Chapter 16: Ximen Wandai! Time to Reel in the Net...

At that point, the guard came forward to put his head close to the young master's ear and whispered.

The young master blinked, raised his head to look at Yun Yang, and let out a smile, "Well, well, looks like we have a notable character in our midst. Young Master Yun, a pleasure to meet your acquaintance."

Yun Yang surprise was unfeigned, "Eh?"

The man in blue retained his knowing look as he spoke, "Heaven Marquis Xiaoyao's young master, a famed name in Tiantang City... Since Young Master Yun's reputation is of such stellar quality, I need not worry about the stake of this bet."

Yun Yang stared at him. "You made inquiries about me?"

"Let's not call it an inquiry; success is all about knowing your enemy." The man in blue continued, "I wonder what the young master of Marquis Yun would use as a bet?"

Yun Yang frowned, and for the first time, seemed hesitant.

The man in blue smirked, "Since Young Master Yun has suggested the wagers... are you not able to suggest the stakes?"

Yun Yang spoke with caution, "Perhaps we could throw in our money..."

The other party laughed mockingly, "Young master, we are both practitioners from the world of martial arts; what joy does gold and silver hold for us? Please, choose something else."

The other two young masters beside him laughed in amusement as well; the young master in blue had scored a point in this bout. It was always amusing to see him back his opponent into a corner and force him or her to submit. Obviously, it was happening right now to this young master of Tiantang City.

Yun Yang pretended to hesitate and summoned up an air of false bravado, "If I were to announce my bet which would be of a sizeable sum, it might upset some of those present here... Perhaps we should just let this go?"

At this juncture, the young master in blue was not about to let anything go; after all, who lets go of a giant fish that he has gutted? His face grew upset and his voice turned cold, "Does Young Master Yun look down on my capabilities? Were you not the one who asked to place this bet? Will you also be the one to back out of it? Even if Young Master Yun is an influential figure in the Empire of Yutang, you have no right to manipulate people like this."

His eyes narrowed with malice, and he said slowly and distinctly, "Besides... I, Ximen Wandai, am not someone Young Master Yun can make a fool of."

Ximen Wandai.

Finally, he had revealed his own name. Yun Yang nodded, nonchalant about the revelation. "So it's Young Master Ximen. Is Young Master Ximen still adamant on betting?"

Inwardly, he was pleasantly stunned. One of the top eight influential families bore the name Ximen. Could this Ximen Wandai be from that family?

As Yun Yang was pondering upon this, Ximen Wandai answered with a sneer, "It's too late to walk away now, even if you wanted to!" How could he loosen his grip when Yun Yang was already half dead in his hands?

Ximen Wandai could not help but feel pleased with himself for his sheer brilliance. Initially, he had been the one at fault, the boorish lord who had caused a ruckus just as the other party had been about to make a legitimate purchase. As the events unfolded, however, he realized that he was adroit enough to turn the escalating situation in his favor, and reap a significant amount of profit in the process.

Waving his hands mockingly, he cried out, "Could it be that Young Master Yun is unable to finance his part of the wager?" The insinuation hung clearly in the air. "You threw the gauntlet, and I accepted. Are you going to turn your tail and flee?"

Yun Yang's face flushed an angry red as he retorted, "Who are you accusing of being unable to afford the bet? Name your stakes, and I'll do one better!"

"Now, you've walked right into my trap!" Ximen Wandai was thrilled, and using Yun Yang's own words against him, he said, "I can bet a seventh grade mystical pill, a hundred mystical stones, and the treasured saber, Phoenix's Cry. The saber is one of the Seven Swords and Three Sabers forged by the Greatest Weaponsmith Ou Hunzi a millennia ago... Now, I would like to hear what Young Master Yun has to offer to match these stakes!"

A murmur of awe rippled across the bystanders who had gathered to listen to the drama that was unfolding in front of the shop.

If one were to pay with gold for a mystical pill from a seventh grade mystical beast, one would easily need to pony up easily a million units, it was that priceless! Mystical stones, on the other hand, were practically reservoirs of power for mystical cultivation; the amount of energy contained within a mystical stone could be absorbed over a span of three days, and yield the same result as a year of closed door cultivation!

Ou Hunzi's Seven Swords and Three Sabers were also globally renowned weapons. One of them, the treasured sword Merak1, was a national treasure of the Empire of Dongxuan - the value of these master-forged items were unfathomable! Most individuals would never even see any of these legendary weapons in their lifetime.

What could Yun Yang possibly use as part of his wager? Somewhat astonished by how high the stakes had gone, Yun Yang couldn't help but think to himself that this was a total windfall! Triumphantly, he decided to jump in with wild abandon.

Ximen Wandai was extremely pleased with his own cleverness, and mistook Yun Yang's hesitation for worry.

"What does Young Master Yun think?" His tone was casual and light, "It would be fine by me if Young Master Yun were to hedge any of these with similar items as well."

