Huang Mingfa said nothing, falling into a heavy silence. All he seemed to want was to manipulate Cao Wanzhi's two apprentices and once again rob Cao Wanzhi of his wealth. Yet deep inside, guilt lingered—a gnawing remorse for what he had done to Cao Wanzhi.
The Red Mask Agent placed a hand on Huang Mingfa's shoulder.
"What’s wrong? Are you scared? If you want to kill a man, you have to destroy everything he has. Without that mindset, you’ll never pass this trial. Didn’t you just promise me you would?"
As the Red Mask Agent spoke, Huang Mingfa nodded.
"Put away that useless conscience of yours. Heh, conscience is the cruelest thing in this world. Think carefully—if you can’t pass the trial..."
A strange smile curled at the corner of the Red Mask Agent’s mouth. Huang Mingfa swallowed hard; that smile chilled him to the bone.
"Those chosen but unable to pass the trial are just trash. And we’re very good at dealing with trash. I promise, when the time comes, you’ll see what hell really means."
Huang Mingfa began to tremble all over, staring at the Red Mask Agent in terror. He looked like he wanted to run, his eyes darting about.
"Don’t even think about running. Once you’ve agreed to the trial, if you don’t find a way through, you’ll never have the right to be one of us."
In a flash, the Red Mask Agent was already standing on the roof. I didn’t even see how he moved, and Huang Mingfa could only look up in terror.
"Sir, listen to me. I did agree, but if Cao Wanzhi recognizes me now, I’m afraid there’ll be trouble. So, about the timing..."
"You have one month. If you can’t do it, well... After all, you’ve agreed to evil—pure evil, born from the so-called cause of immortality. Since you’ve chosen to deal with evil, but still want to escape it, I could make you disappear completely right now... That’s not impossible."
Suddenly, with a thunderous crash, the building next door was utterly reduced to dust. Cries and screams erupted; it had been a brothel, now completely destroyed. Huang Mingfa stared in shock at the Red Mask Agent’s raised fist, who then blew the dust off his knuckles.
"Just like everything beside us, in front of me, it’s nothing but dust."
When he finished speaking, the Red Mask Agent vanished. Huang Mingfa’s legs buckled and he sat on the ground, staring at the ruins in terror. Many had died; bodies lay everywhere. His eyes brimmed with fear. After a long while, he stood up, his trembling finally ceased.
"It’s either you die, or I do. Heh... Cao Wanzhi..."
Now, a glint of excitement flashed in Huang Mingfa’s eyes.
"Terry, what’s wrong? You’ve been listless all day. Are you sick?"
At this moment, Cao Wanzhi was teaching Terry Chen something. David Dong had already gone out to the dock to collect a shipment—a batch of equipment imported from abroad that Cao Wanzhi had purchased.
"No, Master. I just took a nap, that’s all."
Terry Chen replied with a cheerful smile, but beneath it, sadness lingered.
"David’s been gone a long time and hasn’t come back. Terry, why don’t you go over there? You used to spend a lot of time at the dock, you know the place. Help bring the equipment back—it’ll save us some labor costs."
Cao Wanzhi’s words struck Terry Chen like snow in December—cold and piercing.
"Okay, got it, Master. What about the things you were teaching me...?"
"Go on, Terry. The equipment’s more important. When you come back, we’ll eat, and I’ll teach you tonight."
As I turned around, I saw Terry Chen’s face twisted with anger. After leaving the studio, he seemed absent-minded. He’d sat on the doorstep all night and only slept a little after dawn.
"Hey, what’s wrong, Terry Chen? Heh, your master’s making you do hard labor again?"
Just as he crossed the street, Huang Mingfa caught up and tried to talk to him, but Terry Chen didn’t want to respond and hurried ahead.
"Wasn’t your master just teaching you something? Why send you off now?"
Huang Mingfa kept provoking him. Terry Chen stopped and glared at Huang Mingfa.
"Mind your own business, you filthy beggar."
"Hey, I may be a beggar, but I’m still better off than you. Years of hard labor, and what do you have? Just enough for a meal, nothing more."
Provoked again and again by Huang Mingfa, Terry Chen finally lost control. Furious, he grabbed Huang Mingfa and slapped him twice. Instead of heading to the dock, Terry stormed into a teahouse, ordered a pot of tea, and sat down to drink.
