Chapter 343: Not Parting with a Single Hair

"This way!" Old Six Xu and the others immediately barked at Linghu Qiu, ordering him out.

Linghu Qiu refused to go willingly. Old Six Xu and the others surged forward together and began shoving him toward the exit. Neither side dared start a full fight here in the Qi capital.

They're really doing this?

Linghu Qiu finally grew anxious.

He wanted nothing more than to butcher Niu Youdao, but with his mission still unfinished, he had no choice but to endure for the moment. He shouted, "Third Brother! After all the trouble I went through to settle your problem, this is how you treat me? You have no conscience!"

He knew Niu Youdao cared about eliminating Wei Chu, so he deliberately brought the matter up.

Sure enough, the embarrassed Niu Youdao raised an arm and called, "Wait!"

Old Six Xu and the others looked back.

Niu Youdao hurried over. "Second Brother, is the matter really settled?"

Linghu Qiu pointed at the men still crowding him. "You expect me to talk like this?"

Niu Youdao laughed awkwardly. "I was only afraid Second Brother might lose his temper for a moment."

Linghu Qiu snapped, "They're only two servant girls. Do you think I'm like you, forgetting loyalty the moment you see a pretty face?"

Niu Youdao immediately brightened and clapped his hands. "Well said, Second Brother! Women are like clothes; brothers are like one's own limbs. Clothes can be changed, but limbs cannot be severed. I knew Second Brother wouldn't misunderstand!"

Linghu Qiu froze. What sort of saying was that?

"Oh! That rolled off your tongue nicely. 'Women are like clothes.' So there's even a little saying for it!" Guan Fangyi had walked over with a cold chuckle, frost hidden in her laughter.

The instant Niu Youdao heard her voice, sweat nearly broke out on his forehead. He hurriedly turned to explain, "I was talking about servant girls. Servant girls."

Guan Fangyi said, "Didn't I sign an indenture to you too?"

Niu Youdao kept giving her meaningful looks. "You're different."

Guan Fangyi pretended not to understand. "You still haven't given me a definite date for when you're marrying me. If you want to prove I'm different, why don't we settle the marriage right now?"

What trouble was this woman making at a time like this?

Niu Youdao muttered inwardly and refused to take the bait. He turned, pushed Old Six Xu and the others aside, and said, "Move, move. Give us some room."

After rescuing Linghu Qiu and waving the others away, Niu Youdao asked, "Second Brother, you really found the people?"

Linghu Qiu straightened his rumpled clothes and said irritably, "Of course I did. When have I ever lied to you?"

Niu Youdao said, "Second Brother, I'm afraid you made the trip for nothing. Forget the matter with Wei Chu. Tell the people you found to stand down. Dismiss them and treat it as though none of this ever happened."

Linghu Qiu stared at him in astonishment. "Why? Don't you understand that as long as Wei Chu remains alive, you'll have a hard time leaving the Qi capital?"

"After listening to Hongniang these past few days, I've thought things through. I don't want to concern myself with Qingshan Commandery anymore. I may as well remain in the Qi capital from now on."

Linghu Qiu stared blankly at Guan Fangyi, wondering what nonsense the woman had fed him.

Guan Fangyi lazily waved her round fan. "I've already made everything clear to him. As long as he marries me, I belong to him, and everything I own belongs to him too. What Shang Chaozong can give him may not be as much as what I can give. I can simply pick up my old business again, and he won't lack cultivation resources in the future either. Besides, what is there to return to in that poor backwater called Qingshan Commandery? I'm used to the prosperity of the Qi capital. I couldn't live in that miserable place. Better not to go at all."

So this woman was the one causing trouble! Linghu Qiu's teeth began to itch. Things had already reached this point; how could he allow Niu Youdao to stop now?

His voice sank. "Third Brother, are you playing with me? I found the people and even paid the commission. Now you're telling me you're quitting?"

Niu Youdao asked, "You already paid? How much?"

"After bargaining back and forth, one million gold coins!"

