Great Dao Lord through Deducing Myriad Arts

Chapter 267: Chapter 224: 90% Certainty, Placing Bets

"Good. In three days, I will be waiting for him outside Dingyuan Gate. I hope your master doesn’t fail to show!"

With that, Wu Liangchen picked up his bundle and left.

Chen Sujin hurriedly followed him.

The crowd parted automatically, their gazes a mixture of adoration and awe as they watched Wu Liangchen depart.

Once Wu Liangchen was gone, the three didn’t linger, turning and entering the Broken Sword Sect.

As soon as the gates shut, the crowd of onlookers erupted into a frenzy.

"Did you hear? In three days, Wu Liangchen is going to wait for Gu Yi outside Dingyuan Gate. It looks like this is the real deal!" someone shouted, their face flush with excitement.

"I wonder who’ll win this fight. I’ll have to get there early to grab a good spot," another person said, already strategizing how to get the best view.

"Tsk, now things are getting interesting. This is probably going to be the biggest event in the Imperial Capital’s martial world in over a decade," someone else exclaimed.

Upstairs, Jiang Feng looked thoughtful, then suddenly said to Xu Kai, "Let’s go, brother-in-law. There’s nothing more to see here."

With that, he went straight downstairs and returned home with Xu Kai.

By the time they arrived at the Xu family’s home, Wu Liangchen was already back, as was Chen Sujin.

She wasn’t idle, however; she had taken it upon herself to start doing chores.

Xu Kai’s wife, Jiang Xiu, watched Chen Sujin cleaning, completely at a loss.

’What in the world is going on?’ She had no idea why a beautiful young woman had suddenly appeared and started doing chores of her own volition.

So when she saw her younger brother Jiang Feng and Xu Kai return, it was as if she’d seen her saviors. She let out a long sigh of relief and hurried over to them.

"Husband, where were you last night? You didn’t come home at all."

"Er... I..." Xu Kai stammered, looking guilty and unsure how to explain.

"He was at my place," Jiang Feng interjected, covering for Xu Kai. "We had a few drinks, and he just slept over."

"Oh, so that’s what happened!" Jiang Xiu accepted his explanation without a hint of suspicion.

Xu Kai shot Jiang Feng a grateful look.

Jiang Feng gave a slight smile, then stole a glance at Wu Liangchen, who was sitting in the distance sipping tea. Gritting his teeth, he mustered his courage and walked over.

"Master Wu!" Jiang Feng called out.

Wu Liangchen raised his eyes to look at him.

A sudden, inexplicable panic gripped Jiang Feng, and he hastily began to explain.

"Master Wu, I don’t mean to overstep, but I just wanted to tell you... Gu Yi definitely has his reasons for choosing the location outside Dingyuan Gate."

"What kind of plan?" Wu Liangchen asked.

"Dingyuan Gate is in the southeast corner of the Imperial Capital. It was once used to transport troops and military supplies, but it’s been abandoned for many years."

"However, the old parade ground in front of the gate remains. When it was built, the soil was scorched and compacted, so not even a blade of grass can grow there."

As a native of the Imperial Capital, Jiang Feng was naturally familiar with the city’s history and its tales.

"Now, after the heavy snowfall, it’s become a natural skating rink, and many people have been going there for fun."

Wu Liangchen didn’t speak, listening quietly. He knew Jiang Feng wasn’t saying all this for no reason.

And he was right.

Just then, Jiang Feng’s tone shifted. "And from what I know, Gu Yi is a master of a superb Body Technique. His specialty is moving at high speed on slippery surfaces like that. He’s even developed a set of complementary sword techniques for it, and they are incredibly powerful."

"So, his choice of location outside Dingyuan Gate was clearly a calculated move. It allows him to maximize his strengths, giving him a complete terrain advantage."

After speaking, Jiang Feng stole a glance at Wu Liangchen’s expression, only to find it completely unchanged. He couldn’t help but feel a flicker of surprise.

’The whole reason I came back with my brother-in-law was because this occurred to me. I was worried Wu Liangchen would get complacent and underestimate his enemy, so I made a special trip to warn him.’

’But he’s acting completely unfazed.’

He couldn’t help but speak again. "Master Wu, I know you aren’t afraid of Gu Yi, but the man is powerful. More than that, he’s a sly old fox who has spent the better part of his life navigating the martial world. He’s crafty, treacherous, and I suspect he has some ulterior motive for even accepting this challenge. You must be on your guard."

Wu Liangchen smiled. "Thank you for the warning. I know what to do."

Only then did Jiang Feng breathe a sigh of relief. He nodded. "Good. In that case, I won’t disturb your rest, Master Wu."

He turned to leave, but Wu Liangchen stopped him.

"If you don’t mind, stay and have a simple dinner with us tonight."

Jiang Feng froze for a second, then nodded in delight. "I don’t mind, not at all! How could I possibly mind!"

They didn’t go out for dinner. With Wu Liangchen currently in the spotlight, he’d be easily recognized if he went out. It was better to have a quiet meal at home.

Fortunately, restaurants in the Imperial Capital offered delivery, so Wu Liangchen ordered a first-class banquet to be brought to the house.

