The good news: he wasn't an enemy.
The bad news: it was Ji Jue.
Tang Qian stood as though struck by lightning, wanting to weep but having no tears. He honestly felt an enemy would have been preferable!
All one could say was that the dramatic twists of fate were truly impossible to predict. Sometimes, you were minding your own business on an Imperial train, eating pilaf and singing songs, when out of nowhere, you got hit by a wild Ji Jue!
After both of them had independently altered their appearances in Mid-Continent, somehow ending up tossed into the very same ditch was nothing short of bizarre.
It was like a horror story.
There was simply no way not to be terrified.
Here you were, working as a temporary day-laborer right next to the Imperial garrison base, when suddenly a Federation artisan famous for being utterly deranged—and a newly minted arms dealer to boot—popped up right in front of your eyes, grinning cheerfully at you. What normal human wouldn't be scared out of their wits?
In the span of a single second, Old Tom's mind raced at lightning speed. He had nearly drafted the opening line of his dying words for when Ji Jue inevitably used him as a meat shield: *Born to the Swarm, I am deeply sorry...*
During that momentary lapse into stunned silence, the wrinkled face before him had already adopted an expression of distinct deference, serving up a bowl of fruit with practiced, fluid grace.
"Please enjoy, milord, please enjoy."
Bowing and scraping with obsequious smiles, he took step after step backward, wheeling his cart away.
Only, right before leaving, he cast a deeply meaningful glance back at him.
Then he vanished.
The look made Old Tom's skin crawl... Regardless of the circumstances, running into this bastard Ji Jue never meant anything good!
This lousy Imperial day-labor gig was officially a no-go!
On the surface, he raised his cup with cheerful smiles, humoring his newly met, unlucky companions. Deep down, however, his mind was made up: come hell or high water, he was grabbing his bucket and running!
After downing barely two cups, he excused himself on the pretext of an urgent need to piss, hitched up his trousers, and jogged toward the latrine. Glancing back to confirm no one was watching, he took two running strides, vaulted over the perimeter wall, and then... jumped straight into the open canvas roof of Little Niuma.
"Well, look who it is."
Inside the disguised cargo bed, Ji Jue sat looking down, stroking the humming, vibrating Pan Ying. He was full of curiosity. "Weren't you heading to the latrine? The latrine isn't in this direction, is it?"
"Holy crap..."
Before Tang Qian's rear end had even settled, he caught sight of the roof sliding shut overhead and the vibrating Pan Ying buzzing in Ji Jue's grip. The hair on his arms stood on end.
He bloody knew it! Running into this bastard never brought anything good!
He'd already been locked onto!
His face twitched, and he coughed twice. "Apologies, sir, you've... got the wrong man."
Before his words could settle, a glittering gold coin slipped from Ji Jue's pocket. Before it even touched the floor, Tang Qian reflexively snatched it out of the air.
Ji Jue's smile turned all the more playful.
"Look, you see? I didn't get the wrong man after all, Old Tom. We've dealt with each other for so many years. Isn't it a bit unbecoming to act so distant?"
"*Ahem*, Mr. Ji, you know me. In our line of work, the biggest taboo is developing unwarranted attachments to clients."
Old Tom glanced left and right, sighing faintly. "Don't contact me in the future. I'm afraid the Empire might misun—"
*Clink!*
Another gold coin slipped from Ji Jue's pocket, hitting the deck, tumbling and spinning across the floorboards with a ringing buzz. Old Tom's eyelids twitched frantically.
"This isn't a matter of money..."
*Clink!*
Another coin. Then another. And yet another...
The crisp clatter of colliding metal rang out incessantly, causing Tang Qian's stiff expression to twitch uncontrollably. He strained with all his might, yet could not suppress the corners of his mouth curling upward. The coin in his hand was practically being rubbed until sparks flew.
He tried his best to turn his head aside, gritting his teeth as words squeezed out from between them: "A loyal minister does not serve two masters. I'm not that kind of loose man... I—I've already retired from this line of work..."
"Is that so?"
