Chapter 4 continued.....
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His complexion was ashen, and his eyes had a grisly look. If a faint-hearted person were to see him at night, not only would a confession be extracted, the poor person would likely end up wetting his pants in fear. “This guy shouldn’t be called JiaGun. [Chinese] Vampire would be much more appropriate.” The sentence nearly escaped from Guo DaLu’s lips. Do not think that he did not dare say it. As long as his belly was filled with wine, there was nothing that Guo DaLu did not dare do.
Wang Dong and the others were not bothered by the situation. “To make friends with this Guo DaLu means that you are prepared at all times to fight for him.” To them, getting in fights was an everyday occurrence. Even Lin TaiPing was not an exception.
JiaGun eyes were no longer fixed on him, but Guo DaLu still glowered back. One wrong statement from either party was all that was needed for the fight to break out.
Golden Lion suddenly spoke. “These people do not need to be questioned.”
JiaGun: “Why?”
Golden Lion: “If they were guilty, do you think they would be sitting here discussing my nose?” It turned out that not only did this man have an acute sense of smell, his hearing was extremely sharp as well.
A laugh escaped from Guo DaLu. “You could hear everything?”
Golden Lion: “In our line of work, not only must we observe everything around us, we must always keep our ears open as well.”
Guo DaLu: “And you’re not angry?”
Golden Lion: “Why should I be angry? My nose may be ugly but it is not disgraceful.”
Guo DaLu’s impression of this man improved drastically. “Not only is it not disgraceful, it’s not ugly either. A man should have a large nose, the larger the better. Mature women are attracted to men with large noses.”
Golden Lion erupted in laughter. “Your nose is not so bad itself.”
Guo DaLu gave his nose a rub and smiling, said, “So-so. It will pass.”
Golden Lion: “Do you live in the city here?”
Guo DaLu: “Not in the city. Up in the hills.”
Golden Lion: “Are there many people living in the hills?”
Guo DaLu: “Living people, there’s only the four of us but dead people, there are lots.”
Golden Lion: “Dead people?”
Guo DaLu: “We live in a place right next to the cemetery. It’s called Wealthy Manor. If you have time, feel free to come over for a drink.”
Golden Lion: “We most certainly will visit.” He stood. “Shopkeeper, the bill please. And we will pay for the tab for these friends as well.”
Guo DaLu jumped to his feet. “That’s not right. We are the host here. You must allow us to extend our friendship as hosts and treat you to this meal.” Not only did he like making new friends, he enjoyed treating guests even more.
No one could make friends as fast as him, nor could anyone pay a tab as quickly as he did. However, as his hand reached into his pocket, he realized he could not pull it back out. He could not take out the ingot of gold with everyone’s eyes on him.
But Golden Lion did not continue to insist on paying. Smiling he said, “If that’s the case, then ‘obedience is better than politeness.’ Thank you.”
JiaGun suddenly tapped Guo DaLu on his shoulder. “The city will be in chaos for the next couple of days. If you have no specific reason to be out, it would be best if you all stayed at home and avoid any trouble.” Without waiting for a response, he applied a force on Guo DaLu’s shoulder and said, “Do not trouble yourself to see us out the door. Please, have a seat.”
Grinning, Guo DaLu replied, “I’m tired from sitting. I prefer to stand.” JiaGun had used eighty percent of his strength, yet it did not get a reaction from Guo DaLu at all. He eyed Guo DaLu up and down a few times, then without a backwards glance, he left.
Suddenly, they heard Golden Lion’s voice say, “Do you know that person across the street?” On the opposite side of the street, a hunchbacked old man with silvery hair was carrying a bucket of dirty water out of a shop. “SPLASH!” He emptied the water onto the street.
Guo DaLu laughed. “Of course. He’s the storekeeper of Li Yuan Pawnshop. We all call him ‘Huo BoPi’ [*literally, one who skins people alive. i.e. he squeezes people for every penny].”
Golden Lion’s eyes never left the old man until he had disappeared back into the shop. “Please, take your time. We must take our leave now.” He left and caught up to JiaGun. After whispering something amongst themselves, they went together in the direction of the pawn shop.
It was only then that the man in black unhurriedly rose from his seat and slowly walked past Guo DaLu and the others.
They all lowered their heads and sipped their wine. No one wanted to look at him because when they did, it was as if they were looking at a venomous snake. He did not stop, but all of a sudden, he said, “Huang YuHe, greetings.” They paused in confusion. No one knew who he was talking to.
But in several large strides, he was already out the door.