Chapter 78: Wagers and Schemes

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"A wager?"

Hearing Violent Tiger's suggestion, Blood Rose's slender eyebrows knitted together, and a cold smile appeared on her crimson lips.

"Hmph! That's none of my business. You two work it out yourselves. As long as you don't cause trouble in my tavern, I don't care. If you can't control yourselves, then take it outside."

Having spent years in the Soul Hunting world, Blood Rose had seen more than her share of such ploys. She quickly realized that today's conflict might just be a trap set by Violent Tiger. But she wasn't about to interfere—she didn't run a nursery, and they were all just patrons anyway.

Relieved at her lack of interference, Violent Tiger let out a sigh. After all, using Blood Rose as a cover for his scheme was risky. If she'd decided to get involved, she'd not only have stopped the conflict but probably given him a fierce scolding.

"Heh, Shi Yue, Blood Rose says it's up to us. How about we make this arm-wrestling match a little more interesting? You game?"

Feeling reassured, Violent Tiger looked at Shi Yue with a mocking grin, his fists clenched and pounding together with a challenge glinting in his eyes.

"…"

Seeing the situation unfold, Shi Yue realized what was going on. The taunting from that skinny lackey earlier—it had all been premeditated!

Shi Yue narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning colder. Violent Tiger had clearly come prepared. But after a moment of thought, he broke into a grin. "Fine!"

At this point, with the whole tavern watching, backing down wasn't an option. If he did, the Savage Bear Soul Hunting Group's reputation would become a laughingstock in Evernight City. In the Soul Hunting world, there was no room for weakness, and honor was earned by strength, not excuses.

If Shi Yue backed down now, he'd never live it down.

While Violent Tiger's ambush gave him an upper hand, Shi Yue still had confidence in himself. After all, while both were at the Soul King level, he was at rank 55, two levels above Violent Tiger's rank 53.

"Great! That's the spirit, Shi Yue! I won't hold back, either." Violent Tiger laughed, taking off a bracelet and slamming it onto the table. "I'll wager my storage bracelet."

"Wow, Violent Tiger's serious. That's an eight-cubic storage bracelet, worth thousands of gold soul coins!" whispered a nearby patron, watching with surprise.

"What a hefty bet. Wonder if Shi Yue has anything of equal value. If not, this could end badly for him," another drinker muttered, shaking his head.

"A storage soul tool as a wager… That's pretty valuable."

Shi Yue furrowed his brows, clearly taken aback by the wager.

"What's the matter, Shi Yue? Don't tell me you're scared?" Violent Tiger sneered, crossing his arms.

"Scared? Hardly. I just don't have anything of equal worth on me. If you insist on a wager, pick something I do have," Shi Yue replied coldly.

"Fine, I will!" Violent Tiger grinned wickedly. "I heard you recently came into possession of a Seven-Colored Illusion Ginseng. Why not put that up as your wager?"

"How did you know about my Seven-Colored Illusion Ginseng?" Shi Yue's brows furrowed in suspicion.

The ginseng was a rare herb he'd obtained a few months prior, something he'd planned to keep for his breakthrough to the next level. He'd told no one about it, yet somehow, Violent Tiger had found out.

"Don't worry about how I know, Shi Yue. Just tell me—are you betting or not?" Violent Tiger's words were slow and deliberate, a mocking smile on his face.

"Bet!" Although he was wary, Shi Yue's confidence in his strength outweighed his hesitation, and he agreed without a second thought.

However, what Shi Yue didn't notice was the uneasy look on He Feng's face. It seemed that He Feng had suddenly realized something.

Damn, drinking can really mess things up!

…

With the wager settled, Shi Yue and Violent Tiger took their seats at a table, facing each other. The tavern staff stood by as official witnesses, ensuring that the contest remained fair.

Behind each of them, members of their respective Soul Hunting groups and loyal supporters cheered them on.

"Come on, Shi Yue! Crush that bald brute! I've hated him for ages!"

"Go, Violent Tiger! Show that big lug who's boss! How did he end up with such beautiful teammates, anyway? I'm so jealous!"

"Boss, you've got this!"

…

Both sides egged on their leaders, urging them to win at all costs. The tavern was alive with noise, and several patrons even started placing bets on who would win.

"Lin Ye, who do you think will win?" Xie Lin asked, watching Shi Yue and Violent Tiger roll up their sleeves, each revealing a thick, muscular arm.

"Do you want the truth or a comforting lie?" Lin Ye chuckled as he stroked Tangyuan in his hands.

"Wait… there's a difference?" Xie Lin blinked, while Su Ying looked equally puzzled.

Seeing their confusion, Lin Ye paused his petting of Tangyuan and explained, "Sister Xie Lin, since we're friends, of course, I'd want to say Shi Yue will win. That's my emotional answer. But rationally… Violent Tiger is clever. He went to all this trouble to set up Shi Yue, so I'd bet he's confident in his chances. If nothing unexpected happens, he'll probably win—or at least he has a backup plan."

Hearing this, Xie Lin's confidence wavered slightly, her expression becoming a bit more serious as she considered Lin Ye's point.

"That does make sense…"

"But Shi Yue's martial soul isn't any weaker than Violent Tiger's, and his soul power is two levels higher," Xie Lin murmured, still reluctant to believe it.

"It's only a two-level difference," Lin Ye replied. "There are plenty of ways to close that gap. Think about it—Violent Tiger arrived after us and immediately started trouble. What if he visited an auxiliary-type Soul Master beforehand to receive some kind of buff?"

Lin Ye's words made Xie Lin pause, realization dawning as she looked at the confrontation unfolding before her.

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