Chapter 726: Unrestrained Gambling
The underground fighting match was to be held at eight in the evening, but the guests had already fully occupied the seats in the auditorium before seven-thirty. The number of guests in the audience was not a lot, but it still numbered up to 400-500 people. Tang Xiu himself had never participated in such an event, so he did not understand some of the unspoken rules, such as black handicap and gambling.
“Are you going to play the big games, Brother Tang?” Li Laoshan wiped his oily face and asked curiously.
Tang Xiu stared blankly and asked, “What games, exactly?”
“Gambling, buddy! Don’t tell me you’re not going to play?” Said Li Laoshan.
Tang Xiu did not answer him straightly, but frowned and asked again, “You can still gamble while watching the underground fighting matches?”
Li Laoshan just rolled his eyes in response, speechless.
Sitting on the other side, Chu Xuecheng let out a smile and explained, “It seems that Brother Tang never attended an underground fighting match! In actuality, the main purpose of each match in the underground fighting event is to provide a gambling opportunity for the wealthy. Everyone has a dream of martial arts chivalry, but since they don’t have the ability, they will wager their money on the fighter they prefer to replace themselves in an all-out fight in the arena, splashing blood and arousing the boiling blood inside their bodies. To put it bluntly, they want to find stimulation and excitement.”
Tang Xiu understood in a flash and was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh. “I’ve never been in an underground fighting match before, so I’m really ignorant about this. So, what about you two, Brothers? Are you ready to gamble too?”
“Yup. I bet on dozens of matches already, how can I miss these final matches?” Li Laoshan proudly said. “Besides, my favorite fighter, the Ironfist Jin Can, has the strength that almost surpasses those at the grandmaster level. Not only did I bet that he will end up in the top two, but I’m also dead sure he’ll become the champion.”
“Nah, I don’t think so.” Chu Xuecheng shook his head and smilingly interjected. “Ironfist Jin Can does indeed have an innate superhuman strength and a superb fist style that can inflict heavy damage on every opponent he faces. But, his style is too rigid and headstrong, and once he faces against someone who has a soft style, he will definitely fall into a hard struggle. Besides, it happens that there’s one among the top four fighters who fit the suit, the Ladyboy, Wu Tong. Her Binding Silk Hands and 18 Path Kick styles happen to be the bane that can restrain Ironfist Jin Can. If these two were to fight, though, it’s hard to say who will win.”
“I heard there’s another fighter called Li Tong. Is he very powerful?” Said Tang Xiu.
Li Laoshan and Chu Xuecheng exchanged looks, shaking their heads at the same time. The former then said, “Brother Tang, Li Tong is indeed quite powerful, and he has already broken through to the grandmaster level many years ago. His martial arts style is very ruthless, cunning, and uncanny, while his moves are unrestrained; the kind that must shed blood one it hits. One who gets hit will die or become disabled. But I think he is a level worse than the Ironfist Jin Can and Ladyboy Wu Tong.”
Tang Xiu nodded without speaking.
Once again, Li Laoshan asked, “You haven’t said whether you’ll play or not, Brother Tang! I’m going to the backstage to place my wager, do you wanna go with me?”
“Since all of you are playing, then I’m in.” Tang Xiu nodded. “Anyways, what about you, Ji Mu?”
“I’m in too,” said Ji Mu.
Quickly, the quartet came to the counter in the backstage where a wide and long table with more than a dozen staff were busy handling the business. A dozen stocky strongmen were standing around on guard and looking vigilant, and yet still retaining an amicable manner when greeting guests who came to put their wagers.
“Boss Li, Boss Chu, welcome. Are you going to bet? Also, these two unfamiliar handsome young brothers, are you betting too?” When the four men arrived, the bouncers immediately greeted them warmly.
Li Laoshan laughed and said, “Sure thing. Missing such a good chance to play is simply wasting good time. I’ll wager on… Black Widow… I’ll bet on…”
Suddenly, he seemed to realize something as he turned his head to look at Tang Xiu and asked, “Eh, Brother Tang, you haven’t said who you’ll bet on, right?”
“Han Qingwu,” said Tang Xiu calmly.
Li Laoshan was taken back, whereas Chu Xuecheng wore a strange expression. In their eyes, for Han Qingwu to be able to end up in the final matches was an unexpected surprise already. They did not expect Tang Xiu to choose her.
Squinting his eyes, Li Laoshan’s eyes deeply fixated on Tang Xiu, and then immediately shifted his gaze at the croupier and asked, “Black Widow, what are the odds placed on Han Qingwu?”
“Seven to one,” said the croupier.
Li Laoshan suddenly scratched the back of his head. The amount he was going to wager this time was not little, about 100 million yuan. He would still feel quite a pinch if he were to lose despite being wealthy. However, when he recalled Tang Xiu’s dreadful strength and identity, he hesitated before pulling out his bank card and directly handing it to the croupier, saying, “I’m betting on Han Qingwu to win. 50 million yuan for her first match and 50 million for the second one.”
The croupier looked surprised, but she still nodded and quickly swiped Li Laoshan’s bankcard and swiftly gave him the receipt.
Chu Xuecheng frowned deeply, as he did not understand why Li Laoshan suddenly changed his mind. It had to be noted that wagering 100 million was not something that would affect them much, but they would still feel disgruntled when they lost.
