Dragon's Soul Chapter 122: Fisty Cuffs

"Is there anyone in the audience with the courage to challenge our champion? For a simple entry fee of one hundred gold coins, you'll have the opportunity to win one hundred thousand gold coins!!!" The announcer said into a magical voice amplifier, that looked identical to the one that Lingqi used to sing atop the city walls.
 
"Please raise your hands!"
 
A wave of a hundred or so hands rose to the air, after the announcer finished speaking. Many people the audience had glinting eyes, with money signs in them as they eyed the battered up champion standing within the arena.
 
From bruised and battered look on the man who was being referred to as the champion, everyone thought that since he was already at the end of his ropes, they'd be able to easily defeat him.
 
However, Zhang knew that this was not the case at all. Although the champion looked really banged up, he had only expended roughly twenty percent of his strength because for the most part of the match had had preserved his energy and avoided most of the attacked directed at him.
 
"Level seven, almost at the eighth level." Zhang murmured as he watched dozens of people rise from their seats and were lead down to the arena.
 
It was obvious that only a handful of people in the audience had any hope of beating the champion but for people to who can beat a level seven or level eight cultivator to enter the ring and fight for money was a rare occasion.
 
Although a hundred thousand gold coins was a fairly hefty sum for most people, for people who have reached a high level of cultivation like Zhang and the beauties, such a sum was trivial. Since most people at that level of cultivation would be employed as generals, commanders and personal bodyguards for extremely important people.
 
Thus this type of event could be considered a sure win for the brothel.  All they had to do was put on a good show and people will flock in with money to give to them.
 
"Without further delay we will begin the challenger matches!" The announcer said as one of the many challengers entered the ring. Like the champion the challenger had changed out of his regular clothes and was now shirtless with only a pair of trousers to clothe himself.
 
No signal was needed because once both men were inside the arena they charged at each other at full speed. Although the challenger was not someone who could beat a level seven or eight cultivator, he himself was still pretty fast if compared to the champion.
 
The two shirtless men met each other in the center of the ring, where a series of blows were exchanged.
 
"He's putting on a show so none of the challengers quit before entering the ring." Zhang murmured to the beauties who were watching the fight beside him.
 
True to Zhang's thoughts although the fight looked to be an even match up it soon ended with the challenger being knocked out from a single attack from the champion.
 
After the fight though the champion could be seen breathing heavily and panting, as if he was nearly exhausted. But of course that was totally not the case, because the next few fights all ended up with him as the victor, though after each one he would pretend to be tired and even seemed like he could fall over at any moment.
 
"Well, this is boring let's go find something else to do." Ai yawned and said in a bored tone.
 
Although many people considered watching a fight a form of entertainment, Ai found it somewhat boring, since fighting and killing is something that normally occurs around her. People often grow duller to things that they are repeatedly exposed to.
 
"Alright let's go." Zhang said as he got up from his seat and waited for the beauties to get up before he began walking away.
 
Zhang and the beauties made their way through the rows of seats and leaving the vicinity of the arena before Zhang felt a huge influx of essence burst into the air.
 
Looking back the toward the arena, the man who had been referred to as the champion was lying on the ground unconscious with a hint of blood flowing out of the corners of his mouth as a shirtless scrawny looking man in his mid-twenties could be seen in the ring.
 
"Level eight." Zhang thought as his eyes glittered. This was the first time he had seen someone at the eighth level of cultivation who was so young.
 
To be a level eight cultivator at such a young age is a true rarity in the warring states region and places like the Heilong Kingdom.
 
However, the glint in his eyes soon faded as the scrawny man walked up to the unconscious former champion and kicked him, sending his body smashing to the arena wall.
 
The beauties who had not really noticed the fluctuation of essence in the air, had only turned back as the former champion's body slammed into the wall, but they did not look very much entertained because the scrawny youth continued attacking his unconscious opponent after landing his kick.
 
From the weird angles that his limbs were bending anyone could tell that the former champion was sustaining heavy injuries and perhaps many of his bones were broken.
 
"Hahaha, is this all the great champion of the arena can do?" The scrawny man laughed mockingly.
 
