Chapter 102 ** Sin
Like trained soldiers, Duner leading figures in the hall moved to the left and right, coincidentally creating a path from where Lin Qi and the others were at all the way to the door. Though the two-meters-wide and dozens-meters-long passage, Long Cheng, with his Blue Fox leather cloak, could be seen smiling strangely at a martial-looking youth wearing stiff clothing, whose right hand was pressing on his sword hilt.
'This wretched fellow! What had he been up to the whole afternoon?' Once Lin Qi saw the strange smile on Long Cheng's face, he felt that the matter must be far from good. That smile of Long Cheng's was like a male lion, a hegemon of the prairies on the Black Spirit Continent, who just pampered all of the female lions of its herd. Underneath the indolence was a hint of deeply concealed killing intent; if someone dared to touch him, he would immediately start killing in a violent manner.
Blackbeard's gaze fell on Long Cheng for the first time.
When Lin Qi and the others returned during the day, Blackbeard's whole mind was on Lin Qi. He simply didn't notice Long Cheng, the guy who purposely restrained his aura to conceal his own existence. Without a doubt, Long Cheng had a unique technique to conceal his aura, making even the powerful and sharp intuition of Blackbeard's unable to discover his abnormality.
But now, facing a provocator who was grasping his sword hilt, Long Cheng was like a lion whose butt was kicked when he was sleeping, lazily exposing the cold tip of his claws. The trace of chilling cold light made all the muscles of in Blackbeard's body stretched taut, as he felt the strong threat coming from Long Cheng ― enough to threaten Blackbeard's life.
It was a terrifying person of similar strength with Blackbeard. In fact if it wasn't for his vitality being a little weak, like having lost a lot of his vital energy, Blackbeard believed that he was very possibly not Long Cheng's opponent.
A terrifying and powerful existence! Countless scenes flashed through Blackbeard's mind before he finally recalled that Long Cheng was the one jumping off the whale-hunting ship after Lin Qi. In other words, Long Cheng was at least Lin Qi's acquaintance; perhaps not considered a friend, but at least on an enemy.
Glaring at Lin Qi with a little anger, Blackbeard angered by with how Lin Qi acted on his own initiative. Lin Qi could conceal the matter of them fighting with the alien tribesmen, but such a dangerous variable like Long Cheng, how could he not be told immediately?
This situation was like a male lion, under the guidance of a young lion, strolled into another lion's territory. This kind of thing was extremely sensitive; if one was careless, it could create a huge mess, provoking a huge quarrel. Let's say one of Blackbeard's subordinates, not knowing Long Cheng's identity, hastily offended him and was killed, then Blackbeard had to openly fight with him; it was something Blackbeard wasn't willing to see.
Seeing Blackbeard's angry gaze, Lin Qi helplessly spread his hands. True, he overlooked this problem; he should have let Blackbeard know of Long Cheng earlier. But there were so many things to do, Lin Qi was very busy the whole afternoon; he had to ensure the profit from the Single-horned Whale King was distributed according to his wishes. For the sake of this matter, he and Blackbeard argued for ages, making him completely forget about Long Cheng.
Seeing that Long Cheng had provoked some trouble, Lin Qi could only rolled his eyes and prayed to the various gods, hoping this guy won't kill people on the spot, otherwise it would be hard to sort out.
The banquet hall was silent. Everyone was firmly watching Long Cheng and the youngster whose hand was pressing on his sword hilt.
Everyone recognized the youngster, the only son of the current president of the Joint Chamber of Commerce, Geare Tang, a solitary youngster.
As the only son of the current president of the Joint Chamber of Commerce, Geare Tang lived a life of luxury since childhood. He could totally be the leading figure among Dunerk silkpants. But Geare Tang was innately obsessed with the biographies of those legendary knights in history. He was set on becoming an epic hero exceeding a Heaven Knight, to kill demons and rescue the continent civilization from extermination.
