Chapter Forty: Something Fishy

Huang Sheng and his two companions stared at Hu Mo as if they were fools, then glanced at the one hundred tael banknote on the table, all momentarily stunned.

"Young Master Hu, what do you mean by this? Just a hundred taels, isn't that a bit..." Lin Meng began.

"What? I was only going to bring ten taels, but unfortunately I couldn't find a note of such small denomination, so I had to bring a hundred. Is that not enough?" Hu Mo interrupted, looking entirely innocent and perplexed.

Huang Sheng, clutching tens of thousands of silver notes in his hand, forced a bitter smile. "Young Master Hu, in the past few years, when have you ever brought less than a million taels? Even I, the poorest among us, only have these tens of thousands, and that's what I won from you before. Now you only bring a hundred taels? Isn't that a bit embarrassing?"

"Not at all! However much you bring is equivalent to what I have. I'll play with this for now, and if I lose, I'll borrow from you. What, are you afraid I won't pay you back?" Hu Mo kept smiling, that harmless smile radiating from his face.

The three of them sighed in unison and had no choice but to nod, their enthusiasm greatly diminished.

Hu Mo paid them no further mind, instead gazing out the window at the scene below. The position of the private suite was lofty, overlooking everything with perfect clarity. The ordinary seats below were packed full, the noise and commotion rising ceaselessly.

He turned his head back instinctively, but then, disappointed, looked away. Several days had passed, and Cang Ling had been missing for several days now.

"Where have you gone? You should be interested in this," Hu Mo muttered quietly to himself, a sudden longing for that girl washing over him.

"Friends, welcome to the annual Grand Beast Gala! On behalf of everyone here, Yan extends his sincerest gratitude!" A middle-aged man’s magnetic voice echoed throughout the Divine Fire Arena, immediately followed by thunderous applause and raucous cheers.

Hu Mo’s attention was drawn to the speaker, his gaze settling on the middle-aged man.

Yan Xiao, the owner of the Divine Fire Arena, a fifth-rank Flame Emperor, and a formidable figure in the city of Flames.

This information Hu Mo had gleaned from Huang Sheng. Though sparse, it was enough to astonish him. To be the owner of the foremost beast-fighting arena in the Heavenly Fire Empire, one could not be without true skill. That kind of presence could never be feigned.

Yan Xiao went on to say much more. Under his stirring words, the entire audience seemed to go mad with excitement.

Beast-fighting was the most popular form of gambling on the Continent of War. From high-ranking nobles to common peddlers, anyone could participate, even with just a single copper coin.

That was why the Grand Beast Gala drew such immense crowds. It was said that just seven days of this event could bring in as much revenue as half a year of normal operation for the Divine Fire Arena. Betting millions of gold coins on a whim in search of thrills was an everyday occurrence here.

Hu Mo’s gaze swept ceaselessly, not only across the arena floor but also the rows of equal-status private suites.

What difference was there between these so-called nobles and the common folk? When gambling, they all turned red-faced and thick-necked, shouting at the top of their lungs.

"They merely wear a different skin; what's in their bones never changes," Hu Mo mused, watching the fierce beast fights unfold below, feeling like a bystander, leisurely taking in the spectacle.

Suddenly, a powerful sense of danger flooded his heart.

Killing intent—icy cold and unmistakable.

Hu Mo looked sharply in the direction it came from and met a pair of chilling eyes.

Diagonal across from them, Zhu Xinyue sat with a frosty face, glaring daggers at Hu Mo. Her gaze was like a pair of indestructible blades, so sharp that Hu Mo’s eyes actually began to ache.

He was momentarily taken aback, but then smiled and nodded in her direction.

That nod set off a furious, piercing scream from that private suite—a voice that could shatter glass, surely the strongest soprano.

"Elder sister, that scoundrel, that damned bastard, he actually smiled at me! I’m so angry! So angry! Aaaah—!" Zhu Xinyue fumed, leaping about, wishing she could pounce on Hu Mo and tear him limb from limb.

In the suite, a woman of regal bearing was sipping wine, a faint, unchanging smile on her lips.

She lounged lazily on a long beast-hide chaise, the snow-white expanse of her chest exposed, her deep cleavage enough to make even Zhu Xinyue herself envious. She was, of course, Zhu Xinluo, Xinyue’s elder sister.

