With others looking down on him like that, the defiance buried deep in Lin Qing's bones quietly stirred.
He drew a deep breath, took Zhang Shun aside, and walked with him to a spot where the crowd was thinner.
He pulled a money pouch from his robes and pressed it into Zhang Shun's hand.
Then he lowered his voice. "Senior Brother Zhang, sorry for the trouble, but do me a favor. Put all fifty taels on me to win."
Zhang Shun took the pouch. It felt heavy in his hand, and his face instantly filled with surprise.
He almost thought he'd heard wrong.
"All fifty taels on yourself? Junior Brother Lin, are you sure you've thought this through? Hao Ji is no easy opponent."
Fifty taels of silver was no small sum. It was enough to cover an ordinary family's expenses for years if they lived frugally.
They had made a little money a few days earlier.
But what Lin Qing was doing was no different from burning his boats.
He was staking a sizable portion of his wealth on an almost impossible victory.
Lin Qing met Zhang Shun's gaze, his own calm and his tone unusually firm.
"I've thought it through. If I can't get past this first hurdle, what hope is there for what comes after? These fifty taels are just my way of showing my resolve."
Zhang Shun looked into Lin Qing's calm eyes.
There was not a trace of rashness in them, only a martial artist's sharp spirit.
He remembered how Lin Qing had killed Pan Yun with thunderous decisiveness at Pan Family Manor that night, and his heart suddenly stirred.
This junior brother of his seemed always capable of doing the unexpected.
He pondered for a moment, then gritted his teeth and broke into a