Where did you get the nerve?

After the two of them made a circuit of the square, Ouyang Cai could no longer suppress his gambling itch.

"Third Young Master, shall we go play a couple of rounds in the Beast-Fighting District?"

The Rare Beast Garden was divided into an exhibition area and a Beast-Fighting District.

The former sold beast pets, while the latter offered beast fights and betting.

Like many nobles, Gu Chenfeng and Ouyang Cai were both fond of this pastime.

"You go ahead. I'll look around some more."

After Ouyang Cai left, Gu Chenfeng wandered idly around the square, occasionally teasing the Origin Beasts in their cages.

After cultivating the Heaven-Opening Creation Art, he could actually understand what these Origin Beasts were thinking.

All sorts of voices sounded in his mind, making for a lively, entertaining experience.

What puzzled Gu Chenfeng was that, ever since he entered the Rare Beast Garden, its staff had welcomed him warmly.

Yet none of them had made any attempt to probe him.

Was my guess wrong? Did that incident have nothing to do with the Rare Beast Garden?

After he wandered around a while longer, one of Ouyang Cai's maids came hurrying over.

"Third Young Master, something's wrong!"

"What happened?"

"Young Master has lost so much money, and none of us can talk him out of it. Please hurry over and take a look!"

Gu Chenfeng froze. How much time had even passed? No matter how rotten Ouyang Cai's luck was, how much could he have lost?

Still, he headed for the Beast-Fighting District.

It lay on the eastern side of the square and consisted of dozens of beast-fighting platforms.

Wild beasts were battling on some of the raised platforms. Roars, pained howls, and cheers mingled together, with a faint trace of blood drifting through the air.

Gu Chenfeng spotted Ouyang Cai near a beast-fighting platform in the center.

He had seized a staff member by the collar and was cursing him out.

"Damn it, I told you to get me another ten thousand taels! Didn't you hear me?"

The staff member replied timidly, "Young Master Ouyang, you've already exceeded your borrowing limit. We really can't lend you any more."

"Fuck! I'm a young master of the Ouyang Lineage! You think I'm short of your measly bit of money? Hurry up and get it!"

Clearly driven frantic by his losses, Ouyang Cai raised his fist to punch the man.

But before his fist could land, someone caught it.

"What the hell has gotten into you?"

Ouyang Cai turned and saw Gu Chenfeng, which brought him back to his senses somewhat.

"Third Young Master, hurry and lend me some money so I can win it back."

Gu Chenfeng frowned.

He remembered that Ouyang Cai had brought a full ten thousand taels in banknotes.

"Where's your money?"

"I lost it all, and I borrowed another forty thousand taels from the Rare Beast Garden!" Ouyang Cai looked utterly frustrated.

Gu Chenfeng was startled. Tens of thousands of taels in banknotes were a major expense even for some nobles.

More importantly, how had this guy managed to lose fifty thousand taels in so little time?

"What exactly happened?"

Before Ouyang Cai could answer.

Across the platform, a richly dressed young man with a pale face and pointed cheeks jeered.

"Ouyang Cai, you're the only son of the Minister of Revenue. Surely you can scrape together a few tens of thousands of taels? Why not have your father bring you some money?"

Laughter immediately erupted around the platform.

Gu Chenfeng looked toward the voice.

"Zhang You."

The young man was the second son of the Minister of Personnel.

The Minister of Personnel had always been a loyal partisan of the Left Chancellor, Huangfu Hong, and had opposed the Gu family both openly and in secret on many occasions.

This man had also been part of the hunting party that went to the Great Wilderness Ridge several days earlier.

At the same time, Zhang You spotted Gu Chenfeng.

An distinctly unnatural expression flickered in his eyes, as though he was somewhat surprised.

"Third Young Master, I lost all my money to this bastard," Ouyang Cai said through gritted teeth.

At first, Ouyang Cai had simply been placing ordinary bets.

Then Zhang You had approached him and deliberately provoked him.

They were both sons of powerful families in the imperial capital. How could Ouyang Cai swallow that? He immediately agreed to gamble against him.

Each of them selected an Origin Beast to fight, and Ouyang Cai won quite a bit at first.

But after just a few rounds, Zhang You began raising the stakes, and Ouyang Cai naturally followed suit.

Then he began losing round after round. The more he lost, the more he gambled, and the higher the stakes grew.

In the final round, he lost ten thousand taels outright.

At that moment, several young, beautiful noblewomen near Ouyang Cai laughed mockingly.

"Young Master Ouyang was so impressive earlier. What happened to him now?"

"Looks like even he's afraid of losing. After all, no matter how much silver the Ministry of Revenue has, it isn't the Ouyang Lineage's private fortune."

Ouyang Cai's eyes reddened at these remarks.

Gu Chenfeng, however, sneered inwardly.

They even hired a fucking cheering squad.

Ouyang Cai had clearly been set up.

Just then, Zhang You spoke up.

"Third Young Master, you accidentally fell off a cliff a few days ago. Have you recovered already?"

