Damn Swindler

Suotuo City, an old street that was fairly lively.

Flender's little shop stood at the end of the street. It was small, its storefront was old, and it did not even have a decent sign out front. Inside, it was even messier.

There was a pile of old maps on the left, a stack of Soul Beast Illustrated Guides with missing pages on the right, and several wooden crates of unknown former use in the corner. The air carried a strange smell of aged ink mixed with tea.

Flender sat in a recliner behind the counter, holding an unfolded newspaper in his left hand and a half-cold cup of tea in his right, humming a tune under his breath.

One leg was crossed over the other, his toe bobbing up and down, making the entire recliner creak rhythmically.

His eyes were on the newspaper, though it was already three days old. What he was reading were several small advertisements in the middle seam. Afternoons when the sun was mild and the streets were quiet suited him best.

He narrowed his eyes, feeling that his little life was still rather comfortable.

The door creaked open.

"Feel free to look around if you want something." He did not even raise his head, his voice lazy and slightly off-key.

No one answered.

The visitor's footsteps were light. They paused at the entrance for a moment before slowly walking inside. Flender paid no attention; he had seen plenty of customers like this.

They looked without buying, flipped through things, then left. He kept shaking his leg and reading the paper, but the person did not go to the shelves or browse anything. The footsteps came unhurriedly toward the counter.

Flender's toe slowed.

He still did not lower the newspaper, merely peering over its edge. He saw a pair of shoes stop three steps away.

His heart skipped a beat, though he could not figure out why.

"Damn swindler." A frivolous voice drifted in from beyond the newspaper.

Flender's shaking leg stopped at once. The entire shop fell silent. He slowly lowered the newspaper, and then he saw Luo Yan's face.

That face had matured somewhat compared to two years ago.

"You..." Flender's throat bobbed, and he nearly spilled his tea.

Luo Yan said nothing. He tilted his head, and the corner of his mouth slowly curled upward.

"You ran pretty fast yesterday," Luo Yan said. "Earthworm King."

Flender set the teacup on the counter. He had seen his share of storms, so after only a moment of shock, he quickly regained his composure.

He first glanced out the window, then toward the side door. A black-clad girl with an incredible figure stood by the window.

Tang San leaned against the side doorframe, smiling at him with refined politeness.

At the front entrance, Xiao Wu already had one foot on the threshold. They had blocked all three directions.

He withdrew his gaze, and this time, he truly had a headache.

"Well, well. Little brother, you've grown so tall."

Flender plastered on a smile. "You came all this way just to see me? I'm flattered."

Luo Yan had already seated himself across from him, idly playing with a chipped statue on the counter. "I was passing through and hadn't intended to bother you, but you ran so fast yesterday that I thought maybe you owed me more than just one map."

"A misunderstanding! A huge misunderstanding!"

Flender hurriedly waved his hands, his voice rising sharply. "That map wasn't fake! It was... it was impressionistic! Yes, impressionistic! Do you understand? It was meant to let you experience the route yourself. A true Soul Master doesn't rely on maps, but on the heart! I was helping you cultivate your character!"

"So getting lost was cultivation too?"

Luo Yan raised his eyes, smiling without quite smiling. "I wandered around that forest for days like I was trapped in a ghost maze. Should I thank you for helping me master the 'Earthworm Heart Manual'?"

"That's not quite how you should put it..."

Flender rubbed his hands together, his eyes darting rapidly. "But look, haven't you grown stronger now? If people don't suffer a little, they never learn their lesson. If I hadn't sold you that map back then, would you be this spirited today? I meant well."

Xiao Wu let out a laugh. "Third Brother, did you hear that? He scammed someone and says it was for their own good."

Tang San said nothing. He merely gave the Blue Silver Grass in his hand a gentle shake. The grass crept half an inch along the floor, making Flender's eyelid twitch.

"Let's talk this out!"

His smile turned strained. "I'll compensate you! I'll compensate you, all right? How much was that map? Three Copper Soul Coins? I'll give you three Silver Soul Coins! No, three Gold Soul Coins! Let's put this matter to rest!"

Only then did Luo Yan slowly put down the statue and glance at him. "Three Gold Soul Coins?"

"That's right!" Flender patted his chest.

"What about two years of interest?"

"I'll include it! All of it!"

"What about emotional damages?" Luo Yan continued. "I gnawed on wild fruit in the forest for three days, threw up four times, and nearly got chased down and bitten by Spirit Beasts. How are we settling those accounts?"

The smile on Flender's face finally began to crack.

He straightened up, wanting to put on the airs of an important figure, but then felt that posturing before a group of children would only be more embarrassing.

He spread his hands. "Little brother, isn't this a bit excessive? Three Gold Soul Coins would be enough for you to eat at half the restaurants on this street. You getting lost can't possibly be worth more than my merchandise, can it?"

"It is. Why wouldn't it be?" Luo Yan crossed one leg over the other. "Your merchandise is dead. I'm alive. A living person suffering is worth more than dead goods, isn't it?"

