Chapter 25

Naturally, Ruan Qing made a token show of refusing at first. But Nian Qi had already noticed something—Ruan Qing wasn’t used to doing household chores herself. If they were still in the Da Mu Dynasty, where he planned to retire with a fortune and settle down in the city after a life of adventure, he would have household servants to take care of everything. His wife would be able to wear fine jewelry and keep her hands as delicate as green onions. However, given his current financial situation, he had no choice but to step up and handle the housework himself.

Ruan Qing had been out all day and still had work to do when she returned. After tidying up the kitchen, Nian Qi glanced toward the study door. “You still have work to do tonight?”

Ruan Qing replied, “This project I’m working on is almost finished. Don’t worry about me. You can use the laptop if you want.”

So, while Ruan Qing worked in the study room, Nian Qi continued watching educational videos in the living room. He actually found them quite enjoyable, especially the ones on natural science. While the historical documentaries featured live-action reenactments, most of the educational videos were animated, which was a novelty for him. Yesterday, he had already watched some TV dramas, which he found similar to actors performing on stage. But animation was something entirely new.

Suddenly, Ruan Qing came out of the study room, went to the bathroom, and then grabbed a can of Coke from the fridge and some snacks from the cabinet. Hugging her stash, she walked over. “What are you watching?”

Nian Qi turned to her. “It’s about a woman who drove a car made by her husband, traveling a hundred miles. They say it was the first time a car went that far. The car looked quite different from the ones today.”

Ruan Qing tore open the snack package, popped a piece into her mouth, and stood nearby, watching for a while. The educational videos she had chosen were quite interesting, often explaining significant historical technological breakthroughs or inventions in the form of storytelling. For instance, Nian Qi had recently watched videos about boiling water and flying kites. While he wasn’t sure if the Da Mu Dynasty had ever developed an early form of gunpowder, the precise optimal ratio for black powder was determined much later in history.

Ruan Qing had once fantasized about time traveling herself, memorizing the 2:3:15 ratio, thinking she could change the course of history. (The 2:3:15 ratio refers to the classic proportions of sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter used to make black powder (gunpowder).) But people are often inconsistent in their beliefs, aren’t they? Ruan Qing didn’t mind if she or another modern person mastered this knowledge and went back to the past, but she wasn’t as comfortable with an ancient person—namely Nian Qi—knowing such a thing. Although the chances of actually traveling back in time were nearly zero, what if there was a “what if”? What if he did go back someday and had the exact formula for gunpowder in his hands?

Standing nearby, Ruan Qing munched on a couple of snacks before heading back to the study to continue her work. Nian Qi glanced at the clock on the wall—Ruan Qing often took the opportunity to teach him about everyday things, and he had already learned to tell time. It was around 9:10 p.m., and she was hungry. He made a mental note of it.

When Ruan Qing finished her work, she told Nian Qi, “Get some rest early. Weren’t you people in ancient times used to going to bed with the sunset?” She tried to reassure him, “You’re still new here, so don’t rush. Take your time learning and adapting. This project I’m working on is almost done. Once I finish the hard installations and the soft furnishings come in, I won’t have to run back and forth as much. By then, you should be familiar with things, and we can figure out how to sort out your identity situation.”

She promised, “Once you have an ID, I’ll take you on a plane and a high-speed train. Let me tell you, it’s incredibly fast!” Nian Qi was unfolding the sofa bed, smiling as he listened to her paint a rosy picture. “I’m not in a hurry,” he said. “I’ve only been here for two days, so what’s the rush?”

Perhaps their sense of time was different. For modern people, a business trip a thousand miles away could be completed in just two or three days. If urgent, they could make a round trip within 24 hours. But for people from ancient times, with slow carriages and horses, even traveling to a town just a hundred miles away would take three to four days. Without communication devices, everything moved slower. Nian Qi didn’t feel the need to rush at all.

“Alright then,” said Ruan Qing. “Good night.”

Ruan Qing had been busy all day, and when she lay down to sleep, she quickly drifted off. Once the room was silent, Nian Qi quietly got up in the dark. He was still wearing his long-sleeved and long-pants nightwear, but in this warm weather, he might easily overheat. Fortunately, he had already prepared a set of black short-sleeved shorts from the storage box.

