Otherworldly Merchant

At this moment, I heard a voice in my head. “I’m helping him see the ugly faces of the people around him!”

I knew that Han Xin was talking to me through some sort of telepathy.

Han Xin snorted, “There are no real friends in this world. Every one of them is a despicable person.”

I was surprised. “Are you saying that Qin Yu’s friends aren’t good people?”

“Exactly.” Han Xin coldly pointed at San Bao. “See that guy? He stole his friend’s wife. He deserves to die just for that.”

“What? He stole his friend’s wife?” I was startled and looked at San Bao.

The souls of the dead were simple and always showed their true emotions; they wouldn’t lie. So, did San Bao really have an affair with Qin Yu’s wife?

If so, we couldn’t blame Han Xin for taking over Qin Yu’s body.

However, I knew that there had to be some sort of misunderstanding. We had to clear things up.

I glared at San Bao. “You, on your knees!”

San Bao was stunned and didn’t understand why I had suddenly turned hostile. However, he still went on his knees.

“San Bao, did you have an affair with Ah Yan?” I asked.

San Bao opened his eyes wide. “What are you talking about? Ah Yan and I have been nothing more than classmates. Moreover, she’s my friend’s wife! How could I have an affair with her? You’re looking down on me.”

I exhaled in relief. San Bao didn’t sound like he was lying.

I turned to Han Xin.

Han Xin gave a bitter smile. “Does he think that I don’t know what they did in the KTV room?”

I asked San Bao, “Have you ever been with Ah Yan in a KTV room?”

San Bao finally saw the light. “I got it! Boss Ma must have plotted against us since then. That guy is really wicked; he actually used such a method to trick us.”

I asked San Bao to elaborate on what he meant.

It turned out that Boss Ma had asked Qin Yu and San Bao to go to a KTV room. He told them that he wanted to give them something nice.

When San Bao arrived at the KTV room, he saw that Qin Yu had brought Ah Yan with him; the duo was always busy and rarely had a chance to have fun together.

When they were in university, San Bao also had a good relationship with Ah Yan, so they were happy to see each other. They drank and sang together.

In the meantime, Boss Ma kept pouring wine to Qin Yu and eventually got him drunk.

Ah Yan suggested taking Qin Yu home, but Boss Ma insisted on taking him outside. He said that they would get some fresh air and return shortly.

He dragged Qin Yu outside, leaving San Bao and Ah Yan alone in the room. While waiting for Boss Ma and Qin Yu, the two of them kept having fun.

To San Bao, Ah Yan was like a sister, so he didn’t think much about the situation. They were both a bit drunk, so they sang a few love songs and decided to leave after seeing that Qin Yu wasn’t coming back.

Before leaving, they found a jade belt in the room. Boss Ma said that the belt was the gift he had brought for Qin Yu. Back then, no one paid much attention to it.

They were unaware that Boss Ma had been plotting against Qin Yu since that day!

In ancient times, a man and a woman should never touch one another. Even a handshake was considered inappropriate. That was why General Han Xin thought that San Bao and Ah Yan were in an ambiguous relationship. Then, he stayed with Qin Yu in order to show him the true face of his friend.

I gave a wry smile and hurried to explain the reason to Han Xin. “We’re in modern times now. We don’t discriminate against gender anymore. A friendship can be formed between a man and a woman. It’s fine to drink and sing together.”

However, I knew this wouldn’t be enough. I had to use my ace up my sleeve. “General Han Xin, how can I convince you that San Bao and Qin Yu are true friends?”

“Hahaha.” Han Xin laughed like crazy. “There is no true friendship in this world. Xiao He did so much for me, and I thought he was my friend. However, he still sold me in the end!”

“That might not be the case,” I said coldly. “If I were to tell you that someone here is willing to sacrifice their life for their friend, would you believe me?”

“No.”

“All right, let’s bet then. If San Bao sacrifices his life for Qin Yu, will you spare them?”

“Fine, let’s make this bet.” Han Xin’s voice rose in my head.

I glanced at San Bao then threw a shining dagger at his feet. “It’s time to prove that you’re willing to sacrifice your life for your friend Qin Yu!”

San Bao nodded. Without a bit of hesitation, he raised the dagger and aimed at his chest.

