back to being an ordinary person and abandon the thought of climbing the Ascension Staircase.

—Xu Yi clearly understood this fact as well.

Yan Luo said to both Xu Yi and Jing Tao:

"There is one more thing, regarding Ji Xiao.

The waters surrounding this matter run deep.

What you must do is keep Ji Xiao stable in the cellar for now; feed her, ensure she doesn't fall ill, do not provoke her, and keep her alive."

Yan Luo was very serious:

"Even among the Hundred Night Miasma of the demon kind, cases as bizarre as hers are extremely rare.

I will investigate in detail.

If there are any leads, I will inform you immediately."

Having finished speaking, Yan Luo transformed into a gust of cold wind and departed.

The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, Xu Yi took an advance on this month's wages from Jing Tao.

50 silver dollars—a massive sum of money Xu Yi had never touched before.

He had very important things to do today—

First, settle the security team for the Lingtong Hall factory to prevent other gangs from coming to cause trouble.

Second, acquire some weapons for self-defense, preparing to seek the source of that beeswax tonight—to search for his own Ascension Staircase!

Xu Yi ate a bowl of mutton pita soup for 5 copper coins at an old-fashioned shop, then headed first to the Peacekeeping Hall.

Duan Hu was not there, only a clerk remained in the Peacekeeping Hall. The clerk told Xu Yi that the "trouble" from last night had all been resolved, so there was no need to worry about any lingering concerns.

Xu Yi had long known that Duan Hu was reliable, and now that he was certain the matter was settled, he felt a weight lift from his heart.

Following his plan, he walked east along the 38th Shop District main street, turned into a small alley beside No. 78 38th Shop District, and entered a woodworking shop named Taifeng Woodworks.

The shopkeeper saw his black uniform and was startled. Racking his brains, he couldn't think of when he had offended this god of plague, so he could only squeeze out a smile and greet him:

"Young sir! Looking for furniture?"

Xu Yi said:

"You had an apprentice arrive at the end of last month named Jin Baogen. Where is he?"

Xu Yi had not come to Puxi City alone.

This youth named Jin Baogen was a fellow villager who had taken the boat to Puxi City with him, and a good friend of the original owner.

Now, he was Xu Yi's friend.

Hearing this name, the shopkeeper's heart skipped a beat. Not daring to deceive him, he immediately led Xu Yi to the backyard.

In the backyard, the carpenters were working in a clamorous frenzy; the sounds of sawing, chopping, planing, and hammering were incessant.

The yard was not large. Under the west wall, a batch of brand-new timber was stacked. Beside the wood stood a lean young man, looking about the same age as Xu Yi, yet he was carrying a whole thick log heavier than himself, straining to drag it to the other side of the yard, his still-boyish face flushed bright red.

This young man was the Jin Baogen of whom Xu Yi spoke.

When Jin Baogen saw Xu Yi, his eyes turned red on the spot.

Xu Yi pointed at the log on his shoulder:

"Put that wood down."

Jin Baogen dropped the log and clutched his heavily compressed shoulder, grimacing in pain.

Xu Yi turned his head to look at the shopkeeper:

"To make one person do the work of several, what is the meaning of this? Are apprentices not human?"

The burly men working on woodwork in the backyard all stopped and looked toward Xu Yi.

As they set down their tools, the courtyard fell into an instant silence.

Among them were quite a few who were involved with gangs.

But not a single one of them had managed to get into the Green Gang.

Now that they saw the "Black-skinned Mad Dog" of the Green Gang, they weighed their own standing and decided to keep their mouths shut for the time being.

The shopkeeper looked at Jin Baogen, his expression fierce but his heart trembling, as he forced a smile onto his face:

"Baogen! You tell me, didn't you say yourself that you could handle it? That you didn't need anyone else's help?"

Jin Baogen tremblingly set down the wood, looking at the shopkeeper with a mix of anger and fear, unable to speak for a moment.

The reason he had said he could handle it was because he had been forced into a corner and had no other choice.

--Even if he couldn't handle it, no one would come to help him; instead, he would only end up being mocked and ostracized.

He was being pushed out, not because he didn't know how to conduct himself, and certainly not because he didn't know how to speak.

It was because of the rules of the woodworking shop.

--New apprentices entering the workshop had to play the role of a grandson for three years, doing all the dirty and exhausting work. On a daily basis, they not only had to serve their master, but also the master's wife, the senior apprentices, and the veteran staff of the workshop.

Though called a woodworking apprentice, in reality, he wasn't allowed to touch the tools at all. His main duties were to act as a helper, move heavy goods, sweep floors, carry water, light fires, cook meals, and look after the children...

Jin Baogen usually did these things himself. Although he felt aggrieved, when he thought of his future and the fact that he would learn the craft after three years, he could endure the hardship and bitterness, resigning himself to his fate.

Today, the moment he saw Xu Yi and thought of his experiences since arriving in Puxi City a month ago, the grievances in his heart became uncontrollable. Standing there, tears swirled in his reddened eye sockets.

In the end, he was just a naive youth with no one to rely on.

Xu Yi said to the shopkeeper:

"Where is his contract?"

When the shopkeeper heard this, he kept smiling, but the forced amiability was gone:

"Little Sir, Jin Baogen signed a five-year apprenticeship contract with me. He has kowtowed to the Grandmaster (Lu Ban), served tea, and registered with the government! Everyone knows he is an apprentice of our house!"

These years, the world was not at peace, and wars were raging outside, so Puxi City's management of outsiders had become increasingly strict.

According to Puxi City's municipal regulations, for businesses with physical storefronts like woodworking shops, any new personnel had to be registered with the municipal personnel department; failure to do so would result in fines.

As for the outsiders hiding in the streets without proper jobs, those were beyond their reach.

Standing to the side, Jin Baogen turned pale as paper upon hearing this.

Before coming here, he had no idea that an apprentice in a woodworking shop lived such a miserable life.

Xu Yi asked:

"How much?"

The shopkeeper didn't bother to hide it and held out his hand:

"Ten silver dollars."

A "redemption fee" of ten silver dollars was, in any case, a deal that guaranteed a profit without any risk.

Xu Yi took out the ten silver dollars without hesitation:

"Where is the contract?"

The shopkeeper went to the second floor of the workshop and, before long, came down with a piece of yellow paper covered in black ink and pressed with a red thumbprint.

Xu Yi handed him the ten silver dollars, took the contract, pulled out a lighter, and in front of everyone, set the contract ablaze before calling out to Jin Baogen:

"Let's go."

Jin Baogen followed closely behind Xu Yi as they exited the door, as if he would be left behind if he were even a second too slow.