Some people say that the person who poses the greatest threat is often not an enemy, but one of your own people.
Sometimes, this principle holds a considerable amount of truth.
For instance, right now, he was looking at the door as if he could see right through it, while the other him inside was looking at his stalled back. The two of them remained in a silent standoff like this.
Relatively speaking, Mu Aotie’s reaction was not that forced. He was quite calm, just waiting quietly.
He did not want to lose face in front of Lian Yu. Since he dared to make a promise to her that he could get the Tanhualang to write an inscription, he naturally had a certain degree of confidence.
Of course, he also knew that Old Fifteen strongly disliked using Ashiheng’s name to write inscriptions, but this did not prevent him from making his promise to Lian Yu.
The hand Yu Qing was about to use to touch the door slowly lowered after all. He then turned around and walked back at a leisurely pace, stopping right in front of Mu Aotie with a look of earnest persuasion. “I know you have always misunderstood me, always thinking I love money. Of course, who does not like money? People like us who have been poor all our lives naturally do not want to remain poor.
But you have truly misunderstood me. Think back to the beginning. I had practically no money, yet I donated over a hundred thousand taels of silver to the disaster victims, giving everything I had. Everyone knows about this. How could someone like me be greedy for money? Now, I am trying to discuss serious business with you, and you are talking to me about money. To be honest, Old Nine, you really make my heart ache. It is absolutely heartbreaking, Old Nine, do you understand?”
Mu Aotie hurriedly nodded to comfort him. “That is not what I meant. I just wanted to discuss and negotiate with you. You just spent ten million not long ago, so how could you care about this small amount of money?”
Yu Qing nodded repeatedly, looking quite gratified, as if saying it was good that he understood. Then he grabbed Mu Aotie’s arm, actively pulled him to a chair, and indicated there was no rush, suggesting they sit down and talk slowly.
After both sat down, Yu Qing sighed again. “I understand your feelings. You, Old Nine, are a man with backbone. Moreover, a single night as husband and wife brings a hundred days of grace. I can certainly understand your desire to help her. But you should be clear that hanging up a signboard and attracting the wrong people will cause a lot of trouble. This is really not about money.”
Mu Aotie nodded again, appearing to accept this sincerely. “I understand. You are someone who has earned hundreds of millions, after all. You do not care about this small amount of money. I spoke without thinking for a moment. Please do not take it to heart.”
It was an extremely rare scene of humility between martial brothers.
Yu Qing slapped his hands on his thighs, rubbed them back and forth, and shook his head with a sigh. “A single night as husband and wife brings a hundred days of grace, that is true, but you cannot lose your head over it. Old Nine, seeing you like this makes me very worried. You just got a little money in your hands, and you lost your head. Add a little emotional impulse, and that money will be squandered in no time.
We also know our current situation. We are very tight on cash. Getting things done requires spending money, especially here in Kuilei City where everything is outrageously expensive. How can we manage without keeping some money on hand? How about this, you hand over the money in your possession to me for safekeeping. Rest assured, I will not be stingy when it comes to spending on you, and I will absolutely not treat you unfairly.”
Mu Aotie, who had been maintaining a humble attitude, gradually furrowed his brows. What did this mean? He finally understood. This fellow wanted to empty his pockets and take all the money in them. How could that be acceptable? How much could a piece of shabby calligraphy be worth?
However, since he needed a favour from him, it was not easy for him to lose his temper.
Of course, he did not want to beat around the bush anymore and spoke bluntly. “I know your calligraphy is worth some money when it carries Ashiheng’s name. You have bragged countless times about a single piece selling for two or three thousand, and my ears have developed calluses from hearing it. I will not argue much with you here. I will give you fifty thousand to write an inscription for this inn’s signboard.”
“Fifty thousand?” Yu Qing jumped up as if his tail had been stepped on. “Do you have any idea what it means when I write an inscription for Yedian Dian’s restaurant? Business boomed, and they made a fortune. Fifty thousand? Are you dismissing a beggar? Look at where this is. Fifty thousand taels would not even cover the tolls for entering and leaving the city a few times.”
In order to protect his private property, Mu Aotie’s reaction was also quite intense. He stood up and retorted. “‘The world is good’ is indeed nice, but can you write something with the same effect as that piece? You cannot just copy ‘The world is good’ again. I do not want copied work.”