So Geare Tang started to become a black sheep when he was 7; he spent countless gold coins to hire countless self-proclaimed 'powerful warriors' and received some disorderly knight education. When he was a bit older, he started to wield the long sword in his hand in the name of chivalry and created many troubled for Dunerk's local ruffians and gangsters.
Especially Lin Qi; Geare Tang was the only person in Dunerk who could cause a little trouble for Lin Qi. Even though he was once hit by Lin Qi with a brick from the back in a small alley for 13 consecutive times, was thrown into places like ditches and dung holes by Lin Qi's traps for 22 consecutive times, was demanded night fee by some prostitutes on the street for 35 consecutive times, Geare Tang still conscientiously make things difficult for Lin Qi according to his original intention.
'It's the stone head!' Lin Qi held his head and forced a smile. 'I was feeling odd, it feels like someone is missing when I return home this time, turns out I haven't met this guy! Fine, fine, Long Cheng, this bastard, what did he do to provoke him?'
Geare Tang, this freak, let the good life of a silkpant go and insisted on being a chivalrous and knightly freak. Lin Qi didn't know from where he obtained knight rules that was said to be handed down from the ancient period before the Destruction Age. Nonetheless, he strictly abided by the so-called Big Eight Virtuous Conduct mentioned in it in a manner as rigid as a zombie in a grave. He couldn't have taken the initiative to stir up trouble, so it could only mean that it was Long Cheng who provoked him!
Currently, under Long Cheng's foot was a white silk glove. He was looking at the glove with a smirk, before slowly moving both his hands.
Without a doubt, Geare Tang just threw the glove at Long Cheng's face according to the challenge custom on the West Continent. It was a sign for a life-death duel, Geare Tang wanted to fight with Long Cheng in a situation where only one of them could live!
The current president of the Joint Chamber of Commerce, Tang Qiao, who was standing among the crowd, was so angry his whole body was trembling. He angrily berated in a low voice, "Geare Tang, what are you doing? You, you, is this a place where you can cause trouble?"
The tall and heroic Geare Tang firmly stared at Long Cheng. He pronounced word by word, "Coward, pick up my glove, then let me use my sword to pierce through your heart! You shameless disciple, you actually treat Miss Anleen like that! You, you actually beat her until her lower part bled!"
Everyone in the banquet hall simultaneously cried out in surprise, some strange laughter could even be heard.
Enzo's throat made a burst of gurgling sound and his hands and feet were twitching while he was looking at Geare Tang! Heavens, beaten until her lower part bled? How innocent was this kid! Geare Tang was also a youngster over twenty years old, yet he was actually still so innocent!
Lin Qi looked at the people with strange expressions around him. Long Cheng actually beat Anleen until her lower part bled, wasn't this a serious matter? Why were so many people showing such subtle smile?
Long Cheng coughed lightly. He looked at Geare Tang and calmly said, "You left out one person!"
Geare Tang shouted in realization, "Right, you also beat Miss Angel until her lower part bled! You shameless guy, how can you take action against two noble young ladies? Moreover, moreover, Miss Anleen is my fiancée!"
The whole audience cried out in alarm as two middle-aged women in luxurious clothing swayed and fainted.
Chapter 103 Duel Qualifications
The banquet hall was extremely quiet as the two women who just fainted were noiselessly carried out. Everyone present recognized the two women with outstanding appearances, they were Angel and Anleen's mothers.
The West Continent didn't actually care very much about a girl's chastity; finding some lovers before or after marriage wasn't a big matter. But this kind of 'harem affair' was a shameful secret that shouldn't have been made known to the public. Geare Tang, by saying such words in public, thought that he was chivalrously upholding justice, but in reality he had greatly offended the two girls' families.
Many thing could be done, but not be mentioned, yet Geare Tang made these things public.
Tang Qiao's face miserably turned green. The split second the two women noiselessly fainet, he had the urge to cut his own son inch by inch using a butter knife. Damned child, didn't he know that these thing cannot be mentioned casually? And how did he know the private affair between Long Cheng and the two girls?
