Chapter 88: 4,000 Taels, 40,000 Taels

Chapter 88: Chapter 88: 4,000 Taels, 40,000 Taels

By the training grounds.

Jianng Hongfei stood in front of a table, bustling with activity.

"Odds on Sunx Jin winning are one to ten! Odds on Lu Yuan winning are five to one!"

"I’ll bet three hundred taels on Sunx Jin to win!"

"I’ll bet five hundred taels on Sunx Jin to win!"

"I’ll bet a thousand taels on Sunx Jin to win!"

Dozens of people crowded around the table, waving their silver notes and shouting loudly. They scrambled to place their bets, exclusively backing Sunx Jin. Because this was a guaranteed win—it was basically free money. A few dozen taels was equivalent to several months’ salary, or a single Pill. Who knew when this idiot from the Jianng family would suddenly stop taking bets?

"Line up, line up! Don’t rush! I’ll register you one by one!"

Jianng Hongfei collected the money while rapidly registering the bets. He didn’t have any helpers and refused to let anyone interfere; he handled everything himself. The receipt system was simple: a slip of paper was torn in half, with each party keeping one piece.

After being busy for a long time, the pile of silver notes beside him grew larger and larger. Suddenly, Jianng Hongfei started to panic a little. So much money, so many people—and all of them had bet on Sunx Jin. Not a single person had bet on Lu Yuan. If Lu Yuan won, it would be great; they would make a massive profit. But what if Lu Yuan lost?

"I’ll bet three hundred taels on Brother Lu to win!" Liu Zhi stepped forward, gritted his teeth, and pulled out three silver notes. He was already prepared to lose the money, treating it as a show of support for Lu Yuan. If he hadn’t harvested so many Pills the day before yesterday, he really wouldn’t have been willing to part with the cash.

"You..." Jianng Hongfei looked at Liu Zhi’s money with mixed feelings. If Lu Yuan lost, these three hundred taels would be a drop in the bucket, far from enough to cover the shortfall. But if Lu Yuan won, this wager meant paying out fifteen hundred taels. He felt a pang of loss just thinking about it.

"Two hundred taels for me..." Yu Qiuyang also walked over, taking out his silver notes.

"You’re betting too?" Jianng Hongfei raised an eyebrow. This guy had stopped sucking up to him and grown bolder. Would he support Lu Yuan or Sunx Jin?

"I’m betting on Sunx Jin!" Yu Qiuyang smiled faintly.

"Yu Qiuyang, you..." Liu Zhi felt a surge of anger. They were on the same team, yet instead of supporting Lu Yuan, he was betting on Sunx Jin.

"Doesn’t Lu Yuan have a lot of confidence in winning? He has a trump card, and I believe in him. Your odds of winning are great, but I just don’t like Lu Yuan, so I have no choice but to support Sunx Jin." Yu Qiuyang smiled with utmost sincerity.

"Has Brother Lu ever wronged you? He even helped you! You’re the one who’s always had it out for him and tried to cause trouble." Liu Zhi was furious. This kind of two-faced, ungrateful person was simply unbelievable. What did he mean, he didn’t like Brother Lu? What had Brother Lu done wrong?

"Stop arguing," Jianng Hongfei interrupted. A person’s heart wasn’t so easily changed. He didn’t actually like Lu Yuan either; in fact, he never had.

"Honestly, I really do hope he wins." Yu Qiuyang took his receipt and left.

There were hardly any people left in front of the table. Jianng Hongfei did a quick calculation. A total of 147 people had bet on Sunx Jin to win, amounting to thirty-six thousand eight hundred taels. The only person who bet on Lu Yuan was Liu Zhi, with three hundred taels. If Lu Yuan won, he could take home a cut of fourteen thousand taels. If he lost, he would have to pay out over three thousand taels... Wait, why should he be the one to pay? He would definitely make Lu Yuan share the burden! He’d have him cover sixty percent, while he took forty! Of course, the best outcome was still...

He thought, "Lu Yuan has to win!" Jianng Hongfei clenched his fists.

Sunx Jin, Wang Zhong, and the others walked over. The group was brimming with confidence, talking and laughing cheerfully.

"I’ll bet a thousand taels on myself to win!" Sunx Jin declared as he approached the table. He didn’t have that much cash on hand, so he took out two bottles of Pills instead. He had also reaped a handsome harvest recently.

