Deceitful

"You motherfucker, are you out of your mind for money? I..."

Xiong Wu flew into a rage, pointing at Chen Yue as he prepared to curse him out. He had suggested a fist-and-foot fight to gain an advantage—how could he let himself be manipulated instead, and take on the risk of three hundred taels of silver for nothing?

But before he could finish, an icy voice came from the direction of the Sea Shark Gang's seats, cutting clearly through the noise of the crowd:

"Xiong Wu, agree to him."

Everyone turned to look. Tang Qizheng sat upright in his chair, expressionless, idly spinning a pair of iron balls in his hand, which clinked softly. He didn't even glance at the arena, as if he were casually ordering some trivial matter.

The anger on Xiong Wu's face froze. He turned to look at the gang leader. Tang Qizheng wasn't looking at him, but his unquestionable attitude was plain.

Xiong Wu felt some reluctance in his heart. He truly believed fists and feet were safer, but the feeling of being saddled with a three-hundred-tael bet was stifling. Still, he dared not defy the gang leader's command.

Xiong Wu took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed his rage, turned to Chen Yue, and grinned savagely: "Fine! Since you want to earn your coffin money before you die, Uncle Xiong is kind-hearted enough to grant your wish!"

Below the arena, on the Iron Mountain Hall side, Yu Kan heard Chen Yue propose the three-hundred-tael bet and saw Tang Qizheng actually agree. His brow furrowed deeply, and he lowered his voice to Zhou Jingfeng: "Master, isn't Junior Brother taking too great a risk? Xiong Wu is born with divine strength; his fists and feet will surely be ferocious..."

Zhou Jingfeng's gaze never left the arena. His brow had furrowed at some point, but he didn't intervene or stop it.

He had come to understand his disciple's temperament somewhat. Chen Yue's actions might seem bold, but they always had a plan behind them.

He mused: "Chen Yue's foundation in Iron Mountain Fist is no weaker than his saber technique, and with the Eight-Step Cicada Chase footwork to complement it, he's agile and versatile. Agreeing to fists and feet loses the advantage of weapons, but since he voluntarily proposed the bet, perhaps he's confident. Let's watch and see."

Though Zhou Jingfeng was worried, he chose to trust his disciple's judgment and strength. Intervening now would only shake Chen Yue's confidence.

Just as Xiong Wu accepted the bet and the tension between both sides grew even tighter, Zhou Jingfeng suddenly stepped forward, his gaze sharp as lightning, fixed on Tang Qizheng.

"Tang Qizheng, since the juniors have their stakes, why don't you and I add a bit of interest as well? I'll bet on my disciple Chen Yue winning, with a wager of one thousand taels of silver. Tang Qizheng, dare you take the bet?"

At these words, the surrounding commotion grew louder.

One thousand taels—that was no small sum!

Zhou Jingfeng was staking the face of Iron Mountain Hall and a heavy bet squarely on Chen Yue, both to boost his disciple's morale and as a naked counterattack and provocation against the Sea Shark Gang.

Tang Qizheng's hand spinning the iron balls paused slightly. His narrow eyes narrowed as he stared at Zhou Jingfeng, then he suddenly threw his head back and burst into loud laughter:

"Hahaha! Fine! Hall Master Zhou certainly has spirit! Since someone's eager to hand Tang silver, how could Tang refuse? I'll take that thousand-tael bet! I just fear that when the time comes, Hall Master Zhou will lose both his man and his money, and won't even find a place to cry!"

"Haha, quite the lively day today!"

As Tang Qizheng's words faded, a voice rang out from the western viewing stand.

A middle-aged man in a brocade robe, looking more like a wealthy merchant than a martial artist, stood up, waving a folding fan. It was Guo Yan, the gang leader of the Grain Transport Gang, who often clashed with the Sea Shark Gang over dock business.

He smiled amiably at Tang Qizheng and said: "Gang Leader Tang, since the mood is so fine, how about Guo joins in the fun? I'll back this young brother Chen Yue. I'll place a bet too—one thousand taels, on Chen Yue winning. Gang Leader Tang, will you take this bet or not?"

