Yingnan’s face turned grim as she said, “I will repay the debt after I complete this mission!”
Flower Snake sneered, “After the mission? Who knows when that will be? Moreover, you said the same thing the last two times. What was the result? You returned from the mission, not only without repaying, but owing even more. Miss Yingnan, with your success rate, if you were in my position, would you believe yourself capable of repaying the debt after completing a mission?”
Yingnan’s face grew uglier, and her right hand clenched into a fist, as if she was on the verge of striking.
But Flower Snake showed no fear. Instead, he leaned in, pointing at himself and said, “Hit! Hit hard! Hit here, hit to kill! Don’t hold back!”
With a bang, the ground beneath Yingnan cracked, a sign of her uncontrollable outflow of primal force. But facing the stubbornly shameless Flower Snake, she found herself unable to strike.
She took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling as she struggled to control her emotions. “What do you want?” she demanded.
Flower Snake made a grand gesture, saying, “That’s for the boss to decide. Follow me.”
Moments later, Yingnan and Qianye entered a grand mansion in the neighboring district.
The first-floor living room was lavishly decorated, with calligraphy and landscapes on the walls, and a row of heavy weapons hanging centrally. The three styles were incongruous together.
Suddenly, dozens of fierce men flooded into the hall, standing against the wall, their eyes glaring at Yingnan and Qiannan, their intimidating presence quite impressive. However, Qianye only glanced briefly at these mere first-level warriors and focused his attention on a screen to the left, depicting a beauty reclining on a lakeside rock.
When the arrangement in the hall was complete, a large, bare-chested man emerged from behind the screen.
He stood a head taller than Qianye, with a tattoo of a winged giant snake winding around his upper body, its head centered on his chest.
This was the boss of the Sky Snake Gang, the one known as Sky Snake. As for his real name, no one remembered it anymore.
Sky Snake plopped his massive body onto the central sofa, laughing heartily, “Yingnan, finding you is quite a challenge!”
Yingnan responded coldly, “Cut the crap. Get to the point! Don’t waste my time!”
Sky Snake slapped his thigh and pointed at Yingnan, saying, “Good, straightforward! I’ll be blunt. Do you know how much you owe me? I doubt you’ve done the math properly. Blue Snake, show her the bill!”
A woman with long curly hair and a short skirt swayed her ample hips over, handing a bill to Yingnan.
Though her looks were not as striking as Yingnan’s, she had a full chest, long legs, and a very short skirt, which immediately drew the attention of most men in the room, including Qianye, who couldn’t help but glance a few more times.
Yingnan immediately sensed this, giving Qianye a sharp glare, then snatched the bill from Blue Snake. She only had to glance at it before exclaiming, “How can it be so much!”
Seeing Yingnan’s reaction, Sky Snake laughed heartily and said leisurely, “The bill is detailed. I, Sky Snake, always act fairly and honestly. If you don’t believe it, find someone else to verify it!”
Yingnan looked troubled. Qianye, seeing this, realized that this tough female might not be good with numbers, so he offered, “Let me see it.”
Yingnan hesitated, then handed the bill to Qianye.
Qianye’s life skills included basic arithmetic. He scrutinized the bill and found nothing majorly amiss. Though the total amounted to a staggering 500 gold coins, only a third was interest and penalties. Yingnan had been in debt for half a year, and in this chaotic city, an annual interest below 100% was not considered high.
After a moment, Qianye said, “This bill seems accurate, if you did indeed borrow over 300 gold coins.”
Yingnan fell silent, then glared at Sky Snake, asking sternly, “So, what do you want?”
Sky Snake slapped his thigh again, chuckling, “I don’t want much. We’ve known each other for a while. If you really can’t repay, I won’t force you, right? How about I go to the Second Boss…”
Before he could finish, Yingnan snapped, “Forget it!”
“Then I’m out of options, but…” Sky Snake leaned back on the sofa, eyeing Yingnan with amusement, and snapped his fingers. Flower Snake scurried over, handing another piece of paper to Yingnan.
Sky Snake gestured grandly, saying, “Simple! Sign this contract, and your debt is forgiven!”
Yingnan glanced at the paper, her brows knitting together, and she said coldly, “Death Arena?”
