Beginning with the Ubume Bird - Chapter 127

Chapter 127: Chapter 26: Game Theory

The imposing presence of the front and rear wheels crushed the blue bricks beneath.

The silver block of metal body stopped at the roadside.

Dodge Tomahawk.

Li Yan swung his leg over and got off the Dodge Tomahawk, took out a carrot and stuffed it into his mouth, then pushed open the gates to Main Street Alley’s Yin Market, with Nine-Winged Sudu following behind.

The alley was bustling as usual; the first thing Li Yan saw was the singing girl with pitch-black eyes from last time, shoving something into her mouth with hands covered in blood…

“Buddy, I was just looking for you.”

Hat Zhang reached out to tug on Li Yan’s sleeve but was nimbly avoided.

Li Yan stared coldly at Hat Zhang, whose chin was still smeared with fresh blood.

“Erm…”

Hat Zhang wiped his face twice, embarrassed, and gave Li Yan a sheepish smile, his mouth full of red threads.

“Bro, if you’ve got something to say, say it.”

“There’s this guy with glasses, looks all meek and mild, but damn he’s ruthless. Pulled twenty-three straights of triples, cleared out our Yin Market’s Gao Wuchang to the bone. I reckon you know him.”

“He won money, but you lot look well-fed and plump to me.”

Li Yan’s expression remained unpleasant.

“Brother, it’s like this and that, that and this.”

Hat Zhang explained in a brief manner, and Li Yan roughly grasped what had happened.

“So you’re saying he still has to bring ten live bodies to your Yin Market, huh? Where’s the handover? Panjia Garden?”

“Nah, it’s at a place that glasses guy specified, said we need to be cautious.”

Li Yan nodded and said no more.

“So what do you think, pal? Regretting it now, aren’t you? Bet you never expected we’d have an Imperial Decree issued on Five-Colored Silk First-Class Jade Scroll in our Main Street Alley.”

Hat Zhang chuckled and giggled.

Li Yan was not in the least bit amused like Hat Zhang. He addressed Hat Zhang, “That Gao Wuchang who lost to glasses guy, where is he now?”

Hat Zhang’s smile vanished, his tone grew dark, “Brother, I’ll give you a word of advice. The folks in Panjia Garden are different from us, bold and ruthless. They’re fire-hot right now, all business is off, you won’t get anything out of asking them, just showing up will only lead to a loss.”

Seeing the fleeting look in Hat Zhang’s eyes, Li Yan suddenly laughed, “Oh, then forget it. Bro, I was in a rush the previous two times; this time I’d like to have a proper look around. Can you show me the way?”

“Sure thing. But, you know.”

Hat Zhang shielded his sleeve over Li Yan’s hand and said in a low voice, “How much are you planning to spend? Just so I have an idea.”

Li Yan rolled two pieces of judgment gold, one big and one small, in Hat Zhang’s palm and then took them back.

“I’ll pay this much.”

“Deal.”

Hat Zhang turned around. Li Yan tugged at the bored Nine-Winged Sudu, and the two followed Hat Zhang deeper into the alley.

…

Wings flapping.

The explosive Dodge Tomahawk rolled across the street, with Nine-Winged Sudu fluttering beside Li Yan.

“Sir, I don’t think that kid with the hat is being straight with us; he’s holding back. I reckon the skills of these folks are just so-so. Why not upset their whole operation? Then all those treasures would be ours,” Nine-Winged Sudu said, his eyes shining at the last bit.

“No need.”

Li Yan was terse.

“Then, shall we check out that Panjia Garden he mentioned?”

“Why bother? If we beat them to death, Yunhu won’t have to repay the ten lives he owes them, right?”

“So, what now?”

Li Yan parked the motorcycle and looked seriously at Nine-Winged Sudu.

“Let’s find a place to sleep.”

“Eh?”

“Conserve energy and build up strength, there will definitely be a fight before midnight tomorrow.”

…

“So what should we do now?”

The bald man, or rather, Zhao Wu, had a black droplet suspended on the tip of his finger that did not fall. Reflected within it was Li Yan with his eyebrows raised in surprise.

