Devious

"You son of a bitch, have you gone crazy thinking about money? I..."

Xiong Wu flew into a rage and pointed at Chen Yue, ready to curse him out. He had proposed fighting barehanded to gain an advantage. How could he let the other man turn the tables and stick him with the risk of a three-hundred-tael bet for nothing?

Before he could finish, a cold voice came from the Sea Shark Gang's seats, cutting clearly through the hubbub:

"Xiong Wu, accept."

The crowd turned toward the voice. Tang Qizheng sat upright in his chair, expressionless, turning a pair of iron pellets in his hand with a soft clacking sound. He didn't even glance at the arena, as if he were casually giving an order about some trivial matter.

The anger on Xiong Wu's face faltered. He turned to look at his gang leader. Tang Qizheng didn't look at him, but his unquestionable attitude made his meaning clear.

Xiong Wu was reluctant. He really did think fighting barehanded was the safer choice, but the thought of being saddled with a three-hundred-tael bet out of nowhere rankled. Still, he didn't dare disobey his gang leader.

Xiong Wu took a deep breath and forced down his anger. Turning to Chen Yue, he gave a vicious grin. "Fine! Since you want to earn a bit of coffin money before you die, Lord Xiong is feeling generous. I'll grant your wish!"

Below the arena, Yu Kan of the Iron Mountain Hall heard Chen Yue propose a three-hundred-tael bet and saw Tang Qizheng actually accept. His brow knitted as he lowered his voice to Zhou Jingfeng. "Master, isn't Junior Brother taking too great a risk? Xiong Wu was born with the strength of a bull. His fists and kicks must be fierce..."

Zhou Jingfeng kept his eyes on the arena. His brow had furrowed at some point, but he didn't intervene or try to stop them.

He had begun to understand his disciple's temperament. Chen Yue might seem reckless, but he always had a plan.

After a moment's thought, Zhou Jingfeng said, "Chen Yue's foundation in Iron Mountain Fist is as solid as his saber work. And with the Eight-Step Cicada Chase footwork to support him, he's nimble and unpredictable. Accepting a barehanded fight means giving up the advantage of weapons, but he proposed the bet himself. Perhaps he's confident. Let's see how it plays out."

Zhou Jingfeng was worried, but he chose to trust his disciple's judgment and strength. If he tried to stop him now, he might only shake Chen Yue's confidence.

Just as Xiong Wu accepted the bet and the tension between them tightened, Zhou Jingfeng suddenly stepped forward. His gaze flashed like lightning as he fixed it on Tang Qizheng.

"Tang Qizheng, since the youngsters have put something on the line, why don't you and I add a little excitement too? I'll bet a thousand taels of silver on my disciple Chen Yue. Tang Qizheng, dare you take the bet?"

His words set off an even greater uproar among the crowd.

A thousand taels was no small sum!

Zhou Jingfeng was staking the Iron Mountain Hall's reputation and a hefty wager on Chen Yue without the slightest hesitation. He was bolstering his disciple's presence, but also openly striking back at and provoking the Sea Shark Gang.

Tang Qizheng's hand paused slightly as he toyed with the iron pellets. His narrow eyes narrowed further as he stared at Zhou Jingfeng, then suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Good! Master Zhou is certainly generous! When someone's rushing to hand me silver, how could I turn it away? I'll take that thousand-tael bet! I only hope that when the time comes, Master Zhou doesn't lose both his man and his money—and have no one to cry to!"

"Haha, what a lively day!"

As soon as Tang Qizheng finished speaking, a voice rang out from the western stands.

A middle-aged man in a brocade robe stood up, looking more like a wealthy merchant than a man of the martial world. He waved a folding fan in his hand. It was Guo Yan, leader of the Grain Transport Gang, who had often clashed with the Sea Shark Gang over business at the docks.

He smiled at Tang Qizheng and said, "Gang Leader Tang, what a fine pastime! Mind if I join in the fun? I'm backing this young man Chen Yue. I'll put down a thousand taels on his victory as well. Gang Leader Tang, will you take this bet or not?"

