The Gamble

"Water-Cutting Saber Art."

Li Feng followed the voice and looked up, seeing that the newcomer had a thin and small build, with a piece of black cloth veiling his face. He was not wearing a bamboo hat, and judging from his rather youthful voice, he should be a child of fifteen or sixteen.

"How much is this saber art?" the youth asked cautiously.

"Thirty taels," Li Feng said indifferently.

Hearing this, the youth suddenly gasped. "Thirty taels? How can it be so expensive? I saw those external martial arts manuals nearby sell for at most a few taels of silver. What on earth makes this saber art so different? Why on earth do you sell it for so much?"

Li Feng glanced at him, perceiving that the youth before him might genuinely want to buy it, and thus explained patiently:

"Those external martial arts manuals you looked at won't amount to anything even if you practice them to the end, whereas this saber art of mine, when practiced to perfection, can not only forge a trace of qi-blood, but can even manifest blade force. This price is not expensive."

"Bah! Just because you say so, does it make it true?"

Right at that moment, a sarcastic and mocking voice cut in from the side.

Li Feng furrowed his brows slightly and turned to look, seeing that the thin, tall man in black whom he had chased away earlier had turned back at some unknown point.

Standing a few paces away, the thin, tall man sneered and chimed in, "Little brother, don't believe him. If you ask me, he's just a fraud! Take a close look at this manual; it's tattered and torn, and you can barely even make out the words. He probably picked up some trash from god knows where and wants to palm it off to scam people."

"If you actually practice a fake martial art like this, forget about entering the martial Dao-when you eventually suffer a deviation in your cultivation, you'll cripple yourself!"

These words immediately drew the surrounding passersby to gather around and watch, whispering among themselves.

"Thirty taels? He certainly has the nerve to make an exorbitant demand. Other saber arts in the black market sell for at most a few taels of silver."

"You said it. This stall owner hasn't been seen around before; could he really be selling discarded waste paper picked up from who knows where as a treasure?"

"Fake martial arts are as numerous as the hairs on an ox in this black market, and buying them relies entirely on one's own discernment. The kid from Old Zhang's family on the West Street was greedy for a bargain and bought a fake internal martial art; he went home and vomited blood on the spot from practicing it, and he's still bedridden to this day!"

"Break it up, break it up. Thirty taels to buy a piece of junk of unknown authenticity-whoever buys it is a sucker!"

The surrounding murmurs came one after another, filled with skepticism and ridicule.

Influenced by the crowd's words, the youth's expression carried hesitation, and his steps unconsciously retreated a few paces.

Li Feng was not angry either, merely saying in a calm tone, "If you don't believe me, you can flip through the first few pages of the saber art yourself and evaluate it. Besides, I also learned this Water-Cutting Saber Art, and I entered the martial Dao precisely by relying on it."

"Flip through the first few pages?" The thin, tall man sneered, his tone full of disdain.

"Do you take us for martial masters in a Martial Arts Hall, able to tell whether a manual is good or bad just by looking at the first few pages? Besides, can your mere verbal claim of entering the martial Dao prove that you've stepped into it? Unless you demonstrate it on the spot for all of us to see and open our eyes, otherwise you're a fraud!"

Hearing this, the surrounding people also joined in the jeering. "That's right! Show us a couple of moves!"

"Demonstrate?"

Li Feng glanced at him coldly and sneered, "I'm not a street-performing acrobat; you say demonstrate and I demonstrate? However, if you want to watch me perform martial arts on the spot, it's not entirely out of the question, unless..."

"Unless what?" the thin, tall man hurriedly pressed.

Yet, Li Feng did not answer him, turning instead to look at the youth as he asked, "Little brother, how much silver do you have on you today?"

Taken aback by Li Feng's sudden question, the youth froze slightly, but quickly turned his body around and answered honestly, "I... I brought all the usable savings from home when I went out. A total of ten taels of silver."

"Good, ten taels."

Li Feng nodded slightly and continued, "If I demonstrate the cultivation of a martial Dao beginner on the spot and prove the authenticity of this saber art, then you must buy this Water-Cutting Saber Art."

Upon hearing this, the youth panicked instantly, waving his hands repeatedly with a flushed face. "B-Big brother, it's not that I don't want to buy it, but didn't I just say so? I only have ten taels on me in total, which is nowhere near thirty taels! Aren't you making things difficult for me?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding people exploded into an uproar, pointing fingers and accusing him one after another.

"That's right, the kid only has ten taels. Isn't this forced buying and selling?"

"Even though the black market is chaotic, one still has to abide by the rules. You can't force transactions."

Faced with the messy accusations and condemnations all around, Li Feng merely gave a faint smile and said to the thin, tall man, "You can cough up the remaining twenty taels!"

