Salted Fish Chapter 18: Fighting

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: GaeaTiamat

 

Seeing that Smith was about to cut off the teenager’s fingers, Duan FeiZhou could no longer stand by as a spectator. He rushed up to Smith, swatted away his opponent’s hand, then grabbed Al by the collar and pushed him toward the door.

This action broke the effect of the Phantom Leaf.

Smith froze for a moment, not understanding how a large living person had appeared out of nowhere in the office. However, he quickly recognized the person as the customer he had seen before in the tailor’s shop.

“Are you also an occult practitioner?” Smith said grimly. “Did that bitch Vilyuy send you?”

Duan FeiZhou didn’t answer his words, but turned to Al. “You run!”

Al rushed to the door, but Smith snapped his fingers as Al grabbed the doorknob, so he couldn’t unlock it no matter how hard he twisted. He turned around, leaned his back against the door, and looked desperately at the two men who were facing each other in the room.

Smith chanted an incantation aloud, and countless long cords flew out of his sleeves, and leapt towards Duan FeiZhou like spiritual snakes.

Duan FeiZhou held Sword in the Stone with both hands, “It’s all you!”

Sword in the Stone giggled, “It’s all me!“

Duan FeiZhou handed over his body to Sword in the Stone, and his hands involuntarily waved up, slashing at the long rope. The silver light flashed, the sword wind whistled, and all the long ropes broke at the same time.

The sword wind swept across Smith’s cheek. He stood unsteadily and even took a few steps backward.

Duan FeiZhou looked at Sword in the Stone. He hadn’t expected Sword in the Stone to be as powerful as it was. The last time he was controlled by Sword in the Stone in the Secret Trading House, he was completely unaware of it and even resisted a bit. However, this time was different. This time he understood that Sword in the Stone was his teammate, so he trusted it wholeheartedly. Perhaps it was because of this that Sword in the Stone was able to exert more power than ever before.

Smith glared at Duan FeiZhou. “How much did that cunt Vilyuy give you? I’ll give three times as much if you stop!”

Duan FeiZhou stared at him coldly. “It’s useless to give me thirty times. What you did was hurt someone close to me, and I will not tolerate it!”

Smith gritted his teeth. He pulled out a red-covered booklet from the inside pocket of his coat. This small mysterious philosophy book contained powerful spells. He couldn’t believe that he couldn’t deal with this kid.

Smith recited the incantation on the red booklet. The ground beneath Duan FeiZhou’s feet shook, and in an instant, countless vines erupted from the ground and wrapped around his ankles. As to why the vines came out of the office, Duan FeiZhou had no time to think, he swung his sword and cut. However, when he cut one, another vine came up immediately. The cut vines quickly regenerated, and in less than a few seconds, he was trapped in a cage of green plants.

Al cowered in a corner of the office, and covered his mouth. He didn’t dare make a sound, as he shivered and watched the battle between the two occult practitioners. He should have taken the opportunity to escape, but he couldn’ leave the young occult practitioner behind. He saved his life, how could he abandon the other man?

He didn’t know what magic Smith used to summon the bunch of vines. The young occult practitioner was trapped, so what should be done?

Al looked at Smith. As long as he stopped casting spells, the young occult practitioner could break out of the trap, but what to do…? The teenager came up with a bold idea. He crept up behind Smith, as he tried to slow down his movements. Perhaps Smith was so focused on the spell that he did not notice him.

Only one step away from Smith, he rushed forward and strangled Smith’s neck.

The spell stopped.

“Asshole, asshole!” Smith was furious. He put one hand on the teenager’s arm, and with an over-the-shoulder throw, put him on the floor. How dare a little kid interrupt his spell!

Smith didn’t need any secret techniques to deal with a kid, Smith flew over and kicked Al. The teenager rolled several times and hit the wall hard, as he let out a scream.

“You’re exactly like your mother! You’re both bitches!” Smith cursed. He hurriedly picked up the red pamphlet and prepared to continue casting the spell. However when he raised his eyes, he saw only a golden shadow.

…No, it wasn’t a golden shadow, but the young blond occult practitioner with glittering eyes! Duan FeiZhou cut through the vine cage with his sword and rushed towards Smith. The red booklet in Smith’s hand was split in two by the harsh sword wind.

Countless pages of the book scattered on the ground.

Duan FeiZhou had realized that it wasn’t a real vine, but an illusion.

Sword in the Stone’s sword tip with the stone impartially smashed Smith’s head. With an”ow!” he fell on his back.

Smith could not have imagined that a blunt sword would be so painful or that he would lose to a young man half his age. Plus, the young man didn’t even use magic! If he used magic, how terrible would he be?

Smith’s eyes turned, quickly judged the situation and that he was now at a disadvantage. He might as well surrender first to show weakness. A gentleman’s revenge wasn’t too late even if it took ten years!

He twisted the muscles of his face and squeezed out a pleading expression. “It was that my eyes didn’t know the mountain! ¹ Please spare me! I will listen to you! I’ll listen to you on everything! I swear I will never hit up Vilyuy’s mother and son again!”

