A Mage in the Martial Arts World - Chapter 008

“The Duke of Zhen Guo seems to be surnamed Deng—what’s this about being surnamed Liu?” Li Wei showed no mercy to Young Master Liu.

He had already noticed that the hunchbacked old man was preparing to launch a mental attack against him, clearly instructed to test him.

“Little Marquis, mind your words. Young Master Liu is the grandson of the old Duke,” Yu Deshui said, wiping sweat from his forehead. Inwardly, he muttered, Why is this Little Marquis so hard to deal with today? “Young Master Liu’s family background is also very distinguished. His father, Duke Liu, was personally granted the title of Count of Anle by His Majesty not long ago.”

“What’s there to boast about in a title gained through nepotism? The world really is going downhill.”

Li Wei didn’t hold back even after Yu Deshui revealed Young Master Liu’s identity. His face showed open contempt.

The original owner had once yearned deeply for the capital, Chang’an, and had learned about the prominent families there. The Deng family, Dukes of Zhenguo, were one of the few noble houses in the empire that still held real power, and the original owner naturally knew their situation in detail.

Old Duke Deng had two daughters. One indeed married a man surnamed Liu—but that son-in-law was nothing but a fool.

If he had any advantage, it was his looks. He was said to be one of the four most handsome men in the capital.

“Li, when did I ever offend you? Why are you targeting me everywhere?” Young Master Liu finally lost his temper and slammed his folding fan heavily on the table.

“As expected of someone from the capital—the wicked always complain first. Everyone must be blind. If you, turtle son, hadn’t provoked me first and let that old Luo Guo plot against me, would I even bother dealing with you? Who do you think you are?”

“The Little Marquis misunderstands,” Yu Deshui quickly said. “Young Master Liu only heard that you were an exceptionally handsome man and wanted to see you in person. He had no intention of scheming against you.”

“Fat Fish, shut up. If you say one more word, I’ll have someone knock all your teeth out.”

Young Master Liu’s eyes narrowed as he sneered. “I thought the Little Marquis was a man of character, but it seems he’s only good at smooth talk. What a disappointment.”

“What do you mean, Liu? Speak clearly.”

“Didn’t I make myself clear enough? What’s your real purpose in coming here today?”

“Cricket fighting.”

“If it’s just cricket fighting, why say all these useless things? Are you afraid of losing? Looking for an excuse to back out? If so, just say it directly—I’d understand. After all, thirty million taels of silver isn’t a small sum.”

“If we fight, we fight! Who’s afraid of who? Whoever backs out has no balls. We’ll talk about other things later.”

“Little Marquis, you truly are bold. I misunderstood you. My apologies,” Young Master Liu said with a proud smile, glancing at Yu Deshui as if to say, See? I handled it better. The others also expressed their admiration.

Unfortunately, none of them knew Li Wei had already seen through Young Master Liu’s tricks. Otherwise, how could they leave so easily?

He let it go only because he didn’t want to interfere with his own money-making plan. If he kept arguing, the match wouldn’t start—and without the match, there’d be no winnings.

With a snap, Young Master Liu closed his fan and continued, “Little Marquis, Young Master Yu, I’m also very interested in cricket fighting. May I join as well?”

“Welcome, welcome! The more, the merrier. With Young Master Liu participating, this God of Fighting Conference will surely become a story worth retelling!” Yu Deshui eagerly answered before Li Wei could respond.

“Thank you. Don’t worry—I’ll make sure everything’s fair and just.”

Young Master Liu set his folding fan on the table and bowed slightly to everyone, as if completely forgetting that Li Wei, one of the main participants, hadn’t spoken yet.

Li Wei looked at him. “How do you plan to participate?”

“I want to be a referee—together with Old Master Hu. You don’t mind, do you, Little Marquis?”

So you bastards have been colluding all along, Li Wei thought, his anger rising. He said slowly, “I hope you’ll keep your word. Otherwise, don’t blame me for settling both old and new scores together.”

“Little Marquis, that’s not right. How could you question Young Master Liu’s integrity?” Yu Deshui jumped in immediately.

“Young Master Yu, don’t take offense. The Little Marquis probably doesn’t know me. If he did, he’d never say that,” Young Master Liu replied, feigning a hurt expression.

Li Wei wanted to vomit at the sight but held back—for now. Once the bet was in his hands, he’d make sure these shameless people paid for it.

Then Young Master Liu said thoughtfully, “It would be too quick if Young Master Yu and the Little Marquis fought directly. It wouldn’t be exciting enough. Why not add something fun first?”

“Don’t worry, Young Master Liu,” came a voice from the staircase. An elderly man with gray hair walked down slowly. “There are plenty of ways to make cricket fights more interesting.”

“You must be the Old Master Hu that Fat Fish mentioned,” Li Wei said coldly. “Let’s hear what you have to say.”

“The little old man wouldn’t dare to teach, but I can offer some ideas,” Old Master Hu said, stroking his goatee. “For real excitement, we could combine cricket fighting with cockfighting.”

“Cockfighting? Isn’t this a cricket fight?”