Ji Jue paused, letting out a regretful sigh. He patted the entire crate of Imperial gold coins beneath his rear end and lamented, "A forced melon isn't sweet. Since that's how it is, consider that I never came—"
*Thud!*
This time, it wasn't a gold coin hitting the deck.
It was Old Tom.
The brawny, muscular man had dropped prostrate onto the floorboards, slithering over like an invertebrate to latch onto Ji Jue's thigh, shedding streaming tears. "I, Tang, have drifted through half my life without meeting an enlightened lord. If my lord does not spurn me, I am willing to acknowledge you as my adoptive father!"
In the blink of an eye, he raked all the gold coins from the floor into his pockets. Lifting his head, his bovine eyes brimmed with sparkling starlight. "Dad, why should we father and son stand on ceremony? Just say the word—who are we hitting? Say the word and it's done!"
"All right, since you put it that way." Ji Jue chuckled, fondly patting the brute's head, and uttered a name: "The Federation garrison base's lieutenant general, Fan Yun."
"Uh, about that..."
Tang Qian froze, then forced an awkward grin. "Hey now, that idiot? Why waste your time on him? He's an old fossil with dirt buried up to his neck. It's not appropriate, really not appropriate. Boss, we have to respect our elders and care for the young.
"Pick someone else, let's swap for someone else. Anyone besides him, and I'm game!"
"Fair enough."
Ji Jue obligingly nodded and offered an alternative: "Then how about assassinating the Imperial garrison base's commander, Border Duke Passarella? If you think that's too much trouble, I can lower the difficulty a bit. Going into Profound to butcher an old dog who's practically begging for death would work too.
"If you find that too far and don't want to travel, heading to Midtown to assassinate the President, or Dadu to take out the Prime Minister, would also be fine."
"...That's also a bit..."
Tang Qian's face twitched. Suddenly, the thigh in his hands felt scorching hot. He instinctively tried to scoot further away, terrified that when Ji Jue died, the blood splatter would get on him.
"Hah!"
Ji Jue scoffed cold amusement, kicking the bastard away. "You can't do this, you won't do that. What bloody use are you, then?"
"That's not how you bargain, Boss!"
Old Tom glared back. "Why don't you just tell me to go jump Tianlu! You ask for the heavens, and I haggle down to earth. If you really won't give me an honest word, then there's no way in hell I'm taking this job."
"You want to take on Tianlu?"
Ji Jue laughed, brimming with apparent admiration. "I didn't expect you, Old Tom, to look like a nickel-and-dime skinflint on the surface while secretly having the chops for truly great deeds. I actually happen to have another plan right here. If that venture succeeds in the future, you'll undoubtedly be the Swarm's top champion. Even the Lord of Soldiers would have to pour your tea and fetch your water."
"Oh, give me a break!"
Tang Qian rolled his eyes and drew a deep breath. Seeing that he couldn't bluff his way through, he had no choice but to adopt a serious stance. "Making money is all well and good, but you need your life intact to spend it. If you keep hiding things, I'm walking. Worst comes to worst, I'll refund your cash."
"Don't be in such a rush, it's quite simple."
Ji Jue gave a warm, genial smile. "I'm not asking you to do anything wicked or cruel. I just need your help to find someone."
Tang Qian exhaled a visible sigh of relief, loosening up noticeably.
He was genuinely terrified Ji Jue would start hollering about pulling off historic feats and drag him along to take on Passarella... That man was a veteran Celestial-Human of Entropy, true Imperial nobility, a ruthless figure who had once contested the throne against the very Emperor currently lying in an intensive care unit. How could a half-crippled Swarm like him ever hope to fight someone like that?
Yet, as he waited and waited, he realized something was wrong.
The bastard had stopped talking!
"And then?" His brows furrowed. "Who's the guy you're looking for?"
"That's the problem."
Ji Jue shrugged. "Don't know."
Tang Qian's face twitched slightly. "Male or female?"
Ji Jue shook his head decisively. "Unclear."
Tang Qian's warm heart began to turn cold. He ventured tentatively, "What about their age?"
