Southwest corner of the city.
Due to the low-lying terrain, it is always in the downwind, and the entire city is shrouded in smoke.
The walls were stained with thick black dust, sewage flowed across the narrow streets, and the buzzing of mosquitoes and flies was annoying.
The neat brick houses in patches are cramped, dense and crowded, and their construction history can be traced back to the period of Zhou Taizu. As all the wealthy people in the city moved away, the south of the city completely turned into a slum, with less than 20% of the area housing half of the capital's population.
When the imperial censor requested reforms, the household bosses repeatedly refused on the grounds that the treasury was empty.
It is unknown why Zhou Taizu still had enough money to build houses for workers when the North and South were fighting at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
At night.
Bai Shiyu walked through the shadows, avoiding the drunkard lying in the corner, and heard the noisy sound of punches as he passed the tavern.
The exhausted workers had no other entertainment. After being given copper coins, they gathered together to drink low-quality spirits to relieve physical and mental fatigue. They drunkenly found a place to sleep and continued working the next day.
"Ding ninety-eight."
Bai Shiyu knocked on the door three times, one long and one short. He couldn't help but feel contempt in his heart. Only the conservative people from the Kingdom of God would use this ancient code.
Squeak!
The person who opened the door was a middle-aged man, wearing a dark linen shorts, with messy and slovenly hair. He was no different from those drunken workers. He asked coldly.
"Who are you looking for?"
Bai Shiyu put one hand on his chest and said in a solemn voice: "The Golden God is above."
The man's guard dissipated in his eyes, and he made way for Bai Shiyu to go in, while he stood guard at the door.
The courtyard four or five steps wide was lined with clothes hanging out to dry, completely blocking the scene in the inner room.
When Bai Shiyu entered the door, he saw an old man in white robes, burning incense and kneeling devoutly. The statue on the altar was half human and half bird, with wings spread out on his back. The mount was a dark tiger.
After a while.
After finishing his daily worship, the old man stood up and asked, "Have you brought anything?"
Bai Shiyu touched it from his cuff and found a palm-sized fine steel gear, which he somehow managed to avoid being searched by the police.
"This is a part of Zhao's latest machine. In order to steal it, a lot of effort was put into it."
"You are worthy of being the Saint of Thieves, and you deserve your reputation!"
The old man put the gear in his arms and handed back a bag of gold coins: "It's still the same price. I'll take whatever you get in the future."
Bai Shiyu weighed the weight and was about to turn around and leave when he heard the old man say quietly.
"The Bai family has been passed down for thousands of years. Who would have thought that the descendants would turn out to be thief saints? If the ancestors of the Bai family find out about this, will they die in peace?"
"Are you investigating me?"
Bai Shiyu's qi and blood circulated in his dantian, and two daggers with strange patterns slipped into his hands from his cuffs, locking on the old man with undisguised murderous intent.
The Great Zhou Dynasty has extremely strict control over machines. Not to mention the disappearance of the entire machine, even if the parts are damaged, they must be reported to the government. Once the identity of the Thief Saint is leaked, the Bai family will be wiped out.
"To cooperate deeply, we always need to know each other's details."
The old man introduced himself: "My surname is Jin and my name is Cheng. I lead the position of the third elder of the Kingdom of God. I have almost no martial arts cultivation. Is such sincerity enough?"
Bai Shiyu breathed a sigh of relief. He had done transactions with people from the Kingdom of God several times before, but there had never been any problems. He asked, "How can we have in-depth cooperation?"
Jin Cheng said: "There is a tavern in Ningdefang, where many important people from aristocratic families have gathered in recent years. You can find a way to sneak in and become a waiter, and slowly gain the trust of those wealthy people."
Bai Shiyu frowned slightly: "Why choose me?"
"How can those wealthy people look down on ordinary people? The Bai family was once a descendant, and their family background is enough to catch their eyes."
Jin Cheng explained: "Besides, Mr. Bai is proficient in martial arts and familiar with gold, stone and antiques. He will definitely become friends with those old and wealthy people."
After thinking about it, Bai Shiyu shook his head and refused: "This matter is too dangerous. You and I just pretend we have never seen it."
After saying that, his figure flickered and disappeared into the night sky.
A dark figure appeared in the darkness of the corner, wearing a dark robe and a black hood, bowing and saluting.
