Luo Xuanqing was happily simmering lamb slices, which were described as "exquisitely sliced and as thin as cicada wings," when he heard the sound and blinked.
"A bet? What kind of bet?"
"Hmm... Seven days! If I don't Gold List, I'll treat Sister Luo to hot pot again."
"Oh?"
Luo Xuanqing thought the idea was good, and added a few more points:
"Since this is a bet, I suppose I must place my bet. If you win, what do you want? The Returning Flow Pendant?"
Ye Xingge was absolutely confident he could make it onto the list in seven days, so why would he lie about the girl's financial situation? He then said mysteriously:
"If I really succeed in the Gold List within seven days, then Sister Luo, can I touch something I've seen before?"
Things I've seen before...
Luo Xuanqing was initially pondering what kind of divine weapon it was, but recalling "Guagua," he realized what it meant and sat up straight.
"Blinded by lust? You dare to make such a request?"
Ye Xingge were righteous and stern.
" Sister Luo, don't get the wrong idea..."
"Call me Auntie!"
"Uh... I didn't say what I wanted to see, it's just something I've seen before. What if I just want to touch Returning Flow Pendant?"
Luo Xuanqing wasn't a fool; a dangerous glint flashed in her eyes.
"You need to make a bet to touch something legitimate?"
Ye Xingge shrugged slightly:
"I didn't say I wanted to touch anything. If Sister Luo doesn't dare to gamble, then so be it, but don't wrong me."
"?"
Luo Xuanqing blinked, genuinely speechless.
But if you don't touch the melon, what else can you touch?
Want to pet a cat?
Luo Xuanqing wasn't the type to be flirted with and not dare to talk back; he definitely wouldn't let this kid get away unscathed after teasing him.
But this guy killed a Gold-Chasing Gentleman in two days and three nights and came back with the Fate-Robbing Saber. If she really bets on him to be among the Third Rank days, it's probably a waste of her time...
Luo Xuanqing thought about this for a moment, then sat up straight:
"You can gamble if you want, but your skill level is already quite high. Seven days is too long. I can only give you three... um... two days at most!"
"Ah?"
Ye Xingge looked at the Three Feet One- tall man in disbelief:
"This hasty rush to get into the Third Rank, two days might be a bit..."
Luo Xuanqing's eyes left no room for doubt:
"You have absolute confidence in seven days, and all the risks are on my side. I can only accept two days. Do you dare to take the gamble?"
Ye Xingge wasn't really confident about this, but if he lost, he'd just have to treat the girl to dinner, so he thought about it and nodded.
"Two days is fine, but with such a high level of difficulty, the conditions need to be higher. Hmm... If I win, I won't tell you what it is, but rather give you a riddle. Sister Luo can guess and give it to you herself. I won't be responsible if you give the wrong answer, how about that?"
Luo Xuanqing felt a little guilty when he saw that the brat had actually agreed.
"Let's make this clear beforehand: to prevent you from being blinded by lust and overreaching, you must remain unharmed. If anything goes wrong, the bet is void on the spot. Are you sure you still want to bet?"
Ye Xingge didn't care about that, and picked up his wine glass:
"Losing is just buying me a meal; I can afford to lose."
You can afford to lose, but this official...
Luo Xuanqing's lips moved; he couldn't possibly cut it down to just one day. After thinking for a moment, he picked up his wine glass:
"Alright, if you really have the ability to get on the list in two days without any trouble, I'm willing to accept the loss."
Ding~
He drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.
A lone man and woman sat facing each other at a table, with a steaming hot pot in front of them, creating a rather warm scene.
Meanwhile, in the neighboring courtyard...
The courtyard was never inhabited; the house was bare except for a cold, empty wooden bed.
Hongyu sat alone on the wooden bed, holding the prepared seasoning bowl in her hand, her beautiful peach blossom eyes blazing with anger!
She looked like a concubine banished to the cold palace, or a powerless concubine who couldn't even sit at the table and could only sit in a side room, watching the first wife chat and laugh!
That slut...
How could I not choke you to death...
I spent the whole afternoon chopping, it's so infuriating...
Her Hongyu robes heaved incessantly, and her silver teeth nearly ground to powder.
But aside from impotent rage, there's nothing else they can do but watch helplessly as that slut happily eats her food, drinks her wine, and flirts with her blind date!