He changed in the dim light, putting on black clothes—because if you were going out at night, of course you wore black. But suddenly, he remembered that these clothes… were all Zhao Hao’s old clothes. Nian Qi hesitated for a moment. Previously, he wore them without a second thought, but now there was something about it that felt off. Still, he was a guest, living under someone else’s roof, and with so many clothes that still looked quite new, he couldn’t really ask Ruan Qing to buy him new ones. He sighed and put them on.

He also pulled out a cap with a visor like a duck’s beak and put it on, tucking his long hair inside. He had already noticed that his long hair made him stand out, so it was better to hide it. As for covering his face, that was easy—a mask would do. With everything on, even if someone ran into him, they’d find it hard to recognize him.

There were ways to scout during the day, and there were ways to check things out at night. Nian Qi didn’t use the front door because the lock and door would make too much noise, potentially waking Ruan Qing. Instead, he went out onto the balcony. Looking down from the 16th floor was like peering over a cliff. Glancing left and right, he confirmed what he had observed during the day—the balcony led to the window of Ruan Qing’s bedroom on one side, and to a window of the elevator shaft on the other. In the dark, his black-clad figure suddenly disappeared from the balcony…

Ruan Qing slept soundly and woke up feeling a vague sense of anticipation. When she walked out of her bedroom, she saw that the sofa bed in the living room was neatly put away, and everything was clean and tidy. The place was bright and spotless, a sight that brought her joy.

Nian Qi poked his head out of the kitchen, “You’re up? Go wash up, breakfast will be ready soon.” Then he shut the kitchen door again.

Ruan Qing obediently went to wash her face, and as she brushed her teeth, she thought to herself, “How did life suddenly become so wonderful?” She had expected that observing and “raising” this ancient man up close would require a lot of effort, but it turned out to be the opposite.

When she sat down at the dining table, a steaming bowl of egg noodles was served to her, and she had a strange feeling in her heart. The noodles were simple yet refreshing, easy on the stomach, and the broth was perfectly seasoned. Ruan Qing drank every drop. Smacking her lips, she suddenly realized, this ancient man was the one taking care of her all along!

Nian Qi said, “Do we have a whetstone at home? The knife isn’t very sharp. If not, I can buy one nearby.”

“No need,” Ruan Qing replied, “I’ll just order one online.”

Ruan Qing opened the food delivery app and asked, “By the way, what ingredients do you need for the soup? I’ll order them together.” Nian Qi listed a few things, like pork bones. Ruan Qing called him over, “I’ll teach you how to order delivery.”

Nian Qi learned how to use the app and marveled, “If everything is delivered right to your door, doesn’t it just make people really lazy?”

“Exactly. I don’t even go to the supermarket anymore,” Ruan Qing said, slipping on her shoes at the door. “The other day, I only took you to see what a supermarket and mall look like. When you can have things delivered, who wants to carry heavy bags back home?”

“I’m heading out. You don’t have to cook if you don’t want to—just order delivery.” She continued, “The supermarket starts delivering at 8:30, so it should arrive a little after 9. Just open the door when it gets here.” Nian Qi assured her, “Don’t worry.”

Ruan Qing glanced at him one more time before leaving.

At the construction site, the foreman remarked, “Miss Ruan, you look great these past few days!”

“Oh, really?” Ruan Qing touched her face, a bit surprised.

“Yes, you do,” the foreman said with a grin. “You look like you’re living comfortably.”

Ruan Qing pondered over his words.

Just as she had predicted, the supermarket delivery arrived a little after 9. Nian Qi received the groceries, marveling at how convenient life was these days. He noticed that the delivery person’s uniform was different from those of regular food delivery workers, so he asked about it. The young man replied, “We’re the supermarket’s own delivery service. I work directly for the supermarket.”

Nian Qi, eager to find a job to stop living off Ruan Qing, asked a few more questions, but the outcome was the same as before—he needed an ID card to apply. Unwilling to give up, he asked, “What if someone doesn’t have an ID card?”

