Chapter 105: New Year

Boom, boom!

In the cold wind, Lin Qi, bare-chested, swung a double-edged axe. The blade was as wide as his waist. He heavily chopped at a black pine tree that was dozens of meters tall and so thick that several people could barely encircle it. The bark of this black pine was extremely thick. The cold winds and low temperatures of the North Sea made them grow very slowly. The wood was incredibly dense and tough. Ordinary swords and knives would not leave even a trace on it.

Lin Qi swung the specially made large axe, working hard to chop the black pine. He was using so much force that he was drenched in sweat. Steam continuously rose from his body. In the cold wind, it quickly turned into ice flakes and was carried far away by the wind.

Long Cheng left quietly, just as he had arrived in Dun Er Ke. Tang Jier did not find Long Cheng to duel him. Tang Jier, holding his Dragon Spear and charging to the front gate of Lin Qi’s Ancestral Residence to challenge, was slapped away by Aunt Lili—both man and horse sent flying. Tang Qiao took him back and kept him under strict watch.

The two delicate young ladies, Angel and Anlin, even though they had done such things with Long Cheng, their reputations were not damaged at all—Long Cheng gave them all the Gold Notes he had obtained from Lin Qi. He only took two thousand Gold Coins for his journey.

Two young ladies from wealthy families, not yet married but already adults, had found a mysterious lover from The East, a mysterious lover who claimed to be an Eastern Noble. And this lover generously, after a night of passion with the two respected young ladies, left them with two million five hundred thousand Gold Coins!

This gift was worthy of the status of the two young ladies.

To have a respected, mysterious, extremely wealthy, and generous lover—and Long Cheng was indeed quite good-looking; all his physical attributes fully matched the sometimes-praised, sometimes-criticized term ‘pretty boy.’ Therefore, the scandal involving Angel and Anlin turned into an ‘elegant affair’ that made the noblewomen and young ladies of Dun Er Ke extremely envious.

Angel and Anlin came from a merchant family; they were not Noble ladies. Their elders, who valued profits, were also quite pleased about this matter. Such affairs of having lovers before marriage happened often. Every year in Dun Er Ke, such scandals occurred. But for someone like Long Cheng to casually throw out two million five hundred thousand Gold Coins was simply shocking!

Unless one was a truly top-tier Noble, no one could be so extravagant. Angel and Anlin had found a wonderful lover! Everyone thought so. Thus, the trouble stirred up by Long Cheng gradually evolved into a romantic story. Except for Tang Jier, who still wanted to duel Long Cheng, there were no other negative consequences.

Just a few days after Long Cheng left, the New Year of the Western Continent was about to arrive.

According to the customs of the Western Continent, for the New Year, one must light a bonfire to worship the Deity. The more firewood the bonfire burned, the bigger the flames, proving the family’s prosperity and vitality. The sacrificial bonfire could burn away the bad luck of the past year. It was also like a lighthouse on the night coastline; the brighter the blazing fire, the more it could attract good fortune for the coming year to one’s home.

By tradition, the firewood for the bonfire had to be cut by the family heir with his own hands. For the past three years, Lin Qi was not home. Every year, Blackbeard personally took an axe to the Black Pine Forest to chop the firewood. But this year Lin Qi had returned, so this hard work naturally fell to him.

Bare-chested, swinging a large axe weighing no less than a hundred pounds, panting heavily, he chopped a large notch at the base of the black pine, which was harder than steel. Lin Qi gathered his Combat Qi, let out a loud roar, and his body leaped three or four meters into the air. His feet, surrounded by a yellow glow, heavily kicked the tree trunk.

The black pine, already strained almost to breaking under its own weight, made a sharp cracking sound. Around the notch Lin Qi had chopped, the trunk fibers snapped one by one. Slowly, the dozens-of-meters-tall black pine heavily fell down, like a fallen Frost Titan collapsing onto the snowy ground, splashing up large amounts of snow.

“Hey, Young Master is truly mighty!” Ironhammer and Butcher Knife led a group of big, strong servants in cheering and clapping excitedly nearby. Ironhammer winked and grinned, saying, “Cut ten more, and the sacred fire for worship at our residence this year will definitely be the biggest pile in all of Dun Er Ke!”

Shaking his sore and numb hands, Lin Qi shot an annoyed look at Ironhammer and the others. He lifted the large axe and walked dejectedly towards another black pine not far away. Enzo, dressed neatly, stood under a large tree nearby, drinking wine and repeatedly shaking his head with a sigh.

“This is the privilege of the family heir, Head. Work hard! A whole ox roasted over the sacred fire for worship… I’m already drooling!” Enzo smiled brilliantly. Watching Lin Qi toil and sweat profusely while he stood by comfortably resting, with fine wine to enjoy—this was truly one of life’s most pleasant delights.

Lin Qi grunted. He swung the axe, chopping at the large tree more than a dozen times in a row. Then he suddenly straightened up, frowned, and looked at Enzo. “I’ve been thinking about something these past couple of days. What did Long Cheng go to the Imperial Capital to do? He made a bet with someone, didn’t he? Wasn’t crossing the North Sea and the Odin Ice Plain enough to win? Why did he still need to go to the Imperial Capital? He could just return to The East now!”

Enzo shrugged his shoulders. He said carelessly, “Who knows? Maybe he needed some kind of proof?”

Lin Qi laughed. He swung the axe, chopping wildly at the black pine. He cackled and said, “Proof? Yeah, how could he prove that he successfully reached the Western? Maybe… the Imperial Emperor’s Crown would be good proof?”

With a loud ‘clang,’ the large axe dug deep into the tree trunk.

Slowly letting go of the axe handle, Lin Qi turned his head in shock to look at Enzo. Enzo’s expression also changed somewhat. The two of them stared at each other blankly for a while. Enzo forced a bitter smile and said, “He wouldn’t be that crazy, would he? Maybe he went to do something else along the way? For example, to buy some local specialties at the Imperial Capital?”

A strong wind carrying a blizzard swept over heaven and earth. After Lin Qi and the others brought the cut black pines back to the Ancestral Residence, it didn’t take long for the sky to darken.

The next day was the New Year. Lin Qi busied himself building a huge bonfire pile in the large courtyard of the Ancestral Residence. Those split logs, each as thick as an ordinary person’s thigh, were stacked solidly into a pile over ten meters high. Kerosene with a pungent smell was poured over it.

As midnight approached, when the old year was about to pass and the new year was about to arrive, Blackbeard, as the head of the family, personally used a torch to light the huge bonfire. Fierce flames leaped into the sky. Because of Lin Qi’s hard work during the day, the Black Tiger Family’s bonfire this year was indeed the largest pile in Dun Er Ke.

Flames dozens of meters high leaped up from the top of Black Beech Mountain, lighting up nearly half of Dun Er Ke.

The flames roared, the aroma of meat filled the air, and the smell of fine wine drifted in all directions.

All members of the Black Tiger Family were joyfully celebrating within the residence. Lin Qi also carried a wine jar around, toasting everyone.

Suddenly, Arthur appeared from somewhere. He held a wine cup and stopped Lin Qi.