The Only Two Smart People

"Spending a fortune to buy a horse's bones? Never heard of it. Who would spend a fortune on a horse's bones? Even if you have money, you shouldn't waste it like that," Lou Guanning laughed.

Next to him, Another Summer of Sleep looked at him with disdain and said, "Shows how uneducated you are. 'Spending a fortune to buy a horse's bones' is an ancient Chinese idiom."

Liu Hao smiled and began to explain, "Spending a fortune to buy a horse's bones, also known as 'Buying Horse Bones with Gold,' is an idiom from 'Strategies of the Warring States, Strategy I of Yan.'"

"An idiom? Tell us more," Lou Guanning said curiously. He loved hearing stories.

Seeing that he had piqued their interest, Liu Hao continued, "The idiom tells of an ancient king who wanted to buy a top-quality horse with a thousand pieces of gold. However, such horses were rare, and after three years, he still hadn't found one."

"And then?" Lou Guanning asked.

"Then, a minister said, 'Your Majesty, let me go and buy it.' The king sent him, and three months later, the minister indeed found a top-quality horse, but it had already died."

"A dead horse? What's the use of that?" Lou Guanning asked, puzzled.

"The minister bought the dead horse's body for a hefty sum and brought it back. The king was furious and asked, 'What use is a dead horse?' The minister calmly explained, 'Your Majesty, if you're willing to spend a fortune on a dead horse, people will believe that you truly value fine horses. When they hear this, they'll bring living horses to you.'"

"Wow, that makes sense! And then?" Lou Guanning asked.

"After that, the story of 'Buying Horse Bones with Gold' spread. People knew that the king valued fine horses, so they brought their best horses to him, and the king never lacked top-quality horses again," Liu Hao said with a smile. "Similarly, if you spend a fortune to buy a premium weapon, word will spread. Excellent weapon designers will believe you value their work and will come to you. Then, you won't have to go around looking for premium weapons."

"Wow, you're quite the philosopher! That makes a lot of sense!" Lou Guanning said admiringly. "Alright, 1.5 million it is. I'm willing to buy this weapon outright."

"Wait!" Another Summer of Sleep was suddenly interrupted. "This is just a story. Spending 1.5 million or 1 million on a useless short sword doesn't make much difference."

Liu Hao glanced at Another Summer of Sleep, thinking Sun Zheping wasn't a fool and that he was among the only two intelligent people present.

Lou Guanning reconsidered. Spending 1 million on a useless short sword wasn't much different, and he could save 500,000.

"The point of spending a fortune on a horse's bones is to show your eagerness to attract talent. Quibbling over 500,000 makes you look petty," Liu Hao said calmly.

Lou Guanning pondered again. For him, 500,000 wasn't a big deal—just a matter of some persuasion with his father. But if he spent the extra 500,000, the story of his purchase would spread, showing everyone their determination to enter the professional scene...

This was a great publicity opportunity! Future advertising for the team would cost much more than 500,000...

"How about this? Let's have a solo match. If you win, I'll buy it for 1.5 million. But if I win, I'll buy it for 1 million. Deal?" Another Summer of Sleep proposed.

Lou Guanning immediately clapped and agreed, "Sure, 500,000 means nothing to me. But if I can watch an amazing solo match, it's worth the extra 500,000."

Liu Hao thought for a moment and agreed. If it was the peak of Sun Zheping from the third season, he wasn't confident of winning, but against the current injured Sun Zheping, he didn't see any reason to lose.

The group entered the arena, and the map was decisively set to the ring.

The stone-built coliseum was spacious, surrounded by high walls, with only the sky open. It resembled an ancient Roman gladiatorial arena, where only the victor could leave alive.

The magic swordsman and the berserker faced off, clad in heavy armour. One held a short sword, the other a giant blade, glaring at each other, ready to attack.

"Damn, why do I feel so tense just watching?" Lou Guanning's voice trembled. He could sense the aura behind the two, one like a calm judge, the other like a fierce warrior.

Ultimately, Liu Hao couldn't hold back. Using his mid-range attack advantage, he made the first move. The magic swordsman wielded his short sword, creating a shimmering silver wave in the air.

Seeing his target, Liu Hao swung hard, releasing a sharp wave of energy like a flash of light.

Another Summer of Sleep moved. With a slight sidestep, he dodged the wave and then burst towards Liu Hao. Sun Zheping was cautious; he knew his opponent was a top-tier professional, and one mistake could be fatal.

Mountain Breaker!

Sun Zheping initiated his first attack, a standard berserker opening move.

Liu Hao was familiar with this move, making his magic swordsman lightly jump back and sharply raise his short sword for a cutting strike—Blade Draw!

Blade Draw was a low-level skill ordinary to all sword classes, like blocking.

Liu Hao knew Mountain Breaker's power was much stronger than Blade Draw, so it couldn't fully parry Another Summer of Sleep's attack. But his aim wasn't a defence; it was a counterattack.

With an initial back jump, Liu Hao had gained some distance, and Blade Draw delayed the Mountain Breaker's descent. Then, he added another small jump, ideally avoiding the impact area of the Mountain Breaker.

Sun Zheping was shocked. This guy had used two jumps and a Blade Draw to gain distance and find a perfect counterattack opportunity?!

The first jump was to avoid the brunt;

Blade Draw delayed the attack;

The second jump created a slight pullback;

These three simple moves were executed so precisely and methodically.

Sun Zheping's expression grew serious. Such precise operations couldn't be coincidental; his opponent's skill might be on par with or surpass his own.

Another Summer of Sleep's Mountain Breaker missed, leaving him in a recovery delay.

Liu Hao seized the perfect moment to attack, quickly casting a fast-casting Wave Sword. The golden wave surged forward.

Sun Zheping gasped. If this hit, he'd be knocked back, becoming an easy target for the magic swordsman. In high-level duels, small details often determine the outcome.

Sun Zheping instinctively increased his speed, striking the keyboard, and used a block at the last crucial moment.

Block: A universal swordsman skill that can negate 70% of physical damage.

(End of Chapter)

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