CG Chapter 141: A Tael of Gold
Black Cloud City, Warm Dragon's Inn.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
A single aged, dry finger tapped emotionlessly and unhurriedly on the worn wooden table; each tap echoed like war drums in Qi Hao's heart.
Qi Hao felt as if some unseen force kept the tapping rhythms perfectly aligned with his heartbeat, but he quickly dismissed the idea for being too absurd.
He didn't know, however, that even these unnoticeable taps were part of Aretius' careful consideration to get him on edge.
"So, how has this little flock of fellow travelers been treating you?"
Aretius asked in a mild voice, eyes warm in the shape of crescent moons.
This question was simple and didn't seem to hide any hidden intentions.
Yet, for that exact reason, it made Qi Hao even more nervous, as he didn't know what this expert wanted from a humble and lowly beggar such as himself.
Aretius watched with a faint smile, amused, as Qi Hao sank deeper into fear, sweat soaking through his clothes.
"It seems that your business has been thriving recently. You've plucked plenty of secrets from those sightless weaklings, haven't you?"
Contrary to common belief, hearing those words didn't make Qi Hao more scared. Instead, it was as if a breeze of fresh air had passed over him.
They say the most frightening thing to human beings is the unknown, and now that the veil had been lifted, Qi Hao felt comforted to know the reason Aretius had approached him.
Of course, Aretius noticed it all.
He watched every twitch, every breath Qi Hao took.
He made sure not to give him a moment's rest, dragging him deeper into fear before offering a fleeting sense of comfort, only to repeat the process.
This cycle wore Qi Hao down, scattering his thoughts and leaving his mind fragile.
At the current moment, Aretius naturally had no real powers to speak of, so he needed to make the utmost use of his acting and manipulation skills to get some useful information for free out of Qi Hao.
But even this wasn't without risk; if Qi Hao doubted him for even a single second and the thought of testing him arose, Aretius wouldn't be able to do anything.
Defeating the Five Steel Tigers of Mount Jiang had been easy because they were too weak to be called true bandits. Instead, they were more like a deformed, inbred bunch who could only scare weak and old travelers.
This, unfortunately, didn't apply to Qi Hao, as Aretius could tell at first glance that he had good martial-arts training and a strong foundation.
If anyone had been in Aretius' shoes at that moment, sensing that suffocating state of weakness and helplessness, they wouldn't have been able to hold themselves back and might have risked it all for a chance of survival.
Aretius, however, had experienced this feeling far too many times and was too used to its bitter taste.
He knew that all of this was but a passing phase, and by wearing the skin of a nonexistent tiger he could smoothly get through it.
Qi Hao, on the other hand, quickly replied, not wanting to anger Aretius, whom he thought to be a martial master from his aura.
"If Senior has any requests, then this lowly one will make sure to satisfy all of them. This lowly one's name is Qi Hao from the third branch of the Beggar Sect under the leadership of Elder Qi Ming."
Hearing that, Aretius' eye flashed for a brief second before returning to normal. He ignored the hidden threat in Qi Hao's words and decided to play along for the moment.
"Such an interesting fellow, aren't you?"
Aretius' gaze pierced through Qi Hao's façade, and it seemed as if he were looking at the deepest part of his soul for a good second, as if all of his secrets and cards had been laid bare to the man in front of him.
"You remember what I said before? Nothing comes for free, and this seat will not take advantage of you. I require your assistance with a matter, but before that, I am going to offer you two options for payment."
Qi Hao became curious about the two choices, but at the same time, he grew more cautious, ready to throw the smoke-pepper bombs he had hidden in his pocket at any moment before making a run for the door.
"The first option would be the normal way of exchange: I will give you one tael of gold in exchange for the information."
Once he heard the word, Qi Hao's fear nearly disappeared, and he was ready to agree to any request this senior had.
As a person of the jianghu, he had to risk his life even for the smallest copper coin, not to mention one tael of gold, equal to a hundred thousand copper coins, that amount of money was enough to feed a family of four for years and years to come.
Don't let the title of the Beggar Sect deceive you; when dealing with information, you deal with the lifeline of many forces.
Naturally, this would offend them, after all, no one wanted to have a rat spreading their news and making their secrets a hot topic on the tongues of each passerby.
The situation of the maids of the city should be a clear indicator of what could happen if secret information reaches the wrong ears.
That is not to say it was all bad. These kinds of organizations were a sword with two edges: on one was the harmful spread of secrets, and on the other was something that only a few could use.
By spreading false, and sometimes even true information, you could lead your enemies into a trap.
Imagine a situation where the city lord was still alive and had just broken through.
He might fake his death to gather all of the enemies and traitors in one place before wiping out all hidden threats.
But even that wasn't a perfect situation, as you might weaken the hearts of the people.
After all, who wouldn't be tempted if they constantly witnessed a sweet treasure in front of them? Worse, you might attract an enemy too big for your trap and get wiped out instead.
Despite being tempted by the first option, Qi Hao was more curious to hear the second option, which equaled a whole tael of gold, and became afraid of what the request might be.