The question of whether they should intervene or not kept running through repeating itself inside the minds of Zhang and the beauties as they stood watching the unnecessary beating occur.
 
Moments after Zhang made up his mans and a Dragon Talon throwing knife appeared in his hand, a blinding flash of light shone into everyone's eyes.
 
While his optical vision was lost due to the light, Zhang's essence sensing ability that he gained from the Underworld Heart, was increased greatly. Perhaps now one but Zhang was able to see the scene that was unfolding down in the arena.
 
In his mind he could make of the vague outlines of every single person in the audience, each person down in the arena, especially the former champion, the scrawny man and finally the faint outline of a woman who had not been in the arena moments prior. The essence coming out of her body was so faint that Zhang was barely able to make out her form at all.
 
The scrawny man was no longer in the spot that he had been before everyone was blinded, but rather he was embedded into one of the arena walls.
 
This scene of course was soon visible to everyone else moments later when everyone's vision was restored.
 
The crowd was stupefied when they saw the scrawny man glued to the arena wall, while w woman who everyone could recognize was down in the arena. This woman of course was the mistress of the Wolfden Brothel.
 
"What's Lady Yue Lang?" One of the spectators in the audience asked in a confused tone.
 
"What you didn't know? A few years ago, the spoiled son of some provincial lord came and tried get her spend a night with him. But as you all know the women here only sell their talents and not their bodies. So of course she declined him, but the fool didn't know how to take no for an answer and resorted to force. Long story short, a dozen or so level six cultivators were beaten to a bloody pulp and a certain someone can no longer walk, let alone think about doing the deed anymore." One of the more well informed people in the audience said.
 
"Interesting." Zhang muttered as he watched as all of the essence emitting from Yue Lang's body disappear. Currently she was not emitting any essence at all, which required someone to be either dead or have perfect control over their essence. This only served to add to the mysteriousness of the beauty standing in front of everyone.
 
"I apologize to everyone for the unsightly display. We will resume fights in the arena at a later time, I bid an enjoyable rest of the night." Yue Lang said politely with a slight bow before signaling for some of her employees to carry the two unconscious people off. Thus the situation was resolved and the crowd was dispersed.
 
As everyone in the audience began heading off to other venues, Zhang continued staring at Yue Lang intently still trying to gauge her power. Although the amount of essence she was giving off was nearly nonexistent at the start, as she began talking it fluctuated to that of a level four cultivator before dipping to that of a level one cultivator. After which it spiked to that of a level eight cultivator, making it impossible to figure out her true level of cultivation.
 
This in its own intrigued had piqued Zhang interest, however that was not the end of things, since he also wished to figure out how she had appeared in the arena in the matter of a few breathes. Such a feat was something that even Zhang could not accomplish.
 
"Brother, why didn't you take her on her offer of sharing a room together, then you can stare at her for as long as you would like." Ai said with a smile on her face, the same creepy smile that she wore on her face as she slashed down dozens of people during the battle in Green Clover City. Another indicator of her anger was a glowing red bracelet that wrapped around her delicate arm.
 
This bracelet being the same bracelet that Zhang's mother had given every one of the beauties as a way to help her son, know when he had royally pissed off his wives.
 
"I was just admiring how beautiful her dress is and just about to go down and ask her where she got it, so I can buy a few like them for my four lovely wives." Zhang said with an awkward smile as he scratched his head.
 
"That's obviously the case, our dear lord would certainly not lay eyes on other women when he has us." Lingqi said with a smile as she linked arms with Zhang and tugged him to begin walking. This of course was her way of helping him out of a tough situation and in the hopes of one upping the other beauties.
 
"Yea let's go!" Zhang said loudly as his hand interlocked with Lingqi and they began walking off toward another venue. Ling and Yuying soon followed, while Ai arrived on the side of Zhang that was vacant and locked arms with him. While Lingqi snuggled up against his arm, Ai turned her head away as if she was ignoring him, as Yuying and Ling followed suite and conversed with one another.
 
