Xu Feng studied Shen Jicheng seriously.
Shen Jicheng showed no sign of joking.
So Xu Feng answered frankly, "Yes!"
Shen Jicheng said, "Good. But you'll have to get blood on your hands, and you may have to spend money. Are you still willing?"
Xu Feng said, "I can spend the money.
But whose blood would be on my hands?"
Shen Jicheng said, "Don't worry. I won't have you shed innocent blood.
If you only shed innocent blood, your knife will always remain in the first state. The more vicious it becomes, the more savage and fearsome it'll look, but all it'll do is frighten a few Vengeful Ghosts.
It'll develop an evil, baleful aura, but no other kind of force. Keep going down that road, and one day it might even leave its sheath to kill you, its master. It would never reach the second state.
A knife is a weapon for killing.
To take it a step further, yours needs something besides that. The force of national law, for instance, or military discipline!
That will temper the raw malice and bloodlust within it."
Shen Jicheng waved a hand. "You needn't worry about what comes next.
Once this little show of filial piety is over, I'll arrange some work for you. You're a Corpse Sewer, after all. I'll have you killing and sewing both."
As for everything else,
he indicated he would handle it himself.
Xu Feng need not give it a thought.
Xu Feng asked, "Why are you helping me so much, Shen Jicheng?"
Shen Jicheng kept his answer brief. "Don't ask."
There was a reason, of course.
But it both did and didn't concern Xu Feng.
So there was no need to tell Zhao San.
Shen Jicheng merely said, "You're lucky, too."
The veteran of the Ritual Office