Everyone looked at the worked-up Dai Huabin with sympathy. Whether the wager changed or not, the outcome was already plain to see.
Wang Dong was the most direct. "Li Lezi, congratulations in advance!"
Determined to play every scene well, Dai Huabin fixed Xiao Zi with a look of feigned fury, his eyes practically spitting fire. "Li Lezi, you don't recognize me as your master anymore, is that it? I'll tell my family right away and have an ingrate like you thrown out!"
Faced with this "threat," Xiao Zi deliberately put on a worried expression, his gaze wavering.
It was all an act for outsiders anyway. There was no reason to get angry over something so trivial and punish a servant. He wasn't that petty.
Besides, Dai Huabin was cursing Li Lezi. What did that have to do with Xiao Zi?
Yan Shaozhe's sudden summons interrupted the confrontation. He called Huo Yuhao away alone, presumably to verify his suspicions about the second martial soul.
As expected, just as the advancement assessment was held for a second time, the academy formally issued its notice concerning Huo Yuhao.
To prevent the late-arriving Huo Yuhao from being expelled, Zhou Yi had used her husband Fan Yu's connections to have him accepted as a core disciple of the Soul Tool Department.
Yan Shaozhe had not cared at first, but once Huo Yuhao's twin martial souls were confirmed, his attitude became downright fervent. He insisted on having Huo Yuhao abandon the Soul Tool Department and become a core disciple of the Martial Soul Department instead.
The matter prompted Qian Duoduo, Dean of the Soul Tool Department, to intervene personally. The two argued endlessly in the office, even bringing the dispute before the Sea God Pavilion and asking its elders to uphold justice. With both Deans standing firm and refusing to yield an inch, everyone had no choice but to convene a Sea God Pavilion Meeting to discuss the future of Huo Yuhao, a second-year Soul Grandmaster.
With the two wagers laying the groundwork, word spread throughout the academy, and everyone learned of "Li Lezi." They had initially thought he was someone who couldn't see the bigger picture, actually offending the White Tiger Duke's Mansion for an ordinary student. Now, it seemed his discerning eyes had shone like torches all along.
As the winds shifted, Li Lezi's reputation improved too. He was no longer a reckless hothead or Dai Huabin's lackey, but a second shining pearl, surpassed only by Huo Yuhao!
Xiao Zi accepted everyone's praise without embarrassment and breathed a sigh of relief. With Huo Yuhao out front drawing attention, he wasn't attracting all that much himself.
Then came the day of the wager. As Huo Yuhao and Li Lezi rose to fame, their opponent Dai Huabin looked all the dimmer by comparison.
Whenever an interesting competition took place, the students privately bet on the outcome for entertainment. Upon hearing of such a golden opportunity, Xiao Zi gave it careful consideration (without the slightest hesitation) and lavishly wagered several hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins.
To avoid appearing too excessive and alerting the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, he had others place every bet for him and never appeared in person. As for who helped him, they were naturally his newly acquainted female friends, Xiao Xiao and the Lan Sisters.
As the stakes grew higher and higher, Xiao Xiao and the others were taken for wealthy women of considerable means, throwing around such enormous sums. Still, considering the identities of the two sides involved in the wager, perhaps it wasn't all that excessive?
And so Xiao Xiao, Lan Susu, and Lan Luoluo received flattering titles of their own. Everyone praised them as heroines among women, their torch-bright discernment no less keen than Li Lezi's!
After carrying out all these maneuvers, Xiao Zi instead began to wonder why there was still no movement from the Duke's Mansion.
The dormitory.
To make the act convincing, Dai Huabin had stopped returning to the dormitory to rest lately and had rented a place outside instead.
Mu En, who usually lay in wait along Huo Yuhao's route, had miraculously moved back today. His clouded eyes held a sharp glint. "Young people have fiery tempers, but you are classmates, after all. Try to talk things through calmly. If anything proves difficult, this old man can help mediate."
Does he know I'm on good terms with Huo Yuhao, so he's rushed over to offer help?
Xiao Zi remained unruffled by Mu En's favoritism, though he felt a trace of disdain. Outwardly, he kept up appearances perfectly. "Thank you, sir."
Mu En's arrival reminded him that someone might be in the dormitory. He could guess who it was. Only one person had a motive to come.
He went upstairs and opened the door, and a powerful pressure abruptly bore down on him. The man was tall, with a resolute face and an imposing bearing utterly unlike Dai Huabin's. He was none other than Dai Yueheng, the White Tiger Duke's eldest legitimate son and a core disciple of the Inner Court!
Upon seeing him, Xiao Zi felt fortunate that he had made the right decision in choosing Dai Huabin back then. Had their positions been reversed, he most likely would never have made it past this man.
Fortunately, he had waited a long time for this day. His only fear had been that the man wouldn't come!
After all, Dai Huabin was merely the second son. Neither his talent nor his temperament measured up to his elder brother's, and he received relatively few resources and little say in matters. In short, Xiao Zi was currently only a temporary hire. He had to pass Dai Yueheng's test to become permanent.
Their eyes met, and Dai Yueheng stood first. Rather than putting on airs because of his status, he approached Xiao Zi of his own accord. "I've read your records. Your name is Li Lezi, correct?"
Qian Renxue urgently warned him from within his Sea of Consciousness. "He hasn't come with good intentions. Be especially careful!"
Xiao Zi's thoughts raced, and he put on an expression of nervous awe. "You must be the eldest young master. The second young master mentions you to me often. I've long admired you!"
After exchanging pleasantries, Dai Yueheng noticed nothing amiss. The two sat on the beds, Xiao Zi on his own and Dai Yueheng in Dai Huabin's place, facing each other.
With Xiao Zi appearing earnest, Dai Yueheng's initially icy expression gradually thawed, and his tone softened. "I heard Huabin made a wager with someone and kept raising the stakes. Why didn't you advise him against it? Why did you fan the flames instead?"
So he's been keeping an eye on the wager all along...
Knowing he would not be easy to fool, Xiao Zi responded with a question of his own. "I have a question too. Since you knew about this, eldest young master, why didn't you step in to stop it?"
Not expecting such an answer, Dai Yueheng paused before speaking again. "The Soul Master Tournament is about to begin, and Inner Court affairs are truly demanding. I can't spare much time. Huabin is rash and acts without considering the consequences. I had intended to use the wager to blunt his edge a little, but the way things have developed seems rather unreasonable."
He's unhappy that the stakes are too high and is deliberately putting me on notice!
Xiao Zi understood perfectly. If he answered poorly or angered Dai Yueheng, their friendly conversation would instantly turn into a demand for an accounting.
Fortunately, he had devised a response when the wager first began. "I did advise the second young master at the start. At first, he listened to some of what I said, but after he encountered Huo Yuhao, everything changed..."
His central argument revolved around Huo Yuhao, shifting all responsibility onto him. Dai Huabin had already hurled plenty of foul-mouthed abuse at Huo Yuhao while at the Duke's Mansion, so this explanation was perfectly plausible.
During the early days of "Li Lezi's" companionship, Dai Huabin had indeed improved somewhat. He had begun cleaning the dormitory of his own accord, and he no longer looked down his nose at his classmates. Only after seeing Huo Yuhao had things taken a sharp turn for the worse.
Dai Yueheng pondered for a while before reluctantly accepting this explanation, then asked about something else. "Then why did you initially stake a Soul Bone and have Huabin kneel and kowtow?"