Meanwhile, Huang Mingfa rushed to the dock and found David Dong, who was still waiting for the boat. Early that morning, he’d received word there was a delay with the vessel.
"Hey, David Dong, you’re doing well, huh? Your master gives you assignments, but you never mention them to anyone. Tomorrow you’ll be taking photos for someone again, right? Once or twice is fine, but if it keeps happening and no one complains, your master isn’t stupid. He’ll..."
There were a lot of people at the dock, and many knew he was Cao Wanzhi’s apprentice. David Dong quickly covered Huang Mingfa’s mouth and dragged him behind a warehouse.
"What are you trying to do?"
"Oh, David Dong, I’m just looking out for you. I lost everything because of your master and ended up begging on the street, so I want to give you a friendly warning. By the way, what did your master send you here for?"
"He bought a batch of equipment from the West and told me to pick it up."
Hearing this, Huang Mingfa started to smile.
"Him? Heh, you actually call your master 'him.'"
David Dong instantly felt awkward, stammering as he spoke.
(Irrelevant system message about chapter continuation. Skip translation.)
"Everyone needs to leave themselves a way out. You’d better be careful with your mouth. Here, take this."
As David Dong spoke, he handed over some money. Huang Mingfa took it and smiled.
David Dong’s background wasn’t good either. He came from the countryside to the city and worked at a Western-style café. He’d hoped that working in such a fancy place would earn him some tips from wealthy customers, but it turned out most of the tips were taken by the manager. If he didn’t hand them over, he couldn’t keep his job.
David Dong came up with a plan and let the boss know about the tips. He thought he was being clever, but the boss was even more ruthless. Part of the tips had to be handed over, and after a severe beating, David Dong was thrown out of the café.
By chance, David Dong learned about Jiangnan’s top photographer, Cao Wanzhi, and immediately applied to be his apprentice. He was naturally smart and quickly realized what kind of person Cao Wanzhi was looking for. When Terry Chen interviewed before him, it was clear he was honest and straightforward. From this, David Dong understood Cao Wanzhi wanted someone who truly loved photography.
When it was his turn, David Dong made up a story about loving cameras and having a photo taken by a photographer, which he’d kept ever since. In reality, the photo was taken while working at the café; he’d cropped it so only he was in it and told Cao Wanzhi the photo was damaged.
At first, Cao Wanzhi was suspicious, but David Dong’s explanation convinced him. David Dong was bright—he’d passed the county exam at nine—but after his parents died of pneumonia, he was left alone. With no money, even with his education, he couldn’t become an official, so he decided to try his luck in the city.
Later, David Dong became Cao Wanzhi’s apprentice. He was diligent in his studies, knowing that these foreign gadgets, while not his passion, could at least earn money and keep him from starving.
"Heh, David Dong, what will you do? Your master probably won’t teach you his true skills. You’d better make plans. After all, when you set up your own shop someday, you’ll need more than this. Your master’s never introduced you to any big names, has he?"
Huang Mingfa spoke animatedly, and David Dong nodded instinctively.
Cao Wanzhi had said that to meet high society, you needed excellent photography skills. Without good photos and real talent, it was impossible.
But David Dong didn’t agree. He believed that as long as he had Cao Wanzhi’s reputation, he’d be fine. This path was already paved by Cao Wanzhi; all he had to do was work hard and learn everything from him.
"The boat should be here soon. Remember this, beggar—don’t try to trip me up, or I won’t be so nice."
Huang Mingfa weighed the money in his hand.
"Relax. Heh, David Dong, if you work with me, I’ll help you out. Who needs real skill? As long as you have a reputation, you’ll have money. Right?"
A smile crept onto David Dong’s lips. He was genuinely happy, while Huang Mingfa burst out laughing. I saw him pull out a small coin pouch—there wasn’t much in it. It belonged to Terry Chen; he’d snatched it during their scuffle.
At that moment, the scene shifted back to the teahouse.
"Boss, it’s not like that. I really lost my money. I..."
"Hmph, trying to dodge your bill? Your master, Master Cao, is a good man—how did he end up with a disciple like you? Weren’t you a laborer before? Bah."