Chapter 71 (Patreon)

Chen Haoran looked at Xie Jin. “Am I not a Ninth-Layer or something?”

“No you’re definitely a Ninth-Layer,” Xie Jin said.

“Then what’s this guy’s deal?”

“Clearly he thinks he can take you.”

“Do I really look that weak?”

“Like a stiff wind would blow you over,” Xie Jin replied. “You have to be more intimidating like me. They would have never come over here then.”

“Isn’t that just a roundabout way to say your low cultivation makes you a non-threat?”

“You fuc-”

“Do you bastards think I’m a patient man?” the lead thug interrupted.

“Clearly we’re not taking you seriously,” Chen Haoran said. “Take a hint and back off. You’re not that guy.”

To his credit the thug really seemed to consider it. His eyes flickered from Chen Haoran to Xie Jin as he measured them before settling on the bag full of gold taels Xie Jin had placed under the table. Chen Haoran sighed. He could see the dollar signs in the thug’s eyes the exact second he made his decision.

“Let’s be honest, we’re all gentlemen here so let’s compromise. Share some of what you got and we don’t have to cause a scene here. I’m sure you’d prefer it that way. No need to let everyone know about ill-gotten gains am I right?”

“Ill-gotten gains?” Chen Haoran asked, bewildered. Did he think they stole the gold? Xie Jin scoffed with disdain, an ugly look settling across his features.

The thug smiled in a relaxed way that invited one to punch his face in. His wavering confidence had returned after he seemingly had Chen Haoran and Xie Jin pegged. He leaned in to whisper. “I’m sure whatever unfortunate soul you got that money from is now six feet under and poor so let’s deal. You take enough for you to live on and we take enough for us.”

For a moment neither said anything. There was a brief lull in the noisy bar. Chen Haoran could feel peoples attention on them. Phelps licked the last of the moss from his plate. This wasn’t going to be resolved peacefully.

Xie Jin slapped the table and leaned back. “The things you say make me look like a scary guy.” He shook his head in disappointment, as if he were some elder facing unruly children. “And yet you came over here despite that. Why don’t you get out of my sight before this barbarian breaks your legs?”

The men scowled and reached for knives and clubs. The leaders qi flared as he narrowed his eyes. “You’re making a mistake skeleton.”

Chen Haoran stood from his seat before Xie Jin did anything else. He debated flaring his own qi. Even if he was a greedy idiot the thug should realize he was outclassed if he did that. He held himself back though. He wouldn’t be satisfied with just scaring them off. Not after he realized why these men considered them targets.

“We’d break too many things if we started fighting here,” he said to Xie Jin. “We still need a place to sleep after all.” He turned to the lead thug and motioned him over with a finger. “Let’s settle this quickly. I’ll even let you take the first shot.” He folded his hands behind his arms.

The man visibly hesitated but under the gaze of his fellows he stood up and faced Chen Haoran. Another glance at the money bag replaced his hesitation with a vicious determination. “So you’ll give us the money if I take you down you say?”

Xie Jin snorted. “Even if you knock his arrogant ass out you’ll be prying these taels out of my cold, dead hands.”

The man frowned and a quick look to his group had them surround Xie Jin. The bar was silent. The patrons barely lifting their voices above a whisper as they noticed a fight was about to break out.

Chen Haoran cycled his qi and raised an eyebrow. “Well?”

The lead thug flushed red and gritted his teeth. He went to scratch his head but before he did his hand was suddenly surrounded in swirling air and shot out like a bullet. What Chen Haoran was doing right now was the height of foolishness. While this man was clearly uninformed he had to have some confidence in himself to challenge a Ninth-Layer. He could now feel it as the man’s fist slammed into his jaw. A technique to quickly land a powerful but accurate strike before one could react, backed by a Profound-quality cultivation. He was about the same level as some of the stronger Lan family cultivators he’d fought. He was probably a strong cultivator in this area.

