Chapter 644: Human Market Couple

Factories—shoe factories, clothing factories, pharmaceutical factories—stood shoulder to shoulder, with crowds of people gathered outside each entrance. Many held signs bearing the numbers 'one' or 'two,' indicating their asking price for a single job.

Tan Jinxiao took this seriously: "In the future, we should also make signs and display our prices on ourselves. That way, it'll be easier to find work, and there will be fewer misunderstandings when it comes time to settle accounts."

Juanzi looked at Tan Jinxiao and said, "We didn't come out here to work for you. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Xiao Yeci checked her pocket watch. It was already eight in the evening. "It's this late, and there are still so many people waiting for work!"

Tan Jinxiao replied, "The Underground City doesn't distinguish between day and night. As long as you have the strength, you can work continuously from dawn to dusk, for days or even nights, and no one will stop you."

A shoe factory displayed its newly manufactured shoes on the street, waiting for someone to collect the goods. Li Banfeng picked up a shoebox and opened it to examine the contents. The craftsmanship and material were top-notch; these shoes would be considered premium quality anywhere, whether in Puro State or other provinces. Moreover, Li Banfeng recognized the brand; it was sold in both Puro State and other provinces. As for the price, if sold at retail, a pair of these shoes would cost Chen Changrui almost half a year's wages, breaking his heart to afford.

The shoes here weren't priced, so Li Banfeng asked, "How much is a pair of these shoes?"

The worker at the entrance, noting Li Banfeng's refined attire, politely replied, "Sir, we don't sell shoes individually."

Li Banfeng chuckled, "I'm just asking the price, I'm not actually buying."

The worker looked hesitant: "If you want to buy shoes, please check the shoe stores nearby. We truly don't sell by the piece here."

Tan Jinxiao, who was standing nearby, interjected, "I used to work at a shoe factory. I don't know the current market, but back then, a pair of these shoes sold for sixty."

Li Banfeng didn't hear clearly. "Sixty what? Silver dollars?"

"Silver dollars? How many people here have even seen a silver dollar?" Tan Jinxiao snorted. "Sixty Huan country notes, that's not a small amount."

Li Banfeng frowned. "That doesn't seem right. Is that even enough to cover the cost?"

Tan Jinxiao explained, "It's enough, and there's still a profit to be made! It just depends on how the work is handled. Don't cause trouble here. Someone will come to collect the goods soon, and if they see you buying shoes here, this factory won't be able to operate anymore. The owner would have to go out with a shovel to find work, and the machines here might even lose their lives."

"Machines lose their lives? What does that mean?"

"If the machines get smashed, they're as good as dead, aren't they?" Tan Jinxiao advised the group. "If you're here to work, I'll help you negotiate prices. If you're not, then don't interfere with their business."

As he spoke, a train whistle sounded in the distance, and a small train slowly approached. The small train was similar to those in Black Stone Ridge city. It stopped in front of the shoe factory, where workers loaded goods onto the train. The conductor received and counted the items, making a note on a slip, which the workers then took back into the factory.

Li Banfeng asked, "Don't they get paid cash on the spot?"

Tan Jinxiao explained, "Once enough slips are collected, they go to the owner's office to receive payment. They generally don't delay, but if there are unusual circumstances, then you just have to wait... I say, young lady, write down what's useful and don't bother with what's not. Why are you noting how factories sell things? Aren't you tired from writing so much?"

He was speaking to Xiao Yeci. Xiao Yeci recorded diligently. "No, I'm not tired. These things are very useful."

Tan Jinxiao shook his head. "What's the use of writing this down? Even if you're not tired, at least save some ink and paper!"

As Li Banfeng walked along, he saw clothes, hats, shoes, socks, pots, pans, and bowls—he wanted to buy everything. These items were truly well-made, but every factory had the same rule: nothing was sold individually.

Tan Jinxiao pointed to a general store ahead. "If you want to buy things, go there. That's a proper retail place."

Li Banfeng entered the shop and looked at the clothes, shoes, pots, pans, tables, and chairs. The items here simply couldn't compare to those produced in the factories. The shopkeeper was quite enthusiastic and offered Li Banfeng a suit to try on. Li Banfeng's first suit had been purchased at Fengji General Store, so he felt a special familiarity with items found in general stores. He bought the suit, but he didn't try it on; the fabric had too pungent an odor.

