Chapter 333: Chapter 331: The Wharf
The restaurant fell deathly silent. Many patrons couldn’t help but stare, eyes wide and mouths agape, the corners of their lips twitching as they watched. They were all waiting to see how this reckless young man would be flattened into a meat patty by a single slap from the leader of the Sea Tide Gang.
Even Chen Haichao himself was stunned, frozen in place for a long moment, unable to process what had just happened. Though he had the refined appearance of a middle-aged man, he was, in fact, an old man who had lived for centuries. Being so crudely insulted by a mere wet-behind-the-ears youth, his first reaction wasn’t anger, but... utter bewilderment.
He wasn’t even sure what he was supposed to do.
However, a thin-faced old man beside Chen Haichao suddenly erupted with a sharp aura. His eyes fixed on Qin Li as he snarled, "You little bastard, you’re courting death!"
As he spoke, his body blurred into an afterimage, hurtling toward Qin Li at a speed the naked eye couldn’t track. He swung his right arm, aiming a vicious slap at Qin Li’s face!
The Sea Tide Gang had to reclaim their lost face in the same manner it was taken.
’It’s just a slap, isn’t it? Anyone can do that!’
SLAP!
The onlookers only heard a single, crisp sound. They couldn’t see what had happened at all. The next thing they knew, the old man who had charged Qin Li was spinning in place like a top on ice that had been lashed with a whip, whirling a dozen times or more!
Then, with a THUD, he collapsed to the ground, his body twitching uncontrollably. He wasn’t dead; Qin Li’s retaliatory slap had simply knocked him out cold.
A wave of shock washed over the restaurant.
The diners gulped, their Adam’s apples bobbing frantically. A collective gasp escaped their lips.
Two men beside Chen Haichao quickly dragged the old man back, examining him with nervous questions.
"Old Five, are you okay?"
"Old Five, how are you?"
A terrifying light burst from Chen Haichao’s eyes as he stared down Qin Li. Suddenly, everyone in the restaurant shivered uncontrollably, as if an invisible, bone-chilling aura had instantly enveloped the entire establishment.
And this aura wasn’t aimed at them, but solely at the expressionless Qin Li.
"Who exactly are you? Did you come here looking for trouble?" Chen Haichao asked, his voice grim. He refused to believe this was a coincidence; someone must have been tracking their movements. He conveniently ignored the fact that none of this would have happened if he hadn’t sent his own men to test the strength of this young man and his two female companions in the first place.
The Snake Woman beside Qin Li laughed, her amusement born from fury. It had to be said, the Snake Woman was an exceptionally intelligent... Spirit Beast. But more often than not, she found the complexities of the human psyche utterly baffling. ’One thing is clearly white, yet someone will insist it’s black. Another is obviously black, yet someone will perversely claim it’s white!’
Thus, the two words "human nature" were, for the Snake Woman, always shrouded in a thin mist, something she could almost see through, almost understand, but never quite grasp.
’Just like now,’ she thought, ’this man has the gall to turn the tables and blame us, asking what *we* want...’ The Snake Woman couldn’t help but sneer. "How ridiculous. You’re the ones who came looking for trouble, weren’t you? What? Now that you realize you can’t win, you come asking what *we* want? We don’t want a thing, except for you to get the hell out of here!"
Chen Haichao’s chest rose and fell sharply. He suddenly realized that even under the full force of his oppressive aura, this bewitching woman in black showed no reaction whatsoever.
’The young man was just as nonchalant. Only the other pretty, cold-faced young woman seemed slightly uncomfortable, but not overly so. It was obvious: the other two not only had more than enough strength to protect themselves, but also had power to spare for their companion!’
There’s an old saying: the longer one survives in the Martial World, the more cowardly they become. Chen Haichao had never thought he’d see the day he felt fear, but today, he was genuinely afraid. ’These people... they clearly have an extraordinary background!’
’And what’s more...’ Chen Haichao thought, forcing himself to calm down, ’this man and woman... it seems they haven’t taken me seriously from the very beginning. To be this composed, it can’t just be a powerful backer. Their personal strength... is probably far more formidable than I ever imagined!’
As these thoughts raced through Chen Haichao’s mind, his eyes narrowed. He looked like a coiled beast of prey, radiating an extreme sense of danger.
Just when everyone thought Chen Haichao was about to explode with rage and kill Qin Li, the unexpected happened.
Chen Haichao shot Qin Li one last, hard look. "We’re leaving," he said. With that, he turned and walked away, his face a mask of indifference.
His men froze for a second before helping the fallen old man to his feet and scurrying away in disgrace.
