I Have A Dual World Seal-Chapter 466: Chicken Blood
Lu Zheng remained invisible all the way, following to a large courtyard in the north of the city. The plaque at the entrance read "Wang Residence," reminding him of the owner of this place.
Old Master Wang owned land outside the city and shops in the south of the city, making him a well-known wealthy household in Tonglin County. Lu Zheng had encountered him twice at the Leping Building and twice while strolling in the south of the city.
Their acquaintance was merely one of polite nods, with no deeper relationship. He hadn’t expected Old Master Wang to have a cockfighting hobby.
Li the Fourth, carrying a large rooster, followed two servants into the side courtyard, bowing and scraping. There they saw Old Master Wang sitting in the courtyard with several servants standing by, and three chicken cages on the ground.
"I’ve heard your Red Heaven General has won three consecutive fights on the streets?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Li the Fourth nodded repeatedly.
"Do you know the rules?" Old Master Wang asked calmly.
"I know! I know! If my cock fights yours and wins, I get ten thousand coins; if it loses, I get three thousand coins." Li the Fourth’s eyes shone.
"By rights, the cockfights from random street sources wouldn’t catch my eye. Only a few that emerge victorious might interest me. But even if they enter my courtyard, they win less often than they lose. If it weren’t for the novelty, I wouldn’t even look." Old Master Wang spoke while playing with two jade balls in his hands.
"I heard your cockfight can win three in a row. I’ve prepared three fighting cocks here. If yours can win them all, then it’s..."
"Thirty thousand coins!" Li the Fourth interjected, his eyes reddening.
"Correct." Old Master Wang nodded, "Shall we have a match?"
It’s important to know that cockfighting is a no-turn-back competition. Once a cock loses, it might die or be useless. Li the Fourth’s cock was clearly a street champion, and if it continued on the streets, it might accumulate thirty thousand coins without risking it all here.
Without hesitation, Li the Fourth nodded vigorously, "Let’s fight!"
Old Master Wang smiled faintly, "Come, release Captain Qingfeng."
"Yes!"
The first servant on the left immediately opened the cage at his feet, releasing a rooster with all green feathers, majestic and spirited.
"This is my Captain Qingfeng, ranking in the top twenty in my chicken farm. Let’s first test the quality of your Red Heaven General."
"See for yourself!" Li the Fourth tossed his rooster into the air, "Go!"
The rooster flapped its wings and landed on the open ground ahead, spreading its wings, standing tall, and glaring provocatively at Captain Qingfeng across the way.
"Cluck, cluck, cluck!"
Captain Qingfeng was undaunted, its feet alternately tapping and wings flapping, quickly charging into the arena, aiming its beak to fiercely peck at the rooster.
"Cluck, cluck, cluck!"
The next moment, the two roosters clashed, ferociously engaging, feathers flying everywhere.
But...
Ninety-eight percent of the feathers were from Captain Qingfeng.
Captain Qingfeng couldn’t match the rhythm of the Red Heaven General’s movements, falling behind from the start. Its defense and counterattacks were barely effective, struggling fiercely but ineffectively.
After several exchanges, it was already covered in blood, with scattered down feathers, and was visibly waning in energy.
"Cluck, cluck, cluck!"
Managing to escape the attack range of the Red Heaven General, Captain Qingfeng lay flat, wings folded, head tucked low, signaling its surrender.
"It’s a win!" Li the Fourth was so excited he almost jumped, ten strings of coins secured!
Old Master Wang’s eyes flickered, and he nodded slightly, "Bring forth General Baihua."
A servant came forth, picked up the defeated Captain Qingfeng, put it back in the cage, and then released another rooster with colorful feathers from a cage.
This General Baihua strutted proudly, with sharp eyes, and walked nimbly towards the Red Heaven General on the other side.
Compared to the impetuous and aggressive Captain Qingfeng, General Baihua was clearly more stable.
Yet stability was of no use; although it held out a little longer than Captain Qingfeng, it was still overpowered by the Red Heaven General, suffering several heavy pecks on its head before finally surrendering obediently.
"Well fought!"
Li the Fourth didn’t need to boast; Old Master Wang’s elderly eyes were already gleaming as he looked at the rooster, "Good, I didn’t expect a wild cock to produce a general. Release the Red-capped Grand Marshal!"
The final fighting cock was released from its cage, and even beyond Old Master Wang’s group, even Li the Fourth, who knew his own cock’s prowess, took a sharp breath.
This rooster stood a full one-third taller than the average fighting cock and was bulkier, but it moved with remarkable agility, showing no clumsiness at all.
The rooster, however, didn’t seem to notice, instead raising its wings to groom its feathers with its beak. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
"Cluck, cluck, cluck!"
The Red-capped Grand Marshal cried out, then charged toward the Red Heaven General like a mountain descending.
"Cluck, cluck, cluck!"
The rooster met it without backing down, confronting it head-on.
Although the rooster had gained intelligence, its physical form had not fundamentally changed. Initially, it was suppressed by the extraordinarily splendid Red-capped Grand Marshal, lacking in power and speed.
However, with a faint trace of demon power in its body, its endurance was distinctly superior to normal fighting cocks. Once the Red-capped Grand Marshal’s energy waned after successive bursts, the rooster launched a powerful counterattack, leaving the opponent evading all around before eventually surrendering.
"Victory!" Li the Fourth punched the air.
Landlord Wang’s expression remained unchanged, but his eyes flashed, and his breathing became a bit heavier.
"Good! Truly a good fighting cock! This cock is mighty and majestic, full of Yang Qi, truly..."
After catching his breath, Landlord Wang spoke calmly, "Li the Fourth, your cock is indeed impressive. Would you sell it?"
Li the Fourth’s eyes flashed; here it comes.
"Well, this fighting cock is my livelihood. My future food and clothing all depend on it..."
"But aside from me in this county, who else has much money for you to win? If you go to other counties, aren’t you afraid of being cleaned out?" Landlord Wang tempted, "I will offer fifty thousand coins to buy your fighting cock."
Li the Fourth’s eyes shifted, "One hundred thousand coins!"
...
After some bargaining, Li the Fourth sold the rooster for eighty thousand coins. Including the previous thirty thousand won, he left excitedly with treasure notes totaling a hundred and ten thousand coins in his pocket.
After Li the Fourth left, Landlord Wang waved all the servants away until only one old servant remained, who stepped forward and grabbed the rooster.
Landlord Wang nodded to him, "You know what to do, right?"
"Yes!"
Landlord Wang waved him off, "Go on."
Then the old servant bowed slightly and took the rooster away.
Lu Zheng observed the whole play invisibly from the side, finding it quite entertaining. He thought to himself that the next part of the story would be the rooster sneaking away at night to reunite with Li the Fourth outside the city in the morning to continue cockfighting and winning in other counties.
With the abilities of this rooster, unlatching a chicken cage would be a breeze, wouldn’t it?
Lu Zheng shook his head, having seen enough of the play and not intending to warn Old Master Wang. After all, they were making money by skill, and if he failed to see that the rooster was a demon, that was his lack of perception.
So Lu Zheng prepared to leave invisibly.
However, just as he was about to move, he saw the old servant, who had just left, returning in a hurry.
The old servant looked somewhat anxious, holding a wooden tray with a ceramic bowl on it, filled with a bowl of red liquid emitting an intensely bloody smell.
Standing before Old Master Wang, the old servant whispered, "Master, that Red Heaven General has already been slaughtered in the kitchen, and this is the chicken blood."
Lu Zheng:〣(ºΔº)〣
