Chapter 306

“Is Zhangxing Company some kind of hole-in-the-wall shop? Who’d start a business over just a few gold coins?”

Qing’s eyes narrowed.

It’s like this guy just has a loose mouth and spills every nonsense he can.

“Over two thousand people died in Nakyung. If you include the missing ones, it could be over three thousand. Missing? It’s just that we can’t find the corpses.”

At that, Mr. Jang’s expression darkened.

“That was just bad luck. We did the core construction properly. If it hadn’t rained like crazy…”

“It’s not about the rain. It’s your fault!”

“If the plans had been a bit cheaper—”

“Don’t blame the plans. Listen, even if the plans were cheap, it would’ve collapsed anyway, right? With the way you guys skimp on quality, how could you stand against the rain?”

“Umm…”

“Tell me. If the construction costs had been half, do you think we would have built according to the plans?”

“Hmm…”

Mr. Jang just let out an uncomfortable groan.

It was the reaction of someone who had run out of excuses.

Claiming that they cut corners because the plans were too expensive is just pure nonsense.

Those who are stealing materials wouldn’t care about that anyway.

If the plans had been cheaper, they’d have cut corners even more to pocket more profit, so when heavy rain comes, it was destined to collapse.

“The afterlife? What afterlife? Three thousand lives taken, and you talk about an afterlife? From what I can see, they’ll be stuck in hell, getting chopped up until the end of the world.”

“Damn…”

“So who ordered it? I heard some young lady from Zhangxing Company directed the construction. Did she tell you to cut corners on the materials?”

“Yeah, that girl. Everyone was worried about her. But if a superior gives orders, we have to follow them, right? If you go against Zhangxing Company on the construction site in Shanxi, it’s like saying you’re done for.”

It was an excuse that they only did as they were told.

But Qing can see the evil deeds of Mr. Jang.

For just following orders, the damage seems rather significant.

Plus, Qing is a little carpenter.

He had heard stories from the other carpenters.

“I did some carpentry myself, you know? Didn’t you personally pocket some materials?”

“Is there a carpenter who doesn’t?”

“That’s right. Everyone’s skimming off the top. So how did you even build it? Did you mold it with mud like kids playing in the dirt?”

“…”

“So, like I said earlier, if you get stabbed in a shabby little room unnoticed, that’s your business. You’ve got no one to blame. Seems only natural when those who deserve to die do.”

“Ugh. I might be the one to die, but before I go, just one request. I have some hidden gold and silver, and I want to leave it for my wife and kids.”

Mr. Jang suddenly gasped, the life being squeezed from him so hard he could hardly speak.

With a foot pressing harshly on his neck, no one can keep talking.

Qing answered, bewildered.

“You think I’m here to grant your dying wish? Why would I leave behind money earned from someone else’s life?”

With his hand resting heavily on his stomach, Mr. Jang flailed his remaining arm, squirming.

Being a carpenter means having a body honed by practical muscle, but still, that’s only enough for street-level scuffles.

Qing, on the other hand, is a Supreme Martial Artist.

Mr. Jang’s struggles became more desperate, more frantic, trying to gasp for breath.

Yet, Qing’s foot remains as heavy as a mountain, pressing down with all its weight.

In that moment, a thin thread seemed to snap.

When his desperate flailing crumbled into nothingness, that was truly the odd moment—a fleeting instant.

“Well, what a waste of time. Is there no one else around?”

“Considering there’s an assassin, it’s probably already too late to look more. After all, assassins are the experts in tracking. Besides, these hideouts can’t be trusted at all.”

Such hideouts inevitably fall into associations like Haowen or similar low-tier groups.

And since the assassins maintain close ties with them, while it’s easy to evade others’ eyes, it’s a poor choice for sneaking away from assassin eyes.

“Hmm. Then what can we do?”

Qing scratched the back of his head.

“I wanted to spread rumors to ruin them. But without witnesses, we’ll just have to grab that young lady from Zhangxing Company and ask if she knows any more bastards involved. Hmm. Maybe I’ll chop off their limbs and send them to the families of those in Nakyung.”

Indeed, the best cure is revenge.

Strictly speaking, it’s more of a closure.

The pain of losing a family dulls over time, so seeking revenge doesn’t truly ease the hurt.

But at the very least, it’s undoubtedly the best way to tie up feelings of hatred and blame and help one move forward.

“If you think of spreading the word about Zhangxing Company’s atrocities, there’s still plenty of witnesses left.”

“Aren’t the rest going to die anyway? There’s no way to find them faster than an assassin.”

At that, Seolga chimed in with a solution.

“So, we can just catch the assassin. If he confesses to receiving an assassination contract, the people in the world won’t be fools, and they’ll naturally think all the carpenters in the city are in on it.”

“Wow! That’s brilliant! From now on, I’m elevating you to the leading intellect of the region. This small town is way too cramped to hold such a shining intellect. Let’s step into a bigger world. Yes, yes. Truly the greatest intellect of Shanxi!”

Qing praised Seolga, but Seolga wore an uncomfortable expression.

“There are really smart people out there. What am I compared to them? Please don’t say such things.”

“Getting humble too now?”

“Geez, you really don’t listen…”

“But how do we find the assassin?”