"Alright, let’s get going," Qin Li said. He paid the men no mind. ’It was just a minor conflict. They’re no threat to us. Besides, this is the territory of the Great Yan Kingdom, and the Yan Kingdom is a vassal state of the Qin Family. I don’t want to stir up unnecessary trouble here.’
The Snake Woman pouted, clearly a little displeased that Qin Li had let them go. ’In the world of Spirit Beasts,’ she thought, ’a confrontation like this only has two outcomes: submission or death.’
’When the disparity in strength is this vast, a third option... escape... is simply not on the table!’
’But, this is the human world, after all, and I’m still learning how to be a... normal human.’ So, despite her dissatisfaction with Qin Li’s decision, she kept her mouth shut.
As for Leng Yao, her expression was serene. Though she was eager to increase her own strength, she felt no sense of inferiority. She knew she possessed a special talent that was uniquely hers.
That’s right: Alchemy!
Qin Li had never made any demands of her, but the exceptionally clever Leng Yao knew exactly how high his expectations were. The two of them had always shared this unspoken understanding.
Since Qin Li had a Storage Ring, the trio only needed minimal preparations before heading to the seaside docks. Here, the salty, fishy smell in the air was even more pungent.
Leng Yao’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. She She, on the other hand, was unfazed; as a snake, her original form was not bothered by such smells.
Perhaps because of the Sea Tide Gang, the massive dock was completely deserted, save for a single, dilapidated-looking boat. It wasn’t large—a little over ten meters long and three meters wide—and looked like a common fishing vessel.
A weathered-looking fisherman was busy mending a damaged section of its hull.
Qin Li walked along the pier and approached the old man. "Sir," he asked in a gentle voice, "where have all the other boats gone? Why are you the only one left?"
The old man didn’t look up. He kept swinging his hammer, CLANG CLANG CLANG, and replied in a raspy voice, "They’ve all gone out to sea!"
"Sir, do you know where we might be able to hire a boat? We need to set sail as well." As he spoke, Qin Li pulled out a piece of silver—a full ten taels’ worth. "Please, help us find a boat. This silver is just a small token of our gratitude."
With a gentle toss, the piece of silver flew more than ten meters, drifting down like a leaf to land softly on the old man’s boat.
The sight of the silver finally made the old man stop his work. He looked up, his throat bobbing. Ten taels of silver was no small sum for a simple fisherman like him. Because of the Sea Tide Gang, any fish caught in Hai City had to be sold to the gang first, and at a much lower price than market value. As a result, most fishermen lived hand-to-mouth, barely scraping by.
’This ten taels of silver truly tempted the weather-beaten old man. ’With this money,’ he thought, ’I could buy my wife some jewelry, get my daughter a beautiful dress, and even save some for my youngest son. He could marry a pretty wife and carry on the family name!’’
However, the thought of the Sea Tide Gang’s viciousness and cruelty made him force down the temptation. He slowly shook his head. "Young man, take your silver back. I... I can’t help you. My old wreck is the only boat left at the docks in Hai City!"
Qin Li was taken aback. He exchanged a glance with Leng Yao, who then spoke to the old man. "Sir, it’s okay. Please, keep the silver as a gift. Can you just tell us why all the other boats are gone, leaving only yours?"
A grateful look crossed the old man’s face. These young people, clearly extraordinary, were so polite and generous. He quickly glanced around, furtively pocketed the silver, and then whispered, "The bigwigs from the Sea Tide Gang were here. I don’t know why, but they left in a hurry just a moment ago and gave an order..."
Feeling the warmth of the silver in his pocket, the old man steeled himself and said, "...they ordered everyone not to rent any boats to you..."
"Huh? How did you know they meant us?" Leng Yao asked, puzzled. ’The leader of that gang left just a short while before we arrived. Plus, it’s impossible for this old man to have seen us before!’
The old man gave a bitter smile. "They gave a description: one young man and two young women. Folks like you, who look like you’ve descended from the heavens, and are obviously from out of town... you’re easy to spot. Sigh... you should just leave this place. Nothing good comes from offending the Sea Tide Gang!"
"Sir, is this Sea Tide Gang really as terrifying as all that?" Qin Li smiled, crouching down to speak with the old man casually. This simple interaction felt pleasant. ’This is what it means to enter the mortal world and temper one’s character. So many people don’t understand how to truly train their hearts. I believe that only by immersing yourself in the lives of ordinary people, understanding their joys and sorrows, their anger and grief, can you call it true experience!’
’Training in the mortal realm isn’t just about endless fighting and killing. That path only leads to a heart that grows colder by the day, turning you into a heartless, unfeeling murderer. There’s no meaning in that.’
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