Chapter 20: In this life, who would turn their back on money
Just as Su Jin was about to charge forward at all costs, a small, fair hand firmly pressed against his arm.
Su Yaoyao stepped forward, utterly composed.
She gave the little abacus a crisp flick.
“Click.”
The sharp sound rang out.
The One-Eyed Dragon leader was caught off guard by Su Yaoyao’s sudden move and pulled the firebrand back slightly.
“You little brat. You’re about to die, and you’re still balancing the books?”
The One-Eyed Dragon let out a sinister laugh, convinced that the two of them had been scared witless.
Su Yaoyao raised her head and stared straight at him, her gaze as sharp as a torch.
There was not the slightest trace of fear in her eyes.
“What’s wrong with me balancing the books?”
Su Yaoyao curled her lips, her tone full of disdain.
“You Blood Drippers make your living with your heads tucked into your waistbands.”
“Tell me, how much does that Grand General pay you each month?”
The One-Eyed Dragon was caught completely off guard. His brows drew together into a knot.
What on earth was this little girl thinking?
Was this really the time to discuss salaries?
“What? Are you keeping it confidential?”
Su Yaoyao moved the beads on her abacus, producing a steady clacking sound.
“Let me guess. At most, you get five taels of silver, right?”
“Meals included, lodging not included—and if you’re wounded, you have to pay for your own medicine.”
The flesh on the One-Eyed Dragon’s face twitched.
His heart gave a jolt. How did this girl know their working conditions so well?
The Grand General was indeed cold-blooded. He paid them only that much and had never offered compensation for death.
“What the hell do you know?”
The One-Eyed Dragon gritted his teeth. “We risk our lives for our lord because of a greater cause!”
“A greater cause?”
Su Yaoyao burst out laughing as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
“Can a greater cause put food on the table? Can it buy you a new leg to replace the one that was hacked off at the border?”
“Or is it that after you die, the Grand General will take in your penniless wife and children and support them properly?”
Every question struck directly at the assassins’ deepest vulnerabilities.
The assassins surrounding them, who had been bristling with killing intent, unconsciously lowered their blades.
That was true.
Though they were elite assassins, what kind of lives did they actually lead?
They lived in dark, damp shacks and ate coarse grain and watery vegetables. When they were injured, they could only hide away and nurse themselves back to health.
And if a mission failed, what awaited them was not the Grand General’s protection, but a clean-up operation to silence them.
“Mutually assured destruction?”
A playful curve formed at the corner of Su Yaoyao’s lips. She kicked open the lid of the gunpowder barrel beside her foot.
Looking at the black powder inside, she spoke in a clear, forceful voice.
“Does your lord pay into your social insurance and housing fund?”
“If this place blows up today, which of you will get a pension?”
“If you suffer a serious injury on a mission, will he reimburse your medical expenses?”
The string of unfamiliar terms sounded like an otherworldly language to the assassins.
Yet the sense of security and protection they conveyed burrowed into the assassins’ minds like poison.
“Your current benefits aren’t even as good as those of cargo robots from the interstellar age!”
Seeing that the time was right, Su Yaoyao planted one foot on the edge of the gunpowder barrel.
Her presence surged to its full force, light flashing from her peach-blossom eyes.
“If you’re willing to risk your lives like this, why not find yourselves a proper patron?”
“Join me, the Crown Princess! I’ll triple your base pay!”
“Double pay at year’s end, room and board included, and a complete set of top-quality equipment. All medical expenses covered in full!”
“If one day you happen to die in battle, compensation will be sent directly to your family. They’ll have enough to eat and drink for the rest of their lives!”
“Whatever those corrupt officials are paying you, the Crown Princess will pay three times as much for your lives!”
“You can do the math yourselves, can’t you?”
The square fell utterly silent.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
The assassins gripping their poisoned blades looked at one another, each seeing the hesitation in the others’ eyes.
Compared with this, the treatment offered by the Grand General was nothing but a steaming pile of dog shit.
The conditions offered by this mysterious little girl before them sounded like something only immortals in heaven could enjoy.
They didn’t understand half of it, but it sounded incredibly high-class—and reassuring.
“Boss... you really will cover everything?”
The firebrand in the One-Eyed Dragon’s hand trembled. His killing intent had vanished without a trace, replaced by unconcealed yearning.
“As long as you can fix my leg, this life of mine is yours!”
Su Yaoyao waved her hand grandly, brimming with confidence.
“Not only will I treat you, I’ll also give you the finest iron prosthetic!”
“As long as you lay down your weapons today, all these carts of gunpowder and iron will belong to me!”
“You won’t have to die, and tomorrow you can take your advance pay and go drink and feast!”
“In this life, who would ever turn down money?”
“Choose the wrong employer, and you’re the ones who went blind. Choose the right one, and you’ve found your chance to change your fate!”
The One-Eyed Dragon drew a deep breath.
He looked at the crates of gunpowder and iron gleaming coldly beneath the night sky.
Then he looked at the brothers around him.
Finally, he tossed the firebrand in his hand to the ground.
Clang!
One by one, the long blades slid back into their sheaths.
The One-Eyed Dragon dropped to one knee and spoke in a hoarse but resolute voice.
“To hell with the Grand General! As long as the boss puts food on our tables, we brothers will be the sharpest blades in her hand!”
“Long live the boss!”
Dozens of assassins knelt in perfect unison, their voices shaking the heavens.
Su Yaoyao put away her abacus, a sly smile flashing through her eyes.
She looked at this group of elite special forces, then at the iron and gunpowder.
This haul had made her rich beyond belief!
“Hehe, the iron and gunpowder are all mine now.”
Su Yaoyao turned around and looked at the underlings helping pack up the supplies.
The corners of her mouth lifted into a dangerous, icy smile.
“Grand General, you went to such great lengths to build up this stockpile, but the Crown Princess will be taking every last bit of it.”
“At the Mid-Autumn banquet, I’ll prepare an extra-special Gatling-gun surprise for you.”
“I hope your psychological resilience won’t disappoint me when the time comes.”
The firelight at Black Wind Stronghold gradually died out.
More than a dozen large carriages slowly departed into the night, carrying the reformed assassin squad and ten full carts of military-grade materials toward the depths of the imperial palace.
With a black sack over his head, Su Jin occasionally hopped a few steps in an awkward yet strangely smooth moonwalk.
After listening to his sister’s ambitious thoughts, he still felt they were absurd—but an unexpected sense of anticipation had begun to stir in his heart.
This was far more interesting than those games from before.
His little sister was truly the kind of person who could tear a hole straight through the sky.
And he, it seemed, was stepping onto a path he had never once imagined.
The moon gradually faded from view.
The triumphant convoy disappeared into the thick night.
Su Yaoyao sat at the front of the carriage, idly twirling the lid of a gunpowder barrel in her hand.
She calculated the materials she now possessed, then glanced toward the imperial palace.