Brothers

Following Oak Street from the bustling Dunkirk docks, passing seven pocket gardens—that is, crossing seven intersections where major thoroughfares met—you would arrive at the foot of the verdant Black Mountain Beech Mountain. This was Dunkirk's oldest residential district. The streets here were broad and tidy; though the pavement was wet, there was not a trace of snow.

Ancient estates with vast grounds stood everywhere, grand mansions with tightly guarded gates. The carriages rolling through the streets were traditionally adorned—conservative and understated, yet carrying an air of old-world opulence. And the fine horses drawing them were, without exception, tall, pure white steeds.

Lin Qi led Enzo along at an easy pace, following the main road up a broad avenue toward Black Mountain Beech Mountain. From its heights, one could overlook all of Dunkirk Port and its bay. Naturally, the people living in the residences on the mountain were either rich or noble; ordinary people could not approach them.

Enzo stared at the carriage horses with reddened eyes. Every one of them was a thoroughbred worth at least a thousand gold coins. These horses should have been galloping across battlefields, yet these wealthy families used them to pull carriages!

Lin Qi noticed something wrong with Enzo's gaze. Curling his lip, he sneered, "Well, nothing to be done about it. During the Continental-Island War, these people could only use donkeys to pull their carriages. But now? If a household doesn't keep seven or eight thoroughbreds, they feel they can't hold their heads up."

With a soft sigh, Lin Qi shook his head. "They're all rich, Enzo. Everyone here is rich! You know, when I was little, I'd take a stroll around these streets and just extort the pocket money from their children. Every time, I'd come away with more than a dozen gold coins!"

He neatly spat into the roadside gutter, then tipped his head back and sighed at the sky with boundless nostalgia. "Those blazing, glorious days of youth! Too bad they didn't last long before I was sent off to Berely!"

Just as Lin Qi was drowning in sentiment, an exquisite pure white carriage decorated with ivory stopped beside them. The gauze curtain over its window lifted, and a young woman of fair beauty poked half her face out in surprise.

"Lin Qi? Is that you? Lin Qi?"

Lin Qi gave the girl a startled look, then cast Enzo a smug glance. Laughing loudly, he moved toward the carriage. "Ah, my dear lady, I'm truly sorry. You still remember me, but please forgive me—I've been away from my hometown for far too long. May I ask your lovely name?"

The young lady's face went white, and she stamped her foot viciously. The driver hurriedly shouted, urging the two carriage horses into a panicked flight. Faintly, a terrified voice came from inside the carriage: "Gods, that little hooligan really has returned! I have to tell everyone—don't go out these next few days! Gods, why didn't he die in Berely?"

Enzo clutched his stomach and burst into laughter. Lin Qi watched the fleeing carriage with a dark expression, muttering through gritted teeth, "I remember now. That woman! Fine, her brother wouldn't obediently pay me protection money, so I cracked his head open and shoved her into a gutter. But other than that, what did I ever do to her? Was that really enough to make her run away?"

Enzo folded his arms across his chest and chuckled maliciously. "Boss, if you shoved her into a gutter now, she'd rather die. You don't understand how important a young girl's looks are to her. That beautiful lady would never let you push her into a gutter again!"

Lin Qi shot Enzo an annoyed glare. "Are you saying I don't understand women?"

Raising his brows, Enzo grinned. "Do you? Ah, Boss, I'm curious—have you finished developing yet?"

Lin Qi bared his teeth, suddenly realizing that he could never beat Enzo on this subject. He wisely shut his mouth. Inwardly, he was thankful Yu Lian was not here, or those two sharp tongues would surely torment him until he wished he were dead. Of course, Lin Qi consoled himself, that was called keeping himself pure. He would never waste even a single copper coin on those tavern maids!

What lively, fragrant beauty could compare to glittering golden Ooh-ooh-calls and silver-shining Chirp-chirp-calls? Even copper coins were far more lovable than women. Twisting his mouth, Lin Qi sighed thoughtfully. Women? Had women ever given him too little trouble?

After walking up the neat Gooseberry Avenue for a quarter of an hour, a vast estate appeared before them. Its brick walls had darkened with age, ancient vines coiling across them. The estate gate was an ornate openwork metal gate, tulips and grapevines entwined in its design. Several people stood before it, chatting.

Lin Qi's expression darkened. His gaze instinctively settled on a red-haired young man among them, who was talking animatedly. The young man was tall and handsome. His fair skin and flaming red hair lent him a startling charm. He looked to be just over twenty, certainly no older than twenty-five.

But the young man's left eye seemed to have suffered an extremely grave injury. A black leather eyepatch covered it tightly. His right eye, however, was a deep and alluring violet. One could easily imagine that, had his left eye been unharmed, he would have been an exceptionally handsome and captivating young man.

Lin Qi's expression turned strange as he watched the red-haired youth, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Enzo keenly sensed that something was off with Lin Qi. His hand settled on the hilt of his sword as he asked quietly, "Boss, who is he?"

Lin Qi rolled his shoulders and said slowly, "Him? Arthur—my father's adopted son, my elder brother in name. I left lovely Dunkirk for Berely because of him."

With a faint sigh, Lin Qi narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharp as a blade. "Because... because I dug out that left eye of his with my own hands."

Enzo stared at Lin Qi in astonishment. He had not returned to Dunkirk for three years. In other words, three years ago, Lin Qi had personally gouged out the eye of his father's adopted son. Lin Qi had only been fifteen then, hadn't he? How much rage, how ruthless a heart, would a fifteen-year-old boy need to gouge out the eye of such a handsome young man as Arthur?

"What a pity. I'd originally planned to dig out both his eyes, then throw him into the sea to feed the fish. Too bad my father came too quickly!"

Shrugging helplessly, Lin Qi strode toward the estate. He threw back his head and laughed loudly. "Hey, dear Arthur, you damn bastard, you're still alive? Has that damned eyeball of yours grown back?"

Arthur, who had been chatting and laughing with the people beside him, abruptly changed expression. His face turning green, he gritted his teeth and looked over.

Enzo's expression hardened. His right hand gripped his sword hilt as he followed closely behind Lin Qi.