Chapter 33: Bet

Hua Qiyue was informed by Qiuyun that her opponent would be Ouyang Liuer. What a coincidence indeed.

Hua Qiyue was not bothered at all by this discovery. Lvxin and Youshui, on the other hand, were secretly worrying themselves to death about Hua Qiyue's chances.

That night, Hua Qiyue decided that getting some good rest would be more productive than practicing inside the gourd.

The morning of the tournament, Lvxin painstakingly tested Hua Qiyue's breakfast with a silver needle for any kind of poison before allowing Hua Qiyue to consume her meal.

By chance, Hua Qiyue caught a glimpse of Qiuyun and saw that the latter's hands were trembling slightly. Hua Qiyue glanced at the dishes and soups nonchalantly and took a small sip of Long Red soup.

After breakfast, Hua Qiyue brought Lvxin and Qiuyun with her to the tournament.

The arena had been set up on the north side of the capital, which was usually vacant and utilized only for special occasions.

Hua Qiyue stood beneath the arena.

Beside her, Qiuyun glanced at her anxiously. "First Miss, would you like to eat something?" she asked politely. "I can get it for you."

Hua Qiyue raised her brows. "There's no need for that. Buy me a knife instead. A short one."

Qiuyun left in a hurry after receiving her orders.

"Miss," Lvxin said in a low voice after Qiuyun had left, "Qiuyun seems on edge today. I think something's bothering her."

Hua Qiyue laughed humorlessly. "It's not going to be a problem. Long Red could counter any form of poison. We've all drunk the Long Red soup, so there's no need to fear."

Lv Xin was taken aback. Hua Qiyue had known the whole time?

Qiuyun returned with a dagger, which she respectfully placed into Hua Qiyue's palm.

Beside them, daughters from other families had begun laughing, looking at Hua Qiyue with derision and disdain in their eyes.

"Look, isn't that Hua Qiyue?"

"Haha. The world's greatest trash."

"Heard she's worthless. Can't even get her Qi flowing. Why is she here?"

" She must have a death wish. Look — she even bought a knife... tsk, tsk. Even a long sword wouldn't save her!"

While the ladies were laughing and smiling, Hua Qiyue nodded at them courteously.

"Do you really think I'll lose, ladies?"

"Of course. What, you think you can win with that trash-like ability of yours? Give me a break." Ouyang Liuer laughed spitefully.

Hua Qiyue pressed her lips together.

There was an elevated platform not too far away, where the princes and princesses sat. The occupants of the platform were clearly annoyed at the racket that was going on opposite them.

Yun Shimo sat in the front row of the platform.

The other ladies were dressed flamboyantly. Their plan was to attract the attention of the princes.

Yun Shimo frowned in displeasure when he noticed Hua Qiyue's poise and composure. Beside him, Huangfu Xuan laughed derisively. "Can't believe that nymphomaniac is here again. I bet she's here for you!"

In truth, Hua Qiyue had not even spared anyone on the platform a single glance.

Lvxin's face was flushed with shades of crimson. She wanted to step up to defend Hua Qiyue, but Hua Qiyue held her back.

"Don't. I have ways to deal with them!" Hua Qiyue smiled.

Beside them, Qiuyun laughed contemptuously. "Young Miss, they are treating you with too much disrespect. In any case, you are still a daughter of Hua Mansion.?"

Hua Qiyue was sick of Qiuyun's charade, but knew she had to put up with it just a while longer.

Hua Qiyue maintained her smile of composure and stood up. "So does everyone here think I'll lose?" Hua Qiyue asked aloud.

Derisive laughter burst forth in waves.

Opposite them, Yun Shimo had heard Hua Qiyue too. His frown deepened.

"What the heck is this woman playing at?" he thought.

Nearby, Hua Mengshi and Second Madame sneered at Hua Qiyue. Pleasure coursed through their hearts. With Hua Qiyue's death, all her precious Long Red would go to them. They would be having the valuable tonic every day!

"Very well. Since everyone thinks I'll lose, then why don't we make a bet? If I lose, I'll pay a hundred tales of silver to anyone who bet against me. But if I win, you'll all pay me the same amount!" Hua Qiyue spoke loudly, her eyes radiated innocence.

More laughter and sarcastic remarks ensued.

"Very well. I'll bet!"

"I'll bet, too!"

"I want a part in this!"

Hua Qiyue blinked. "Words don't count. I want it on paper!"