Flender choked. Looking at Luo Yan's stance, he knew the boy had no intention of letting this slide easily today.

He accepted it, though. Who told him to have been so desperately poor back then that he stuffed a half-grown child with a useless map?

Now that the child had come knocking, it was hardly unjustified.

"Fine... I'll give you five Gold Soul Coins, and we'll call it even."

Flender took several coins from his clothes and pushed them toward Luo Yan, his face full of pain.

Luo Yan did not take them immediately. He looked down at the coins, then raised his eyes to Flender. "Five. Plus one honest answer."

"What honest answer?" Flender asked warily.

"What exactly does this shop sell? Sundries or maps?"

Luo Yan said, "You have everything here. Even that string of copper bells on the wall looks old enough to have been dug out of a grave. Don't tell me you've sold fake Soul Tools too?"

"Nonsense! I, Flender, conduct myself with integrity! At most, my goods are a little old, the prices are fair, and I never cheat children or the elderly!" Flender hurriedly explained.

He could not admit to that. Walls had ears!

Seeing that the matter was over, Zhu Zhuqing stepped forward and tugged Luo Yan's sleeve. "We should go. Find Dai Mubai."

Flender, who had been clutching his money pouch with a pained expression, suddenly looked up.

"Who?" he asked, his eyes going wide. "Who are you looking for?"

Luo Yan had just tucked the five Gold Soul Coins into his sleeve. Hearing this, he tilted his head to look at Zhu Zhuqing, then at Flender.

He smiled, having expected this old fox to react this way. "Dai Mubai. Blond hair, tall, the so-called 'young nobleman' surrounded by women. What, Boss, do you know him?"

Flender opened his mouth. His expression shifted from pain to confusion, then to something extraordinarily subtle.

Of course he knew him. That little bastard was a Shrek student.

Though Dai Mubai never returned to the academy and spent his days at the Rose Hotel, he was still Flender's student.

Flender had even paid for that brat's meal two days ago.

"What do you want with him?" Flender asked, his tone changing completely.

"To settle things," Zhu Zhuqing said.

Settle things? Did she mean what I think she meant?

As he considered how to ease the situation, a blast of hot air suddenly rushed in through the doorway.

"Headmaster—!"

Ma Hongjun crashed through the door. He looked as though he had just leaped out of a steamer, his face flushed red, sweat beading at his temples, and the collar of his clothes soaked through.

It was as if two flames danced in his eyes. The moment he entered, he swept his gaze across the room. He spotted Flender first and was about to speak, but then his gaze shifted and stopped on Zhu Zhuqing.

Then those two flames roared even higher.

"You... you..." As if he had lost his soul, he shifted half a step toward Zhu Zhuqing.

Flender immediately realized something was wrong and shouted sternly, "Ma Hongjun! Stop right there! She's a guest!"

But Ma Hongjun could no longer hear him.

When the Evil Fire backlash was at its fiercest, even Flender could not wake him, let alone the heavens themselves.

His eyes were filled with Zhu Zhuqing. His mouth was dry, his heart thundered like a drum, and he lunged forward, reaching for her.

Zhu Zhuqing reacted quickly. With a movement of her feet, she slid half a zhang backward.

Ma Hongjun missed, but he refused to give up and chased after her with another half-step. Frost seemed ready to form in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes.

"Get lost," she said quietly.

An awful rasping breath came from Ma Hongjun's throat.

Tang San had already stepped forward, pulling the still-confused Xiao Wu behind him.

He stood before Xiao Wu as Blue Silver Grass slipped from his sleeve, curling into a half-circle to shield them both.

Luo Yan had remained where he was until Ma Hongjun pressed another step toward Zhu Zhuqing. Only then did Luo Yan move.

He stepped forward and delivered a side kick, striking Ma Hongjun squarely in the waist.

Bang!

Ma Hongjun flew sideways, knocking over two old wooden crates before crashing onto a pile of old maps. He curled up there, breathing more and more heavily. The sweat on his temples had become like boiling water, dripping onto the floor with faint sizzling sounds.

"This is bad." Flender's expression darkened.

Ma Hongjun suddenly raised his head. His eyes were so red he no longer looked human. A low roar came from his throat as he sprang from the ground and charged toward the most crowded part of the room.

Xiao Wu cried out.

Tang San's Blue Silver Grass instantly surged outward. Several strands lashed over and wrapped around Ma Hongjun's right arm.

But the moment the grass touched his wrist, a wisp of white smoke rose with a sizzle, and it curled backward from the heat.

"Get back!" Flender shouted.

He stepped forward, moving with incredible speed. When he appeared again, he was already standing before Ma Hongjun, one hand reaching out to press precisely against Ma Hongjun's forehead.

Ma Hongjun tried to struggle, but Flender flipped his palm, and a heavy, dense wave of Soul Power pressed down, slowly forcing him back to the ground.

"Wake up!" Flender said in a low voice.

Luo Yan held a mask in his hand, watching the fat boy on the floor expressionlessly.