Chapter 108: A Fortunate Encounter with an Old Acquaintance

Having crossed the narrow alley, they arrived on another street that, compared to the main road on this side, was narrower and quieter. Night had deepened, and only a few scattered food stalls had their lanterns aglow.

The stall owner was dozing off behind the stove when he heard footsteps and, rubbing his eyes, stood up.

"What would you like to eat?" he asked, looking at the four men who had already seated themselves at a table.

"Some fruit, slice up a plate of meat, and bring over a pot of wine," one of the men said in a loud voice, while stroking his dense beard.

The stall owner responded immediately and busied himself, quickly slicing the braised meat from the pot, pouring wine, and arranging a plate of stuffed fruits, then brought them all over.

Sitting there, the bearded man who ordered food was all smiles under the lantern light, rubbing his hands together with a hint of impatience.

"It's been ages since I last ate these stuffed fruits from here," he said, then extended his hand to the others with a smile, "Come on, try some. Even though you're locals from the Capital, I'm afraid you may not know that this is where you'll find the tastiest stuffed fruits."

Hearing this, the stall owner couldn't hide his surprise and joy, and he laughed.

"You flatter me, dear customer," he said.

He was about to ramble on, but the other three men at the table looked somewhat impatient.

"Off with you," one of them waved his hand dismissively.

The stall owner quickly retreated with a submissive demeanor.

The bearded man who praised the fruits began eating heartily with his chopsticks and pouring wine, his mood seemingly pleasant.

"Eat, eat, drink, drink," he warmly called out, "the bill's on me today."

It was indeed rare for him to foot the bill.

However, the three men at the table did not seem overly excited or joyful. Each of them frowned with a touch of gloom.

"When exactly will your superiors give us a clear answer?" a short, stout man in his forties asked in a low voice.

The bearded man swallowed the braised meat with a gulp of wine.

"Now that's a bit disrespectful," he said. "Our leader, what kind of person is he? Once he gives his word, it's as steadfast as a team of horses; if he says he'll chop eighty pieces of wood today, there won't be one piece less tomorrow."

The stall owner squatting by the fire thought to himself, "So, they're woodcutters?"

But since when did woodcutting become a matter requiring negotiation?

It was obviously a significant deal—at least for the three men seated at the table, their expressions grave.

"We've paid the money, so make sure the goods you deliver are secure," another man said. "Don't delay too long."

"I've said it won't happen," the bearded man clicked his tongue. "Our leader, what kind of person is he? He'd never do something to damage his credibility."

"What sort of person is your leader that you admire him so much?" yet another man couldn't help but ask, driven by curiosity.

Respect flooded the bearded man's face.

"He's the most formidable person in the world," he declared earnestly.

"I don't care if he's the most formidable or the second, as long as he delivers the goods I want on time," the stout man grumbled.

"Liu Si, look at how small-minded you are. When doing business, be a bit more generous," the bearded man chided, patting Liu Si's shoulder with his chopsticks.

Liu Si didn't get a chance to respond when the hand on his shoulder abruptly flicked in a particular direction.

Two chopsticks shot out like arrows into the night.

There was a clatter as if they struck a wall by the roadside.

"Come out," the bearded man commanded, turning around.

He remained seated, legs apart and posture assertive, looking in one direction.

"It's not a pretty sight to skulk around like that, and you're not exactly hiding brilliantly," he continued.

The other three men at the table stood up tensely.

Who?

Miss Jun, standing behind a door, also tensed her body and peered through the dim night at the two chopsticks not far away.

The chopsticks were broken and scattered.

The force with which they were thrown must have been tremendous—if they had hit a person, they likely would have penetrated the flesh.

She held her breath, frozen in place. As the atmosphere grew suffocating, finally a soft sound reached her ears and five or six figures suddenly emerged on the main street.

Miss Jun let out a mental sigh of relief but remained perfectly still.

"Who's there?"

Seeing these people approach, the three men standing behind the bearded man asked in an alarmed voice.

"Who else could it be? They've drawn their weapons upon meeting us; it's clear they're not good people," the bearded man remarked.

Meanwhile, there was rustling as the stall owner took off running.

