The Dragon

Millionaire’s Duel Over A Mysterious Stone

Gu Fuyou did some mental calculations. She had saved up about 800,000 spirit stones before, and adding the stones she got from selling medicinal pills at the Yinxue Pavilion, she had a total of 1,080,000.

Gu Fuyou cautiously proposed, “600,000?”

Yu Dongsheng countered, “700,000.”

“750,000.”

Yu Dongsheng shot her a glance and declared, “1,000,000.”

Gu Fuyou gritted her teeth and said, “1,050,000.”

Yu Dongsheng smirked, “1,100,000.”

Gu Fuyou sized up Yu Dongsheng again. In his right hand, he held a walking stick made of dead wood, with a crystal stone carved into a smiling old man’s head at the top. This suggested he held a high position in the Wanyao Pavilion. Judging by that crystal alone, he could certainly afford more than 1,100,000.

Gu Fuyou, not being as wealthy as him, stepped back to Zhong Michu’s side. She tilted her head and whispered in her ear, “Senior Sister Zhong, is that stone really worth this price?”

Zhong Michu simply nodded.

Boss Biao had never expected that this raw stone could fetch such a high price. He smiled until his facial muscles quivered, “Third Gu, do you want to raise the bid?”

Frowning, Gu Fuyou didn’t respond. Boss Biao, seeing that she might not have enough spirit stones on her, smiled and said, “Third Gu, you know the rules here of trading goods. If you’re short on cash, you can use other items to make up the difference in spirit stones. Well, I see you have a fine spirit beast beside you. It looks majestic and strong. If you’re willing to trade…”

Ah Fu stepped forward with its claws, its wolf eyes deep and menacing, its fangs gleaming white. It let out a low growl, sending a gust of foul wind that rattled the nearby signboards.

Boss Biao stepped back and laughed, “Third Gu’s spirit beast sure has a big temper, seems hard to tame, not easy to keep…”

Gu Fuyou glanced sideways at Ah Fu. Feeling her gaze, Ah Fu turned its head and met Gu Fuyou’s appraising look. It actually thought Gu Fuyou was displeased with its big appetite and disobedience, and was considering selling it.

Ah Fu raised its head, its muzzle brushing against Gu Fuyou’s chin, and began licking her face frantically, whimpering. If it could speak, it would surely be saying, “I’m very well-behaved.”

Boss Biao said, “Third Gu, if you’re not selling, then this stone will go to…”

Interrupted by Ah Fu’s antics, Gu Fuyou had a flash of inspiration. “Wait!” She grabbed Ah Fu by the scruff of its neck, pulled it away, and took something out of her storage bag. She handed it to Boss Biao and asked, “Boss Biao, how much do you think this is worth?”

Boss Biao’s eyes widened in recognition, “Ah! Dizang meat!”

This was the piece of Dizang meat that Gu Fuyou had plucked from the corner of Ah Fu’s mouth earlier. She hadn’t known how to deal with it properly, so she had kept it until now.

Boss Biao examined the Dizang meat carefully, then called a friend to watch his stall. Holding the flesh in one hand and the raw stone in the other, he said, “Please, follow me.”

Boss Biao led the group of three people and one beast to a building. Unlike the neighboring square buildings, this one was circular, with four floors, each adorned with glazed eaves.

Upon entering, many people were bustling about, and they walked straight to the central courtyard, where there was a spacious dueling platform with protective formations below and no cover above, revealing the blue and white sky.

Boss Biao led everyone to the top floor. Next to the grand entrance of the hall on this side hung a red flag with a golden border, with a ‘pawn’ character woven in gold.

Zhong Michu looked across to the other side and saw that each room opposite them, across the courtyard, also had a flag hanging, with the character for “gamble” on it.

As they entered, a servant in grey short robes immediately came to greet them. Many of the people coming and going here wore similar attire.

Walking beside Zhong Michu, Gu Fuyou explained to her, “These are all people from the merchant association. This side is the pawnshop, and the opposite side is the gambling house.”

As they approached the counter, an elderly man picked up the Dizang meat that Boss Biao had handed over. After studying it for a while, he put down his tools and said, “500,000 spirit stones.”

“What? Only 500,000? Even though this Dizang meat doesn’t look appealing, given its size, it should be at least seven hundred thousand!” Gu Fuyou exclaimed, rushing forward and leaning over the counter, almost as if she wanted to climb over and argue face-to-face with the old man.

