Chapter 89: Once Again Penniless

"Qingfeng!"

By the time he realized what had happened, the massive azure hound lay sprawled in a pool of blood, its veins ruptured by savage bites.

"You bastard! You let your fighting dog loose on purpose! That’s why my Qingfeng is dead!"

He reached out, pointing furiously at Xiao Yang.

But Xiao Yang, with an apologetic expression, replied, "I’m truly sorry. My hand slipped—I failed to hold onto my dog."

He said it helplessly.

In that instant, the young man felt his blood surge with fury. A mouthful of blood welled up and rushed to his throat; he spat it out, hot and vivid.

"Ugh! You really are unsanitary," someone scoffed. The others had already stepped aside.

The young man drew his sword from his waist and charged at Xiao Yang.

A ferocious roar erupted.

He turned in bewilderment, only to see a claw descending toward his face.

He dared not hesitate—he tried to parry the blow with his sword.

But the Ghost Mastiff’s strength was overwhelming. With one strike, it sent the young man flying through the air, trailing a ribbon of blood.

Another roar.

The Ghost Mastiff lunged to finish him off, but Xiao Yang intervened.

"Enough. There’s no need for more. Killing his fighting dog is sufficient—let the man live."

The Ghost Mastiff struggled, the ferocity in its aura intensifying.

"It seems you need help," Xiao Yang sensed something was wrong. He stepped before the Ghost Mastiff and, without hesitation, delivered a punch to its skull.

A wave of dizziness swept over the beast, but this time it didn’t collapse, merely swayed on its feet.

"You’ll pay for this!" The young man hauled himself upright, pointing at Xiao Yang with fury and spitting threats before turning to leave.

But he was blocked.

"Wait! You’re suspected of disturbing public order. Come with us."

He was about to curse them, but when he saw their insignia, he trembled involuntarily.

They were guards from the City Lord’s Mansion.

"I..." He tried to explain, but two guards lifted him and marched him outside.

"Big brother, it’s settled!" Jin Ying grinned mischievously. Clearly, he had called those men.

Xiao Yang nodded.

He turned back to the counter.

"I’d like to claim my prize."

This time, the attendant was trembling uncontrollably, which greatly annoyed Wang Xi.

"Step aside!"

He shooed the attendant away and strode forward.

"Young Master Xiao, what reward would you like to claim?"

Without further ado, Xiao Yang produced his number tokens.

Clatter!

Three tokens lay neatly upon the counter.

Wang Xi was momentarily stunned.

"Exchange all three for me."

Since Wang Xi had helped register Xiao Yang’s numbers, he was familiar with them. He opened the notification jade plaque to check the champion numbers for the three contests.

Number eighty-eight!

No surprise for the cockfighting round.

He continued checking, matching each in turn—all were the numbers he’d registered.

He stared at Xiao Yang in astonishment.

This was the first person to sweep all categories since the founding of the beast battle championships—and he was the one who’d handled the registration.

"Is there a problem?" Xiao Yang, seeing Wang Xi delay and keep staring at him, asked in confusion.

Almost simultaneously, Wang Xi shook his head vigorously like a rattling drum.

"No problem, none at all. I’ll exchange your rewards at once."

He opened the drawer, revealing three stacks of gold notes.

Each stack contained exactly five hundred thousand taels.

"Young Master Xiao, please accept these."

Wang Xi spoke respectfully.

He knew that, as Northern Desert City was prosperous and bustling, events like cockfighting and dog fighting were hugely popular.

Some people spent fortunes to enhance their beloved dogs and roosters in pursuit of victory.

Winning these contests was no easy feat.

Yet Xiao Yang had shattered every record.

Those records might never be surpassed, perhaps becoming legend.

Xiao Yang accepted the one and a half million gold notes without ceremony.

"Brother Wang, thank you for your help today. Let’s meet up sometime."

He said politely.

"Serving Young Master Xiao is my honor."

At that moment, a figure rushed over.

Hao Wenlong instantly recognized him.

"Hua Hu, what are you doing here? Where is Miss?"

"Brother! Young Master, I’ve failed you. Miss has gone missing!"

Hao Huahua dropped to his knees, tears streaming down as he wept bitterly.

"What happened to Yan’er?"

Xiao Yang stepped forward, seized Hao Huahua by the collar, and shouted.

"Miss was taken," Hao Huahua replied in agony.

He had served as a guard for half his life and never encountered such a strange person. There was no sign or sound; by the time he realized something was amiss, Zhou Yan had already been abducted.

"When did this happen?" Xiao Yang asked anxiously. Zhou Yan must not come to harm, or it would haunt him forever.

"I’m not sure!" Hao Huahua’s reply was a blow.

A surge of murderous intent erupted from Xiao Yang.

A guard! And such a guard—he didn’t even know when his charge had vanished.

"Young Master, the culprit left this note before leaving," Hao Huahua recalled.

Feeling the intense murderous aura, he hurriedly produced the note.

Xiao Yang snatched it, his hands trembling with tension.

Quickly, he read the words:

"Hello, let’s play a game. Come to the Millennium Tree outside the city to find me."

A simple phrase.

It was clear Zhou Yan had been kidnapped.

Xiao Yang regained some composure.

To abduct someone under Hao Huahua’s nose, the culprit was likely a Martial Marquis.

But that mattered little now.

He had to hurry—even if he knew it was a trap, he would go.

"Big brother, I’ll go find my father and call for reinforcements," Jin Ying said, recognizing the urgency.

But before he could act, Xiao Yang stopped him.

"Thank you, but this is my affair. I don’t want any of Northern Desert City’s forces involved."

Xiao Yang spoke calmly, but his words carried boundless murderous intent.

The enemy had crossed a line.

Even after surviving assassination attempts, he had never been so furious.

"Take care, big brother," Jin Ying said solemnly.

Xiao Yang nodded heavily.

He prepared to leave.

Time was of the essence.

He didn’t know when Yan’er had been taken.

"System! Convert all my wealth into premium points."

Instantly, Xiao Yang became penniless again.

He had not a coin to his name.

But his premium points soared to three million seven hundred thousand.

"Notification: Top-up reaches five million. You’ve received a consumption gift pack!"

A prompt chimed in his ear.

Xiao Yang breathed a sigh of relief.

He had worried that spending three million without a system reward would leave him powerless.

The opponent was clearly at Martial Marquis level; with his current strength, he would struggle to match them.