Niu Youdao was shocked. "The job isn't even done, and you already handed over a million gold coins?"

"I paid half up front. The other half is due after the job is done. I've already paid five hundred thousand as a deposit!"

Niu Youdao fell briefly silent, then turned to Guan Fangyi. "Hongniang, we can't let Second Brother bear that expense. Give him five hundred thousand first."

"Me, give him money? So he can spend it on those two sluts? Dream on!" Guan Fangyi scoffed and turned her face away.

Niu Youdao said, "Treat it as a loan to me! Didn't we agree on that before?"

"Before was before. Now? No!"

She plainly still looked furious over Hongxiu and Hongfu.

"Brother, let's speak privately." Linghu Qiu pulled Niu Youdao aside and lowered his voice. "Don't tell me you really intend to stay here and live off a woman?"

"Why make it sound so ugly? Can't I support her later?"

"You stay in the capital with no source of income. What are you going to support her with? That woman is used to spending money hand over fist. An ordinary man couldn't afford her. Don't do something impulsive."

Niu Youdao sighed. "Second Brother, I won't hide it from you. I've truly done everything I can for Qingshan Commandery. Eldest Brother Feng is back. It looks like he suffered quite a bit. Do you know what he told me? He said there's nothing more he can do about the warhorses, and from now on it all depends on me. He said Peng Youzai sent him a message ordering him to follow my deployment on the warhorse matter. Tell me, what does that mean?"

Linghu Qiu frowned.

Niu Youdao continued, "I might as well tell Second Brother the truth. You've seen the liquor produced on my side. In reality, Tianyu Sect controls all the profits. Liuxian Sect, Fuyun Sect, Lingxiu Mountain, and I were willing to come here and take these risks only because Tianyu Sect promised to share the liquor profits with us once the warhorse matter succeeded. Now Tianyu Sect has thrown the entire responsibility for the operation onto me. What do you think they're trying to do?"

Linghu Qiu had learned something about the liquor profits during the trouble over the exit permits for one hundred thousand warhorses. After pondering with a frown, he said, "If the operation fails, all the responsibility lands on you. In that case, none of you should expect to touch the liquor profits!"

"Exactly! Think about it. Even Tianyu Sect refuses to put in real effort on a matter this large. Why should I keep risking my life? Who can guarantee the warhorse operation will succeed? Tianyu Sect has already prepared to cut off even the final benefit they promised me. If I keep taking risks after that, I'd have to be sick in the head. The more I think about it, the more I feel that since Hongniang is willing to treat me with affection and loyalty, why should I keep fighting for something with almost no hope? Second Brother, don't worry. Once Hongniang hands her property over to me later, I won't let you lose that five hundred thousand. Treat it as money I owe you for now!"

Linghu Qiu was speechless and increasingly irritated. The Wei Chu matter was already arranged for him. His two maidservants had been taken advantage of by him. And now the bastard said he was quitting? Linghu Qiu could not possibly allow it. Even if he swallowed his own anger, he would still have no way to explain matters to those above him.

"Third Brother, this isn't about money. I wouldn't call myself rich, but I can still find a way to produce this amount. You don't need to worry about the money. I'll handle it."

"Second Brother, how could I accept that? There's no need to waste the money anymore."

"Third Brother, listen to me. Whatever motives we may have had when we swore brotherhood, we are brothers now. More importantly, everyone beneath Heaven knows you and I are sworn brothers. If I see you in trouble and do nothing, what will the people who deal with me think of me afterward? To put it plainly, if I destroy my reputation over one million gold coins, how am I supposed to keep brokering deals and making introductions in the future? Hongniang understands this best. People in our line of work live on reputation. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I understand. Second Brother would never stand by and watch something happen to me."

"Then listen carefully. Everything I'm telling you is for your own good. Have you considered this? You've offended Prince Jin. Yes, if you hide in the capital, he won't dare touch you for the moment. But what about later? If he wants to make trouble for you, sooner or later he'll catch you by the tail. This is his territory. Eventually he'll find a chance to deal with you!"

