Chapter 5: The Eve of the Duel (Part 1)

  Xiao Si was ambushed by Eagle Yang in the city and seriously injured, with news of his vomiting blood spreading throughout the streets and alleys of Chang'an within half an hour. The gambling dens immediately boiled over, with all odds skyrocketing from 1:20 to 1:30, and some even offering 1:40.

  At this moment, Xiao Si was lying on his own big bed, calculating the losses of this battle, and he really wanted to cry but had no tears.

  One Earth Escape Talisman, one Heaven's Thunderbolt Talisman, one Hundred Ghosts Night Marching Talisman, eighteen Dark Devouring Soul Flowers, plus the Lingqi greatly damaged Python Sea Magic Cauldron. All his painstakingly accumulated family wealth was thus looted by Old Demon Eagle Yang.

  All that was hard-earned money, earned through their own sweat and blood, working from dawn till dusk, being cheated and deceived. It all went down the drain in an instant, and they almost lost their lives as well.

  "You're quite lucky, the meridians and bones in your legs aren't broken." Ye Fashan sat cross-legged on the bed, circulating his internal energy to help him push blood flow through his body, saying: "Take a break for ten days or half a month, and you'll be able to fight with people again."

  Xiao Si said weakly: "It's not fair, the person was killed by San, you were also there, why did I end up being the one lying in bed?"

  Ye Fashan said with a smile: "Who made your cultivation as smelly as your feet? Of course, the persimmon will be picked and pinched soft."

  Xiao Si snorted in a bad temper and said, "I wash every day, don't believe me? Smell it." He lifted his left foot and was about to print it on Ye Fashan's fat face.

  Ye Fashan "slapped" his left leg down and asked, "Try to see if there's anything else wrong with your body?"

  Xiao Si closed his eyes comfortably and let out a sigh, saying: "Old Dao, your massage skills are not bad. My waist still feels a bit sore, can you press it for a while longer?"

  Ye Fashan didn't make a sound, and with a swift motion, he pinched and pressed on Xiao Si's waist.

  Xiao Siyi let out a mournful cry, and his whole body nearly jumped from the bed to the roof beam. He gasped for air, shouting: "You wicked old Taoist priest! If I become paralyzed, I'll lie at the gate of your temple every day and refuse to leave!"

  Ye Fashan seemed to have not heard it and asked again: "Now, what else do you think is not right?"

  Xian Xiao Si tightly closed her mouth, only using her angry eyes to silently protest herself. Ye Fashan got out of bed with a wrinkled Taoist robe and said: "Three thousand two silver coins for labor costs, one thousand two silver coins for medical expenses, are you going to pay in cash or by IOU?"

  "Did I invite you here?" Xiao Si replied with a bad temper.

  Ye Fashan nodded and said: "Simple, I'll send you back to your original form, guaranteed no charge."

  Xiao Siyi had a look of utter disdain and said, "Dignity is indeed precious, but life is even more valuable; if it's for the sake of silver, both can be discarded!"

  Ye Fashan smiled and pulled out a silver ingot from his sleeve, saying: "We two heroes have similar views. What I like the most is also silver, and I especially like to hold silver in my hand when there's nothing to do, like this...like this...and then rub it a few more times..."

  When he spoke, the silver ingot in his hand was like a dough being kneaded back and forth, sometimes turning into a twisted shape, sometimes becoming a pancake shape.

  Xiao Si's eyes widened in horror, his skin crawling with goosebumps. His reckless idea was completely dispelled. He licked his dry lips and said: "Two thousand, a fixed price, no need to haggle!"

  Ye Fashan quickly picked up the silver and opened the door. Xia Peiheng and others, who had been waiting outside for a long time, asked urgently: "Ye Xianchang, how is the injury of Diao Zongbiao, can he still make it to the duel in two days?"

  Ye Fashan sat down on a chair with a big laugh, took the wine gourd and drank a mouthful, saying: "He can, as long as he wants to die."