"Elder, Bai Shiyu is the most suitable candidate. You can threaten him with your identity."
"The melon that is forced is not sweet, and don't worry, he will definitely go to the tavern."
Jin Cheng said with a smile: "When the believers in Jiangnan were investigating Bai Shiyu, they accidentally discovered his hidden second identity, the leader of the Scarlet Alliance Xianjing Hall!"
Black Shadow said in surprise: "The young master from aristocratic family actually joined the Red Alliance. Why did he do this?"
"Back then, the Bai family's industry was hit by machines and they almost lost everything. They had no choice but to leave the capital and return to their ancestral home in the south of the Yangtze River. They fell from a thousand-year-old family to a wealthy local family."
Jin Cheng said: "Perhaps out of revenge for the machine, I joined the Red Alliance."
The black shadow asked in a deep voice: "Elder, if Bai Shiyu gets the machine blueprint and sells it to us, is he really going to take it back to the Kingdom of God?"
Jin Cheng wondered: "Why not?"
There was worry in the voice of the shadow: "Buddhism and Taoism were influenced by the machine and began to emphasize the scriptures and doctrines over the immortal Buddha. Will the appearance of the machine in the Kingdom of God shake the people's faith in the Golden God?"
"Of course it will, people will even question the existence of God!"
Jin Cheng sighed: "Back then, the alliance of the nations was the last chance. As a result, instead of being destroyed, the Great Zhou Dynasty became more prosperous and powerful. You should know that the machine is unstoppable, and we can only accept it."
The black shadow said: "You can seal the border of the Kingdom of God, prohibit the entry of any machine products, and write the machine into the doctrine, stating that it is a blasphemy to the Golden God!"
"Doing this will only lead to the destruction of the Kingdom of God."
Jin Cheng solemnly said: "You must always remember that if the Kingdom of God wants to exist in the long term, it must make the believers' lives better. In this way, even if the believers know that the Golden God does not exist, they will sincerely believe in it!"
"In the final analysis, interests are eternal. Just like the ancestors of the Kingdom of God chose to believe in the Golden God, it was for safety rather than any doctrine!"
The black shadow was silent for a while, then bowed and saluted.
"I will humbly use my sword in my hands to obtain the machine blueprints for the Kingdom of God!"
…
A few days later.
Noon.
The sun is scorching hot and the heat is unbearable.
Ice cubes were placed in the tavern, making the temperature cool and comfortable.
Many guests who were reluctant to come on weekdays also bought bottles of wine to drink slowly.
Newsboy Yang Li was already acquainted with Zhou Yi. After consent, he carried a large pot of roasted peanuts, avoided the old man wearing a gold watch, and bowed to the guests.
"Sir, do you want peanuts? Freshly roasted peanuts cost three cents a pound."
There were only about a dozen tables in the tavern, and most of them were sold in one go. The newsboy counted five coins from the earned coins and put them on the counter.
Zhou Yi was not polite, put away the copper coins and said: "You should sell them for ten cents."
Yang Li shook his head and said, "That's too much money."
"interesting."
Zhou Yi reminded: "Remember to come and clean the peanut shells before closing every day, um, at Xu time."
Yang Li nodded repeatedly, knowing that Zhou Yi didn't like people to kneel down, so he bowed and said: "Don't worry, shopkeeper, I will definitely clean it up!"
At this time.
A voice came.
"The shopkeeper doesn't have a cleaning boy? Do you think I can do it?"
Zhou Yi turned around and looked over. He was a young man with a beautiful face and a handsome appearance.
Even though his face was smeared with soot, he put on dirty linen clothes, and he tried hard to bend over and poke his butt out, he still couldn't hide his temperament.
"What's your last name?"
"The surname is Bai, the pear blossom is white!"
Bai Shiyu had arranged a false identity in the past few days, but when the words came to his lips, they somehow changed.
"There are actually such similar people in the world!"
Zhou Yi was stunned for a long time, subconsciously used the secret technique of Nirvana, and then shook his head to disperse the magic power.
The world today is in chaos.
The remaining old monsters in the world of immortality run the tavern, the old aristocrats of the previous era miss the past, the magicians perform magic tricks on the street to cure diseases, the white coats of the medical clinic sell new medicines, the steel gears turn clanging, and the trains make piercing roars.
Whether it's reincarnation or similar people.
It’s not bad to meet in such a bizarre world!
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