Chapter 97 - I Bet My Jade Locket!
"Humph!!" Zheng Pao scowled in anger as he looked at the puny girl in front of him.
Le Fang Ling simply ignited his dissatisfaction and provocation as she stood waiting for him to speak before they fought. Looking at his puffed up cheeks and chest, she somehow thought that he had something to say.
Ptewww!
He spat on the ground and gruffed, like a grizzly bear with a palm on his waist.
With keen and shrewd eyes, he sized up his so called opponent.
A tall and frail girl with a beautiful face and added fat as bonus on her chest, was wielding a simple sword which seemed as if it had not been used in ages.
Looking at her stance, he could tell her that she was more or less inexperienced in duels and fighting, let alone face any opponent of his caliber.
He looked at her provocation and reached only one conclusion!
"Pah Jama," he called out to her in anger as his face twisted in disgust and anger, A nasty frown appeared in between his busy eyebrows making him look more like a mountain gorilla than a grizzly bear.
"Are you making fun of me?" he bellowed din anger as he showed her fist at her.
"….."
Pah Jama seriously was getting tired of people saying things to her about looking down on them when she clearly wasn't. At this point she was staring to doubt if she had a severe case of resting bitch face syndrome.
"It's noice to spar with you Zheng Pao senior brother!" She gave him a courtesy bow and straightened herself. Despite looking carefree, in her mind she was running the only one fighting experience she had. The one with the senior student in the Eternal Blossom sect last time.
Each muscles and cells in her body tensed and she could even feel her veins popping out here and there due to the intense pressure of the situation she was in. It was not some friendly match like that of last time.
Her whole career was at stake!
Her whole training was at stake!
Her sword skills were at stake!
Those golden coins were at stake!
'Cough, let's not go there now. That's not the main point!' she waved off her thoughts that was the result of her poverty at the moment.
'Well, a few more bucks won't hurt.' She shrugged as she felt herself calm down.
She inhaled sharply and let out a long breathe, as she relaxed her tensed body and mind.
"Let's do this," she said as she held the sword firmly in her hand, But not too stiff as she did not want to look like a mannequin who was on display to sell a sword.
"Get ready to run to your old man in tears!" He said as he swung his huge fist looking at Pah Jama.
"Ahemm," Master Yi Feng felt his throat itch and could not help but cough out loud.
"I hope she…"
"Wins!"
"Loses!"
Nagina and Master Yi Feng spoke at once as they spoke out their true feelings.
"…."
"….."
"It was nothing, ahemm," Master Yi Feng coughed as he looked away from the inquisitive eyes of Nagina.
"Just concentrate on what is going to happen there." His expression became solemn as he focused on the fighting arena.
If he had to test her, then this place was the absolute best place for it. Although this place was a gambling dump site in a slum area in a dying and poor village but that was the reason why he chose this place.
People here fought for surviving in the harsh life that was bestowed upon them. No teacher, no master, no good trainings, no secret skills, uh huh there was nothing at all.
Everything they had was through their own perseverance. There were no shortcuts to things here! You want a good life, fight for it!
Too much work?! Too hard to achieve?!
Pfft… no one is going around doing charity in these parts.
If she was not even able to stand head to head with them, without giving up then he would consider her value as a disciple.
….
Le Fang Ling looked at the man and saw that the boy was still only in body enhancement realm, the same as her but the fact that he had have much experience than him changed the whole thing. This fight was 98% on his favor.
Both the merchant looked at the fighters and it was obvious that Zheng Pao was more than likely to win the fight. The girl called Pah Jama was a total outsider and she, from the looks of it she seemed to stand no chance against the boy.
"I choose my good boy, Zheng Pao once again." The fat merchant said with an evil snicker on his face. He knew it was his lucky day seeing that he was going to earn so much money just by gambling. He decided to take the risk and bet all of his money that he had in his hand along with the prize money from before.
"Heh, I did good job coming to his dump hole today." He thought to himself as he fondled the girl on his laps with a lecherous smile on his face.
However, he was not the only one who trusted that Zheng Pao was going to win. The same was for the anther merchant who had lost the match beforehand.
"I bet on Zheng Pao as well!" He announced as he threw a pearl necklace on the betting table.
The cried burst into gasp as they heard him. Even the owner was a bit worried about this. If both guys were going to bet on a single guy, there was no fun in that.
"There is no rule saying I can't bet on the same person that he dies now, is there?" he said with a smirk on his face while looking at the burning red face of fatso.
'Pfft, you fking bastard!' he cursed in his heart as he maintained a dignified smile on his face. He was also a merchant. Shrewdness ran in his blood like water. If he was to shy away from a source of easy money than he was not fit to be called as a businessman.
"You.." the fatty merchant was angry seeing him copy him but as the other man said; there was no rule saying that the guy could not bet on the same guy as him.
"Pah Jama! Seems like no one is willing to bet on you." the owner looked at her and shook his head looking solemn. His indication was that she was better of getting off the stage.
"I will bet on her!" The old man who had been silent all this time looked at the owner and said with a smile on his face.
"I will bet the money on her so, let the fight begin already!!" he said, looking not so impatient that he was.
'Damn it! Are they trying to scam us or what?' He thought looking at the money minded shrewd guys there. Well, it was not like he could even complain as this was not his domain.
"You sure about that?" The man looked at the tattered clothes of the man with a suspicious gaze. There was no way a man who looked as if he had come out form the gutter could bet a fortune that could challenge what the merchants had put on stake just now.
Yi Feng did not say anything as he walked towards the table, looking calm and relaxed about everything. Despite dressing up as a vagabond, he looked like a man with higher understanding of philosophical life of the people, thought upon seeing his face.
"This will do right?" he heavily placed a jade necklace on the table.
"Is that what I think it is?" the owner curiously looked at the jade and upon seeing that it was indeed what he had thought, he ran towards the table at full speed and took the necklace in his hand.
"This is a sacred artifact!." In an excited tone the owner laughed out as he scanned the jade with his eyes. There was unwillingness evident in his eyes about not letting the jade leave his sight.
"This is the real deal!" he said, almost drooling.
"This can earn a fortune if sold!" He explained looking around, eying the greedy eyes of the two merchants.
"..."
Master Yi Feng was clearly annoyed at him for treating his jade locket as a piece of materialistic point of view.
"So, are you going to start or not?" he said, annoyance evident in his eyes. If eyes could kill, the owner would have already died a thousand deaths.
"Cough," The owner knew he was overstepping bounds when he heard the tone of the old man.
"Alright!" He said as he clapped his hands looking at the two fighters who have finished assessing the strength and capability of each other.
"Start already!" He said scratching the back of his head in impatience.
"End the fight soon!" he yelled with his hands raised up high towards the ceiling. At the moment, he was the most hyped guy inside the room about the ending of fight.
As for the fight, he had seen more than enough to know how this was going to go. A veteran Vs a newbie…
Zheng Pao was confident in himself and it was also justified considering his records and his confidence.
"I will give you a handicap!" he snarled at her as if he was doing a charitable work by letting her have the first hit.
"Do not waste time now," he said as he stood crossed arms on the platform.
"Well then, don't mind me!" Pah Jama smiled a sweet smile and snapped her fingers.
'Air manipulation!'