180: Chapter 180 Holy crap! You're telling the truth?!

Chen Yiming immediately shut her mouth, staring tensely at the other party.

After Qin Lie appeared, the entire shop became noisy as the customers waiting in line tried to squeeze toward him one after another.

However, after a simple glance, Qin Lie walked straight toward them.

Chen Yiming immediately stood up from her chair, her expression tense.

But she noticed that the other party seemed even more nervous and restrained than she was, as if he were about to meet some important figure.

Without time to think, Chen Yiming glanced at the still-seated Gu Changming and hurriedly reached out to give him a light kick.

Big brother, Master Qin is here! How can you still sit there?

Gu Changming gave her a helpless look, then stood up and took a few steps toward Qin Lie.

Qin Lie stopped half a meter in front of Gu Changming, his expression shining with irrepressible excitement.

Because he was too agitated, Qin Lie didn't know what his first words should be for a moment.

After being tongue-tied for half a second, he finally spoke somewhat incoherently, "Why are you still waiting in line here?"

Gu Changming smiled. "I didn't have your contact information, and now that you've become Master Qin, I could only wait in line if I wanted to see you."

Hearing Gu Changming's teasing, Qin Lie scratched his head in embarrassment. "What 'Master'? It's just something people yell randomly."

As he spoke, Qin Lie turned around and took the lead, guiding Gu Changming further inside.

"Let's talk inside; there are too many people out here."

"Mm-hmm." Gu Changming nodded and followed.

Chen Yiming stood rooted to the spot, still not quite having reacted.

Huh? They really do know each other?

And looking at this conversation, their relationship wasn't ordinary at all.

Once she snapped out of it, she also hurried to follow Gu Changming inside.

When she passed the clerk who had just reported to Qin Lie, she deliberately paused and put on a solemn, earnest expression:

"I told you long ago that we know Master Qin, yet you still wouldn't let us in."

“Tsk, no discernment at all.”

After saying that, Chen Yiming ignored the clerk—who was looking bewildered and trying to remember when she had ever said that—and hurried to catch up with Gu Changming, who had already walked some distance away.

...

As they walked through the passage, Chen Yiming continued to look around curiously.

Looking at the layout leading to the inner room, she thought about how she would set up her own shop once she had money, making people beg her in the front while she hid in the back to refine potion.

Once they reached the inner room, Chen Yiming withdrew her gaze and focused back on Gu Changming and Qin Lie.

The two had been talking the whole way over.

But it was very strange.

Gu Changming's reaction was very calm, only responding casually, whereas Qin Lie was the one showing an eager attitude.

"I originally planned to come see you after I finished my business," Gu Changming said.

Qin Lie quickly spoke up, "If I had known you came here, I should have been the one to go find you."

"Right, let's add each other as friends first," Qin Lie added hurriedly.

After he had made a name for himself, he had actively tried to inquire about Gu Changming's news several times, but unfortunately, he hadn't heard anything. Now that they were finally meeting again, he definitely had to add him as a friend.

After the two added each other, Gu Changming didn't even need to bring the topic back.

Qin Lie continued, "So, is there something I can help with?"

Seeing this, Chen Yiming blinked again, momentarily unable to grasp the relationship between them.

Aside from herself, this was the first time she had seen someone in a logistics profession being so 'subservient'.

Gu Changming gave an "Mhm" and pointed to Chen Yiming behind him.

"I came to this Stronghold to refine a special potion, and this girl accidentally sold all of her potion-making tools..."

'Accidentally?' Qin Lie looked over, somewhat unable to fathom what kind of 'accident' that could have been.

Gu Changming continued, "So I wanted to ask you to help craft a new set of tools that she's comfortable with, to improve the success rate of the potion."

Seeing Qin Lie look at her, Chen Yiming gave an awkward smile, wanting to say some polite pleasantries.

But in the next second, Qin Lie immediately responded.

"Sure, no problem."

This was again somewhat beyond her expectations.

"Is now okay?" Gu Changming asked again.

Chen Yiming wanted to speak up and remind him that Qin Lie had just told his subordinates he was tired.

But very quickly, Qin Lie immediately said, "Of course!"

Hearing this, her whole body went numb.

No, does this guy have any principles at all?

Gu Changming reached out, pressed down on her head, and pushed her toward Qin Lie.

"I don't understand those tools of yours; describe what you want clearly to Qin Lie."

Speaking, Gu Changming looked at Qin Lie again. "Just forge them according to her requirements. Ask her for however many points it costs."

"No need, no need," Qin Lie hurriedly waved his hand.

He won't even take money?

Chen Yiming was even more dazed, really unable to figure out Gu Changming's identity now.

He couldn't be that Patron either; wasn't the weapon Qin Lie forged for that Patron a Tang Dao?

But what Gu Changming handed in was a glove.

After some back and forth, Qin Lie reluctantly accepted a thousand points as a labor fee.

Afterward, he took out some drafts and began to discuss the potion-making tools to be forged with her at a side table.

Gu Changming, meanwhile, walked around the room curiously, touching this and poking that.

Chen Yiming responded to Qin Lie's questions about the tool requirements somewhat absentmindedly.

After a moment, she finally couldn't suppress her curiosity. She glanced at Gu Changming, who was some distance away, then quietly leaned toward Qin Lie and asked in a low voice:

"Hey, Master Qin, how do you know this guy?"

Qin Lie's recording motion paused, and he also looked over curiously.

"He didn't tell you?"

"No," Chen Yiming shook her head, "He just said he was quite familiar with you."

"Oh!" Chen Yiming remembered something else, "He also said he knows the Patron who originally funded you to forge that Tang Dao."

Hearing this, the corners of Qin Lie's mouth curled up slightly.

Seeing this, Chen Yiming asked curiously, "Does he really know him? Is he a friend of that Patron?"

If that were the case, then it would make sense.

The smile on Qin Lie's face became even stranger.

"He certainly knows him."

"Hmm?" The curiosity in Chen Yiming's eyes grew even stronger.

"He probably sees my Patron every single day," Qin Lie teased.

"Huh?" Chen Yiming was stunned, but she quickly caught on and immediately jumped up from her spot, "What?!"

Hearing the commotion from her side, Gu Changming, who was testing the feel of a hammer nearby, also looked over curiously.

Chen Yiming turned her head, her gaze moving rapidly back and forth between him and Qin Lie, as if she were seeing something incredible.

"Are you really that Patron who funded him back then?" Chen Yiming asked Gu Changming.

Qin Lie found the scene amusing, like teasing a child.

"But... where is your Tang Dao?" Chen Yiming was still somewhat puzzled.

Gu Changming flipped his hand, and the tattoo on his sleeve shifted, flashing by as a pitch-black, gleaming Tang Dao appeared in his hand.

"Didn't I tell you? I'll show it to you later," Gu Changming said helplessly.

Chen Yiming stood frozen on the spot, completely dumbfounded.

Holy crap! It turns out everything you told me before was the truth!

Wait, let me think, what else did you say to me?