Book 14: Chapter 120
Bet Between Gentlemen
Ming Feizhen had imagined numerous scenarios of how he and Gongsun Chu would meet again, including if they met tonight, but the last thing he expected was to be carried to the handsome bugger standing amongst a group of strong men.
They entered Taishu Hall the same way Venerable Monk Jiyi did, except Gongsun Chu came straight to Taishu Hall and gave up on the imperial palace. Ming Feizhen couldn’t even hazard a guess for why Gongsun Chu decided to show up here and now.
From Gongsun Chu’s appearance, it was visibly clear that he hadn’t been living a comfortable life since they last met, though he had recovered a portion of his strength. At the very least, none of the injuries from then were noticeable. The primary reason for his subtle scowl was that he was still angry. Provoking Gongsun Chu when Ming Feizhen himself was helpless would’ve been the epitome of stupidity.
“Long-time no see, Brother Chu.” Ming Feizhen showed the friendliest smile he could show, one that he hoped would make Gongsun Chu forget about the former desecrating his late wife’s coffin, cheating in their fight, breaking his family heirloom and sabotaging his attainment of Divine Realm. To play it safe, he added, “Brother Chu, where did you find all these, uh… strong men? All of them are excellent men. It must have been quite the ordeal to gain their support.”
“They are disciples of Confucianism who I trained. You can say they’re the seeds I left,” emotionlessly replied Gongsun Chu.
“Confucianism?”
Where’s the Confucianism?!
Ming Feizhen took another close look just in case.
Twenty-four faces of prisoners on life sentences…
“Oh, for sure, you can tell they’re men of intellect at a glance. We used to have a lot of robbers back on the mountain, too.”
“I deliberately have their appearances the way you see them. They weren’t like this to start.”
How much do you hate them, then, to turn perfectly fine people into that state?!
“Hmph, it was all to avoid your spies. Be it the orthodox sects or the imperial court, all of them assume my people will be refined gentlemen with the aura of academicians. I can’t let you be right.”
That doesn’t excuse what you’ve turned them into! They’ll be arrested for other reasons! Look at their appearances! They’d receive serious sentences just for the way they look!
“Enough with your drivel, Ming Feizhen. It should’ve been on site with you.”
That was actually relieving for Ming Feizhen; he knew the reason Gongsun Chu wasn’t dead set on killing him on the spot.
“Where is Pingan’s coffin?”
Ming Feizhen had Hong Jiu earnestly put Gongsun Chu’s late wife to rest after escaping the underground palace and to do so without leaving any traces. Hong Jiu burnt everything after he cleaned out the place, then flushed it with water so that there were no traces left behind. The two of them were the only people who knew where Gongsun Chu’s late wife was. Thus, Gongsun Chu was still too late even though he sneaked back into the underground palace before he recovered.
“That, of course, would be a safe place. You can rest assured.”
“Tell me, and I’ll spare you.”
A man of integrity would honour his word, but Ming Feizhen wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity when Gongsun Chu’s qualms were obvious. Sparing him wasn’t attractive enough.
“Brother Chu, about that, let me tell you about it.”
“Don’t think I have issues killing you. Even when you returned to the capital, you still couldn’t use your martial arts, which means somebody else had to hide her coffin away. The only people you’d trust are Mount Daluo or Divine Moon Cult members. I can find out from the people around you instead of you.”
“Not bad.” Ming Feizhen was actually exasperated. “Since you know my background, that makes things simpler, right? If you kill me, you think people around me will tell you? Also, I might as well tell you: my shifu hid the coffin.”
Seeing Gongsun Chu’s distrust, Ming Feizhen added, “I’d believe me if I were you. His wedding with Hangzhou’s Matriarch Zi is just around the corner. It’s perfectly normal for him to be here to hold the wedding. So what if he’s here? You think I’d be stuck here if my shifu and future shiniang are inseparable? You think you’d be able to bully me? You looking to get buried?”
Ming Huayu and Zi Wutong’s marriage was public news already and a hot topic of discussion among the public. They said the two made the perfect couple because the groom was loose, while the bride was unbridled. Wutong’s Jin Yuxuan was based in Hangzhou. Moving all the items out of the underground palace definitely required a large group, and their disciples were known for their brute strength. Not even the clever scholar could tell if it was all a coincidence or not. Regardless, hearing the mention of Ming Huayu definitely worried him. After all, Ming Huayu was one of the few people he’d rather have not ever had to oppose. He himself was hard to read and locate, volatile, unorthodox, awfully shrewd and tough to beat in a fight.
“What do you want?”
“How about we have a bet?”
“What bet? How?”
“Simple. I’m immobilised, and you can’t kill me. This is between the two of us. It has nothing to do with them. They have no reason to bother with us after they’re done fighting. Venerable Monk knows me, so he won’t leave me be. If Tianhu wins, he wouldn’t be Tianhu if he didn’t come for you. Put simply, out fates are in the hands of the two fighting outside.”
Indeed, compared to the grudge between himself and Ming Feizhen, the fight between Tianhu and Venerable Monk Jiyi was the truly pivotal event. If Venerable Monk Jiyi won, Gongsun Chu’s promise to spare Ming Feizhen would be meaningless. If Tianhu won, it’d be impossible to kill Ming Feizhen.
“Let’s bet on the outcome of the fight. What say you?”
With a piercing gaze, Gongsun Chu queried, “What’s on the line?”
Ming Feizhen smiled. “If I win, you release me and spare me today. If I lose, I’ll tell you where your wife is, and you can do as you please with me.”
“You’re bold.”
As a silver pearl streamed down the side of Ming Feizhen’s face, he replied, “You wouldn’t accept the bet, otherwise, would you?”
“What makes you say so? What if I accept?” Gongsun Chu was aware that he was the one with power in their negotiation since he had the power to decide Ming Feizhen’s fate, while Ming Feizhen only had information.
On the surface, Gongsun Chu stood to gain more from the bet. In reality, it was two for one. He ruled over Ming Feizhen’s fate, so why did he need to win again? That was why Ming Feizhen perspired. Gongsun Chu quite enjoyed watching Ming Feizhen worry up close.
“What’s your goal?” Gongsun Chu took two steps closer and asked. “You wouldn’t recklessly bet unless you were confident you could win.”
Ming Feizhen smiled. “No reason. I just don’t believe Tianhu will lose.”
The outcome of the fight didn’t decide just their bet but also the result of tonight’s operation.
Gongsun Chu chuckled. “You can hear the activities in that direction, correct?”
“Correct.”
The fact that Gongsun Chu asked the question indicated that he, too, could hear them. They couldn’t see, but he and Ming Feizhen could infer what was happening based off their own experience and training. Ming Feizhen showed no signs of doubt.
“Fine. This is intriguing.” Gongsun Chu returned to his seat. “I’ll entertain your bet. However, I have one question.”
“I’m listening.”
“Tianhu will kill me if he wins.”
“You bet.”
“But he won’t kill you, as well?”
“…”