Chapter 207: The Cripple’s Backer

Seeing Lin Qi walk out of the meeting room without a word, Cripple raised his eyebrows in surprise. The little guy’s temper had become a bit strange, seeming different from before. If Lin Qi of the past had been just an ordinary young man, Cripple could read his thoughts at a glance, but now Lin Qi had an air of mystery.

Even in that mystery, Cripple sensed a trace of danger.

“That little guy has killed someone!” Cripple stroked a big gem on his finger slowly. “He has killed someone, what a good kid!”

His finger hooked, and he pointed at Lin Qi’s back.

Lin Qi walked slowly out of the April Flower Hotel. Standing on the wide, clean marble steps at the entrance, he stretched hard. Over the gate was a rooftop canopy. Two Four-Wheel Carriages were parked under it. A noble lady in a long dress stepped down slowly from a carriage with the help of a waiter. Neat marble floors held several huge leather suitcases, clearly all belongings of this noble lady.

“A fine hotel! It must make plenty of money every day!” Lin Qi glanced back at the hotel’s luxurious lobby and clicked his tongue lightly. “Yes, I can’t waste time. As Long Cheng says, I need a goal in life, I need a direction to strive for. So my first step is to make this hotel my hotel!”

“I love this place!” He winked and made a funny face, laughing loudly three times. This scared the noble lady, making her jump back, nearly falling over.

Apologizing with a bow as he squeezed himself inside, Lin Qi tightened his Bearskin Coat and wobbled down the steps.

Not far away by the roadside, a small two-wheel carriage was parked. Yulian leaned against the spotless carriage body, his arm holding a silver-tipped horse whip and smoking a special small cigar. He raised his left index finger proudly, showing off his shiny silver ring.

This was one of the two Space Rings taken from Jie. Though Yulian was from a fallen noble family, broken ships still have nails. His family had hidden away some good things. He took a bit of ‘star silver’ from the family vault, and Vic found some skilled masters from the thieves’ guild who did shady work to alter the stolen Space Rings.

Not just theirs, but even the one Lin Qi wore on his toe got altered.

Star silver was a special metal made from melting titanium crystals unique to the Goblin Continent and Mithril extracted from meteorites. This metal blocked any spying of mental power, stopped all magic waves, and blended well with all other metals. Things altered with star silver couldn’t be recognized, so Yulian proudly showed off his newly made Space Ring.

Seeing Lin Qi approach, Yulian dropped the cigar on the ground and crushed the stub with his foot. Rushing to meet Lin Qi, he asked, “Boss, what did the old Cripple man say?”

Lin Qi shot him an angry look. “Call him Noble Master from now on! Goodness, that old guy, he really doesn’t recognize his friends! I don’t know who he’s backing now, truly no mercy at all. He wants to grab it all—the Southern City Dock District and the South City Commercial District. This blasted old man, I hope he dies quickly!”

Yulian spread his hands. “Boss, if you want him dead, he’ll die soon enough!”

Having seen the terrifying fighting skills of Bar and Aunt Lili, plus the bravery of the three hundred family Warriors who now only followed Lin Qi’s orders, Yulian had a blind faith in Lin Qi. Two Celestial Knights and three hundred fierce Warriors—if they wanted Cripple dead, he had to die!

Lin Qi huffed angrily and looked back at the tall, beautiful staircase of the April Flower Hotel. He muttered softly, “This treasure will be mine. Dear Uncle Cripple, I can’t wait to take over this hotel. Yulian, go ask Tixiang: If a luxury hotel in the core of the Commercial District, and its owner and all the heirs die by accident, what steps do we need to take it over?”

Yulian’s eyes lit up. He eagerly flattered Lin Qi, “Boss, I find you’re getting more and more mighty and dominating. That’s the head of our Iron Fist Brotherhood for you! We should have done this long ago!”

Lin Qi glared at him. Done it long ago? The Iron Fist Brotherhood would have been swallowed up. Just a month back, the Iron Fist Brotherhood was short on people and money, with about three hundred outer thugs, the poorest kind. They wouldn’t have dared touch the April Flower’s plans!

But now it was different. Now Lin Qi had money and people—what you’d call strong troops and ample supplies. He naturally had the confidence to swallow the April Flower whole. Not just this hotel, but Cripple too, he planned to gulp down in one bite.