“Yes, Death Arena! Fight for us, win five matches or ten, and your debt is wiped out. How about it?” Sky Snake stared at Yingnan, his eyes gleaming with lust and the promise of gold.
“The reward seems high. Is it that simple?” Yingnan sneered.
Sky Snake laughed, “Not too high! For other fourth-level warriors, this is at least three times the standard. But you, Yingnan, are different! Your appearance alone guarantees a full house.”
He paused, forcing a kindly smile, “If you’re still unsure, I can make them sign a safety clause. If they win, they can neither kill nor maim you, or else pay a hefty fine. What do you think?”
It sounded like a great deal, but in reality, it wasn’t. Qianye had heard of the Death Arena, a bloody fight open to all. Combatants included not only humans but also non-humans and even vicious beasts.
Fighters like Yingnan, both famous and beautiful, were particularly popular. With no restrictions, such fights often turned into public humiliations if the fighter was not strong enough.
To keep the Death Arena lively, every now and then, the organizers would introduce a few beautiful fighters, pushing the atmosphere to a fever pitch. If Yingnan fought, audiences would flock, and ticket prices would soar.
Yingnan’s face alternated between green and white. She suddenly gritted her teeth, saying, “Fine, I’ll sign!”
Just as Sky Snake was overjoyed, Qianye interrupted, “Wait!”
When all eyes turned to him, Qianye waved the bill, “These debts aren’t due for another seven days, right?”
Sky Snake scoffed, “So what? Can she raise the money or complete a big mission in such a short time? I’ve checked; your latest mission paid just over a hundred gold coins. Or do you, a little guy, want to repay for her?”
Qianye replied, “Seven days isn’t much, but selling some items should suffice.”
He opened his backpack and placed the Golden Rose slowly in front of Sky Snake.
“Cancel her debt, and the gun is yours. Or I sell it and bring you 500 gold coins. Choose,” Qianye said calmly.
Sky Snake’s face changed, examining the Golden Rose, testing its energy conversion, then carefully placing it back, sighing, “A third-level force gun, and a blood-clan masterpiece!”
“Indeed, so what about my proposal?”
Yingnan grabbed Qianye’s arm, urgently, “Qianye! You can’t—”
Qianye patted her hand, signaling her to be quiet, and looked back at Sky Snake.
The Golden Rose could fetch up to a thousand gold coins in the imperial upper lands. Even in Dark Blood City, it could easily be sold for over six hundred, more than enough to cover Yingnan’s debt.
Sky Snake pondered, then smirked, “This gun is interesting… but is it really yours? A friend of mine recently lost something similar.”
Qianye retorted, “Is your friend a vampire?”
Hearing Sky Snake’s hostile tone, Qianye wasn’t angry. He knew the Golden Rose would cause trouble, but there was no other choice. Otherwise, Yingnan would sign the Death Arena contract, and though she was a skilled hunter, she wasn’t necessarily a good gladiator. The top defenders of the Death Arena were fifth-level fighters.
Sky Snake slammed the table, roaring, “What do you mean! Accuse me? You’re not ready for that!”
“I seized this gun from a vampire on the wasteland, hence my question.” Qianye met Sky Snake’s eyes, his tone calm, knowing that if caught conspiring with the blood clan, the Sky Snake Gang would be annihilated by the expeditionary force.
Sky Snake snorted, “You say it is? I think you stole it! Let’s keep the gun here. Once I confirm it’s not stolen, we’ll talk about the debt!”
Sky Snake reached for the Golden Rose, but suddenly felt a chilling killing intent. He froze, looking up at Qianye, surprised. It was natural for Yingnan to have a strong killing aura, but the stronger intent came from Qianye, whom he had almost ignored. Sky Snake even smelled a faint, damp, bloody scent, as if a cascade of blood had washed over him.
“Is this the Sky Snake Gang’s honor?” Qianye asked coldly.
“Honor?” Sky Snake wanted to laugh, but under Qianye’s serious gaze, he found it hard to.
But as a fifth-level fighter, he glared, “My name, Sky Snake, is my honor! And you, a one-star hunter, a mere child, come to talk about honor with me!”
Yingnan unslung her rifle, angrily, “Sky Snake! Don’t overdo it!”
Qianye sighed inwardly, knowing Yingnan’s outburst had made things worse.
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