Chapter 10: The Bet

The battle ended quickly. Jin is fourteen years old. People his age have reached the sixth and even seventh level of the evolution realm, except for his resistance to poisons due to the Poison Nebula Technique. He barely knows anything else.

He learned the Autumn Leaf Technique yesterday. It was a skill he found in that nobleman's safe, and it was a women's technique that helps a person evade the attacks and move quickly.

His chance of defeating Du Bai in a head-to-head fight is indeed zero. However, in a competition subject to the rules, all he has to do is bait his opponent to the edge of the ring before throwing him out.

Jin jumped out of the ring, trying to get out, but before he could leave, the girl baithat Jin took her turn approached him.

"Where are you going? You won your first fight. Don't you want to continue?" The girl said, looking at him with a strange look.

"The first? And who said I wanted a second fight? I only came here to defeat him, and since I did, my work here is done," said Jin, shaking his head at the girl's words.

"Wait a minute. The two nobles want to talk to you." This time, the chief village stopped him, so he turned around to meet the young noble's eye.

The young noble narrowed his eyes and said,

"They told us you were the one who found Mr. Monroe's body, what were you doing there?"

The chief village interfered, answering, "He was in debt to Mr. Monroe; he was there to pay."

"In that case, you can pay me. How much was it?" the Young Noble said.

"Oh... are you Mr. Monroe? I thought you were dead. You look good and younger. You even got your hair back?" Jin said with sarcasm.

Jin's answer pissed off the nobleman, and veins began to appear on his forehead from anger, but the old man intervened and advised before he spoke.

"It is useless to bring up the subject of Monroe now because his servant is our target whom we must find."

Then he turned to Jin and said, "You boy, tell me where you learned the Autumn Leaf Defense Technique's skill and why you refuse to participate in the competition."

Jin scratched his head and answered indifferently.

"I am not obligated to tell you where I learned it, and I have no intention of joining a second-rate academy."

The young noble exploded in Jin's face and raised his fist as a threat this time. "You stupid lowly life, how dare you to speak like this to us ?"

"Everyone knows that the future of the students of second-rate academies is just servants with some skills to guard the nobles. You set up a competition for that, and then you come and tell me to join?"Jin said, unfazed by the young noble threats.

Wiping his sweat, the chief village jumped between the two, wishing that his old age might make the young nobleman back off from attacking Jin, then he yelled at Jin in reproach.

"Young man, did the days of captivity forget you about the origins of addressing those who are higher than you? Come on, apologize and ask forgiveness."

Although everyone could hear the screaming of the reproached village chief, Jin could see the frightened in his eyes.

'Looks like this young nobleman is the same as the old dog I killed. If I still have my strength..' Jin thought to himself before turning to the old man, avoiding talking to the young nobleman who fought even with his shadow and calmed down a bit. He didn't want to get involved in a fight that would benefit him nothing.

"Why are you all so angry at me? All I wanted to say is that I won't waste my time on the Servant Contest, and I'd rather try my luck on the student exam for the Earth Dragon Academy in a month from now." Jin said.

The young noble laughed and said, "This boy thinks he can enter the first-class academy. He is hilarious."

"If you find it funny, would you dare to have a bet with me?" Jin said, looking at the young man seriously.

"Why not, but what a beggar like you would be able to offer me," said the young man to Jin.

"What do you think of the skill of Autumn Leaf versus your red cube?" Jin said with a smile on his face.

Although he doesn't know what the red cube is used for, he had no intention of giving up his precious cube for skill was made for girls, but because of his confidence in winning, he agreed to bet.

'Autumn Leaf skill, I might be able to attract some pretty girls with it,' the noble thought before he said.

"I'm Mr. Shen Liu. I bet with this commoner Jin on my cube for his feminine technique. We'll meet after a month at the academy."

The old man sighed and didn't like the betting. Although the Autumn Leaf skill is originally a female skill, it is still a high-ranking skill because it was difficult to train. Staying calm in the face of your opponent's attack that can kill you in one blow takes courage and daring.

And he saw in Jin the courage to be a good follower.

