Chapter 110: Arthur Is Just a Facade

Blackbeard swayed his massive frame and slowly stood up, with Lin Qi following closely behind.

Standing shoulder to shoulder, it became clear that Blackbeard was half a head taller than Lin Qi and had a more robust build. Unlike Lin Qi’s bulkiness, Blackbeard was tall and muscular, with no trace of excess fat. His entire body resembled an ancient hero sculpted from steel, exuding an indomitable aura of strength.

“Change your clothes and come with me!” Blackbeard muttered. Lin Qi hurried to the cloakroom to change, putting on a pair of thick-soled, high-top boots.

Blackbeard led Lin Qi out of the bedroom and pushed open a hidden door at the end of the corridor. They descended nearly a hundred meters down a steep spiral metal staircase and entered a deep, shadowy passage. Blackbeard murmured, “Remember how to open the door and where the mechanisms for the traps are hidden. This secret passage is one of the family’s eighteen most important tunnels.”

Lin Qi glanced around. The passage was cast entirely in metal, incredibly sturdy. Intricate magic arrays were carved into the walls, ceiling, and floor, embedded with bean-sized multicolored magical gems. Thanks to these arrays, the tunnel could withstand nearly all natural disasters and was extremely difficult to destroy even by human force.

“Red-Haired Ghost is my ally!” Blackbeard’s massive frame nearly filled the entire passage as he strode ahead, Lin Qi following closely behind. Blackbeard swayed as he walked, constantly knocking along the walls to close various hidden traps. After they passed through, Blackbeard reactivated the traps elsewhere.

“But Red-Haired Ghost always had ambition, I know that. He was unwilling to be just a pirate leader; he wanted, like me, not only great power at sea but also to extend his influence onto land,” Blackbeard sneered and sighed. “But the northern coastline is already crowded. If Red-Haired Ghost comes ashore, there won’t be enough room for so many people.”

“If he insists on doing that, he will inevitably cause chaos along the northern coast, and that chaos will spark a dark war,” Blackbeard frowned. “The dark world may not be the official empires or kingdoms, but the manpower and resources it can mobilize are no less than those of ordinary kingdoms.”

“If Red-Haired Ghost insists on establishing a foothold on land, war is unavoidable,” Blackbeard shook his head. “But war... Lin Qi, when you eventually take command of the Black Tiger family, you must understand that balancing interests is the fundamental law that sustains the dark world’s existence. Once that balance is lost, wars in the dark world are far more brutal and bloody than those between empires and kingdoms.”

Lin Qi looked at Blackbeard’s towering back. “So, how did Red-Haired Ghost die?”

Blackbeard smiled faintly and said in a deep voice, “Of course, he met the alien fleet of the Five United Islands at sea—that’s how he died. Because he wanted to disrupt the balance that had been stable for so many years, he had to encounter that alien fleet.”

He sighed deeply and shook his head. “What a pity—such a good enforcer. Even more regrettable is that he actually escaped and brought Arthur to me. In front of so many people, he begged me to adopt his son.”

Turning around, he ruffled Lin Qi’s hair casually. “In the dark world, you must let everyone know that you are someone trustworthy. I am naturally trustworthy, so I had to adopt Red-Haired Ghost’s son. I wanted to give Arthur the best conditions—food, drink, attendants, guards—all the finest, even better than my own biological son.”

“That’s why all the brothers along the northern coastline say, ‘Blackbeard, your father Lin Hu is righteous and warm-hearted!’” Blackbeard hummed proudly. “Actually, I’ve always wanted to treat Arthur with such righteousness and warmth, but when that kid was sent to me, he was already sensible—he was an untamable wolf cub. But I had to keep him alive because as long as he lives, your old man remains the revered and righteous leader of the Black Tiger family in everyone’s eyes!”

Lin Qi understood. Arthur was a symbol, even the most crucial protective layer on a maiden’s body. Whether this layer was innate or artificially repaired, as long as Arthur lived, Blackbeard’s esteemed reputation would be whispered among the dark world’s top figures on the Western Continent—and that reputation was often quite useful.

“But that ungrateful wolf Arthur is truly untamable!” Blackbeard said coldly. “Since he lost his virginity to his maid at thirteen, and at fourteen he even tried to push you into a well, I got him drunk on his fifteenth birthday and, just like today when I helped you unblock your meridians, I put a lot of effort into helping him.”

Lin Qi smiled oddly. As Blackbeard’s biological son, he had benefited from his father’s great effort to unblock his meridians, ensuring no bottlenecks in his Qi cultivation until he reached the rank of middle-tier Heavenly Knight. But Arthur—Lin Qi clearly remembered Arthur almost drowning him in a well—so Blackbeard’s meridian unblocking for him likely had its consequences.

“He’s already a cripple, so I’ve always restrained you from truly killing him,” Blackbeard frowned and said coldly. “But because he’s already a cripple, I’ve relaxed my watch over him these past two years. I haven’t paid much attention to what he’s been up to outside. But now it seems he’s gotten involved with some influential people again.”

“So, Father, what are you planning to do?” Lin Qi chuckled.

Blackbeard’s voice deepened. “The fledgling must eventually leave the old bird and fly free. You will go to the imperial capital to develop the Iron Fist Brotherhood, and Arthur will naturally return to inherit his father’s old territory and estate. Heh heh, my biological son thriving in the imperial capital, and Arthur... pirates are always dangerous.”

Lin Qi nodded thoughtfully. Blackbeard said calmly, “If one day Arthur, like Red-Haired Ghost, is killed by those alien armies, I will avenge him. That way, things will be resolved quite nicely. But that will take time to arrange. You must learn patience.”

Lin Qi bowed his head in respect, suddenly realizing how far behind he was compared to his father.

Arthur, this symbol, was clearly meant to be squeezed dry by Blackbeard before being discarded.

But it served him right; who told him to plot against Lin Qi and the Black Tiger family first?

They continued forward for a full hour until a large bronze door appeared at the end of the passage.