Part-time gigs would let them engage with the City of Iniquity on a combat level while picking up a few source energy blocks on the side, whereas proper, regular jobs could help them genuinely understand and integrate into the local society.
Of course, the most crucial reason was simply that they were broke.
They didn't have a single cent to their names right now.
Wen Jifei, He Tangtang, and Zhu Jiaming had sunk so low that they were digging through discarded cigarette butts to smoke, squabbling over which butt belonged to whom.
As for the brothers Ao Yong and Qian Daofeng, they naturally felt too embarrassed to ask them for money, and the two brothers didn't look like they could afford to keep feeding them anyway.
When the two brothers headed out for work in the afternoon, Han Qingyu and the other four hitched a ride as usual to wander the streets.
It was already the fifth day, and they remained quiet and well-behaved, never stepping outside the Third District.
This was beginning to test the patience of the hunters watching from beyond the district.
Over three hours later, in the evening, the sun had already set and darkness had fallen. After chatting with a female shopkeeper for more than two hours, Wen Jifei finally managed to get two cigarettes on credit.
Normally, no one in the City of Iniquity would ever offer credit, just as wages here were always settled daily. People, after all, tended to drop dead without warning.
The wind was blowing rather hard. At the same time, wanting to ditch the Little Prince, Wen Jifei and He Tangtang took winding paths and ducked into an alley by the street, leaning against the wall and huddling close with their heads down to light up.
A masked figure leaped down from the top of the wall, swinging a blade straight at them.
Passersby on the street turned their heads for a glance, completely used to such sights, without so much as an exclamation of surprise.
They didn't even pause in their stride, nor did they quicken their pace to get away.
A dead iron straight sword pinned the masked man to the wall.
Piercing through the heart, pinning him midair against the wall.
What was more, it was only after the blade had already pinned him there that most of the people nearby even noticed it.
So... it made no sound? Furthermore, judging from the width of the alley and the current angle of the hilt, wherever it had come from, it must have traveled in a curved arc.
Exclamations of shock finally erupted.
Amid the cries of astonishment, Wen Jifei drew the tip of his cigarette away from the flame, took a blissful drag, tilted his head back to exhale a plume of smoke, and calmly retrieved the source energy block from the dead man's metal box. He slipped it into his pocket, pulled out the sword, and wiped it clean on the corpse.
Instead of turning back, they took advantage of the darkness before anyone could get a clear look at them, carrying the sword and slipping away from the other side.
Han Qingyu and the other two didn't go over either; they circled around to meet at an outer street corner, avoided any surveillance that might be tailing them, and swiftly returned together to Ao Yong and Qian Daofeng's place.
...
About an hour later.
The heavy-duty garbage truck pulled up outside the gate as usual, but this time Ao Yong and Qian Daofeng's footsteps sounded somewhat rushed as they came pounding into the house.
"The Rusty Sister Dimple Slash! Today, on the street, in the Third District—did you guys see it?!" Pouring a cup of water from the kettle, Ao Yong gulped it down while speaking excitedly.
Holy crap! They even knew about the Rusty Sister Dimple Slash?! At the table, Han Qingyu and the others exchanged glances.
It had been a sudden emergency earlier. Fearing the assailant might be exceptionally strong, Han Qingyu had acted with a bit too much haste and hadn't stopped to consider the consequences, casually unhooking his blade and hurling it.
After returning, he had actually started worrying that someone observant might notice. Now Ao Yong's reaction showed that the situation was likely even more serious than he had imagined.
"You didn't see it?! What a shame... Hey, don't tell me you guys haven't even heard of it?!" Sensing that the group's reaction was far too subdued, Qian Daofeng set his cup down heavily and said, "The Rusty Sister Dimple Slash! Major The Qing! There's no way you haven't heard of it!"
"We've heard of it," Han Qingyu said flatly.
"Is he that famous here too?" He Tangtang asked deliberately.
Ao Yong gulped down another mouthful in a hurry and said, "No shit! With a bounty that ridiculously high before, who wouldn't have heard of him?! Besides, we have newspapers here too, you know..."
The young man babbled on for ten-odd minutes.
Judging from his narrative, the City of Iniquity's understanding of Han Qingyu was largely focused on him as an individual rather than his squad. Those who might have actually seen his photograph were limited only to the elite experts on the assassin rankings who had accepted the contract.
The others quietly glanced at Han Qingyu's current face, feeling slightly relieved.