Was it… because of Tang Xiu?
Chu Xuecheng stared at Tang Xiu before he finally chose his favorite fighter, the Ladyboy Wu Tong. The total wager he bet on her was also 100 million yuan.
Tang Xiu speedily handled his transaction as well. While Ji Mu, who looked up to Tang Xiu as a heavenly being, naturally followed suit by placing his bet on Han Qingwu. He spent too much money recently, leaving him with only 20 million yuan, all of which he placed on the bet.
“You’re really bold, Brother Tang. You even dare to bet 100 million yuan. It seems that today, this old Li can count the money with you, hahaha.” said Li Laoshan with a laugh. His laugh, however, was a bit hollow, showing that he was a bit doubtful about the chances of Han Qingwu winning the competition.
Subsequently, the quartet went back to their original seats in the auditorium and then waited quietly for the beginning of the underground fighting match. They had already placed their wager and were not in a hurry, so they took their time to observe the other wealthy guests in the auditorium. Occasionally, they saw familiar faces and just nodded at them.
At the entrance, Zhou Chong and Chen Shuai came in together. Though they were slapped by Ji Mu several times, the redness on their faces had faded away after applying cold ice on them.
“Are you going to bet, Zhou Chong?” Chen Shuai did not have much money, so he was going to wager a million. He knew that Zhou Chong had more money, but he just did not know how much he was going to chip in.
“Yeah, I’m going to wager 5 million. I don’t care if I lose, but it will be great if I can win. I’m kinda vexed today, and just want to see bloodshed so as to vent this depressing mood.”
Chen Shuai nodded and his eyes quickly swept at the audience in the hall. It was a coincidence that at the moment when he was about to take back his glance, he suddenly caught sight of Tang Xiu and Ji Mu.
“Look at the right rear corner, Zhou Chong.”
Zhou Chong was surprised and followed suit. His complexion instantly turned a bit unsightly after seeing Tang Xiu and Ji Mu, secretly cursing his bad luck inside. Still, he pretended to not see anything and speedily followed the attendant to take their seat number and planned to go to the betting counter in the backstage.
What made the duo helpless was that they came too late as the all seats had been occupied at the time, so they could only stand behind to watch.
At eight sharp.
After the croupier who was called ‘Black Widow’ by Li Laoshan walked into the arena at the center of the auditorium, she took a microphone, let out a bright smile and said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the underground fighting’s final match. I’m Black Widow, the host for tonight.
“Firstly, I’ll introduce you to the four contestants of tonight. Actually, I’m pretty sure that everyone has already known all the details of these fighters. Some of you not only know them but are also very familiar. Without further ado, the first fighter, please come to the stage!”
Her voice had yet to fade away as a formidable-looking middle-aged man came out from the exit of the backstage. The man had several scars on his face that looked like a climbing centipede, causing his appearance to look extraordinarily savage.
“The Savage Beast, Li Tong.”
Many rich people were already shouted in the auditorium.
Nicknamed Savage Beast, Li Tong was the very synonym of savageness and ferocity. Just his name alone caused a lot of these wealthy people to wager on his win. Coupled with his past fist style, almost half of these rich people bet on him to win the competition.
“TONIGHT WILL BE THE DAY FOR MY OPPONENTS TO SHED THEIR BLOOD, BECOMING DEAD OR DISABLED!”
Li Tong came to the ring, waved his fists and roared.
Those wealthy among the spectators who placed their bets on him were screaming, infected by Li Tong’s confidence. They ripped off all the masks of hypocrisy they put on the past business deals to reveal their savage and ferocious nature.
In the second place was the Ladyboy, Wu Tong. He was a man and not at the same time. After having a sex reassignment surgery, it could be said that he was half male and half female, which was very relevant to his name.
“Keep me off from winning the championship and I’ll kill you without mercy.”
A cold voice came out from Wu Tong’s mouth, while a cold light came out from his eyes. Every rich man he swept his eyes across had the feeling as though they were being stared at by a venomous serpent, terrified and having gooseflesh and a chill ran down their spines.
The third one was the Ironfist Jin Can, aggressive as well as arrogant. Just as he stepped on the arena, he tore his robe, revealing his naked bronze upper body, and roared loudly, “I AM JIN CAN, THE IRONFIST. IN THE ARENA TODAY, I’LL TWIST THEIR HEADS AND TEAR OFF THEIR LIMBS. I PULL OUT THEIR HEARTS AND EAT THEM IN FRONT OF YOU.”
“JIN CAN!!! (JIN CAN!!!)”
“IRON FIST!!! (IRON FIST!!!)”
Numerous voices shouted and cheered him loudly—the rich men who placed their wagers on him to win stood up, waving their fists with their blood boiling.
As for the fourth, it was Han Qingwu with her long hair, looking valiant in her training suit. She stepped on the ring with a chilly expression and glanced around. When she saw Tang Xiu in the auditorium, a smile immediately appeared on the corner of her mouth and said, “Today, my opponents are not them, but myself. If I win, then I’ll leave with my chest puffed. But if I lose, then only my dead body will leave.”
This time, only a handful of rich men reacted. After all, a lot among them did not favor or feel optimistic about her. Even 60% of those who wagered on her did it only because of her looks.