“Clank! Clank! Clank!” A bell toll or an alarm gong going at a regular pace could be heard clearly throughout the city.
“It’s payday.” Many dropped what they were doing and rushed toward the source of the sound.
The tiger ridden by Li Qiye also did the same, galloping through the street. The old fortune-teller gathered his items and ran with his walking stick. No one would think that he was blind after seeing his impressive agility.
Once they got to the source, they saw a tavern situated on a high spot in the city – the very tavern that they have been chasing.
“Let’s take a look.” Li Qiye said with a smile.
The tavern was filled with a diverse group – from merchants and servants to all the other members of the city…
The fee-collecting thug, dragon killer, fortune-teller, little goblin, ascetic, and the young man who didn’t pay were present as well.
They waited with their eyes fixated on a table in the center.
“Rumble!” A trunk suddenly appeared on the table.
“What’s that?” Li Zhitian asked quietly.
“Just watch, we’ll find out soon enough.” Li Qiye smiled.
The atmosphere became rather tense as everyone watched with bated breath.
“The treasure trunk is full, we can start the split now.” The old fortune-teller touched the trunk and told everyone.
“Ivory Street has the most merchants, we should get half.” The dragon killer in crimson said loudly.
“Lies!” The middle-aged thug retorted: “All of you owe me money for a long time now, this entire trunk should be mine.”
“Who needs your protection?” The young freeloader said: “Our clan has thousands of bodyguards, not to mention our numerous stores and laborers. We deserve half the share.”
“Untrue, untrue.” The ascetic shook his head: “The compassionate light illuminates all. I will take the trunk and distribute the content to everyone. It doesn’t matter how much I get or how much you get, leave it to fate. How does that sound?”
“I have been entrusted by the mandate of Celestial Court, it is my duty to oversee the distribution.” The winged celestial being appeared again.
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Everyone else took out their slingshots and started shooting stones at him again.
“Ah!” He was filled with countless holes while groaning on the ground.
“You all are going too far, why do you always gang up on me!” He wailed and screamed: “I have parents too, just like all of you, what’s wrong with me expressing my opinions!?”
Everyone ignored him and put away their slingshots. If he were to say “Celestial Court” one more time, they would fire again.
“Since my clan is so rich, we are the least likely to embezzle. How about this, I’ll carry it back first and you come to my house to get your fair share.” The prodigal young master suggested.
“Screw that!” The adult true dragon said with disdain: “Pay what you owe me for my meat first before spewing this crap about how rich your clan is.”
“This is absolutely a misunderstanding.” The youth didn’t turn red at all as he said: “Brother, there is not a single piece of meat missing from you. I didn’t eat anything. You must have gotten the wrong person or are deliberately slandering my good reputation. Don’t be fooled, ladies and gentlemen.”
“Bah.” Many gave him looks of contempt, clearly not trusting him.
“I am the largest in the world, I should get the biggest share!” The giant skeleton appeared again and roared.
“Little goblin, stop being so loud, get down!” Someone shouted at him.
“Bam!” The skeleton crumbled again and the cute goblin rolled on the ground: “Stop calling me little! I’m larger than all of you, larger than the heaven itself! If I hear someone say the word ‘little’ again, I will smash you with my bones!”
His words fell on deaf ears. This was definitely not his first time making this threat.
“I am undoubtedly the lord of the city, let me take care of this.” The thug slammed his cudgel to the ground, resulting in a violent quake.
“Looks like it’s a test of power!” The dragon smashed its claw, issuing an even more violent quake.
“Win people over with virtue instead of force.” The old fortune-teller shook his head: “We shouldn’t resort to excessive force, how uncouth.”
“Yes, logic and reason instead of force.” The tiger nodded in agreement.
Arguments broke out everywhere in the tavern; a solution remained out of reach.
“Enough arguing, let me take a look.” Li Qiye stepped forward amidst the heated argument and opened the trunk.
“Creak.” The content was revealed.
“…” Zhitian’s group was left dumbfounded.
Given the fierce competition, they assumed that the inside would be filled with treasures and artifacts. However, it was filled to the brim with nothing but stacks of worthless paper.
Li Zhitian rubbed his eyes and took another look. The result was still the same.
“This is…” the old servant had a serious expression. He already had a good idea of what was going on but this confirmed his theory.
He looked around and saw the inhabitants of the city becoming blurry, seemingly fading away.
Li Qiye, on the other hand, remained unfazed as if everything was normal. He said: “There’s plenty for everyone, no need to fight. Follow your heart and take what you need.”
“Now this is more like it.” One person grabbed a handful of paper and stuffed it into their pocket. He patted the filled pocket with satisfaction.
“Me too.” The thug grabbed a handful but thought that this was too much and returned some. He then stuffed the rest into his pocket for a perfect fit.
The rich young master also grabbed a bunch but under everyone’s gaze, he felt embarrassed and returned a few. Nonetheless, this didn’t stop the gazes so he returned a little more.
“Hmph, it’s not like I need money.” He ended up only grabbing a few pieces.
“I am poor and need more.” The little goblin stuffed several pockets before stopping.
“I am full of integrity while representing Celes-…” The winged man stopped speaking when he saw the slingshots again.
“Money is only worldly possession, I do not forget my true purpose.” He changed his tune and ended up only grabbing five pages or so.