Juanzi also liked the clothes in the general store. The shopkeeper often did business with three-headed individuals, so he knew what sizes would fit and specifically picked out two shirts for Juanzi. A shirt cost seven ninety, and a suit cost twenty-eight thirty.

Leaving the general store, Juanzi was happy with her shirts, but Mengzi was displeased. "Why buy this junk? Smell this stench! How can you wear these clothes?"

Juanzi snorted, "Look at you, being so arrogant! Have you forgotten that when we were poor, it took us years to buy a single piece of clothing?"

Mengzi had truly forgotten how many years it took to buy a piece of clothing, but Li Banfeng could calculate it. Based on the market rate for labor in the Underground City, a worker could barely earn two yuan a day. After deducting food and living expenses, only a few cents would remain. If there were children and elders at home, not even those few cents would be left. How long, then, would it take them to save up for a new set of clothes? Yet, the Underground City truly didn't lack clothes; a clothing factory was just ahead, and boxes of garments were being loaded onto a train. Clothes weren't lacking, yet people couldn't afford them. What sense did that make?

Day and night were indistinguishable in the Underground City. Li Banfeng checked his pocket watch; it was already twelve o'clock, time to find lodging.

"Are there any inns here?"

Tan Jinxiao shook his head. "No inns, but there are restaurants. For an extra fifty cents, they provide lodging."

Liang Wucai said, "Then let's go take a look."

Tan Jinxiao sneered, "Look at what? Have you earned any money that you dare go to a restaurant?"

Xiao Yeci scrutinized Tan Jinxiao, finding his words logical yet fundamentally flawed.

Li Banfeng said, "I've earned money. You've been a good guide, and I'm satisfied. Here's three yuan."

"Three yuan just for directions?" Tan Jinxiao was overjoyed. "If you ever need this kind of work again, you must come find me. I'll drop everything else and serve you exclusively!"

Liang Wucai asked, "Does that mean only he can eat? Those of us who haven't earned money can't eat?"

Tan Jinxiao nodded very seriously. "Exactly. Those who haven't earned money have to go hungry!"

Li Banfeng pulled out a stack of banknotes. "Everyone's earned money. You're my guide, Juanzi, Mengzi, and Xiaoshan are my bodyguards, Miss Xiao is my secretary, and the Liang Wucai sisters are my..."

Li Banfeng was still pondering a suitable role when Liang Wucai readily answered, "We sisters will warm your bed."

Tan Jinxiao rolled his eyes. "Just that? I can do that too! You won't need to hire so many people in the future. I'll be your bodyguard. I won't lie to you, with my cultivation of the clouds, our Daoist sect might not claim to be powerful, but ordinary people can't even get close to me!" He remembered he was a cultivator of the clouds; it seemed his memory had recovered quite a bit.

Tan Jinxiao looked at Xiao Yeci, then said to Li Banfeng, "I can't replace this young lady. I'm not very literate, so you'll still need her as your secretary."

Liang Wucai asked, "You can replace us sisters warming Master Qi's bed?"

"Yes, I can!" Tan Jinxiao thumped his chest. "I'm warm, and not just warm, but sticky too! The beds I've warmed are truly proper!"

Liang Wucai chuckled, "Our sisters have great skills; after warming your bed, we can do other things too!"

Tan Jinxiao's head drooped. "I can't do anything else. You know, a person can't be perfect!"

He led the group into a restaurant. Li Banfeng asked, "I saw several restaurants along the road. Why did we have to come to this one?"

Tan Jinxiao answered honestly, "This restaurant has good food, and I know the owner. Since there are so many of us eating together, I should support my old friend's business."

The restaurant was not short on customers. Tan Jinxiao found a table and sat down, shouting, "Shopkeeper, what are you pondering? We've got business!"

The restaurant owner, carrying a large wooden box on his back, walked over. "What would you like to eat, esteemed guests?"

Tan Jinxiao said, "Today we're having meat. One bowl of steamed pork with preserved vegetables for everyone!"

The owner took out paper and pen from the wooden box on his back, just about to take the order, when Li Banfeng stopped him. "I don't want the steamed pork."

Tan Jinxiao was displeased. "Steamed pork is delicious, just listen to me!"

Li Banfeng said, "Do you have a menu? I'll order myself!"