"I’ll bet two thousand taels on Sunx Jin to win," Wang Zhong chimed in, placing his wager. It wasn’t for any other reason than to support one of their own. As a Seventh-Grade Martial Artist, his net worth was much more substantial.

"Alright, here are your receipts." Jianng Hongfei quickly registered the bets, collected the wagers, and wrote out their slips.

"How many people bet on Lu Yuan, and how much is the total?" Sunx Jin asked curiously.

Jianng Hongfei’s expression shifted slightly. He shook his head. "That’s a trade secret. I can’t tell you."

"Oh? Then what about the bets on me?" Sunx Jin smiled even more brightly. He had already asked around and knew that practically everyone was betting on him; no one was backing Lu Yuan. Clearly, everyone recognized his strength and knew his victory was guaranteed.

"Trade secret. I can’t tell you," Jianng Hongfei replied again, though his grip unconsciously tightened on the edge of the table.

"Then I wonder who Young Master Fei thinks will win? Which side’s silver coins are you planning to pocket?" Sunx Jin asked, trying a different approach.

"Why are you spouting so much nonsense? Do I fucking need to report to you?" Jianng Hongfei flared up, snapping at him.

Sunx Jin’s face darkened, but he quickly recovered his composure. "Haha, it seems you’re more optimistic about Lu Yuan, then."

Sunx Jin leaned in closer. "Just a friendly reminder for Young Master Fei: inside the Demon Suppression Bureau, sparring matches between Eighth-Grade Martial Artists strictly forbid the use of Profound Weapons, Hidden Weapons, poisons, and the like. I know Lu Yuan has some skills, but..."

He thought, "What?" Jianng Hongfei’s expression changed drastically, horror washing over his face. He hadn’t been with the Demon Suppression Bureau for long, so he genuinely didn’t know these rules. Eighth-Grade Martial Artists couldn’t use Profound Weapons? Was that true? If it were true...

"Hahaha, I wish Young Master Fei good luck in winning big!" Laughing, Sunx Jin walked away with Wang Zhong and the others to meditate and adjust his breathing on the sidelines.

Jianng Hongfei’s eyes quickly became bloodshot. He snapped his head toward Liu Zhi and demanded, "Does the Demon Suppression Bureau really have these rules? Is it true?"

"I... I think it is," Liu Zhi replied uncertainly. "It wasn’t mentioned in the manual we were issued. It only stated that friction and disputes could be resolved through duels, but didn’t outline the specific regulations."

"Lu Yuan!" Jianng Hongfei gnashed his teeth. Lu Yuan had screwed him over! He was going to suffer a massive loss! Over three thousand... no, four thousand taels! Lu Yuan would have to pay three thousand... No, Lu Yuan would have to pay everything and take full responsibility!

He thought, "Heh." Nearby, the corners of Yu Qiuyang’s lips involuntarily curled up. Excellent. Two birds with one stone! Both Lu Yuan and Jianng Hongfei were going to bleed heavily today. How immensely satisfying!

It was just about time. Lu Yuan and Chen Qiang coincidentally walked over.

Lu Yuan held a brand-new Silver Longbow in his hand. The bow tips were shaped like blades, about half a foot long, and the bowstring resembled a thick tendon, as thick as a steel needle. He also carried a quiver containing thirty Metal Arrows, their arrowheads specially forged. Some were diamond-shaped, some were triangular, and others were shaped like quadrangular pyramids. They were all incredibly long and sharp, capable of Armor-Breaking and Gang-Breaking with exceptional ease.

"Lu Yuan!" Jianng Hongfei cradled a box and rapidly darted in front of him. "You’ve completely doomed me! Did you know that Eighth-Grade Martial Artists aren’t allowed to use Profound Weapons during internal sparring matches? You did this on purpose, didn’t you?"

"I just found out," Lu Yuan replied, frowning.

"Just found out!" The muscles in Jianng Hongfei’s face twitched as he gritted his teeth. He then shoved the box directly into Lu Yuan’s chest. "Then you can pay out all these winnings yourself!"

"Are you saying you want to back out?" Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow.

"I..." Jianng Hongfei looked at Lu Yuan’s calm, unworried expression, then glanced at the unique, brand-new strong bow in his hand. He hesitated for a moment before biting the bullet. "Yes, I’m backing out! I’m sure of it! We are severing ties right here and now! If you lose, it has absolutely nothing to do with me!"

"Alright." Lu Yuan opened the box and took out two silver notes. "Consider this your wages for earlier."