The words were already at the tip of Guo Dalu′s tongue, dangerously close to slipping out. Don′t think for a second that he wouldn′t dare say it—once liquor was in his system, the words “I don′t dare” might as well have been flung ten thousand miles away.

  Wang Dong and the others didn′t seem to mind.

  "If you′re friends with Guo Dalu, you better be ready to fight for him at any time."

  For them, fighting was as ordinary as eating and drinking.

  Even Lin Taiping was no exception.

  Although Jia Gun wasn′t gring at him, Lin Taiping was gring at Gun Zi, eyes full of hostility.

  It seemed that whether Guo Dalu said the wrong thing or Gun Zi asked the wrong question, this fight could break out at any moment.

  But then, unexpectedly, Jin Shi spoke.

  “These people don′t need to be questioned.”

  Gun Zi asked, “Why?”

  Jin Shi chuckled and said, "If they were up to something, why would they be talking about my nose?"

  So, not only did this man have a keen sense of smell, but his hearing was also remarkably sharp.

  Guo Dalu couldn′t help but ugh. "You heard everything?"

  Jin Shi replied, "In our line of work, you have to keep your eyes on all four directions and your ears on all eight."

  Guo Dalu asked, "You′re not angry?"

  Jin Shi ughed. "Why would I be? Having a big nose might not be the most attractive thing, but there′s nothing shameful about it."

  Guo Dalu′s impression of him immediately improved. "Not only is it not shameful, but it′s also not unattractive. A real man should have a big nose—the bigger, the better. Any woman with good sense likes a man with a big nose."

  Jin Shi burst into ughter. "Your nose isn′t small either."

  Guo Dalu touched his nose and grinned. "It′s so-so, still acceptable."

  Jin Shi asked, "You live in this city?"

  Guo Dalu replied, "Not in the city, in the mountains."

  Jin Shi asked, "Are there many people living up there?"

  Guo Dalu said, "Only the four of us living, but plenty of the dead."

  Jin Shi raised an eyebrow. "The dead?"

  Guo Dalu ughed. "We live right next to a graveyard. It′s called the ‘Fugui Mountain Vil.’ If you ever have time, come by for a drink."

  Jin Shi smiled. "I′ll definitely pay a visit."

  Suddenly, he stood up and called out, "Shopkeeper, the bill! I′ll cover everything for these gentlemen as well."

  Guo Dalu jumped up. "What are you saying? We′re the hosts here—you have to let us show some hospitality."

  "He loved both making friends and treating them."

  No one made friends faster than him, and no one paid the bill quicker than him. But this time, when he reached into his pocket, his hand frozen.

  He couldn′t just pull out that gold ingot in front of everyone.

  To his surprise, Jin Shi didn′t insist on paying either. Instead, he simply smiled and said, "Since that′s the case, I′ll respectfully accept. Many thanks."

  Suddenly, Gun Zi patted Guo Dalu′s shoulder and said coldly, "The city is bound to be chaotic these next couple of days. If you have nothing urgent, it′s best to stay home—no need to go looking for trouble."

  Before Guo Dalu could respond, Jia Gun pressed down on his shoulder firmly and added, "No need to see us out. Please stay seated."

  Guo Dalu grinned. "I′ve been sitting too long—I just felt like standing up for a bit."

  Jia Gun had used eighty percent of his strength, yet Guo Dalu didn′t even flinch. He gave Guo Dalu a few measuring gnces before turning and walking out without another word.

  Suddenly, Jin Shi spoke. “Do any of you recognize the man across the street?”

  An old man, hunched over with age and covered in white hair, stepped out of the building opposite them. He carried a bucket of filthy water and, with a loud spsh, dumped it onto the ground.

  Guo Dalu grinned. “Of course I recognize him. He′s the senior appraiser at Liyuan Pawnshop. We all call him ‘Huo Baopi.’”

  (T/N: 活剥皮; Huó bāopí, lit. means Skinned alive or Skin Peeler.)

  Jin Shi′s sharp gaze remained locked on the old man. Only after watching him turn around and walk back inside did he finally smile and say, “If you′ll excuse us, we′ll take our leave.”

  He caught up with Jia Gun, and the two exchanged a few quiet words before heading toward the pawnshop.

  At that moment, the man in bck slowly stood up and walked past Guo Dalu and the others.

  Everyone kept their heads down, sipping their wine. No one looked at him. Every time they saw him, it felt like seeing a venomous snake—an indescribable discomfort crept over them.

  The bck-cd man didn′t stop walking, but suddenly he called out, “Huang Yuhe, hello.”

  Everyone froze for a moment, confused. No one knew who he was speaking to.

  By the time they reacted, the bck-cd man had already stepped outside.

  Guo Dalu shook his head and muttered, “Is that guy out of his mind?”

  Lin Taiping, however, was still staring at the long sword on the man′s back. “That sword is at least four feet, seven inches long.”

  Yan Qi said, “You′ve got a good eye. You must be a swordsman yourself.”

  Lin Taiping acted as if he hadn′t heard the comment. Instead, he continued, “As far as I know, there are only three people in the martial world who can wield such a long sword.”

  Guo Dalu asked, “Oh? Which three?”

  Lin Taiping said, "One of them is named Ding Xiangng. It's said that he is the illegitimate son of the Japanese ronin 'Akamaki Santaro' and the female swordsman Ding Li from Huangshan. Akamaki Santaro was a master of Japanese′s ‘Cloaked Itto-ryu,’ so Ding Xiangng′s swordsmanship combines the strengths of both Japanese and Chinese techniques."

  (T/N: 扶桑; fúsāng, often interpreted as Japan; 浪人; làngrén, means wandering masterless samurai or rōnin. So, Fusang Langren is Japanese Ronin, and he has a Chinese name, 赤木三太郎; Chìmù Sāntàiláng or Akamaki Santaro in Japanese.; 黄山, Huángshān, refers to the Yellow Mountain, a famous mountain range in Anhui Province, China. 一刀流; Yīdāo Liú in Chinese or Itto-ryu in Japanese, is a term often used to describe a straightforward yet powerful one-sword-style or single-strike style. It is reminiscent of Japanese swordsmanship traditions, which emphasize decisive, efficient cuts and cloaked itto-ryu means samurai who wear cloacks, which is commonly seen in wuxia (martial arts) stories, worn by swordsmen, warriors, or mysterious figures.)