Chapter 41: Just a Cover-up
"I don't deserve your kindness. I just have a small matter to discuss with Boss Yan. I hope you will give me some face." Qin Ziling bowed in return.
"Haha, no problem, no problem. Please take a seat, Brother Qin." Yan Kui said with a smile.
Qin Ziling bowed to express his thanks, then sat down.
"It's like this, Boss Yan. I'm getting a salary from the 'Hua Yun' powder and rouge shop. Today, Manager Yun came to me and said that Boss Yan's price is a bit high. Can you please give me some face and we can discuss the price?" Qin Ziling said.
"So that's how it is. If someone else , I would definitely not give him face, but since it's Brother Qin, I have to give him some face. How about this, Yixuan, you tell Manager Yun tomorrow that for Brother Qin's sake, we can reduce the fee by 10%." Yan Kui put on a hypocritical smile, and the scar on his face was crawling like a centipede.
"Okay, boss." Yi Xuan stood up and responded.
"Boss Yan, please stop joking with me. I can understand asking for an exorbitant price in business. But in your line of business, you are doing a no-cost business, so you still have to follow the rules. Asking for an exorbitant price is too destructive to the rules and your reputation. So, I heard that Manager Yun used to pay five taels of money as his share of the money, so just give me face and continue to pay the same as before, and this matter will be over." Qin Ziling said lightly.
"Pa!" Upon hearing this, Yan Kui's face suddenly darkened and he slammed the table and stood up. The blood in his body surged, his eyes were fierce, and the scar on his face was wriggling violently, making him look particularly hideous and terrifying.
"Boss!" Seven or eight burly men standing outside rushed in at once, shouting and rubbing their hands ready to fight.
"What are you doing? Get out!" Yi Xuan quickly stood up upon seeing this and shouted at the big man who rushed in from outside.
Those big men glared at Qin Ziling fiercely before retreating outside.
"Boss, please calm down first." Yi Xuan then carefully appeased the angry Yan Kui, and then turned to Qin Ziling and said, "Mr. Qin, face is mutual. Your way of negotiating is really too disrespectful to our Yanluo Gang. If it really gets out, people who don't know will think that our Yanluo Gang is afraid of you, Mr. Qin. Otherwise, I will persuade our boss to try to reduce the price by another 10%."
"Five taels of silver is my bottom line. Gang leader Yan disagrees, so let's invite a few witnesses and set a time for a competition. If you win, I will no longer interfere in this matter. If you lose, don't touch the 'Hua Yun' powder and rouge shop again." Qin Ziling said.
"You want to compete with me? Haha!" Yan Kui burst into laughter upon hearing that. Yi Xuan beside him and the gang members outside also laughed out loud, as if they had heard the funniest thing in the world.
"What? Gang Leader Yan doesn't agree?" Qin Ziling said with a confused look on his face.
"Haha, I agree , of course I agree. Brother Qin, please tell me a time." Yan Kui said with a smile, looking at Qin Ziling as if he was an idiot.
"Let's do it here at noon three days later. I will ask Senior Brother Zheng Xinghan to be a witness, and you can ask someone yourself." Qin Ziling said lightly.
"Okay, it's settled." Yan Kui said.
Upon hearing this, Qin Ziling stood up, bowed, then turned and left the Yanluo Gang.
"Haha!" As soon as Qin Ziling left, Yan Kui and others burst into laughter again. Even Yi Xuan, the military strategist, smiled and shook his head.
"I thought this guy, despite his difficult family circumstances, practiced martial arts every day for three years and finally broke through to the membrane realm. He should be a calm and resolute person, but I didn't expect him to be such an arrogant fool! A martial artist who just broke through to the membrane realm actually dared to fight with you, the gang leader. Isn't this asking for trouble?"
“Isn’t this better? We don’t have to go through all the trouble.” Yan Kui said with a smile.
Qin Ziling left the Yanluo Gang and listened to the laughter coming from inside the gate. A sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth, and a sinister and vicious look flashed in the depths of his seemingly clear starry eyes.
"Idiot, do you really think I would fight with a piece of trash like you? I'm just playing a trick on you to deceive others."
The next day, Qin Ziling found Zheng Xinghan and told him the results of the negotiations.
"Yan Kui is an old martial artist who has been training at the level of a bull's hide for seven or eight years. He is also experienced in actual combat and is very fierce. Don't think that just because Nangong Yue couldn't defeat you last time, Yan Kui only has that much ability. Those are two different concepts. In a real life-and-death fight, he will do everything he can."
"Don't underestimate Nangong Yue because he is very talented and has broken through realms very quickly. That can only mean that he may achieve great things in the future. But he has only been practicing for a short time and has lived a life of luxury. He has not had any dangerous experience in actual combat. If they were to fight at the same level, I'm afraid Yan Kui would be able to defeat him in just three or five moves."
"Of course, Nangong Yue is now one level higher than Yan Kui. Whether it's the purity of his blood and qi, or the sharpness of his five senses and his agile physical reactions, Yan Kui can't compare to him. In this case, even if Nangong Yue has been practicing for a short time and has no actual combat experience, Yan Kui should not be his opponent."
"But you are still at the level of a cow, and it seems that your Qi and blood are progressing slowly. If you hadn't shown your extraordinary fighting skills in the last fight with Nangong Yue, I would definitely not recommend you to fight with Yan Kui. Now, you still have some chance of winning. It's good to fight with him and gain more practical experience. With me as your backup, there shouldn't be any problems."
After hearing this, Zheng Xinghan pondered for a moment and said.
"Thank you for the reminder, senior brother. I will be cautious and will not underestimate the enemy." Qin Ziling said in a deep voice.
"Yeah." Zheng Xinghan nodded, then thought for a moment and said, "Ever since you broke through to the Niupi level, you've been running around outside all day, and when you come back, you've been practicing hard. I've never had a chance to practice with you. How about this, I'll practice with you today to see how you are doing."
"Thank you, senior brother." Qin Ziling took a few steps back and bowed solemnly.
He naturally understood that Zheng Xinghan was worried about him and wanted to weigh him up and give him some pointers before the fight. It just so happened that Qin Ziling had been practicing hard every day these days, even enduring the pain of being beaten by the Bronze Corpse Hammer every day, and he also wanted to see the effect of his hard practice.
"Let's start!" Zheng Xinghan smiled faintly.
After saying that, Zheng Xinghan didn't wait for Qin Ziling to answer, he rushed forward, and then directly kicked Qin Ziling sideways, kicking him hard in the waist.
Qin Ziling quickly blocked it with his arm.
A powerful force rushed over from the point where his legs and arms collided, like a wild bull charging at him. Although Qin Ziling had been mentally prepared, he was still secretly surprised took a few steps back.
"You react quite quickly!" Zheng Xinghan laughed when he saw this. When Qin Ziling retreated, he had already raised his palm knife and chopped at Qin Ziling continuously like a storm.
