Chapter 114: Chapter 112: The 2nd Prince’s Advisor

To Qin Li and Bu Yunyan’s surprise, after Du Ziteng had his men carry the middle-aged man away, the group of girls in the shop weren’t frightened into quitting on the spot. Instead, their faces were alight with excited smiles, leaving both Qin Li and Bu Yunyan baffled. After all, just moments ago, their faces had turned deathly pale at the mere mention of the Daqing Gang. They had looked ready to collapse. How could they have changed so drastically in such a short time?

However, the crowd that subsequently flooded the shop to buy Elixirs, along with their chattering, brought a flash of understanding to the pair. It seemed the Daqing Gang was not at all popular in Cyan Dragon City of the Imperial Capital.

"Hey, the owner of this shop is incredible! He even dared to beat up a Master from the Daqing Gang, and so brutally, too. How could he not have some powerful backing?"

"Exactly! I totally misjudged him before. I thought he was just some reckless fool. But look! That arrogant and domineering Little General Du didn’t even dare to make a peep before scurrying away with his tail between his legs. Damn it, I haven’t felt this good since the day I was born!"

"Haha, not even on your wedding night with your new bride?"

"Good my ass! She just screamed in pain the whole time, scared me so bad I went limp..."

"Hahaha, Li Laosan, you dare say that? Careful, or I’ll go tell your wife!"

"Heh heh, alright, alright. When men are out and about, isn’t it all just for a bit of bragging? Later, at Hongfu Tower, I’ll treat you to a drink!"

"..."

Amidst the crowd’s awestruck gazes, Qin Li and Bu Yunyan slowly made their way to the second floor.

Bu Yunyan said with a charming smile, "It’s one thing for you to act all cool, but I’m afraid our manager is going to fall for you."

Qin Li froze for a moment, then shook his head. "How could that be!"

"And why not? Didn’t you see the way she was looking at you? Tsk... it was like she wanted to eat you up. That gaze, as tender as water..." Bu Yunyan said, drawing out her words. Seeing Qin Li’s helpless expression, she giggled.

Once she had laughed her fill, Bu Yunyan spoke softly, "Young Master, are you sure that doing this will attract the Second Prince’s attention?"

Although they had never discussed it directly, how could the intelligent Bu Yunyan not see through it? Qin Li’s actions seemed impulsive, but in reality, they were a signal to the Second Prince: ’I’ve started a fight with your mortal enemy. Aren’t you going to get involved?’

Though she had never met the legendary Second Prince, the various rumors about him suggested he was a man of great cunning and courage. He had competed with the Daqing Gang’s Crown Prince for a woman, yet was able to decisively let her go and didn’t seek trouble afterward, which was a testament to his shrewdness.

Otherwise, if a Prince truly wanted revenge on someone, not even the Daqing Gang’s Gang Leader, let alone their Crown Prince, could withstand that kind of pressure.

After all, a Prince’s honor was tied to the honor of the entire imperial family! Although she didn’t know the real reason the Second Prince had backed down, he was definitely a decisive man who knew when to act and when to let things go.

Qin Li was confident that it wouldn’t be long before the Second Prince’s people came calling.

He wasn’t banking on anything else but his understanding of human nature, honed through countless experiences in both his past and present lives.

When it was time to close up for the night, Qin Li and Bu Yunyan came downstairs. The manager, with a shy blush, looked at Qin Li with sparkling, watery eyes and reported, "Young Master, today we... we sold thirty percent more than the past few days..."

"Duoduo, you’re reporting to the wrong person..." Bu Yunyan said with a deadpan expression. Then, as the girl stared in stunned, bashful silence, Bu Yunyan finally couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.

Just then, a few soft knocks came from the door. The girls inside the shop exchanged glances, a hint of fear in their eyes. They lived and ate here, and now that the afternoon’s excitement had faded, the fear that their enemies would come back to settle the score crept back into their minds.

Qin Li smiled faintly. "Don’t be afraid. I’ll be here for the next few days. No one will be able to harm you, I guarantee it."

"Yes, Young Master, we all believe you!" the manager named Duoduo said softly, stealing a shy glance at Qin Li.

Qin Li walked over and opened the door, only to see a middle-aged man with an ordinary face standing outside. He was dressed in coarse cotton clothes, the type of person you wouldn’t notice in a crowd.

"You must be Young Master Qin Li, of the noble Qin Family from the Great Qi Kingdom, correct?" the middle-aged man asked, forgoing any pleasantries and getting straight to the point.

Qin Li wasn’t the least bit surprised that the man had figured out his identity. After all, the deed to this shop was written in his name.

Furthermore, Qin Li’s Great Qi accent and his proud, impetuous demeanor all declared his former noble status to the world.

Qin Li nodded and narrowed his eyes. "And who might you be?"

The middle-aged man chuckled. "We are friends, not foes. Surely a man as audacious as Young Master Qin isn’t afraid that I might mean you harm?"

Qin Li smiled faintly and gestured with his arm. "Upstairs, please."