If my annoying junior sister saw this scene, she'd probably put one hand on her hip, poke her forehead, and say:
"You shameful piece of trash! I gave you a chance, but you failed miserably..."
As they drank a few more glasses of wine, the two of them became increasingly excited.
"Drinking like this isn't very meaningful. How about we play some games?"
"Oh? What are we playing? Rock-paper-scissors?"
"Playing rock-paper-scissors is no fun, let's try some brain teasers... The fief of the Lady of Anyang County is Anyang County, which can also be called Lord An for short. If one day I were to be granted the title of Lord, and be enfeoffed in Chang Prefecture Fu County, then if Sister Luo treats me with courtesy, what should she call me?"
"Husband... is this a riddle?!"
"Alright, alright, I'll drink... Huff... Now it's my turn to ask the question, who corresponds to 'father'?"
"Mother."
"You...?"
The sounds of domestic violence...
Hearing the flirtatious banter, Hongyu clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and was so angry she almost fainted...
Meanwhile, the Lady of Anyang's Mansion was separated by only a wall.
As night deepened, the embroidered-clad men who had gone out returned one after another to their lodgings near the Heaven-Observing Pavilion, still discussing the astonishing news they had just heard along the way:
"This Lord Ye seems like a madman... a mad general. Is it really necessary?"
"A new broom sweeps clean, but why did Lord Ye provoke the Cao Clan?"
"Yes, now that we've offended Great General Cao, things might be tough for us in the future..."
An Yurou strolled slowly through the garden, listening to the conversation of several of her subordinates along the way.
Steward Hou Chou'er, stroking his mustache, sighed:
"This young man's temperament is truly just like Chancellor Wu's— upright, incorruptible, and unyielding. He's clearly a pillar of society. If Cao Xiong holds a grudge against Ye Xingge because of this, then turning him into a rebel will be very easy..."
Xiyue knew this was a golden opportunity and interjected:
"Since Young Master Ye is upright and incorruptible, and even dared to kill Cao Xiong's men, he probably won't take other powerful figures seriously either."
"We don't need to overthink it. We just need to collect evidence of the Cao Clan, the Wang Clan, and the royal family's oppression of the people and present it to Young Master Ye."
"Given Young Master Ye's character, if he witnesses an injustice, he will undoubtedly stand up for the people. And in doing so, he will inevitably antagonize the powerful and influential of Great Yan..."
Draft A Fei and said:
"That's indeed a good idea, but we can't pick on trivial matters. The goal should be the same as Dong Baoquan's: to advocate for the people while also allowing Ye Xingge through war,' so that he'll handle it himself. If it's just a common injustice, we can report it to the Heaven-Observing Pavilion; there's no need for us to get involved ourselves..."
As they talked, the group walked to the vicinity of the garden veranda.
An Yurou was still pondering Wang's suggestions when she looked up and saw the fat, big-eared Chen Dahai squatting by the garden wall, one hand on his forehead, looking dejected, as if he had suffered a great blow.
An Yurou was taken aback upon seeing this, and slowly stepped forward:
"Ocean, what are you doing...?"
Xiyue thought Chen Dahai's wife had run off with someone else and wanted to say a few words of comfort, but she sniffed, looked around in surprise, and said:
Wow, it smells so good!
Hou Chou'er also smelled the strange fragrance and asked in confusion:
"Day, are you cooking?"
Nine Sabers (Chen Dahai) squatted under the wall, feeling that he was not far from losing his job, and sighed:
"It's Young Master Ye making hot pot. With this flavor, he could probably make it into the top three in the Culinary God Competition at Myriad Phenomena Tower."
"Yeah?"
As a young lady from a prominent family, An Yurou wasn't very good at cooking, but she could tell that the aroma was indeed extraordinary, which surprised her greatly.
Xiyue frowned and said, "If Young Master Ye's cooking skills are so good, should I still deliver groceries to him tomorrow?"
An Yurou felt that this might be a bit difficult for Dahai, and after thinking for a moment, she said:
"Anyway, it's all about socializing. This kid's cooking is better, so I can just find an opportunity to go over and freeload a meal. Ugly boy, you go and gather some information first. If you have any leads, we'll have something to talk about when we visit."
"Okay, I'll go right away..."