Family Arrives

The next day, palm-sized snowflakes finally began to fall from the heavily clouded sky, and Berely City was instantly blanketed in white.

Early in the morning, Lin Qi sat in The Cripple's Shop, his legs propped up. At a table in the corner of the tavern, Lin Qi's feet were high on the surface, a corncob pipe clenched between his teeth. He puffed on it, exhaling smoke while drinking nose-stinging juniper wine.

The wine was excellent, a prized vintage from The Cripple, a good thing imported from overseas, brewed by those nimble-fingered goblins. Its aroma was rich and mellow, incomparable to the inferior stuff The Cripple sold to the dockside ruffians.

Exhaling a few smoke rings, Lin Qi burped and took a large gulp from his oversized copper wine cup. A wave of warmth spread through him, making him want nothing more than to sleep. But he had something on his mind, so he forced himself to stay alert, squinting as he scanned the tavern, hoping to spot Jiang Yong and his group from Eastern who had arrived last night.

Fat sheep, fat sheep from Eastern. Although these sheep seemed like tigers in sheep's clothing, they were undeniably succulent and intoxicating. Lin Qi wanted to glean some clues from them, first to estimate their wealth, then to weigh the proportion between their wallets and their strength, and finally decide whether to make a move.

Even though this was the dockside district, even though this was The Cripple's Shop's territory, and even though those strange pale youths seemed difficult to deal with, as long as Jiang Yong had enough money, Lin Qi would definitely make a move.

"My Ooh-ooh-call, my Chirp-chirp-call!" He reached for the money pouch at his waist, which had become as shriveled as a squeezed lemon overnight. Lin Qi sighed in distress and began counting on his fingers.

As the boss of the Iron Fist Brotherhood, there were simply too many expenses. Occupying Berely University City, the entire University City district was its territory, with dozens of core members and hundreds of peripheral brothers. The Iron Fist Brotherhood's strength ranked among the top in all of Berely City. However, Lin Qi was an outsider. He had only been operating in Berely City for three years, his foundation was unstable, and he lacked a steady source of income, which is why Lin Qi's money pouch was always in a depleted state.

"Eighteen Ooh-ooh-call, golden Ooh-ooh-call, vanished after sharing my bed for just one night!"

Sighing dejectedly, Lin Qi picked up his wine cup and took another drink. Exhaling a thick cloud of smoke, Lin Qi counted on his fingers and cursed inwardly. Eighteen gold coins were enough for ordinary people to live a life of debauchery for two to three years, but they had bid him farewell in just one night.

What could he do? Several core members of the Iron Fist Brotherhood, also university students at Fifth University, had gotten into a street brawl with students from another school while drunk. They were apprehended by the patrolling Dragon Cavalry. The bail alone cost eight gold coins!

The remaining ten gold coins were spent on the peripheral brothers. A while ago, the Iron Fist Brotherhood had clashed with a rival faction, and several of the peripheral thugs had their ribs broken. Medical expenses, recovery fees, settlement fees – it all cost money! Ten gold coins flew out of Lin Qi's money pouch like lively little birds, leaving him with only thirty-odd copper coins!

"My dream is for my tomb and coffin to be cast in gold after I die!" Sighing, Lin Qi gave Enzo, who sat motionless beside him, a wry smile. "But it seems I'm getting further and further from my life goal! Gold, gold, shiny gold! To be frank, whether it's the gods in heaven or the demons in hell from legends, whoever gives me gold, I will worship them!"

Enzo wiped his nose and sneezed loudly. He glanced sideways at his boss and spat out a mouthful of bright red saliva. The mixture of betel nut and tobacco had a pungent odor. Lin Qi grinned, twitched his nose, and sneezed as well.

The two raised their wine cups and clinked them together. Enzo took a sip of wine and mumbled, "Boss, your family is very rich!"

Lin Qi's expression turned grim. He gripped the corncob pipe and slammed it hard on the table, knocking out the remaining embers of tobacco. His face darkened as he said, "That's right, my old man should be very rich. But that's his money, not mine. My old man is robust, no different from a magical beast. Without another fifty to sixty years, he won't be leaving that money to me!"

With a long sigh, Lin Qi shook his head. "Moreover, even if my old man were to meet the gods unfortunately, I still have competitors."

Enzo twisted his mouth and stuffed a wad of betel nut and tobacco mixture into it, chewing vigorously. His gaze swept over a few maids, a forced smile playing on his lips as he flirtatiously winked at them.

In the middle of the day, there weren't many customers in The Cripple's Shop. A few maids stood idly by the bar. Seeing Enzo, with his handsome and rugged face, strike up a conversation with them, they burst into unrestrained laughter. The maids in the dockside district were not prudes; attracting the interest of any male was a rare honor for them.

Lin Qi frowned, lost in deep thought.

Although only eighteen years old, he began to contemplate his life, reflecting on the successes and failures of his past eighteen years. Fueled by alcohol, Lin Qi was making grander plans for his future – perhaps merely a tomb and coffin made of gold was too modest. Perhaps he should live in a palace built of gold while he was still alive?

He glanced dismissively at Enzo, who was in high spirits, flirting with the maids, and sneered, "Women, oh, women! Enzo, with enough shiny Ooh-ooh-call, what woman can't you have? Shiny gold, oh, I'd rather have a golden beauty lying in my bed than have these gaudy, annoying creatures near me!"

Enzo ignored Lin Qi. Having known each other for three years, he knew Lin Qi's near-obsessive pursuit of gold. What did this immature brat, still wet behind the ears, know of the benefits of these lovely female creatures? Enzo took a deep breath, feeling a surge of heat rise within him.

But touching the depleted money pouch at his waist, Enzo silently circulated the qi control technique taught by his Military Academy instructor, forcibly suppressing the heat.

Turning back to Lin Qi, Enzo said with unusual seriousness, "Yes, boss, I suddenly realize that shiny Ooh-ooh-call is indeed lovely."

Before Enzo could finish speaking, the tavern door was violently kicked open. A gust of wind carrying heavy snow rushed in, and a rough, hoarse, and incredibly unpleasant voice boomed, "The Cripple, send someone to find our young master. The master sent me with a letter for him. Hey, ladies, pour this old man a drink!"

Hearing the voice, Lin Qi's eyes lit up. He jumped up with a start, exclaiming in surprise, "Aha, Uncle Iron Hammer, what brings you here?"