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

Darkness fell very quickly; by the time Baili Jing reached the outer perimeter of the dock, night had already completely descended.

However, the docks in Shanghai still did not close.

A thick torch was nailed to both sides of the riverbank, its blazing flames swaying in the wind.

On the tall pole in the very center of the dock, a steam lamp was emitting a hissing roar.

High-pressure steam propelled the internal lamp mechanism, emitting a shimmering halo as it slowly rotated, barely illuminating most of the dock.

Under the halo of light, hundreds of laborers were working shirtless.

Baili Jing knew that although it was late, the canteen at the Caobang Wharf would still provide a meal at night.

Even if they were starving, the workers were willing to grit their teeth and work an extra hour or so every day for that free dinner.

After all, he himself had been one of those laborers before, so he knew all too well.

Therefore, Baili Jing was certain that there must still be a stock of demon beast meat in the canteen's food warehouse, because the steam cultivators who served as bodyguards also had to eat demon beast meat at night.

"Gurgle..."

A thunderous, cramping pain shot through his stomach, and Baili Jing even experienced double vision.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the convulsions in his stomach, and looked towards the main gate of the dock.

On either side of the gate, two burly men were sitting on a long bench.

Both of them were steam cultivators hired by the Canal Gang. Valves riveted to their shoulders, arms, and spines were slowly emitting white steam.

However, having stood guard all day, they were clearly tired and sleepy, and were now sitting there shouting and playing dice.

Even so, Baili Jing did not dare to underestimate them in the slightest.

He is currently suffering from severe blood and qi deficiency, making even walking difficult. If he dares to wander off, he will be strangled to death on the spot.

Baili Jing looked back at the path he had come from.

In the distance, in the streets and alleys, one could vaguely see many black-clad members of the Canal Gang carrying torches and searching around. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before they found their way to the area around the dock.

"There are indeed several sections of the pier's perimeter wall that can be scaled over, and the defenses are weak..."

Baili Jing stared at the mottled mud wall, his brows furrowed.

"But those steam cultivators have much sharper senses than ordinary people. I have no vital energy left in my body now. If I make a noise while climbing over the wall, I will be easily caught on the spot."

"Instead of gambling and taking risks, why not..."

His gaze shifted slightly before finally settling on several oxcarts not far away.

At that moment, several laborers were unloading large sacks of cotton yarn from the oxcart. Soon, they would carry these goods into the dock warehouse.

Baili Jing's eyes hardened, and he made a decisive decision.

He ripped off the stolen robe he was wearing, then tore off a piece of the hem and tied it tightly to his forehead with a taut cloth to cover most of his forehead and messy hair.

Having done all that, he straightened his back and walked directly toward the oxcart.

Next, he will play the job he is most familiar with.

It was dark at night, and everyone was exhausted, dizzy, and hungry after a long day of heavy physical labor. No one had the mind to look at the people around them.

Baili Jing silently blended into the group, bent down, and together with two laborers, lifted a bundle of cotton yarn and placed it on his shoulder.

The moment the heavy cargo came crashing down, his legs buckled, and he nearly stumbled and fell to the ground.

"Damn it... I can barely handle this weight."

Baili Jing gritted his teeth and straightened his spine with sheer willpower.

He lowered his head, hunched over, and followed the team of laborers unloading cargo toward the dock gate.

The two steam-eating cultivators guarding the entrance were engrossed in playing dice. The procession passed by their table, and neither of them even raised their eyelids.

Baili Jing followed the group smoothly and stepped into the dock gate.

Almost simultaneously, several members of the Black-Clad Canal Gang arrived at the main gate at a jog. They held torches and looked around with sinister eyes.

"What are you doing?! Get out of my way!"

The guard, his interest thwarted, stopped playing the dice and shouted impatiently.

The leading black-clad disciple's expression tightened. He knew that the person before him was a cultivator who had already opened his Qi Furnace, and whose status was far beyond his own. He quickly jogged forward and respectfully cupped his hands in greeting.

"Brothers, sorry to disturb you. We are on orders from the Third Master to apprehend a wanted criminal. May I ask if you have seen any suspicious individuals just now?"

The guard waved his hand dismissively: "Suspicious person? In the middle of the night, we haven't let in even a stray dog, let in the laborers. Everything's perfectly normal, we haven't seen anything!"

The canal gang member hesitated for a moment, craned his neck to peer into the dock, and tentatively asked:

"Well... gentlemen, could you do us the favor of letting us go in and search a little?"

"Nonsense!"

Another guard slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly.

The steam valve on his arm snapped open, sending out a wave of heat that made the dice roll wildly.

