Chapter 44: Four Hapless Souls

“One hundred thousand for each?” Xiao Yang was ready to give it a try; if they thought the price was too high, he could offer a slight discount.

“Brother! Say something!” Seeing Xiao Yang unmoved, the group grew anxious.

They weren’t afraid of him naming his price—what worried them was his silence.

He glanced at the four and raised a single finger.

“Deal!” Before Xiao Yang could speak, the four agreed at once.

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“Brother, we promise you won't lose out. One hundred thousand it is,” said the youth in the golden robe.

Xiao Yang was dumbfounded.

Damn! He hadn’t even spoken yet, and his lines had been stolen.

He hadn’t expected the four to be so ruthless; he himself had raised the price tenfold, yet they agreed without hesitation.

Clearly, these four were fools with money to burn.

Immediately, Xiao Yang was tempted to raise the price further.

But then, reconsidering, he abandoned the idea.

After all, this wouldn’t be a one-off transaction; he was counting on these four to bring more customers.

The friends of rakes were likely rakes themselves.

These people were treasures to him.

“One hundred thousand for each, honest business for all!”

Hiss—

A chorus of sharp intakes echoed.

The crowd watching suspected there was something wrong with their ears.

One hundred thousand just to train a fighting cock?

Some small families didn’t even earn that much in a year.

“Fine! One hundred thousand it is.”

The four agreed in unison.

Xiao Yang pondered; it wasn’t realistic to reach the level of demon master in a single session.

Besides, one hundred thousand silver was a bit low.

He had to raise the price.

“Ahem, let me clarify—one hundred thousand silver is only enough for your fighting cocks to reach the peak of minor demon. They won't become demon masters.”

He gave them a heads-up to prevent trouble later.

He’d already made up his mind: advancing from minor demon to demon master would need another hundred thousand.

That meant another big payday.

“Agreed!”

“Brother, when do we start?”

Far from being disappointed by the price, the four were even excited.

“Go back and fetch your fighting cocks. Come in three days.”

Xiao Yang thought it over and decided to delay their return.

If he succeeded overnight, it would draw undue attention.

Three days, though still remarkable, was within reason for some.

“Brother, we’ll head back now and bring our fighting cocks here.”

With that, the four strode toward the door.

Seeing the crowd blocking the entrance, they shouted,

“Move aside! If you dare block the road for the Four Young Lords, you must be sick of living!”

At their words, the crowd quickly dispersed.

Soon, the Four Young Lords’ figures disappeared.

At that moment, Zhou Yan approached.

“Senior brother, let’s return to Giant Spirit Sect,” she said, worry etched on her face.

From childhood, Xiao Yang had never seen such a gambling match, let alone fighting cocks.

His earlier words had mostly been to intimidate the four, to create a chance to escape.

“Huh?”

“We’ll go back in a few days,” Xiao Yang replied, puzzled.

His mind was already plotting how to make a fortune.

From his experience, the greatest flaw of rakes was their arrogance.

Once he improved the four’s fighting cocks, they would surely challenge others everywhere.

Those defeated, unwilling to accept their losses, would naturally come seeking him.

His reputation would be established.

He wouldn’t need to stay long—just seven days.

By the seventh day, he could leave.

By then, the cockfighting tournament would have begun.

Those needing upgrades would have gotten them by then.

The remaining minor competitors were hardly worth the trouble.

“Senior brother, weren’t you just stalling for time?” Zhou Yan asked, a bit confused.

Her question left Xiao Yang even more bewildered.

“Stalling for what? Why would I stall for time?”

“Huh? You really intend to train their fighting cocks? But you...”

Zhou Yan didn’t finish her thought.

But Xiao Yang had already guessed.

“Heh, just wait and see how your senior brother trains four war gods among cocks!”

With the enhancement ability, as long as there was enough silver, he could make cocks into gods!

Of course, such expenses—even selling North Desert City wouldn’t suffice.

“Should I inform my father?” Zhou Yan asked, uneasy.

She wanted to tell Zhou Jingpeng about the situation, hoping he would come.

If Xiao Yang failed to train the cocks, with Zhou Jingpeng’s status, the two of them would still be safe.

“No need, it's a trifling matter—not worth troubling master,” Xiao Yang shook his head quickly.

In his impression, Zhou Jingpeng was a serious man.

Telling him would likely mean losing the job.

That wouldn’t do—it was a business worth over a million.

Xiao Yang wouldn’t give up so easily.

He even had a hunch: the day he returned to Giant Spirit Sect would be the day he broke through to martial master.

“All right then,” Zhou Yan nodded.

“You don’t doubt me, do you?” Xiao Yang asked with a strange look.

Almost instantly, the girl shook her head.

“No, I trust you completely, senior brother.”

“You see, you didn’t even check what breed Cock King is. He’s just a Marsh Flower Chicken—I could train him to demon master level.”

“Let alone those superior fighting cocks.”

Xiao Yang explained, half amused, wanting to comfort the girl.

He couldn’t just say he had a system that could upgrade fighting cocks with money, could he?

Besides, Zhou Yan probably hadn’t heard of such a thing as a system.

“Oh right! How could I forget Cock King?” Zhou Yan said, a bit annoyed at herself, glancing at Cock King.

This was a rooster with a legendary life.

He’d become king, married a wealthy beauty, and his feats surpassed many.

And this remarkable rooster had been trained by Xiao Yang on a whim.

Immediately, Zhou Yan’s confidence soared.

She was even more confident than Xiao Yang himself.

The Four Young Lords of North Desert didn’t keep Xiao Yang waiting long.

About half an hour later, the four returned with their fighting cocks.

“Brother, we’re back!” they called out in unison.

Xiao Yang nodded, glancing at the cocks in their arms.

He wasn’t a cockfighting enthusiast, but with his eye, he could see that in terms of spirit, energy, and form, these four fighting cocks were the cream of the crop.

If sold, they would fetch a handsome price.

“I’m the eldest, train mine first!”

“Nonsense, why should yours go first?”

The four jostled to have Xiao Yang train their cocks first.

Seeing another argument brewing, Xiao Yang shouted,

“Silence!”

He had to admit—at his command, the four fell quiet.

All eyes were fixed on Xiao Yang, eager and expectant.

To calm these oddballs, Xiao Yang thought for a moment and said lightly,

“I’ll train them all at once, for three days of special training.”

“No need to argue. Come back in three days for your fighting cocks.”

At once, the four settled down.

With all waiting three days, there was no need to fight.

“Brother, this is my fighting cock, Black Tornado,” said the youth in the golden robe, placing his cock down.

It was pitch-black, eyes bright and sharp.

The moment Black Tornado was released, his gaze locked onto Cock King, full of hostility.

“Cluck cluck cluck!”

Cock King sensed the challenge.

He turned, seeing Black Tornado glaring at him.

But Cock King wasn’t one to back down—daring to lock eyes with him, you were asking for trouble.

The next moment, Cock King readied himself to charge.

But Xiao Yang caught him.

“Cluck cluck cluck!” Cock King cried out, deeply dissatisfied.

Xiao Yang refused to let go.

He knew that if Cock King was unleashed, the four little fighting cocks would be in for a brutal beating.

Seeing the fierce Cock King, the youth in the golden robe quickly scooped up Black Tornado.

He’d experienced firsthand the terror of that rooster.

Even its owner wasn’t a match for it—let alone another cock.

“Brother, keep your big rooster under control,” he said nervously.