The next day, child-palm-sized snowflakes finally drifted down from the cloud-packed sky, and Berely City was instantly blanketed in white.
Early that morning, Lin Qi sat with his legs crossed in The Cripple's Shop. At a table in the corner of the tavern, he had both feet propped high on the tabletop, a corncob pipe clenched in his mouth. He puffed away as he drank nose-stinging gin.
The liquor was excellent, a fine vintage the Cripple had kept in reserve, a splendid import from overseas, expertly brewed by those nimble-fingered goblins. Its rich, mellow flavor was worlds apart from the inferior stuff the Cripple sold to the toughs of the dock district.
Lin Qi blew a few smoke rings, belched, then picked up his enormous copper tankard and took a swig. A pleasant warmth spread through him, so cozy he wanted nothing more than to take a nap. But he had things on his mind, so he forced himself to stay alert, squinting as he surveyed the tavern and hoping to catch sight of Jiang Yong and his party, who had come from the East the night before.
A fat sheep, a fat sheep from the East. Though these sheep seemed to be tigers in sheepskin, they were certainly plump enough to make a man swoon. Lin Qi wanted to pry a few clues out of them and figure out just how much wealth they had. Then he could weigh their purses against their strength and decide whether to make a move on them.
Although this was the dock district, although this was the Cripple's turf, and although those strange, pale-faced young men seemed like a difficult bunch to handle, if Jiang Yong's riches were tempting enough, Lin Qi would definitely make a move on them.
"My Ooh-ooh-calls, my Chirp-chirp-calls!" He reached for the money pouch at his waist. After just one night, it had already shriveled up like a lemon squeezed dry of all its juice. Lin Qi let out a troubled sigh and started counting on his fingers.
As the leader of the Iron Fist Brotherhood, he had far too many expenses. The Brotherhood held sway over Berely University City, with the entire university district as its turf. It had dozens of core members and hundreds of peripheral brothers, making it one of the most powerful groups in all of Berely City. But Lin Qi was an outsider, after all. He had only been operating in Berely City for three years, and his foothold was shaky. He had no steady source of income, so his money pouch was always running on empty.
"Eighteen Ooh-ooh-calls, golden Ooh-ooh-calls, and they vanished after spending just one night in bed with me!"
With a dejected sigh, Lin Qi picked up his tankard and took another swig. He blew out a thick cloud of smoke and silently cursed as he counted on his fingers. Eighteen gold coins could have bought ordinary folk two or three years of living it up, but they had bid him farewell after just one night.
What could he do? Several core members of the Iron Fist Brotherhood, all students at Fifth University, had gotten drunk and brawled with students from another school in the street. The Dragon Cavalry had been out on patrol and nabbed the lot of them. Their bail alone had cost eight gold coins!
The remaining ten coins had gone to the peripheral brothers. A while back, the Iron Fist Brotherhood had clashed with a rival faction, and several of its hired hands had their ribs broken. Medical bills, nourishment, living expenses—all of it cost money! The ten gold coins had flown out of Lin Qi's pouch like lively little birds, and now all he had left was a few dozen coppers!
"My dream is to have my grave and coffin made of gold after I die!" Lin Qi sighed, then gave Enzo, sitting beside him without moving a muscle, a rueful smile. "But it looks like I'm getting farther and farther from my life's goal! Gold, gold, glittering gold! To be honest, whether it's the Gods in the heavens or the devils said to dwell in Hell, I'll worship whoever can give me gold!"
Enzo wiped his nose and let out a mighty sneeze. He glanced sideways at his big brother and spat out a mouthful of bright red saliva. The mixture of betel nut and tobacco reeked. Lin Qi grimaced, sniffed, and sneezed too.
The two clinked their tankards. Enzo took a drink and said thickly, "Boss, your family's rich."
Lin Qi's expression turned gloomy. He grabbed his corncob pipe and smashed it against the table, knocking out the tobacco ashes. His face darkened as he said, "That's right, my old man should be rich. But that's his money, not mine. My old man's built like a Magic Beast. It'll take another fifty or sixty years before he leaves that money to me!"
With a long sigh, Lin Qi shook his head. "And even if my old man were unlucky enough to go meet the Gods, I'd still have rivals."
Enzo twisted his mouth and stuffed a wad of tobacco and betel nut into it, chewing vigorously. His gaze wandered over the serving girls, a deliberately suave smile hanging at the corner of his mouth as he shot them a smug wink.
In broad daylight, The Cripple's Shop had few customers. Several serving girls stood idle by the bar. When they saw the handsome, rugged Enzo making a pass at them, they all burst into uninhibited laughter. The women of the dock district weren't the virtuous sort; to them, attracting the interest of any man was a rare honor.
Lin Qi furrowed his brow, sinking into deep thought.
Though only eighteen, he had begun to ponder his life, to reflect on the successes and failures of his first eighteen years. Buoyed by alcohol, he was making grander plans for his future. Perhaps having only his grave and coffin made of gold was too small-minded. Perhaps he ought to live in a palace built of gold while he was still alive?
Lin Qi shot a disdainful glance at Enzo, who was in high spirits, exchanging flirtatious looks with the serving girls. "Women, oh, women! Enzo, with glittering Ooh-ooh-calls, what woman couldn't you have? Glittering gold, oh! I'd rather have a golden beauty lying in my bed than let these ostentatious, irritating creatures come near me!"
Enzo ignored Lin Qi. They had known each other for three years, and he knew Lin Qi's pursuit of gold bordered on obsession. What could a green little brat, who hadn't even finished growing his body hair, know about the charms of these lovely females? Enzo took a deep breath and suddenly felt a surge of heat well up inside him.
But when he felt the empty pouch at his waist, Enzo silently recited the breathing method taught by his Military Academy instructor and forcibly suppressed the heat.
Turning back to Lin Qi, Enzo said with unusual seriousness, "Yes, boss. I've suddenly realized that glittering Ooh-ooh-calls really are lovely."
Before Enzo had even finished speaking, the tavern door was violently kicked open. A gust of wind swept in with the snow, and a rough, hoarse, unbearably grating voice boomed, "Cripple, send someone to find our young master. The lord sent me to deliver him a message. Hey, woman, bring me a drink!"
Lin Qi was overjoyed at the sound. He sprang to his feet and cried out in delight, "Aha! Uncle Iron Hammer, what brings you here?"
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