Chapter 53 Showing its edge Ⅲ

　　After announcing his name, the man wielding a single mace engaged in a fierce battle with Wu He, exchanging blows for over forty rounds. As Wu He had already fought two rounds and was slightly tired, he was defeated and fell off the platform before reaching fifty rounds.

　　He stepped down, and another man took his place. This went on for a while, with fighters coming and going, some winning consecutive matches while others losing immediately upon stepping onto the platform. After more than ten rounds, there was still no fighter who had won five rounds consecutively.

　　Below the platform, Qing Hu couldn't contain his impatience. If this continued, the match might drag on until nightfall. He summoned the master of fang Mountain and instructed them to increase the pressure.

　　Ma Zheng spoke up, "I'll go."

　　As soon as another fighter stepped down from the platform, Ma Zheng leaped onto it, wielding a pair of long and short maces.

　　The reigning champion pointed his staff at him and demanded, "Who are you?"

　　"Ma Zheng, from the fang Mountain of Yue Region."

　　"A mountain bandit dares to challenge the platform? Take this!"

　　The two of them immediately engaged in a fierce battle, their weapons clashing loudly.

　　Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Ji Ji Yanshi whispered to Shen and Zhou, "Brothers Shen and Zhou, the other side is starting to send out their strongest fighters."

　　"Let's watch for a bit," Zhou Ge replied calmly.

　　Not long after, the outcome of the battle became clear. Ma Zheng's long mace knocked the reigning champion's weapon away, forcing him to concede defeat.

　　Zhou Ge gave a subtle signal to someone nearby, and a man understood and nodded in acknowledgment. As Ma Zheng was about to taunt, he saw a young man in plain clothes slowly walking onto the stage. Recognizing him as the thousand-guang innkeeper from the tavern, he felt a little surprised.

　　"Isn't this the Qian Geng who sells pear wine at the tavern?" Ma Zheng thought to himself. He had always assumed that Qian Geng's saber was just a decorative accessory for his clothes, but now he wondered if Qian Geng was actually skilled in martial arts.

　　Qian Geng stepped onto the stage and drew out his fox-eared dagger. "Sir, please."

　　"Ah... Qian? Are you here to compete too?" Ma Zheng asked.

　　"Of course. Who doesn't have dreams? If I can really marry Miss He, who would want to sell wine?" Qian Geng replied.

　　"That makes sense. Let's draw our weapons," Ma Zheng said.

　　"Slow down, slow down..." Qian Geng interrupted.

　　"What is it? Do you want to make a confession?" Ma Zheng asked.

　　"Not exactly. I just think fighting like this is too boring. Let's change the way we compete," Qian Geng suggested.

　　"Oh? How so?" Ma Zheng asked curiously.

　　"I have an idea. I heard you're called the Blood Gambling Ghost. You must like gambling. How about we gamble to determine the winner?" Qian Geng proposed.

　　Ma Zheng's eyes lit up with amusement. "Gambling to determine the winner of Miss He's marriage challenge? That sounds like fun. How do you want to gamble?"

　　Meanwhile, Qing Hu scowled at the idea, thinking to himself that Qian Geng only wanted to gamble because he wasn't confident in his fighting abilities. "What a pointless gesture," he muttered.

　　On the stage, Qian Geng produced a copper coin. "Let's use the simplest gambling method. We'll guess the side of the coin. The eagle head is considered positive, while the year mark is negative. What do you think?"

　　"That works for me. But there's an old saying: ten merchants are nine cheats, and ten gamblers are nine frauds. I don't trust your stuff. I need to inspect it," Ma Zheng said.

　　He dropped his weapon, rolled up his sleeves, and walked over to examine the coin. After checking it several times, he confirmed that it was just an ordinary copper coin.

　　Qian Geng also rolled up his sleeves. "What do you choose?"

　　"Eagle head," Ma Zheng replied.

　　"I'll take the year mark," Qian Geng said.

　　They made their selections and tossed the coin. When the coin landed and settled, Qian Geng grinned widely. "You've lost. Please yield!"

　　Ma Zheng valued his gambling ethics highly and immediately stepped down from the stage. Offstage, Qing Hu gave him a kick. "I asked you to fight, not gamble! You could have won, but you had to complicate things. You're useless!"

　　"Third Master, what are you saying? Is there anything more exciting than gambling to determine the outcome of a martial arts challenge?" Ma Zheng retorted.

　　"Fine, fine. Just stay out of the way," Qing Hu said dismissively.

　　Before stepping onto the stage, Qian Geng had spent some time strategizing. He knew that he couldn't just rely on his martial arts skills and that he needed to find a way to conserve his energy. Winning the first two rounds without exerting much effort was the best outcome he could hope for.