"From what you're saying, people here seem to have a pretty good impression of him?" Rusty Sister asked, stifling a laugh. Hearing even the people of the City of Iniquity cry out "Rusty Sister Dimple Slash" made her inexplicably happy.
She hadn't heard the words "Rusty Sister" for several days now; they all called her "Iron Chick" these days.
"Yeah, people here have no reason to hate him," Ao Yong said. "Wanting to kill him for the bounty is one thing, but it's got nothing to do with personal grudges. In a place where martial strength reigns supreme above all else, a young expert like that who rose to prominence in just a single year naturally inspires admiration in a lot of folks."
"So, has he come to the City of Iniquity?" Wen Jifei followed up.
As if suddenly struck by the thought, Qian Daofeng and Ao Yong pondered for a moment, looked at each other, and turned back.
"No way, right? Didn't the news say he's already dead?"
"Even if he isn't dead, Huaxia would definitely have hidden him away. The word on the street right now is that some master mastered the technique and came out to test the blade."
"Yeah, the Rusty Sister Dimple Slash—a silent curve, with source energy circulation that's incredibly hard to control."
"What, a lot of people here practice it?" He Tangtang asked.
Ao Yong nodded repeatedly. "We practiced it too, but couldn't get it down. Later we couldn't bear wasting source energy blocks, so we gave up."
He laughed, but as he laughed, his expression suddenly froze.
He instinctively turned to Qian Daofeng and said in a daze, "Brother Daofeng, do you think it's possible that Major The Qing really did come?!"
If he just arrived recently... The two brothers turned around.
Han Qingyu thought about it, then stood up. "Hello, I am Han Qingyu."
"You... *hic*!"
"*Hic*!"
The two brothers stood dumbfounded, thinking for several seconds.
"Don't fool around, A-Jing. This is nothing to joke about."
"It'll get you killed! Saying it here in front of us is one thing, but if you say that outside, do you have any idea how many people would immediately swarm in to hack you to pieces? Nobody has claimed that bounty yet!" In the City of Iniquity, bounties could only be adjusted upward, never lowered or revoked, even if they remained unclaimed indefinitely. Qian Daofeng added, "Besides, plenty of people here dream of making a name for themselves overnight in a single battle, you get it?"
Han Qingyu nodded. The bounty hadn't been claimed yet?! He seemed to remember there were metal blocks, as well as money—lots of it! Suddenly, he felt a powerful urge to kill himself all over again.
"By the way, how do you know he isn't the real deal? You looked startled out of your wits just now," Wen Jifei asked with a chuckle.
"Major The Qing is really handsome. Even though we haven't seen a photo, both the newspapers and the rumors say he's remarkably good-looking—the kind who could survive in the City of Iniquity just on his looks alone."
As Ao Yong spoke, Qian Daofeng covertly kicked him in the shin.
Turning his head, the young man looked at Han Qingyu with eyes full of guilt, his lips moving as if wanting to apologize, yet not knowing how to begin.
"It's fine. People who live by the blade don't care about things like that," Han Qingyu offered with a smile. Even when smiling, the diagonal scar slashing across his face looked somewhat savage.
"Good, good. Let's drop the subject then; it has nothing to do with us anyway." Qian Daofeng smoothed things over, and then a smug grin broke out on his face. He reached his hand into his bag...
In his hand was a bottle of liquor.
A bottle of baijiu.
In the City of Iniquity, liquor was very expensive.
The two of them were very poor.
"You guys have been here for days now, so today is just a little token," Qian Daofeng said, his eyes wavering slightly. "And to celebrate finding you jobs—both avenues came through."
In truth, what they were really thinking was: *These freeloaders finally won't have to eat and drink on our dime anymore.*
The two brothers had decided to celebrate.
Judging by their tone, though, the jobs actually seemed pretty decent.
"What will we be doing?" He Tangtang asked curiously.
"Watching cars and wiping them down," Qian Daofeng said. From his expression and tone, it genuinely seemed like a wonderful job.
"Working at Bar No. 15. A hundred US dollars a day per person. It's not high, but there are tips! If you run into a rich guy in a good mood, he might hand you several hundred at once!" Ao Yong's eyes burned with excitement as he added, "And I heard someone even got a source energy block before! As a tip—a whole source energy block!"
Put that way, it did sound pretty good. Han Qingyu and the others nodded.
"And Boss Dao said he'd consider it too. He mentioned he'd find some time to come over and check you guys out first," Qian Daofeng said excitedly. "You guys are in luck—Boss Dao's men just happen to have almost all died off recently."
Chapter 430