  Xia Peiheng frowned and said, "What's good about this?" After a moment of contemplation, he added, "Perhaps we can postpone the duel for half a month. I don't think Duan Shentian will refuse."

  Wan Er said: "Even if it's delayed for half a year, or a year... Fourth Uncle is still no match for Duan Xingtian!"

  Everyone was in an uproar when Li Jing arrived, and Xiao Si immediately got annoyed upon seeing him. Squinting his eyes, he said: "Little Three! Didn't you say that Old Hawk wouldn't be able to come looking for trouble with me for a while?"

  Li Jing said calmly: "This seems to be last month's thing?"

  Xiao Siyi suddenly felt a grip on his left wrist, and he saw Li Jing walk to the bedside, press down on his pulse, and gaze at it for a moment before releasing his hand. "What do you think will happen two days from now?"

  Xiao Si was entangled in his own thoughts, thinking of the tens of thousands of silver taels that had been spent in vain. He hated to think that he couldn't even afford to dig up Eagle Yang's ancestral grave and turn it upside down, leaving not a single hair behind. But now, with only the little family property left and his body still recovering from its injuries, what could he use to compete with Duan Zhen Tian?

  Geng Nan Yi's eyebrows were tightly knitted, and he advised: "Fourth brother, this time you're injured might not be a bad thing. You can take the opportunity to withdraw from the duel without losing face, no need to fight with Duan Zhen Tian for nothing. To be honest, even three-year-old children in Chang'an city are betting on Duan Zhen Tian's win."

  Although Xiang Xiao Si was unhappy in his heart, he had no choice but to say bitterly: "Damn it, my face is not hurt but my silver is badly hurt." Thinking of the thousand taels of silver note that he impulsively pawned this afternoon, he felt even more distressed.

  Wan Er saw Xiao Si's silence and said, "Grandfather was right. Even if you want to fight for our honor in the Tonghuai Bureau, you have to be realistic. Since your injury became public, all the betting houses in Chang'an have raised their odds to 1:40. I heard that some are even worried that you'll quit and have already closed their bets or opened new ones at 1:50, lest they lose everything."

  "Forty for one... and fifty for another?" Xiang Xiao Si looked around at the crowd, asking in a dubious tone: "Really?"

  Yu Linglong, Geng Shaohua, Yi Bo and Geng Nanyi nodded in unison. Wan'er added: "That is to say, in everyone's eyes, you don't even have a tiny chance of winning."

  As soon as she finished speaking, she saw a strange glow in Xiao Si's eyes that had never been seen before. His ten fingers flew quickly as he calculated, muttering to himself as if conjuring up something.

  Wan Er's heart skipped a beat as she secretly cursed, "I'm in trouble, I forgot that this guy is greedy for money and will do anything crazy once he hears about making silver."

  Suddenly, Xiao Si's expression turned solemn, his voice low and calm, yet filled with a tragic tone. He said: "To be timid in the face of death, to fear for one's life, is not what we are about. In order to avoid bringing shame to our organization, to prevent people from laughing at me for being useless, I have decided to stake my head and shed hot blood in a desperate battle, using fresh blood and courage to defend our dignity!"

  "Pffft!" Ye Fashan spat out the mouthful of wine he had just swallowed, coughing repeatedly.

  Geng Shaohua didn't know the inside story, but secretly admired him, thinking: "No wonder he's the brother of Chi Da Xia, if I were in his shoes, I'd probably be intimidated and retreat too." He then said emotionally: "Fourth Uncle, what's the point of this?"

  Xiao Si was not moved, he was busy thinking: "I still have a substitute symbol on my body, it should be no problem to save my life. Old Dog Duan, I won't play with you, how can I justify the one thousand two silver tickets?"

  Thinking again of the family property he had just lost, and the silver he might win if his gamble succeeded, he said resolutely: "Gentlemen, do not try to persuade me any more, my mind is made up!"

