Chapter 122 A Low-cost Commission
"Boss, bring me some wine."
Hearing this somewhat familiar voice, the person behind the bar slightly raised their head from the newspaper. After seeing who it was, the young boss couldn't help but be stunned. "Didn't you run short of travel expenses the other day?"
"Don't make it sound like I'm here to cause trouble on purpose..." Ling, the blindfolded young man, sat down at the bar, with a gentle smile on his lips. "I'm clearly following the rules. And Boss Tokishigawa should have made a fortune, right?"
Tokishigawa Kyo didn't reply. He just stared fixedly at the seemingly harmless young man in front of him. "So, what would Ling like to eat today?"
"Do you have that kind of wine?"
"No matter how many times you ask, it's exclusive."
"What a pity..." Ling shook his head, but soon gently poked the furry ball in his arms with his finger. "What does Little Neko want?"
The little Nekomata with black patterns on its blue fur poked its head out from Ling's arms and meowed in a childish voice.
"Oh, I see. Boss, bring some fresh fish fillets that we haven't had last time, and some random wine. I'll stay here again today."
"Alright, alright. Please wait a moment - Really, there are so many good places but you don't go..."
Ling just let out a low laugh in response. Then he stroked the furry ball while pricking up his ears to listen to the occasional quiet debates in the Guest House.
The Nekomata's Journey hooked its Cat Claw onto Ling's clothes and climbed onto his shoulder, lowering its voice. "I still just can't take a fancy to this kind of place."
"There's no need to like it. It's just a matter of each taking what they need," Ling tilted his head slightly, with the smile on his lips remaining unchanged. "And you can really get a lot of interesting Baji information for free here..."
The Nekomata's Journey also pricked up its ears, but after listening for a long time, it found that those people were just repeating the same few sentences in different ways. It couldn't help but grind its Cat Claw irritably.
Ling reached out and pinched the Cat Claw, saving his clothes that were starting to fray, and began to explain in a low voice. "The black market has its own set of secret jargons. You can't just understand it literally.
For example, the two people on my right are talking about the recent smuggling situation. They said that business has been extremely difficult in the Land of Lightning recently because of the change of the person in power, and they're considering going to the Land of Fire...
The people behind are discussing the changes in the black market bounties. Hey? They've got some nerve. They're actually discussing the Hunt of ninjas with Kekkei Genkai... Hmm, good information."
Listening to Ling's translation, the Nekomata's Journey couldn't help but prick up its ears again to try to distinguish. But it still couldn't pick out any decent Baji information from those conversations about the weather and how delicious the food was. For a moment, it couldn't help but doubt its cat life.
Just when the Nekomata's Journey gave up trying to eavesdrop on the Baji and turned to the fish fillets that were brought up, a group of people entered the Guest House. As soon as they came in, they raised their voices. "Boss, bring out some good wine and delicious food!"
Tokishigawa Kyo, who had just sat back behind the bar and picked up the newspaper, got up again. "What? Did you bag some good catches?"
"Hey, isn't that the case?"
Right after checking the bounties, a good catch has come to us uninvited. As usual, should I leave it to you to handle?
"Sure. Let's take a look at the goods later. Make yourself comfortable."
The Nekomata's Journey watched the man with a cloth bag sit next to Ling. It couldn't help raising its paw to pat Ling's hand that was about to pour the wine, gesturing for him to translate.
Ling obligingly said, "It means that there's a bounty target that's easy to catch and pays well has come to us."
"You seem to know the ropes, kid. Are you also a pro in this?" The man laughed heartily and reached out his hand. "How about making fellows?"
Just before that broad palm was about to land on Ling's shoulder, the wooden scabbard of the staff sword pressed against the man's wrist. Ling held a wine cup in one hand and the staff sword in the other. He tilted his head slightly towards the man and said, "Putting aside that I don't have the habit of making fellows in the black market... Isn't it a bit impolite to make fellows with dirty hands, Aniki?"
The man was clearly taken aback. Seeing his reaction, the surrounding people burst into louder laughter and noise.
"Hahaha, even Kamiki has made a blunder!"
"It's one thing that you're after the same target, but your methods are similar too. You and Toukumo are really in sync, haha!"
"That kid really ripped off Toukumo before!"
Hearing the comments around, the man named Senbashi Kamiki understood what had happened. He wasn't angry. He cheerfully retracted his hand and said, "Come on, guys! You should've told me earlier. Did you really have to watch me make a fool out of myself? Boss Tokishigawa, put this young man's meal on my tab!"
After getting a response from the boss, the man turned around and scolded the onlookers a few times. Then he turned back again. "Well, let me introduce myself. I'm Senbashi Kamiki. Toukumo is my younger brother. As you can see, I'm just an ordinary, honest - to - goodness businessman.
"Say, kid, are you really not considering it? I can get you a really good price if I sell you. I can even help you find a master you fancy."
"Thanks, but no thanks," Ling picked up his wine cup. He didn't seem offended. "After all, if that happens, both you and the buyer will shorten your lifespan - a really long shortening."
"Well... okay then." Senbashi Kamiki turned his gaze to Tokishigawa Kyo who was walking over with dishes. "Shall we check the goods first? If we wait any longer, it might die. That would be inconvenient for the boss, right?"
"Alright, bring it here."
Senbashi Kamiki then handed the sack that had been lying at his feet to Tokishigawa Kyo.
However, when the sack was opened, there wasn't any regular prey inside. Instead, there was a dying princess.
Ling even heard Tokishigawa Kyo sigh, "You really caught a big fish this time..."
"Right? It's a real bargain to catch such a big fish. We'll get a good share of the money from above, right?" Senbashi Kamiki let out a laugh. "After all, no matter how down and out she is, she's still a princess with the right of inheritance."
"
"Let me double - check..." Tokishigawa Kyo formed a few hand seals (yin, a gesture in ninjutsu) and placed his finger on the girl's forehead. Then he lowered his voice and said, "Name and your Father's identity."
"Zhen... Quan," the girl's voice was hoarse and as faint as a mosquito's buzz. "Fang Daimyō of the Land of Lightning."
"Well, it's the right person." Tokishigawa Kyo withdrew his ninjutsu and picked up the girl, whose last breath of life had been cut off by the ninjutsu. "I'll take the goods. Should I put the bounty on your account as usual?"
"Sure, just the old way. And give some to Toukumo too."
"Got it."
Ling, having heard everything, just sighed silently in his heart and had no intention of meddling. He could give the girl a lift out of convenience, but if you asked him to avenge the girl for the injustice she suffered... Well, a ninja is never a saint.
But perhaps fate has it that he can't stay out of it.
When Tokishigawa Kyo was about to put the lifeless girl back into the sack, the girl's tightly - clenched hand finally relaxed. A half small gold coin (koban) fell out, bounced a few times, and gently hit Ling's hand.
After a brief moment of stupefaction, Ling reached out and touched the half small gold coin, pinching it in his hand. "Oh dear... A Low-cost Commission, huh."
[This article contains no bad guidance. All the characters' actions in the text are for the sake of the plot and do not represent the author's values. Please be cautious and do not imitate.]*3