Chapter 4 – Customers  

“Gold coins, gold coins, lovely gold coins!” Terribly drunk, Lin Qi laid on those few gold coins and shouted on the verge of hysteria: “Lovely gold coins, my little darlings, my cuties, lovely gold coins! Oh, oh, a small part of my lifelong dream has come true!”

Enzo and Cripple twisted their mouths at the same time.

Lin Qi’s lifelong dream had been described to them countless times – after he died, with his grave filled with gold, he wanted to be able to lie comfortably in the middle of countless gold and sleep peacefully forever. For the sake of gold, he would do almost anything!

Coughing lightly, Cripple slapped the square table heavily.

“Six top quality sharp swords, one for three gold coins.”

Cripple’s voice was solemn, permeated with an absolute and irrefutable kind of dignity.

Lin Qi looked up angrily. He looked at the tens of glittering gold coins on the table then roared with rage: “Uncle Cripple, are you running a scam here? These kind of top quality sharp swords, their materials alone are more than three gold coins! Ten gold coins for one, or else I go find someone else!”

Cripple shouted even louder: “d.a.m.n it, ten gold coins? Why don’t you rob people instead? Three gold coins, my profit is already small. Let me tell you what kind of business that we do, if it’s the empire that purchases these sharp sword, the definite value is indeed the figure you just said, but this is the black market!”

Lin Qi sneakily and swiftly collected the gold coins on the table one by one. What he did couldn’t be seen clearly, only that any gold coin that fell onto his palm would vanish without a trace. This kind of bizarre ability made Cripple and Enzo gaspe in amazement. What kind of outstanding natural talent possessed this innate kind of skill?

In a very short time 18 pieces of gold coins and one piece of silver coin were collected by Lin Qi. With both of his hands on the square table, he roared angrily towards Cripple: “Right, dearest Uncle Cripple, this is a black market, to demand a lower price is a must. However, the price you give is too unreasonable, this price not only insults these six top quality sharp swords, but even more insults me!”

With both of his eyes widely opened, Lin Qi roared: “Don’t tell me I didn’t sleep most of the night, running several kilometers to this d.a.m.ned place in the middle of the night, merely for the sake of trifling 18 gold coins? I do big business. I wouldn’t work so hard for the sake of merely 18 gold coins!”

Cripple snorted coldly, ‘trifling 18 gold coins?’ Lin Qi was someone who would smash another person’s head in for just a single piece of copper coin. He and Lin Qi had known each other for three years, even compared to Lin Qi’s father – Cripple’s black bearded old friend – he was more clear as to what kind of trash this boy is. Don’t even mention 18 gold coins, for the sake of 18 copper coins he would be willing to trek several kilometers all night.

Three pieces of gold coin for one sharp sword, this price was already lowered, but thinking back about that bottle of wine was drunk by Lin Qi a short while ago!

Cripple’s mood became incomparably cold-hearted. He gritted his teeth and said: “Three pieces of gold coins for one sword, no room for discussion. However the batch of eastern medicinal materials you took from me here last month, use that amount to cancel this out If you still don’t agree with my conditions, you can go find that d.a.m.ned hunchback! See what price he can give you!”

“May almighty G.o.ds bless and protect your ancestors!” Lin Qi immediately became all smiles. He glanced at the bronze bottle of wine on the ground, laughing lightly and said: “In that case, deal! This bottle of wine is to celebrate another success in our business. Ah, tonight’s alcohol, according to tradition, you will treat us to drink, won’t you?”

Cripple snorted. He walked to the side of the table, rolled the six sharp swords inside a cloth, opened a hidden panel on the wall and tossed the rolled cloth inside. Sounds of metal clas.h.i.+ng against each other could be heard gradually getting further away, who knew where these few sharp swords went to after entering the hidden compartment.

His thumb gesturing towards the direction of the tavern, Cripple coldly snorted and said: “Tradition, you can drink, but if you dare cause trouble, I will break your legs! Oi, Wei Ke, you can come out now, is this how you treat your dearest Uncle Cripple?”

The candles flickered. In the shadows at the corner of the room, a slender silhouette slowly stood up. Wearing black skin tight clothes, just like a big monkey, the pet.i.te Wei Ke walked out from the corner of the room while holding a crossbow. He carefully took out the arrow, which its tip was black, from the crossbow, after pulling the trigger, it made a ‘peng’ sound of empty bowstring.

Lin Qi swayed his body happily, two arms lightly swinging at his sides. He glibly teased: “Holla, holla, dearest Wei Ke, you can’t be like this, how can you aim your crossbow at our dearest Uncle Cripple? Oh, next time don’t be like this. Especially since your arrows are dipped in poison; you really are a bad boy!”

Wrinkling his nose, distinguis.h.i.+ng that thin, fishy smell in the air, Lin Qi laughed all the more happily “You actually smeared the Seven Step Snake’s Venom I got from that d.a.m.ned old man last time on your arrow, Wei Ke, you really are a bad boy!”

Wei Ke bared his teeth and laughed towards Cripple, who had cold sweat seeping out unceasingly from his forehead, then carefully put the crossbow inside the bag hanging from his waist.

Cripple cast a sidelong glance at Lin Qi, he had to keep his guard up against this boy.Seven Step Snake’s venom, d.a.m.n it, they actually smeared this kind of evil venom on the arrow! A crossbow was an efficient a.s.sa.s.sination weapon that people despised already, adding on Seven Step Snake’s Venom, these kids, one was more sinister than the last, one was more ruthless than the last. The Seventh Empire’s dark side, how could it produce people with these qualities?

“Worse still, they are at my place!” Cripple breathed in a mouthful of air deeply, and afterwards pretended to be magnanimous and laughed: “Fine, fine, dearest children, you can go have fun already. Eighteen gold coins, although this is a huge sum of money, you need to spend a bit here at my place, otherwise youngsters like you holding on to such a huge sum of money, it’s not a good thing!”

“Let me pay for the alcohol, but Uncle Cripple’s place here still has a lot more interesting things. You all quickly go spend some money, otherwise I will feel sad, my gold coins, my gold coins, you know!” Cripple used his dirty sleeve to rub the corner of his eyes and mournfully lamented “My gold coins, it was earned piece by piece from copper coins; you all took 18 gold coins all at once!”

Lin Qi didn’t pay attention to Cripple , tonight’s business transaction was already completed, with regards to Cripple, his existence wasn’t indispensable. Now he should drink some alcohol, go have some fun, and then when happily drinking alcohol he could look for a new opportunity to make money.

The Crippled Shop was a good place; Lin Qi could always find a lot of opportunities to make money. He absolutely wouldn’t let any opportunity slip by.

Opening the secret door, a few people were going to the tavern to drink and have some fun, one of the tavern’s female maid appeared from the shadows just like a ghost.

“Owner, a few strange customers came, Lisa let them slap her in the face.”