"That's all I can report," Ren Yexiang ended the conversation with a bow, indicating that she had finished her report.
Hao Yu nodded thoughtfully. "I see. It seems that the inspection and the slum are proceeding according to the plan."
"Indeed. The government is even funding the food, so it doesn't put too much strain on our financial situation."
Hao Yu nodded. While the food was coming from the merchant group that the government bought, the money came from Hao Yu's personal coffer. And most of that money was the bribe that Hao Yu received from the merchant association.
But if this continued, he would be losing all his money sooner or later.
Hao Yu pondered for a moment. "What about the festival?"
Ren Yexiang replied, "It's going quite smoothly. The people love it, and the merchants are taking some losses. I've asked the beggars to observe most of the stores and got a list of the names that are rejecting customers."
Hao Yu nodded in approval. "Note those names and send letters of complaint if the issues persist for three days."
"Understood."
"Also, there is one more thing you need to know." Then, Hao Yu leaned in closer and whispered to Ren Yexiang, "I seem to have found the location of the elder that killed your father. I'm still working on a plan to go there before returning to Fengyun City, where I'm originally stationed."
"!!!" Ren Yexiang's eyes widened in shock. She couldn't believe that she might have the opportunity to meet that person so soon. There was no way she would pass up this chance.
More importantly, Hao Yu was making an effort to ensure that her revenge would be served before he left. She had heard that Hao Yu could bring anyone he wanted back to Fengyun City. This was a golden opportunity.
She immediately offered, "Sir, if you allow me to take my revenge, I will gladly serve you for the rest of my life."
Hao Yu waved his hand dismissively. "You don't have to be like that. I'm still in the middle of planning, and there is no guarantee that we can do it."
"I... understand," Ren Yexiang replied, slightly disappointed. She had been ready to follow Hao Yu back to Fengyun City, even if she didn't get an official position. She could manage the slum there and create a beggars' group before connecting it with the Dragon City. Expanding from one city to another would create a massive organization that could influence the entire dynasty. This would become a powerful asset in Hao Yu's hands, and with her managing it, there was no way they could trace it back to him.
Hao Yu continued, "I need three things to make this work. First, I will send a letter to my senior sister, who is currently in Donghai City, so that she can make a personal request to the magistrate to send me there. It shouldn't be too difficult."
"You have a senior sister there?"
Hao Yu confirmed, "Yes. Anyway, the second requirement is a failure on my part."
"Failure? Aren't you supposed to make everything work? What if we just finish our tasks faster?"
Hao Yu questioned, "Do you think we can finish the construction in less than two months?"
Ren Yexiang hesitated and then admitted, "That's..."
"In any case, the failure. I'll take care of the rest, where I don't need to suffer much, and the magistrate has no choice but to send me away."
Ren Yexiang inquired about the final requirement, "How about the last one?"
Hao Yu replied cryptically, "The last one? I will take care of it myself."
He decided not to divulge the details of his last requirement, especially since it involved his plan to eliminate as many cultivators as possible before leaving the city. He had a certain plan in mind that could fulfill all his conditions.
"How much explosive powder have you collected in the past two days? At this rate, I need another two days to create one small bamba."
"Two days, huh…" Hao Yu looked up, thinking, 'Bamba is a small sphere containing the explosive powder. Once ignited, it will create a quite big explosion. One bamba should be enough to kill one Qi Gathering Expert. I don't know how effective a bamba is to a Foundation Stage Expert. But there is something I know will be effective. Whether he can survive or not will depend on him.'
Hao Yu's silence left Ren Yexiang a bit uncomfortable. She knew that she hadn't gained complete trust from Hao Yu yet, but she was grateful for the opportunities he had given her. She would remain loyal and prove herself to be trustworthy. She hoped that, with time, Hao Yu would become more open about his plans and actions with her.
"In any case, continue with your work. Since those tasks have been taking up most of your time, I will handle the rest," Hao Yu instructed, dismissing her.
"I understand. If you still need me for something, please don't hesitate to ask," Ren Yexiang replied, leaving the room.
Hao Yu watched her exit the room. There was actually one more requirement that he needed to fulfill if he wanted to accomplish his goals: he needed a trigger, something that could force the cultivators to leave their mountain.
'What kind of item or accident could make the cultivators stop mining?' Hao Yu wondered. He locked himself in the room for the rest of the day, failing to find the trigger he needed. While the bamba, a small sphere containing explosive powder, could be used to kill a cultivator, it wouldn't necessarily make the other cultivators leave.
Ultimately, Hao Yu decided to search the town once again to see if he could find that trigger. As he looked around, he also considered completing his assigned tasks. That was why he sought information about the brothel he needed to investigate.
"Alright. Which brothel requested my presence, and what are their conditions?" Hao Yu muttered to himself as he scanned the red-light district. One particular brothel had caught his attention, as it appeared to be closed, unlike the others that were still operating.