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

Baili Jing lay in the boiler of the cart, his whole body still burning with heat.

But whenever that terrible heat wave rises, the surrounding boiler walls will generate a suction force that draws all the heat away.

This strange feeling of ice and fire intertwining was like suddenly lying in an air-conditioned room on a sweltering summer day, which made Baili Jing feel very comfortable and finally cleared his mind.

The only thing that bothered him was that Baili Jie was following orders, using an iron shovel to pile the dark crystals around him onto his body.

"So... what exactly is this thing?"

Baili Jing laboriously raised his arm, picked up a piece of black crystal, and examined it closely.

The thing was icy cold to the touch, pitch black all over, with a faint blue glow shimmering at its core, exuding an indescribable mystery.

Hua Xiangrong sat lazily to the side, adjusting the knuckles of her right robotic arm with a screwdriver. Hearing Fang, she uttered two words without looking up:

"Black gold".

"What?!"

Baili Jing's eyes widened instantly: "This is the legendary black gold?! The most valuable treasure in the world?"

Hua Xiangrong chuckled and gave him a charming sidelong glance:

"You wish! Strictly speaking, this is 'black gold residue' left over from refining pure black gold, which is basically scrap material."

"Real black gold is more expensive than gold, how could I possibly cover you up with it? However, this dregs are not bad either. The energy it contains is about the same as that of demon beast meat, the only difference is that it cannot be swallowed."

At this point, she glanced at Baili Jie, who was diligently shoveling soil, and continued to explain to Baili Jing:

"If I'm not mistaken, the chief had these things laid out around you to use the energy-conducting properties of black gold to convert the heat in your body."

"The furnace inside our steam cultivators' bodies needs to be connected to the meridians of the whole body with black gold threads, which serve as the medium for the conversion of qi and blood into mechanical energy. The boiler of this vehicle can absorb and transform the overflowing heat in your body, mostly because it acts as a bridge in the middle."

Baili Jing didn't quite understand, but he knew this thing could save his life, so he simply lay down in the furnace, limbs outstretched:

"Whether it's slag or gold, anything that saves a life is a good thing! Come on, Xiao Jie, don't be shy, shovel some more on me, bury me properly!"

Baili Jie wiped his sweat, both amused and exasperated: "Brother, that's enough. If you keep shoveling, you'll really be buried alive."

Baili Jing retorted, "Bury me then! As long as it doesn't burn me, I'm fine with whatever happens!"

Before long, most of the furnace was filled with black crystals.

Baili Jing was completely buried in the black gold slag, with only his face showing.

Baili Jie let out a long breath, leaned the shovel against the wall of the carriage, and then turned to look out the window. Under the pitch-black night, there was not a single light from the houses in Shanghai, only the whistling wind could be heard.

Baili Jie looked somewhat dazed and said, "Aren't we going to see the leader of the Canal Gang? This road... why does it look like we're heading out of the city?"

"Have you left the city?"

Baili Jing also opened his eyes.

Huanhuan, who was in charge of driving, finally spoke up:

"The boss is seriously ill and can't get out of bed. Do you really expect her to get up in the middle of the night to perform surgery on this kid? The boss is just pointing you in the right direction. The one who will really save his life is someone else."

Hua Xiangrong paused slightly as she fiddled with the robotic arm, a glint of light flashing in her eyes. She tentatively asked, "Could it be... the Chaosheng Society?"

Huanhuan nodded, then continued pulling the valve expressionlessly without saying another word.

Baili Jing, no longer caring about comfort, sat up halfway from the black gold slag and asked, "Sister Hua, who exactly is this Chaosheng Society?"

Hua Xiangrong parted her red lips slightly, revealing a playful smile:

"Young master, when you caused such a ruckus at the docks, weren't you always wondering why we were willing to go to such lengths for you?"

Baili Jie sat down on a wooden crate not far away, his eyes bright as he replied, "So, what you mean, pretty sister, is... everything the Canal Gang has done is related to this Chaosheng Society?"

Hua Xiangrong nodded slightly.

Then, she held her right robotic arm horizontally in front of her.

With a few crisp "clicks," the armor plates on the outside of her forearm flipped open like lotus flowers, revealing a finely crafted pipe inside.

She took a few wisps of tobacco from a hidden pocket in her bodice, stuffed them into the mouthpiece, and then the small vapor valve inside the robotic arm activated on its own, igniting a tiny spark that lit the tobacco.

Hua Xiangrong took a deep breath, her red lips parting slightly, and a wisp of bluish-white smoke curled up.

She looked at the Baili brothers through the smoke and asked calmly:

"Young lad, young brother, in your opinion, what kind of status does our Shencheng Canal Gang hold in the martial arts world of the Great Jing Dynasty?"

Baili Jing blinked and grinned:

"Sister Hua, I'm just a laborer, how would I know anything about the affairs of the martial arts world? But... seeing how much your Canal Gang fears that Xuandu Immortal Temple, I'm thinking... the Canal Gang might be able to dominate in Shanghai, but in the rest of the world... I'm afraid they're nothing special, right?"

"Hehe... What you said may be blunt, but it couldn't be more correct."

Hua Xiangrong sighed, her expression somewhat forlorn behind the smoke:

"In the eyes of those real powerful sects, our Shanghai Canal Gang is nothing more than a bunch of laborers scraping by on the docks! In the end, our business is nothing once it leaves the port of Shanghai."

"If this were in the past, it wouldn't have been so bad. Being a local tyrant could bring wealth and prosperity for generations. But now... the situation outside has changed. If our canal gang continues to cling to this one old well, in a few years, this business will probably not even be able to continue in Shanghai. All the tens of thousands of people in the gang will have to starve!"

Upon hearing this, Baili Jie frowned deeply and asked in a deep voice:

"Is it because...the monster tides have been frequently breaking out in various prefectures of the Great Jing Dynasty in recent years?"

"clever."

A hint of approval flashed in Hua Xiangrong's eyes, and she nodded:

"It is precisely because of the rampant monsters in recent years that more than 90% of the land trade routes have been cut off. Now, the trading and transportation of many bulk resources have been forced to switch to waterways."

"The volume of monster meat, black gold ore, steam-powered machinery parts, and even refined salt and rice used for cultivation... has increased more than tenfold compared to before. With such great profits, the major sects and gangs naturally couldn't sit still and began to expand their waterway businesses on a large scale."

"If our canal gang doesn't change, we'll probably be swallowed up without a trace within a year or two!"

Baili Jie's gaze sharpened slightly, and he pressed for an answer:

"So...how exactly does the Canal Gang seek change? And what does this have to do with my brother?"

Hua Xiangrong exhaled a puff of green smoke and smiled playfully:

"Well, that's a long story... Huanhuan, how far are we from that place?"

Huanhuan didn't turn her head, and said calmly:

"There's still some distance between you two, you can continue your conversation."

Hua Xiangrong nodded, then turned to look at Baili Jing again:

"Alright, since there's enough time, I'll tell you two brothers about this tonight."