A Piece of Greatly Beneficial News

At the same time, his intuition told Xu Yi that this gaze was the same presence as those two clusters of divine light that had hovered three feet above his head the first time he visited Jing Tao's home.

Was it Him who followed me to Jing Tao's house and has been protecting me all this time?

But... why?

It couldn't possibly be that Mr. Ye Hai sent Him to protect me...

Fortunately, the Hundred Night Miasma could not manifest under the light of day, so although Xu Yi felt wary, he was not afraid.

Before entering the tea hall, Xu Yi had already held his breath for ten seconds, shutting down his spiritual vision.

"Master! I've returned!"

The moment Mr. Ye Hai saw Xu Yi, his expression shifted through several changes.

Surprise, disappointment, disgust... and finally, nothing but confusion.

This brat actually came back alive?

Mr. Ye Hai set down his teacup and looked at Xu Yi.

"Hmm... how did things go with the Jing Family?"

Mr. Ye Hai was deeply puzzled; given the capabilities of those vicious relatives of the Jing Family, how could they have let a half-grown boy like this escape?

Xu Yi did not answer Mr. Ye Hai's question.

His entire attention was drawn to the Elephant God Cup on Mr. Ye Hai's tea table.

He stared at the cup as if possessed, his brows knitting together tighter and tighter without him realizing it.

Xu Yi smelled an extremely rich, viscous, and pungent aroma.

Intermingled with that nose-stinging scent was a bloodiness that made Xu Yi's heart tremble, and within that bloodiness lay a wicked temptation. That trace of temptation fermented within the pungent, viscous spice, becoming a unique and strange fragrance by the time it reached Xu Yi's nasal cavity.

It was like...

Curry?

Xu Yi felt very uncomfortable.

He was fond of fragrances, but he did not like this kind of impure scent. This fragrance was "deliberate" and "seductive," clearly approaching him with a specific purpose.

It was like a Ganges bitch posturing and dancing the "Circling Dance" around him. While he could see her beauty, he couldn't muster any appreciation; instead, he felt a deep revulsion because of the smell of curry wafting off her.

"Ahem."

Mr. Ye Hai's deliberate reminder pulled Xu Yi back from the fragrance of the Elephant God Cup.

This brat has a good eye for goods, knowing what's valuable!

Xu Yi steadied himself and touched the soft jade from Jing Tao in his pocket. Although he couldn't smell the jade's fragrance and his spirituality hadn't fully settled, his mood calmed down a little, and he was no longer continuously drawn in by the scent of the Elephant God Cup.

Xu Yi then recounted what had happened at the Jing Family to Mr. Ye Hai.

Although he mentioned Duan Hu's help, he omitted the relationship between himself and Jing Tao, said nothing about anything related to his spirituality, and skipped the part concerning Ji Xiao.

As Mr. Ye Hai listened to his description, his expression remained unchanged, though ripples stirred within his heart.

This brat actually pulled it off!

How did he manage to hire Duan Hu? With what? Since when was that greedy wretch Duan Hu so easy to hire?!

Mr. Ye Hai did not know that Xu Yi had become a Night Roaming God, nor did he know that Xu Yi had traded with Duan Hu using that stick of Spirit Remains incense.

He became security for Lingtong Hall... What a fool! He couldn't even grasp such a golden opportunity! He should have taken the chance to plant his own people into the management of Lingtong Hall!

If you had planted your own people, your future status would be far more than just a security guard!

Although Mr. Ye Hai thought this, he did not say it out loud.

The persona he maintained in front of Xu Yi was that of a "benevolent and righteous man."

Taking advantage of Lingtong Hall's internal vulnerability to plant people in management would be taking advantage of someone's misfortune.

That would be "unbenevolent."

"Two or three days have already passed. With Jing Hesheng's methods, Lingtong Hall must have already stabilized."

"There is no opportunity to strike for the time being."

Mr. Ye Hai felt a pang of regret.