Geare Tang still hadn't realized the mistake he had committed. He said with gritted teeth, "You shameless scum, duel with me! When I passed by a crack at the hotel door and saw two honorable young ladies was beaten by you to that extent, gasping while lying under the window sill unable to move, I knew then how shameless of a bastard you are! I want to use my sword to pierce through your chest!"
Heavily taking a step forward while grasping his sword hilt, Geare Tang raised his left hand and pointed straight at Long Cheng's nose.
Lin Qi snatched the wine cup in Enzo's hand and drank the 'good wine' inside it in one gulp. The sour and astringent wine entered his stomach and exploded within like a fireball magic. The hot and stinging flavor abruptly shook Lin Qi's mind. He saw Tang Qiao's miserable expression, then took another look at the self-righteous Geare Tang, also the unconcerned Long Cheng, before using his elbow to nudge Enzo.
"Long Cheng beat…."
Before Lin Qi finished speaking, Enzo already covered his mouth. It was currently extremely quiet inside the banquet hall; if Lin Qi said something unexpected now, it wouldn't just offend one or two people. Enzo moved closer to Lin Qi's ear and cautiously explain what was actually going on.
Lin Qi who had seen many outrageous things in the underworld, yet whose knowledge regarding man-woman matters was still shallow, suddenly understood. Hie eyes shone as he looked at Long Cheng. "This guy is actually this good? It was only one afternoon, yet he had turned Angel and Anleen from girls into women already? Heavens, how long has it been? But he is also quite unlucky, to actually be tangled by Geare Tang."
Similarly lowering his voice, Lin Qi carefully explained Geare Tang's history to Enzo.
Enzo was dumbfounded by what he heard. At this age, this kind of freak actually still existed? A chivalrous knight? Hadn't this kind of rare breed been extinct since the Darkness Age? Of the so-called knight stories currently circulating on the continent, the majority were extremely ancient legend.
Long Cheng coughed lightly. The skin on his face was extremely thick; facing the gazes of several hundred people inside the banquet hall, he still smiled calmly. Waving his hand unconcernedly, Long Cheng indifferently said, "A duel? May I ask if you are a nobility?"
Geare Tang turned blank for a moment. His father, Tang Qiao, was the current president of the Joint Chamber of Commerce, his family rich and powerful. His father could definitely ranked in the top three among the numerous rich and powerful people in Dunerk. But his family were businessmen and had been doing business for a living for many generations. Although his family was once connected to many small aristocratic families by marriage, but because the number of people in those families was numerous, so they never lacked a successor, as the in-laws of those aristocratic families, Geare Tang's family couldn't inherit a title of nobility.
Shaking his head in honesty, Geare Tang lowered his voice and said, "I apologize, I'm not a nobility. I'm only a commoner who walks this earth to maintain righteousness. My sword, will only strike evil existences in the world."
With a brilliant smile, Long Cheng lightly shook his head, extended two fingers to pinch Geare Tang's finger, and slowly moved it away from his nose. He indifferently said, "Oh, then I also apologize, you don't have the qualifications to duel me. According to the rules of the West Continent, if one side is a nobility, then the side who isn't doesn't have the qualifications to challenge the other party to a duel."
Geare Tang was dumbfounded. He foolishly looked at Long Cheng and was speechless for some time.
It was indeed a duel rule on the West Continent, which was also a part of the famous 'Grace for Nobility Order'. The so-called 'Grace for Nobility' order was part of the legal code created to protect nobilities' interests, including ― a commoner had no right to challenge a nobility to a duel, but a nobility could challenge a commoner to a duel anytime, the commoner had no right to refuse.
Naturally, a nobility would challenge a commoner to a duel only when the nobility had an overwhelming advantage in power.
Geare Tang was inflexible and old-fashioned, but because of this, he couldn't ignore the various restrictions of Grace for Nobility Order. He blankly looked at Long Cheng and shouted in extreme astonishment, "How can you be a nobility? How can a nobility beat two fragile young ladies until their lower parts bled!"
Long Cheng sighed softly, shook his head and said, "Truly an idiot, I'm even lazy to talk to you."