The young man replied matter-of-factly, “What can you do? You can’t get the job. If you lost your ID card, you should hurry and get it replaced.”

Nian Qi stored the groceries in the fridge and took out the knife sharpener Ruan Qing had bought. Carefully reading the instructions, he laid out all the knives on the dining table and started sharpening them while watching tutorial videos. By the end of the morning, he had learned a lot and had made every knife in the house razor-sharp.

When lunchtime came, he found he didn’t feel like cooking. It wasn’t that he was lazy and wanted to order takeout—he just wanted to get out and explore more. As usual, he put on a mask before going out. Since it was daytime, he didn’t need to disguise himself too much, so he skipped the hat. If he walked around with both a mask and a hat in broad daylight, it would only draw more attention.

He had lunch at a small restaurant near the neighborhood, where he learned how to order food through his phone with the help of the waiter. Afterward, he continued wandering around the area until he noticed a commotion on the street. A group of uniformed officers was forcibly loading a street vendor’s cart into the back of a vehicle. The vendors were a couple, and the man was angrily cursing, while the woman tried to calm him down, pulling him into the shade of a tree.

When the crowd dispersed, Nian Qi quietly approached. The man was still sitting on the edge of a flowerbed, fuming. Nian Qi sat down next to him and said, “Hey, brother.”

The vendor looked at him, surprised. Nian Qi continued, “I saw what happened. Take it easy.”

The man growled through gritted teeth, “How can I? Those bastards!”

Nian Qi, having left his past world and escaped the grip of the underworld, had originally hoped to live a simple, honest life. But without money, even a hero is helpless. If he wanted to stop depending on Ruan Qing, he needed to find a way to earn money. Without an ID, he couldn’t get a legitimate job. After thinking it over, he realized there was only one option—going back to what he used to do best.

“You’re right. It’s really infuriating,” he said.

After cursing alongside the vendor for a while, Nian Qi began pitching his “business.” “I specialize in helping people get revenge and vent their anger. I haven’t had a job this month, so I’ll give you a discount. Those guys from earlier? I’ll give you a special rate—1,000 yuan per head.”

The vendor was stunned, “Huh?”

His wife asked, “What do you mean by ‘head’?”

“Human head,” Nian Qi said seriously. “Those government lackeys who oppress honest people are the worst. Killing them would be doing the world a favor.” Seeing the couple blinking in confusion, he started to worry that he might have quoted too high a price. Actually, it was already a bargain.

He had spent some time in supermarkets, so he knew the local prices well. If he wasn’t in such dire straits and desperate to make quick money, he wouldn’t normally take on such low-end jobs. After all, he was a top-tier assassin, much like how Ruan Qing dealt only in high-end business. But this couple didn’t seem to have much money.

“No problem. I’m willing to lower the price a bit more for a good cause,” Nian Qi said, hoping to make his first deal for good luck. “800 yuan per head. Just tell me where they live, and tonight, you’ll see their heads.”

The vendor couple stared at this mysterious man who had approached them out of nowhere. The woman nervously nudged her husband. Being an old couple, they had a good understanding, and without saying a word, the vendor grabbed his wife and got up to leave, walking faster and faster.

“Let’s go, let’s go. Get away from him.”

“Shh, keep your voice down, don’t provoke him.”

They hurried away hand in hand, constantly looking back in fear as they went. They had read enough horror stories in the news about crazy people attacking others on the street. This long-haired guy clearly had violent tendencies, so they wanted to get as far away from him as possible. Seeing that he wasn’t following them, the woman felt slightly relieved and scolded her husband, “I told you to get a health permit and business license. Running an unlicensed stall just doesn’t work…”

“You’re just being stingy, not willing to spend the money.”

“Now we have to pay a fine.”

Watching his potential customers slip away, Nian Qi sat on the edge of the flowerbed, rubbing his chin. He figured he must have chosen the wrong targets. They didn’t look well-off, and ordinary folks weren’t bold enough to go for something as extreme as revenge killings. They weren’t like rich merchants who would boldly put up a bounty saying, “Bring me the head of so-and-so, and I’ll pay you X amount of gold.” Of course, it could also be that they just didn’t want to spend the money.

