Chapter 116: Passing By to Watch the Fun

“Father!” Arthur walked up to Blackbeard and gave him a very respectful bow.

Blackbeard chuckled a few times and gave Arthur an enthusiastic hug. He glanced back at Lin Qi, a cold, warning flash in his eyes. It was obvious that Blackbeard did not want Lin Qi to do anything inappropriate in front of the three Black Attendants, who were equally famous as him.

Lin Qi smiled. He stepped out from the crowd and politely greeted Fat Bird Kirk and the other two, wishing them a happy new year. Then he also gave Arthur a warm hug. “Dear elder brother, why didn’t you attend the family feast yesterday? I really missed you. What have you been up to these days? Oh, by the way, how is that lover of yours? The one with platinum-blonde hair?”

Arthur felt quite annoyed inside, but he still wore a wide smile and hugged Lin Qi tightly.

“Dear Lin Qi, I have been too busy with many matters these past few days, so I did not have time to attend the new year feast.” Arthur sighed lightly and looked at Lin Qi as he slowly spoke. “As for Oya, she has already left Dun Er Ke. After all, she has her own life.”

Lin Qi narrowed his eyes and looked at Arthur. Arthur also narrowed his single eye and looked at Lin Qi. The two stared at each other for a while, then suddenly both laughed at the same time.

Both of them understood clearly. From the moment Lin Qi asked that question, Arthur knew that Lin Qi must have been investigating that little lover of his who had appeared at the Green Gem Hotel. But after Arthur gave that reply, Lin Qi also knew that he would never be able to find that beautiful girl with the long platinum-blonde hair.

With fake smiles on their faces, the two stood hand in hand beside Blackbeard, looking just like a pair of blood brothers with deep affection.

Mantis Tang En widened his eyes and pretended to laugh. “Black Tiger, you have a pair of good sons!”

Black Rose Madam Ross took out a small sandalwood folding fan, covered her small mouth, and let out a light laugh. Her beautiful eyes kept looking at Lin Qi, then at Arthur, as if she found it very interesting. Lin Qi gave Madam Ross a bright smile. This woman was quite pleasing to the eye, and Lin Qi did not mind looking at her a few more times.

Of course, Madam Ross was still not as captivating as the lovely, chirping, golden Wowo Call. Even as Lin Qi looked over her curvy body, he was thinking about how many lovely Gold Coins those filthy Beastfolk would be willing to spend if he sold Madam Ross to the Five Great Archipelagos. This was Madam Ross’ old trade; using Gold Coins to measure her value felt perfectly natural to Lin Qi.

“She must be worth a lot of money!” Lin Qi finally concluded.

Only Fat Bird Kirk’s smile seemed especially fake; it looked like a mask stuck on his face, without even a hint of warmth. He narrowed his eyes, sharp glints like knives peeking from the thin slits as they swept over Lin Qi. But every time Lin Qi smiled and looked back at him, Fat Bird Kirk very cautiously shifted his gaze away.

After the enthusiastic greetings and pleasantries, Blackbeard invited the three high-ranking individuals into his Ancestral Residence, taking them to the most luxurious reception room in the main house. It was still early in the morning, and no one had eaten breakfast yet. Soon, fragrant hot tea and various snacks were served. In front of Fat Bird Kirk, they even placed a roasted suckling pig, two smoked lamb legs, a large plate of tuna salad, and seven or eight thick sour cabbage sausages.

Lin Qi saw such a big eater for the first time. Before the conversation even properly began, Fat Bird Kirk had already finished the roasted suckling pig and smoked lamb legs completely, even swallowing the little pig’s bones. Then the tuna salad quickly vanished into his mouth, and those sour cabbage sausages, each as big as a child’s arm, were swallowed one by one.

Lin Qi even suspected that those sausages were not chewed but swallowed whole by Fat Bird Kirk!

This terrifying fatty had an enormous appetite. Lin Qi quietly calculated how many of his family’s Gold Coins this man had eaten. Lin Qi felt that in the future, he must extract hundreds of times the cost of today’s meal from this fatty.

Also, this detestable fatty—Arthur had stepped out of his carriage. Lin Qi couldn’t help but suspect whether Arthur and Fat Bird Kirk had some kind of interest involved. If Fat Bird Kirk was truly external support brought by Arthur, then Lin Qi would have to find a way to deal with Fat Bird Kirk. This was not good news.

Being able to control most of the smuggling business along the northern coast, Fat Bird Kirk’s influence could be imagined as vast. Maybe his subordinates were not as strong in combat as those of the Black Tiger Family, but Fat Bird Kirk’s local connections and various relationships were certainly significant. After all, how could smuggling business survive without official support?

A big shot in the underworld with official backing—this was not someone who could be dealt with easily.

As various thoughts swirled in his mind, he saw Blackbeard drink a cup of tea, vigorously stroke his thick black beard, and laugh loudly as he asked, “I am really curious, why do the three of you have time to visit me on the first day of the new year? Haha, your bases are not close to Dun Er Ke!”

Black Rose Madam Ross smiled lightly and gave a charming glance toward Lin Qi, saying in a coquettish voice, “Black Tiger, Ross was just passing by. A while ago, there was a big deal, and I personally went to the Vias Commercial Federation. It was a tiring journey, and I ended up spending the new year away from home. Since I need to take a ship from Dun Er Ke to return, I happened to run into these two!”

Mantis Tang En hunched his back, glanced around with a somewhat sneaky look, and chuckled, “Black Tiger, I was just passing by too. Hehe, a big deal—I just completed a big deal. I need to ask you to send a large ship and some reliable people to take me back. Who told Dun Er Ke is the only ice-free port in the northern Empire? I could only come to you. The fat pig came specifically to see you.”

Ross and Tang En easily pushed Fat Bird Kirk into the spotlight. The round Fat Bird Kirk chuckled a few times, struggled to straighten his body, and wiped his greasy hands with a napkin.

He coughed dryly and said with a smile, “I was just passing by too, haha, passing by to watch the fun.”

After pausing thoughtfully, Fat Bird Kirk looked at Blackbeard and smiled. “I heard that Young Master Arthur is going back to take charge of the territory that belonged to his biological father? Black Tiger, you know, the Red-Haired Ghost’s former territory is a key transport route, very important for my business. I wanted to ask clearly about Arthur’s future plans…”

Arthur smiled and looked at Fat Bird Kirk. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

But Blackbeard’s stern and cold words made Arthur’s smile freeze instantly.

“Fat pig, matters of my Black Tiger Family are none of your concern, are they? What does it matter to you how Arthur develops?”