Tan Jinxiao said, "This isn't outside; they don't make full-course meals here, just big bowls of rice. Listen to me, steamed pork with rice is the most economical."

The owner retrieved a menu from the wooden box on his back. Li Banfeng saw that indeed, there were no full-course meals. Even without full-course meals, Li Banfeng still didn't want the steamed pork. He ordered a seafood rice for one yuan and twenty cents.

Tan Jinxiao stomped his foot. "Why order seafood rice? It's just clams mixed with rice, what's good about that? Steamed pork is much better; big, fatty slices of meat, filling and satisfying. You should eat that instead!" Gala kezhi, referring to clams. Li Banfeng actually liked eating them.

Xiao Yeci looked at the menu. "Things aren't expensive at all. You previously said one needed to earn three yuan to eat meat, but I see a meat dish here costs just over one yuan."

Tan Jinxiao said, "I say, young lady, are you implying you only eat once a day? Are you implying that once this meal is gone, you won't think about anything else? Don't you have to live day by day?"

Xiao Yeci ordered pork ribs with rice, Liang Wucai ordered two portions of roasted duck with rice, and Juanzi ordered three portions of steamed pork with preserved vegetables. The owner took the order and went to busy himself in the kitchen.

Li Banfeng said, "This restaurant isn't small, so why isn't there a single waiter to be seen?"

Tan Jinxiao shook his head. "Where would they get the money to hire waiters?"

Xiao Yeci said, "Business seems good here. They could surely afford two or three waiters."

Tan Jinxiao gave a bitter smile. "You don't work in this line, so you don't know the difficulties here. Xiaosongzi and I also ran a restaurant back in the day; it's truly not easy."

Li Banfeng asked, "Who is Xiaosongzi?"

"A friend, a good friend for many years, but he left later," Tan Jinxiao didn't mention Xiaosongzi again. He pointed to the kitchen and said, "This owner's name is Chen Yongnian, also an old friend of mine. He has a wife in the kitchen who can do all kinds of cooking—frying, stir-frying, deep-frying—so there's no need to hire anyone else."

Soon, the owner served the food. The dishes weren't carried on iron trays but pulled from the large wooden box on his back. Li Banfeng looked at his seafood rice: a plate of hairy clams and a large bowl of white rice. The hairy clams had been blanched in boiling water and then mixed with soy sauce. They were fragrant, smooth, and refreshing, and Li Banfeng couldn't stop eating.

The owner took a wine jar from the large wooden box on his back and poured a glass for everyone. Li Banfeng asked, "How much is the wine?"

Tan Jinxiao waved his hand. "What wine money? If you order meat dishes, the wine is complimentary. That's a rule that can't be changed!"

The owner smiled. "Don't worry, the rules never change."

The wine was strong and potent. Tan Jinxiao pointed at the glasses and said, "I'm not just bragging to you folks. This wine is pure alcohol, diluted and contains no grain whatsoever. It's incredibly strong!"

Mengzi snatched Xiaoshan's wine away. "Children shouldn't drink."

Juanzi got angry. "What's the difference between you drinking it and him drinking it?"

Tan Jinxiao pointed to his steamed pork with preserved vegetables and said, "This meat was bought from the land market, and your clams were bought from the sea market. For this meal, the ingredients cost only thirty cents, and adding seasonings and charcoal, at most another ten cents."

Xiao Yeci said, "Then they're still making quite a profit, more than half of it, in fact."

Tan Jinxiao shook his head. "There's a major expense not accounted for. The rent for this shop, when factored into this dish, accounts for over sixty cents. As for the remaining ten-odd cents, whether the owner can actually make a profit depends on how many customers come today. If too few customers arrive, they won't even cover the rent, and they'll lose money."

Xiao Yeci said, "The rent is that expensive? Then why don't they just buy a place to open a shop?"

Tan Jinxiao sighed. "Shops in the Underground City aren't for sale; they all belong to the owner."

Li Banfeng asked, "Who exactly is the owner?"

Tan Jinxiao couldn't explain. "The owner is... just the owner."

After the meal, Li Banfeng roughly calculated the number of people; he needed to arrange lodging for everyone. There were eight people in total. Tan Jinxiao had previously said that lodging for one person cost fifty cents, so for eight people, it would be four yuan. Just as he was about to pay, Tan Jinxiao stopped him. "You can't pay like that, you don't know how to calculate! Three yuan is enough!"