“You expect me to believe that?” Duan FeiZhou sneered.

How could this guy’s repentance be from the heart? Never be fooled by the lies flowing out of a man’s mouth.  If he let Smith go, God only knew how this guy would turn around and take revenge on him and the Vilyuy mother and son.

“I…I’m willing to pay for the damage!” Smith shouted. “I’ll pay for the mother and son. That’s all right!”

Duan FeiZhou looked over at Al. The teenager was lying in a corner of the office, as he covered his chest and glared hard at Smith.

“Al, come here.” He said.

The teenager struggled to his feet, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand and hobbled toward Duan FeiZhou.

“You count how much damage there is, and tell him to pay for it.” Duan FeiZhou said.

Al spat at Smith. “I don’t give a shit about his money! I just hope he never shows up in front of me and my mom!”

Duan FeiZhou, of course, wanted this Smith guy to get as far away as possible. But how to do it?

The first way was the fastest and most straightforward, and that was to obliterate Smith on the spot. But Duan FeiZhou, as the twenty-first century good youth, how could he do such a bloody and violent thing? In addition, wasn’t leaving a corpse more likely to attract suspicion?

The second way was to give Smith to the police Nightmen. for this kind of evil occult practitioners. Staying in the dungeons of Scotland Yard for life was the most suitable ending for him.

Unfortunately, Duan FeiZhou couldn’t. Due to the restrictions of the Secret Trading House contract, he couldn’t reveal Smith’s identity in any way, and handing Smith over to the Nightmen was of course also considered a kind of identity reveal.

He knew very little about occult philosophy, and he had no idea how far the secret contracts of the trading houses could actually restrict people. Could he exploit a loophole and turn Smith over to the police? If instead of actively turning Smith in, he passively let the police find him, would that trigger the secret contract?

It was worth a try. If this method did not work, then he would have to think of another way. Duan FeiZhou picked up a broken rope from the ground and tied Smith’s hands and feet.

“What do you want to do?!” Smith was terrified.

Duan FeiZhou turned back to Al and said, “Go out into the street and when you see smoke coming out of the window, yell ‘fire’.”

“Do you want to burn him to death?” Al looked awe-struck, stunned by the ruthlessness of the young occult practitioner in front of him.

Duan FeiZhou held his forehead, “You just do it!”

Al, who dared not disobey, immediately left the office. As soon as Smith stopped performing his secret magic, the office door was able to open.

Duan FeiZhou retrieved a box of matches from Smith’s body, gathered the papers on the desk, and placed them on the stone windowsill to prevent the fire from spreading to the surrounding area when it ignited.

Smith’s brain was running as fast as it could in his life. Why would this kid set fire to his office? If it was to burn him to death, then why light only those few papers? And why let the Vilyuy kid on the street call for help? Suddenly he understood, the boy wanted to attract the police! But why didn’t he just take him to the police?

The answer was crying out – it wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but he couldn’t.

“I got it!” Smith shouted, “You are also a customer of the Secret Trading House, right? You’re restricted by the secret contract about revealing the identity of other customers, so you can only use this method to attract the attention of others, so that I can be passively exposed. But don’t you forget, the Vilyuy mother and son haven’t entered the trading house. I can report them to the Nightmen! Since you are a friend of their family, the Nightmen will be able to find out your identity with just a little bit of investigation!”

Duan FeiZhou lit the document. “As long as they also become guests of the trading house, you won’t be able to reveal their identities to the Nightmen either.”

“Ha, the key to the Secret Trading House is not something that can be obtained casually! It must be requested by a familiar guest from the owner of the trading house, or the owner of the trading house himself…”

Smith paused. He stared into Duan FeiZhou’s eyes and realized that he actually knew the young man in front of him. The Secret Trading House had been closed for a long time and had only reopened the day before yesterday.

The original owner of the trading house passed away and was replaced by a new young owner. He wore a mask, so no one knew what he looked like, but Smith remembered that he had a pair of beautiful golden-green eyes.

And the young man in front of him was exactly the same.

Smith trembled, “Could you be…You are…”

He was the new owner of the Secret Trading House?

Duan FeiZhou didn’t answer, just mysteriously and inexplicably smiled.

Smith realized something was wrong. He wasn’t messing with an ordinary occult practitioner, but the owner of the Secret Trading House! He intended to let him be found for real!

“Please! I really know I’m wrong! Please don’t turn me over to the Nightmen. I’ll do anything you want!”

“It’s too late, Mr. Smith.” Duan FeiZhou balled up a piece of rope and stuffed it into his mouth, and gagged his incessant pleas. “You were trying to murder someone. If I hadn’t been there, a human life might have been lost. You deserve it.”

Smith couldn’t make a sound, only whimpered. He looked pleadingly at the owner of the trading house. He expected him to show mercy at the last minute, and spare him this time for the sake of his fellow occult practitioners.

Outside the window came Al’s staged shout, “Fire! Look, there’s smoke! Come and put out the fire!”

The owner of the trading house turned his back, mercilessly, and abandoned the whimpering Smith in his office as he left with leisurely steps.