He coldly rebuked:

"This dock is the gang's lifeline by waterway. Thousands of packages are being rushed into storage right now. If you mess things up and delay the delivery, how are we supposed to explain ourselves?!"

"Want to come in and take someone away for a business? Fine! Either have one of your branch's deacons come in person, or... go and get the Dragon Head Token! Otherwise, get the hell out of my sight!"

The few members of the canal gang looked at each other, their faces flushed with embarrassment from the scolding.

A disciple behind him swallowed hard and whispered to his companion, "How about... we go back and ask for a written order, or perhaps a dragon head token?"

The leading disciple looked rather grim and shook his head: "Forget it, there are more than a dozen cultivators guarding this place day and night. As long as Baili Jing isn't out of his mind, how could he dare to run here? He probably went somewhere else... Let's go search other places."

They dared not say another word, bowed to the two guards again, and then hurriedly turned and left.

Not far away, Baili Jing was carrying a heavy bundle of cotton yarn, slowly moving forward among the laborers.

He strained his ears to hear every word of the conversation that was faintly coming from the gate behind him.

Only after hearing those members of the Canal Gang leave did his anxiety subside, and he breathed a long sigh of relief.

"It's true what they say, the darkest place is under the lamp."

Baili Jing sneered inwardly.

He followed the group to the front of the large warehouse. While everyone around him was busy unloading goods and the surrounding light was dim, he suddenly turned and slipped out of the group without anyone noticing.

Once they reached a secluded spot, Baili Jing finally relaxed his shoulders and threw the heavy bundle of cotton yarn on the ground.

The moment he dropped the goods, his legs went weak, his body swayed, and he almost collapsed to the ground.

The decline in blood and energy had already brought unimaginable weakness and fatigue, and just now, in order to pretend, he had carried dozens of kilograms of heavy objects for such a long distance.

This feeling was something he could never have experienced in the past when he was full of energy and vitality.

"Damn it... Once I've eaten my fill of meat, I'll definitely kick Master Yang's head like a chamber pot."

Baili Jing bit his hand hard, using the pain to stimulate his nerves.

He slowly turned his gaze and looked at a building a few dozen meters away.

From the chimneys of the large building, wisps of gray smoke were rising, and the air was already filled with the aroma of stir-fried cabbage in lard.

We've arrived at the dockside canteen!

Bai Lijing's eyes sharpened, and he forced out the last bit of strength in his body, using the mountain of cargo boxes as cover, and crept towards the back of the canteen.

At this time, there was naturally no worker eating in the canteen hall; everyone was still working hard outside.

However, the kitchen on the side was bustling with activity, with loud chopping sounds, the scraping of iron woks, and the shouts of the cooks coming through the window.

However, Baili Jing's real target was not this crowded and chaotic kitchen full of large-scale cooking.

His target was the food storage room behind the cafeteria!

He had worked as a laborer at this dock for three years and knew the terrain like the back of his hand. He knew exactly where there were no people and where there were back paths.

Baili Jing avoided the kitchen window and followed a dark path, making his way unimpeded to the side door of the food warehouse.

With the gate just around the corner, he was overjoyed and instinctively quickened his pace.

However, just as he turned the last corner, a figure appeared out of nowhere and walked towards him from the other side of the corner.

Snapped!

Because the light was so dim, neither of them was prepared, and they collided head-on.

Two muffled groans sounded simultaneously.

The figure was knocked back two steps, while Baili Jing felt dizzy and almost fell to the ground.

Alarm bells rang in his mind, and he instinctively tried to run away.

"Little...Little Baili?! What are you doing here?!"

But just then, a low cry rang out!

Baili Jing froze, looking up at the person opposite him.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that this person was actually his close coworker.

This man was quite old and had worked at the docks for over a decade. He was honest and reliable, and everyone was used to calling him "Old Qian."

They ate lunch together today, and Lao Qian even suggested that Baili Jing install a gas stove.

Why is Lao Qian, who should be working outside, here?

Baili Jing lowered his gaze.

Old Qian was clutching his pants pocket tightly, his face flushed, and he stammered:

"Little...Little Baili, don't misunderstand! I...I didn't come here on purpose to steal...It's just that my little grandson has been sick for almost three days, and he keeps saying he wants something hot to eat..."

"I used all my wages to buy medicine, and my family is really starving, so... so I stole two eggs... Please, please don't tell anyone, please don't tell the foreman!"

Old Qian was so anxious that tears were almost falling, and his voice was pleading.

However, halfway through his sentence, Old Qian suddenly seemed to realize something.

He froze, staring intently at Baili Jing, his voice trembling violently:

"Wait a minute... Little Baili, this afternoon... weren't you arrested by the constables?!"