Li Banfeng didn't understand. "Why three yuan?"

Tan Jinxiao explained, "Three yuan covers a large room, and all of us can stay there."

Xiao Yeci's face flushed. "There are differences between men and women; how can we all stay together?"

Tan Jinxiao waved his hand. "Don't worry, the room is big enough. We can pull a curtain in the middle, and no one will see anyone else. Just make do for one night."

"Pull a curtain?" Juanzi felt it was inappropriate. "Then what about me?"

Chen Yongnian, the owner, had just taken three yuan and was about to prepare their rooms when he suddenly saw a man enter the restaurant, wearing a stand-collar wool coat and a black bowler hat.

"Oh, Master Bao!" The owner was startled. "It's not due yet today."

"The date has been moved up; it's the owner's new rule." The man, surnamed Bao, pulled up a chair and sat by the restaurant entrance, summoning several subordinates to block the door.

Tan Jinxiao said, "See that? That's the owner's man sent to collect money, Bao Yaocheng. He usually comes at the end of the month, but he's several days early this month. No idea what's going on."

Chen Yongnian, the owner, dared not ask further and quickly took money from the wooden box on his back. He handed a stack of banknotes to Bao Yaocheng, who counted them and shook his head. "This isn't enough."

Chen Yongnian was stunned. "Master Bao, I've run this shop for several years, and it's always been this price."

"Didn't you read the notice?" Bao Yaocheng pointed outside. "It was posted yesterday: the rent has increased by thirty-five percent. Once you've paid, you can go see for yourself."

Chen Yongnian rummaged in the box on his back for a long time, pulling out all his money. Even the funds for tomorrow's inventory were gone, and he still couldn't gather enough for the thirty-five percent rent increase.

"Master Bao, I just bought coal yesterday, so I really don't have any money on hand today. Could you give me two more days?"

"No extensions!" Bao Yaocheng shook his head. "This is the owner's order!"

Chen Yongnian said, "Master Bao, could you come back tomorrow? I'll go out and borrow some from a friend shortly..."

"Stop with the useless talk, cut the smoke pipe." Bao Yaocheng waved towards the door, and two of his subordinates opened a metal box by the restaurant entrance. Inside the metal box was an iron valve. As one man was about to twist it, Chen Yongnian rushed out. "No! You can't do that!"

As Chen Yongnian struggled with the two men, Bao Yaocheng stepped forward and yanked him away. "Who told you to touch my men? Who gave you the audacity?"

Slap! Bao Yaocheng slapped Chen Yongnian across the face.

Chen Yongnian pleaded, "I beg you, give me one more day, just one day."

Bao Yaocheng swung his hand back and slapped Chen Yongnian again. "My hands are lazy; if I swing a palm out, I have to swing the back of my hand back. For these two slaps, I'll give you twenty minutes to bring me the money."

Chen Yongnian bowed his head and said, "Master Bao, I can't borrow that much money in twenty minutes."

"Fine, I'll give you a few more hits, then you'll be able to borrow it!" Bao Yaocheng raised his hand to strike again. Chen Yongnian stood frozen, head bowed, not daring to dodge. He feared Bao Yaocheng would truly cut off the smoke pipe; that pipe was more important than his own life.

"Wait a moment," Li Banfeng approached Bao Yaocheng and asked, "How much is thirty-five percent of the rent?"

Bao Yaocheng looked at Li Banfeng. "Does this concern you?"

Li Banfeng said, "Don't ask if it concerns me. As long as the money concerns you, isn't that enough? Just name the number."

Bao Yaocheng handed Li Banfeng the slip. Chen Yongnian still owed eight hundred twenty yuan in rent. Li Banfeng gave Bao Yaocheng eight hundred fifty yuan. "Keep the change."

Bao Yaocheng took the money, looked at Li Banfeng, then at Chen Yongnian. "What's your relationship?"

Chen Yongnian didn't know how to respond. Li Banfeng chuckled, "Don't worry about our relationship. Just take the money and leave, isn't that enough?"

Bao Yaocheng glanced at Li Banfeng and cursed, "You're really f***ing cheap!" After cursing, he took his men and left.

Chen Yongnian thanked Li Banfeng profusely. "Honored guest, I thank you for saving my life. I'll go borrow money now and repay you immediately."

Li Banfeng waved his hand. "No hurry with that. Focus on your business first."

