Heartless

"You look so steady, like you've already won?"

Master Zhou took a sip of tea, a tea stalk dangling from his lips, and spoke for the first time.

Xu Yi replied, "Where do I have any certainty of winning? I'm just at ease. If there's no way to avoid it, why not face it calmly?"

"Then you still threw out a thousand gold to bet on yourself winning!"

"Master, imagine, if I lose, I'll surely die, and this money will be useless. If I'm lucky enough to win, why would I miss out on such a good opportunity to make money?"

"Haha... Good kid, let the wind rage, you sit steadily on the whale-fishing platform. What spirit! We must have a drink."

After laughing, Master Zhou picked up his tea and drank it all, saying, "Now it seems my old man's worries were unnecessary. Not only is your mind extraordinary, but your courage is also bold. Since you can sit so calmly, you must have a plan. Why not tell me, and I'll help you think it through."

The clear tea was poured into the porcelain cup again, sending up wisps of steam. Xu Yi put down the teapot and said with a smile, "I don't have any plan, just four words: use strength against weakness."

"With these four words, I am at ease." Master Zhou nodded and said, "Some people fight for half their lives without grasping the essence of combat, yet you, kid, have hit the nail on the head. Never mind, I was worried about where my next half-lifetime's worth of wine would come from, but now I can rest easy." With that, he stood up, swaying, humming an unknown opera tune, and leisurely walked out.

Not long after Master Zhou left, Yuan Qinghua darted in. One hand rested on his waist pouch, and the other held a stack of papers nearly a foot thick. He was sweating profusely from running.

He entered, placed the stack of papers on the stone table, and took a big gulp from the teapot. Then, he opened his waist pouch and took out two black betting slips. Under the lamplight, he glanced at them, separated one, and placed it in front of Xu Yi. "Master, I've bought it. Twelve hundred gold. If Divine Constable Yi wins, it's two to one."

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

Yuan Qinghua pouted. "Master, that's a strange question. Ask anyone in Guang'an, am I, Yuan, someone who doesn't keep his word? Since Master is risking his life, why would I, Yuan, be stingy with thirty gold? I resold my original bet and used the money to join Master's bet, as a way to cheer you on."

While he spoke magnanimously, his mind was calculating furiously. The reason he switched his bet to Xu Yi winning wasn't out of loyalty, but after careful consideration, he decided to take a gamble.

He knew his master well. Although they hadn't known each other long, Yuan Qinghua had a deep understanding of him.

He was absolutely someone who haggled over every penny, was meticulous, and couldn't stand to be at a disadvantage.

With the life-and-death battle imminent, not only was this person sitting calmly, but he even dared to bet a thousand gold on himself winning. Who would do that without a ninety percent chance of victory?

In short, Yuan Qinghua switched his bet not because he knew how profound Xu Yi's martial arts cultivation was, but purely because he had bet on Xu Yi's unparalleled intellect.

Xu Yi saw through Yuan Qinghua's calculations as if they were laid bare. He secretly praised his discerning judgment and gave him a thumbs-up.

Yuan Qinghua ignored Xu Yi, grabbed the stack of papers, and piled them in front of him. "Master, now is not the time to play the refined gentleman. Once you're on the stage, it's life or death. Gao Pan lasting eight rounds in the Death Arena was no accident. This is all the information I gathered from the rumor mill about Gao Pan's past exploits, including the detailed circumstances of his previous eight rounds in the Death Arena."

Officially, Xu Yi was his master, and Yuan Qinghua naturally didn't want him to lose and die.

Personally, he couldn't let his newly acquired long-term meal ticket be so easily squandered. Moreover, he had bet heavily on Xu Yi. Although he believed that his master, with his cunning, would never gamble with his life, anything Yuan Qinghua could do to increase his master's chances of winning and improve his own bet's odds, he would gladly do.

"You've worked hard. I'll read it slowly. You go rest. The second room on the left is yours."

Saying this, Xu Yi took the documents and stood up.

The two then returned to their respective rooms.

Upon reaching his room, Xu Yi casually tossed the pile of documents into the trash can.

It wasn't arrogance, but confidence. He was confident that the terrifying physique forged through two years of inhuman torment could handle any challenge in the Body Tempering Stage.

Furthermore, he had the Dragon Crocodile Hide, which had astonishing defensive capabilities.

Closing the doors and windows, Xu Yi's eyesight was extraordinary. Without lighting a lamp, he took out the Dragon Crocodile Hide, rubbed it carefully for a moment, and twisted it into various shapes in his hands.

Originally, he had planned to forge the Dragon Crocodile Hide into armor as soon as possible, but the battle was imminent.

Fortunately, even without it being made into armor, he could find a way to make it work.

After examining it for a while, he put the leather back into his pouch and threw himself onto the bed. He calmed his mind and, in an instant, fell asleep.

He slept so soundly that it wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that he opened his eyes. He stood up, did a chest-expansion exercise, and opened the window. He saw Uncle Mu, leaning on his cane, slowly shuffling along the flowerbed.

Qiu Wa was kicking a shuttlecock, a colorful feathered one, which danced around her short legs like a rainbow, rarely touching the ground.

The sun was just right, the air was fresh. Taking a deep breath, his lungs filled with the scent of flowers, Xu Yi increasingly loved this tranquility.

If not for the deep-seated hatred he carried, he wouldn't mind living such a simple life, enjoying delicious food and human affection.

"Master, you're finally awake!"

Yuan Qinghua, who had been squatting on the doorstep watching Qiu Wa kick the shuttlecock, heard the movement from the room and shouted. He rushed in with a basin of water and washing supplies.

As soon as Xu Yi finished washing, Yuan Qinghua brought out breakfast: meat buns, flower rolls, fried dough sticks, Jianbing Guozi, and a large bucket of fresh milk. He kept urging Xu Yi to eat more, afraid that if Xu Yi didn't eat enough, his legs would weaken on the stage at noon.

His solicitousness made Qiu Wa, who was watching nearby, pout.

Xu Yi didn't stand on ceremony. He ate like a wolf, devouring everything. In an instant, the table full of food, plus the entire ten pounds of fresh milk, was wiped clean.

After finishing, he tossed a ten-gold note and instructed Yuan Qinghua, "There's nothing important during the day. Find a better house, and we'll move. This place is still public property, and it's not convenient to live here. Also, hire a few maids and servants. Although we get meals delivered from the restaurant, the two of us old men can't manage all the household chores."

Despite enduring countless hardships, Xu Yi was a hedonist. Since he had the money and the conditions, he naturally wanted to live comfortably.

Yuan Qinghua stared blankly for a long time before he came to his senses. He didn't know how to describe his master. To call him carefree would be an understatement; he was completely heartless.