At the same time, the lights of the other two stalls still lit on the street were extinguished, and suddenly only the two confronting groups remained on the street.

"See that? That's the quality of people from the Capital," the bearded man said with a hint of admiration. "Jianghu matters are handled the Jianghu way. They don't start screaming and yelling at the first sign of trouble. That's the composure of those who've seen a lot in the big city."

At this point, you still have the mood to criticize others?

Standing behind him, the three men had complicated expressions, seemingly at a loss for how to respond.

"Friends, what are you trying to do?" the short, plump man called out tremulously, "Is there some misunderstanding?"

There was no answer from the other side, and the bearded man clicked his tongue again.

"Are you blind or what, what do you think they're going to do? Use a knife to chop up meat for your wine?" he said, then glared at the three, "Let me tell you, be careful. Were you spotted when you entered the capital? Did you lead your enemies right to you?"

Is that so?

"Doing this kind of business can't be done in the light of day, but it's tempting, isn't it? I've already told you, there are several families competing to do it. Everyone in your line of work is ruthless, right? They solve problems in a simple and rough way, kill you guys, and the business becomes theirs," said the bearded man.

Yes, that's right.

The faces of the three men grew even more uneasy and filled with fear.

"What do we do then?" one of them asked.

"Luckily for you, I'm someone who honors rules and loyalty," said the bearded man, "Since we've already made a deal, we're naturally on the same side now."

As he spoke, he flicked his garment and drew a knife from behind his back, standing up.

"I'll chop them down for you."

The three men heaved a sigh of relief, but before they could speak, the bearded man turned back around.

"However, you've got to shell out some money," he said.

In a corner of the wall, Miss Jun rolled her eyes in the night.

Heh heh.

She thought to herself.

I knew it.

She knew it, but those three men obviously hadn't caught on yet.

"Why, why?" the short, plump man blurted out.

Weren't we talking about rules and loyalty… Do rules and loyalty also cost money?

"You also know our rules," said the bearded man with a solemn expression, "Aside from chopping firewood, we always charge for any other chopping. I have to be fair to my knife, and to our leader's rules."

I see.

"You might want to think about it some more..." said the bearded man as he started to put his knife away as if to re-sheath it.

Even if they were to yell and scream for the city patrol, there was no guarantee they'd be saved in time from the blade.

Besides, they couldn't outrun them anyway.

The three men watched the night draw nearer, silent as ghosts, especially with the glint of weapons in their hands, feeling their scalps go numb.

This was no time for thinking or considering.

"Alright, alright, we'll pay," they hurriedly said.

"Then according to the rules, and those guys..." the bearded man spoke, sizing up the approaching men as if examining goods, "Not bad skills, good weapons—though not top-notch, they're nearly mid-range, let's say five hundred taels each."

After he finished speaking, he turned to look at the three men again.

"Cash now or write a note?"

Big brother!

Please!

"Cash!" All three men nearly cried, speaking together as they tremulously pulled out silver banknotes from their sleeves, "Cash now."

The bearded man took the banknotes and pinched them, seemingly wanting to check them in the light.

"Big brother!" the three men cried out in unison, stepping backward.

The five or six men were already upon them, their weapons swinging down in unison.

The bearded man didn't duck. Instead, he stuffed the banknotes into his chest and stepped forward to meet them, his knife cleaving straight through the air.

Clang! The clash of weapons sparked in the air.

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The Alliance Leader gave a reward for additional chapters and still owes a lot. After updating continuously for ten days, I need to pause to sort out the manuscripts before continuing the updates. Please bear with me.

Thank you to Zixing Qiyue and Green Vegetable Bookworm for their gifts of He's Bi.

The Labor Day double monthly pass event has ended, and the rewards have been beyond anything I could have imagined or dared to hope for.

Thank you to the South, to the Stone, to the Little Bear, to the Wood—there are too many red packets, and I cannot flip through them all, forgive me if I missed any names.

Thank you to the managers Dou Dou, San Shao, Sister Yan, and Queen Green Vegetable, thank you to everyone.

Thank you is a word I've said so much it's become cliché, but aside from thanks, I have no other words to express my gratitude.

Thank you, and I bow.