Chapter 8: The Broker

Longyin stamped his little short legs and sighed helplessly. You might not need it, but I do! Unfortunately, that cold and aloof person looked down on him. Hmph! Without you, Lin the Butcher, do I still have to eat those hairy pigs?

Longyin hung his head and shuffled back. Go to the Wanderers’ Alliance again? But no matter how open their membership is, there’s no way they’d accept a four-year-old child, right? When will I finally grow up? With this little body, whatever he did seemed like a joke to others, and Longyin couldn’t help but feel a bit vexed.

He didn’t have a penny to his name now. Even if he wanted to return to his old trade, he’d need some startup capital… Just a single coin short can trip up even a hero.

As he wandered, Longyin found himself unconsciously arriving at Texas One Street. The so-called “One Street” was not just a single road but an entire district. In this area, one could buy any card-crafting material, all sorts of cards, and now and then, even a couple of the auction houses here would put a card weapon up for sale! This was heaven for card crafters, and even more so for card cultivators. As long as you had the money, you could even commission top card crafters to make custom cards just for you.

Though card crafters seemed wealthy, it was actually a profession that burned through money at an incredible rate. No matter your talent, it was all built atop mountains of gold and silver. Longyin himself had no idea how much money and resources he’d burned through in his previous life, but he knew it was an astronomical sum. He had the talent, and his family could supply the resources, so his level naturally rose. That was the advantage of being born into a great family.

Gazing at the bustling street, shoulder to shoulder with the crowd, every shop was packed. Besides merchants and dealers, everyone bustling about was either a card crafter or a card cultivator. Longyin took a deep breath. With so many gathered in one place, being a first-rate card crafter suddenly didn’t seem so valuable.

Yet, becoming a card crafter was anything but easy. First, your spiritual power had to reach level D. The highest was SSS, the lowest F; most people only had F rank, and even E rank was one in a hundred. Out of ten thousand people, you’d barely find one with enough spiritual power, and even then, they might not become a card crafter. Of a million people, only one might break through to the fourth rank of card crafting—yet Longyin had already seen three such crafters just walking down the street. In Texas One Street, every shop had at least one fourth-rank card crafter presiding. Truly, Texas was the strangest of all the states, no wonder the Federal Bureau kept such a close watch on it.

Longyin stopped in every shop to take a look. The herbs inside were much the same, prices didn’t vary much, but quality ranged from excellent to poor—it all depended on the buyer’s eye. Knowing how to find the best materials at the lowest price on Texas One Street was a true art. The experienced would seek out reputable brokers in the district; if you could pay, they’d take you straight to the best goods in the shortest time. Of course, brokers came in all shades, and without enough clout, you’d usually be fleeced like a fat sheep!

He saw many people weaving among the shops, including no shortage of brokers. Watching them lead their fat sheep into favored stores, then pocket handfuls of gold coins in return—pure profit with no costs—Longyin’s eyes sparkled. When it came to judging the quality of card-crafting materials and knowing cards inside out, there weren’t five people in this district who could rival him! In fact, he dared say if he claimed second, no one would dare claim first. After all, those few others were treated like living legends—none of them had to scramble for coins like he did. Once, he was a living legend too…

Now, Longyin squeezed through the crowd in misery. Whenever there were materials that required touching, he’d sneak a feel when the shopkeeper wasn’t looking. All morning, he played cat and mouse with the shopkeepers up and down the street. By the end, his little legs were trembling, and the three fried eggs he’d eaten for breakfast had long since been digested somewhere he couldn’t remember. His stomach grumbled loudly, and clutching his belly, he wore a piteous little face—he was starving!

At this point, everything looked edible to Longyin: the waving fingers, the swaying backsides in front of him—inhuman temptations! People were constantly flaunting sausages and steamed buns before his eyes. Sausages seemed to fly through the air, and the steamed buns… Oh, he was faint with hunger!

He patted his pockets—empty. Remembering his identity card, which he could no longer overdraw, Longyin wanted to cry. Big Sister, Second Sister, I’m so hungry! Should he just go home now? Instinctively, he dismissed the thought—he’d probably turn into a ravenous wolf and bite anyone he saw before he even reached home! He didn’t want to end up in a madhouse. His life hadn’t even begun to shine before it withered in such a way, and the very thought made him break out in a cold sweat.

From far away, Longyin could already smell the aroma of meat buns. Following the tantalizing scent, he finally found a food stall amidst all the materials shops. To call it a shop was a stretch—it was just a bun stall tucked into a corner. Baskets of buns were stacked high, with steam curling from the lids. Longyin couldn’t help but swallow; his eyes and heart were full of nothing but hot, steaming buns.

Perhaps Longyin’s greedy, yearning expression pleased the gentle, warm-hearted young proprietor, for a bun was handed to him. Longyin blinked, sniffed with his little nose, and his dark eyes lit up instantly—buns! Without thinking, he took a big bite. Delicious! He was so moved he nearly cried.

Holding the bun with both hands, heedless of the heat, he wolfed it down.

“Slow down, there’s plenty more!” The clear, warm voice sounded with a smile.

Longyin ended up eating five buns in a row. A cup of fresh water was handed to him, which he quickly gulped down. Sighing in satisfaction, he patted his round little belly and finally had time to look at the thoughtful proprietor. Looking up, he saw that the young man, around fifteen, had a gentle and pleasant face, features that inspired nothing but goodwill, lips curved in a warm smile like a spring breeze. Longyin instantly liked him.

“Do you want some more?” the other asked.

Longyin shook his head, his face flushing red. He’d been so hungry, his actions had lost all decorum. “Th-thank you…”

Seeing Longyin blush and avert his dark eyes in embarrassment, twisting his little body as if wishing to hide away, An Qingming’s already soft heart melted even more. He couldn’t help reaching out to ruffle Longyin’s hair. The child’s soft hair made An Qingming’s smile even warmer. “Little brother, did you get separated from your family?”

Longyin raised his flushed face, giving himself a mental pep talk. I’m just a four-year-old now, just four!

He didn’t know how to answer. Should he say he was preparing to work as a broker? Who would believe it? The man might regret giving him five buns. In the end, Longyin just nodded with a troubled face.

“Shall I take you to find your family?” An Qingming assumed Longyin’s troubled look meant he’d been separated from his family.

Such a kind-hearted boy! Longyin didn’t have the heart to deceive him further. “Big brother, what’s your name?”

“An Qingming.”

An Qingming, eh? The name fit him perfectly; Longyin committed it to memory.

“Will you still be selling buns here?” Longyin asked.

An Qingming was momentarily taken aback, then smiled. “I think so.”

Though it was a strange answer, Longyin nodded, lifted his little face, and said earnestly, “I’ll pay you back for the buns, and thank you! I have to go now!”

Without waiting for a reply, Longyin turned and dashed off.

“Hey… kid…” That small figure vanished into the crowd in an instant, leaving An Qingming smiling and shaking his head. Why did he feel there was something special about that child? Turning back, he saw only a few buns left in the basket. He packed them into a bag, tidied up the steamer, and pressed a raised button inside the stall. The entire bun stall shrank automatically; with a couple of clicks, the lid closed. The large stall had magically become a suitcase. Smiling, An Qingming picked up the case in one hand and the bag of leftover buns in the other, took a look around, and strode away.

The magical scene in the corner didn’t draw any attention—on Texas One Street, what marvels hadn’t people seen? But if anyone looked closely, they’d notice a mechanic’s emblem on the corner of the young man’s suitcase.