Regarding Lingtong Hall, Mr. Ye Hai had once surveyed the various factories in the 38th Shop District's Big Factory District. He had selected a few that interested him greatly, and among them was Jing Hesheng's Lingtong Hall.

He had investigated and inquired through many channels; once Puxi City established a stock exchange—which was a certainty within a few years—a factory like Lingtong Hall, with its abundant cash flow, extremely low debt-to-asset ratio, continuously growing gross profit margins, and long-term high return on equity, would be a top-tier asset.

Once it went public, a continuous rise in stock price would be inevitable.

Unfortunately, whether it was Lingtong Hall in the era of Jing Hesheng's management or the era of the Jing Family relatives, it was very difficult to infiltrate.

When Jing Hesheng was still healthy, he was truly a master of social maneuvering with extensive connections; he not only had ties to the Constabulary but could also speak to the political circles of Puxi City.

Back then, if Mr. Ye Hai had wanted to seize Lingtong Hall by force, the cost would have been too high—it wouldn't have been worth it, nor would it have been cost-effective.

After the Jing Family collapsed from within and the era of the Jing Family relatives managing Lingtong Hall began, that group of stupid and vicious evil relatives was truly disgusting, with methods even dirtier than those of a gang.

Their lives were worthless, so Mr. Ye Hai could not afford to gamble his own against them.

Furthermore, because they shared the same surname and were bound by mutual interests, they were an impenetrable block, making it impossible to sow discord from within.

After hearing Xu Yi's words, Mr. Ye Hai was dazed for only a moment before he grasped the key to Xu Yi's victory—

Before even declaring war, he had taken a desperate risk, picking them off one by one to win through sheer surprise!

As Xu Yi's voice faded, Mr. Ye Hai sat in his rattan chair and exhaled a long, heavy breath.

The new generation of youngsters was truly devoid of any sense of martial honor.

He forced a smile onto his face:

"You did well this time!"

While Mr. Ye Hai spoke, Xu Yi kept his gaze fixed on the Elephant God Cup.

His heart was filled with ten parts confusion, five parts disgust, and one part anticipation.

It must be a Spirit Remains.

Thinking this, Xu Yi pulled his attention back to the conversation with Mr. Ye Hai.

At this very moment, Lu Bolin, who had quietly returned to the outside of the tea hall, felt a surge of vigilance upon hearing Mr. Ye Hai praise Xu Yi.

Watching Xu Yi maintain a humble posture, a scheme slowly took root in Mr. Ye Hai's mind—

Since Xu Yi now controlled the security of Lingtong Hall, he might eventually have a chance to take it over; perhaps this matter could be approached through that little girl from the Jing Family...

"Work hard at this job in Lingtong Hall; if the opportunity arises in the future, you might be able to climb even higher."

Mr. Ye Hai looked at Xu Yi and said in a deep voice:

"Puxi City has been in chaos lately, and the Constabulary in the British Concession has begun expanding its ranks to cope with these troubled times.

I shall see if I can secure an official position for you."

Upon hearing this, Lu Bolin's sense of alarm spiked.

Mr. Ye Hai was talking about the Constabulary in the Concession, not the Police Bureau in the Chinese Settlement!

The power of a constable in the British Concession was neither too great nor too small; during his own time out gaining experience, there had been difficult matters that Mr. Ye Hai had smoothed over using those very constables. With their help, things had been much easier to handle.

Once Xu Yi entered the Constabulary and became a constable, anyone wanting to do business with England in the future would be unable to bypass him.

Thinking of this, Lu Bolin's brow furrowed tightly.

Although he did not yet know if Mr. Ye Hai's idea was good or bad for him, the memory of Ye Miao clinging to Xu Yi made him feel an intense sense of revulsion toward the man.

Xu Yi knew his master loved to make empty promises, but this time was different from other situations.

If he could become a constable in the Concession, he would be able to enter the area openly and find an opportunity to ambush and kill that Incense-Addicted Murderer, Stevenson Griffin!