You promised steampunk martial arts, but you've got an internal combustion engine in your chest

Baili Jie took the purple clay teapot from the table. He seemed to want to be more attentive to Hua Xiangrong, but after all, he was a scholar and was not sure how to handle the hot teaware.

While filtering and pouring the tea, the boy accidentally burned his fingertip, causing the tea to splash out. He hissed in pain and pulled his hand back, nearly smashing the cup.

Upon seeing this, Hua Xiangrong by the window burst into giggles, her waist trembling.

She didn't reach out to take it, but her beautiful eyes shimmered as she stared intently at Baili Jing:

"Young master, aren't you itching to know why our second master not only saved you last night, but also went to such lengths today to stage such a grand show in front of the whole city to recruit you?"

Baili Jing remained calm and replied indifferently:

"That's understandable. I can understand why your Third Master went to such lengths to arrest me for his son's life; but I really don't understand why Second Master would make such a fuss over me."

At this moment, Bailijie's hand trembled, and he was burned by the spout of the teapot, and he was in pain and kept panting.

"Alright, buddy, you used to hold pens in school, you've never used something like this before... Let me do it."

Baili Jing couldn't stand it any longer and reached out to take the tea set from Baili Jie's hand.

He skillfully warmed the cups, rinsed the tea, and poured the tea from high and low, his movements as smooth and natural as flowing water, without a trace of the roughness of manual labor, but rather revealing an indescribable composure and experience.

A hint of curiosity flickered in Hua Xiangrong's eyes:

"Oh, young man, you're a poor laborer, yet you've mastered the art of tea quite well? I'm truly impressed."

Baili Jing grinned and casually made up a story:

"Actually, in my past life I was a big boss's personal assistant. Every day I had to help the boss drive, open doors, boil water, and make tea. I practiced for who knows how many years."

Hua Xiangrong didn't take it to heart at all. She simply gave him a charming wink and giggled:

"Young master, you really spout nonsense, but I like listening to you. Once you join our gang, you can help me drive and make tea every day, okay?"

Baili Jie, who was watching from the side, coughed lightly:

"Pretty lady, let's get down to business first."

"Hehe, okay, okay, listen to your little brother, let's get down to business..."

Hua Xiangrong toned down her seductive manner and straightened her posture:

"Young man, do you know what a Qi and blood constitution is?"

Baili Jing was using the Guan Gong patrolling the city technique to pour the clear tea into three separate cups when he heard this, he shook his head: "I would like to hear more details."

Hua Xiangrong slowly spoke:

"In this world, there are a very few people who are born with extraordinary talents, possessing exceptionally vigorous qi and blood within their bodies. If these people embark on the path of steam cultivation, not only will their cultivation efficiency far surpass that of ordinary people, but their future potential will also be much higher than that of ordinary people. Are you aware of this?"

Before Baili Jing could speak, Baili Jie spoke first:

"I've heard of that before. Those who are born with immense strength are called the 'Giant Spirit Mountain-Pushing' physique; those who are tireless are called the 'Inexhaustible River' physique; and those who can be full of energy all day long without much sleep are called the 'Eternal Day Mystic Body'."

"These three are the most common in the rumors. Besides these, there seem to be those with incredibly fast running speed, those who recover from injuries extremely quickly, and those whose five senses are naturally far more acute than ordinary people..."

Hua Xiangrong smiled and praised:

"Little brother, you are truly learned and talented. Indeed, there are thirteen types of blood and qi constitutions in the world. People who possess these constitutions are rare treasures, one in ten thousand. They would be geniuses in any sect or family."

At this point, Baili Jing had completed the final step of brewing the tea.

He extended his finger and gently pushed a cup of tea in front of Hua Xiangrong, calmly asking:

"So... I also possess one of these thirteen types of Qi and Blood constitutions? That's why I'm the target of so much competition?"

Hua Xiangrong extended her delicate fingers to pick up the teacup, her eyes flashing slightly:

"Young man, quite the opposite, your blood and qi constitution... no one has ever seen anything like it before."

Baili Jing was taken aback: "Never seen it before?"

Hua Xiangrong took a sip of tea and slowly said:

"Among those thirteen types of blood and qi constitutions, there is indeed a rare one called the [Gluttonous Demon Devourer]. The more a person with this constitution eats, the more vigorous the blood and qi they refine within their body becomes. This seems to be most similar to your condition."

"But... those who possess the [Gluttonous Devouring Demon] will become as thin as a skeleton if they don't eat even one meal, and will become as fat as a ball of flesh if they overeat. But what about you, young man?"