"Mr. Liu, you don't need a woman's skill, and you boy, despite your rudeness, you have some good qualities, stop daydreaming, and I'll take you under my wing as a follower, from one look I can tell you've never taken a growth elixir before, you have to understand that people are not born with the same stature nor the same luck."

Being a follower for a noble person is better than joining a second-class academy, especially since the success rate at the Earth Dragon Academy exam does not exceed twenty percent.

Many rich young men among the applicants to the academy have enhanced their bodies with expensive elixir and their strength with rare skills. Hence, the chances of commoner people's success in the test are almost non-existent.

Jin scratched his head, thinking about the noble's offer. Then, finally, Jin raised his head high and spoke in a voice full of determination, resonating all over the place.

"People are not born of the same stature. That's true, but If you want to say that I should forget the bet and give up on my dreams as other men of this village do, and wear your golden collar to be your slave, then you're dreaming! I'll walk to the top of this world or die trying. That is my answer."

Jin said his words and left the place with his sister.

While watching him leave, the crowd began to whisper behind his back. Some of them described him as crazy, and some said that he did not know the height of the heavens and the depth of the earth, and other words that discouraged someone. However, all the voices disappeared when the brown young man raised his hand and said.

"I'm also not going to wear any collars on my neck anymore. I quit."

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At the dinner table, Jin continued to stare at the unexpected guest, who had taken complete relief and talked comfortably.

"Ms. Irene's cooking is more than wonderful. Besides her beauty, no wonder my uncle wanted to marry her."

*cough*

Jin coughed hard, spitting out his food, but Du Bai kept talking.

"I, Du Bai, was inspired by what you said today and decided to become your friend. Of course, if your mother agreed to marry my uncle, we would be brothers."

Jin looked at Du Bai and said coldly, "Stop mentioning marriage for now."

"What marriage are you talking about?" At this moment, Irene walked in to ask them if they wanted more food, but she heard their words and was surprised.

"Your marriage, this idiot here wants you to marry his uncle, and I rejected him. I have already chosen a suitable husband for you." Jin said with a thoughtful look on his face.

Du Bai smiled and felt awkward. Although his uncle's story is true, he mentioned it as a joke.

'He took it seriously. It is stupid to expect sons to accept the idea of their mother's getting married' ​He thought before understanding what the rest of Jin's words meant and shouted.

"Haa, you what? you are going to let your mother marry someone?"

"Are you two crazy? How is it possible for two children to discuss adult matters, and who said I wanted to marry after your father?" said Irene, staring at the two children.

"Mom, is that man worth this sacrifice?"

His question implied that he knew things he was not supposed to know, which caused her confusion.

"Listen, You still young, and life is ahead for you. I have already chosen the right man for you who will take care of you and your daughter," Jin said.

"But...?"

"No, but I have already given him my blessing, don't forget I'm leaving soon, and you need a man to protect the house, so please don't be stubborn."

Du Bai did not stop paying attention between the mother and her son throughout this conversation. Any other person would have left the place or remained silent. However, Du Bai's reaction was the opposite, and he started screaming again.

"What is this madness? Have the roles switched between both of you? You are the son, and she is the mother and not the other way around, and what do you mean that you have already given him your blessing before you leave? Who hears you talking would think that you are an old man who is looking for someone to marry his daughter before he dies."

"Stay out of this. These are family matters." Jin said as he looked at Du Bai coldly

Du Bai's scream made the mother wake up from her shock.

"His words are true, I am the mother, and I am the adult here. How can you treat me like this and plan something like this behind my back and without my opinion?" Ieren said.

"And what does being an adult mean? Even adults make mistakes, meet the groom first, and then we will continue our conversation." Jin said to his mother, then turned to Du Bai and said coldly.

"As for you, you have yet to tell me what exactly do you want from me?"

Seeing her son change the topic, the mother walked out of the room, mumbling. "My son has gone crazy, years of captivity have affected his mind, any normal child in the world would refuse to see his mother get married to another man, he has gone crazy, I have to consult a doctor about him, there is something wrong with his brain."