Ji Jue simply kept watching him.
Smiling.
Tang Qian broke down completely.
"Big bro, even for a client, you can't be this absurd!"
Tang Qian glared in exasperation. "Do you have any idea how much traffic goes in and out of the Imperial garrison base every single day? The regular garrison alone numbers sixty to seventy thousand, and outsourced hands like me are beyond counting! The checkpoints and verifications in there are thicker than stray dogs on the roadside! A sixth-class citizen like me would probably get tossed into a black holding cell within two steps. And you tell me you want to go in there to find someone... You might as well just send me to an early reincarnation!"
"Relax, I have my ways."
Ji Jue flicked the Pan Ying in his grasp. Amidst its resonant hum, three seals of the Former Phantoms of the Six Heavens materialized, illuminating Tang Qian's eyes. "I'm not asking you to murder or commit arson, nor am I telling you to abandon your conscience. It's just finding someone... Tell me straight: are you doing this job or not?!"
Tang Qian went instantly silent.
After a long while, he ground his teeth and squeezed out the words:
"...You have to add more money!"
Ji Jue proved remarkably accommodating.
He flipped open the crate beneath him, grabbed a handful, and dropped them into Tang Qian's hands.
Then he grabbed another handful.
Just as it had been when Tang Qian previously paid his tabs, the only difference was that this generosity was downright terrifying!
With one scoop, the gold coins formed a small hill; with two scoops, Tang Qian could barely hold them in his lap.
Cold sweat started to bead on his forehead.
*Damn it...*
Having an inhuman boss was terrifying, but having a generous boss was ten times worse!
When even a boss who wasn't human turned this lavish, could the trouble involved be anything small?!
Furthermore, these gold coins...
Why did they feel somewhat off?
He furrowed his brows, inspecting the gold coins in his hands. No matter how he looked, something felt wrong... It was just like a bank teller used to counting bills suddenly touching a note that felt entirely distinct in texture.
The stamping and luster were both absolutely flawless.
Just like the previous ones, they had clearly never circulated on the open market, as though they had been kept as pristine collector's items the moment they were minted.
Moreover, the patterns stamped across the surface were entirely unfamiliar!
*Wait, could this bastard have dug up some Emperor's grave...*
He kept his mouth shut, but in secret, he had already quietly activated his peerless Heritage Burnt Offering.
—*Fourth Granduncle, War God, show yourself!*
"Old codger, get over here and take a look. What the hell is this?"
"Holy shit?!"
The consciousness of Fourth Granduncle surfacing in his mind trembled violently for an instant, utterly incredulous. "You little grandson, whose emperor's tomb did you rob?! The foremost among the Fourteen Great Treasons! Back when the Emperor was still around, all ten branches of your clan would have been wiped out for this!"
"Bullshit! Where would I get the empire-spanning spare time to go crack open an emperor's tomb?"
Tang Qian rolled his eyes. "It's the wages my boss handed me. I just felt something was off. Take a look and make sure it's not counterfeit junk meant to fool me."
"..."
Fourth Granduncle fell silent for a long time, saying nothing. Tang Qian's panic flared further. "Crap, it's not actually fake, is it? I knew that dog Ji Jue was an inhuman bastard!"
"No, it's real."
Fourth Granduncle let out a soundless sigh. "It's so goddamn real it couldn't be any more real. Usually, coins in this particular style were sacrificial tributes prepared for the Emperor inside the Sacrificial Temple of the Ancient Beginning. How could it possibly be fake?"
"Then why the hell are you sighing like that and giving me a heart attack?!"
At that, Fourth Granduncle's tone grew even more complicated. "That's the whole problem! How could it possibly be real? Fuck, I feel like something has gone terribly wrong with the Dynasty..."
"Your crappy dynasty went to hell four hundred years ago! What else could possibly go wrong with it now?"
"You don't understand."
Fourth Granduncle sighed once more, muttering under his breath, but ultimately refrained from saying another word.
Say what?
What could he possibly say!
He simply didn't dare speak it aloud...
Chapter 588