Gu Chenfeng narrowed his eyes and abruptly shot back a question.

"What, are you surprised that I'm fine?"

It had merely been a casual probe, but Zhang You's expression changed sharply at his words, and a flicker of guilt flashed in his eyes.

Gu Chenfeng keenly caught that change in expression, and something stirred in his mind.

This bastard clearly has a guilty conscience. Could he be the one who tried to murder me at the Great Wilderness Ridge?

Before Zhang You could speak, one of his companions scoffed.

"The Gu family has such deep reserves. Even Marquis Gu could become the empire's God of War, so it's hardly surprising that the Third Young Master recovered a little quickly."

At the mention of the "empire's God of War," that stain on the Gu family's reputation, the crowd burst into laughter again.

Yet Gu Chenfeng actually smiled as he looked at the young man.

"And you are?"

"I am Tian Rong. My father serves as the Left Vice Minister of Personnel, an official of the Principal Third Rank!" the young man replied proudly.

"Mm, excellent.

Guards, drag him out and give him a savage beating for half an hour first!"

"Yes!"

Under the crowd's astonished gazes, several guards from the chancellor's residence seized Tian Rong and hauled him out without a word.

A moment later, screams like those of a pig being slaughtered rang out.

Zhang You snapped out of his daze and cried in anger and alarm, "Third Young Master, even if the Gu family's power reaches the heavens, you can't treat everyone with such contempt, beat an official's family member in public, and flout the laws of the land!"

Gu Chenfeng sneered. Trying to pin a charge on me, are you?

"Hmph! My father guards the northern frontier, fighting bathed in blood and battling the barbarians to the death.

Yet Tian Rong dared to slander him, seeking to disrupt the frontier army's morale and shake the very foundations of the realm. His crime deserves death!"

"Huh?"

Zhang You was utterly dumbfounded.

It had only been a single mocking remark. How had it escalated into a matter concerning the foundations of the realm?

Besides, everyone in the imperial capital's upper circles knew what his father was like. Where did he get the nerve to say that?

"What, does Young Master Zhang agree with Tian Rong?"

"Well... I never said anything of the sort." Zhang You hastily shook his head.

After all, Gu Lingxiao was the General Who Guards the North, personally appointed by His Majesty.

At most, they could mock him behind his back. How could they dare question him openly?

"Third Young Master, let's go."

Seeing Gu Chenfeng come to back him up had calmed Ouyang Cai considerably, and he no longer intended to gamble.

"Wait!" Zhang You suddenly shouted.

"Young Master Ouyang, you still owe the Rare Beast Garden forty thousand taels. You think you can just leave?"

"I owe the Rare Beast Garden money. What the fuck does that have to do with you?"

"Sorry, but I own a stake in the Rare Beast Garden. I'm also one of the people in charge, so I have every right to collect your debt." Zhang You wore an amused expression.

Upon hearing that his opponent was actually one of the Rare Beast Garden's owners, Ouyang Cai suddenly woke up to the truth.

"Fuck! Zhang You, you fucking dared to fleece me!"

"Young Master Ouyang, the beasts fought on the platform in full view of everyone. No one could have cheated. When did I fleece you?

Could it be that your Ouyang Lineage can't take a loss and wants to welch on its debts?"

Ouyang Cai was immediately at a loss for words. Of course, the Ouyang Lineage could afford forty thousand taels.

But knowing he had been set up and still having to pay back the debt was unbearably stifling.

Besides, once his father learned of it, he would inevitably be punished severely.

While Ouyang Cai wrestled with his dilemma.

Zhang You suddenly turned to Gu Chenfeng beside him.

"Of course, if the Third Young Master is willing to step forward and repay Young Master Ouyang's debt, our establishment could put it on an IOU from the chancellor's residence. The interest would simply be a little higher."

Gu Chenfeng, who had long since grown suspicious, heard those words.

At last, he was certain that Zhang You was the man who had tried to murder him at the Great Wilderness Ridge.

Today's trap was most likely aimed at him as well.

This bastard wants me to take out a usurious loan to seal my mouth? He probably has something even more sinister in mind.

"Third Young Master, you don't need to get involved. I'll send someone home for the money right now."

Though Ouyang Cai was a wastrel, he truly regarded Gu Chenfeng as a brother and did not want to drag him down.

But Zhang You continued fanning the flames.

"Everyone says the Third Young Master stands by his friends. Now that his own brother is in trouble, is he going to be a turtle hiding its head?"

It had to be said that Zhang You's attempt to goad him was exceedingly clumsy.

But given the original owner's temperament, such public mockery would probably already have sent his blood surging to his head, making him shoulder the debt.

Gu Chenfeng sneered inwardly.

Since your guilty conscience made you jump out on your own, this will be easy.

He immediately swept out his hand and declared with a face full of disdain.

"A mere forty thousand taels, and you think I need an IOU?

Give me the time it takes an incense stick to burn, and I'll pay you back, principal and interest!"