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

Splash!

The cold, heavy steel lock was placed around Baili Jing's neck and hands without warning.

Under the watchful eyes of the workers, he was pushed and shoved out of the canteen by five constables and shoved into a black carriage.

In this era, although "steam-powered self-propelled vehicles" that did not require oxen or horses to pull had appeared, they were so expensive that only high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants could afford to ride in them. Naturally, the constables of the yamen could only drive horse-drawn carriages.

"Officers, be gentle! Be gentle!"

Inside the carriage, Baili Jing's hands were locked, and he twisted his body, trying to struggle.

However, as soon as he exerted his strength, the constables on both sides grabbed his shoulders, and an overwhelming force erupted instantly, like two huge iron mountains, pressing him firmly against the wooden planks of the carriage.

tear...

Immediately following was a fine, muffled mechanical exhaust sound.

The sleeves of the two constables billowed, and white mist sprayed out from their wrists through their cuffs.

That's... a steam-powered modification!

The arm bones of these two ordinary constables have also undergone some kind of steam-powered modification!

"Hey, officers, can't we at least be reasonable?"

Baili Jing lost the will to struggle, but still cried out helplessly, "I've been working dutifully at the docks every day, never even killed a chicken. How am I suspected of a bloody crime? Don't you all understand the importance of a court hearing and confrontation?"

"Reasoning?"

The constable sneered, his eyes filled with disdain and mockery: "Are you saying that our prefect is unreasonable? That the prefect is wrong?!"

After saying that, a ruthless glint flashed in the constable's eyes, and he raised his hand, as if to strike Baili Jing.

"stop."

Just as the slap was about to land, the head constable suddenly reached out and firmly grabbed the constable's wrist.

The mechanical linkage emitted a screeching, grinding sound. The constable glanced indifferently at his subordinate, his voice icy: "Don't hit it. If you damage its parts, we won't be able to explain ourselves when we get back."

Component?

Upon hearing those two words, Baili Jing's heart skipped a beat.

"Lock him up, take him back to the dungeon."

The head constable offered no explanation, simply waving his hand. Several constables immediately used their shackles to fasten Baili Jing's shackles to the iron rings securing the carriage.

Baili Jing, however, was completely stunned.

What does "parts" mean?

A chill slowly crept up his forehead.

He vaguely sensed that a vast, unseen web of conspiracy was rapidly closing in on him.

Throughout the journey, Baili Jing did not give up on saving himself. He would sometimes shout that he was innocent, and sometimes joke and tease the constables in the carriage, even hinting that he could take out his savings to pay them off.

However, he was met with only deathly silence; the five constables didn't even glance at him.

"It seems there's no point in talking to them."

Baili Jing quickly calmed down. He shut his mouth and his brain began to race, desperately trying to think of a solution.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the carriage stopped.

Baili Jing was dragged off the car and taken to the Shanghai prison.

Deep in the corridor, besides dim oil lamps, there were rusty brass pipes with bubbling boiling water inside. Behind the wall, countless mechanical gears clicked and clattered, seemingly maintaining the operation of some heavy machinery in the prison.

Baili Jing was taken to a private interrogation room and chained to a specially made iron chair with several thick iron bars.

Snapped!

The head constable stepped forward and slammed several sheets of paper covered with dense black writing onto the wooden table.

"Last night, on Second Street in the west of the city, the entire family of mechanic Huang Nuo was brutally murdered; all thirteen members of the family perished."

He looked down at Baili Jing and coldly read, "Before Huang Nuo died, he left a letter written in blood, claiming that he had offended you recently due to personal matters, and that you had threatened to kill his whole family. If anything happens to him, it must be your doing."

"After the prefect's thorough investigation, it was found that you, Baili Jing, had been coveting the beauty of Huang Nuo's eldest daughter, Huang Xiang'er, and had been harassing her for many years. Huang Xiang'er was indifferent to you, and Huang Nuo even sternly refused to let you see his daughter again. Because of this, you held a grudge and committed murder."

With that, the head constable pointed to the paper and said, "The statement is written. Sign it and put your fingerprint on it."

Baili Jing listened to this presumption of guilt and looked at the confession in front of him, and laughed in anger.

"No way, officer?"

He raised his head, meeting the constable's gaze, and smirked, "Huang Nuo, Huang Xiang'er? I've never even heard of them! Coveting beauty? There are at least eight hundred girls chasing after me, would I stoop to that?"

"And I was just arrested and you didn't even interrogate me before you fabricated my statement? You can't fabricate a statement like this."

"Officer, can you give me the gist of it? What exactly happened? Even if you're going to kill me, at least let me die knowing why, so I know which deity I offended!"

