Chapter Forty-One: The Mouse Eats the Cat

The three of them—Huang Sheng, Du Zhong, and Lin Meng—looked at Hu Mo as if he were a fool, especially Lin Meng, who walked right over and touched Hu Mo’s forehead, speaking in a peculiar tone, “Young Master Hu, you’re not feverish, but even if you only brought a hundred taels, there’s no need to throw it away like this. At least buy a cup of tea. How could a Level One mouse possibly defeat a Level Two cat? Isn’t that a joke?”

Aside from Hu Mo, who would believe such an outcome? That was precisely why the odds for the Golden-Spotted Cat were only five to one, while the odds for the Radiant Gold Mouse soared to a hundred to one. Yet even with such high odds, not a single person showed interest—it still cost money, after all.

“I’m not feverish. You bet on your cat, I’ll bet on my mouse. I’ll show you how my mouse will bite your cat to death!” Hu Mo grinned, handing the hundred taels of silver to a runner, giving him instructions. The young servant, wearing a look of woe, set off to place the bet.

“Damn, how strange. When did Young Master Hu become so stingy? He used to give out more than a hundred taels in a single tip, but now he’s only betting a hundred and wagering on the mouse to win. He must’ve gone mad or been cursed!” The runner muttered in discontent, disappearing at the end of the corridor.

Huang Sheng smiled faintly, saying nothing more. He waved, and another black-clad runner hurried over.

Outside the VIP suite of the Four Declining Men of Heavenly Fire, several lines of runners always stood ready. The reason was simple: only these prodigal sons, who spent money like water, could bring them greater profit.

No matter how foul-smelling Huang Sheng was, the value of money wouldn’t depreciate just because it fell into a cesspit. So, when Huang Sheng beckoned, the runner rushed over eagerly.

“I’ll put ten thousand taels on the Golden-Spotted Cat, and another hundred on the Radiant Gold Mouse. Since Young Master Hu is so confident, I’ll spend a hundred taels to play along,” Huang Sheng said with a smile.

His move was indeed shrewd. If the Golden-Spotted Cat won, he’d pocket forty-nine thousand nine hundred taels, minus a one percent handling fee. If the Radiant Gold Mouse won, he’d just lose the fee—not a big deal.

Du Zhong and Lin Meng watched the two as if they were idiots, shaking their heads. “You’re obviously going to lose, yet you’re tossing your money away—how foolish.”

They both cast a sympathetic look at Hu Mo and Huang Sheng, then waved for runners and placed a hundred thousand taels each on the Golden-Spotted Cat. Five to one odds—if they won, it’d be fivefold. Five hundred thousand taels—the thought alone thrilled them.

Hu Mo and Huang Sheng exchanged a glance, and with perfect understanding, shook their heads at the same time. Only then did Hu Mo realize that Huang Sheng was simply putting on an act.

The beast arena was vast. Cats and mice, unlike large battle beasts, seemed minuscule in such a space. But beasts were beasts—no matter their size, when two battle beasts met, a fight was inevitable. Especially between sworn enemies like the Golden-Spotted Cat and the Radiant Gold Mouse—once they met, it was a fight to the death.

The Golden-Spotted Cat, just released from its cage, was brimming with arrogance and screeched loudly. On the other side, the much smaller Radiant Gold Mouse crouched low to the ground, seemingly devoid of any fighting spirit.

“Ha! The mouse turns into a coward as soon as it sees the cat. Is there even a contest here? Looks like the big cat’s going to have a feast today,” Du Zhong and Lin Meng exclaimed, dancing with excitement. Whether the cat ate its fill or not didn’t matter—they knew only that the Heavenly Fire Arena would suffer a heavy loss today.

The beast trainer swiftly opened the invisible barrier at the center of the arena, and the battle between cat and mouse officially began. Lin Meng, Du Zhong, and most of those present started to roar and cheer, their drooling expressions betraying their fantasies of counting their winnings.

As soon as the battle began, the Golden-Spotted Cat leapt, descending from above with claws extended, aiming straight for the Radiant Gold Mouse. It was the classic move of a cat catching a mouse, and once executed, mice rarely escaped the cat’s deadly grasp.

Du Zhong and Lin Meng stared intently at the arena, their eyes almost popping out. The Golden-Spotted Cat’s aura was overwhelming, and by comparison, the Radiant Gold Mouse seemed utterly helpless. It remained flat on the ground, as if it lacked the strength to move.

“Ha! We’re going to win!” Lin Meng and Du Zhong high-fived, their faces blossoming with smiles.

“Heh, don’t be so sure,” Hu Mo replied with a slight smile, sipping his tea as his gaze suddenly sharpened.

