Chapter 620

Moreover, Zhao Quan had placed quite a few bets on him, betting that he could make the top 8.

If Zhao Chi deliberately lost this time, there was almost no benefit to it.

First of all, the prizes would certainly be gone.

Zhao Quan's impression of him, as Zhao Quan's direct superior, would worsen.

And given Zhao Quan's strength, he might even be able to tell directly that Zhao Chi had deliberately lost.

The hidden danger here was enormous.

Besides that.

Zhao Chi also didn't want to lose to Cao Feng.

If he lost to Cao Feng, given his personality, he would surely spread it far and wide, madly mocking Zhao Chi.

Zhao Chi wasn't afraid of that, to be sure.

But encountering a petty person's face would still leave him feeling very irritated inside.

However, Gongsun Ning hadn't yet stated her conditions.

If she wanted Zhao Chi to deliberately lose, she would surely offer generous terms, wouldn't she?

Zhao Chi asked, "If I lose this time, I might not even get a single prize, and that would be a great regret for me. After all, many of those gifts are things I want."

Gongsun Ning smiled and said, "These prizes do have some value, but I will give you something even more valuable."

Zhao Chi nodded expectantly.

Gongsun Ning said, "First, I will set your ranking at 9th place, so you can obtain one prize. This is no difficult matter for me, since Cao Feng was matched to you by my arrangement."

Zhao Chi nodded.

He should have realized this long ago.

All that nonsense about matching by points was a joke.

In the end, it was all manipulated by people.

Gongsun Ning continued, "Second, I will give you a full 100 gold coins as compensation."

Zhao Chi continued nodding.

Gongsun Ning smiled and said, "The last point—you will gain my friendship."

Zhao Chi: "..."

That's fucking it?

Friendship?

What the hell kind of crap is that?

That's all you fucking got?

The only tangible thing is 100 gold coins? Trying to brush off a beggar?

For the old Zhao Chi, 100 gold coins would indeed have been enormously attractive.

But now, things were nothing like that.

Zhao Chi had come for the championship.

A 9th-place reward plus 100 gold coins, and they thought that could brush him off?

Zhao Chi would have to bear the loss of three precious prizes, and Zhao Quan would also lose his bets and consequently take it out on him.

As for that fucking friendship, Zhao Chi felt it was nothing but a fart.

It seemed this Gongsun Ning did recognize that Zhao Chi had strength, but hadn't recognized Zhao Chi's true strength.

Zhao Chi smiled and said, "Since Your Highness Gongsun Ning has this kind of ability, why not match the 1st-ranked player with Cao Feng instead? If the 1st place loses, wouldn't you earn even more?"

Gongsun Ning laughed.

"You mean Yuan Zhao? Of course I'll approach him, since Yuan Zhao is sure to make it to the finals. This finals will definitely be a huge upset. You can place bets on Yuan Zhao's opponent, but don't tell anyone else, after all I don't want too many people splitting the profits."

When she reached the end, Gongsun Ning's tone grew heavier.

It was a warning to Zhao Chi.

There was still one thing Zhao Chi didn't quite understand.

He couldn't help asking, "Since this virtual training ground belongs to you, and the inspection personnel also belong to you, why don't you just rule me as a cheater in the next match? That way you could save 100 gold coins."

Gongsun Ning laughed even more happily.

"Such a thing has too obvious a flaw; I still have to give Zhao Quan an explanation, and I don't want to make things too ugly."

So it was because of Zhao Quan.

After all, strictly speaking, Zhao Chi was now Zhao Quan's vassal lord.

If Gongsun Ning deliberately distorted the facts, once Zhao Quan got serious about it, it would indeed make things very awkward for Gongsun Ning.

Since that was the case...

Zhao Chi shook his head: "I'm very sorry, but I will fight normally in the next match."

Gongsun Ning's smile froze.

Her toes stopped fidgeting with her shoe.

"What did you say!?"

Gongsun Ning's voice rose by a full octave.

The two noblewomen behind her also widened their eyes.

The one on the left frowned and said, "Think carefully before you speak!"

The one on the right said sharply, "Don't be ungrateful! Don't forget what your status is!"

Zhao Chi said, "I'm truly sorry, but this matter is beyond my ability."

Gongsun Ning smiled and said, "Zhao Chi, although you are Zhao Quan's vassal lord, to us you are nothing but a toy. If I asked for you to be transferred from Zhao Quan's side, what do you think would happen?"

The noblewoman on the right said, "May you die without a place of burial!"

Zhao Chi stood up.

"Your Highness Gongsun Ning, it is indeed as you said—I am a vassal lord under His Highness Zhao Quan, so I will report this matter to His Highness Zhao Quan. If he agrees, I will lose to Cao Feng in the next match."

Saying that, he was about to leave.

"Wait!" Gongsun Ning also stood up.

She stared at Zhao Chi for a moment.

Then she once again revealed the kindly smile from earlier.

"It's fine. Since you're unwilling, I won't force you. There's no need to tell Zhao Quan about these matters—after all, this sort of thing isn't exactly a good thing, and I'd lose face if it got out. You'll agree to this small favor, won't you?"

Gongsun Ning's gaze burned like a torch.

Zhao Chi thought for a second.

If he refused her, this woman might well carry out some act of revenge.

He had just refused her, so agreeing to this now wasn't really a big deal.

Besides, she only said not to tell Zhao Quan.

Then surely telling Zhao Tan would be fine?

Or telling Zhao Huai and Zhao Jiao, and getting some advice from the two of them, would also work.

So Zhao Chi nodded: "Alright."

Gongsun Ning smiled: "In that case, I won't keep you any longer. Go prepare for your next match."

Zhao Chi left immediately.

Gongsun Ning watched Zhao Chi's retreating back, a trace of viciousness appearing on her cheeks.

"Damn it."

The noblewoman behind her said, "Your Highness, should we…"

Gongsun Ning raised a hand to stop her: "It's fine, no rush. Zhao Quan is in his prime right now. Let's wait a few days."

Zhao Chi found Zhao Huai and the others.

Zhao Huai, thinking Gongsun Ning had sought him out for something good, laughed: "How did it go, Zhao Chi? What good thing did that pretty noble sister want with you?"

"A good thing?" Zhao Chi snorted. "Good my ass!"

Zhao Huai was stunned.

"What happened? Did something go wrong?" Zhao Jiao hurriedly asked.

Zhao Chi gave a detailed account of what had just happened.

Zhao Huai and Zhao Jiao looked at each other.

After several seconds, Zhao Huai sighed: "How is it that just taking part in a Xinxiu Assembly brings so much crap? In my session, it felt like nothing happened at all—I was eliminated smoothly and without incident."