Chapter 566

"We didn't rig it, did we?"

The old master of the Huo family asked those around him, his face showing worry.

The sensation of the eighty spirit fish was intensifying, and the limelight of the 'Dragon Crossing the River' had clearly overshadowed the previous few, inviting suspicion.

The eldest son of the Huo family's main branch was torn between laughter and tears.

"Old master, rest assured. I personally supervised the release, personally shuffled the cards, and watched them pour the fish on the mountain with my own eyes. You were sitting right next to me."

"Besides, that kid is from the Xu family and has nothing to do with us. Why would we help an outsider take a place? If we were going to help, we should be helping Hongyuan!"

"Greed is never satisfied. Whoever wins or loses, we all make money. We must never sacrifice the big for the small."

"There really isn't any!"

"Golden words of advice, I've warned you, what are you anxious about?"

"..."

"Which location is the forest outpost where the eighty Green-Backed Dragon Carp are stored?"

"My lords, please move."

On the summit of Yulan Peak.

Many officials and Great Martial Artists followed to the east side of the peak.

Looking down.

Hills stretched out, and outposts stood sparsely among the sparse woods.

Following the manager's finger, everyone easily found the storage place for the treasure fish, and the view was quite open.

The Department Magistrate asked, "From the time the fish were stored until now, how many people have gone in? How many people bought the information?"

"Not counting Lord Liang, there have been six in total, half of whom bought information. According to the outpost's observations, two are currently gathering manpower with the intention of trying, but there may be more than two groups gathered. Some people got the information, refused on the surface, but seem to have other plans behind the scenes."

"Setting up outposts is indeed more interesting than last year. It facilitates strong hunters and gives the weak a chance to unite and turn the tables."

Seeing the government officials praising it, the manager took the opportunity to introduce.

"The Great Hunt has just begun, and Lord Liang has made a stunning debut. I wonder if you lords have any interest in the new betting pool?"

"Oh, a new pool? What are we betting on?"

"Betting on whether the 'Dragon Crossing the River' can keep the eighty treasure fish after five hours!"

Department Magistrate Xu Wanxing became interested and turned to ask his colleagues.

"What do you think?"

Whispers in twos and threes.

The Huangzhou Department Assistant laughed, "Personally, I think it won't be difficult to keep them tonight."

"How does Department Assistant Qiu explain that?"

Qiu Yue cupped his hands, "The Great Hunt lasts three nights and two days. Right now, it's only the first night. The prey is still scattered between heaven and earth. Big fish eat small fish; at least wait until the small fish and shrimp are full. Therefore, hunters are all busy hunting, and there is little fighting."

"Like Water Envoy Liang, who took eighty spirit fish into his pocket as soon as he made a move—it's unheard of. The mystery of his methods is something most Hunting Tigers didn't anticipate, so they won't make a move immediately."

The Department Magistrate asked, "What if they find out?"

"Even if they find out, it doesn't matter much. There are still two days to run around. The number of spirit fish is so large that carrying them is extremely inconvenient. Hunting Tigers are Hunting Tigers after all, and their strength is a cliff-like lead over others."

"Even if they let others snatch them, it's nothing more than moving from one money bag to another; in the end, it will still concentrate upwards."

Someone realized.

"If the Hunting Tigers don't make a move, the 'Dragon Crossing the River' is ranked fifth, and there are very few threats."

"Department Assistant Qiu's words are reasonable. In my opinion, it's Water Envoy Liang who is quite eager to bait the shrimp."

"The three entrances happen to separate the three Hunting Tigers. However, being on the east side, the Tail Fire Tiger and the Sea Yaksha don't know where they are going. If the top four don't appear, there are few who can steadily beat the 'Dragon Crossing the River' one-on-one."

"As for the quantity, Water Envoy Liang's demeanor suggests he shouldn't be afraid."

A genius's perception of others is often clearer than others' perception of a genius.

Ordinary people are common, while geniuses are rare.

Therefore, it is ordinary people who are prone to misjudgment and delusions.

The government officials compared and discussed many times, and their opinions gradually converged.

They were all unanimously optimistic about Liang Qu!

Long Yao and Long Li, who had snuck closer to listen, put their hands behind their backs, their faces showing smugness.

Being able to become a court official means they have some skills.

Their judgment is not bad!