Yun Yang took a deep breath, and shook his head, "These are not sufficient."

Ximen Wandai and his two friends were dumbfounded. Insufficient? What gem could you possibly bring to the table as a mere marquis' son in this secular country?

Yun Yang looked hesitant before he answered, "I shall match your stakes with a ninth level mystical beast's offspring. Its singular value is beyond all the treasures you have proposed, combined!"

A ninth level mystical beast's offspring! Even Ximen Wandai recoiled with shock..

Whether it was wandering in the wild or ensconced in human society, these legendary ninth level mystical beasts would at the top of the pecking order, the cream of the cream!

"You... own an offspring of a ninth level mystical beast?" Ximen Wandai's voice shook slightly in amazement. His eyes shone feverishly with barely contained greed.

"But of course!" Yun Yang managed to sound regretful, "If you dare not bet, however..."

"I'll bet!" Ximen Wandai cut him off abruptly, his avarice getting the better of him. "Where is your ninth level mystical beast's offspring?" Even if it were the least gifted ninth level mystical beast, such a creature would not have gone undetected for long with human experts present.

Yun Yang was sorely tempted to laugh and say, "Why, right in front of you of course," while pointing at the kittens.

These poor critters had somehow fallen from high places to this mean estate, and were weakened severely in the process. Their guardians had placed seals on their bodies before they arrived, effectively hiding their true nature.

"When they come to me, I will restore them to their rightful glory within a night, to the invaluable ninth level mystical beast's offspring that they truly are."

"We will only bet if Young Master Ximen trusts me," Yun Yang said vaguely. "As I do not make a practice of carrying around the offspring of ninth level mystical beasts in my pocket, it is not with me. However, there is one when I say there is one."

He lifted his head in a knowing smile. "In any case, I wouldn't be able to escape the wrath of the Ximen family if I were to be caught lying."

Ximen Wandai's eyes brightened with cold certainty. "Then it is a good thing that you are aware of that!" He believed Yun Yang's words but it was now his turn to be worried. What would be on par value with a young ninth level mystical beast? It was obvious that the seventh grade mystical pill, a hundred mystical stones and a saber were extremely lacking now.

Yes, these items could allow one to improve immensely but that was about it - insignificant treasure in comparison to a ninth level mystical beast! His very own Ximen family had only become one of the top eight most influential families because their ancestor had the great fortune of owning an eighth level pinnacle mystical beast as a combat partner. It was the foundation of Ximen family's meteoric rise to power, and was nearing 1,500 years of age!

That being said, an eighth level pinnacle mystical beasts could not compare to this ninth level mystical creature, even if it is an infant.

This was how the classes worked; the laws of nature could not be changed. If he were to get his hands on a young ninth level mystical beast, not only would his position in the family be sealed, the entire Ximen family would also leapfrog towards being the chief of the top eight families and their capabilities would increase tenfold!

Ximen Wandai's mind was awash with possibilities. The two young masters beside him, however, were shaken. How could they not know the importance of acquiring such a beast when they were of the same status?

If Ximen Wandai got his hands on the beast...

Their gaze towards Yun Yang turned menacing.

"I'll bet two seventh grade mystical pills!" Ximen Wandai cried, "Five hundred mystical stones, thirty mystical crystals, the Phoenix's Cry of the Seven Swords and Three Sabers and... an eternal promise to guarantee the safety and continuity of the Yun family! Should I win or lose, I swear by the Heavens and Earth that this will be done!"

He had doubled the mystical pills, quadrupled the mystical stones, and thrown in an additional thirty mystical crystals; a mystical crystal's value was worth that of a hundred mystical stones!

Young Master Ximen Wandai had truly given his all. However, even Ji Ling who was hiding in the dark was impressed with what he had said. This young master was not without brains after all.

Yun Yang had inadvertently exposed his ninth level mystical beast under Ximen Wandai's goading, so the next issue in line would obviously be safety. Like Ximen Wandai had said, nothing could compare to the value of such a beast, thus adding the promise to guarantee the Yun family's safety was the perfect touch to sweeten the deal. Despite his all-encompassing greed, Ximen Wandai was still sharp enough to think a few steps ahead in the game.

Ji Ling sighed. "It's still hopeless for you though. The more you bet, the more Yun Yang gets to bring home."

It was just that, where would Yun Yang get this ninth level mystical beast?

Ji Ling was certain that Yun Yang could breathe easy now.

Indeed, Yun Yang took in a deep breath and his face beamed in triumph.

"Deal!"

He had put at stake a prize that was impossible to resist. In addition to convincing his opponent to throw in an inordinate amount of priceless treasures as part of the wager, he had also secured the means to attain his additional goals.

He had cast the net, it was now time to reel it in...

Translator's Note:

1 Merak (天璇 tiān xuán) : a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Major; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_Ursae_Majoris