"So fierce!"
Feeling the explosive medicinal power surging through his body, Luo Cheng was startled. Without daring to delay, he immediately grabbed the stone lock beside him and began swinging it with all his strength.
This went on for two to three hours before the fierce medicinal energy gradually subsided.
At this moment, Luo Cheng was drenched in sweat, his entire body collapsing onto the ground as he gasped for breath in big gulps.
He hadn't expected the potency of this crimson pill to be so intense. For a brief moment earlier, he thought his body was about to explode!
But all of this was worth it!
In just two to three hours, Luo Cheng felt a clear improvement in his physique, equivalent to several days of hard training for an ordinary person!
"The effects of this crimson pill are almost on par with the Jade Body Tempering Pill!"
Luo Cheng was a bit excited.
The Jade Body Tempering Pill was a three-star spirit pill, while the Vermilion Crystal Fruit was merely a two-star spiritual medicine. The fact that the crimson pill could produce such effects meant that the Nine-colored Scale not only refined spiritual medicines but also elevated their quality!
Now, there were still three crimson pills left—enough for him to break into the Body Tempering Ninth Layer!
After the excitement subsided, a wave of overwhelming fatigue overtook him, and Luo Cheng fell asleep right there in the Practice Field.
After such an intense day of cultivation, he was utterly exhausted.
He slept deeply, not waking up until noon the following day.
After quickly freshening up and changing into clean clothes, Luo Cheng left his courtyard.
He planned to visit his grandfather, as today was also the official day for vying for the Hunting Festival slots!
On the way to the main hall, Luo Cheng noticed that the guards and handmaidens around seemed anxious and hurried, as though something major had happened.
Just as Luo Cheng was feeling curious, a voice sounded beside him.
"Brother Luo Cheng!"
Luo Yun quickly approached him from the side.
"What's going on?" Luo Cheng asked.
"You don't know yet?"
Luo Yun widened his eyes and quickly said, "Luo Qi caused trouble!"
"Luo Qi?"
Luo Yun nodded. "After losing to you, Luo Qi probably couldn't accept it. He's been hanging out aimlessly these past two days. For some reason, he got involved with people from the Lin Family and went to Qingyun Gambling House with Lin Xiao today. He ended up losing tens of thousands of taels!"
Recalling Luo Qi and Lin Xiao mingling together before, Luo Cheng cursed, "What an idiot!"
Qingyun Gambling House was a Qi Family business. No need to think—Luo Qi had clearly been set up by Lin Xiao and the others!
"What did the Qi Family say?" Luo Cheng asked.
"They said, 'Cash first, then the person!'"
Luo Yun sighed and added, "It's probably going to be tough. My father said that with the Lin and Qi Families oppressing us lately, our family's business profits have sharply declined. It's hard to come up with so much money at once."
"The Family Head has already summoned everyone for an emergency meeting in the main hall to discuss countermeasures. The Qi Family will likely use this as an opportunity to extort us heavily!"
Luo Cheng frowned deeply, pausing for a moment before saying, "I'll go to Qingyun Gambling House and take a look."
"You're going alone?"
Luo Yun was stunned and hurriedly followed, advising, "Brother Luo Cheng, you should wait for the Family Head and the others to figure out a plan first!"
Luo Cheng smiled and said, "I'm just going to take a look. Why are you so nervous?"
No matter what, Luo Qi was still a member of the Luo Family. Internal conflicts aside, he was still one of their own.
The Luo Family could not allow outsiders to humiliate one of their own!
With the fervent spirit of youth, Luo Cheng naturally couldn't stand idly by in such situations.
"Brother Luo Cheng, wait for me!"
Luo Yun hesitated for a moment but quickly caught up.
Qingyun Gambling House was located in the northern plaza of Qishan City and was one of the largest gambling houses in the entire city!
The area was a hotspot where many powerful factions intersected, and people passing through often liked to stop in and try their luck with a few bets.
