Chapter 108: Each Harbors Their Own Schemes

Old Man Mi felt an intense frustration—or rather, a similar sensation, as his "eggs" were long gone.

He had taught this guy the Sunflower Phantom Movement technique because he had finally found a suitable vessel for his soul, and he didn't want anything to happen to it before his transmigration.

But he hadn't anticipated the guy would learn the Sunflower Phantom Movement so quickly. The technique had nine layers; even mastering the first layer allowed one to move freely and evade multiple cultivators of the same level, or even face opponents one or two levels higher without fear. Reaching the ninth layer made it nearly impossible for even a Grandmaster to lay a hand on him.

Most people took several months just to master the first layer. So, even by teaching it to him, Old Man Mi figured a few nights of practice would at most allow him to defend himself in the family grand competition.

But this guy was simply too prodigious. He had mastered the first layer, and even the second, in no time. If he used it on the arena tomorrow, even though the chances of the technique being recognized in Bright Moon City were slim, it was better safe than sorry. If his whereabouts were truly revealed, it would cause him trouble.

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became, so he decided to come and warn him before the competition.

Seeing the other party's stunned expression, he said, "I'll teach you another method. If you slightly alter the path of your vital energy circulation, it will be harder for anyone to recognize."

Zu An was instantly overjoyed. "Senior, you're amazing! You can modify such a powerful movement technique just like that!" Yet, a silent alarm went off in his mind: was this movement technique something secretive or illicit?

The other party had previously warned him not to reveal the name of the technique, and now he was still uneasy, even coming specifically to modify it. What exactly was this guy trying to hide?

He had to be careful not to be led into a trap by him.

While Zu An was practicing the modified "Sunflower Phantom" in the backyard, Cheng Shoubing was eagerly making his rounds at various gambling houses. He finally settled on one where the odds for Zu An losing were slightly higher.

"When Young Master Zu An finds out I secretly changed his betting plan, will he kill me?" Cheng Shoubing suddenly hesitated.

However, on second thought, he reasoned, "I'm thoughtfully looking out for Young Master Zu An, so he doesn't lose both the competition and his money. Many things masters find hard to say directly, so aren't we, their servants, supposed to anticipate their wishes?"

Speaking of which, he still didn't understand why the master and mistress had gotten so furious when the mistress had clearly said she wanted to get a concubine for the master, and he had thoughtfully brought back a whole group of young ladies.

With that thought, he became resolute. He wagered ten thousand taels on Zu An losing.

Not long after he left, a man and a woman emerged from the gambling house. The man was handsome and tall, and the woman was graceful and classic; together, they made a perfect pair.

"Young Master, Young Lady!"

The clerk who had just taken the bet hurriedly bowed to the two. If Zu An were here, he would immediately recognize them as old acquaintances.

The man was Sang Qian, whom he had seen at the Silver Hook Gambling House. The woman was even more familiar: Zheng Dan, who had strangely approached him before.

"Are you sure that's Zu An's personal page?" Sang Qian asked in a low voice, watching Cheng Shoubing's retreating back. After the incident at the Silver Hook Gambling House, he had secretly supported the Zheng family in opening a new gambling house. The Zheng family already had some involvement in this area, and with the Sang family's support, they had become even more formidable, now showing incredibly strong upward momentum.

"Yes," the clerk nodded. "His name is Cheng Shoubing, and he's Zu An's only servant."

"He bet on Zu An losing?" Sang Qian still looked somewhat incredulous.

"Yes, and he bet ten thousand taels," the clerk replied.

Zheng Dan's delicate brows furrowed slightly. "Where would a mere servant get ten thousand taels? Clearly, Zu An instructed him to place the bet. But I really didn't expect Zu An to bet on himself losing."

Sang Qian chuckled. "He repeatedly provoked Yuan Wendong like that before; we'd been waiting here, thinking he had some trump card. Who knew he secretly admitted defeat himself? He truly came from the bottom; even as the Chu family's son-in-law, he can't shake off his petty and opportunistic habits."

Zheng Dan, standing nearby, wanted to speak but hesitated. Recalling the young man who had remained unperturbed by temptation, and who had made many people in the academy look utterly defeated, she always felt he was not simple. Yet, the facts were right before her, leaving her no choice but to believe.

"Send someone to inform Shi Kun to tell him that all his worries were unnecessary. This guy is still a useless lump of mud." Sang Qian laughed. "Oh, by the way, you tampered with that page's bet, right?"

The clerk nodded. "Yes, we tampered with it. The betting slip was written with special ink. Tomorrow, the surface writing will fade, and the writing from the layer beneath will appear, changing the slip to a bet on Zu An winning."

"Excellent!" Sang Qian snorted. "This guy thinks he can lose on the arena and still make his money back from the casino. But I'm not going to let him have his way."

Suddenly, he thought of something and couldn't help but frown. "But why did he only bet ten thousand taels? Doesn't he have a lot more money than that?"

Zheng Dan, standing beside him, showed a gentle smile. "Brother Sang, have you forgotten? Most of the money he won at the Silver Hook Gambling House was in the form of IOUs. He couldn't possibly use IOU money to place a bet, could he?"

