Destiny in Cinders

"Thank you, Boss."

Upon receiving the invitation, An Jing accepted without hesitation. He could tell that the boss of the recycling house was a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator. At the seventh or eighth stage of Qi Refinement, coupled with the formation, his strength was undoubtedly formidable. He was likely a man with a substantial background. Under his protection, Huo Qing was safe for the time being. An Jing's plans were finally back on track.

In contrast to its decrepit exterior, the recycling house was bright and spacious inside. The shelves were neatly arranged, displaying goods in such an orderly fashion that the sight alone could cure all obsessive-compulsive tendencies, making An Jing feel exceptionally comfortable.

The air inside was fresh and clean, perhaps due to the spirit-plant formation. An Jing's eyes swept the room, taking in the variety of artifacts, firearms, bullets, and even talismans. Everything was available, from raw materials to finished goods. The lingering uncertainty in An Jing's mind vanished. He was certain he could find exactly what he needed here.

Once inside, Metalhand immediately tended to Huo Qing's wounds.

"You deserve the pain!" He was viciously blunt, his hands applying the ointment with such unrelenting force that Huo Qing was nearly driven to scream. Yet Huo Qing didn't let a single sound escape his gritted teeth, which finally seemed to lighten Metalhand's mood.

"Looks like you've finally matured and toughened up, kid. You're not just running wild and chasing your tail like you used to. I sent you to Gunner thinking the gang would help you find yourself. Maybe it took you down the wrong track, but at least you've finally opened your eyes."

"Uncle, actually... Ow!"

Huo Qing wanted to explain that the gang hadn't taught him a thing. The wake-up call had been Gunner's betrayal and An Jing's help, but with Metalhand's brutal treatment nearly knocking him unconscious, he couldn't find the breath to speak.

From the sidelines, An Jing could see that Metalhand's targeted brutality was no accident. The kick and smack landed with precision on Huo Qing's shoulder where the bullet had entered. While the regenerative abilities of a cultivator had patched the wound, a gunshot was bound to leave deeper trauma.

Although Metalhand snapped his shoulder with a kick, it would fully mend after the treatment. As for that slap to the face... that was just pure, unadulterated rage, nothing more.

Once he finished treating Huo Qing's wounds, Metalhand said solemnly, "You screwed over the gang, so even I can't cover your back now. As for Gunner, that scum led you down a bad path and even planned to make you take the fall. He betrayed your parents and he betrayed the gang. The man's got no heart and even less honor..."

With that, he lifted his metallic left arm. A vine erupted from his index finger and impaled Gunner's spine. The agonizing shock dragged him back to consciousness just long enough to cough up blood before he blacked out once more. The crimson-soaked vine slithered back into the prosthetic after crippling Gunner's cultivation.

Then came Metalhand's cold voice. "You did good not ending his life right then and there. No point wasting his life like that. I'll send him to the Noontigers later. Boss Deng will give me face over this matter. He'll strip that rat clean, make a bloody example out of him, and that'll be the end of the story.

"But don't even think about showing your face in town again, kid. As far as anyone's concerned, Gunner killed you. From here on, I'll give you a new name. You're working at my recycling house and hitting the books!"

"I-I understand, Uncle." In the presence of his uncle's cold, immovable authority, Huo Qing's newfound maturity crumbled into a nervous stammer. Nonetheless, he bit back the pain and the prickling sting of the ointment, forcibly turning his gaze to An Jing. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"I owe this friend everything. He rescued me from the wilderness and protected me from Uncle Gunner. The debt is mine to repay, and I'll see to it myself. But right now, Brother An wants to trade in his spoils. He's a badlander and doesn't have a chip, so I'd like to use my perks to help him... Ow!"

Huo Qing took another sharp flick to the forehead.

"Perks? What sort of 'perks' are you talking about? That's just pocket money from me! Get your ass in the back and fix yourself up! Quit getting on my nerves!"

Observing Huo Qing's helpless glance at An Jing before he retreated to the back room, Metalhand directed his attention to the boy standing before him.

His voice softened. "You have my thanks, badlander. The kid's useless, but he's all that's left of my brother's blood. I'm just glad he's still breathing. Now tell me what you're looking to trade and lay it all out for me. I'll take the whole lot off your hands and give you a fair price."

"That's great." An Jing sighed in relief, then loosened the large bundle on his back and started unpacking its contents.

"There's a lot here. Can you clear out all these goods at once? I'm also interested in purchasing long-range firearms. Do you have any long-barreled shotguns, the kind you use for bird hunting? And mystic metals like black iron, purple tin, and crimson bronze as well."

"No problem, I'll take them all. As for long-range firearms, I've got..." Because the boy came recommended by a junior, Metalhand readily beat his chest and gave his assurance. However, his words died in his throat and his eyelids twitched as he caught sight of what An Jing pulled from the bundle.

"Wait, what's that? The OverSight sword case from the Luofu Group?! How the hell did you land a military-spec model like this?" Metalhand stared in astonishment at the spirit-beam guns that An Jing pulled out.

The considerable loot An Jing had stripped from the corpses and Gunner's men wasn't even worth a second glance from Metalhand. After years in the recycling business, Metalhand had seen every secondhand firearm and piece of loot imaginable.

While An Jing's haul was decent, it was ultimately just a collection of ordinary quality items totaling a few hundred merits. It was entirely unremarkable. Yet his eyes widened in disbelief when he saw An Jing pull out the old spirit-beam gun.

"An OverSight sword case? From the Luofu Group?" Still busy sorting through the haul, An Jing's brow jumped as his gaze settled on the spirit-beam gun in his hand. "Is there something special about this? I picked it up in the wilderness."

"Picked it up?" Metalhand stared at him with a look of pure incredulity that screamed "you've got to be joking!"

Eyes fixed on the sword case, he said, "This is a custom rig for Luofu's private forces. It kicks out thirty-five percent more power than anything you can find on the commercial market, plus it's got twin shots and a target-tracking mode. You're already packing an OverSight sword case, so why the hell are you buying from me..."

Metalhand finally clued in. "Did you really find it?"

"Yes." An Jing nodded. "I found it in a pile of rotting corpses. There must've been seven or eight others, but this was the only one that looked like it still works. I've not used it myself. I'd say it's worth ninety... well, sixty percent of its new, unused price."