"You're the one who shouted the loudest just now and kept disturbing my business. Since you keep insisting that I'm engaging in fraud, do you dare to make a wager with me? If you dare to accept, I'll demonstrate my cultivation on the spot. If I have the strength of the Qi-Blood First Stage, you will cough up the remaining twenty taels. How about it?"

Hearing this, the thin, tall man's expression shifted slightly.

These twenty taels of silver were no small amount; a normal family of three could live through a whole year spending only ten taels of silver, and these twenty taels were equivalent to two years of expenses for a family of three.

He looked Li Feng over carefully. Although the stall owner before him wore a oversized cloak, it was still possible to tell that his physique was slender and thin, and he lacked the kind of robust physique born from years of practicing martial arts. No matter how one looked at it, he did not resemble an expert who had already crossed the threshold of the martial Dao.

He was most likely putting up a bold front, trying to scare him off!

"Fine!"

Thinking of this, the thin, tall man hardened his heart and gritted his teeth. "Let's bet! Just as you said, if you have the cultivation of a martial Dao beginner, I'll cough up the remaining twenty taels. However, I must add one more rule: if you don't have the cultivation of a martial Dao beginner, you get lost from the black market, and furthermore, you must compensate me twenty taels! Only then will it be fair!"

"Very well." Li Feng nodded and agreed.

"Good! Everyone, bear witness to this!" The thin, tall man cupped his fists toward the surroundings with a smug expression, as if he already saw fifty taels of silver falling into his pocket.

Li Feng stopped wasting words.

He took a step back, removed his cloak, drew the Constable Saber from his waist, and began to execute the Water-Cutting Saber Art.

As he practiced, the onlookers also gradually began to voice their reactions.

"This is... surging qi-blood, tendons and bones roaring in unison!"

"Good heavens! Qi-blood overflowing the surface-it truly is martial Dao entry!"

However, Li Feng's movements did not stop there.

Gripping the Constable Saber, he continuously practiced along the opening posture of the Water-Cutting Saber Art. The saber art flowed unceasingly, advancing in successive layers like angry waves crashing against the shore or a great river being severed. At this moment, the seemingly casual saber art faintly generated a suffocating sense of oppression.

This was... blade force!

As the Constable Saber swept through the air, several nearby spectators even felt their skin sting faintly from the saber wind, their figures involuntarily retreating step after step!

"Th-This isn't just entering qi-blood; he's actually practiced the saber art to perfection and manifested blade force!"

In the crowd, a middle-aged man with a saber slung at his waist widened his eyes and shouted in utter shock.

This middle-aged martial artist was clearly also a saber practitioner, and he saw at a glance that this saber art was extraordinary. He hurriedly squeezed forward and shouted, "Brother! This Water-Cutting Saber Art can actually manifest blade force! I'll raise the price by ten taels! Forty taels! How about selling it to me?!"

Forty taels!

The crowd gasped in unison. Forty taels of hard cash, even in the black market, was no small fortune.

Upon hearing this, the thin, little youth's expression instantly turned pale. He couldn't even scrape together thirty taels, let alone forty taels, and had zero qualifications to compete. He could only bite his lip helplessly and lower his head.

Yet, after finishing his saber art, Li Feng looked at the middle-aged martial artist and merely shook his head:

"Thank you for the kind offer, but I have always kept my word. Since I previously promised to sell it to this little brother for thirty taels, then thirty taels it is. I will not take a single copper more, nor will I switch to selling it to someone else."

Hearing this, the youth abruptly raised his head, his eyes filled with disbelief and gratitude, and even his eye rims turned slightly red.

Li Feng turned his head and said to the thin, tall man, "Twenty taels. Hand it over."

At this moment, the thin, tall man wore a look of utter shock and disbelief.

Qi-Blood First Stage? And he had even manifested blade force?

Right here in the black market under the gaze of the public, how could he dare to renege on his debt? Otherwise, forget about walking out of the black market, he would likely be crippled on the spot by the crowd.

Helpless, he could only tremble as he fished several silver ingots from his bosom, grit his teeth, and produced twenty taels of silver to hand over. Then, he turned and plunged into the crowd, fleeing in a panic.

"Big brother, here is my ten taels!" The youth, in extreme excitement, hurriedly handed over his ten taels of silver.

Li Feng took both of their silvers, weighed them slightly, and after confirming the weight was correct, stored them in his bosom. Then, he picked up the manual of the Water-Cutting Saber Art from the ground and handed it to the youth.

"Keep it safe and cultivate well."

"Thank you, thank you!" The youth accepted the saber art like a treasured artifact, expressing his thanks repeatedly before quickly vanishing into the crowd.

Another thirty taels of hard cash in hand, Li Feng felt thoroughly reassured and in high spirits.

He was one step closer to treating his sister-in-law's right hand.

Ignoring the people around him who were still discussing the matter animatedly, he pulled down the brim of his cloak and walked briskly toward the exit of the black market.