"That's true," Sang Qian smiled faintly. "But he should have forty or fifty thousand taels in silver notes. He only brought out ten thousand this time. He really can't shake off that petty nature from the bottom rung of society."

Zheng Dan, however, always felt that the person she remembered couldn't be associated with such pettiness. She hesitated and said, "Could he have split his bets among several places?"

Sang Qian's expression turned serious. "There is indeed that possibility. Send someone to investigate immediately. We can't have him betting on himself to lose here, only to place larger bets on himself to win elsewhere."

Zheng Dan couldn't help but say, "He shouldn't be so well-connected as to know this gambling house is ours, right?"

"Although the possibility is small, we must be cautious," Sang Qian said, naturally prudent. "By the way, what progress have you made with him?"

Zheng Dan's face flushed slightly as she shook her head. "I've interacted with him twice, but I still haven't found where he's hidden the IOUs." She mused to herself, she had searched him thoroughly, yet still couldn't find any trace of the 7.5 million taels in IOUs. Where could they be hidden? Could they be left at the Chu family mansion?

"Hmm, you need to hurry. With those 7.5 million taels in IOUs, the Silver Hook Gambling House and even the Plum Blossom Gang will be under our control. Annexing them at a crucial moment would be a simple matter." Sang Qian reminded her.

"I understand." Zheng Dan pondered whether she should find an opportunity to visit the Chu mansion, but wondered if that might arouse the Chu family's suspicion.

"Oh, and by the way, that guy didn't take advantage of you, did he?" Sang Qian suddenly asked with hesitation, looking at her with a tense expression.

The image of his rough hand stroking her calf instantly flashed in Zheng Dan's mind, making her heart skip a beat. However, her expression remained calm as usual. "Don't worry, how could I let a guy like that take advantage of me?"

"That's good then." Sang Qian finally relaxed, smiling even more brightly than before.

At this moment, inside the Yuan family's residence, a group of people were discussing matters with solemn expressions in a secret room. Someone knocked on the door, and Yuan Wendong, after stepping out for a moment, returned with a smile. "News from Sang Qian's side: Zu An has no trump cards. He secretly placed a heavy bet on himself to lose."

The others laughed heartily, turning to look at a beautiful young girl with elaborate small braids all over her head. "See? Miss Xue'er, you really were being alarmist earlier."

The young girl was naturally Xue'er. This time, Shi Kun found it inconvenient to appear in person, so he sent her to contact the Yuan family and also to warn them.

"Bet on himself to lose?" Xue'er was somewhat puzzled. Others might not know, but she certainly did: Zu An had always hidden his true abilities.

"Young Master Yuan, I must still remind you: although Zu An is only at the third-rank cultivation level, his combat strength clearly cannot be measured by that. You must be prepared." Xue'er recalled how, even when she had gone all out, she couldn't kill him. While a significant part of that was due to the sudden severe stomach pain she experienced, his combat strength had still greatly surprised her.

Yuan Wendong, however, seemed unimpressed. "Even if he's extraordinarily talented, isn't he still only third-rank? I've stabilized at the fifth-rank now. What kind of waves can he possibly make?" The others readily agreed; clearly, in common perception, no matter how powerful a third-rank cultivator was, there were limits.

Someone else nearby remarked, "Since we know Zu An has no trump cards, wouldn't it be overkill for you, Young Master, to deal with him personally tomorrow? It feels a bit wasteful."

Yuan Wendong, however, said through gritted teeth, "That Zu fellow has humiliated me repeatedly. If I don't avenge this, I won't be at peace. On the surface, this guy is a worthless good-for-nothing, but secretly he hides a lot. He might be planning to amaze everyone tomorrow. Miss Xue'er also said his combat strength is peculiar. I don't trust anyone else with him. Tomorrow, I will personally trample him into the dirt, make him understand that a waste is always a waste, and his so-called 'hiding his capabilities and biding his time' is nothing but a joke in the eyes of true geniuses."

"But if you deal with him," another person worried, "we might not be able to guarantee a win against Chu Chuyan and the other high-level experts she leads."

"Don't worry," Yuan Wendong said. "Someone has been assigned specifically to deal with Chu Chuyan. Please welcome Mr. Wu." Yuan Wendong rose and looked towards a nearby wall.

Soon, the wall slowly opened, and a middle-aged man walked out. Xue'er, who had been relaxed moments before, instantly turned pale with shock. This overwhelming pressure coming from him... was this guy a sixth-rank cultivator?

Yuan Wendong bowed to the man before introducing him to the others. "This is Senior Wu Di, a master from the Wu family, a sixth-rank cultivator. No matter how powerful Chu Chuyan is, she's only fifth-rank. As everyone knows, the gap between the fifth and sixth ranks is like an insurmountable chasm. Therefore, we are certain to win tomorrow."

Fifth-rank cultivators awakened elemental abilities, but sixth-rank cultivators could generate a layer of elemental protective film around their bodies, making them completely overwhelming against fifth-rank opponents.

Seeing a sixth-rank cultivator participate, the others became incredibly excited, confident of victory tomorrow.

Xue'er, standing aside, couldn't help but say, "This is, after all, a family grand competition, where both sides send their own family disciples to participate. Given this senior's age, let alone the Chu family, even the City Lord might not agree to his involvement."