  Li Jing slightly nodded and said, "I'll give you something." He flipped his hand over, and a silver-red flower garland fell into Xiao Si's hand. It made a crisp "ting" sound, but it was unknown what kind of metal it was made of.

  "These are the Twelve Blooming Lotus Steps," Li Jing said: "Although they're only a sixth-grade hidden weapon, they're an untransmitted secret of the Tangmen in Shu. If you use them properly, who knows, you might get a surprise."

  Xiao Si didn't expect Li Jing to be so righteous, and thought to himself: "Most likely this guy knows that I just took the fall for him, so his conscience got the better of him and he's using these twelve Stepping Lotus flowers to make it up to me."

  Xia Pei Heng was most afraid that Xiao Si would retreat from the battle, which would greatly damage the reputation of Tong Bao Ju, and this was a major taboo for the escort agency.

  Now, listening to him promise to fight to the death, the big stone in his heart was finally put down, and he smiled: "Director Xun's loyalty and righteousness are indeed a blessing for our Tongtai Escort Agency. Whatever you need, we will definitely do our best to help you achieve it."

  Wan Er was furious: "He's already injured like this, how can you let him go into battle?"

  "If Xiaoxiao truly wants to fight this battle, I might be able to make him as energetic as a live dragon in two days... hmm, with the vigor of a dragon and the ferocity of a tiger."

  Xiao Si's spirit lifted, and he asked: "Old Dao, what good method do you have?"

  Ye Fashan patted his chest and said with confidence, "I happen to have a few 'Yu Yang Pei Yuan Dan' pills that were given by Master Sun. If you take one pill each day for two consecutive days, not only will your injuries heal, but your body will also be adjusted to its peak state."

  Xiao Si's fourth senior brother, Ye Fa Shang, was actually the renowned number one divine doctor in the world, Sun Simiao. Presumably this wasn't a lie, and he couldn't help but say delightedly: "Then hurry up and bring it out!"

  Ye Fashan pulled out a small black porcelain bottle from his sleeve, held it in his hand and shook it gently, making a "ting-ting" sound. He said slowly and deliberately: "One million two silver coins per grain, no discount."

  Xiao Si angrily said: "Why don't you go rob Money Zhuang?"

  Ye Fashan smiled and said, "Do you know what nickname Brother Sun has? 'Thousand Gold Prescription'. One of his prescriptions can sell for a thousand taels of gold. The elixir he personally refined, I'll sell to you for ten thousand taels, already selling at a loss because we're familiar with each other. If you still think it's expensive, you can hobble your leg to Cross Slope."

  Xiao Si stared at the small porcelain bottle in Ye Fashan's hand and said, "What if this medicine doesn't work?"

  Ye Fashan thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll let you off easy. Didn't you bet 100,000 taels of silver with Duan Zhentian? If you win, I'll take 40,000 taels, but if you lose, I won't want a single coin, consider it a gift."

  Xiao Si glared at Ye Fashan and said: "You've turned things upside down in the blink of an eye, do you think I'm a lamb to be slaughtered?"

  Ye Fashan smiled and said: "You still owe me 2,000 taels, how about we just cancel it out?"

  "Deal!" As soon as he said that, even if Duan Zhen Tian won, he would have to give 40,000 taels of silver to the thief Lao Dao. Xiao Si's heart was bleeding, and he hatefully said: "Let you go build a Taoist temple to raise a little Taoist nun!"

  Li Jing shook his head disapprovingly, but suddenly he seemed to have sensed something and slowly got up and walked out of the noisy room.

  Outside the courtyard, Chai Shao was accompanied by a beautiful young woman who had just stepped over the threshold - it was her.

  The eyes of the three people met unexpectedly, Li Jing's sword-like eyebrows slightly raised upwards, and the world fell silent, but his heart was like a stormy sea.

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