Everyone took their seats, including Xu Kai and his wife, as well as Jiang Feng.

Even Chen Sujin, who hadn’t left, joined them for the meal.

At first, everyone was a bit reserved. After all, Wu Liangchen’s reputation was immense, and his presence was intimidating.

But after a few cups of wine, and especially after discovering that Wu Liangchen wasn’t as fearsome as they’d imagined—but was instead witty and easygoing—everyone gradually began to relax.

During the banquet, Jiang Feng couldn’t resist asking, "Master Wu, how confident are you about this fight?"

Hearing his question, everyone at the table held their breath and pricked up their ears.

Chen Sujin, in particular, waited with a mixture of excitement and trepidation.

Wu Liangchen smiled and set down his chopsticks.

"If I told you I was ninety percent sure I’ll win, would you believe me?"

Chen Sujin’s face lit up with joy, and she felt a great weight lift from her heart.

Jiang Feng, however, looked skeptical, though he didn’t dare press the issue.

After dinner, Jiang Feng hurried home and gave his father, Jiang Minghai, a detailed account of the day’s events, paying special attention to Wu Liangchen’s every word and action at the banquet.

Jiang Minghai listened as he slowly chewed on salt-roasted black soybeans.

Despite his age, his teeth were strong enough to make a young man envious.

After finishing a handful with a CRUNCH, CRUNCH, he picked up a tiny wine cup and downed its contents in a single gulp.

His old face puckered, a mixture of pain and pleasure as he savored the flavor of the potent liquor.

By the time his son Jiang Feng finished his story, Jiang Minghai was leaning back leisurely in his chair. He let out a long breath. "You don’t understand how that Wu Liangchen can be so confident, do you?"

"I don’t," Jiang Feng admitted. "Gu Yi has been famous for years. Even if he’s been resting on his laurels, he can’t be that easy to defeat, can he?"

He truly couldn’t understand the source of Wu Liangchen’s powerful confidence.

But Jiang Minghai just chuckled.

"Ah, you. You may be in your forties, but you still have a lot to learn about people."

"There’s a reason Wu Liangchen said what he did, and it has everything to do with what you told him about Dingyuan Gate."

"Gu Yi has spent his whole life scheming. He even handpicked the location for this duel. But that doesn’t mean he’ll have the upper hand. On the contrary, it proves one thing."

"It proves that he’s scared."

At this, Jiang Minghai narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice, "When Martial Artists fight, especially at their level, the most important thing isn’t some external factor. It’s their inner edge, their fighting spirit."

"Wu Liangchen has seen this, and that’s why he’s so confident."

"And I take back what I said before. I thought he had been training for too short a time, that no matter how talented, he couldn’t possibly have reached the rank of Grandmaster so quickly. But now... now I think it might just be possible."

Jiang Feng was stunned to hear his father’s praise for Wu Liangchen.

After all, he had heard his father pass judgment on countless people over the years. No matter their status or background, a few simple words of analysis from his father would lay their character bare. And crucially, in all these years, he had never been wrong.

’Could it be? Has he really taken that step?’

The thought flashed through Jiang Feng’s mind, making the hairs on his body stand on end.

’That’s just too unbelievable!’

As he was marveling to himself, Jiang Minghai suddenly asked, "Are there any betting pools open for this big fight in three days?"

"I haven’t checked, but there are bound to be."

The people of the Imperial Capital loved to gamble, and the city was packed with gambling dens.

The key was that they didn’t just place ordinary bets; they would wager on absolutely anything.

People had been known to lose their entire fortunes betting on whether the next person to walk down the street would be a man or a woman.

To say nothing of a spectacle like this.

"Good. Go and take out all of the family’s liquid assets, pick a few of the larger gambling houses, and bet it all on Wu Liangchen to win!" Jiang Minghai commanded.

"What? Isn’t that a bit... much?" Jiang Feng said hesitantly.

"What the hell do you know? This is a golden opportunity to get rich staring us in the face! If we don’t seize it and make a killing, when will we?" Jiang Minghai said, his eyes flashing with the ruthlessness of an old veteran.

"Alright, I’ll go do it right now!"

Jiang Feng moved quickly. He immediately gathered the family’s liquid assets and, following his father’s instructions, chose several large, reputable gambling dens and began placing his bets.

It wasn’t until he started placing the bets that Jiang Feng realized just how massive the gambling craze had become.

It seemed like every gentleman in the Imperial Capital with money to spare had placed a bet; even some women had joined in.

People were tirelessly discussing the two fighters’ strengths and weaknesses, studying the betting odds, and rubbing their hands in anticipation of a big win.

The major gambling dens, for their part, weren’t about to miss this golden opportunity. They posted detailed information on both fighters, including their past records, and set the odds.

Overall, the odds slightly favored Gu Yi.

After all, he was a genuine Martial Arts Grandmaster. Wu Liangchen, despite his astonishing record, was still too new to the scene to be fully convincing.

But Jiang Feng paid that no mind, dumping all the money on Wu Liangchen to win.

And while the whole of Kyoto was in an uproar over the affair, Wu Liangchen, the man at the center of the storm, wasn’t the least bit nervous.