"Guessing this, guessing that, why not just ask about the odds? The pool just opened, there are few bettors, the odds should show the gambling den's inclination, right?"

Xu Wanxing cast his gaze over.

The manager bowed, "One to one point two four."

"Sure enough!"

Xu Wanxing took three silver notes from his sleeve.

"Three hundred taels, bet on him to win. I hope Water Envoy Liang will startle everyone with a second feat and let this official earn some lamp oil money!"

"I'll bet two hundred too!"

"Follow!"

With the Department Magistrate taking the lead, even if the remaining officials had different opinions, they followed with bets of tens or hundreds.

The betting slips were presented one by one.

Compared to the mountains of copper coins and silver in the gambling den down the mountain, the silver notes and official silver on the mountain were much cleaner.

"How many hours until the storage limit?"

"Four hours."

"So long, I'll go back to rest first."

"A Galloping Horse Martial Artist, can't even stay up for one night?"

"It's not about whether I can stay up, I really don't want to. Everyone, see you at dawn!"

"Don't rush him. He took a sixteen-year-old beautiful concubine in early September; the old guy is in a hurry to go back and cherish her."

"Hey! I was wondering why he wouldn't stay in the tent on the mountain; it turns out it's an old tree blooming!"

Inside Chishan Ridge.

Six Wolf Smoke Martial Artists kept their distance, presenting a strange yet familiar intermediate state.

Xu Zishuai squatted on a rock, chewing on grass stems and roots, listening to Liu Xingfei, who had been the first to trade a live spirit creature for information, compare the strength of the enemy and themselves.

"Wolf Smoke Earth Bridge, born with a martial bone, must have superior martial arts to rely on. Matching the Sky Bridge is not a problem. We have two Earth Bridges and four Human Bridges; we don't have an advantage in realm, and we met halfway, so we haven't practiced any combined tactics. I'm afraid it's still not very safe."

"Brother Liu's words are reasonable. In my opinion, why not pull two more people into the group? Eight against one, that should ensure absolute safety!"

"No need." Xu Zishuai waved his hand, "When Brother Liu discovered the wooden house, there were still four and a half hours left, almost an entire night. In the long night, wouldn't others discover it and plunder it? The more people there are, the less we get! Six is already quite a lot, why bother?"

One sentence awakened the dreamer.

"Brother Xu is sharp!"

Xu Zishuai looked up at the moon, bathing in the silver light.

"No way, human hearts are sinister. We lone cultivators walk the world alone, so we have to live our lives by careful calculation."

"In that case, can we be the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?"

"We'll wait for the opportunity to act!"

The plan was set in a few words.

"Everyone, take a rest. We'll meet again at dawn!"

"Good!" *5

Gurgle.

The fat catfish stirred up dust, chased the Green-Backed Dragon Carp, smashed several reefs, and leaped up.

Splash!

Water droplets shone with silver brilliance.

The giant beast leaped, swallowed the spirit fish in mid-air, and glanced at the dumbfounded hunter.

Boom!

The river sank, splashing three zhang of water, drenching the hunter like a drowned rat.

"There's actually a Great Spirit Monster in Chishan Ridge?"

Wiping the water from his face.

The Galloping Horse hunter's legs trembled, and the desire to enter the river to catch fish was extinguished. Thinking of how he had previously wanted to take off his clothes and enter the water, nearly facing the Great Spirit Monster in the water, every pore on his body tightened to the point of blockage.

"Pfft!"

A water arrow shot out.

The Martial Artist was knocked to the ground, his soul nearly scared out of his body. He couldn't care about climbing up, so he crawled on all fours and fled into the jungle.

Too dangerous!

The sky was just beginning to brighten.

The number of people on the summit of Yulan Peak was three times that of last night, and the open summit was slightly crowded.

Liu Xingfei led five Wolf Smoke Martial Artists, hid in the tree canopy, and ambushed around the outpost.

The dark blue centipede crawled, flapped its wings and leaped between the treetops, quietly collecting information.

"Forty-six people?"

Liang Qu rode Chishan out of the forest, his peripheral vision sweeping over several corners.

Dense gazes were cast over, each one like a needle prick. There were more people coming than imagined, and even Galloping Horse Martial Artists had come to join the fun.

However...

"Senior Brother Xu?"