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Chapter 54: A Beauty Hidden in a Golden House

When Ashura heard the voice calling to him, his fists clenched unconsciously.

Yet after glancing at his surroundings, he relaxed the two fists in his sleeves, slowly turned around, and looked behind him.

The one who had stopped him was a well-dressed middle-aged man whose first impression was scholarly elegance.

The middle-aged man strolled forward and said with a smile, “Greetings, sir; I am Pato, the manager of the Puro City branch of the Jinli Lai Trading Company, and I heard from my subordinates that you have just completed a transaction with us.”

“Here I present you with a blue-grade VIP card from the Jinli Lai Trading Company; whenever you trade with us in the future, you will enjoy better prices and service.”

After hearing this, Ashura understood the man’s intention, so he reached out to accept the blue-grade VIP card and bowed slightly to express his thanks.

Then, after hesitating for a moment, he said in a low voice, “Mr. Pato, thank you for the VIP card; I may trouble you again in a little while.”

Pato was briefly taken aback by the remark, but he quickly recovered his composure and said, “Jinli Lai always welcomes your visit, and I will do everything I can to serve you.”

Ashura immediately felt that the Jinli Lai Trading Company had grown so large for good reason; with service like this, it was hard not to make a fortune.

After Ashura walked out of the Jinli Lai Trading Company, Hughes hurried up diligently and asked, “Milord, what do you need next?”

Without thinking, Ashura replied, “I want to buy a storefront in Puro City in a good location; it doesn’t have to be big, but it would be best to have a second floor or a back courtyard where someone can live… how much would that cost?”

Hughes pondered for quite a while before he looked up and said, “Milord, shops in prime locations in Puro City are almost never for sale, but there is a grain-and-oil store that might be.”

“Because the owner’s son owes a huge gambling debt, the owner is almost at the end of his rope, yet he is still hesitating about selling; I heard he is inclined to sell the shop and move to another city to start over.”

Ashura was very interested when he heard this; street ruffians were indeed best informed, but he showed no reaction and continued mysteriously, “Do you think that shop will do, and how much do you expect the owner to ask?”

Hughes patted his chest and guaranteed, “The location of that shop is genuinely good, and there is a small courtyard in back with about three or four rooms, which absolutely meets your requirements.”

“As for the price, I think it will be around 400 gold coins, because the owner’s son owes the casino nearly 400.”

After a moment’s thought, Ashura said to Hughes, “Then 400 gold coins it is; I don’t care how much you actually pay for the shop… I will give you 400, and whatever is left over is yours, but I want to get that shop as soon as possible.”

Hughes was stunned; afraid he had misheard, he realized a windfall had fallen on a guide who earned his keep leading the way, so he immediately knelt and promised to settle the matter quickly and asked Ashura to wait a moment.

Afraid Ashura might change his mind, he scrambled up and ran toward another street, while Ashura followed him silently.

He watched Hughes run into a nicely located grain-and-oil store and spend quite some time talking and gesturing with a middle-aged man whose face was full of worry.

Ashura was very satisfied with the shop; the location was excellent, it was not far from the Jinli Lai Trading Company just now, and the livable courtyard met his requirements perfectly.

He wanted to buy the shop for Daifei to fulfill the girl’s dream of opening a food shop, giving her a place to settle so she would no longer have to roam the world with those rough men.

The cost of the purchase was the first time in Ashura’s life he had been so generous, because compared with a life-saving favor, spending a few gold coins to repay kindness was nothing at all.

Even though he had wiped out a band of bandits to protect the girl, he still wanted to give her more.

Things seemed to have worked out on Hughes’s end as well; Ashura saw him run out of the shop, excitement all over his face, but as soon as he turned into an alley he was grabbed by a powerful hand that lifted him by the collar.

Hughes shrank his neck, looked back, and immediately flattered, “Milord, the shop is settled; the owner can hand over the deed at any time and the family will move out right away; as for the 400 gold coins you mentioned…”

Ashura understood what he meant and rasped, “I will give you 400 gold coins; I want the deed now, and it would be best if the owner moved out immediately, understand?”

At his reply Hughes trembled all over with excitement; he had just started to kneel in gratitude when Ashura lifted him again and urged him to complete the deal quickly.

In less than an hour, Ashura held the deed to the shop in his hand and watched the former owner hurry away with a wagonload of belongings, weighing the deed in his palm.

He paid no attention to Hughes, who was clutching 50 gold coins and edging toward madness, and strode toward the central plaza.

At the edge of the plaza he saw the members of the Bida Mercenary Corps waiting for him there; Daifei in particular was craning her neck, her face full of expectation and anxiety.

Ashura pushed back the hood of his Warrior robe and walked leisurely toward the Bida Mercenary Corps.

When she saw him coming from afar, the heart Daifei had been holding finally settled; she had feared he would leave without a word, yet now that he had returned she turned her head away again and refused to look at him.

Ashura stopped in front of the mercenaries, looked at the eager faces, and asked with a smile, “Was the delivery smooth, and why are you all waiting here for me?”

The bearded Taylor chuckled, “Everything has been handed over; the brothers earned a potful this time, all thanks to you, and we are waiting for you to keep your promise… we plan to show you some of the world,” he added with a lewd wink at Ashura.

Ashura immediately understood what Taylor meant and scratched his head awkwardly.

He was still a virgin; although he usually exchanged bawdy jokes with these rough men, when it came to the real thing he was unwilling to waste his first time on a brothel girl.

At this moment Captain John stepped forward to rescue him and said, “The brothers want to thank you for saving their lives, so they want to invite you to a restaurant in town for a drink.”

Ashura nodded slightly when he heard this, feeling that these rough men were indeed loyal.

He replied with a smile, “I appreciate the brothers’ kindness, but money is hard-earned, so don’t spend extra gold on me; otherwise what’s the point of the loot I left you?”

Captain John was about to speak again, but Ashura cut him off and said, “Captain John, dismiss everyone; I have something to discuss with you and Daifei.”

The crowd exchanged glances and tactfully dispersed, while the girl Daifei approached with a look of reluctance.

Ashura took out the deed with his right hand and tossed it to Daifei; under the pair’s puzzled gaze he said, “Daifei saved my life this time, and I have always wanted to repay her somehow.”

“I have just bought a shop with a courtyard for her, so from now on she is the proprietress and can open the eatery she has always wanted.”

The two of them were stunned, their mouths hanging open; they had never imagined Ashura would give her such a valuable gift, and Daifei, without even daring to look at the deed, tried to hand it back, saying, “Why did you spend this money; it’s too expensive… I can’t take it.”

When she had chatted with Ashura before, Daifei had learned that the boy was no noble and had little in savings.

Yet now he had bought her a shop outright, leaving the girl who normally begrudged even a single silver coin utterly shocked.

Ashura neither accepted the deed nor paid her any mind; instead he looked at Captain John and said, “The courtyard has several rooms, enough for your whole family to live in.”

“The location is excellent, and any business you run there should do well; after this you won’t need to be mercenaries, and you can live peacefully.”

Captain John was equally astonished; after hearing Ashura’s words he realized he had always underestimated the boy.

Even so, he shook his head and said, “I may not have the fortune to enjoy it; a dozen brothers rely on me for their meals, and if we don’t work as mercenaries we have no other skills. I understand your intention, and I will leave Daifei in Puro City.”

Ashura could understand the first part of his concern, but the more he listened, the stranger it sounded.

Daifei, her face red, stepped forward, grabbed his sleeve, and pulled him aside.

Blushing shyly, she whispered, “Ashura, did you buy a house to keep me as your mistress?”

Ashura: …….

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