Chapter 142: A Bizarre Reunion

You are all too ruthless! What is going on here?

Elopements, bathing, and all you folks gifting "red packets"—are you trying to squeeze me dry like a pig? If you squeeze me dry, there won't be any pig's head meat left to eat!

Alright, alright, this is chapter twenty-six for the day! Chapter one hundred and forty-two is today's twenty-six! And there is more to come!

Since the gifts are so generous, those of you with spare monthly tickets, please shower them upon me!

Early the next morning, a high-spirited Yulian stood at the door of Lin Qi’s dormitory.

Dressed in brand-new, magnificent attire, with gold notes worth over ten thousand gold coins tucked into his belt and a sword with an exquisitely ornate scabbard hanging at his waist, Yulian couldn't help but hold his head high. He actually possessed a bit of the air of a young master from a flourishing noble family.

The clothes were something Yulian had purchased overnight; the gold notes were a gift from Lin Qi; and that sword was a magical weapon Lin Qi had specially selected for him from his family's secret vault—a genuine, authentic magical weapon.

Unlike the simple, fierce, and lethal sword styles used by the military, Yulian practiced a style that had become popular among nobles over the last twenty years: intricate, ornate, and even bordering on luxurious. This flowery swordplay was extremely complex, as elaborate as a beautiful sonnet. The sword Lin Qi chose for him was light, agile, and sharp, and more importantly, it had an "Illusion Spell" permanently imbued upon it.

With a flick of the wrist, sword light would erupt everywhere, as if countless miniature "Fireworks Spells" were blooming in the palm of one's hand simultaneously. An opponent would be unable to tell where the blade actually was, and their senses would be overwhelmed by the light. Such a sword was perfectly in line with noble aesthetics, and for Yulian, this fancy, gorgeous weapon was exactly what he needed to push his swordsmanship to the limit.

Looking smug, Yulian tapped his golden spurs with a riding crop wrapped in mountain vine and silver thread, leaning against Lin Qi’s doorframe while whistling softly. He felt triumphant and refreshed; it was the first time in many years he had felt this carefree.

Everything was thanks to the Boss! Yulian understood this deeply.

Once Tiexiang fulfilled his promise and handed those five wonderful positions over to Yulian’s elders, Yulian’s family would no longer be a fallen baronial house, but a true, powerful clan in the imperial capital. Given time, what was a mere baron? Perhaps the family title would be elevated to… a Count?

A Count would be enough. Yulian indulged in blissful daydreams. A hereditary baronetcy alone was enough to make those beautiful young ladies throw themselves at him, wailing and crying; if he truly held a hereditary countship, perhaps all the beauties in the university town would be more than happy to sleep with him?

At the thought of this, Yulian couldn't help but chuckle foolishly.

Steady, measured footsteps sounded as Enzo approached with his usual calm gait. He greeted Yulian, and the two stood leaning against either side of Lin Qi’s doorframe, looking like two gate-guarding imps. The dormitory was empty and silent, and the cold wind whistling through the vacant corridor made their clothes flap with a rhythmic snapping sound.

The two waited for a full half-hour before a bleary-eyed Lin Qi pulled open his door, wearing thick pajamas. Without a word to Yulian or Enzo, he walked three circles around the room, did a few squats, and twisted his waist from side to side. Having completed his most important morning exercise, Lin Qi finished.

Yulian and Enzo rolled their eyes in unison. It was simply heaven-defying; how could someone so lazy possess such powerful battle qi?

The lingering sleepiness was chased away by the cold wind. Lin Qi went into the small washroom to take care of his personal hygiene, then emerged in his daily attire. Wrapping a large, thick bearskin coat around himself, he hung five large deerskin money bags from his belt.

Two bags were filled with gold coins, two with silver coins, and one with copper coins. Lin Qi twisted his waist with difficulty; the "clinking" sound of the coins brought him a sense of joy, though his face twitched a moment later. He said with a pained heart, "My lovely 'clink-clinks' and 'chatter-chatters.' Well, we have a lot to do today."

Yulian and Enzo nodded; they indeed had a lot to do today.

First, they needed to gather the peripheral thugs of the Iron Fist Brotherhood and distribute some money to them. Previously, the brotherhood had been destitute, and Lin Qi had no funds to give them, but now that he held sufficient wealth, he naturally had to provide these subordinates with some benefits.

Even with one's backside, one could understand that a thug who ate meat and drank wine and was robust and sturdy had a vastly different combat capability compared to one who chewed on black bread and water every day and was as thin as a monkey. Lin Qi needed thugs with fierce combat power; he didn't want three hundred monkeys standing before him when spring arrived—he needed three hundred ferocious, hungry wolves.

After that, Lin Qi planned to stroll through the commercial district. As agreed with Baier, the family members accompanying them would be infiltrating the imperial capital today. Lin Qi needed to scout out some rental properties for them to settle in as quickly as possible. These places needed to be comfortable and, more importantly, secluded, without too many troublemakers lurking nearby, or else a leak of information would do Lin Qi no good.

By the afternoon, he would also have to pay a visit to Tiexiang. After all, since they had just hooked up, daily greetings were conducive to maintaining a good relationship.

"Lots to do, brothers!" Lin Qi patted his heavy money bags and said with emotion, "We are men who do big things; we will be very busy! Hmm, the 'clink-clinks' and 'chatter-chatters' spent today are only to ensure that more 'clink-clinks' and 'chatter-chatters' flow into my pockets tomorrow. So, although it hurts, it must be spent!"

Resetting the three deadly traps in his room, the trio left the university town and began running errands through the streets and alleys of the capital.

After the morning passed, Lin Qi met with the leaders of the Iron Fist Brotherhood's peripheral thug group, gathered their brothers, and distributed a portion of the coins. The thugs were overjoyed, and their loyalty to Lin Qi instantly soared to the limit.

Afterward, the three of them ate lunch at a cheap diner and strolled into the South District’s commercial area.

As luck would have it, just as Lin Qi entered the commercial district, he heard a familiar voice at the entrance of a pawnshop.

"How is this possible? It’s only worth three gold coins? May the god you worship strike down your father and mother, strike down your sons and daughters, and then strike down your wife, leaving you, this filthy reptile, to wither away in lonely old age! This is a rare blue fox fur coat from the Odin Ice Plains; I spent the equivalent of two hundred thousand gold coins in bullion to acquire it! And you say it’s only worth three gold coins?"

Such a malicious curse, and being such a remarkable person who could greet someone so venomously to their face without fear of being beaten to death—Lin Qi subconsciously leaned toward the pawnshop entrance to peek inside, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Hey, you guys are really being too much of a bully!" Lin Qi shouted.