"With Bu Xun here, he'll have some reservations."

"I don't know what kind of relationship you have with Bu Xun, but how long can Bu Xun protect you? How old is Bu Xun already? How many years does he have left to live? Unless he can break through to the Nascent Soul Realm. Do you think that's possible? And Prince Jin is the eldest imperial son. If he inherits the throne, even Bu Xun won't be able to protect you! Little Brother, you're a smart man. Why look only at what's in front of you and ignore the future?"

"Second Brother, if the warhorse matter can't be resolved, there's no point in my returning to Qingshan Commandery."

"Third Brother, don't worry. I already said I won't ignore your troubles. If Tianyu Sect won't make an effort, you still have me. Peng Youzai has asked for my help before too. I'll use every connection I have and think of a way to help you with this!"

"Second Brother, how confident are you?"

"First get rid of Wei Chu and escape this situation. Once you leave the Qi capital, return immediately to Qingshan Commandery and put yourself somewhere safe. Leave the rest to me!"

"Seriously? Then why did you refuse when I asked you for help back in Qingshan Commandery?"

"That was then, this is now. Back then, did everyone beneath Heaven know you and I were sworn brothers? Why would I have needed to get involved?"

"Second Brother, you're sly enough."

"Stop talking nonsense. If you still regard me as your Second Brother, listen to my arrangements this time!"

"Second Brother has said this much. What else can I say? Fine."

"Good. Now that's my good brother. Then it's settled." Linghu Qiu patted him on the shoulder in satisfaction. Then he hooked an arm around Niu Youdao's neck and lowered his voice. "Third Brother, tell me the truth. Have you already slept with Hongxiu and Hongfu?"

He genuinely cared about the matter and was probing for the truth.

Niu Youdao hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no. Absolutely not!"

"Don't worry. I don't mean anything by it. If you really have already succeeded, I'll simply see the good deed through and give both of them to you."

How could Niu Youdao possibly keep those two women beside him? That would be no different from courting death. Naturally, he denied it again and again.

"Second Brother, now that you've said that, I almost want to admit it and take advantage of the situation to claim both of them. But since Second Brother is treating me sincerely, it would be too much for me to keep spouting nonsense. I truly didn't do that with them. I only took a few liberties with my hands. Of course, I'm no upright gentleman either. If Hongniang had arrived a little later, perhaps the raw rice really would have been cooked. But let me state this clearly first: I wasn't the one who started fooling around. They approached me. They asked me to help them, saying you had promised to return their freedom but kept delaying..."

He roughly recounted what had happened.

"Those two sluts! Their hearts have wandered. They nearly ruined the brotherhood between you and me. Once I find the proper opportunity, I'll deal with this..." Linghu Qiu cursed them for a while.

When the two returned to Guan Fangyi, Niu Youdao pleaded on Linghu Qiu's behalf, but Guan Fangyi refused outright.

"Those two sluts did something shameless and still dared curse me. How could I allow people like that back into my home? No!"

No matter what they said, she refused to allow Hongxiu and Hongfu back into Fufang Garden.

After Linghu Qiu left, Guan Fangyi waved her round fan and asked Niu Youdao, "Saved yourself the commission?"

Niu Youdao nodded. "Mm. He said he'll pay the million himself. He also took responsibility for the warhorse matter."

Guan Fangyi scoffed. "Bullshit! If their own people are doing the job, what commission would they need? If I'm not mistaken, the number he originally planned to quote you was probably far more than one million. You stabbed him right where it hurt, so he hurriedly cut the price to keep you on the hook! But you're no good bird either. You have someone else do the work and refuse to part with a single hair!"

Linghu Qiu did not leave Fufang Garden immediately. After learning Feng Entai had returned, he first went to see him, expressed his concern, and then indirectly verified what Niu Youdao had said.

Once he confirmed that Tianyu Sect truly had thrown the entire burden onto Niu Youdao, just as Niu Youdao claimed, Linghu Qiu finally left with a taut expression.

[End of Chapter 343]