Guo Yan had clearly come to disrupt things and make trouble for the Sea Shark Gang.

Everyone knew the Grain Transport Gang and the Sea Shark Gang were at odds. By entering the fray and betting on Chen Yue, Guo Yan was plainly backing the Iron Mountain Hall and rubbing Tang Qizheng the wrong way.

Tang Qizheng's smile remained unchanged, but the chill in his eyes deepened.

He glanced at the beaming Guo Yan, then raised his voice. "Good! If Gang Leader Gu is in the mood, I'll see this through to the end! A thousand taels—I'll take it! Today really is a lucky day. So many people are rushing to give me their silver!"

Tang Qizheng paused and swept his gaze across the crowd. His voice turned cold. "Anyone else want to seize this fine opportunity to give me a little spending money? Speak up. I'll take every bet!"

The arena fell silent.

Aside from Guo Yan of the Grain Transport Gang, who had old scores to settle and had seized the chance to enter the fray, the heads of the other factions watching the spectacle kept their eyes down and their thoughts to themselves. Not one of them spoke up.

They had no grudge against the Sea Shark Gang. There was no point in offending Tang Qizheng just to watch a fight. For a moment, the only sounds were the wind snapping the flags and the increasingly heavy breathing of the two men in the arena.

When no one responded, Tang Qizheng finally turned to Gu Huaizhang, who was serving as the referee. "Master Gu, enough talk. Can we begin? I can hardly wait to collect those two thousand taels!"

Gu Huaizhang's expression remained unchanged. He nodded slightly, stepped forward, and announced to the arena, "Since you've agreed to fight barehanded, the rules of the Life-Death Arena require both sides to leave their weapons below, to ensure a fair fight. Please!"

At Gu Huaizhang's words, Chen Yue untied the scabbard at his waist, flicked his wrist, and sent the sheathed saber arcing precisely toward the edge of the arena. His movements were clean and decisive.

On the other side, a vicious grin suddenly spread across Xiong Wu's face.

He didn't toss his saber to his own side like Chen Yue had. Instead, he gripped the heavy hilt of the Ghost Head Saber in one hand. The muscles in his arm bunched as he put his full strength into it, hurling the gleaming blade through the air toward the general area where Chen Yue stood!

"Whoosh!"

The Ghost Head Saber shrieked through the air, crossed several yards, and buried itself with a thunk in the wooden boards a few feet behind Chen Yue. The blade still quivered and hummed, its cold gleam blinding.

Although the saber hadn't flown straight at Chen Yue, its momentum was terrifying and it had landed close by. Hundreds of eyes around the arena, including Chen Yue's, were involuntarily drawn to the sudden flying blade.

The instant Chen Yue's gaze followed the blade's shadow, Xiong Wu moved!

His long-gathered right foot slammed against the wooden boards with a dull thud. His hulking frame shot forward like a cannonball, trailing a foul wind as he charged Chen Yue at a speed that belied his size.

The two-yard gap between them vanished in an instant. A huge, corded fist tore through the air, carrying the force to shatter stone and split steles as it drove straight for Chen Yue's temple!

The ambush was sinister, swift, and vicious, showing no mercy!

"Son of a bitch, he's cheating!"

Below the arena, Ma Jun of the Iron Mountain Hall watched with bloodshot eyes and stamped the ground as he cursed. Xiong Wu had clearly used the moment of discarding his weapon to make a deliberate distraction, then launched a surprise attack. It was utterly shameless!

But his curses didn't bring any intervention from the referee.

Gu Huaizhang frowned slightly but said nothing. Xiong Wu had thrown his saber without directly attacking Chen Yue, so strictly speaking, he hadn't violated the rule requiring them to leave their weapons below the arena. His tactic was underhanded, but he had found a loophole.

There were few formalities on the Life-Death Arena. In the end, what mattered was strength.

Tang Qizheng's smile grew broader. He was clearly very pleased with Xiong Wu's tactic.