Blackbeard had taught Lin Qi since childhood that a man must be ruthless to be truly great. After Long Cheng showed it through actions, Lin Qi understood its real meaning.

If he didn’t take out Cripple, how could he turn Cripple’s Gold Coins into his own? If he didn’t take out Cripple, how could he unite the Underworld of the Imperial Capital? If he didn’t take out Cripple, how could he use it for profit? Cripple was just a tiny hurdle on Lin Qi’s life path.

After several cold laughs, Lin Qi pulled the carriage door open to get in. But a thick rough hand suddenly gripped his shoulder.

Lin Qi and Yulian shouted at once. Yulian grabbed the horse whip and whipped at the person holding Lin Qi’s shoulder. “Lowly scum, what are you doing? Do you want to die? Rotten fool!”

The burly man holding Lin Qi looked like a half-evolved gorilla. His face was covered in thick hair. In the deep winter, he wore only a thin shirt, his chest bare and covered in dense fur. Seeing Yulian attack, he just chuckled. Then, four more big men behind him rushed forward, seized Yulian’s shoulders, and pinned him hard against the wall by the roadside.

Yulian struggled hard, but the four big men were all stronger than him. A spoiled nobleman couldn’t match the strength of street fighters. With weird laughs, they held Yulian to the wall, and one of them reached into Yulian’s pockets, pulling out two Gold Coins and three or four Silver Coins.

Yulian had far more valuables, but he’d put them all in his Space Ring. Still, even losing these coins made his vision darken with anger. He roared and thrashed but couldn’t break free.

Lin Qi shouted, then spun around and rammed back. His elbow slammed into the big man’s chest. The man, who’d been laughing ‘haha’, cried out ‘ow ow’, staggering backwards step by step.

Lin Qi turned without a word and grabbed the neck of the man struggling in pain. He lifted the man, who was a head taller than him, with one hand and smashed him to the ground.

Thud! The earth shook. Lin Qi knocked the man out. Unhesitatingly, Lin Qi raised his foot and stomped hard on the man’s shoulder and thigh joints. His kicks were so vicious that with terrible bone-cracking sounds, he broke all the man’s bones, crushing tendons and twisting joints ninety degrees the wrong way.

The pitiful hairy man woke from the pain, howling heart-wrenchingly, tears and snot spraying out in agony.

The four men holding Yulian were stunned. The one with the two Gold Coins and a few Silver Coins stuffed them back into Yulian’s pocket without thinking. One stammered shakily at Lin Qi, who was exuding fierce menace, “Our, our boss says, from now on, you’re not to set foot in the Southern City!”

Lin Qi walked over, seized that man’s head, and smashed his face hard against the wall.

A bloody stain clung firmly to the brick. Lin Qi kicked the unconscious man away seven or eight meters, then mercilessly knocked out the other three trembling men. He struck quickly, just like he had with the others.

After several cold laughs, Lin Qi grabbed Yulian and pulled him into the carriage. The driver whipped the horses without urging, speeding the carriage north. Lin Qi drew back the curtain behind the carriage and saw a group of rough thugs rushing out of an alley opposite the April Flower. Fumbling to care for the wounded, he couldn’t help but chuckle coldly.

“That’s really bold. That old fool Cripple, he actually doesn’t respect even my dad.”

“Fine, real courage. Since the old man wants to break ties with us, we’ll finish him quickly.”

Narrowing his eyes, Lin Qi looked at Yulian.

“Cripple is utterly certain he’ll become a Noble. Who can get him a Noble rank so easily?”

Yulian stared at Lin Qi in shock. “Unless it’s a Royal Family member, no one can promise that. Even Tixiang can move people around in key departments of the Empire, but he can’t just give out Noble titles.”

Slapping his hands, Lin Qi sneered. “So Cripple has a Royal Family member backing him? It can’t be Lartus. Then, is it Marrs? Or are there other Princes in the Empire?”

Yulian looked thoughtful and slowly nodded. “Then we need to investigate, boss. We’ll have to watch Cripple! See who’s really behind him. But it has to be a good, cautious person—Vic wouldn’t do. Cripple’s experienced and strong—we need a skilled eye on Cripple.”

Lin Qi nodded and suddenly raised his voice.

“Go to old Chak’s Silk shop, quick, quick!”

“Yulian, you’re right. We’ll find out—Uncle Bar is the best man for the job.”