The shop Qin Li had taken over had its business area on the first floor and the kitchen and girls’ living quarters on the second. The third floor, however, had never been opened to the public. In truth, the third floor was the most luxuriously decorated of all.

This was, in fact, the space Qin Li had prepared for himself and for entertaining certain guests.

"Have a seat." Qin Li pointed, then settled into a soft armchair himself. When he saw a flicker of surprise in the middle-aged man’s eyes, Qin Li couldn’t help but feel a little smug. He had designed everything according to his tastes from his past life; in this world, it was all absolutely one-of-a-kind.

Of course, it probably wouldn’t be long before these designs took Cyan Dragon City by storm and spread across the entire continent. The concepts were simply too advanced, too indulgent.

But this middle-aged man was clearly no country bumpkin. After a moment of surprise, he smiled and said, "Young Master Qin is truly of noble birth. I’ve never heard of such a style before!"

"Heh, you flatter me. May I ask, sir, what business brings you to me?"

Just then, Bu Yunyan came up, brewed a pot of tea, poured a cup for each of them, and then gracefully departed. Despite her Disguise, Bu Yunyan’s face was still strikingly beautiful and captivating, yet the middle-aged man didn’t even raise his head.

Only after Bu Yunyan had left did he give a faint smile and say, "I heard that this afternoon, Young Master Qin taught a Master from the Daqing Gang a harsh lesson, and in the process, also humiliated Little General Du Ziteng, the third son of the Imperial Left General?"

"Oh? Did something like that happen?" Qin Li feigned surprise so well it looked genuine. He paused for a moment before feigning realization. "Oh, oh, oh! You mean that gang of hooligans who came to my shop to cause trouble? What? Their leader is a general’s son? Heh... You must be joking. How could a vulgar hooligan like that possibly be the son of a great General? To say so is simply an insult to the General’s ability to raise his children!"

’Uh... what the hell!’ The middle-aged man stared dumbfoundedly at the handsome, aristocratic youth before him, completely floored. Even he couldn’t tell if the boy was playing dumb or was genuinely a clueless, reckless fool.

"Heh heh, that kid isn’t actually the son of some Left General, is he?" Seeing the man was completely stupefied, Qin Li chuckled and said, "And so what if he is? The great General has been lax in his son’s upbringing. I was just helping him teach the boy a lesson, that’s all..."

’That’s... all?!’ the middle-aged man cursed inwardly. ’Damn it, I’ve seen shameless people before, but I’ve never met anyone as shameless as you! You utterly humiliate a great General’s son and then have the gall to say you were just teaching him a lesson on the General’s behalf? If General Du Wei heard you say that, wouldn’t he pass out from sheer anger?’

The speech the middle-aged man had prepared before coming was now completely useless in the face of this young man. This made him shudder inwardly and begin to re-evaluate Qin Li.

Before he came, the Second Prince had instructed him that if this noble from the Great Qi Kingdom named Qin Li was just some simple-minded youth with strength but no brains, he should offer him a little bait—an empty promise, for example. The gist would be: ’Go ahead and fight the Daqing Gang and Little General Du’s people with confidence! His Highness the Second Prince has your back! If you need silver, you’ll have silver. If you need men, you’ll have men!’

If that were the case, the Second Prince wouldn’t waste much thought on Qin Li. And even if Qin Li wasn’t a reckless fool but simply a cornered mad dog, that would suit the Second Prince’s plans even better. Using such a mad dog to bite people was simply perfect.

If anything went wrong, they could push all the blame onto this fallen noble from the Great Qi Kingdom, completely absolving themselves.

Therefore, from the very beginning, neither the Second Prince nor this middle-aged man had any good intentions. They had never planned on treating Qin Li as an equal to negotiate with.

His mission was simply to give Qin Li a glimmer of hope and then use him as a hired gun, as a mad dog. That was all.

But now, the middle-aged man realized this seemingly reckless youth was not nearly as naive as he had thought. His clash with the Daqing Gang’s Master and his humiliation of the Du Family’s young master were entirely intentional! Moreover, the man could predict that if he were to just walk out today, by tomorrow, this kid would definitely spread the word that the Second Prince was his backer.

The reason was all too simple. Without a backer, without support, without a powerful background, who in their right mind with nothing better to do would be crazy enough to oppose the Daqing Gang? The storm between the Daqing Gang and the Second Prince had only just subsided!

’Damn it, this kid... he must know about that incident!’ Looking at Qin Li’s guileless smile, the middle-aged man felt a sudden urge to smash that seemingly idiotic face with his fist.

Taking a deep breath, the man’s smile returned, and he spoke in a cordial tone, "Let us reintroduce ourselves. My name is Wang Chao, and I am an advisor to His Highness the Second Prince. As I am your senior, I’ll take the liberty of calling you ’little brother.’ You don’t mind, do you?"

If these words were heard outside, they would undoubtedly cause a huge uproar. The esteemed Mister Wang Chao, an advisor to His Highness the Second Prince himself, was being so polite to a fallen noble from another kingdom... If word got out, it would make jaws drop everywhere!