Chapter 94: The Adopted Son and the Adoptive Father

“Bastard!”

Standing on a more remote section of the breakwater in the port, Arthur, wrapped entirely in a white cloak, saw Lin Qi standing triumphantly on the bow of the Sea Windmill. He was so angry that he kicked a large rock. In his fury, Arthur forgot to use his Combat Qi to protect his foot. The rock, battered by waves for countless years, did not move at all, and Arthur’s toes nearly broke.

Groaning in pain, Arthur hopped on one foot like a beaten lame hen. He gritted his teeth and cursed Lin Qi, then stumbled and sat down heavily on the ground. The breakwater was messy with scattered snow and ice. Waves constantly hit the breakwater, and a layer of wet seawater pooled in the snow, not yet frozen. Arthur fell down and got soaked.

Several big men with fierce faces standing near Arthur hurried to help him up. Arthur, his eyes twitching with anger, slapped them hard across their faces. He hissed hysterically in a low voice, “Weren’t you supposed to send him to a mountain retreat? Why is he here? You bunch of useless fools, you idiots raised on pig dung, how did you get your intelligence?”

Kicking the tallest and strongest man to the ground, Arthur scolded with a dark face, “I placed you in the Black Tiger Family five years ago. A full five years, and you can’t even grasp Lin Qi’s exact movements. What use are you to me?”

The big men’s faces turned green with fear. They shrank back and lowered their heads, not daring to make a sound. The man kicked to the ground by Arthur was so wronged he almost cried. Could they really be blamed for not knowing Lin Qi’s exact movements?

It was true that Arthur had placed them in the Black Tiger Family, but what were their positions there?

They were woodcutters, water boilers, cleaners of stables and pigpens, and those who wandered the streets every month to collect the Underworld’s monthly tax—commonly known as ‘protection money’—from small shops, on top of the Empire’s taxes.

They were small-time lackeys, not even big-time ones. Lin Qi’s movements were personally arranged by Blackbeard and handled by major bosses like Ironhammer, Butcher Knife, and Bar. They were nowhere near that level; how could they possibly know Lin Qi’s exact movements?

After angrily kicking and hitting them to vent his rage, Arthur gritted his teeth and murmured darkly, “He went to the Sea Windmill. What did he go there for? Hmm? To relax? To clear his mind? Impossible. Old man must have some other plan? Then what is it? Hmm, what happened to the stern of the Sea Windmill? Why is there such a big hole? It looks like it was hit by…”

Looking thoughtfully at the large hole in the stern, which seemed to have been struck by lightning, Arthur nodded thoughtfully. Many possibilities crossed his mind. One had to admit, Arthur’s divergent thinking ability was strong; he even speculated that perhaps the Black Tiger Family was conducting some top-secret transaction at sea with some external force, and Lin Qi was the executor of this deal!

“Damn it, why him? Why let him carry it out?” Arthur muttered through clenched teeth. “Am I not more capable than Lin Qi?”

With a cold glare at Lin Qi, who stood on the bow waving cheerfully and looking very pleased, Arthur wrapped his cloak tightly around himself, feeling a bit desolate. He snorted coldly, turned, and walked away. As he walked, he ordered the big men following him closely, “Step up contact with Uncle Sea Horse and the others. Gather all my father, Red-Haired Ghost’s old subordinates who are still willing to follow me and are trustworthy. Have Uncle Sea Horse reassemble them. I need a force that is completely mine, strong enough, and ready to be deployed at any time.”

The big men quickly agreed. With a gloomy expression, Arthur lowered his head and led them quickly out of the port, disappearing into the alleys of Dun Er Ke.

In the crowd at the port area, Blackbeard, his face dark with anger, waved his cigar around, not caring that the falling sparks scared several nearby dignitaries in expensive fur coats, making them dodge awkwardly. Blackbeard roared angrily, spraying spit, “Gods, what in the world happened? The two little fellows who should be recovering at the villa, how did they end up on the whaling ship? Good heavens, did they ignore their injuries and go hunt whales on the whaling ship?”

‘Wow!’ The dignitaries around Blackbeard exclaimed in unison.

Blackbeard performed the words and actions of a heartbroken father perfectly. He stomped his feet and shouted, “Even though I gave them top-grade medicine made by a Master of Secret Medicine from The East, they still need half a month to recover fully! Gods, why did they sneak onto the whaling ship? Did they want to challenge those terrible magical beasts, the Frenzied Unicorn Whales?”

Shrinking into a dry, small figure, Butcher Knife cautiously stood beside Blackbeard and said in a dry voice, “Master, isn’t this what you always taught the Young Master? You said your child should have the courage to challenge everything. Going to sea to hunt the Frenzied Unicorn Whale despite being seriously injured, isn’t that the kind of bravery the Young Master should have?”

Blackbeard stopped his exaggerated hand movements in surprise. He looked at Butcher Knife with great shock and exclaimed, “Really? Did I teach him that?”

Standing next to Blackbeard, Baron Milo said seriously, “Mr. Tegg, I believe you must have taught your Young Master Lin Qi exactly that! It must be so, otherwise how do we explain him and his friend bravely drawing their swords and fighting so many Beastfolk?”

The dignitaries around Blackbeard applauded and praised enthusiastically. Yes, what brave young men. They had just bravely fought those dirty, damned Beastfolk, saving the young masters and ladies of Dun Er Ke from their blades. Then, despite their injuries, they secretly boarded the whaling ship and, like real men, battled the Frenzied Unicorn Whale in the sea during a snowstorm. That was truly brave and fearless.

“You have a good son! Honorable Mr. Tegg!”

“Young Master Lin Qi is truly the pride of Dun Er Ke, honorable Mr. Tegg!”

“Yes, if my useless brats could be half as good as Lin Qi, even if the Gods called me now, I could rest easy.”

“Mr. Lin Qi is a model for all the young people in Dun Er Ke, without a doubt!”

Blackbeard’s face turned red from all the praise. He bent his massive, strong body like a circus bear and bowed politely to these dignitaries. He smiled modestly and said, “You flatter me, you flatter me. I only taught Lin Qi what a real man should do. You are all too kind. Actually, all the young people in Dun Er Ke are quite good!”

And so, the matter of Lin Qi inexplicably appearing on the Sea Windmill passed, with no one looking deeper into it.

The dock was filled with happy cheers and laughter. Everyone waved their handkerchiefs, welcoming Lin Qi and Enzo, and especially the return of the Sea Windmill and its catch.