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

Chapter 55 Night Talk

After the bed curtains were lifted, the air in the bedroom seemed to freeze for a moment.

Baili Jing eventually managed to calm himself down.

He didn't back down, nor did he show any fear or disgust; he simply pursed his lips.

A smile appeared on the old woman's face, her voice hoarse but calm: "What's wrong? Did my appearance frighten you?"

Baili Jing was silent for two seconds, then nodded honestly and frankly admitted, "It is indeed a bit frightening. Big sister, what exactly happened to your body to make it look like this?"

The old woman shook her head slightly: "These are all old, trivial matters, let's not talk about them anymore."

2

Then, she said seriously, "Fourth brother, my body is not strong enough to last much longer, and I can't say much. I'll just say a few words tonight, so listen carefully."

Baili Jing solemnly clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Please speak, elder sister. I am all ears."

The old woman chuckled softly twice and said slowly, "This time, the third brother suffered a great loss, but this is the retribution he deserves. He did many cruel things to his old brothers in his younger days, which even I couldn't stand—this time, he deserves to suffer a bit more."

"This time, I tacitly allowed my second son to stir up trouble and scheme against him. He could only swallow his pride and bear the humiliation."

"Given the Chaosheng Society incident, the third brother would definitely not dare to cause you any more trouble, but—that doesn’t mean he’s moved on from the past."

Baili Jing nodded, his voice devoid of any discernible emotion: "I know."

He knew, of course, that Ding Laosan wouldn't let this go easily.

Not only did he know, but he also never forgot the time when Ding Yan threw him into a death row cell and tried to rip out his heart.

The old woman seemed to see through the murderous intent in Baili Jing's eyes. She smiled, but didn't say anything. Instead, she raised her voice slightly: "It's good that you know. I only need you to promise me one thing: as long as Ding Laosan behaves himself and doesn't cause you any trouble, you shouldn't seek revenge on him either—would you agree?"

Baili Jing narrowed his eyes, meeting the old woman's gaze without hesitation: "So, elder sister, you mean I should only passively take beatings from now on, without being able to fight back?"

The old woman laughed loudly: "It could also be—a counterattack."

""

Baili Jing understood.

He nodded decisively and firmly: "Okay, I promise you, as long as Ding Laosan doesn't come after me, I won't bother him; but if he ever messes with me again, then I'll kill him too."

His tone was rude, but the old woman, far from being angry, showed a hint of approval in her eyes.

She didn't respond to that question, but instead smoothly changed the subject, her voice tinged with amusement: "I heard you've acquired Jiangshan Fengyu Tower?"

Bai Lijing's cold expression instantly vanished. He scratched his head awkwardly and chuckled, "I'm ashamed—elder sister, when I made this request, I truly didn't know it was your private property. If I had known earlier, I definitely—"

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"You'll definitely still want it."

The old woman interrupted him without any politeness, and smiled and said, "It's alright. I made it clear years ago that I can give this building to anyone in the world who wants it. However, rules are rules and cannot be broken. The amount of money involved in the three-month bet is not a small sum. Fourth brother, have you thought of a way to stabilize the business?"

Baili Jing replied, "I do have a method, but whether it will work or not is hard to guarantee."

"Since that's the case, I won't pry too much into your business methods."

The old woman's smile faded, and her tone became more serious: "However, fourth brother, if you really survive these three months and become the new owner of Jiangshan Fengyu Tower, I hope you will promise me one thing."

"Please speak, elder sister."

After a moment of silence, the old woman slowly said, "Take good care of the head chef in that building for me, and don't mistreat him."

,

Baili Jing was taken aback, somewhat confused: "The cook? Big sister, is that head chef your relative?"

"Hehe—I am one of the few people in this world whom I owe a little bit of debt to."

""

The old woman seemed to be thinking of the past, and her words were somewhat nostalgic: "Jiangshan Fengyulou owes its current fame to her."

"However, she has a rather eccentric temper and probably can't stand seeing this building change hands. She'll likely cause some trouble and make things difficult for you, the new owner. Just consider it out of respect for your older sister and don't take it personally."

