“Look at you, you’re so calm! It seems that you’re rather confident in tomorrow’s fight, huh?” Teacher Zhou sipped his tea, holding the stem of the tea-leaf in his mouth.

“Nope. Honesty, I’m not sure if tomorrow is the last day of my life. However, I have to face it, no matter what. Instead of pushing myself down the abyss of worries and anxieties, why shouldn’t I just be happy and relaxed on the day before my last?” Xu Yi neatly replied, but there was a clear undertone of helplessness in his voice.

“That doesn’t make sense. I mean, if you aren’t sure about tomorrow’s fight, why would you bet all of your money on yourself?”

“Look, what would this money mean to me if I die in the arena tomorrow? However, if I manage to win, I can seize this opportunity to instantly create a small fortune.”

“Hahaha.. You’re a smart kid, even when facing such a fierce storm, you still manage to exhibit a spirit of liberty and reasonableness!”

Teacher Zhou finished his cup of tea, before he continued, “My concern for you is totally unnecessary. You outwit most of the cultivators I have encountered. Besides, I admire your stable mentality in front of fatal danger. Given all of these characteristics you possess, you must’ve already made your own plans. Would you mind sharing them with me? Perhaps, I’ll be able to offer you with some kind of advice.”

Lifting the teapot, Xu Yi walked over to Teacher Zhou and refilled his cup, “I don’t have any plans. The only principle that I adhere to, is to attack the opponent’s weakness by using my advantage.”

“I’m so glad that you figured this out.” Teacher Zhou nodded, while his gnarled face split into a smile, “Many people cultivate Wu Dao behind closed doors and act blindly, without knowing any ingenious ways to maneuver around in a fight. Fortunately, you aren’t one of them. Well, given all of this, I’m no longer worried about receiving my wine.” Teacher Zhou stood up, before he staggered out of the house, while humming a weird ditty.

Shortly after Teacher Zhou left, Qinghua spurted back into the room, with the portable bag dangling around his waist.

Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he put a pile of papers on the stone desk. He then grabbed and lifted the teapot high up in the air, allowing the cool liquid to pour into his burning throat [1]. After a short while, he took out two black-colored receipts, one of which was for Xu Yi. “Boss, it’s done! The odds were still two to one!”

“How come there are two black receipts?” Xu Yi remembered, that the previous receipt Qinghua showed to him was a red one.

“I have sold the previous receipt and bought a new one, so I could bet on you! I’m a loyal guy, you can ask around in Guanan about this. By doing so, I wish to show people that the two of us are in the same boat.” Qinghua explained vehemently.

Even though Qinghua labeled himself as “loyal”, he was far from that. All his pretended loyalty was simply a result of careful calculation.

Earlier, in the Eastern City, Qinghua had the impression that Xu Yi was a frugal person, who would haggle over every penny. However, just before, Xu Yi had poured all of his money into this gamble, without as much as blinking his eyes. This bold action convinced Qinghua that Xu Yi was rather confident in tomorrow’s fight, thus he flip-flopped on his betting object, attempting to make a profit.

Xu Yi had already seen through Qinghua’s trick, but he still gave him a thumbs up.

“Boss, just a kind reminder: once you step into the arena, your life is in the hands of Gao Pan. Strategically speaking, we should not underestimate your opponent, who boasts eight consecutive wins! It cannot be explained by mere luck. Now, look, I have gathered his background information, as well as the details of his previous eight fights.” Qinghua quickly explained, as he nudged the pile of papers into Xu Yi’s hands.

On one side, Qinghua desired to keep this long-term employment relationship with Xu Yi, so as to ensure his steady income. On the other side, since Qinghua had bet on Xu Yi, so it was in his best interest to do everything within his power, to help Xu Yi win the fight.

“Thanks for your hard work, I really appreciate it. I will look over these materials when I’m back in my room. Oh, the second room on the left is your bedroom.” Xu Yi quickly said, before he took the pile of papers and went to his room.

With a despising glance at the pile of papers, Xu Yi hurled it into a nearby trash bin.

It wasn’t out of unscrupulousness; rather, it was positive confidence. During the previous two years, Xu Yi had experienced all kinds of inhuman torture, both physically and mentally. But now, the sufferings finally blossomed and bore fruits – a frightening and invincible body and a hypersensitive soul. Therefore, he had every reason to be confident.

In addition, the Long’er Scalp he bought from the auction would serve him as a defensive item during the fight, which would certainly reduce the risk of being killed.

Putting the Long’er Scalp on the desk, Xu Yi rubbed it with adoration. Even without any lights in the room, Xu Yi could still see the Long’er Scalp in detail. He then playfully tore the scalp into various shapes.

Originally, Xu Yi planned to pay someone to make it into protective clothing. However, given the imminent fight, he decided to make it himself.

A bit later, feeling tired and drowsy, Xu Yi threw himself onto his bed and quickly fell into a deep slumber.

The next morning, Xu Yi woke up late, as the sunlight was already shining brightly through the cracks of the window.

He opened the window, inhaling a deep breath of fresh air. Near the flower pool, he saw Elder Mu, who was jogging with the support of a crutch. At the same time, Autumn was kicking a rainbow-colored shuttlecock, up and down into the air.

The fragrance of the flowers filled the air. Taking another deep breath, Xu Yi soaked himself in the serenity of this moment. If not for his wish to find revenge for his fallen family, he would rather stay here forever, together with Elder Mu and Autumn.

“Boss, you’re awake!” Qinghua hurriedly filled the washbasin with water and put it in front of Xu Yi. He had been waiting outside Xu Yi’s room since early in the morning.

After Xu Yi finished washing himself, Qinghua brought out a variety of foods and placed them on the table – steamed meat dumplings, steamed twisted rolls, fried dough sticks, Chinese hamburgers, and a bottle of fresh milk. He urged Xu Yi to eat all of it, as to ensure his strength for the upcoming fight.

As expected, Xu Yi quickly finished all of the food, as well as the milk.

Xu Yi satisfactorily wiped his greasy mouth, before he took out 10 gold coins, “Qinghua, go and find a spacious house nearby. We’ll all move to the new place. After all, this is an official building, not a permanent living place. Oh, don’t forget to hire several servants, who are able to do some cooking and cleaning. Take it, ten gold coins.”

Despite the rough times he had been through, Xu Yi was more of a hedonist. As long as it was financially possible, he wouldn’t let himself down in material comfort.

Qinghua parted his mouth, as he was stunned by the extreme calmness of his boss. Up until now, Xu Yi didn’t mention a word about the fight; instead, he started to worry about their living conditions.

The life and death battle was around the corner, how could Xu Yi be so uncaring and nonchalant?

........

[1]: I would hope the water in the teapot is cold by now.