77: Chapter 77 A bet's a bet; is this money too hot to handle?

"Gulp..." I don't know who was the first to swallow, but the slight sound in the dead-silent Martial Arts Arena was like a thunderclap on a clear day, jolting everyone from their stupor.

"D-dead? Zhang Zhongjiu, at the Peak of the Ninth Rank... was killed in one strike?!"

"Am I seeing this right? That was an inch-thick blade of refined steel! It was pierced through, along with the man, by a single throwing knife? What kind of black magic is this?!"

"My God, the newcomer, Captain Qin, is simply a monster!"

The guards from District 666 erupted into cheers and shouts that seemed to overturn the sky.

Especially the members of the Ninth Squad; Chen Pingan was trembling violently with excitement, his eyes rimmed with red.

Lin Yuxi held her mouth tightly, preventing herself from sobbing aloud, but the overflowing tears had already washed away the shock and relief on her Face.

The great vengeance, it was finally avenged!

That arrogant Zhang Zhongjiu, who had hacked Captain Luo Kun to death, was now kneeling at Qin Feng's feet like a dead dog, his eyes wide open in death!

In stark contrast to the carnival in District 666, there was a deathly silence in District 665, as if they were mourning their parents.

The smugness and arrogance on Manager Zhang's Face had now completely stiffened and cracked.

His gaze was fixed on Zhang Zhongjiu's cooling corpse on the Life-and-Death Arena, his eyes bulging as if they were about to pop out, and the corners of his mouth twitched violently.

"How is this possible... This is absolutely impossible..."

Manager Zhang gritted his teeth, the veins on his forehead bulging like earthworms, and said, "Zhongjiu was at the Peak of the Ninth Rank, how could he be killed in one strike by an Eighth Rank piece of trash! Yang Liu, you cheated! This kid definitely hid his cultivation!"

"Cheating?"

Yang Liu stood up lazily from her grand armchair, still holding a cup of hot tea, her eyes filled with undisguised sarcasm and mockery as she looked at Manager Zhang.

"Manager Zhang, you really are regressing as you age. On the Life-and-Death Arena, everyone relies on their own abilities. What, are your people in District 665 allowed to act violently and kill, but my people in District 666 aren't allowed to fight back?"

Yang Liu giggled, a sound that pierced Manager Zhang's ears more sharply than a knife. She said slowly and methodically, "Rules are rules. You personally signed the life-and-death waiver for the arena. Now that you can't afford to lose, are you trying to renege in front of everyone?"

"You—!"

Manager Zhang was choked, unable to say a word.

Before the written rules of the Servant District, even a manager would not dare to openly break a contract; otherwise, if it were reported to the higher-ups, his career as a manager would be over.

"Fine, very fine! You win this time!"

Manager Zhang took several deep breaths, forcing himself to suppress the suffocating frustration in his chest that was making him want to vomit blood.

He then grimaced and ripped a bulging Storage Pouch from his waist, his heart bleeding.

Thirty thousand servant coins! This was the oil and water he had accumulated for over half a year. He had thought it was easy money, but who could have expected it to become a death warrant!

"Take it!"

Manager Zhang roared through gritted teeth, his arm exerting sudden force as he hurled the Storage Pouch fiercely in Yang Liu's direction.

The force was so great that it even produced a sharp whistling sound in the air!

However, Yang Liu didn't even lift an eyelid. Beside her, Steward Wang Taian snorted coldly, his fat hand reaching out seemingly casually, and he steadily caught the Storage Pouch before handing it to Yang Liu.

"Many thanks for Manager Zhang's generosity. If there are any more sure-win deals like this in the future, remember to come find me."

Yang Liu weighed the heavy Storage Pouch in her hand, her long, narrow peach-blossom eyes full of mockery.

"Let's go!"

Manager Zhang felt that if he stayed any longer, he would die of anger on the spot. He waved his large sleeve and, taking the people from District 665, didn't even bother to look at Zhang Zhongjiu's corpse as they slunk away from the Martial Arts Arena.

Watching them leave like stray dogs, District 666 erupted into another deafening burst of laughter.

Qin Feng walked off the Life-and-Death Arena with a calm expression, as if he had just casually swatted a fly.

He walked up to Yang Liu and cupped his hands slightly, "Madam, I have fulfilled the mission."

"Well done!"

Yang Liu looked at the man standing tall like a pine, radiating charm, the admiration in her beautiful eyes almost overflowing.

She had not only won Face but also the substance!

"Captain Qin, you really have made me look at you in a new light."

Yang Liu giggled, directly taking ten thousand servant coins from the Storage Pouch filled with thirty thousand, putting them into a small bag, and tossing it to Qin Feng.

She said, "Take it! This is your well-deserved reward. Work hard for me, and I guarantee you'll have the best of everything in the future!"

The surrounding guards saw this scene, and their breathing became heavy.

Ten thousand servant coins—how many people spend ten years working themselves to the bone and still can't save that much money!

"Many thanks for the reward, Madam."

Qin Feng accepted the money bag neither humbly nor arrogantly, his expression devoid of any wild joy or being flattered, as if ten thousand servant coins were nothing more than a pile of ordinary stones in his eyes.

Just then, Captain Zhang Yan, standing behind Yang Liu, stared at Qin Feng's back with eyes like a venomous snake.

Last night at the Chunfeng Restaurant, her younger brother, Vice Captain Zhang Hu, was seriously injured in public, and she wished she could slice Qin Feng into a thousand pieces.

She had originally counted on Zhang Zhongjiu to kill this little beast, but she hadn't expected the result to be so unexpected.

'What a fast, what a ruthless throwing knife...'

Captain Zhang Yan calculated in her heart, 'The little beast's strength has definitely touched the threshold of the Ninth Rank. However, no matter how fast the throwing knife is, as long as I am prepared in advance, with my cultivation at the Peak of the Ninth Rank, it shouldn't be much of a problem to kill him!'

As thoughts flickered through her mind, her eyes gradually became venomous, and she calculated secretly: 'It's just a pity that the Management Hall has ironclad rules; it absolutely forbids subordinates from engaging in private life-and-death duels within the managed area...'

'I must find a way to get him out of the Management Hall's jurisdiction... As long as he leaves here, killing him will be as simple as crushing an ant!'

Captain Zhang Yan's eyes rolled slightly, her peripheral vision catching Steward Wang Taian, who had the same greasy smile, and a vicious plan immediately formed in her heart.

"Chen Pingan."

Qin Feng ignored the complex gazes around him and turned to look at the members of the Ninth Squad, "Take the brothers and head back."

"Yes! Captain!"

The members of the Ninth Squad all held their heads high and chests out, like an invincible army returning from a victory, following Qin Feng in a grand procession toward their camp.

Night fell, and the cold wind howled outside the Ninth Squad's courtyard.

But inside the captain's private main room, it was warm as spring, with high-quality silver bone charcoal burning in the brazier, emitting a faint, delicate fragrance.

Qin Feng had just finished washing up, wearing a loose black sleep robe, leaning back in the grand armchair covered with soft animal fur, toying with the ten thousand servant coins he had just won today, his deep eyes flashing with the brilliance of calculation.

"Creak—"

The door was gently pushed open.

A breeze mixed with the scent of lilies wafted in.

Qin Feng looked up to see Lin Yuxi walking in gracefully, carrying an exquisite tray with a pot of warm wine and a few side dishes.