Inside Flender's office.
Flender and Zhao Wuji, who had been waiting anxiously inside, hurried forward when they saw Yu Xiaogang return.
"How did it go? Did Erlong agree?"
Yu Xiaogang puffed out his chest smugly and said casually,
"Of course. It's not like you don't know how much she loves me. As agreed, 1,000 gold coins."
"Don't worry, Grandmaster. Even if I have to rob someone, I'll scrape the money together for you."
Zhao Wuji thumped his chest with resounding bangs.
Flender gritted his teeth, silently took off his cloth shoe, and carefully lifted its layered insole, taking a Gold Card from between the two layers.
These were the savings he had painstakingly scraped together by pinching pennies and skimping on food, the last reserves Shrek had left.
Holding the Gold Card, Flender gazed at it longingly. He even rubbed it gently against his cheek in anguish, looking as though a knife were carving into his heart.
After hesitating for a long while, he finally gritted his teeth and handed the Gold Card to Yu Xiaogang.
Yu Xiaogang pinched the Gold Card between two fingers in disgust as a sour stench hit him in the face.
It made his eyes roll back. He hurriedly stuffed it into his pocket before the smell finally became less overwhelming.
"All right. I'll have it delivered to you in a few days."
Then Yu Xiaogang turned around and hurried out of the office with his cane, never looking back.
Zhao Wuji pounded his aching knees and looked questioningly at the tearful Flender.
"Look, if parting with the money hurts you that much, why buy it?"
He rubbed his lower back and legs, complaining helplessly as he counted off his chronic ailments.
"I only bought it because I had no other choice. Last time, I