The elderly man calmly explained, “Third Gu, if it were in the past, this piece of Dizang meat would be worth at least seven hundred thousand spirit stones. But now, the son of the Xu Ling Sect hunted a whole Dizang beast in Xian Luo, which has brought down the market price a lot. You know, the rarer something is, the more valuable.”

Cursing in her heart, Gu Fuyou thought, why is Zuo Tianlang everywhere?

“Fine, 500,000 it is,” she conceded. “Add that to the original 1,050,000. Boss Biao, that’s a total of 1,550,000 spirit stones for this raw stone.”

Zhong Michu and Ah Fu stood to the side. Although Zhong Michu wasn’t so out of touch with the mortal world that she didn’t know spirit stones were needed for purchases, her privileged upbringing meant she wasn’t sensitive to prices. She didn’t know what was considered expensive or cheap. She had no clear concept of what 1,550,000 spirit stones meant or what it could buy.

As a result, she couldn’t intervene in these matters and left everything to Gu Fuyou. She stroked Ah Fu’s head, quietly waiting with the beast as she watched Gu Fuyou negotiate with Boss Biao.

Yu Dongsheng interjected, “I’ll match that.”

It seemed there was no end to this.

However, Boss Biao’s demeanor changed from his usual money-loving attitude to a serious expression. “If both of you are so intent on this raw stone that you’ve raised the price by over a million, and neither is willing to back down, there are other rules we must follow.”

Yu Dongsheng looked at Gu Fuyou, smirking slightly, “Naturally.”

Gu Fuyou, looking distressed, turned to Zhong Michu, “Senior Sister Zhong…”

The rules of this market were arranged by the merchant association, including some unspoken ones. One such rule was designed to prevent artificially inflated prices.

Prices in the market are naturally set by the seller. The seller can decide if items go to the first buyer or to the highest bidder.

If it was the latter, and the bidding reached ten times the original price with neither party willing to back down, a different form of competition would be used.

The two parties would engage in a duel of magical arts, with the merchant association as the referee. The winner would obtain the item

This was, after all, the survival rule of this world – the strong devour the weak.

Gu Fuyou explained this to Zhong Michu. Now that she and Yu Dongsheng had driven the price of the raw stone over a million, it was no longer about who could pay more, but who was stronger. They either had to give up or duel Yu Dongsheng for the stone.

Boss Biao approached and said, “Third Gu, I see Master Yu is determined to win. He’s advanced to the later stages of the Golden Core. If the young city lord were here, it might be different, but as it stands, you alone can’t win against him in a duel… Why don’t you let your friend choose another raw stone? I’ll give you a half-price discount.”

Gu Fuyou wasn’t entirely certain about what was inside the raw stone, so she didn’t feel a strong need to obtain it. However, Zhong Michu wanted it, so she tried her best to get it for her.

But now, the situation had evolved beyond just paying with spirit stones.

A duel required cultivation. If the opponent’s cultivation level was lower, it wouldn’t be a problem, and Zhong Michu could handle it herself. But Yu Dongsheng was already at the late Golden Core stage. Even if Zhong Michu participated, winning would be extremely difficult.

Zhong Michu lowered her eyes slightly, remaining silent.

Zhong Michu was a person of few words and expressions, but after spending time with her, one would find that she was actually quite easy to understand, like now.

Seeing Zhong Michu’s expression, Gu Fuyou didn’t want to disappoint her. After pondering for a moment, an idea struck her. She pulled Zhong Michu aside and said, “Senior Sister Zhong, if you really want it, I have a plan. It can’t guarantee victory, but it could increase our chances of winning. However, it might put you in an uncomfortable position…”

Zhong Michu asked, “What’s the plan?”

Gu Fuyou leaned closer, whispering into her ear.

Being so close, Gu Fuyou’s fragrance was very strong, causing Zhong Michu to unconsciously hold her breath.

As they stood side by side, Zhong Michu’s gaze fell on Gu Fuyou’s shoulder, where she could see half of a mark peeking out from under her clothes. The faint traces still showed the shape of the wound – it was a bite mark…

Zhong Michu felt a moment of unease, like a child who had done something wrong and was afraid of being discovered by an elder, not knowing what to do.

She stepped back slightly and said, “Alright.”

Gu Fuyou hadn’t expected her to agree so readily. She was a bit taken aback and felt quite awkward. “Okay, then… then that’s the plan.”