Chen Yongnian said, "I can't take your money. I must definitely repay it."

Li Banfeng chuckled, "I didn't say you don't have to repay it. If you owe me a little longer, I'll just charge a bit more interest. I won't lose out. Go ahead and do your business."

Tan Jinxiao watched from the side, remaining silent. Chen Yongnian wanted to prepare the lodging rooms for Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng had initially only asked for one room, but the owner prepared three: "Please stay comfortably; consider it my token of appreciation. I'll go raise the money right away."

Li Banfeng asked Tan Jinxiao, "What does 'cut the smoke pipe' mean?"

Tan Jinxiao explained, "It means cutting off his wife's air pipe. If she can't emit smoke, she can't breathe. He definitely wouldn't agree to that."

Li Banfeng pondered for a moment. "Didn't you say his wife could cook and wash dishes?"

"Yes, she can do anything, as long as there's enough coal and water supply."

Li Banfeng was stunned. "His wife is a machine?"

Tan Jinxiao nodded. "Surprised, aren't you? A machine can be a wife too!"

Li Banfeng could hardly imagine it. "There are actually people like that in the world?"

Tan Jinxiao sighed. "I used to think he was crazy too, but if he's crazy, then so be it. Life still has to go on!"

In the kitchen, Chen Yongnian put things in order, then closed the shop, preparing to go out and raise money. A wooden spatula extended from a cupboard, gently stroking Chen Yongnian's face, caressing his injuries.

"It's alright, it's all over now," Chen Yongnian said, patting the wooden spatula. "I'm going to borrow money. We met good people, and we can't let good people down."

A puff of steam spurted out, showing her sympathy for Chen Yongnian. Chen Yongnian opened the water valve and added some coal to the furnace. "Take good care of the house. I'll be back."

Everyone divided into rooms and went to sleep. Li Banfeng had a room to himself. Juanzi, with her three heads, could rest in shifts and was responsible for watching Tan Jinxiao. Liang Wucai and Xiao Yeci slept in the same room.

Late at night, Liang Wucai waited until Xiao Yeci was sound asleep, then quietly left their room and entered Li Banfeng's. Li Banfeng was fast asleep in bed, and Liang Wucai crawled into his covers.

Liang Wucai whispered softly, "He's so cold, his icy skin makes me want to shiver with him."

Liang Wu said, "Being cold is right. It's because he's cold that we're here to warm his bed."

The projector floated in mid-air, silently observing the scene before it, filled with emotion: A melon, by nature, is cold, yet under the disguise of light and shadow, not a single flaw could be seen. This was the power of art, capable of disguising falsehoods so realistically. In a sense, this was true art. If this piece of art were filmed and shown to the Madame, then Director Qi would... Hmph hmph ha ha ha!

Thinking this, the projector looked around, worried that the gloves might suddenly appear and steal the film.

Tan Jinxiao was asleep, and Juanzi and Xiaoshan were also asleep, leaving only Mengzi to watch over Tan Jinxiao. An ethereal melody drifted in, and Mengzi felt his eyelids grow heavy. After struggling a few times, he quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Li Banfeng put away the music box, pushed open the door, and entered the room, approaching Tan Jinxiao. "Stop pretending, wake up."

Tan Jinxiao opened his eyes. "What?"

"Time to work!"

"What time is it to go to work? Even if you hired a long-term laborer, you'd let them sleep, wouldn't you?"

Li Banfeng said, "This is urgent work. We just finished one business deal, and the accounts haven't been settled yet."

"You mean that matter," Tan Jinxiao actually understood. "It is quite urgent. I'd guess he's already two blocks away."

Tan Jinxiao's calculation was precise; Bao Yaocheng had indeed walked two blocks away. Rent collection wasn't smooth today. With the price increase, several businesses couldn't pay. He had already beaten and smashed, and Bao Yaocheng wasn't a soft-hearted person; if they couldn't pay, he'd directly cut off the smoke pipe.

As he walked into an alley, Bao Yaocheng felt a cool breeze on his face. Looking up, he saw a man in a black suit and a black bowler hat standing before him.

"Who are you?" Bao Yaocheng asked.

Li Banfeng lifted his head and said, "Did you forget so quickly? I just gave you money."