What Zhang did not notice was that Yue Lang was currently watching as he departed with a smile pasted over her well-proportioned face that embodied beauty. Once Zhang and the beauties were quite a distance away, if anyone was keeping an eye on Yue Lang, which no one was since they were all busy or leaving, they'd see that her body began flickering and she disappeared into thin air.
"I wonder why such an expert is running a brothel." Zhang thought as he continued walking hand in hand with Lingqi and Ai.
 
Questions about Yue Lang often arose in every client that entered the gates of the Wolfden hotel, after meeting her. Why is someone so beautiful running a brothel, why is someone so powerful running a brother, and so on.
 
With her beauty alone she could more than likely become the favorite wife of some provincial lord, king of perhaps even on of the emperors. Even if she lacked beauty, with her strength that is enough to take out a level eight cultivator in a flash, should was more than qualified to be an elite guard for someone important. But over time these questions have yet to be answered because Yue Lang often appeared and disappeared without a trace, so if she did not seek someone out, then, meeting her could be considered a one or two-time opportunity.
 
Although Zhang was intrigue he felt that this was not a reason to pester someone, especially someone who is so mysterious and is stronger than him. As the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat. So he figured his first priority should be to have a good time with the beauties.
Having forgotten what time of the night it is, Zhang and the beauties made their way from one venue to the next, watching a wide variety of shows and partaking in many different games. There was even a game where participants completed poems that the casino have hung up.
 
Every participant pays an entry fee of a few gold coins and then submits his or her ending to the verse, then the submission is read aloud and the audience decides the winner. The winner would in turn receive half of the total entries for the particular poem verse, which ranged from a few hundred gold coins to a few thousand depending on how popular the verse was.
 
Ironically, Ai was somehow very good at this game compared to the other beauties. Ling immersed herself in study cultivation arts and so did Yuying, while Lingqi studies medicine, but Ai who did not particularly practice her cultivation since it strangely rose by itself, often dabbled in many other things.
 
"I could imagine the amount of money that flows through this place every day. Maybe when I get back to Aurora I should open something like this, I'll call it the Dragon's Den." Zhang thought as a glint appeared in his eyes.
 
"Honey let's go in there!" Ling said excitedly as she saw a store selling various magical items.
 
"Damn this place has everything doesn't it." Zhang murmured as he and the others followed Ling inside the magical item store.
 
Upon entering the magical item store, nothing worthwhile was really present so the excitement in Ling's eyes soon faded. Magical item stores, sometimes sold ancient scrolls and such that possessed lost techniques in them, which caused Ling to be excited however this store here could only be considered ordinary and most of its wares were for commercial use or entertainment purposes.
 
"It'll take a few of these and a few of those." Lingqi said with a smile as she picked up a few medical herbs and examined them.
 
"If I mix this with that and that with this…" Lingqi mumbled and zoning everything around her out.
 
"Young miss you have good eye for things, although our shop is a magical item shop, we specialize in rare medical herbs." An elderly man walked out from the back room of the store.
 
"Your store does kind of lack in magical items, but it sure does make up for it in rare herbs. You even have a thousand-year Snow Dew mushroom; I've been looking for one of these but the climate around where we live can't grow them." Lingqi said with a smile.
 
"Yes those are imported from the northern lands. Seeing that you are so knowledgeable, I'd like to show you something we just received in one of our shipments." The old man said as he walked behind a counter and pulled out a jade box, opening it to reveal a few ordinary looking tree roots.
 
"Those are three colored Spring Autumn tree roots? If you look at it under moonlight it'll change to the colors red, yellow and orange, depending on its age. If it is orange under moon like then when mixed with a few other herbs, it can be used to increase a person's longevity by fifty years. I'll take them" Lingqi stated, before she walked up to the counter and prepared to purchase the roots.
 
"Seeing that you are so well informed then young miss should know that these are rather rare and I sadly can't give you much of a discount on them." The elderly man said with a sorry expression, although he was intrigued by Lingqi's medical knowledge and wanted to show a fellow medical enthusiast some rare herbs, he felt somewhat sorry that he couldn't give her a reasonable price for them.
 
"No need for a discount, my husband will be the one paying." Lingqi said with a grin as she turned back and looked at Zhang.
 
Thus Zhang paid for some overly expensive herbs, despite Lingqi possessing the same amount of wealth he had on him.

Chapter end