The crowd became even more gleeful.

This way, when Hua Qiyue lost, she couldn't deny having made the bet. They instructed their servants to bring them the paper, ink, and writing brush. They each wrote a note of attestation before handing them over to Lvxin.

Lvxin's face had gone pale in fright.

The silvers had been pouring in like water ever since the First Miss took possession of the divine medicine, but heavens... Hua Qiyue couldn't win, and this size of a bet would bankrupt even the Hua family.

It did not take long for Lvxin to receive a huge pile of notes.

"Qiuyun, take these back to the mansion and pass them to Butler Wang!" Hua Qiyue ordered casually. She turned away from the crowd to hide a confident smile.

Qiuyun took the notes obediently. After she left, Lvxin received another note, though this time the handwriting was particularly stylish.

Lvxin nearly screamed when she saw the name and date inscribed on the note.

It was from Yun Shimo. Not only that, but he'd bet on her to win.

"Miss…"

She held up the note for Hua Qiyue, who seemed highly amused.

Hua Qiyue immediately looked towards the platform. Prince Nan sat there in a perfectly straight posture. Their gazes met, and his cold expression gave Hua Qiyue pause.

Prince Nan had made it clear that he disliked her. He had even said that he would never want to see her again after Tianci was healed. But now he was betting on her to win?

Huangfu Xuan had sent over a note too, which contained a bet against her.

Because the Ji family was a house of divine medicine, the Emperor himself would attend the tournament. There were royal guards stationed all over the area in fear of anything that might harm the Emperor.

Once it was known that Prince Nan had joined the betting pool, the rest of the royals were unwilling to be left behind. Soon, all the royals placed bets as well.

Lvxin retrieved yet another small stack of notes from the royal family. Aside from Yun Shimo, everyone had wagered against her.

The tournament began, but there was still plenty of waiting to do. The match between Hua Qiyue and Ouyang Liuer wouldn't be held until the tenth round.

The first round was between two men, both contestants from prominent tribes. One was the beloved son of a magistrate, while the other was the illegitimate son of a minister.

In tournaments like this, legitimacy did not matter. The tournament was a test of one's skills and abilities only. In good families, all sons, both legitimate and illegitimate, would receive the same level of nurturing.

To the rich and wealthy, the principles of pride and dignity applied to illegitimate sons too. If any of their sons were inferior to those from another family in terms of Qi Arts mastery, it would bring them shame and ridicule.

Hua Qiyue slowly sipped her tea, her eyes following the two contestants closely.

Both men were Qi Artists of the Oracle Profound stage. In just a short amount of time, they were matching each other's movements relentlessly. As a result, their bodies were constantly in close proximity, as if they did not want to be separated from each other. It was impossible to discern the details of their techniques.

The Qi Arts emphasized the control of one's spiritual energy. The idea was to gather sufficient spiritual energy on one's palm before striking down one's opponent. How the strike was to be delivered was entirely up to the user, which was why the Qi Arts did not usually have a fixed form.

However, certain tribes and families had fixed a series of techniques to be learned by their members. They thought learning this way would be more stable and preserve tradition.

After a short while, a loud bang was heard. One of the contestants was thrown into the air by a punch. He kept flying until he smashed into the railings that circled the arena, which crumbled at the impact.

The man somehow ended up at Hua Qiyue's feet. She lowered her gaze and saw fresh blood spilling from the man's mouth, and his entire body was convulsing.

Someone from the crowd hurried over and carried the injured man away for immediate medical attention.

Battle arenas would always involve injuries and, sometimes, death. Only the strongest would their smiles and swagger.

On the platform directly opposite Hua Qiyue, Yun Shimo was casually shaking his handheld fan. Oddly, he would never bring a maidservant when he was out. He either went alone or would bring a male servant with him.

Huangfu Xuan, who was sitting beside him, kept grumbling. "Brother Yun, I don't understand why you're like this. It's impossible for that nymphomaniac to win. Why are you betting on her victory?"

Yun Shimo smiled calmly. "We'll see about that."

Hua Qiyue was by no means as inept as the rumors had made her out to be. On that first day, she had struck him to the ground, claiming it was an accident. Even now, he had no idea how she'd done it, or how her spiritual energy had simply vanished.

Huangfu Xuan sneered before glancing at the calm and composed Hua Qiyue. She sat there quietly, ignoring the looks that the crowd was giving her.

All the while, the princesses stared adoringly in the direction of Yun Shimo.