BXBX NOVEL Chapter 1344: Shocking Bet
“We just happened to meet in the human world. We can be considered friends,” Yu Yanluo replied in a manner that was neither servile nor overbearing.
Shang Liuyu smiled and said, “The Medusa Queen is loyal to your friends, as expected. You are willing to admit that he is your friend even in this kind of situation; truly a model for our generation.”
She was worried that the others would make things difficult for Yu Yanluo, so she took the chance to speak out for her. At the same time, she also felt a bit of admiration. That guy Zu An hadn’t decided to trust the wrong person.
Hu Yong roared with laughter, saying, “Indeed, our fiend races value righteousness the most. I really admire the Medusa Queen’s courage.”
The Little Golden Peng King nodded and said, “In the army, what we care about the most is to not sell out your comrades. Even though the Medusa Queen is a woman, you have the heroic spirit of a man from the army.”
Shi Min and the others had initially planned to use the situation as a pretext to make a fuss, but who would have thought that so many people would speak up to help Yu Yanluo? That made it so they couldn\'t make use of public outrage.
The Second Imperial Prince looked around with a smile that was not quite a smile on his face. This Medusa Queen’s relationships with people were pretty good. However, he didn’t really plan to get revenge for his brother, so he didn’t look too deeply into it. He remarked, “As that human did defeat the crown prince in a fair fight, our fiend races would not be so devoted as to get revenge over that matter. However, according to what the crown prince’s side has said, the assassination attempt in the palace might be related to that Zu An. So, if the Medusa Queen has any information, please report it. Otherwise, you might end up being caught up in suspicion too.”
“Thank you, Second Imperial Prince, for your reminder.” Yu Yanluo bowed, courteously expressing her thanks.
Just then, Hu Yong said, “I heard that the assassin managed to approach the crown prince without triggering any alarms, then almost instantly inflicted a serious injury. Then, he was able to escape after trading a blow with a grandmaster without being too affected, and he even managed to hide from the Fiend Emperor’s divine senses. The imperial palace’s Golden Crow Guards’ thorough search didn’t produce anything either. Is that Zu An really so strong?”
The others’ expressions changed a bit. After all, if they were in the same situation, they wouldn’t have been able to accomplish even a single one of those feats.
The Second Imperial Prince nodded and said, “That assassin was indeed a bit mysterious. However, the reason why he was able to seriously injure the crown prince was likely because the crown prince was ambushed.” Even though he was speaking up for the crown prince, there was a faint smile on his lips.
Everyone present was a strong cultivator, so they knew that being ambushed wasn’t an excuse. It simply meant one had been negligent. After all, in a real conflict, one’s enemy definitely wouldn’t fight honorably the way one might in an arena.
Then, the Little Golden Peng King looked at Yu Yanluo and said, “I will have to trouble the Medusa Queen to talk about your friend Zu An a bit more, to see why he is so formidable.”
Yu Yanluo had a strange expression because she knew that Zu An was actually right next to her. Zu An also felt a bit strange. This was the first time he had been in a group where everyone was actually talking about him.
Yu Yanluo replied, “He was not all that strong when I first met him. Back then, he had just started to cultivate, and he was even chased around by some ordinary bandits.” When she remembered how this guy had really overestimated himself and tried to save her outside of Brightmoon City, she couldn\'t help but smile.
The others were shocked. Shi Gong said with a sneer, “So the Medusa Queen already knew him for a while. I fear that the two of you aren’t just normal friends.”
“It wasn’t that long. It was just two or three years ago,” Yu Yanluo replied.
That statement left all the assembled cultivators truly surprised. Even the Second Imperial Prince couldn\'t help but stand up, asking, “So you are saying that he only started cultivating two or three years ago?”
“Yes. Previously, people all said that his aptitude was poor. That was why he only gained some opportunities and began to cultivate later in life,” Yu Yanluo explained. Even though she was downplaying the situation on the surface, however, a hint of pride appeared on her face.
When Yun Jianyue saw that, she cursed inwardly, “This woman is starting to learn from his bad example. She clearly wants to brag about her lover, and yet she’s acting as if she’s not.”
Yan Xuehen’s expression was also strange. Actually, Chuyan had told her about that story before, and she had acted the exact same way Yu Yanluo was acting right now. Sigh, he really is evil incarnate…
“To reach such a level of cultivation in just two to three years… Just how ridiculous is that guy’s talent?!” The fiend race cultivators were shocked. Even though the Second Imperial Prince and Little Golden Peng King believed themselves to be geniuses, compared to such speed, they might as well have been trash!
