Lu Zheng stealthily followed all the way, arriving at a large courtyard in the north of the city, where the plaque on the door read Wang Residence, and only then did he remember the owner of this household.
Old Master Wang, with land outside the city and shops in the south of the city, was also a famous wealthy household in Tonglin County. Lu Zheng had encountered him twice while listening to storytelling at Le Ping Tower, and twice more while strolling through the streets in the south of the city.
They were mere nodding acquaintances, with no real friendship, and he had not expected him to have a hobby of cockfighting as well.
There, Li Lao Si was seen cradling the large rooster, nodding and bowing obsequiously as he followed two servants into the side courtyard, where Old Master Wang was sitting in the courtyard, flanked by several attendants standing by, with three chicken cages placed at his feet.
“I hear that your Red Heaven General has already won three fights in a row on the streets?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Li Lao Si nodded repeatedly.
“Do you know the rules?” Old Master Wang said indifferently.
“I know! I know! Fight against one of your fighting cocks; win ten strings of cash, lose three.” Li Lao Si’s eyes were practically gleaming.
“Strictly speaking, the wild street-style cockfights of yours, I would not even glance at them; only a few that can emerge victorious might catch my eye, but once they enter my courtyard, they win less often than they lose. If not for the novelty, I would not even look at them.” Old Master Wang spoke while twirling two jade balls in his hand.
“I hear your fighting cock can fight three rounds in a row; I have also prepared three fighting cocks on my side. If you can win all of them, then that would be…”
“Thirty strings of cash!” Li Lao Si interjected, his eyes turning red.
“Correct.” Old Master Wang nodded. “Well then, shall we fight?”
It must be known that cockfighting is also a contest from which there is no turning back; once a fighting cock loses, it is very likely to die or be crippled. Li Lao Si’s rooster was clearly a street bully; if it could continue to dominate the streets, it might not be impossible to save up thirty strings of cash without taking this risk here.
Upon hearing this, Li Lao Si nodded vigorously without the slightest hesitation. “Fight!”
Old Master Wang smiled indifferently. “Come, release the Azure Peak Captain.”
“Yes!”
The first attendant on the left immediately opened the cage at his feet and released a large rooster covered entirely in azure feathers, strutting forth with a majestic and aggressive air.
“This is my Azure Peak Captain, which can rank in the top twenty even in my cock farm. Let us first test the mettle of your Red Heaven General.”
“Just watch!” Li Lao Si tossed the large rooster from his hands. “Go!”
The large rooster flapped its wings and landed smoothly on the open ground ahead, then spread its wings, raised its head high, and stared at the Azure Peak Captain opposite, swaying its neck in a provocative manner.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
The Azure Peak Captain opposite showed no weakness whatsoever, its two chicken claws alternating as it beat its wings, charging swiftly into the arena, its long beak thrusting forward to peck viciously at the large rooster.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
In the next moment, the two large roosters clashed together, coming and going at each other with ferocious intensity, feathers flying everywhere in the air.
However…
Ninety-eight percent of the feathers belonged to that Azure Peak Captain.
The Azure Peak Captain could not keep up with the rhythm of Red Heaven General’s movements at all; from the very start, it fell into a disadvantage, struggling even with defensive counterattacks. Though it was bold and fierce in combat, it had no effect.
After a few rounds, its body was already covered in blood, its downy feathers scattered everywhere, and its strength waning.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
Struggling to break free from Red Heaven General’s attack range, the Azure Peak Captain lay flat on the ground, folded its wings, pressed its head to the earth, and signalled surrender.
“Won!” Li Lao Si was so excited he nearly jumped up; ten strings of cash were in hand!
Old Master Wang’s eyes also flashed, and he nodded. “Let Hundred Flowers General take the field.”
One servant entered the arena, picked up the defeated Azure Peak Captain, shut it back in the cage, and released another large rooster with colourful feathers from the next cage.
This Hundred Flowers General raised its head proudly, its gaze sharp, striding with agile steps towards the Red Heaven General opposite.
