Chapter 6: Scheming

When Cripple appeared, Lin Qi stood by the wine cabinet, staring intently at the young men. He looked almost crazed as he watched the leader carefully wipe his hands with a white silk cloth. The young man’s fingers moved, and the rings on his hands shimmered with one enchanting halo after another under the light.

Lin Qi’s blood rushed to his brain and heart. His body grew hot, and sweat streamed down continuously.

“That guy’s really rich!” Lin Qi muttered, his vision blurring from high blood pressure. His nostrils flared violently as he took deep breaths, struggling to suppress the wild fire in his heart. Hiding his hands in his sleeves, Lin Qi repeatedly touched the triggers of two small hand crossbows inside. Several times, he almost couldn’t control himself and almost raised his hands to attack the young man.

Gold, shiny gold; gems, sparkling gems. Lin Qi groaned softly, pressing his right hand tightly against his heart. He breathed deeply, finally managing to calm his breathing and let the boiling blood flow slowly through his body, avoiding the risk of his heart bursting or a blood vessel in his brain exploding.

“What a fine fat sheep, but why did they have to come to Cripple’s Tavern?”

Lin Qi cursed all the deities he knew in his heart. No matter which deity sent these fat sheep to Cripple’s Tavern, from today onward, that deity became Lin Qi’s mortal enemy. He had never seen a more valuable right hand in his life than that jewel-covered one.

Lin Qi had the simplest, most pure and plain worldview: in his eyes, there were only two kinds of money in the world—his money and others’ money. There were only two kinds of people—the rich and the poor. And there were only two kinds of items—valuable treasures and worthless trash.

Turning some rich people into poor people, taking their valuable treasures, and making others’ money his own—that was Lin Qi’s ideal, his pursuit, his life goal. His life was built on money; without it, his life would be dim and dull.

That young man’s right hand was like a bright lamp on a lighthouse, illuminating a long stretch of Lin Qi’s endless life path.

“What a shame, this is Cripple’s territory!” Swallowing hard, Lin Qi lowered his hands, released the crossbow strings, and carefully hid the two poisoned crossbow bolts in a leather pouch inside his belt. Stepping out from the shadow of the wine cabinet, he leaned on the long bar with a smile and made a throat-slitting gesture toward the young man.

“Easterner, out of respect for sharing the same bloodline as my ancestors, I solemnly warn you! This is Cripple’s Tavern, this is Uncle Cripple’s turf. How dare you beat his most beautiful and lovely maid? You’re finished!”

Lin Qi’s words were full of malice; he was eager to stir up a fight between Cripple’s Tavern and these fat sheep in black cloaks. In that instant, he had already formed a plan: only by causing conflict between these fat sheep and Cripple’s Tavern could he take advantage of the chaos to gain enough profit from them.

For gold coins, Lin Qi could cooperate with Cripple; similarly, for more gold coins, Lin Qi wouldn’t hesitate to sell Cripple out.

The pale-faced young man curled his lips into a condescending, arrogant sneer. Holding his left hand behind his back and slightly hunched, he slowly walked to the long bar. Squinting, he looked Cripple up and down, then glanced at Lin Qi. Pulling his right hand back into his cloak, when he brought it out again, he held a gold bar as thick as a thumb and half a foot long.

Gently placing the gold bar on the greasy bar, the pale-faced young man said in fluent Western Continent common tongue, “I am Jiang Yong. Following your customs, you may call me ‘Jiang,’ or address me as Steward Jiang.”

With a strange, chilling smile, Jiang Yong said softly, “I deeply apologize to that young lady. But please understand, I am not used to people getting too close to me.”

Sighing lightly, Jiang Yong casually tapped the gold bar on the bar with his finger. His pale, slender finger silently pierced through the gold bar and sank deep into the bar made of hundred-year oak wood, leaving a clear hole in the inch-thick surface.

The tough guys who had been eager to gain something from the fat sheep a moment ago all returned to their seats. They raised their glasses and started cheering loudly again. Three dancers enthusiastically kicked their fair, long legs, making the tough guys erupt in passionate laughter and howls. The tavern quickly returned to its usual state, with sweat and alcohol smells filling the air once more.

Two servants from Cripple’s Tavern picked up the unconscious Lisha and soon left the bustling tavern, disappearing without a trace.

Standing right beside Cripple, Lin Qi gasped in shock. Staring in astonishment at the gold bar and bar pierced by Jiang Yong’s finger, he suddenly let out a heavy sigh.

Such terrifying strength—this Jiang Yong probably had the power of a high-level Knight? Aside from those legendary high-level Knights who could split boulders with their bare hands, Lin Qi didn’t know what other monsters could do what Jiang Yong did. Flesh and bone piercing through a gold bar? What was his finger made of?

This was not a fat sheep, but a fierce beast with colorful fur. Although a beast’s fur was valuable, risking one’s life for gold coins was clearly unwise. Unless it was proven that Jiang Yong carried immense wealth that would tempt Lin Qi, the rings on his hand alone weren’t enough to make Lin Qi act.

Of course, if Lin Qi found out that Jiang Yong indeed possessed huge riches, he would make Jiang Yong realize that even with his formidable strength, he should never have brought so much wealth into the Iron Fist Brotherhood’s territory.

Taking a deep look at Jiang Yong, Lin Qi walked out from behind the bar and sat at a table with Enzo and Vic. He shouted for wine and roasted meat, laughing as he enjoyed the dancers’ bold and wild performance.

In the blink of an eye, Cripple had already led Jiang Yong and his followers away from the bar.

Only Lin Qi, who had been watching them out of the corner of his eye, noticed how they left. Especially when Jiang Yong’s followers walked, their cloaks caught on a table leg, revealing their dark blue robes underneath.

The robes had a strange style, embroidered with a peculiar creature that looked like a python but had a mouth full of sharp teeth and four clawed feet, resembling a rooster’s claws. The creature was fierce and menacing, yet gorgeous and splendid, exuding an eerie, tempting allure.

“Easterners!”

Lin Qi took a big gulp from his cup and muttered vaguely, “This is Borelly City, the territory of me, Lin Qi, and the Iron Fist Brotherhood!”

Squinting, Lin Qi said quietly, “Vic, get someone to watch them. I want to know how much money they really brought!”

The skinny Vic stuffed a large piece of fatty meat into his mouth, nodded eagerly, and casually patted a passing maid’s bottom.