　　"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce myself. I am Qian Geng, the wine steward from the Zhou family tavern. As you can see, I enjoy gambling. I greatly admire the gambling ethics of the person I just gambled with. Is there anyone else who wants to gamble?" Qian Geng shouted.

　　Before he could finish his sentence, a man leaped onto the stage.

　　"Qian, I'm here to gamble with you," the man said.

　　"Who are you?" Qian Geng asked.

　　The man removed his overcoat, took off his outer robe with five-pointed stars, unsheathed his sword, and rolled up his sleeves before walking to the center of the stage.

　　"I am a disciple of the the Five-Star Temple. My name is Xiang Qi," the man introduced himself.

　　Those who were in the know immediately recognized his identity as a disciple of the Flying Star Sect.

　　"Are you a legitimate disciple of the Flying Star Sect?" Qian Geng asked.

　　"Indeed!" Xiang Qi confirmed.

　　"Do you also want to gamble?" Qian Geng asked.

　　"Yes!" Xiang Qi replied.

　　"But I've heard that gambling is forbidden within the sect," Qian Geng pointed out.

　　"Who cares about that? Let's just gamble. Why are you talking so much?" Xiang Qi said impatiently.

　　Qian Geng decided to keep things simple. "How about we roll dice? Whoever gets the higher number wins. Just like the previous challenge, the winner stays on the stage while the loser steps down."

　　Xiang Qi's eyes lit up when he heard about rolling dice because it was his favorite gambling game. He took out several small copper plates with mortise and tenon joints from his bosom, fitted them together, and quickly assembled a dice cup.

　　"As you can see, I've prepared everything to prevent anyone from cheating," Xiang Qi said proudly.

　　"Impressive," Qian Geng commented.

　　"Of course!" Xiang Qi said with a smug smile. "Who should start?"

　　"You brought the stuff, so you should start," Qian Geng replied.

　　"Fine!" Xiang Qi blew on the dice twice before throwing them into the air. When the dice landed, they showed a clear six on top. "It's your turn, Qian."

　　Qian Geng hesitated for a moment, feeling somewhat stumped. "Hmm...how am I going to win this?" he mused before coming up with an idea.

　　He threw the dice into the air and drew his fox-eared dagger, intending to cut the dice in half. Xiang Qi realized that if both sides of the dice showed a number, he would lose. He quickly picked up his sword and tried to knock one of the dice off the stage.

　　There was a clang as the dagger and sword clashed, shaving off part of the dice. Xiang Qi was delighted. "Qian, you're overthinking this."

　　Qian Geng stepped on the remaining part of the dice with his foot. "Hehehe, Xiang Qi, you've lost."

　　He removed his boot, and Xiang Qi walked over to take a look. To his surprise, the dice had not been cut in half horizontally but obliquely. The three copper plates had collapsed, revealing a combined total of ten dots: one, four, and five.

　　"Ah...you cheated!" Xiang Qi exclaimed in disbelief. "Let's gamble again!"

　　Ma Zheng, who was watching from the sidelines, scoffed. "Pfft, what a pathetic disciple. He doesn't even value gambling ethics. He's not even as good as a collateral disciple!"

　　"Who are you talking about?" Xiang Qi demanded angrily.

　　"I'm talking about whoever doesn't admit defeat!" Ma Zheng retorted.

　　Xiang Qi was furious and didn't wait for the announcement of the result before stepping down from the stage to confront Ma Zheng. Qing Hu, seeing an opportunity to meet a disciple of the Eighth Master, quickly pulled him over to their side. No one knew what they discussed.

　　Qian Geng had won two consecutive rounds and continued to shout out his challenges.

　　Just then, a young man stepped onto the stage. He had a handsome appearance and looked to be around twenty years old. Like Shen Huan, he had piercing eyes and a medium build. A sword hung from his waist, and two small painting cloth bags were attached to his sides.

　　"Qian has impressive knife skills. I, Yu, have come to test them," the young man said.

　　"Who are you?" Qian Geng asked.

　　"I am just an unknown youngster," Yu Huawen replied modestly.

　　"Don't say that. Everyone has a name," Qian Geng encouraged him.

　　"Very well, I'll introduce myself. I am from Yuxu Town in Yue Region and my name is Yu Huawen," the young man said.

　　When Ji Yanshi heard his introduction, his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

　　Shen Huan noticed his reaction and asked, "Ji, do you know him?"

　　"There are countless scattered towns in Yue Region. I don't know him," Ji Yanshi replied.

　　Qian Geng saw that the other party was serious about engaging in martial arts and had no choice but to accept the challenge. Fortunately, he hadn't expended much effort in the previous rounds. He straightened his clothes and drew his fox-eared dagger again.

　　"Mr. Yu,please proceed."

　　Yu Huawen drew out his precious sword, and a bloody stench permeated the surrounding area.

　　"Qian, be careful," he said as he pointed his sword at Qian Geng's forehead.