The second round of the cockfighting competition began quickly, and once again, everyone became excited.
Only the Great Shi Emperor remained calm, sipping his tea and saying with a hint of arrogance, “Elder brother and third brother, stay calm, put your hearts at ease, we are certain to win this round!”
“Really, Second Brother?” the Emperors of Great Yue and Great Zhu turned their heads.
“Of course!”
The Great Shi Emperor said calmly, “Although we lost a round, that was just an accident, something no one can control! But this round, we will surely win!”
“Because we’ve sent out this rooster, it’s not a vegetarian, it’s a carnivore, and it especially likes to eat the flesh of its own kind, very brutal! Just watch. The outcome will be revealed in less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea!”
“Second Brother, I believe in you!” the two Emperors said in unison.
The time it took to drink half a cup of tea quickly passed, and the outcome became clear. The rooster from the great kingdom alliance gained a significant advantage after having bitten the other rooster to the point of being covered in wounds.
Yaoyao burst into proud laughter, “This round, I’m certain to win!”
“That’s not necessarily the case…” Lin Beifan smiled slightly, and once again, he cheated secretly.
The rooster from the Great Kingdom alliance didn’t know what trick had been played on it; its body suddenly became weak and feeble.
In contrast, the rooster from the Small Kingdom alliance, against its usual behavior, became lively and spirited, full of fighting spirit.
Their souls seemed to have switched with each other!
After another half a cup of tea’s time, the rooster from the Small Kingdom alliance once again emerged victorious.
Yaoyao was dumbfounded, and so were the three Emperors from the Great Kingdom alliance.
Only Lin Beifan burst into triumphant laughter: “Yaoyao, I’ve won again, pay up!”
Yaoyao said anxiously, “How could that rooster lose? It was clearly very strong, but it weakened towards the end!”
“What’s the use of looking strong? For male animals, what’s most important is stamina!”
Lin Beifan shared his opinion, “Don’t be fooled by that rooster’s big appearance; it’s actually all show and no substance, it would falter against a real fighting cock!”
“I refuse to believe that superstition. I must win the third round!”
The third round of the competition quickly commenced…
Once again, Lin Beifan generously offered to let Yaoyao choose first.
Yaoyao did not shy away from the opportunity.
If she lost this round, she would owe the foolish emperor a total of three million taels of silver!
Even if she won the last two rounds, she would still be down by one million taels of silver!
Taking money out of her pocket was more painful than cutting her own flesh!
After some serious contemplation, she ultimately decided to place her bets on the Great Kingdom alliance.
She silently wished in her heart, “I must not lose this round!”
“This time, we absolutely cannot lose!” exclaimed the Great Yue Emperor excitedly.
“Younger brother, if we lose this round too, we’re finished! Do you realize we’ll have to slap our own faces?”
“It’s going to be brutal and violent, extremely painful and cruel! Second brother, you don’t want to lose face, do you?” Great Zhu Emperor was equally agitated.
Drenched in sweat, Great Shi Emperor reassured them, “Don’t worry, this time we’ve sent out the Chicken King. Do you guys understand what a Chicken King is?”
“I know, the top courtesan in the brothel…” (TLN: The term “chicken (鸡)” is slang for a prostitute in some Chinese dialects.)
“Scram!” Great Shi Emperor said irritably.
“I’m talking about a real Chicken King, the supreme ruler among roosters! When this chicken appears, all other chickens submit, not even daring to fight! So, we’re definitely going to win this time!”
“But you said the same thing before, and we lost every time!” Great Zhu Emperor muttered quietly.
“That was then, this is now; it’s completely different! If we lose this round…”
Great Shi Emperor said manically, “I’ll swallow that chicken whole, bones and all!”
The third round of the competition began shortly.
Lin Beifan cheated once again, and the great kingdom alliance suffered a resounding defeat.
Yaoyao cursed furiously, “Super useless! I bet on them three times, and they lost all three times. It’s like trying to prop up a wall with mud!”
“Yaoyao, are we continuing?” Lin Beifan asked with a smile.
“Of course we’re continuing! There are two rounds left, and I’m going to win back what I’ve lost!”
At this moment, Yaoyao seemed like a gambler blinded by loss, no longer betting on the Great Kingdom alliance but putting all her stakes on the Small Kingdom alliance.
Lin Beifan did not intervene this time, and as a result, the Great Kingdom alliance won both rounds.
“We won! We’ve won it back!” The Great Shi Emperor was extremely excited.
The Great Yue Emperor cursed loudly, “What’s the use of winning back? This competition is the best of five rounds, and we’ve already lost the first three. We’ve completely lost the entire match!”
“I should never have trusted you, I regret it so much!” said the Great Zhu Emperor, filled with immense regret.
The four Emperors of the small kingdom alliance walked over, brimming with pride.
“This duel, you called it!”
“Will you take action yourselves, or shall we do the honors?”
“Don’t even think about reneging on the deal!”
Putting aside the grievances of the Emperors for now. Lin Beifan was smiling gleefully at the disheartened Yaoyao, saying, “Yaoyao, I’ve won all five of these bets! 5 million taels of silver, thank you!”
“My little foolish emperor, let’s not talk about money at such a beautiful and pleasant time! Look at how delicious this tea is, why don’t we enjoy the tea and the scenery together?” Yaoyao held up her teacup, sipping it with utmost grace and seriousness.
“You’re not trying to weasel out of paying, are you?” Lin Beifan eyed her as if he had seen through her thoughts.
“Who? Who said I’m weaseling out? I just didn’t bring that much money with me!” Yaoyao retorted stubbornly.
“I see, no worries, I am quite reasonable!”
Lin Beifan, seemingly out of nowhere, produced a small abacus and began to click it calculatingly: “5 million taels is indeed a bit much; you can repay it over 10 years, with 500,000 taels of silver each year! As for the interest, considering our friendship, I’ll only charge you a two percent interest rate!”
Yaoyao tugged at Lin Beifan’s sleeve, batting her adorable eyes and speaking in a pitiful tone: “My little foolish emperor, can you give me a better deal? I really don’t have that much money!”
Seeing her attempt at seduction, Lin Beifan’s resolve softened: “Alright, I’ll waive the interest!”
“Can you give me an even better deal?”
Lin Beifan was shocked: “I’ve already waived the interest. What more could I discount?”
“Waive the principal!”
Lin Beifan: “…”
Lin Beifan’s mouth twitched: “You wish! If you really don’t want to pay, there is another way!”
“What way?” Yaoyao’s eyes lit up.
“You can repay me with your body!”
Yaoyao: “…”
“Considering you’re a beautiful girl, I’ll let myself be at a disadvantage this time. Come here!”
Lin Beifan opened his arms wide. “Miss this chance, and there won’t be another!”
“Okay, Your Majesty~~” Yaoyao smiled sweetly as she reached out with her little hand.
Lin Beifan: “Ow, ow, ow…”
After pinching him, Yaoyao leaped up and flew away using her movement skills.
“Silly little emperor, it’s always so much fun chatting with you! I’m off now, and I’ll come to see you another day! Teehee…”
Lin Beifan was furious: “Yaoyao, you’re trying to weasel out again! If you don’t give me a child next time, don’t even think about leaving!”
***
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