Zhao Ping’an walked out of school and ran into a deserted alley, where he squatted at the corner and silently wept for a long time.
Eventually, he wiped the tears off his face and walked out of the alley with slow steps. He then caught the bus to go to the city’s funeral parlor.
He bought some joss paper and the like from a small shop outside the funeral parlor and squatted at the crossroads near the funeral parlor, silently lighting the joss paper.
After his father had passed away, there hadn’t even been a burial spot for him; he had been cremated and laid to rest collectively. They had no chance to visit a grave, so they could only burn joss paper at the crossroads near the funeral parlor to pay their respects.
Inside the funeral parlor would have been more appropriate, but the joss paper there was more expensive, three times more than outside.
After burning a pile of paper, Zhao Ping’an sat on a stone behind him and said in a low voice, "Dad, I’m sorry, I can’t look after Mom and my siblings. When I come down, you can scold me all you want. But my master has been as kind as a mountain to me, and I must do this. I hope you can forgive me!"
Having said that, Zhao Ping’an sighed. He sat there for a long time until the sky gradually darkened, then he patted his butt and left the funeral parlor.
He went down the mountain to find a small restaurant and ate a bowl of vegetable noodles. Afterward, Zhao Ping’an arrived at an underground boxing arena that a friend had told him about.
This place often hosted underground fights, and some city competitions would have bookies operating here, belonging to one of the more reputable bookmakers in the city.
After entering, Zhao Ping’an saw many people inside bustling about. He headed straight for the manager’s office, which was actually the bookmaker’s.
Upon entering, Zhao Ping’an got straight to the point, "I’m from Dewei Martial Arts Hall."
The manager sitting behind the desk was a corpulent Fatty. He sized Zhao Ping’an up and down and said coldly, "What, you want to fight here? If you were Fu Dewei, I’d definitely offer you a high price. But you, just the name Dewei Martial Arts Hall isn’t enough."
Zhao Ping’an was not at all perturbed and said calmly, "There’s a competition at Beiwan Villa tonight, do you know about it?"
"I’ve heard," the manager chuckled. "I’m busy setting up the books for that right now. What, do you have some news?"
"I want to place a bet," said Zhao Ping’an.
"I don’t even know what fights and competitors are on tonight, how can I take your bet?" the manager waved his hand. "You’re in too much of a hurry."
"I’ll be fighting tonight," Zhao Ping’an said. "And I’ll be fighting someone from the Hu Family."
The manager was stunned, looking Zhao Ping’an up and down again, wondering if he was sane. What on earth was going on?
"I bet that I will win three consecutive fights, all against people from the Hu Family!" Zhao Ping’an declared.
The manager’s brow creased as he scrutinized Zhao Ping’an, saying in a heavy tone, "Have you gone mad or just plain stupid? What nonsense are you spouting here?"
"I bet three hundred bucks!" Zhao Ping’an pulled out three hundred bucks and said firmly, "If I win three consecutive fights, you give me two thousand bucks. How about it?"
The manager stared at the money on the desk; it was undoubtedly real. Was Zhao Ping’an seriously planning to place a bet?
And this wager seemed to be completely in his own favor.
Someone from Dewei Martial Arts Hall beating someone from the Hu Family? That was a fool’s dream.
Winning three consecutive fights? That was simply inconceivable.
If he really could win three consecutive fights, the odds would be high. Two thousand bucks, just a small sum!
The manager had initially suspected that Zhao Ping’an might be trying to trick him, but now that he had seen the money, albeit not a large sum, he wouldn’t let it pass.
"Good!" the manager said with a smile, "I agree to your terms. However, what if you can’t make it to the fight tonight, or if you don’t fight three rounds?"
"Then consider it a loss for me!" Zhao Ping’an said. "All three hundred yuan will be yours."
"Straight to the point!" the manager exclaimed. "Three hundred yuan is a trivial amount. But for what you’ve said, I’ll open a special betting pool just for you."
"I need you to write me a separate note," Zhao Ping’an said.
"No problem!" the manager replied with a grin. "You’re quite a character. Let’s treat this as if we’re playing a game. I’ll write it for you!"
Zhao Ping’an said, "In the future, it might not be me who comes looking for you. Whoever it is, as long as they have this note, I hope you’ll give them the money!"
"No problem!" The manager laughed heartily as he quickly wrote down a note and handed it to Zhao Ping’an.
Zhao Ping’an took the note, then the manager suddenly spoke up, "Brother, no offense, but I just want to ask, where does this confidence of yours come from? And if you’re so confident, isn’t two thousand yuan too little? Winning all three rounds, the odds are too low, you should be getting tens of thousands at least!"
Zhao Ping’an took a deep breath and said softly, "I owe someone two thousand yuan. All I need is to pay back this debt, nothing more."
"Respectable, a real man!" the manager patted Zhao Ping’an’s shoulder: "Brother, I wouldn’t recommend you fighting the Hu Family tonight. To tell the truth, they’ve dueled others dozens of times before, and very few have left alive after a fight with the Hu Family. Even if they do, they end up missing arms or legs. You better think this through!"
"Thank you!" Zhao Ping’an nodded slowly.
"Brother, if we can meet again, let’s have a drink together!" the manager chuckled.
Zhao Ping’an gave a bitter smile, took the note, and turned to leave silently.
Before heading to Beiwan Villa, this was the only thing he had to do.
He had withdrawn two thousand yuan from Fu Dewei’s card, money that he had borrowed. Before facing death, he wanted to settle this debt, so he would owe nothing anymore!
No one noticed that Su Yang had actually been following Zhao Ping’an all along, witnessing everything Zhao Ping’an did and understanding him a little more.
Night fell on Beiwan Villa. Newest update provıded by novel⚑fire.net
The place was brightly lit early on, as the Hu family had challenged all the martial artists of Liuan City to fight here. This news had spread among the well-informed people of Liuan City, so many had come to watch the fights this evening.
The Hu Family didn’t stop others from watching because they wanted to use this fight to show off their might and make everyone in Liuan City submit.
At seven-thirty, one martial arts hall after another entered Beiwan Villa, including Dewei Martial Arts Hall.
After what happened today, there weren’t many people left in Dewei Martial Arts Hall, and their presence seemed much weaker compared to the others.
The head of the hall, Fu Dewei, his injuries 70% recovered, brought the remaining disciples to the appointment. He had, however, left his daughter Foo Qinglan behind, forbidding her from coming here.
Tonight, Fu Dewei came with the determination to die; he didn’t want his daughter to witness his death in battle.
What worried him most now was Zhao Ping’an. He had received a message that Zhao Ping’an had taken two thousand yuan, and he didn’t know whether to feel happy or sad.
This disciple had finally left!