Chapter 13: Shopkeeper

"Hmm, understood."

Zhang Lingshan nodded. Not wanting to listen to his wailing, he asked if he had the twenty taels of silver in hand, then returned to the courtyard to wake up Shi Lei. "Senior Brother Shi, Li Fu has brought the money. Please, go and save his son."

Shi Lei had been grumpy from being woken up, but his anger vanished the moment he saw the silver. He counted it, then scoffed, "A pile of loose change like this—it’s embarrassing to even look at. But for your sake, Junior Brother Shan, I’ll let it slide. After we finish lunch, we’ll head to Sanjiang Gambling House."

"Alright."

With that said, Zhang Lingshan didn't want to listen to Li Fu’s sobbing anymore, so he told an apprentice in the outer courtyard to pass the message along and tell him to wait.

He himself returned to practicing the Hunyuan Zhengyang Stance with peace of mind.

In truth, he didn't want to waste time with Li Fu at some gambling house, but according to Shi Lei, if he didn't go, Shi Lei wouldn't go either.

He had no choice but to see this good deed through to the end.

Besides, he wanted to see how Shi Lei handled things. Observing and learning would count as broadening his horizons.

Soon, they finished lunch.

Shi Lei picked his teeth with a wooden toothpick and swaggered out of the martial arts hall. Glancing at Li Fu, who was waiting anxiously to the side, he scoffed, "So, you’re the one begging for my help?"

"Yes, yes, please, Young Master Shi, help me save my son."

Li Fu hurriedly knelt on the ground.

Shi Lei said, "Twenty taels of silver. I’m doing this for Junior Brother Shan’s sake. I’m not helping you; I’m helping Junior Brother Shan. Do you understand?"

"I understand, I understand. Little Shan is a good person, thank you, Little Shan."

"Let’s go. All that sniveling—what kind of man are you?" Shi Lei scoffed with disdain.

Li Fu was submissive, not daring to retort even though he was being scolded by someone a generation younger than him. He followed closely behind the two of them.

They crossed several streets and turned through several intersections.

Finally, they arrived at Sanjiang Gambling House.

It was night, the peak time for the gambling house.

Moreover, because unclean things roamed the streets of Jincheng at night, anyone who came to the gambling house was looking to stay the night.

Many gambling addicts even lived there day and night until they ran out of money and were thrown out, or until they got into trouble for cheating and had to call their families to pay their ransom.

Li Dong had the "honor" of being one of them.

"Junior Brother Shan, have you ever been to a gambling house?" Shi Lei asked with a smile.

Zhang Lingshan shook his head.

Shi Lei spoke with the tone of an experienced veteran. "If you’re going to gamble, you have to come to a big place like this; it’s much more exciting. Small gambling dens only deal in a few taels—it’s boring. Your neighbor’s son, he’s a connoisseur, haha."

Li Fu offered a sheepish smile, not daring to show any displeasure despite being mocked.

Zhang Lingshan remained silent.

He knew nothing about the ways of this place and was only here to broaden his horizons, so he let Shi Lei say whatever he pleased.

"Oh, Brother Shi is here! Please, come in, come in."

The guards at the entrance recognized Shi Lei and greeted him enthusiastically. They looked at Zhang Lingshan beside him and asked suspiciously, "And this is?"

"This is my junior brother, Zhang Lingshan. He’s the current favorite of my master. Treat him well!" Shi Lei said loudly.

Zhang Lingshan was speechless. This guy really knew how to brag; how had he become the "favorite"?

He was just a nobody who hadn't even mastered his stance yet. Even if Hong Zhengdao appreciated his talent, he had never personally coached him, leaving that task to Shi Lei all along.

How did that make him a favorite?

The guard, unaware of the details, immediately said respectfully, "So it’s Master Hong’s newly accepted genius disciple. My apologies, please, come in."

With that, he glanced at Li Fu, and his expression changed instantly. He scoffed, "You old thing, why are you here again? Is the money ready?"

Li Fu hurriedly looked toward Shi Lei.

Shi Lei coughed and said, "Feng-zai, this old man is with me. Let’s go inside to talk."

Feng-zai looked at Li Fu in surprise, then let out a laugh. He gestured for them to enter. "Please, please, all three of you, come in."

As he spoke, he signaled to his companion behind him.

The companion quickly slipped away back into the gambling house.

Feng-zai led Zhang Lingshan and the others inside and smiled. "Brother Shi, aren't you going to play a few rounds?"

"I am! I wouldn't have come if I wasn't going to play!"

Hearing the sound of dice, Shi Lei’s gambling itch flared up, as if he had completely forgotten why he came.

Zhang Lingshan quickly tugged at him and whispered, "Senior Brother, I have to go home later. It’ll be troublesome if it gets too dark."

"Right, right, business first. *Ahem*, Feng-zai, we’ll play later. Take me to see this old man’s son first."

"You got it, Brother Shi. Please, this way."

Feng-zai led the three of them through the gambling hall and into the backyard.

Just as they entered, they heard a hearty laugh. "Brother Shi, here to support my business again?"

"Oh, Old Four, when did you get back? Long time no see. It’s even better that you’re here. Quickly, release this old man’s son, Li Dong. Let’s go out and have a good time—we’ll call a few girls, get a few dozen rounds of dice and a few dozen jugs of wine, and we won't stop until we’re drunk!"

Shi Lei was delighted and threw his arms around the young man called Old Four.

It wasn't a big deal to begin with; at most, it would take some persuasion and the prestige of the Hong Martial Arts Hall to pressure them.

But now that he had an acquaintance here, he didn't even need to waste his breath. With his reputation, he could resolve this perfectly!

"Brother Shi."

Old Four’s smile faded, and he looked troubled.

Shi Lei’s expression darkened. "What’s wrong? Does your brother not even have this much face here? Li Dong is just a kid; what kind of cheating could he have done? I’m here to mediate—just do me a favor and let him go, alright?"

"Brother Shi, it’s not that I don't want to do you a favor, it’s that my hands are tied," Old Four said with a bitter smile.

Shi Lei sneered, "Tied? Are your hands not attached to your own body?"

"They are, but you’ve come at a bad time, Brother. Our Master has returned. Everything is decided by him now, so I’m afraid I can’t help you with this."

Shi Lei scoffed, "What Master? I’ve never heard of him. Call him out so I can see him. If he won't give me face, does he not care about the face of the Hong Martial Arts Hall?"

Old Four advised, "Our Master has always been focused on martial arts and only recently came out of seclusion. Are you sure you want to see him, Brother Shi? I don't think you should. It won't end well. Our Master doesn't have the best temper."

"I want to see him! Why wouldn't I? I want to see just how bad his temper is!"

Shi Lei shouted.

He didn't believe it. He felt that this was no longer about being a mediator for Li Fu; it was about him being humiliated.

Junior Brother Zhang Lingshan was watching from behind.

As a senior brother, he had already taken the money. If he just slunk away now, how would he show his face in the future? How could he look anyone in the eye?

Even if others weren't embarrassed, he was.

So, he was determined to see this Master he had never even heard of.

How tough could he be?

No matter how tough, would he dare to go against the Hong Martial Arts Hall?