The thug’s fist stopped. Chen Haoran was unmoved and looked the man in the eye.

Xie Jin said he was being arrogant. He really was. Had he tried to pull something like this in front of Lan Fen or Lan Yao they would have killed him six times over. This thug wasn’t like those geniuses. Chen Haoran knew nothing about him and yet and he could see how he lacked compared to them all the same.

The thug widened his eyes in surprise and immediately launched another wind-coated   fist into Chen Haoran’s face. Then another. Then to his chest. Then a kick. The thug threw out a flurry of attacks all while Chen Haoran stood still and continued to stare him down. The thug stepped back after his wild flailing and found Chen Haoran to be unmoved and unharmed. His hand reached down to the knife handle at his waist.

A slow, mocking smirk, wormed its way across Chen Haoran’s face.

The thug let go of the knife and dropped to his knees, lifting his arms in surrender.

Xie Jin whistled. The other men watched with pale-faced shock.

“Well,” Chen Haoran said to them. “Line up.”

—————

Chen Haoran and Xie Jin toasted saucers of warm rice wine in a subdued bar. Between them were a plate of cooled pork cutlets. Phelps had his blindfold removed and looked around the bar with curious eyes. To their side were six kneeling men with red, swollen faces, who had their arms raised in the air.

“To my mighty Brother Chen!” Xie Jin cheered. “Now that I’ve seen it again you really are impressive.” He let out a bellyful laugh. “If you did that in my homeland you’d be swarming with women right now.”

“I’m glad you were able to vent your frustration,” Chen Haoran said.

Xie Jin flexed his hand and looked toward the erstwhile muggers. He swung forward as if to slap them again and all six flinched. “Yeah. I’m very relived. How did you scum know about the money though?”

“Probably when you talked about it at the docks,” Chen Haoran said.

“I know there was no one around us when I did that.” Xie Jin frowned and looked at the silent thugs. When no one spoke up he raised his fist and they all flinched.

The leader painfully confessed through swollen lips. “I have a technique that lets me hear a bit further out.”

Xie Jin rolled his eyes. “Of course.” He waved his hand. “You can leave now you big-eared fuck. I don’t want to see any of you for the rest of the time I’m here.”

The thugs all stood. Bowed. Then immediately turned tailed and scrambled out the bar.

“Is something like that common?” Chen Haoran asked.

Xie Jin laughed and refilled their saucers. “Men will die for money just as birds will die for food. You’ll find greedy fools like them everywhere.”

“That’s not what I was asking.”

Xie Jin grimaced and downed his wine without waiting. He watched on while Chen Haoran refilled his saucer and quirked his lips when Chen had to pull the bottle out of Phelps’s reach. When he finished off his wine again however it was his turn to have the bottle pulled away. He frowned at Chen Haoran who blandly returned his look and shook the bottle in front of him.

Xie Jin sighed. “You don’t need to defend me. I’m more than capable of protecting myself. It’ll only be more common in the Central region anyway. We can’t afford to make a big deal out of every problem.”

“If I don’t say anything then people will go on thinking those are acceptable things to say,” Chen Haoran countered.

Xie Jin huffed a laugh and smiled. Compared to his usual bravado it was a sincere emotion. “Thank you, Brother Chen.”

“You bought me food and drink.” Chen Haoran lifted his saucer in a toast. “He who feeds me is a brother for life no?”

“Something like that is done with better alcohol.” Xie Jin raised his own and they clinked the rims together. “I’ll show you what a real man drinks in Zumulu.”

“I don’t actually like drinking that much,” Chen Haoran admitted.

“What?!”

“I prefer doing it with friends, however.”

“I was about to say.” Xie Jin rested a hand on his heart as if he’d been stabbed. “What kind of cultivator doesn’t drink?”

There was a clatter at the edge of the table. Chen Haoran and Xie Jin whipped their heads around only to find Phelps cradling the open wine bottle between his claws and lapping up the spilling alcohol.”

“Phelps no!”