As a result, the gambling house was highly lucrative, making it one of the Qi Family's most profitable enterprises.
When Luo Cheng and Luo Yun arrived at Qingyun Gambling House, a large crowd had already gathered inside.
In the crowd, two groups of people were confronting each other.
"Young Master Lin, please release Young Master Luo Qi first. As for the money, our Luo Family will naturally give an appropriate response."
An elderly man in gray calmly spoke, with several Luo Family guards standing behind him.
Luo Cheng recognized the elderly man—his surname was Qin, and he was a steward under his eldest uncle, Luo Heng.
Opposite Steward Qin was a group of people, led by the Lin Family's Young Master Lin Xiao, with the Qi Family's troublemaker Qi Dong seated beside him.
Qi Dong's right cheek was still slightly swollen. The slap Luo Cheng had given him last time hadn't fully healed yet.
Luo Qi stood nearby, head hanging low. His clothes were disheveled, and he looked utterly defeated, like a wilted eggplant.
"Heh, I'll say it again: cash first, then the person."
Lin Xiao flicked the IOU scroll in his hand, a mocking smile on his face. He smirked and said, "What, the mighty Luo Family of the three major families in Qishan City can't even come up with such a small sum of money?"
Qi Dong sneered arrogantly and shouted, "The so-called three major families of Qishan City! I say let's just call it the two major families from now on! Save yourselves the embarrassment!"
Steward Qin frowned slightly.
"Our Luo Family can, of course, produce a sum this small."
A clear, unflinching voice rose as Luo Cheng pushed through the crowd, striding forward.
"Luo Cheng!"
Seeing him, Qi Dong touched his still-swollen cheek and let out a low growl.
"How dare you show your face here!"
Qi Dong glared daggers at Luo Cheng, as though he wanted to swallow him whole.
The young members of the Lin and Qi Families standing nearby also gave cold, hard stares.
Getting beaten by someone deemed a "waste" due to awakening the Wasted Martial Soul was a humiliation that had tarnished both families' reputations.
The events at the Drunken Cloud Pavilion these past few days had made them a complete laughingstock.
"Luo Cheng…"
Raising his bloodshot eyes, Luo Qi was stunned to see Luo Cheng arrive. Clearly, he hadn't expected him to come.
Luo Cheng walked straight forward, but Lin Xiao extended a hand to block him.
Waving the IOU scroll in his hand, Lin Xiao smiled and said, "A total of 380,000 taels."
"380,000 taels…"
Luo Cheng hadn't anticipated that Luo Qi would dare lose that much—it was almost half a year's income for the family!
Luo Qi's face turned ashen, and he glared at Lin Xiao with resentment. "I didn't lose that much at all. I... I had been drinking, and whatever they said, I could only nod along. It's all... all their trap! Lin Xiao, I hope you die a horrible death!"
"Heh, Luo Qi, don't go spouting baseless accusations... The black and white ink on the IOU is all your own doing."
With a smug look on his face, Lin Xiao gestured toward Luo Cheng and casually spread his hands. "So, where's the money?"
Steward Qin also looked at Luo Cheng with a peculiar expression.
He knew full well the family couldn't produce such a large amount of money on short notice.
Luo Cheng flatly replied, "There isn't any."
"No money?"
Lin Xiao's eyes narrowed. A sly glint of malice flickered across them as he sneered, "Then why are you here, to make a fool of me?"
Bam!
Unable to hold back, Qi Dong slammed his palm down on the table and shouted belligerently, "Why waste words with this loser? Beat him up and throw him out!"
Luo Cheng sat down openly, his gaze scanning Lin Xiao, Qi Dong, and the others. He smiled and said:
"How about we make a bet? I'll take three punches from you. That's the wager for your 380,000 taels."
"If I don't fall after three punches, this debt is wiped clean! But if I lose, I'll repay you the 380,000 taels!"