Nian Qi continued to wander around. Eventually, he stumbled upon another scene—a fight involving two men and a woman. After watching for a bit, he understood the situation: it was about the woman, and the two men were her ex-husband and current husband! Now this was interesting.

The two men fought until they were bloodied, and eventually, they were pulled apart. The current husband left with the woman, while the ex-husband continued to shout, “Next time I see you, I’ll twist your head off!” He then pulled out a tissue to wipe the blood off his face, cursing as he walked away.

Once the show was over, the onlookers dispersed. Nian Qi quietly followed the ex-husband and caught up with him in the parking lot. He had been observing closely—this man had a thick gold chain around his neck, prayer beads wrapped around his wrist, and a protruding belly. He looked like he had a hundred times more money than the vendor couple.

“The humiliation of having your wife taken away—how can you let that go so easily?” The former top-tier assassin turned on his charm, stepping closer to the man with the gold chain. “Ten thousand yuan, no haggling. I’ll make sure you see his head tonight.”

When dealing with wealthy clients, you couldn’t quote too low, or they’d think you were just a low-level thug.

The ex-husband with the gold chain was still holding a blood-stained tissue, staring wide-eyed at Nian Qi, who returned the gaze. “…”

In cases involving crimes of passion, there were sometimes strange, additional requests—something Nian Qi had encountered before. He pondered for a moment and said, “If you want me to cut off his, uh, manhood, that’ll be an extra 2,000 yuan.”

The man with the gold chain was speechless. “You’re insane!” He threw down the tissue and quickly bolted for his car. Who wouldn’t be scared of a lunatic? After all, if a mentally unstable person committed murder, the law might not even punish them.

Nian Qi watched as the potential big client scrambled into his car, nervously locking the doors as soon as he was inside, then sped away without looking back. Nian Qi felt a bit dejected. As an assassin, he really wasn’t good at drumming up business. He was skilled in his craft, but securing contracts was always someone else’s job back at the Yanwang Palace. In fact, most of the time, he didn’t have to seek out clients—people would come to him, offering gold and silver, knowing his reputation.

He used to think that he would do just fine after leaving the Yanwang Palace, but now he wasn’t so sure. Making money was hard! If Ruan Qing knew what he was going through, she’d probably use a modern concept to explain: People who rely on a platform always feel invincible, but once they leave it, they realize they’re nothing on their own.

Meanwhile, Ruan Qing was eagerly looking forward to going home. As she parked her car in the basement and waited for the elevator, she wondered what the house looked like now. What was Nian Qi up to?

Two cleaning ladies from the building’s maintenance team were sitting on the ground near the elevator, taking a break. One of them angrily complained, “Who’s so shameless that they’d even steal a mop? People living in such a nice place—how could they be so petty? They drive such fancy cars, but they can’t afford a mop?”

It seemed the woman had been fined because her mop went missing. The other lady was comforting her and then looked up at Ruan Qing, saying, “Don’t you think it’s ridiculous? No one in this complex is short of money, so why would anyone steal from us?”

“Maybe…” Ruan Qing made a random, irresponsible guess, “some people have a compulsion to steal? That kind of behavior isn’t necessarily tied to economic status.”

The lady who was fined got even more worked up, continuing to curse. Ruan Qing, who had a particular aversion to these outspoken, matronly types, quickly got into the elevator when it arrived and escaped the situation.

When she got home, she was greeted by the sight of a spotless, tidy room. Even the laundry, which had been washed and dried, was neatly folded and placed on the sofa. Nian Qi, of course, wouldn’t admit that on the very first day, he had thoroughly inspected Ruan Qing’s room. He just maintained a gentlemanly demeanor and said, “I didn’t want to intrude on your room, so I left them here.”

How polite! Ancient men were so chivalrous! The aroma of bone broth wafted from the kitchen, and Ruan Qing felt like she had struck gold.

After thinking it over all day, she finally made a decision and asked Nian Qi, “Until you can sort out your identity, would you be willing to work for me?”