"hehe……"

The head constable narrowed his eyes slightly and sneered, "Kid, sign it. If you sign, at least you'll save your life; if you keep questioning, you won't even know how you died!"

"That won't do. Signing this would be a capital offense. How can you expect me to sign it?"

Baili Jing leaned back, adopting a defiant stance: "I want to see the Prefect! I want to appeal! I want justice served!"

The constable's face darkened, his hand already gripping the hilt of his sword, ready to lash out. Just then, a slow, deliberate voice came from outside the iron gate:

"Officer Lin, step back, don't frighten that young man."

Upon hearing this voice, the murderous aura emanating from Officer Lin vanished instantly.

He respectfully stepped aside, bowed slightly, and made way for the main entrance: "Master Yang."

The iron gate was pushed open, and a little old man walked in shakily.

He was thin and bony, dressed in a gray-blue clerk's long gown, with a kind and gentle face and a friendly smile. He also had a string of Buddhist prayer beads in his right hand.

"Go ahead and guard the door outside. I want to have a private talk with Brother Baili."

Master Yang waved his hand at Constable Lin.

"Yes."

Lin, the head constable, bowed his head in response and backed out of the room, closing the iron door behind him.

In the dimly lit interrogation room, only Baili Jing and the clerk, Yang, remained.

Master Yang chuckled and sat down opposite Baili Jing, placing his prayer beads on the table. He said apologetically, "I'm sorry, the men below are rough and clumsy; they didn't handle things properly and were a bit rough. Did they frighten you, young man?"

Baili Jing narrowed his eyes and said slowly, "Master Yang, is it... Your tactic of using force first and then diplomacy has really confused me... Can you give me a straight answer on what exactly is going on?"

"Hehe, of course you can. How can you do business if you don't explain things clearly?"

As he laughed, Master Yang pulled out a brass pipe from his pocket, stuffed it with tobacco, and lit it.

With a whoosh, a wisp of smoke filled the room.

The old man said in a low voice, "The only son of Ding Yan, the second-in-command of the Canal Gang, tried to implant a Qi furnace in his mansion last night. Unfortunately, the young master's aptitude was a bit lacking, and his blood and qi were not strong enough. He was unable to suppress the backlash from the Qi furnace and went into a qi deviation, losing his mind."

"After losing his mind, Young Master Ding casually killed Huang Nuo, the mechanic in charge of implanting the gas furnace, as well as several apprentices who were assisting him."

At this point, Master Yang sighed helplessly:

"Now that Young Master Ding's vital energy has been negatively impacted by the furnace, he probably only has two or three days left to live."

Baili Jing raised an eyebrow and sneered, "So, the Canal Gang doesn't want its own people to be implicated, so they found a powerless dockworker like me to be their scapegoat?"

Master Yang took a drag of his cigarette, and through the hazy smoke, he looked at Baili Jing with a smile:

"Young man, you have exceptional talent and vigorous vitality, surpassing even those century-old elixirs. To us, you are more than just a scapegoat."

What?!

Upon hearing this, the hairs on Baili Jing's body stood on end in an instant!

Countless sci-fi horror movies and novel scenes from his past life flashed through his mind, and he blurted out, "What you're after isn't my life, it's my person?!"

"Hehe, young man, you are indeed a smart man. I like to deal with smart people."

Master Yang smiled with satisfaction, fiddling with the Buddhist prayer beads on the table:

"The canal gang has seen your performance at the Shanghai docks these days. You carry thousands of kilograms of goods every day without panting or getting a fever. The heart, liver, lungs, spleen, and kidneys in your body, as well as your pure and unpolluted original essence, are all the best active parts."

"With your skills, you might be able to save our young master Ding's life."

Cold sweat began to bead on Baili Jing's forehead. He chuckled dryly, "No, I mean, buddy... I mean, Master Yang, isn't this a bit too outrageous? Is live organ transplantation such an easy thing to do? Aren't you afraid he won't survive the surgery?"

"Thank you for your concern for Young Master Ding's safety, young man."

Master Yang waved his hand dismissively: "But don't worry, we have our own way."

The old man straightened up and smiled:

"Furthermore, after it's done, we won't take your life. We'll use machinery to fill in the missing parts of your body, ensuring you can live on, and we might even make you a steam cultivator."

"However, from now on, you will have to live in anonymity and become a loyal follower of the Canal Gang."

"Of course, they won't treat you badly. As long as you're obedient, the canal gang will give you a large sum of money... Isn't your younger brother studying? Taking the imperial examinations, bribing the examiners, buying poetry collections—all of that costs money. If you, as the older brother, make a sacrifice, it'll be a way to completely change his fate, right?"

After listening to Master Yang's long list of excellent plans, Baili Jing felt a chill run down his spine.