Hua Xiangrong stared at Baili Jing's face:

"You are usually unremarkable, except that you have more energy than others, and you seem to have inexhaustible resources; but after eating a meal of demon beast meat, your skin became as hot as a branding iron, and your pores spontaneously spewed out waste gas! This kind of perfect restraint and explosive phenomenon when eating... is something I have never seen before."

Baili Jing remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he felt a sense of foreboding.

He understood all too well what a "new species" meant. He didn't have much ability now, but he had been stuck with such an enviable and precious physique, which had become a death curse.

Baili Jie quickly realized the seriousness of the situation. He clenched his fists nervously and asked softly:

"Pretty sister, so... according to you, Second Master went to such great lengths to get my brother, does he intend to train him to become a powerful steam cultivator, so that he can join the Canal Gang and serve the White Flower Hall?"

Upon hearing this, Hua Xiangrong curled the corners of her lips into a half-smile and asked in return:

"Little brother, do you believe that?"

Baili Jing shook his head and said in a deep voice:

"I don't believe it. Like I said, your White Flower Hall has caused such a commotion, alarming the entire city. If it's just to recruit someone with a strong constitution into the Canal Gang, it doesn't make sense at all. The cost is too high."

"clever."

Hua Xiangrong nodded in approval.

"Since I've already said I wanted to open my heart and have a heart-to-heart talk with you, then I won't lie to you anymore. Although the Qi and Blood physique is rare, it's by no means an unattainable legend for our Canal Gang. That gorilla from last night, he was a [Giant Spirit Mountain Carrier]; and I, your sister..."

She chuckled:

"I also possess a Qi and Blood physique. Therefore, with the support of this physique, we can more easily pass through the Forging Furnace Realm and enter the Qi Heart Realm than others. Having another physique genius is icing on the cake for Baihua Hall, but it is absolutely not worth Second Master personally getting involved in setting up a scheme."

Baili Jie's eyes darted around, as if he had suddenly thought of some terrifying possibility, and his face paled slightly:

"Wait...you're not planning to kidnap my brother and secretly study his newly developed blood and qi constitution, are you? And to prevent others from finding out, you deliberately claimed on stage that my brother was just the Giant Spirit Tuoshan?!"

Hua Xiangrong didn't answer immediately, but just smiled mischievously and turned her gaze to Baili Jing:

"Young master, your little brother is quick-witted! And what about you? What are your thoughts?"

Baili Jing touched the teacup in his hand, closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then opened his eyes and smiled:

"I'm a rough person. I don't understand anything about cultivation or research, and I don't have as many complicated thoughts as you. But after you said so much, and combined with the play we watched today, I was reminded of an old story from the docks."

Hua Xiangrong tilted her head, asking with some curiosity, "Oh? What old story? Tell me about it."

Baili Jing slowly said:

"When I worked at the docks, the foreman would often praise me in front of all the laborers. He would even give me extra pieces of salted meat and a few coins as a reward because I put in the most effort and worked the hardest. Everyone else was extremely envious and felt that the foreman valued me."

He paused, then looked up at Hua Xiangrong:

"But I knew in my heart that the foreman wasn't actually rewarding me. He just wanted to set an example so that the other lazy people could see that as long as they did as much as Baili Jing, they would get more meat. He was using me, the strongest ox, to spur the other oxen and horses to pull the cart more hard. But that... wasn't the most important thing."

The playful look in Hua Xiangrong's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a somewhat serious expression:

"So, what do you think is the most important thing?"

Baili Jing sneered:

"Most importantly, the more we laborers work and the harder we work, the faster the cargo flows at the docks, and the more water the foreman can pump, so he can ask his boss for favors."

At this point, he stared at Hua Xiangrong and smiled:

"So, when he publicly rewarded me, it was all for his own benefit, to make his boss think that he had the ability to manage people and could help the higher-ups make more money."

Upon hearing Baili Jing's words, a strange light flashed in Hua Xiangrong's beautiful eyes.

Just then, a few soft claps were heard.

Snap, snap, snap...

A soft laugh suddenly rang out from the stairwell on the second floor:

"Well said! Well said!"

"I never imagined that such a remarkable person like you was hidden among the dockworkers!"

The sudden sound startled everyone at the tea table, and they all turned to look in the direction of the sound.

A middle-aged man was seen leisurely strolling up to the second floor.

The newcomer was dressed in a luxurious brocade robe, with a rather prosperous-looking face. He smiled with his eyes narrowed, his smile kind and benevolent.

The moment she saw this person, Hua Xiangrong's expression changed, and she blurted out a cry of surprise:

"Third Master Ding?! What are you doing here?!"

Third Master Ding.

Upon hearing these three words, Baili Jing's pupils shrank instantly, and all the muscles in his body tensed up!

This person was none other than Ding Yan, the one who tried to rip out his internal organs yesterday!