Compared to the impulsive and rash Azure Peak Captain from before, Hundred Flowers General was clearly much more steady. But steadiness was of no use; although it held out a moment longer than Azure Peak Captain, it was still suppressed by Red Heaven General, pecked hard several times on the head, and in the end, it too surrendered obediently.
“Well fought!”
Without needing Li Lao Si to boast himself, the aged eyes that Old Master Wang cast upon the large rooster were already shining brightly. “Good, I never expected a general to emerge from among the wild cocks. Let the Red-Crested Grand Marshal out!”
The final fighting cock emerged from its cage, and aside from Old Master Wang’s side, even Li Lao Si, who knew how formidable his own fighting cock was, drew in a sharp breath.
Its height was a full third taller than an ordinary fighting cock, and its body was a circle fatter and larger, yet from the moment it emerged from the cage to its gait in walking, it was incredibly nimble, with no trace of clumsiness whatsoever.
The large rooster, on the other hand, felt nothing at all, merely lifting a wing to peck at its underarm and smooth its feathers.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
The Red-Crested Grand Marshal crowed once, then charged towards Red Heaven General like a mountain collapsing.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
The large rooster showed no sign of yielding, meeting it head-on.
Though the large rooster had awakened its intelligence, its body had not undergone any qualitative change, and at the beginning, it was actually suppressed by this exceptionally majestic Red-Crested Grand Marshal, with neither strength nor speed holding the advantage.
However, after all, there was already a faint trace of demonic power within its body, so its endurance was clearly a cut above that of ordinary fighting cocks. After the Red-Crested Grand Marshal’s initial surge of energy waned in the second assault and exhausted in the third, the large rooster mounted a powerful counterattack, eventually pecking at the other until it dodged everywhere, and finally it lay flat in surrender.
“Won!” Li Lao Si pumped his fist.
Old Master Wang’s expression remained unchanged, but a flash passed through his eyes, and his breathing grew a touch heavier.
“Good! What a fine fighting cock! This cock is majestic and robust, brimming with yang energy; it truly is…”
Catching his breath, Old Master Wang said in a calm tone, “Li Lao Si, your fighting cock is indeed exceptional. Will you sell it?”
A glint flashed in Li Lao Si’s eyes; it had come.
“Well, this fighting cock is Old Four’s bread and butter; all my future food, clothing, and expenses depend on it…”
“But in the county, aside from me, there is no one with enough money for you to win from. If you go to other county towns, are you not afraid of being fleeced clean?” Old Master Wang tempted. “I will offer another fifty strings of cash to buy this fighting cock of yours.”
Li Lao Si’s eyes turned. “One hundred strings of cash!”
…
After a bout of haggling, Li Lao Si sold the large rooster for eighty strings of cash, and together with the thirty he had won before, he pocketed a total of one hundred and ten strings of cash in banknotes, departing in a state of utmost excitement.
Once Li Lao Si had left, Old Master Wang waved his hand to dismiss all the servants, leaving only one old servant who stepped forward and seized the large rooster.
Old Master Wang nodded to him. “You know what to do, right?”
“I know!”
Old Master Wang waved his hand. “Go on then.”
The old servant bowed slightly and then took the large rooster away.
Lu Zheng, hidden to the side, watched the entire spectacle and found it greatly amusing. He thought that next would be the story of the large rooster sneaking away at night, meeting up with Li Lao Si at dawn the next morning outside the city, and heading to other county towns to continue cockfighting and winning money.
With this large rooster’s abilities, unlocking the latch on the chicken cage would be a piece of cake, would it not?
Shaking his head, the show was over, and Lu Zheng had no intention of reminding Old Master Wang; after all, the man was earning money through his own skills. If you could not tell that the large rooster was a demon, that was simply a failure of your own discernment.
Thus, Lu Zheng prepared to leave while still invisible.
However, before he could move, he saw the old servant who had just left hurrying back already.
The servant’s face bore a somewhat uneasy expression, and in his hands he carried a wooden tray, upon which sat a pottery bowl filled to the brim with a full bowl of red liquid, the scent of blood thick and overpowering.
Coming before Old Master Wang, the old servant replied in a low voice, “Master, that Red Heaven General has already been slaughtered in the back kitchen. This is its blood.”
Lu Zheng: ||