Yu Qing patted his chest. “Nonsense, do I need to copy? Look at who I am. If I truly unsheathe my sword and pick up a brush, I am the number one talent under heaven. Do you think the whole world is blind and just shouting for fun?”
Mu Aotie challenged. “Just like the inscription you wrote for that little vixen in Haishi?”
Yu Qing was instantly silenced. That piece of calligraphy seemed to have no fame to this day. Poked right in his weak spot, he immediately forced himself to stand his ground. “How can that be the same? I wrote that for her without wanting to show off, so I did not put my heart into it at all. If the money is truly in place, how could I be careless!”
Mu Aotie also wanted to give Lian Yu something good and did not want anything perfunctory. Hearing him say this, he indeed feared that offering too little would result in a sloppy job, as Old Fifteen was capable of such things. He immediately said in a deep voice, “Fine, write a good one for me, and I will give you a hundred thousand.”
“A hundred thousand? And it has to be a good one?” Yu Qing asked with a chuckle, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. “Outside, I can casually write something and sell it for two or three thousand a piece. Writing one piece is writing, writing several pieces is also writing, and it does not require any effort. If I am truly willing to move my brush, who I write for does not matter. For a mere hundred thousand taels, is it worth breaking my own rules and suffering your damn attitude? Go find whoever you want to write it. I will not serve you.”
These words were not just empty talk. After saying this, he turned and walked away in a huff.
Mu Aotie’s cheeks tightened with effort, and he gritted his teeth. “Two hundred thousand taels! That is the final price. Not a single coin more. I do not have a bottomless pit for you to scam here. Go cool off wherever you want.”
Yu Qing turned around and walked back without a moment’s hesitation, stopping right in front of him and extending his hand. “Money first.”
He knew this martial brother’s character too well. He was a stubborn person. Once he shouted out a price, he would rather break than bend, meaning the price had reached its absolute limit.
Mu Aotie hesitated for a moment and warned. “Let us get this straight first. It must be written well, no sloppy work.”
Yu Qing waved his hand impatiently. “My talent is known to everyone. You have not read many books, so you do not know a damn thing. Just put your heart at ease and hand over the money. Where is all this nonsense coming from?”
Mu Aotie thought about it. He was not afraid of him defaulting. For their own people, Old Fifteen should still have the integrity to do the job once paid, unless he did not want to work together in the future. Thus, he reached into his clothes, took out bank notes, and counted out two hundred thousand.
Yu Qing, who had been stroking his little moustache while waiting for the money, beamed with joy.
Seeing the way he stuffed the money into his bosom, Mu Aotie could hardly contain his dissatisfaction. “Just scribbling a few characters on a piece of paper gets you two hundred thousand. It is so easy to earn, you must be happy, right?”
Yu Qing was indeed happy because of this, but he chuckled and said. “Old Nine, it is wrong for you to say that. We all know each other. Back when you guys were having fun playing all over the mountain, what was I doing? The old man carried a stick and beat me, forcing me to write and study. The fact that I can earn this money is the result of enduring hardship and studying diligently in the past. Besides, if you are not willing, you can find someone else to write it. I did not force you.”
Mu Aotie said, “Cut the crap and go write it.”
However, after pocketing the money, Yu Qing shook his head. “I cannot write it for you right now. What would it mean if you took it over there now? Are you really going to ignore everyone’s survival just for a woman? Rest assured, since I have taken the money and promised, I will not default. Wait until we have no more concerns here, and then you can give it to her. That way, you will not be breaking your word.”
Mu Aotie fell silent, thinking it made sense. Suddenly, he woke up to the reality. Since there was such a simple way to handle it, why talk about two hundred thousand? Even if he only offered a hundred thousand taels, Old Fifteen would still sell it without hesitation.
Realising he might have been tricked by Yu Qing was too late. The deal was made, and the money was given. How could he possibly get it back?
By the time he reacted, Yu Qing had already tucked the money away and slipped away nimbly.
After going out the door, Yu Qing could not help but sigh amidst his cheerfulness. He knew the habits of his martial brothers all too well. The fact that he could get Old Nine to part with so much money meant he was truly serious about that Lian Yu.
Leaving aside the saying that the person involved is confused while the bystander is clear, he just felt that Old Nine and Lian Yu were not a good match. Lian Yu’s status as someone’s mistress was only one of the reasons for the mismatch. In his opinion, she was not even as suitable as Tie Miaoqing from the past.