“Don’t underestimate crickets, Young Master Liu. They’re small but fierce—some can even defeat roosters. Why not let both sides release their crickets and a rooster to fight together? It’ll show off the bravery of both crickets and rouse their spirits.”

“Excellent! Let’s do that. Young Master Yu, fetch a rooster quickly!”

“Wait a moment, Young Master Liu.”

Within minutes, a rooster was brought out, along with all the tools for the match.

Li Wei sneered silently. You turtles rehearsed this scheme so well—it must have taken real effort. Let’s see how you look when it backfires. That’ll be fun.

Meanwhile, Young Master Liu, Yu Deshui, and Old Master Hu continued acting but kept a close eye on Li Wei, ready for any move he might make. They sensed things weren’t going as planned, but it was too late to back out now.

“Master, what should we do? Should we find an excuse to leave?” Zuo An whispered.

“Leave? Why would we? It’d be a shame to miss such a fine performance. Keep quiet and watch the show.”

“Watch the show? What show?” Zuo An looked puzzled, clearly not seeing through Young Master Liu’s tricks yet.

The scene quickly reached its climax.

Young Master Liu looked between Li Wei and Yu Deshui. “Which of you will go first?”

Li Wei stayed silent.

Yu Deshui exchanged glances with Young Master Liu. “The Little Marquis has a higher status, so I’ll go first.” He waved his hand, and a servant brought over a clay jar.

Yu Deshui lifted the lid and was about to release his cricket when—

“Hold on!” Young Master Liu interrupted, turning to Li Wei. “Little Marquis, it’s dull to just watch the match. Why don’t we place a bet? I’ll bet on the cricket to win—two million taels of silver.”

The hunchbacked old man stepped forward, taking out a thick stack of silver notes. He showed two, each worth one million taels, then threw them onto the table like scraps of paper.

“I didn’t bring any silver notes,” Li Wei said calmly. “But if you insist on betting, I can go back and get some.”

Young Master Liu’s expression changed immediately. “Little Marquis, we all trust your character. No need to trouble yourself. How about this—you and Young Master Yu can borrow from us. Just write an IOU.”

“Borrow? Since when did we get so close? Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell my family about this setup?” Li Wei said with a smile, exposing their trap outright.

“Little Marquis, you really like to joke,” Young Master Liu said awkwardly. The others forced smiles, silently admitting that their plan was looking worse and worse.

Still, unwilling to give up, they decided to keep trying.

Then Li Wei said casually, “Fine. Let’s borrow ten million taels.”

Arrogant! Young Master Liu and Yu Deshui exchanged glances, both slightly relieved.

The IOU was written, and Li Wei soon received ten silver notes, each worth one million taels—half from each of them.

So, you plan to split the profits evenly? Li Wei thought. You’ll be disappointed.

After the betting, the match still hadn’t started. Yu Deshui, Fei Yuantong, Old Master Hu, and several others all placed bets on the cricket to win. The total came to a neat five million taels.

Li Wei casually tossed five silver notes forward, his movements even more careless than Young Master Liu’s.

Tai Sui? When he saw the cricket Yu Deshui released, Li Wei froze. What the hell is Fat Fish doing?

Crickets could sometimes defeat roosters—but that was rare. Even though Tai Sui was exceptional, there was no guarantee.

And with no protective barrier in the arena, this was a dangerous open fight. If the rooster pecked or ate Tai Sui, he’d have nothing left for the final duel. Even if it survived, it would surely be exhausted.

Li Wei’s confusion didn’t last long—soon he understood the enemy’s shamelessness.

When the rooster was brought out, Zuo An’s eyes widened.

It was indeed a rooster—but an old one, nearly bald, barely able to lift its head. No one looking at it would think it could even stand properly, let alone catch a cricket.

“This is your idea of fairness and justice?” Li Wei said expressionlessly.

“This… this…” Young Master Liu stammered. “The rooster is a bit old, yes, but it’s not easy to find a suitable one in Golden City.”

“Nonsense! Isn’t that a rooster?” Li Wei pointed to the strong, red-crowned bird locked in a cage. “Use that one. That’s fair—let both crickets fight the same rooster.”

“Little Marquis, that won’t do. If you go first, the rooster will tire out. To be fair, let’s keep the same rooster but double the time your cricket fights. Would that satisfy you?”

“Old Master Hu, I didn’t expect you to be so skilled at talking nonsense. Impressive talent.”

Then Li Wei suddenly smiled. “Fine—but on one condition. Let me feed the rooster myself.”

“Feed it?” Everyone was stunned. After confirming they’d heard correctly, they looked at him like he’d gone mad.

Feed that half-dead rooster? What’s the point? Do you think you can make it stronger? And if it’s full, will it even bother to attack the cricket?

Thinking Li Wei was being foolish, Young Master Liu and the others readily agreed. They brought him half a bowl of rice, watching closely to make sure he didn’t tamper with anything.

As Li Wei calmly sprinkled rice before the old rooster, for some reason, a chill ran through all of them—an ominous feeling that perhaps the fool wasn’t him, but them.