Bao Yaocheng realized who it was. "Oh, you're the one who paid Old Chen's rent earlier? You regret it? If you regret it, don't come to me; go find Old Chen. Who told you to be so cheap?"

"That's two times," Li Banfeng pulled down his hat brim. "Old Chen's debt is cleared, the rent has been paid. But how do we account for the money for those two slaps?"

Bao Yaocheng laughed. "How do you want to account for it? Me hitting him was his good fortune. You dare to hit me? Who do you think you are? Who are you talking to? Try touching me, just once. Do you know who I am..."

Li Banfeng extended his right hand and delivered a slap to Bao Yaocheng's left cheek. Bao Yaocheng spun half a circle on the spot, almost falling to the ground.

"You hit me?" Bao Yaocheng looked up in surprise. "Do you know who I am..."

Li Banfeng delivered another slap, again to his left cheek. Bao Yaocheng's jaw was dislocated, making his speech a bit slurred. "I... I collect rent for the owner..."

Li Banfeng delivered a third slap, still to his left cheek. "My hands are diligent; I prefer not to use the back of my hand, only the palm to slap you."

Several followers rushed forward, but Li Banfeng knocked them all down with a single slap each. Li Banfeng raised his palm to strike again, and Bao Yaocheng burst into tears, snot, tears, and blood streaming together.

"I only hit him twice, just twice, and you're hitting me three times..."

"Shouldn't there be interest?"

Another slap. Bao Yaocheng lay on the ground, crying, not daring to get up.

Li Banfeng said, "Just now you called me cheap. Ten slaps for that, not too many, right?"

"I wasn't cursing you," Bao Yaocheng quickly explained. "I was cursing Old Chen..."

"You just cursed again, making it two curses in total, which adds up to twenty slaps. Not too many, right?"

"Sir, I know I was wrong..."

"You still owe me thirty yuan in change. One slap per yuan, not too many, right?"

"But you said to keep the change..."

"How do we calculate the interest here?"

"Sir, I... I beg you..."

Another sharp crack, and two of Bao Yaocheng's molars flew out. Li Banfeng controlled his strength well, delivering dozens of slaps, consistently targeting the left side of Bao Yaocheng's face. He neither killed Bao Yaocheng nor knocked him unconscious.

With the principal and interest all settled, Tan Jinxiao walked over and helped treat the group's injuries. He also grumbled at Li Banfeng, "Look at you, your hand is too heavy. You've beaten them like this, they don't even look human anymore! Brothers, don't cry, don't cry! You're crying pitifully. Let me apply some medicine for you. My medicine is very effective; there's some for external use and some for internal. Come on, brother, open your mouth, I'm going to pour some in!"

Globs of yellowish-green liquid were poured into Bao Yaocheng's mouth and spread onto his bloody wounds. Bao Yaocheng struggled for a while, then his eyes rolled back, and the corners of his mouth turned upward, revealing a blissful smile.

Tan Jinxiao said, "Brother, pay attention, this technique is called Golden Fluid and Jade Liquid."

Li Banfeng nodded slightly. He could turn people into fools, so naturally, he could also pretend to be one.

The door to the living quarters creaked open, and someone entered the room. This person didn't stop in the main room but went directly into the second room. His movements were very subtle, and he was easily overlooked. The phonograph's firelight was steady; it seemed to be sound asleep. However, Zhao Xiaowan's puppet slowly opened its eyes.

Conversation sounds came from the second room.

"Brother, the time has come! I've taken the key from that fellow and am just waiting to accomplish our great endeavor with you!"

"My dear brother, how could you be so reckless? That scoundrel is suspicious by nature; if you've taken his key, he's bound to notice!"

"Brother, I'm about to break ties with that fellow, so why would I care if he notices or not?"

"My dear brother, calm yourself. Let's think this through carefully with me!"

"I don't have time to deliberate with you. Tonight, I must have a final reckoning with him. If you refuse to help me, then our paths diverge here, and we'll be strangers from now on."

The second room fell silent. Zhao Xiaowan thought her technique wasn't good enough to hear their voices. After waiting a moment longer, Zhao Xiaowan decided to try a different method. Suddenly, she heard someone speaking in the second room.

"My dear brother, I have a set of techniques to teach you. Let me first lend you a hand."

"Our Daoist sects are different; how could I learn your techniques?"

"Since you are a shadow, you can learn my techniques. However, this matter absolutely must not be known by others."