Guo Yan's words were clearly meant to stir trouble and annoy the Sea Shark Gang.

Everyone knew the Grain Transport Gang and the Sea Shark Gang were at odds. His stepping in to bet on Chen Yue was plainly supporting Iron Mountain Hall and getting under Tang Qizheng's skin.

Tang Qizheng's smile didn't waver, but the coldness in his eyes deepened.

He swept a glance at the beaming Guo Yan and raised his voice: "Fine! Since Gang Leader Guo shares the mood, Tang will see it through! One thousand taels, I'll take it! It seems today is truly a good day—so many people eager to hand Tang their silver!"

Tang Qizheng paused, his gaze sweeping the crowd, his tone turning cold: "Is there any other friend who'd like to take this chance to give Tang some spending money? Speak up—Tang welcomes all comers!"

The arena fell silent.

Aside from Guo Yan of the Grain Transport Gang, who had a long-standing grudge and seized the chance to step in, the other faction leaders watching the spectacle all kept their eyes down and mouths shut, offering no response.

They had no enmity with the Sea Shark Gang, and there was no reason to offend Tang Qizheng for the sake of watching a show. For a moment, only the wind rustling the banners and the increasingly heavy breathing of the two men on the arena could be heard.

Seeing no one answer, Tang Qizheng finally turned his gaze to Gu Huaizhang, the referee: "Hall Master Gu, enough idle talk. Can we begin? Tang can't wait to pocket that two-thousand-tael prize!"

Gu Huaizhang's expression remained unchanged. He nodded slightly, stepped forward, and announced loudly to the arena: "Since fists and feet have been agreed upon, per the old rules of the Life-Death Arena, both parties must discard their weapons below the stage to ensure fairness. Begin!"

On the arena, Chen Yue heard this, unfastened the scabbard at his waist, and with a flick of his wrist, sent the sheathed saber arcing precisely to the edge of the arena, the motion clean and sharp.

On the other side, Xiong Wu suddenly bared a vicious grin.

He didn't toss his blade to his own side like Chen Yue. Instead, he gripped the heavy Ghost Head Saber's hilt with one hand, his arm muscles bulging, and with a sudden burst of strength, hurled the gleaming blade fiercely in Chen Yue's general direction!

"Wooosh!"

The Ghost Head Saber tore through the air with a shrill whistle, crossing several zhang before embedding itself with a "thunk" deep into the wooden edge of the arena a few feet behind Chen Yue. The blade quivered, its cold gleam dazzling.

Though the saber wasn't aimed directly at Chen Yue's body, its intimidating momentum and proximity drew the gazes of hundreds in the crowd, including Chen Yue's, irresistibly toward the sudden flying blade.

The moment Chen Yue's eyes were drawn by the incoming blade's shadow, Xiong Wu moved!

His right foot, long poised, stomped heavily on the arena's wooden floor with a dull "thump." His massive frame shot forward like a cannonball, carrying a gust of bloody wind, rushing at Chen Yue with a speed that defied his size.

The two-zhang distance between them vanished in an instant. A fist, thick with coiled muscle, tore through the air with the force to shatter stone and bone, aimed straight at Chen Yue's temple!

This sneak attack was insidious, swift, vicious, and utterly merciless!

"Damn it, he's cheating!"

Below the arena, on the Iron Mountain Hall side, Ma Jun's eyes nearly split with rage as he jumped up and cursed. Xiong Wu had clearly used the weapon-discarding opportunity to create a distraction and launch a surprise attack—utterly despicable!

But his curses didn't draw the referee's intervention.

Gu Huaizhang frowned slightly but said nothing. Xiong Wu's throw hadn't directly struck Chen Yue's body, so strictly speaking, it didn't violate the "discard weapons below the stage" rule. It was just a dirty trick, exploiting a loophole.

On this Life-Death Arena, there were few formalities. In the end, it all came down to strength.

Tang Qizheng's smile grew even wider, clearly very pleased with Xiong Wu's tactical move.