The reason was simple. Tie Miaoqing did not live such a wealthy life, whereas Lian Yu was truly draped in wealth and luxury. Could a woman accustomed to such a luxurious lifestyle really go back with Old Nine and live a life where every penny had to be carefully counted?
It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. Everyone understands this principle.
He just did not understand what Lian Yu meant by giving herself to Old Nine so quickly. Asking Old Nine about such matters would not yield clear answers either. A grown man has his own emotions and thoughts, and he could do nothing about Mu Aotie’s stubbornness.
Suddenly, a faint, chaotic noise came from below. Snapping back to his senses, Yu Qing realised there might be a situation downstairs and quickly took the rope ladder down.
The rope box landed steadily. Just as he stepped out, he saw the rope box on the other side also descend, and the person riding inside was exactly Hu Niu.
The source of the noise was at the inn’s entrance, and the two of them rushed there one after the other.
A considerable crowd had gathered at the inn’s entrance. Among them was Liang Ban, who had been beaten up earlier. Perhaps to save face, his bloodstained body was wrapped in a cloak.
Wei Yue, the leader of the Zhenshan Gang, was also there, along with a group of Zhenshan Gang members who had already blocked the front and back of the inn.
They were recruited by Liang Ban for help. Liang Ban’s original intention was to have the Zhenshan Gang forces arrest Mu Aotie directly inside the inn. However, this was the Stone Heart Residence. How could Wei Yue dare to act recklessly inside the inn? He did not even dare to block Mu Aotie’s room door. He only dared to guard the outside of the inn to prevent anyone from escaping.
Wei Yue’s expression was not very pleasant. He had naturally asked Liang Ban why he was beaten. Upon learning that this fellow had actually gone to force a showdown with Lian Yu, he was so angry he almost wanted to slap the idiot directly. How much water must have entered his brain to do such a thing?
Why go to such great lengths to use the honey trap? Was it not just to win Lian Yu’s willing consent? If she was unwilling, what use would it be even if you forced yourself on her?
He had repeatedly warned this idiot. The reason for being so indirect was that taking Bronze Sparrow Lake by applying pressure with the Liang family’s background and deceiving others was not secure. Who could guarantee that during the three years of controlling Bronze Sparrow Lake, Nie Rifú would not see through Liang Ban’s true background?
This was definitely not guaranteed. Afterwards, Nie Rifú’s attention towards Liang Ban would inevitably increase, making the possibility of exposure very high. That was why they had to do it this way. Otherwise, once the plan failed, Liang Ban might be fine, but Nie Rifú would definitely kill him, Wei Yue.
Therefore, he did not want to do this kind of thing right here in Kuilei City, nor did he want people to think he had a deep friendship with Liang Ban. However, the beaten Liang Ban had gone mad and insisted on revenge. If he did not even help with this little favour, the fellow would just quit and walk away.
Seeing that this fellow could not calm down for a moment, Wei Yue had no choice but to bite the bullet and lend a hand.
There was no other way. Even if the honey trap failed, they could still use Liang Ban’s identity to hinder the other gangs during the competition for Bronze Sparrow Lake.
Besides these people, a group of people in white clothes was also blocking the entrance. They were the guards maintaining order in Kuilei City from the City Lord’s Manor. The burly man leading them was none other than Qi Yuelang, the head of the Gongshan Hall.
They were also recruited by Liang Ban. Since Wei Yue refused to help him vent his anger, Liang Ban had no choice but to run to the Gongshan Hall to beat the drum and cry injustice.
To be able to alarm the head of the Gongshan Hall, he naturally brought out the Liang family’s background to apply pressure.
However, even though the head of the Gongshan Hall had come in person, he could not easily enter the gates of the Stone Heart Residence. He was stopped by the inn’s waiter and told to wait for an announcement.
This scene could be considered a hallmark of the Stone Heart Residence. Staying here meant at least one would not be easily harassed.
Qi Yuelang was quite calm. Standing at the inn’s entrance under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he waited quietly. There was no other way. Everyone knew the identity of the proprietress here. He could not be as casual as barging into other places. Some rules simply did not work on certain people.
A crowd of onlookers gradually gathered around.
When Yu Qing popped his head out from inside the inn and saw the people from the Gongshan Hall arrive, he knew that the thing he did not want to see had happened after all.