Sure enough, when the Golden-Spotted Cat’s claws were about to seize the Radiant Gold Mouse, the seemingly motionless mouse suddenly sprang into action. The spectators wore mocking smiles—what good would a late reaction do? A Level One beast couldn’t possibly outpace a Level Two beast, especially its natural enemy. Under the cat’s claws, no mouse survives—such is the law of nature.

But everyone’s expression quickly changed. First, the Radiant Gold Mouse vanished in a bizarre flash. Next, the lunging Golden-Spotted Cat let out a tragic howl, and a burst of blood exploded in the arena, raining down in a small area like a crimson storm.

The Radiant Gold Mouse was biting into a still-beating heart, devouring it madly. Its entire body was bathed in a golden glow, and after consuming the Golden-Spotted Cat, its aura grew noticeably stronger.

“How is this possible? How did the mouse eat the cat?” Many shouted, their faces wild with disbelief.

“This can’t be! How could this happen? I won’t believe it—” Those young nobles, who had wagered tens or hundreds of thousands, were nearly losing their minds. Some greedy fellow had even put down a million taels, now left looking like a fool.

To these young lords, ten thousand taels might be trivial—a night's expense, nothing more. But losing a million all at once was painfully hard to bear.

Greed is man’s greatest weakness—the greater the greed, the greater the loss. Yan Xiao understood this well, and that’s how he built Heavenly Fire Arena to its current scale.

The entire arena was in an uproar. Unexpected outcomes could happen, but such a shocking upset was beyond reason.

Out of the hundreds of thousands present, only a handful had chosen the Radiant Gold Mouse, and at most they’d wagered a hundred taels. Everyone else, unsurprisingly, had bet on the Golden-Spotted Cat, and so those who had sided with the cat were on the verge of madness.

“Damn it, someone must’ve rigged this! Otherwise, how could a mouse eat a cat? This is outrageous!” Several men who’d lost everything shouted, their emotions boiling over.

“Everyone, please quiet down. Yan Xiao has something to say!” Yan Xiao’s figure appeared mysteriously at the center of the arena. As a Level Five Battle King, his presence was commanding; his shout silenced all other noise.

“Boss Yan, what do you mean by this? Are you relying on your big business to bully customers? We came to spend money for entertainment, not to get angry. That was clearly a Level One Radiant Gold Mouse—how could it possibly defeat a Level Two Golden-Spotted Cat? The Divine Fire Arena is our empire’s symbol! Are you really resorting to such shady tricks?” a burly, bearded man cried angrily. Though Yan Xiao’s aura was intimidating, he had plenty of support, and so spoke with confidence.

Others chimed in, and what had begun as a grand event was quickly devolving into a farce—even some impoverished losers were ready to storm the stage in rage. It was suffocating; nothing short of bullying.

Yan Xiao’s brows knitted tightly. Such chaos, less than half an hour into the festival, was unexpected. Ordinarily, he paid little attention to battles between small beasts, since everyone’s focus would shift to the larger beasts later.

But he hadn’t anticipated these wealthy men wagering so heavily on the small beasts—some even staking a million taels. He had no choice but to step in personally.

“Everyone, please calm down. I will explain everything clearly—do not be impatient!” Yan Xiao shouted, his voice carrying a hint of soul-penetrating power, once again suppressing the uproar.

“You all honor me, Yan Xiao, by attending the Ten Thousand Beasts Festival. I’m grateful to each of you—why would I tamper with the beasts? Just now, a brother remarked that these two beasts—one is a Level One Radiant Gold Mouse, the other a Level Two Golden-Spotted Cat. By common reasoning, the mouse shouldn’t possibly defeat the cat—I agree entirely. However, you’ve overlooked one thing: these two beasts are not from the same origin!”

Yan Xiao, undeterred by the mess, picked up the scattered pelt of the Golden-Spotted Cat from the ground, then reached out and gripped the bloodthirsty Radiant Gold Mouse.

With the strength of a Level Five Battle King, the mouse struggled in his grasp but could barely move.

“Have you noticed? The Golden-Spotted Cat’s fur is gold within white, typical for those from the Sacred Fire Forest. Take a close look at this Radiant Gold Mouse—it should have gold-tinged white fur, but if you observe this one carefully...”

Yan Xiao held up the mouse for all to see. Some sharp-eyed spectators immediately looked uneasy.

“See? Its fur emits a murderous aura—black light rings its neck, and its eyes glow blue. I needn’t explain further.”

“It’s a beast from the Black Magic Forest—no wonder it’s so powerful,” the bearded man murmured, a cold sweat trickling down his cheek. The rest fell silent; they all knew what the Black Magic Forest meant—the beasts there were truly monstrous.

“I trust there are no further objections. You are all seasoned gamblers—keep your eyes sharp. Let’s hope such incidents don’t happen again.” Yan Xiao smiled mildly, his gaze as sharp as a blade slicing through the crowd. The entire arena fell silent, as if every throat had been seized.