Chapter Seven: Visitors from the Family

The next day, snowflakes the size of a child's palm finally drifted down from the crimson-clouded sky, blanketing Braley City in white.

Early in the morning, Lin Qi was already sitting in the Cripple’s tavern with his legs propped up. At a table tucked away in a corner, his feet rested high on the tabletop, a corncob pipe clamped between his teeth as he puffed out clouds of smoke and sipped the sharp, nose-stinging juniper liquor.

The liquor was excellent, a prized vintage the Cripple had hidden away, imported from overseas, masterfully brewed by those clever gnomes. Its rich, mellow aroma was worlds apart from the cheap swill sold to the dockyard toughs.

Exhaling a few smoke rings, Lin Qi burped, lifted his massive copper mug, and took a gulp, feeling a soothing warmth spread through his body that made him long for a nap. But his mind was restless, so he forced himself to stay alert, squinting as he scanned the tavern, hoping to spot Jiang Yong and his companions from the East who had arrived the previous night.

Big, fat sheep from the East. Though this flock seemed more like wolves in sheep’s clothing, their wealth was intoxicating. Lin Qi wanted to glean a clue or two from them—first, to estimate their fortune, then weigh the balance between their purse and their strength, and finally decide whether or not to make a move.

Though this was the dock district, though it was the Cripple’s turf, though those strange pale-faced youths seemed troublesome, if Jiang Yong’s riches proved alluring enough, Lin Qi would not hesitate to act.

“Oh, my clucks and chirps!” He reached for his coin pouch at his waist. After just one night, it lay shriveled, as if squeezed dry like a lemon. Lin Qi sighed, a bit troubled, and began counting on his fingers.

As the leader of the Iron Fist Brotherhood, there were endless expenses. They dominated Braley University Town, the entire district was their territory, with dozens of core members and hundreds of peripheral brothers. The Brotherhood’s strength was well-known throughout Braley City. Yet Lin Qi was still an outsider, only three years in this city, his roots shallow, his income unstable, so his coin pouch remained perpetually depleted.

“Eighteen golden clucks, bright and shiny, gone after sharing my bed for just one night!”

He sighed in defeat, grabbed his mug and took another drink. With a heavy puff, he cursed silently, counting on his fingers. Eighteen gold coins—enough for an ordinary citizen to live in luxury for two or three years—vanished in just one night.

What could he do? Several core members of the Brotherhood, all students of the Fifth University, had gotten drunk and brawled with outsiders in the street, only to be swept up by patrolling dragoons. Their bail alone cost eight gold coins!

The remaining ten gold coins had gone to the peripheral brothers. Recently, the Brotherhood had clashed with rival factions; several hired hands had broken ribs—medicine, nutrition, settling their families—all required money. The ten coins flew away like lively birds from Lin Qi’s pouch. Now, only thirty or so copper coins remained.

“My dream is for my grave and coffin to be cast in gold when I die!” Lin Qi sighed and gave a wry smile to Enzo, who sat beside him unmoving. “But now it seems I’m drifting farther from my life’s goal! Gold, gold, radiant gold! To be honest, whether gods above or demons below grant me gold, I’d worship them!”

Enzo wiped his nose and sneezed forcefully. He glanced sideways at his boss and spat a mouthful of bright red saliva. The pungent mix of betel nut and tobacco made Lin Qi grimace and sniff, prompting another sneeze.

The two clinked their mugs. Enzo took a drink and muttered, “Boss, your family’s rich.”

Lin Qi’s expression grew gloomy. He slammed his corncob pipe on the table, knocking out its tobacco remnants. “True, my old man should be rich. But that’s his money, not mine. He’s as robust as a magical beast, and unless he’s gone for fifty or sixty years, he won’t leave me a penny!”

He sighed deeply and shook his head. “And even if he were to meet the gods, I’d still have competitors.”

Enzo twisted his mouth, stuffing a lump of tobacco and betel nut into his mouth and chewing heartily. His gaze roamed over the serving girls, a faux-dashing smile on his lips as he winked at them.

It was broad daylight, and the Cripple’s tavern had few customers. The maids, idle by the bar, burst into loud laughter when the handsome, rugged Enzo flirted with them. Dock district maids lacked any pretense of virtue; attracting any man’s interest was an honor in itself.

Lin Qi frowned, lost in deep thought.

Though only eighteen, he was already pondering his life, weighing his successes and failures over the past years. With the help of alcohol, Lin Qi was making grander plans—perhaps casting his grave and coffin in gold was too petty; maybe he should live in a palace made of gold while still alive.

He shot a disdainful look at the exuberant Enzo, who was exchanging glances with the maids, and said mockingly, “Women, oh women! Enzo, with enough shiny clucks, what woman couldn’t you have? Golden coins—ah, I’d rather have a golden beauty lying on my bed than let these gaudy creatures near me!”

Enzo ignored Lin Qi. After three years together, he understood Lin Qi’s near-obsessive pursuit of gold. This callow youth knew nothing of the charms of these lovely females. Enzo took a deep breath, feeling a rush of heat rise within him.

But touching his shriveled money pouch, Enzo practiced the breath control techniques taught by the military academy instructors, forcing the heat down.

He turned seriously to Lin Qi and said, “Yes, Boss, I suddenly realize—those shiny clucks are indeed adorable.”

Before Enzo finished, the tavern’s door was kicked open with a crash. A gust of wind and snow swept in, and a coarse, husky voice boomed, “Cripple, send someone to find our young master. The old man sent me to deliver a message. Hey, girl, bring me a drink!”

Lin Qi was delighted at the sound and jumped up, shouting with joy, “Aha, Uncle Hammer, what brings you here?”