"Good morning, sunshine."
—Those were the first words that greeted Zhang Yong as he slipped back to the real world; of course, they came from Shou.
Zhang Yong promptly propped himself up. He massaged his scalp and grunted. He didn't have a headache, but he felt like he should. After all, seamlessly slipping from one world to another should come with—at the very least—a slight vertigo. But no, there was nothing. It was actually scary how efficient this 'artifact' was.
"So," Shou uttered, "Mister Justice it is, huh?"
The moment he heard his title, Zhang Yong slapped his forehead. The sheer embarrassment from being referred like that (other than by the little girl) almost made him die another time. "Please never, ever, call me as that."
Ah Liang was quick to chime in. "Actually I think this is a great name. Absolutely befitting of the Hero residing in the City of Delight." He rubbed his stubby hands as he said so, thus making him look rather sinister. But truthfully speaking, the man was not trying to coax favor by using his sweet, silver tongue. He really did mean every word he had said.
"Pfft," Shou could not help but chuckle, which made Zhang Yong even more embarrassed.
"Also, I greatly admire the way you saved that little girl from danger, even risking death to do so. I will make sure to spread your valiant deeds far and wide." Ah Liang spread his arms out and he praised Zhang Yong to the high heavens.
"Uhm, I'm flattered by your image of me, but I promise I am not as great as you imagine." Zhang Yong kept holding his forehead.
"Well, even though your achievements are subjective, there really was something good that came out of it." Shou pointed at the screen. "18% Completion rate. I would count it as a success."
Zhang Yong turned his head at the screen. As he saw the numbers, he smiled. "That means I at least have beaten little Yangyi, huh?" He clenched his hand into a fist. "Nice."
"Well, you are still lower than Li Yinyi though," Shou was quick to chime in.
"Ugh..." Zhang Yong's fleeting feeling of superiority disappeared as fast as it came. "Did you really have to bring this up? I mean, in the first place, are your sure these things are accurately gauging the completion rate? How is it possible for Little Yinyi to be that high when all she did was get captured and die?"
Shou tilted his head. "Are you questioning my work ethics?"
"Of course not."
He patted Zhang Yongs shoulder. "No worries, the system is never wrong. I think you will be able to understand how everything is judged once you've reached a 100%. i promise everything will be clear by then."
"You're the only person that could possibly run a business like this." Zhang Yong sighed. "But then again, that is one of the charms of this place."
Shou didn't answer; He only smiled.
"Well, it has gotten late again. Time flies fast when you are in the instance. I think it is time for me to leave." Zhang Yong dusted off his clothes and prepared to depart.
"Ah, Sir, please wait," Ah Liang stopped him. He rubbed his neck nervously and with a meek voice he asked, "If Sir Zhang Yong doesn't mind, would it trouble you to join me and my friends on a drink? How about a treat at the Simmering Sun Restaurant?" His forehead glistened from his sweat as he asked the question.
An Bai , who had returned just some time before Zhang Yong, was startled by Ah Liangs' straightforwardness. Truly, this was how the 2nd placed member of the Golden Dragon Circle behaved—never leaving an opportunity for fortune go!
Well, little did An Bai know, it was only because Ah Liang wanted to be with his idol; A very innocent wish.
Still, even with different ideas in mind, they had the same goal, thus he naturally supported Ah Liang. "I did hear they make the most exquisite wine in all of Extended Delight." He wrapped his hand around Ah Liangs shoulder and tried to act as friendly as possible.
Zhang Yong rubbed his chin. He thought about it for only a moment, but it seemed long for the two merchants. He looked at them and smiled. "Well, I have some free time and we are already brothers connected by this store, so I see no reason to decline."
Ah Liang looked so relieved, he almost fell to his knees. An Bai similarly smiled.
"Ah, but I have something to do before that. So how a bout in the evening, we meet later?"
"That's fine, that's fine!" Ah Liang vigorously nodded. "That is no problem at all. in fact, it would be better for us too."
Zhang Yong laughed. "That is great. See you around then." He waved his hand and walked through the door. "Oh and Shou, see you tomorrow too! Reserve a spot for me."
"We don't do such a thing here," Shou told him, but Zhang Yong already vanished. Just before the outside darkness enveloped him, he seemed to mumble something about the little girl and the shadows; His expression was gleeful.