Shrugging his shoulders, Long Cheng calmly walked through the passage created by the crowd to Lin Qi's side and smiled at Blackbeard while nodding his head. "Oh, I didn't expect that in this place full of monkeys and savages, it can still produce such pure-blood Easterner, truly rare, for a phoenix to fly out of a pheasant nest, a surprise indeed."
Long Cheng's words was still as mean and harsh as before. All Dunerk leading figures was angered after hearing what he said.
Lin Qi secretly cursed in his heart. He grabbed Long Cheng's hand, smiled to the high officials and aristocrats around him and nodded while saying, "This is a survivor the Big Maritime Windmill rescued at sea, he turned nuts from being frozen inside an iceberg, please forgives his presumptuousness!"
After deeply bowing to the people around him, Lin Qi pulled Long Cheng out of the banquet hall.
This guy's tongue was full of poison; his words could offend everyone present. Lin Qi didn't wish for several members of the aristocratic families to challenge Long Cheng to a duel. This guy would definitely kill them without the slightest hesitation, then things would truly go out of hand.
Long Cheng was hastily pulled out of the banquet hall, yet Geare Tang suddenly shouted in a loud voice, "Damn it, you said that you are a nobility, then take out the evidence!"
After shouting several times, in spite of his father's loud rants, Geare Tang pulled out his long sword and chased after them.
Chapter 104 Getting Rid of the God of Disaster
The night sky of Dunerk was filled with fluttering snow as the gale whistled through the air at high speed like a flying knife. Snowflakes fell on those fragile plants with plopping sounds. Occasionally, some snowflakes would solidify into lumps of ice up in the sky. These lumps of ice as big as a thumb could even make a person blind.
Lin Qi's group of three stood on the roof of a tall building by the side of the street, overlooking the brightly lit city hall nearby.
Geare Tang was riding a black steed, clothed in a set of ancient knight plate armor while holding a five-meters-long knight dragon spear, dashing back and forth on the street like a bull in heat while occasionally letting out angry roars.
"Coward, scum, shameless bastard, come and accept death!"
"You shameless swindler who faked noble status, take out your proof as a nobility!"
"Various gods above, how can there be such a despicable creature in the world? Shameless scum, come out and accept death!"
The long dragon spear tore through the cold wind with an ear-piercing hissing sound. Geare Tang randomly brandished the long spear to the left and right with a layer of deep red halo faintly flickering around the tip. Middle-stage Man Knight, for Geare Tang's age, this level of strength wasn't considered good, yet wasn't considered lacking either. For a youngster in his twenties to be able to reach Middle-stage Man Knight, it at least proved that Geare Tang was very diligent in his training.
"Lowly ant!" Long Cheng spitted out a faint purple aura that flew dozens meters like a long sword, accurately cutting ten snowflakes into two. He maliciously said, "This idiot, those days when I lead troops during the war, massacring seven cities of enemy country, I don't know how many idiots like him I've killed!"
Lin Qi's heart twitched. He suddenly recalled what Long Cheng called himself - the bloody mass murderer! Did this guy really have done that kind of thing?
Massacring the whole city, even during the century-long Land Island War with the alien tribes of Five Dalian Islands and Odin Ice Origin, it was very rare for the West Continent and the northern alien tribes to massacre a whole city. During the century-long war, only several hundred cities on the West Continent was breached by the alien tribes, but they also didn't commit wanton massacre, only capturing healthy men as slaves while the young women were captured to produce descendants. Massacring the whole city was a taboo felony in the west.
But Long Cheng actually massacred seven consecutive cities. It was said that the population of eastern cities exceeded that of major western cities, how much blood were his hands actually drench in? This guy with a sharp tongue, was actually not a good person.
Lightly coughing, Lin Qi faintly said, "My family has seventy percent secret share in the Trident Whale-hunting Company. Thirty percent of the selling price of the Single-horned Whale King, I have roughly estimated, it should be three millions gold coins. After deducting empire tax and other expenses, you should be able to receive more than two millions five hundred thousand gold coins."