“Finding an assassin isn’t that hard. They kill people for money. We just need to catch the ones who receive payment, and it should lead us right to them. I’ll be able to figure it out, so I’ll head back now.”

“Feeling confident! Trustworthy!”

“As always, people are…”

And yet, the hint of a smirk crept across Qing’s face, not a bad one at all.

—-

In the Central Plain, there’s a saying about burning down the shack while trying to catch a bedbug.

Because it’s a saying from the Han people.

There are various theories about the origin of this saying.

One claims that a frustrated man, after continuously dealing with stubborn bedbugs, just burned down his house out of anger.

It’s said that when a bedbug bites, the itching is unbearable compared to a mosquito, so anyone who has ever suffered through that itch might understand the frustration.

Alternatively, it might originate from traditional pest control methods using plants like hemp or frog food to create smoke, filling the house with it. But if an ember strayed, a straw cottage would catch fire in an instant.

This fire was leaping about in Jang An as well.

Of course, you can’t just treat Zhangxing Company as a bedbug; it’s way too big for that, and even the big city of Xi’an wouldn’t just burn down entirely from a tiny spark.

However, the disaster in Nakyung flared up, and initially, the startled Zhangxing Company burnt the technicians to clean up the mess.

But since they didn’t deal with the embers well, this time the flames spread to the assassins.

And thus…

Justified violence has struck the assassins!

The ruthless killers, who kill for money, don’t mind unnecessary violence anyway.

So, calling them assassins is almost an insult.

In the history of the Central Plain, it’s not that there weren’t righteous assassins—it’s just that they were called assassins, but in another context, they were known as “Killers”.

In the Central Plain, the killer business is dominated by five major organizations: Salcheon, Salmak, Salgok, Jalim, and Cheonsalmun, each holding their territory.

Among them, the one known for both skill and pricing is Salcheon.

However, recently Salcheon has gone under.

No one thought it was noteworthy, as assassin businesses can collapse at any time.

Thus, the hot topic in the assassination industry, the hot topic in Jang An, was how and why Salcheon completely crumbled overnight.

And there was one big question.

Surely not every assassin from Salcheon met their end, but why wasn’t there a single survivor of those skilled killers known for their prowess?

Everyone was licking their lips, thinking they’d surely pay top-dollar to bring them back once they reemerge.

What the world doesn’t know is that the notorious killers of Salcheon merely changed professions.

There are no assassins lurking in the shadows anymore.

In the bright sunlight, they walk proudly under the guidance of the new Heavenly Demon, basking in the warmth of a wholesome world.

Thanks to this, they now experience love, make friends, share warmth with neighbors, and some even start families, fully reveling in what it means to live as a human.

And all these blessings come entirely from the great Supreme Heavenly Demon, so it’s only right to guard and protect such faith with our lives!

Agents of the Bureau of Noxious Affairs (former assassins) are unreservedly devoted to the Supreme Heavenly Demon.

Through the cruel brainwashing techniques systematically developed by the Heavenly Demon Sect over many years, they have broken down people’s minds from a young age,

or else the agents dispatched to the Central Plain would instantly recant and defect, so it was a choice forced upon them.

The state of the assassination industry is best known to the assassins themselves.

Thus, the Bureau of Mysterious Affairs already had a grasp on the locations of all assassins’ contracted shops in the city of Xi’an.

Thanks to this, Qing was able to receive, during lunch the following day, the booklet outlining the locations of all the assassination contracted shops in Xi’an.

“Wow, this came so quickly?”

“The Bureau had the data at hand.”

“Hah, heh, haha…”

“Huh? Why does the Bureau have data on the assassins?”

“How would I know? But if a big project starts in the city, surely they would proactively contact and request a client arrangement.”

“Huff, puff, haaa…”

“You didn’t just raid them and take out the records of the Bureau, did you?”

“If that had happened, would I have given the data so easily? It’s also a confidence that we’re not connected to them in any way.”

“Haha, heh, ha, ha, ha…”

Hmm. Eating like a pig.

After Qing tossed a bubbling soup into his mouth, he looked at Seoliri, managing to cool it with his inhales and exhales.

This wasn’t just any soup; it was a snake soup called “Oasagang.”

True to its name, this nourishing dish, made from boiling five different types of snakes, is a very, very upscale meal.

However, this Oasagang is Guangdong cuisine, and in Guangdong, soup usually consists of half liquid, half oil, even starch, making it thick enough to be compared to boiling oil.

Is he seriously eating this without cooling it down?

Is he even human? That’s practically circus-level!

Of course, since it was boiled before serving, it’s not the hot oil itself, but still, that oily, thick broth is bound to be noticeably hotter than plain boiling water.

Hmm. But still, criticizing how someone eats isn’t really my place.

They’re not really hurting anyone, and anyone watching would probably find it fascinating, right?

“Then, from tonight, we can start raiding one by one. Hmm, where should we start?”

With so many con artists who kill for money, it’s like a free pass, an unlimited meal ticket, and a free travel pass!

Qing couldn’t help but burst into a joyous, improvised song.

Even unsung masterpieces of the Han people began to flow out, but since there’s no concept of copyright in the ancient Central Plain, it didn’t matter.

What mattered was that they sounded great to anyone who heard them.

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