Gu Fuyou turned to Boss Biao and said, “Boss Biao, I want that raw stone. I’m willing to duel for it.”

“This…” Boss Biao saw her determination and felt he couldn’t dissuade her. He sighed and said, “Very well.”

Boss Biao then led them to the gambling house. As the three waited outside, Boss Biao headed inside.

After a while, three servants came out carrying red-lacquered wooden trays, followed by a woman in red clothing.

This woman in red was to be the official witness of their duel. She approached gracefully and asked, “Which two esteemed guests will be dueling for the raw stone?”

Yu Dongsheng and Gu Fuyou stepped forward. The woman said, “Please sign the life-and-death agreement.”

On the three red-lacquered trays, one held the raw stone, while the other two contained writing materials and a life-and-death agreement.

This duel didn’t necessarily mean fighting to the death, but accidents could happen. Signing the agreement meant that whatever happened on the dueling platform, be it injury or death, would not be anyone else’s responsibility.

Gu Fuyou pulled Zhong Michu forward and said to the woman in red, “Sister, she needs to sign too.”

The woman in red smiled slightly and said, “Young lady, duels are one-on-one. There’s no precedent for three people entering the arena.”

Gu Fuyou asked Ah Fu to wait where it was, then led Zhong Michu towards the woman in red. She said, “We’d like to ask you to verify whether we can enter as a pair. However, this verification requires undressing. As we’re young women, it wouldn’t be appropriate in public. Could we move to a more private location?”

The woman in red looked puzzled for a moment, but then resumed her gentle smile and said elegantly, “If that’s the case, please follow me.”

She then turned to Yu Dongsheng and said, “Sir, please wait a moment.”

Yu Dongsheng frowned in displeasure but didn’t say anything, watching as the three women headed towards the inner hall.

The woman in red led the two to a room and asked, “May I know what kind of verification you need, young ladies?”

Gu Fuyou replied with a smile, “While the duel is one-on-one, summoning a spirit beast is allowed. She isn’t breaking the rules by joining because she’s my spirit beast. I feared you wouldn’t believe me, so I wanted you to verify it.”

Upon hearing this, the woman in red indeed looked surprised and puzzled. However, the merchant association’s service was known for its discretion – they never asked questions they shouldn’t or interfered in matters that weren’t their business.

So even though she had her doubts, she didn’t ask any more about it and only said, “If that’s the case, I’ll need to verify the beast mark.”

The woman in red opened the door and said, “Miss, please come in.”

Zhong Michu entered, and Gu Fuyou also wanted to follow. However, after receiving a glance from Zhong Michu, Gu Fuyou pursed her lips, stepping back and watching as the woman in red entered the room and closed the door.

When forming a contract with a spirit beast, there would always be a beast mark. Gu Fuyou had asked Zhong Michu beforehand and learned that she had one, which was why she dared to ask for this verification. Otherwise, no one would believe that Zhong Michu was her spirit beast.

Gu Fuyou wondered where on Zhong Michu’s body the beast mark was located. These marks usually took the shape of the spirit beast’s true form. Could Zhong Michu’s mark be in the shape of a graceful beauty?

Gu Fuyou was very curious and wanted to see it herself, but fearing it might upset Zhong Michu, she obediently waited outside.

After a while, the door opened, and the two women came out one after another.

Zhong Michu was adjusting her collar. The woman in red looked at Gu Fuyou with a respectful expression and said, “It is indeed a beast mark.”

The woman in red no longer had any doubts, but as a formality, she asked Gu Fuyou to perform the summoning formation for Zhong Michu once on the spot. Then she led the two back to the outer hall and announced to everyone, “Both can enter the arena. Please sign the life-and-death agreement.”

Yu Dongsheng protested, “How is this reasonable?”

The woman in red explained, “They have a master and contracted spirit beast relationship, so both can enter the arena.”

Yu Dongsheng sneered, “She’s clearly a human. Since when do humans become spirit beasts? Are you lying to my face?”

The woman in red smiled and said, “Please trust the merchant association’s verification. Or you can choose to forfeit the match. Naturally, the raw stone would then go to the other party.”

Yu Dongsheng’s eyes narrowed. After a moment, he snorted coldly, “Fine, two people it is.”

“One is in the mid-stage of the Golden Core, the other at the peak of Qi Practicing. Does it really make a difference if there’s one more or one less?”