Chapter 107: Each Harboring Their Own Hidden Agendas

Old Mi was vexed. Wait, something felt off; he had been castrated long ago, but the feeling was similar.

The reason he had previously taught the guy the Sunflower Phantasm Movement Technique was that he had finally found a suitable vessel for possession and didn't want anything to happen to it before he could take it over.

But he hadn't expected the guy to learn Sunflower Phantasm so quickly. The technique has nine levels; merely reaching the first level allows one to move freely even when surrounded by several cultivators of the same rank, and they wouldn't fear opponents one or two ranks higher. If cultivated to the ninth level, even a Grandmaster would struggle to lay a hand on him.

Most people would take several months just to master the first level. So, even after teaching it to him, a few nights of practice would at most allow him to defend himself in the family competition.

But this guy was simply too monstrous; he had instantly reached the first level, and even the second. If he used it in the arena tomorrow, even though the chance of this movement technique being recognized in Moonbright City was small, it was better to be safe than sorry. If his whereabouts were truly exposed, it would be troublesome.

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, so he decided to come and warn him before the competition.

Seeing the other party's stunned expression, he said, "I'll teach you another method. If you slightly alter the path of your vital energy, it won't be easily recognized."

Zu'an was immediately overjoyed. "Senior, you're amazing! You can change such an incredible movement technique just like that." But inwardly, he was on high alert. *Is his movement technique unspeakable?*

The other party had previously warned him not to reveal the name of the movement technique. Now he was still uneasy and had specifically come to modify it again. What exactly was this guy trying to hide from?

He definitely needed to be careful and make sure not to be led into a trap.

While Zu'an was practicing the modified "Sunflower Phantasm" in the backyard, Cheng Shoubing waddled around, checking various gambling houses. He finally picked one where the odds for Zu'an to lose were slightly higher.

"When the Young Master finds out I secretly changed his betting plan, will he kill me?" Cheng Shoubing suddenly hesitated.

But then he thought, "I'm thoughtfully considering the Young Master's interests, so he won't lose both the match and his money. There are many things that masters find difficult to say themselves. Shouldn't we, as servants, try to anticipate their wishes?"

He still didn't understand why the Master and Madam had gotten so furious when the Madam clearly said she wanted to find a concubine for the Master, and he had thoughtfully brought back a bunch of young women.

Thinking of this, his mind was instantly made up. He placed a wager of ten thousand taels on Zu'an to lose.

Not long after he left, a man and a woman walked out of the gambling house. The man was handsome and tall, the woman graceful and classic. Standing together, they made a beautiful couple.

"Young Master, Young Mistress!"

The clerk who had just taken the bet hurriedly bowed to the pair. If Zu'an were there, he would immediately recognize them as old acquaintances.

The man was Sang Qian, whom Zu'an had seen at Silverhook Casino. The woman was even more familiar: Zheng Dan, who had previously approached him unexpectedly.

"Are you sure he's Zu'an's personal attendant?" Sang Qian asked in a deep voice, watching Cheng Shoubing's retreating back. After the incident at Silverhook Casino last time, he had secretly supported the Zheng family in opening a new gambling house. The Zheng family already had some involvement in this area, and with the Sang family's backing, they were greatly enhanced. Their rise was now quite rapid.

"Yes," the clerk nodded, "His name is Cheng Shoubing, and he is Zu'an's only servant."

"He bet on Zu'an to lose?" Sang Qian still looked somewhat disbelieving.

"Yes, and he bet ten thousand taels," the clerk replied.

Zheng Dan's delicate brows furrowed slightly. "Where would a servant get ten thousand taels? It's clearly Zu'an who instructed him to place the bet. But I really didn't expect Zu'an to bet on himself to lose."

Sang Qian laughed heartily. "He provoked Yuan Wendong repeatedly before, and we actually thought this guy had some trump card, so we specifically waited here to see. Who knew he'd quietly conceded defeat himself? He really climbed up from the bottom; even after becoming the Chu family's son-in-law, he can't change his habit of seeking petty gains."

Zheng Dan, standing nearby, hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back. Recalling the young man who remained unperturbed in her presence, the one who had humiliated a group of people at the academy, she always felt he was not simple. But the facts were laid out before her, leaving her no choice but to believe.

"Send someone to notify Shi Kun and tell him all his worries are unnecessary; this guy is still just a piece of useless mud," Sang Qian laughed heartily. "Oh, and you tampered with the bet when that attendant placed it, right?"

The clerk nodded. "Yes, we tampered with it. The betting slip was written with special ink. By tomorrow, the surface writing will fade, and the writing on the layer beneath will appear, turning the slip into a bet on Zu'an to win."

"Well done!" Sang Qian snorted. "This guy still thinks he can recover his losses from the arena by winning at the casino. I simply won't let him have his way."

Suddenly, he thought of something and couldn't help but frown. "But why did this guy only bet ten thousand taels? Doesn't he have a lot more money?"

Zheng Dan, standing nearby, revealed a gentle smile. "Brother Sang, have you forgotten? Most of the money he won at Silverhook Casino before was in the form of IOUs. He couldn't possibly use money from IOUs to bet, could he?"

