16 Ximen Wandai! Time to Reel in the Net... (1/2)
At that point, the guard came forward to put his head close to the young master’s ear and whispered.
The young master blinked, raised his head to look at Yun Yang, and let out a smile, “Well, well, looks like we have a notable character in our midst. Young Master Yun, a pleasure to meet your acquaintance.”
Yun Yang surprise was unfeigned, “Eh?”
The man in blue retained his knowing look as he spoke, “Heaven Marquis Xiaoyao’s young master, a famed name in Tiantang City… Since Young Master Yun’s reputation is of such stellar quality, I need not worry about the stake of this bet.”
Yun Yang stared at him. “You made inquiries about me?”
“Let’s not call it an inquiry; success is all about knowing your enemy.” The man in blue continued, “I wonder what the young master of Marquis Yun would use as a bet?”
Yun Yang frowned, and for the first time, seemed hesitant.
The man in blue smirked, “Since Young Master Yun has suggested the wagers… are you not able to suggest the stakes?”
Yun Yang spoke with caution, “Perhaps we could throw in our money…”
The other party laughed mockingly, “Young master, we are both practitioners from the world of martial arts; what joy does gold and silver hold for us? Please, choose something else.”
The other two young masters beside him laughed in amusement as well; the young master in blue had scored a point in this bout. It was always amusing to see him back his opponent into a corner and force him or her to submit. Obviously, it was happening right now to this young master of Tiantang City.
Yun Yang pretended to hesitate and summoned up an air of false bravado, “If I were to announce my bet which would be of a sizeable sum, it might upset some of those present here… Perhaps we should just let this go?”
At this juncture, the young master in blue was not about to let anything go; after all, who lets go of a giant fish that he has gutted? His face grew upset and his voice turned cold, “Does Young Master Yun look down on my capabilities? Were you not the one who asked to place this bet? Will you also be the one to back out of it? Even if Young Master Yun is an influential figure in the Empire of Yutang, you have no right to manipulate people like this.”
His eyes narrowed with malice, and he said slowly and distinctly, “Besides… I, Ximen Wandai, am not someone Young Master Yun can make a fool of.”
Ximen Wandai.
Finally, he had revealed his own name. Yun Yang nodded, nonchalant about the revelation. “So it’s Young Master Ximen. Is Young Master Ximen still adamant on betting?”
Inwardly, he was pleasantly stunned. One of the top eight influential families bore the name Ximen. Could this Ximen Wandai be from that family?
As Yun Yang was pondering upon this, Ximen Wandai answered with a sneer, “It’s too late to walk away now, even if you wanted to!” How could he loosen his grip when Yun Yang was already half dead in his hands?
Ximen Wandai could not help but feel pleased with himself for his sheer brilliance. Initially, he had been the one at fault, the boorish lord who had caused a ruckus just as the other party had been about to make a legitimate purchase. As the events unfolded, however, he realized that he was adroit enough to turn the escalating situation in his favor, and reap a significant amount of profit in the process.
Waving his hands mockingly, he cried out, “Could it be that Young Master Yun is unable to finance his part of the wager?” The insinuation hung clearly in the air. “You threw the gauntlet, and I accepted. Are you going to turn your tail and flee?”
Yun Yang’s face flushed an angry red as he retorted, “Who are you accusing of being unable to afford the bet? Name your stakes, and I’ll do one better!”
“Now, you’ve walked right into my trap!” Ximen Wandai was thrilled, and using Yun Yang’s own words against him, he said, “I can bet a seventh grade mystical pill, a hundred mystical stones, and the treasured saber, Phoenix’s Cry. The saber is one of the Seven Swords and Three Sabers forged by the Greatest Weaponsmith Ou Hunzi a millennia ago… Now, I would like to hear what Young Master Yun has to offer to match these stakes!”
A murmur of awe rippled across the bystanders who had gathered to listen to the drama that was unfolding in front of the shop.
If one were to pay with gold for a mystical pill from a seventh grade mystical beast, one would easily need to pony up easily a million units, it was that priceless! Mystical stones, on the other hand, were practically reservoirs of power for mystical cultivation; the amount of energy contained within a mystical stone could be absorbed over a span of three days, and yield the same result as a year of closed door cultivation!
Ou Hunzi’s Seven Swords and Three Sabers were also globally renowned weapons. One of them, the treasured sword Merak1, was a national treasure of the Empire of Dongxuan – the value of these master-forged items were unfathomable! Most individuals would never even see any of these legendary weapons in their lifetime.
What could Yun Yang possibly use as part of his wager? Somewhat astonished by how high the stakes had gone, Yun Yang couldn’t help but think to himself that this was a total windfall! Triumphantly, he decided to jump in with wild abandon.
Ximen Wandai was extremely pleased with his own cleverness, and mistook Yun Yang’s hesitation for worry.
“What does Young Master Yun think?” His tone was casual and light, “It would be fine by me if Young Master Yun were to hedge any of these with similar items as well.”
Yun Yang took a deep breath, and shook his head, “These are not sufficient.”
Ximen Wandai and his two friends were dumbfounded. Insufficient? What gem could you possibly bring to the table as a mere marquis’ son in this secular country?
Yun Yang looked hesitant before he answered, “I shall match your stakes with a ninth level mystical beast’s offspring. Its singular value is beyond all the treasures you have proposed, combined!”