Turning around to face Long Cheng, Lin Qi lowered his voice and said, "Do you want cash, or golden notes? I will pay you in advance using my family funds."
Long Cheng thoughtfully nodded. "Then, just give me one thousand gold coins in cash, and convert the rest into golden notes. Oh, the money I brought with me fell when I was chased by those uncivilized beastmen bastards, I'm so poor now."
Glancing at Lin Qi with a little shame, Long Cheng softly said with a forced laugh, "Even all the expenses from today afternoon were paid by that girl called Anleen. Tch, when did I, Long Cheng, ever use a woman's money? You give me the money as soon as possible, I still want to buy presents for the two girls."
On the street, Geare Tang brought several bodyguards and continue to wildly dash back and forth. He already left the main street in front of the city hall, dashing straight towards Black Beech Hill. Following Gooseberry Avenue, Geare Tang should be heading to Lin Qi's home. When Lin Qi pulled Long Cheng out of the city hall, in Geare Tang's simple thinking, Lin Qi should be Long Cheng's accomplice, Lin Qi had to hand Long Cheng over.
On the roof, borrowing the light in the distance, Lin Qi took out a big pile of golden notes, counted an amount of two million five hundred thousand and gave them to Long Cheng. These gold coins were the money Ya and Ling carried with them, which was taken by Baltic from their bodies.
Long Cheng whistled in astonishment. He glanced at Lin Qi and said while nodding, "I didn't expect your family to be so generous!"
After snatching those golden notes without any politeness, Lin Qi also gave him two thousand gold coins in cheque. With the cheque, Long Cheng could choose any bank in Dunerk to withdraw cash since Lin Qi didn't have so much cash with him.
After storing the money into a secret pocket, Long Cheng patted Lin Qi's shoulder with a smile, "Lin Qi, you're a pretty good youngster, very much to my liking. Oh, are you interested in going to the east? Follow me for three years, after that if you're not dead, a title of hereditary earl is unavoidable."
Lin Qi immediately shivered. He hastily shook his head and said, "Thank you, thank you for your good intention, but nevermind! I still want to look after my old man, I don't have the courage to go to the east with you!"
Lin Qi didn't say that he 'wasn't interested in going to the east with Long Cheng', but that he 'didn't have the courage to go to the east with him'. Someone who could make a bet with a governor position, a madman who cross the North Sea and Odin Ice Origin during winter, Lin Qi doubted if he could survive for three months as this person's subordinate.
Especially Long Cheng's preposterous behavior; he provoked such a crazy farce after arriving in Dunerk for a while, in the end it was still Lin Qi who had to clean up his mess. Lin Qi had an intuition, if he followed Long Cheng to the east, perhaps only these crazy lawsuits could kill him. He was a thoroughly dangerous character, the chief of disaster magnet, it was better if he quickly left Dunerk.
Long Cheng looked at Lin Qi with a little regret. He softly murmured, "Such a good seedling! Fine, let's meet again when we have the chance!"
After muttering to himself for a moment, Long Cheng took off a small golden chain from his wrist and gave it along with the red wooden tile on it to Lin Qi.
"It was fate that we met, although I don't want to admit it, you certainly saved me at sea. This is my Imperial Order Tablet, keep it as a momento!" Laughing strangely, Long Cheng nodded and said, "Heaven and earth is vast, as a man, you have to go to many places, see many things, kill some men, play with some women, if you have the chance to go to the east, bring this Imperial Order Tablet and find me, as long as you go to the imperial capital of 'Xue Qin', there's no one who doesn't know me!"
Strongly patting Lin Qi's shoulder, Long Cheng narrowed his eyes at Enzo and said with a smile, "You're also a very interesting youngster! If there's a chance, come together to the east. The girls of the West Continent are good-looking, but our eastern beauties are even more beautiful!"
Laughing at the sky, Long Cheng soared hundreds of meters to the sky like a white crane, quietly disappearing within the wind and snow.
"I'm going to the imperial capital of Gaul Empire, let's meet again someday!"