What a conspiracy of collusion between officials and businessmen, a deception that has been exposed to the world!

The young master of the canal gang killed someone and his martial arts training was ruined, so they killed the craftsman's family and colluded with the local prefect to frame him. They not only wanted to remove his internal organs like slaughtering livestock, but also to transform him into a mechanical slave!

The most shameless thing was that old man's last sentence about his brother...

This is a blatant threat!

It means that if he dares to disobey, his younger brother could be in danger at any time!

Bai Lijing quickly sorted out all the pros and cons in his mind, and then... he lowered his head and smiled.

Seeing him suddenly smile, Master Yang's smile deepened: "Young man, does this mean you agree?"

Baili Jing raised his head, a bright and cooperative smile spreading across his face:

"Master Yang, you've put it this way, how could I possibly disagree?"

"Excellent! A wise person knows when to yield!"

Upon hearing this, Master Yang laughed heartily, "Just for your quick thinking, young man, I'll presume to make a decision today! After this is done, the settlement fee the Canal Gang gave you will be increased by another ten percent!"

"Then... thank you for your consideration, Master Yang."

Baili Jingpi chuckled.

"No need to thank me. Harmony brings wealth, and everyone benefits; that's the key to long-term business."

With a smile, Master Yang pushed the few statements forward: "Then, young man, would you mind getting the signing and fingerprinting process done? So we can prepare in advance."

Baili Jing glanced at the paper and pen in front of him, his eyes flickered, and he sighed, saying, "Master, signing is no problem, but may I make a small request?"

Master Yang's hand, which was about to hand over the pen, paused slightly. He took a drag on his pipe, his eyes narrowed slightly, and a dangerous glint flashed in them.

"What? Young man, now that you're at the last minute, are you trying to back out?"

"Of course not."

Bai Lijing sighed with a pained expression, "But... this involves cutting out the heart and removing the kidneys, it sounds really scary. I'm afraid that if I don't make it through, I'll die."

"I've never tasted anything good in my entire life. Master Yang, you are so kind and compassionate, could you please treat me to a good meal before you take action? I... I want to eat meat, lots and lots of meat, even if I die full."

Upon hearing this, Master Yang was taken aback. After a brief moment of astonishment, he couldn't help but burst into laughter:

"Hahaha! That's how it should be! That's exactly how it should be!"

"Don't worry, I'll send someone to invite the best chef in Shanghai to prepare a feast of all kinds of meat for you! I'll even get you two pounds of demon beast meat! Tonight, eat your fill!"

"but……"

Before he finished speaking, Master Yang exhaled a thick puff of smoke, and his kind and benevolent face suddenly transformed into a sinister and ruthless expression, like that of a venomous snake.

"If you don't sign and put your fingerprint on this after you finish this meal... young man, my methods won't be so gentle."

Baili Jing seemed startled, shrank back, and sighed obediently:

"Don't worry, sir, how could I go against you... You've already been very merciful by not severing my tendons right away. I know what's good for me."

"Good! I like smart kids like you. You stay here and wait for your meal."

Master Yang put away the Buddhist beads and walked out of the interrogation room with satisfaction.

boom!

As the iron gate was slammed shut again, the entire room fell back into darkness and silence.

At that moment, Baili Jing, who had previously looked timid, slowly raised his head.

He certainly couldn't just sit and wait to die.

This meal was Yang's last meal; but in his eyes, it was his only chance to turn the tables!

Since awakening his innate wisdom a year ago, his body has developed a secret: his qi and blood can be explosively amplified in a short period of time through frantic eating!

The more you eat, the stronger your Qi and blood become; the stronger your Qi and blood become, the more limitless your strength becomes!

Unfortunately, in order to save money, he always restrained his appetite and only managed to maintain the nutrition needed for his basic work and life.

"Since you're so generous, even willing to take out monster meat..."

Bai Lijing's lips slowly curved into a smile: "Then today I'll lay bare my true colors and see just how high I can go!"

Even if he really couldn't escape Shanghai, he would absolutely fight to the death to kill or cripple Master Yang and that Constable Lin!

No matter what, he had to find a way to escape to the streets and expose the disgusting dealings between the canal gang and the government!

"You're bullying honest people, aren't you... I hate guys who bully honest people the most."

Baili Jing muttered something under his breath, then closed his eyes slowly, began to regulate his breathing, and gathered his strength to rest.

Click, click...

The sound of boiling water from the brass pipes on the wall continued, albeit quietly.

After an unknown amount of time, the iron gate was once again pushed open heavily.

Immediately afterwards, plates of braised pork belly and braised pork hock, exuding a rich aroma, along with entire jars of monster flesh and blood, were continuously brought in…