"Little sister, why get so worked up? If he wants to smile, let him. Would you rather he weep at your feet?" Zhu Xinluo set her cup aside, reclining contentedly, her lips curving in a satisfied smile, slightly tipsy.

"Elder sister, why are you suddenly taking his side? You're my sister! That guy has bullied me time and again, and now he’s brazenly smiling at me. I won’t have it! You have to avenge me!" Zhu Xinyue pleaded, clutching her sister’s hand, knowing she no longer had the strength to deal with Hu Mo herself. But with Zhu Xinluo’s skills, it would be a piece of cake.

Zhu Xinluo remained languid, idly stroking Xinyue’s head, her gaze dreamy with the effects of wine.

If Lin Meng and Du Zhong had witnessed this scene, they would likely have died on the spot from the blood rushing to their loins. Such a sight was pure temptation!

"Little sister, could it be you’ve taken a liking to him? I’ve never seen you so concerned about any other man. Since you so enjoy tormenting him, why don’t I speak to Father and arrange for you to marry him? Then you could bully him every day. How about it?" Zhu Xinluo smiled sweetly, not at all as if she were joking.

"What!" Zhu Xinyue’s voice shot up several octaves. "Marry him? Over my dead body! My only wish is to have him castrated and sent to the palace to empty my chamber pots for life—nothing else could relieve my hatred!"

Zhu Xinyue ground her teeth in fury, not realizing that Hu Mo on the other side had heard her every word. A chill ran through his heart—these sisters were truly ruthless.

Still, he found himself siding with Zhu Xinluo. If he ever did bring that girl home, it was anyone’s guess who would end up tormenting whom.

Just thinking of Zhu Xinyue’s explosive figure beneath that lovely face sent Hu Mo’s hormones surging. She was an absolute stunner, a rare beauty in all the world.

Lost in thought, he had already spent over half an hour in the suite, his one hundred tael note untouched. Huang Sheng and the others were engrossed in their gambling, far too busy to bother about Hu Mo and his meager hundred taels.

"Sigh, lost again. Why is our luck so bad today? How could a second-rank Flame-Spotted Leopard possibly defeat a third-rank Redflame Tiger? It’s bizarre, utterly bizarre!" Lin Meng said with deep frustration, his silver notes dwindling from seventy or eighty thousand to less than half.

"Exactly! There are so many upsets today. It makes no sense!" Du Zhong spat, morosely eyeing his ever-thinner pile of notes.

Huang Sheng, cautious as ever, had neither won nor lost much. He never bet hard, so his losses were small—still, he was down about ten thousand, and that left him stifled.

"What, are you almost out of money? Need me to lend you some?" Hu Mo grinned, waving his hundred tael note cheerfully.

"Forget it, Young Master Hu, you’d best keep your hundred taels for a drink. We wouldn’t dare borrow from you," Lin Meng retorted, his mood sour.

Hu Mo sighed theatrically, shaking his head. "I’ll bet you anything—you’ll come asking me for money before long. Don’t believe me? Just wait and see!"

None of them bothered to answer his nonsense. Even Huang Sheng, with the least money, had already lost over ten thousand; what could Hu Mo’s hundred taels do? Even if converted to gold, it wouldn’t last long in this place.

Hu Mo ignored them, turning his attention to the beasts about to enter the arena. The power of the Three Treasures within him slowly circulated, sharpening his gaze until he seemed able to see through everything.

This was a secret he had only recently discovered. When the power of the Three Treasures focused in his eyes, his perception increased severalfold—especially regarding these battle beasts. He could judge them more accurately than many seasoned beast-fight masters.

As he watched, his expression grew increasingly serious, his brows knitting.

"So that's it. There’s definitely something strange going on."

He had noticed that many of the lower-ranked beasts had unusual flows of battle power within them. For instance, a first-rank Gilded Mouse was displaying battle power almost at the third-rank level. If such a mouse faced a second-rank Golden-Spotted Cat, the upset result was obvious.

He did not know exactly how this was done, but the fact that Yan Xiao would use such means to amass wealth filled Hu Mo with contempt.

"Since that’s how you want to play, I’ll join in. Someone, place a hundred taels on that little mouse to win!" Hu Mo called out loudly.

"Today, I’ll teach you all a lesson on behalf of the common folk!" he thought to himself, a pleased smile curling on his lips.