Heartless

"From the way you're carrying yourself, steady as a rock, it seems you're sure of victory?"

Master Zhou took a sip of tea, a tea stem dangling from his lips. For the first time, he spoke up.

Xu Yi said, "What makes you think I'm sure of victory? I'm just taking things in stride. Since there's no way to avoid this, why not face it calmly?"

"Then why'd you just throw out over a thousand gold to bet on your own victory?"

"Think about it, Master. If I lose, I'll surely die, so there's no point keeping the money. If I'm lucky enough to win, how could I pass up such a great chance to make money?"

"Haha... You're quite the kid. Let the wild winds rise—I'll sit steady on the Whale-Watching Terrace. What spirit! We should raise a glass to that."

After laughing, Master Zhou picked up his tea and drained it in one go. "Now it seems my worries were needless. Not only are you sharper than most, but you've got guts to spare. You can sit there so calmly because you must already have a plan. Why not tell me about it? This old man can help you think it through."

Clear green tea poured into the porcelain cup once more, sending up wisps of steam. Xu Yi set down the teapot and smiled. "I don't have any plan. Just four words: use my strengths to strike at his weaknesses."

"Those four words are enough to put my mind at ease." Master Zhou nodded. "Some people fight blindly for half their lives without ever grasping the art of combat, but you've hit the nail on the head in a single sentence. All right. I was worried I'd have no one to buy me drinks for the rest of my life, but now I can put that worry out of my mind." With that, he stood and sauntered out, swaying as he went and humming some tune with nonsensical lyrics.

Not long after Master Zhou left, Yuan Qinghua came rushing in. One hand rested on the pouch at his waist, while the other clutched a stack of papers over a foot thick. He was sweating profusely from the run.

He came over, set the stack of papers on the stone table, then grabbed the teapot and gulped down a long drink. Only then did he open his pouch and take out two black betting slips. He glanced at them in the lamplight, set one down in front of Xu Yi, and said, "Boss, I've placed the bet: twelve hundred gold on Divine Constable Yi to win. The odds are two to one."

"Why are there two black slips?" Xu Yi remembered that Yuan Qinghua's original slip had been bright red.

Yuan Qinghua curled his lip. "What kind of question is that, Boss? Ask anywhere in all of Guang'an—am I the sort of man who lacks loyalty? Since you've put your life on the line, would I begrudge thirty gold? I sold my original betting slip and used the money to bet alongside you. That's my way of cheering you on."

He spoke with grand generosity, but behind the scenes his calculations were rattling away. The reason he'd changed sides and bet on Xu Yi was not loyalty; after careful thought, he'd decided to throw caution to the wind.

He hadn't known his boss for long, but Yuan Qinghua had already gotten a clear picture of what kind of man he was.

Xu Yi was absolutely the sort who counted every penny, planned every move, and wouldn't let himself suffer the slightest loss.

With the life-and-death battle approaching, Xu Yi wasn't just sitting steady as a rock—he'd even dared to throw a thousand gold on his own victory. Who would do that without being at least ninety percent sure of winning?

In short, Yuan Qinghua had changed sides not because he knew how deep Xu Yi's Martial Arts cultivation ran, but because he was betting on Xu Yi's unparalleled intellect.

Xu Yi saw right through Yuan Qinghua's little calculations. He secretly admired the man's insight and gave him a thumbs-up.

Yuan Qinghua couldn't spare Xu Yi a glance. He picked up the stack of papers and piled it in front of him. "Boss, now's no time to play the elegant scholar. Once you step into the arena, it's life or death. Gao Pan survived eight bouts in the Death Arena; that wasn't mere luck. These are the details I dug up from the information brokers about Gao Pan's past, including a full account of the eight Death Arena bouts he fought."

For business reasons, Xu Yi was his boss, and Yuan Qinghua naturally didn't want him to lose and die.

On a personal level, he couldn't let the long-term meal ticket he'd just latched onto get himself killed so easily. What's more, he'd placed a heavy bet on Xu Yi. Though he trusted that his boss was too crafty to gamble with his life, if Yuan Qinghua could do anything to improve his boss's odds—and his own betting slip's chances of winning—he was more than happy to do it.

"Thanks for the trouble. I'll read through these later. Go get some rest. The second room on the left is yours."

As he spoke, Xu Yi took the papers and stood up.

Then the two of them returned to their rooms.

Once he reached his room, Xu Yi tossed the pile of papers straight into the trash.

It wasn't arrogance; it was confidence. He trusted that the terrifying body forged through two years of inhuman torment could handle any challenge the Body Tempering Stage had to offer.

Besides, he still had that Dragon Crocodile Hide, with its astonishing defensive power.

He shut the doors and windows. His eyesight was excellent, so he didn't bother lighting a lamp. He took out the Dragon Crocodile Hide, rubbed it gently for a while, then turned it over and stretched it into all sorts of shapes in his hands.

Originally, he'd planned to turn the hide into armor as soon as possible, but the battle was now just around the corner.

Fortunately, even without making it into armor, it would still be useful if he came up with a way to use it.

After examining it for a while, he put the hide back in his pouch, threw himself onto the bed, and settled his mind. In the blink of an eye, he was asleep.

He slept deeply. The sun was already high when he finally opened his eyes. He got up, stretched his arms across his chest, and opened the window. Uncle Mu was leaning on his cane and slowly making his way along the flower bed.

Qiu Wa was playing shuttlecock. A colorful feather shuttlecock danced back and forth above her short legs, swirling like a rainbow without touching the ground for a long while.

The sunlight was lovely and the air was fresh. Xu Yi took a deep breath, filling his chest with the scent of flowers. He was growing fonder and fonder of this peaceful life.

If he didn't have a blood feud to avenge, he wouldn't mind living quietly like this, enjoying good food and the warmth of human affection.

"Boss, you're finally awake!"

Yuan Qinghua had been squatting on the threshold, watching Qiu Wa play shuttlecock. Hearing the commotion inside, he called out and hurried in with a basin of water and the things Xu Yi needed to wash up.

As soon as Xu Yi finished washing, Yuan Qinghua laid out breakfast: meat buns, steamed rolls, fried dough sticks, jianbing, and a huge bucket of fresh milk. He kept urging Xu Yi to eat more, afraid that if he ate too little, his legs would go weak when he entered the arena at noon.

His fawning manner made Qiu Wa, who had joined them to watch, purse her lips over and over.

Xu Yi didn't hold back. He ate like a tiger swallowing a whale. In an instant, he'd swept the table clean, along with the full ten pounds of fresh milk.

After clearing everything away, he tossed Yuan Qinghua a ten-gold note and instructed him, "There's nothing to do during the day. Go find us a decent house so we can all move in. This place belongs to the government, after all, and it's not very comfortable to live here. Also, hire a few maids and an older woman to handle the household chores. The shop delivers our three meals a day, but the two of us grown men can't keep up with everything else around the house."

Though he'd endured countless hardships, Xu Yi was a man who enjoyed the good life. Since he had money and the means, of course he wanted to live in comfort.

Yuan Qinghua stared at him for a long while before finally coming around. He didn't know how to describe his boss. Calling him carefree didn't even begin to cover it—he was completely heartless.