Shi Rong couldn\'t help but ask, “You’re exaggerating, right? How could an ordinary person reach his level in just two or three years?”
No one suspected he was only saying that because he bore animosity against the Snake race, because it really was too inconceivable.
Yu Yanluo said indifferently, “Princess Shang also knows him. You can ask her for confirmation.”
The others looked at Shang Liuyu. She said with a smile, “What the Medusa Queen said is correct. A few years ago, Zu An was indeed no different from an ordinary person. Back then, the only difference between him and a normal person was that he was truly daring.” Inwardly, she thought, I really don’t know where that guy got the confidence to ask me for a drink back then.
When they heard Shang Liuyu’s confirmation, no one felt any more suspicion. There were even some who began to feel downcast. “Does this mean that the rise of the human race is inevitable? Even an ordinary person was actually able to reach such a ridiculous level in just a few years!”
Princess Suolun’s eyes flickered with brilliance. She recalled Zu An’s strength in Lord Sui’s Tomb. She hadn’t expected him to have only cultivated for two to three years! His talent was probably on a never-before-seen scale, right?
The Second Imperial Prince said with a harrumph, “In my opinion, that might not be the case. It might have been some old monster who possessed his body, or perhaps some older figure offered him a lifetime of cultivation. Otherwise, it would be impossible no matter how much of a genius he is. His cultivation has indeed increased quickly, but his upper limits are already set. He is likely destined to never become anyone great.”
“What the Second Imperial Prince said is correct. That is indeed most likely the case.” The others all nodded. That was the most likely possibility.
Yu Yanluo harrumphed inwardly. Would she really not know if Zu An had been some old monster? Let alone Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen, who were both grandmasters. Even an earth immortal had personally inspected Zu An. If there were a problem, he would have long since been discovered. Of course, she wasn’t in the mood to argue about that. Otherwise, it could just end up bringing Zu An even more unwanted attention.
“Let us not talk about someone else anymore. Were you not all going to do some rock betting? Why not help us expand our horizons? I have longed for many of the sealed stones here, but unfortunately, I have never had any confidence in opening them. Today will be a good chance to borrow your insight to see what kind of treasures are inside,” the Second Imperial Prince said with a smile.
The Little Golden Peng King also smiled and added, “This is an excellent suggestion. Even I am unwilling to open up many of the stones on this floor. This is a great chance for me to observe the results for myself.”
Hu Yong looked at Shi Min and said, “I know you’re scheming against the Snake race, but you’d best take care not to end up screwing yourselves over.”
Shi Min said with a snort, “That is none of your business. Rock betting is something that cannot be falsified to begin with, so what schemes can there even be?”
The Second Imperial Prince nodded and said, “Indeed. Not even those with higher cultivation can tell what is inside these rocks. It completely depends on one’s own experiences and eyesight. However, since we are talking about betting, we have to raise some stakes to make it interesting.”
Shi Min thought to himself, That’s exactly what I had in mind. He asked with a smile, “May I ask what the Second Imperial Prince feels is a suitable bet?”
The Second Imperial Prince remained silent for a moment, and then said, “In my opinion, this should be fine. We can use the value of the opened rocks as the standard, with the more precious result winning. The losing side will have to hand everything they opened to the other party, and they will also have to pay ten thousand heaven-grade ki stones. What do you think?”
Hu Yong’s expression grew grave. Why do I feel as if everything the Second Imperial Prince is doing is partial to Shi Min? Could it be that the Lion race and the Second Imperial Prince already established some kind of relationship I didn’t know about?
Princess Suolun’s expression changed. She also felt that the Second Imperial Prince was being a bit biased. Did the Snake race offend the Second Imperial Prince somehow?
However, the Second Imperial Prince and the crown prince didn’t get along; that was something all of the upper levels of the various clans knew. There was no way he would really do anything to help the crown prince.
Only Shang Liuyu seemed relaxed, seemingly not worried in the slightest.
Shi Min was extremely happy about the turn of events. He hadn’t known what to say before, but now that the Second Imperial Prince had spoken, it saved him quite a bit of effort. He replied, “That is naturally not a problem on our side, but I do not know if the Medusa Queen will dare to make this bet with us.”
Yu Yanluo frowned slightly. Zu An said, “Your clumsy psychological attack is meaningless. The reason why our clan leader is hesitating is because the stakes are a bit small. How about this? A hundred thousand heaven-grade ki stones. If you all dare, bring that amount out.”
Yu Yanluo was incredibly shocked, but she chose to trust Zu An. She calmly nodded and said, “Indeed. It now depends on what the Lion race thinks.”
The others’ expressions changed when they heard that.