"That's true," Sang Qian smiled faintly. "But he should still have forty to fifty thousand taels in silver notes. He only bothered to take out ten thousand taels this time. He really can't shake off that petty, common streak from his low background."

Zheng Dan always felt that the person in her memory didn't align with "pettiness" at all. She hesitated, saying, "Could he have split his bets among several places?"

Sang Qian's expression turned serious. "There is indeed such a possibility. Immediately send people to investigate. Don't let him bet on himself to lose here, while placing larger bets on himself to win elsewhere."

Zheng Dan couldn't help but say, "He shouldn't be so omniscient as to know this gambling house is ours, right?"

"While it's unlikely, we must guard against it," Sang Qian said, naturally cautious. "By the way, how's your progress with him?"

Zheng Dan's face flushed slightly, and she shook her head. "I've interacted with him twice, but I still haven't found where he hid the IOUs." She wondered if she had touched him all over, yet still found no trace of the 7.5 million taels in IOUs. Where could he have hidden them? Could they be at the Chu family's residence?

"Hmm, you need to hurry up," Sang Qian reminded her. "With those 7.5 million taels in IOUs, Silverhook Casino and even the Plum Blossom Gang will be under our control. When the time comes, swallowing them up will be a simple matter."

"I understand." Zheng Dan wondered if she should find an opportunity to visit the Chu manor, but then, would that arouse the Chu family's suspicion?

"Oh, and you weren't taken advantage of by that guy, were you?" Sang Qian suddenly asked hesitantly, looking at her with a nervous expression.

A scene instantly flashed in Zheng Dan's mind: his rough hand caressing her calf. Her heart skipped a beat, but her expression remained calm as usual. "Don't worry, how could I let a guy like that take advantage of me?"

"That's good then." Sang Qian was relieved and smiled even more happily than before.

At this time, inside the Yuan family residence, a group of people were discussing matters with solemn expressions in a secret room. Someone knocked on the door. Yuan Wendong went out for a moment and returned with a smile on his face. "News came from Sang Qian. Zu'an has no trump card; he secretly placed a heavy bet on himself to lose."

The others laughed heartily, all looking at a beautiful young woman with delicate braids. "I told you so, Miss Xue'er, you were being overly alarmist before."

The young woman was, naturally, Xue'er. This time, Shi Kun found it inconvenient to appear in person, so he sent her to contact the Yuan family and to also warn them.

"Bet on himself to lose?" Xue'er was a little confused. Others might not know, but she did; Zu'an had always hidden his true abilities.

"Young Master Yuan, I still need to remind you," Xue'er said. "Although Zu'an is only a third-rank cultivator, his combat power clearly cannot be measured by his rank. You must be prepared." Xue'er recalled how she couldn't kill him even when she went all out before, and though a large part of that was due to her sudden severe stomach pain, his combat power still greatly astonished her.

Yuan Wendong was somewhat dismissive. "No matter how extraordinary he is, isn't he still only third-rank? I've now stabilized at fifth-rank; what kind of waves can he possibly stir up?" The others readily agreed. Clearly, in the public's perception, no matter how powerful a third-rank cultivator was, there was a limit.

Someone else nearby said, "Since we know Zu'an has no trump card, wouldn't it be a bit of overkill for Young Master to personally deal with him tomorrow? It feels a bit wasteful."

Yuan Wendong, however, said through gritted teeth, "That Zu fellow has repeatedly humiliated me. If I don't avenge this, my mind will not be at peace. This guy appears to be a useless good-for-nothing on the surface, but secretly he hides a lot. Perhaps he plans to make a stunning debut tomorrow. Miss Xue'er also mentioned that his combat power is a bit strange. I wouldn't trust anyone else to handle him. Tomorrow, I must personally stomp him into the dirt and make him understand that a piece of trash will always be trash, and his so-called 'biding his time' is just a joke in the eyes of a true genius."

"But if you deal with him, and we face the other masters led by Chu Chuyan, we might not be guaranteed a win," another person worriedly said.

"Don't worry, Chu Chuyan will be dealt with by someone specific. Please welcome Mr. Wu." Yuan Wendong rose and looked towards a nearby wall.

Soon, the wall slowly opened, and a middle-aged man walked out at a leisurely pace. Xue'er, who had been relaxed moments before, instantly blanched. The oppressive force emanating from him... was this guy a sixth-rank cultivator?

Yuan Wendong bowed to the man before introducing him to everyone: "This is Senior Wu Di, a master from the Wu family, with a sixth-rank cultivation. No matter how strong Chu Chuyan is, she's only fifth-rank. As everyone knows, the gap between fifth-rank and sixth-rank is like a chasm. So tomorrow, our victory is assured."

Fifth-rank cultivators awaken elemental abilities, while sixth-rank cultivators can generate a layer of elemental protective film around their bodies. Therefore, a sixth-rank cultivator can completely overwhelm a fifth-rank one.

Seeing a sixth-rank cultivator involved, the others became incredibly excited and were absolutely confident of victory tomorrow.

Xue'er, standing nearby, couldn't help but say, "This is a family competition, after all, with both sides sending their own clan disciples to participate. Given this senior's age, not to mention the Chu family, even the City Lord might not agree to it."