“Emotionally speaking, I’m more pissed off at that Pei Yunhu~”

Zhao Xin leaned against the wall, her feet clad in little leather boots resting on a stacked arrangement of soda crates.

There was a lingering cry of a street vendor within the alley, a man in a straw coat carrying a rack filled with bright red candied hawthorns, sticky blood dripping onto the ground.

The midnight setting added an extra layer of eeriness,

Neither of the two showed any change in their expressions. They were even talking and laughing freely.

“However, I’ve sparred with Li Yan before and have some understanding of him, and besides, he’s easier to locate.”

Zhao Wu flicked the water droplet with his finger.

Zhao Xin rubbed her head with a touch of annoyance, a bit petulantly, “Anyway, I just want to mess with that Pei Yunhu.”

Both fell silent for a few seconds.

Zhao Xin pouted, as if she had a mouthful of something.

Zhao Wu sighed, “How about this, since Li Yan is an openly known, tough nut to crack, let’s leave him be for now. We don’t have to act; naturally, someone else will take the lead.”

He scattered the water droplet and said to Zhao Xin, “Let’s give it a try. We’ll go look for this Pei Yunhu, and if we can find him, we will do as you say, and if not, we’ll follow my plan.”

“Fine.”

Zhao Xin agreed readily and then thought for a moment before asking, “So, where do we go to find this Pei Yunhu?”

Zhao Wu clearly had considered this and promptly replied, “Pei Yunhu’s goal is to kill Li Yan, or at the very least, keep him here. In his remarks earlier, he mentioned how close it was, indicating that the modified item was something he had labored hard to acquire in Yan Capital City, not something he had beforehand.”

“If I were Pei Yunhu, isolated with my teammates dead, I’d also make use of the many bizarre features of Yan Capital City under the cover of midnight to seek assistance. But to achieve what Pei Yunhu did, ordinary items for suppressing the strange simply wouldn’t suffice.”

“Given the size of Yan Capital City, to paraphrase, ‘Nine Gates Outside and Seven Inside the Royal City, Four within the Palace, and One Bell Speaks,’ such an item would definitely be famous. Even if we aren’t privy to all the complex ins and outs, the ‘people’ here must know.”

Zhao Wu was clear and methodical in his reasoning.

“Teahouses with updated news, guild halls, those odd treasure-dealing antique shops, markets. Going to these places will surely yield results.”

Zhao Xin looked at her brother with a touch of surprise, slapping his arm.

“Wow, big bro, I didn’t think someone as rough and burly as you could be so sharp.”

As she spoke, she let down her legs, and a dragon-patterned large saber flew out, strong and forceful, chopping right in front of the blood candied hawthorn vendor.

Zhao Xin said aggressively, “Old man, I have a question for you.”

At the foot of the Imperial City walls, the last and most hastily set up of the three Yin Markets in Yan Capital City operated without clamor or promotion. Success depended on your eye for detail; some could snag a bargain while others would take a serious fall.

“Why can’t I go in?”

Zhao Wu’s face was sullen. Just when they had a clue, an unexpected problem arose.

“Hat Zhang’s orders, you haven’t compensated for the damage done in Main Street Alley, and the patron who pays for damages said that without your share,”

“All the Yin Markets in Yan Capital are not open to you.”

At the city gate, a peasant crouched on the ground, smiling bizarrely.

Zhao Xin stepped forward, rolling her eyes.

“Can I enter on my own?”

The man covered his hat, raised his face with his eyelids flipped up, “Miss, are you saying I’m blind, or just plain stupid?”

Zhao Xin’s face soured, she stepped back and muttered under her breath.

“Stinky old bumpkin.”

She looked up at Zhao Wu and asked, “What do we do now?”

“No worries, it’s kind of expected, living human flesh, this Pei Yunhu is really ruthless.”

Zhao Wu looked towards the city wall, telling Zhao Xin, “We’ll wait until before the next midnight, there’s bound to be some commotion.”