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Baili Jing chuckled: "I thought it was something difficult! As long as she can still work and make the restaurant profitable, let alone her throwing a tantrum, even if she hits me on the head with a spatula every night, I will never fight back! Don't worry, elder sister!"

The old woman chuckled contentedly, and was about to say something more when she suddenly coughed violently.

She was tired.

After talking for a while, she was already showing obvious signs of fatigue.

But she still showed no sign of stopping.

She raised her eyes and gazed at the corner of the internal combustion engine beneath Baili Jing's shirt.

Baili Jing noticed her gaze, looked down at his chest, and generously reached out to pull open his shirt, revealing the internal combustion engine.

"Big sister, do you want to take a closer look at this new thing that the Three Mysterious Friends have been working on me?"

The old woman nodded.

Her hands trembled slightly, but her eyes shone brightly: "Wonderful—truly a peerless craftsmanship that rivals the wonders of nature—the Three Friends of Mystery have indeed not deceived me—this is wisdom that transcends time—"

The old woman suddenly sighed, "If—if I could be twenty years younger, I would love to touch the inside of this machine and see how it was made."

Bai Lijing grinned: "What's so difficult about that! Those three weirdos said that when I break through to the Automotive Mindset, this first internal combustion engine in my chest will have to be phased out! It will have to be replaced with a more advanced one. When that time comes, I'll clean this old machine that I took apart and bring it to your bedside. You can take it apart and study it however you like!"

"Ho, ho ho————"

The old woman was amused, and her wrinkles smoothed out: "Alright, I've remembered the promise my fourth brother made. You can't go back on your word."

"Don't worry, big sister, I won't forget!"

After exchanging a few more casual words, the old woman's eyes began to slowly close, clearly indicating that she was at her last gasp.

Just as Baili Jing was about to take his leave, the old woman suddenly seemed to remember something and opened her eyes slightly with difficulty: "I heard that you asked the second and third brothers for some martial arts manuals tonight?"

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Baili Jing nodded: "Yes, I have a lot of brute strength, but I haven't properly studied martial arts. That's why I want to learn more martial arts techniques."

The old woman didn't say much, but slowly said, "Since that's the case—as the eldest sister, I should also give you a small gift. It's on the left, the third drawer from the bottom—go and open it yourself."

Upon hearing this, Baili Jing's eyes lit up immediately. He didn't even bother to apologize and quickly ran to the wooden cabinet, pulling open the drawer.

Then, he froze for a full three seconds, even stopping his breathing.

The large drawer was filled to the brim with at least dozens of ancient thread-bound secret manuals!

Those covers were printed with all sorts of names, some domineering and some strange. Just by looking at the names, you could tell they were no ordinary things!

The old woman's voice drifted over: "Stop drooling. Those are mostly for women to practice; you can't do them. It says on the cover of that book—"

Pick out the one from "The Three Enclosures Piercing the Void Blade".

"The Three-Gymnant Void-Breaking Blade—another sword technique?"

While searching through the materials, Baili Jing muttered to himself with some curiosity, "Why are they all giving me sword techniques? Do I look like someone who should be wielding a big sword?"

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"The sword is the courage of all weapons."

The old woman said softly, "When you're in the martial world or traveling by sea, the worst thing you can do is be indecisive. Practicing swordsmanship is the best way to cultivate a cultivator's fierce, resolute, and indomitable spirit. What's wrong with that?"

Baili Jing thought about it and realized that it made sense.

He stopped wasting words, searched for a while, and finally pulled out the sword manual.

He didn't rush to read it on the spot, but held it in his hand, then turned to look at the direction of the bed curtains, bowed slightly, and said, "Elder sister, I've put this sword manual away. Do you have any other instructions? If you're tired, I'll take my leave so as not to disturb your rest."

""

The old woman smiled gently and waved her hand: "That's all—I've said everything that needed to be said. Now, please lower the bed curtains back down for me. Go back and get some rest."