After listening, Bao Hu began to size up Chen Ping, Xiu Rui, and Hu Mazi, as the three were the only strangers to him.
Clearly, Bai Yi’s son-in-law must be among these three.
“Which one of these three is it?” Bao Hu asked.
Bai Yi pointed at Chen Ping, “This one is…”
Bao Hu was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, “Old Bai, your son-in-law is only at the first rank of the Immortal Realm, and he looks frail as anything. What’s there to be proud of?”
“Don’t judge a book by its cover. My son-in-law may be slim, but he’s all muscle.”
“Are you saying you dare to compete or not?”
Bai Yi snorted coldly.
“Dare? Why wouldn’t I dare? I could pull anyone out and they’d beat your son-in-law to a pulp,” Bao Hu sneered. To him, Chen Ping’s slight frame could be swatted away with a single slap.
“Fine, as long as you’re willing to compete,” Bai Yi said, turning to Chen Ping, “Son-in-law, you’re good, right?”
“Father-in-law, I’m fine. Let’s see who can beat me to a pulp,” Chen Ping nodded confidently.
“Good!” Bai Yi nodded back.
The group then moved to an arena, where Bao Hu said, “Old Bai, same old rules: one match, ten thousand immortal coins. If you don’t have enough coins, you’ll need to make up for it with resources.”
“No problem!” Bai Yi nodded.
Chen Ping’s eyes widened upon hearing that a single match cost ten thousand immortal coins, feeling the pressure mount. Official arenas charged only a hundred immortal coins, with ten matches yielding just a thousand. Five hundred coins could buy two women outright. Yet here in the black market, the starting bet was ten thousand.
“Father-in-law, isn’t this… isn’t this bet a bit too high?” Chen Ping whispered.
“High, my foot! Bao Hu has won far more than ten thousand coins from me. You need to win a few matches so I can recoup my losses,” Bai Yi replied, “Ideally, you’ll be unbeatable and win this entire black market, bankrupting this punk.”
Bai Yi had high hopes for Chen Ping.
“I’ll do my best,” Chen Ping said, exasperated.
“Old Bai, stop dawdling and get your son-in-law on the stage,” Bao Hu taunted, “But let me be clear: your son-in-law is so scrawny, if he gets slapped to death, don’t blame me.”
“We’ll see who dies,” Chen Ping retorted, leaping onto a platform.
Bao Hu turned to a towering figure beside him, “Little Tiger, you go up. Don’t hold back. Win those ten thousand coins, and I’ll share some with you.”
“Thank you, boss,” Little Tiger said, grinning, and jumped onto the platform.
Chen Ping eyed Little Tiger, who stood over three metres tall with fists larger than Chen Ping’s head. This giant was called *Little* Tiger? Compared to him, Chen Ping looked painfully frail.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re holding a match with Linghu House. Those who want to place bets, come forward!” Bao Hu shouted, “No matter how much you bet, I’m sure Master Bai will cover it.”
The cultivators in the black market swarmed over. Upon seeing Chen Ping and Little Tiger in the arena, they burst into laughter.
“Master Bai, is Linghu House out of people? Why send such a scrawny guy up there?”
“Looks like Master Bai’s got money to burn. What’s the point of such a lopsided match?”
“I’m betting a thousand immortal coins on Bao Hu House, my entire fortune!”
“I’m betting too, I’m betting…”
The crowd went wild, betting everything on Bao Hu House. With such a sure win, who wouldn’t want to make a profit?
“Master…” Nuo Qing whispered to Bai Yi, “The bets are piling up. We might not be able to cover them.”
“No worries, I trust my son-in-law,” Bai Yi said calmly, a smug smile playing on his lips.