The two from the Golden Dragon Circle stepped forward soon after. The remaining bodyguard helped the unconscious Hei Er up. "Boss Shou, thank your for your hospitality, we shall take our leave now too. It has really been a valuable experience," Ah Liang said. He gave a graceful bow with a bright smile.
His friend, An Bai, imitated those actions. It was a little weird seeing such a big and straight-faced man express his goodwill like that, but he seemed sincere. "I agree. It was fun. I am sure we are going to see each other a lot more."
"It's just business, no need to be so formal," Shou said and quickly waved them away. They really didn't have to be so uptight. Still, he was glad his customers liked what he provided in the end, even if the start was rather arduous. Otherwise, he might have just gotten a mouthful from Si—and her voice turned incredible penetrating when it came to money.
An Bai's eye shot open. "Only business, he says..." He looked at the mysterious artifacts in the other room and laughed loudly. "What kind of business operates on a loss? With such unique artifacts, no matter the price, you'd be running a charity. If I had only one of these things, I wouldn't even dream about showing it to my closest kin, let alone openly promote and let other people use it."
"Well now, don't be like that, at least we don't have to worry about competing with him. There's no way to replicate this after all." Ah Liang patted the mans shoulder, and with the same hand, he then stretched his hand out for Shou. His smile still hadn't faded from his face. "But as we are all humble business-owners here, let's do it the formal way then."
Shou stared at the mans hand and tilted his head.
"Ah, Bother Liang that's unfair, getting a head-start like that," An Bai complained. He then also stretched his hand out. "I would tell you to watch out for any people coveting your goods, but I've seen your defenses first hand already. They're nothing to scoff at. So for me too, all I can offer is a handshake."
"Ah, that's what it was." Shou nodded in realization, and took both of their hands. One was strong and solid, while another was big—but both of them held a firm grip, almost as if they were competing.
"See you soon." They left right after, leaving Shou alone with Si.
He closed the door as they walked out.
...
Surprisingly, the walk for Ah Liang and An Bai was rather silent. Neither of them had talked, and as the streets slowly cleared while night encroached, only their footfalls echoes silently.
An Bai was the first to break the ice. "What do you think should be our next steps, Brother Liang?"
An Bai sighed audibly, he massaged his temples and said, "That's a good question. But things have turned quite complicated, haven't they?"
"Indeed they have." An Bai also made a difficult expression. "If only it was an ordinary shop, the decision would have been much easier. However now... never mind crushing it, I feel like being associated with it might not be too bad."
"Stop that thought," Ah Liang decisively cut him off. "We have already chosen our side. There's no point regretting it. Zhang Yong appearing there is more than enough evidence of the three families, even if his case with the Zhang family is complicated." He looked at the sky. "But I wonder, if I had known sooner, would I have made the same decisions that led me to now?" He paused. "Ah crap, I feel a bit regretful now too."
"How about we hide the info?"
"Wow, you've gotten brave; is it because of what I said in the morning? Don't forget though, the man that hunts both rabbits—ends up with none." Ah Liang continued walking. His steps were like for his big physique. " Besides, do you honestly it is possible for us to hide something on this scale? Especially from that cunning City Lord?"
"Fair enough. Then the only question remains," An Bai's eyes suddenly turned sharp, "whom do we tell first? The Circle or the City Lord?"
"In other words, which party do we have more faith in?" The man thought about it for a moment. "Let's go with The Circle."
"So that means—"
"Ah, don't get me wrong. It's just that the Circle has been kind to me ever since I entered, they have boosted my income and reputation significantly, thus I should at least try to repay them." His walking grew a little faster. "Also, I can't shake this uneasy feeling of my chest, like a sense of danger if you will. And escaping The Golden Circle will prove far easier than escaping that monstrous City Lord. Of course, you are free to disagree. I'm not your boss after all."
"So you are already planning with failure in my mind? That doesn't sit well with me." An Bai grumbled. "But I do like how straightforward this strategy is. In the end, the simple plans are the best!"
"I really wonder how you became a merchant with that brain of yours. You sure you shouldn't have been a warrior?"
"The hell? I can be smart if needed. Have you already forgotten how I convinced that Zhang Yong to a drink."
Ah Liang gasped, as he realized something crucial. "Ah, I was supposed to meet Master Zhang Yong alone, why did you butt in?"
An Bai shuddered at the sight of that huge man acting like a young maiden in love; The sight made him almost puke. 'Maybe I should rethink my position on following his plans...'