“Hold on!” called Li Mazi. “You’re not married, and you don’t even have kids yet. If you were to die right now, you would let down your family. Your ancestors won’t forgive you. Let me take your place!”

Then, Li Mazi tried to snatch the dagger from San Bao’s hand.

“No!” San Bao held the dagger tightly. “You can’t do that! You have parents and children to take care of. If you die, how can they live? On the other hand, I’m all alone, so it’s okay if I die.”

“Idiot!” Li Mazi screamed and scoffed. “Why are you competing for something like this? After I die, I believe that you will take care of my family.”

San Bao said, “No, you’re the one who’s an idiot. How can I take care of your wife? Are you heartless enough to leave your wife and children alone? Even if I can take care of them, how could it be compared to your care?”

They quarreled and fought for the dagger.

Damn, these two sure can act! 

I anxiously watched General Han Xin, afraid that he might see through the act.

Han Xin wore a contemplating face and stood still as he watched Li Mazi and San Bao.

I was excited because I knew their willingness to die for their friend had touched him.

“All right.” Eventually, they said determinedly, “We should each take a stab.”

"Good, let’s do that.”

I continued to look at General Han Xin and wondered what he was going to do.

Han Xin suddenly sighed. “Forget it. Sometimes, a true friend is the only thing you need in life. Not everyone will turn out to be like Xiao He.”

Then, he smiled and disappeared into the jade belt.

I heaved a sigh of relief.

Li Mazi and San Bao were still fighting for the knife.

I walked up to them. “That’s enough. The general believed you.”

“No, we haven’t sacrificed our lives yet— Ah, what did you just say? The general believed us? Is he gone?”

I nodded.

San Bao and Li Mazi immediately relaxed and landed on the couch. “Phew, he’s finally gone.”

I went to wake up Qin Yu.

Qin Yu’s body was brimming with Yin energy while his Yang energy was pretty low. When he woke up, he was dazed and couldn’t remember what had happened to him during the past several days.

He looked at Li Mazi in confusion. “Li Dog Balls? When did you come here, mate? I didn’t even notice.”

Li Mazi and San Bao exchanged looks then laughed. “You finally recognized me, huh? Do you know that you almost killed me?”

Qin Yu was baffled and looked at Li Mazi. “You haven’t changed. You still like to talk nonsense.”

Li Mazi could only tell him what had happened during the past several days.

After listening to the story, Qin Yu dropped his jaw in shock. Then, with tears in his eyes, he hugged Li Mazi and San Bao. “My brothers, how can you be this stupid! I treated you like crap, yet you still helped me. You even wanted to kill yourselves for my sake!”

“It’s all right, just stop saying such disgusting things!” Li Mazi shivered. “I have goosebumps all over my arms, see? Anyway, if you want to thank someone, you should thank that expert!”

Li Mazi pointed at me. “He’s the one who saved your life.”

Qin Yu finally realized that there was a stranger in the room. He smiled embarrassedly and said, “Thank you.”

I waved my hand. “There’s no need. I helped you because of Li Mazi.”

That night, Qin Yu acted as host and took us to a five-star hotel to drink and eat. He drank a lot and hugged Li Mazi, crying bitterly. “Boss Ma treated me very well, and I thought he was a good senior. How could he do something so horrible to me?”

As for Boss Ma, he eventually went bankrupt. His ‘friends’ took the chance to hit him while he was down and swallowed his empire. Boss Ma became penniless and was jailed for several years due to some of the things he had done.

After getting discharged, he was very poor and almost became a beggar on the streets.

Qin Yu visited him and supported him by giving him some cash.

Boss Ma didn’t believe that Qin Yu wanted to give him a hand during the darkest moment of his life. He suspected that Qin Yu was plotting against him.

Afterward, he disappeared from the city, and no one saw him again…

I remembered what Han Xin had said before he left. “Sometimes, a true friend is the only thing you need in life.”

But, was it really that easy to find a true friend?

In this money-centered society, people used benefits to weigh their friendships.

If you helped them, they’d consider you a true friend. But if you no longer held any value, they wouldn’t hesitate to throw you away like a piece of trash.

It was better to be alert and choose one’s friends carefully!

I hoped that history would have stopped while Xiao He was chasing after his friend Han Xin under the moonlight. With that, that idiom of theirs would have had a good meaning forever.

However, reality was often cruel, and the only thing Han Xin was left with was an eternal scar.