BXBX NOVEL Chapter 8 - 8: 8: Little Uncle, Do You Trust Me?
Chapter 8 - 8: 8: Little Uncle, Do You Trust Me?
Jiang Xiaobai suppressed his emotions and replied evenly.
“Huh, today, you, a useless mortal, have caused me to lose tens of thousands of top-grade spirit stones. This account needs to be settled, don’t you think?”
Ao Cheng scoffed coldly. Jiang Xiaobai could even hear the cracking sound of his knuckles as he clenched his fists.
Luckily, this wasn’t an insurmountable problem, but rather, an opportunity.
Jiang Xiaobai had been in distress just now, but now, the other party had come to him.
Building a good relationship with this young master of Dragon Valley would be extremely beneficial to his current situation.
Resort to violence?
Unlikely, having seen Ao Cheng’s strength, Jiang Xiaobai knew it was too formidable for him to handle.
So the idea of subduing this hothead through force was clearly unfeasible and would likely backfire.
At this moment, Jiang Xiaobai’s eyes flickered with an unnoticeable cunning smile.
“You want me to cover your losses?”
Jiang Xiaobai chuckled and shook his head: “I’m sorry, that’s impossible.”
Ao Cheng was instantly enraged, “Damned mortal, are you courting death?”
“Putting everything else aside, do you think I can afford that amount of wealth?”
“Well…that’s true.”
Ao Cheng seemed momentarily stunned.
Only then did he remember that the other party was just a mortal, who probably didn’t even know what a spirit stone was.
He had been too agitated earlier and had overlooked this important fact.
But what about his losses?
Would they just vanish into thin air?
Just as Ao Cheng was seething with anger and preparing to strike out, Jiang Xiaobai chuckled again.
“You want to get back what you lost?”
“Naturally.”
“May I ask, how did you place your initial bet?”
Ao Cheng frowned, recounting the situation of the time without a second thought.
It turned out that the first person to offer the wager was not Ao Cheng, but another guy named Ao Fang. After losing once, Ao Cheng, not willing to admit defeat, placed his own bet and ended up losing tens of thousands of spirit stones.
Then Jiang Xiaobai inquired about Ao Fang’s character as well as any grievances between him and Ao Cheng.
The result was clear, Ao Fang was a treacherous character and had held a grudge against Ao Cheng since a previous auction when Ao Cheng took away the items he desired.
However, as Ao Cheng was Ao Yan’s younger brother, Ao Fang did not dare to act rashly.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiaobai more or less understood that his nephew was simply foolish.
This was obviously a scheme!
In the first place, Jiang Xiaobai, being a mere mortal, had the audacity to toast tens of thousands of people which was proof enough that something was amiss.
And even after Ao Tianheng embarrassed him, Jiang Xiaobai continued toasting.
Any intelligent person would realize that Jiang Xiaobai must have had some kind of backup plan or was a true heavy drinker.
And at the time when Ao Fang placed the first wager, Jiang Xiaobai had only had three drinks.
The only thing that puzzled Jiang Xiaobai was why Ao Cheng took over the wagering right after losing only one round.
“Do you like to play this type of game?”
Jiang Xiaobai raised an eyebrow.
Ao Cheng nodded, “Indeed, I enjoy a gamble or two whenever I have some free time. However, I’ve never been to a gambling house.”
“Are you afraid your sister will spank you?”
Ao Cheng’s face quickly changed.
“Don’t push your luck, or you won’t know what killed you.”
Jiang Xiaobai rolled his eyes. Apparently, this guy loved ‘death threats’.
He used the threat of death to coerce others.
Utterly deplorable and detestable!
Jiang Xiaobai’s eyes sparkled, smiling, “How would you like to get back what you lost, twofold?”
At these words, Ao Cheng raised his eyebrows and started sizing up Jiang Xiaobai.
“Mortal, with your abilities?” After a while, Ao Cheng scoffed.
Not the least bit angered, Jiang Xiaobai replied, “I could be of assistance, but it would require your complete trust.”
Ao Cheng squinted his eyes and fell into consideration.
After all, Jiang Xiaobai was a mortal, and they’ve never had any interaction before today.
Hastily trusting him wasn’t wise.
But when thinking about the tens of thousands of top-grade spirit stones he lost today, Ao Cheng felt tremendously worried.
If Ao Yan heard of this, his life wouldn’t be spared, let alone his skin.
In addition, he was truly upset about losing the money.
Just retrieving the loss would be a relief, and if he could profit from it, that would be even better.
After endless contemplation, Ao Cheng gritted his teeth.
He decided to take the risk!
“Tell me, how can I double my money back?”
Jiang Xiaobai’s face bloomed with an innocent smile.
“Come, come, let’s talk in detail.”
Under Ao Cheng’s guidance, they found a quiet pavilion where they could talk about their secret plan after ensuring that no one was around.
After two hours of intense discussion, they parted ways.
Before he left, Ao Cheng’s mood had visibly lifted, and a great sense of excitement shone in his eyes.
It was as if he had already envisioned the scene of retrieving his lost wealth manifold!
Jiang Xiaobai chuckled internally at the sight.
If Ao Cheng genuinely followed through with his plan, his arrogant and pushy attitude would certainly ensure its success.
Looks like he had made some progress in winning over his nephew!
His situation within the Dragon Valley had significantly improved, though unfortunately, Jiang Xiaobai realized he was still inferior to just about everyone there.
This was a headache – he wasn’t powerful enough!
“It seems I need to improve my power. Only by enhancing my own strength can I have more say. Then, I won’t need to hide.”
As for power progression, he could only rely on the system.
As for the Dragon Valley, it was not urgent. It was the Ancient Clan that posed a problem as they would arrive in a month.
If the Ancient Clan were to lash out at him in a fit of anger, he would surely die if he couldn’t beat them.
Progressing a realm within a month was only possible if one had the system!
Jiang Xiaobai began strategising on his power progression.
Both matters had to be addressed simultaneously!
Upon returning to the courtyard, Jiang Xiaobai pushed the door open and discovered Ao Yan sitting on a chair aloofly watching him.
“Where did you go?”
Ao Yan asked gently.
At this moment, the chilly aura around her had significantly reduced, but from her gaze, it was evident thirty that she was still a princess devoid of emotion.
“Nothing much, I just met a brother I can have a good chat with and we talked for a bit longer than expected.”
Jiang Xiaobai omitted the fact that the brother he mentioned was her own younger brother.
Hearing this, Ao Yan nodded and quickly tossed Jiang Xiaobai a storage ring.
“There are a thousand top-grade spirit stones inside. I owe you this.”
“You’ve already paid your debt, so forget about it.”
Jiang Xiaobai responded with a faint smile.
Upon hearing this, Ao Yan’s face registered surprise, her eyes wide in shock.
After that, Jiang Xiaobai did not pay further attention to her reaction. Picking up a blanket from the side, he spread it on the floor.
“Why aren’t you asleep yet?”
“If you’re not going to sleep, I will. I’m dead tired.”
After yawning, Jiang Xiaobai instantly fell into a deep slumber.
Such actions left Ao Yan completely flabbergasted.
In that moment, she felt that she couldn’t quite grasp this mortal, especially after everything he did today.
The more she thought about it, the more Ao Yan furrowed her brows.
Jiang Xiaobai didn’t seem like an ordinary mortal!
“Nevermind that for now.”
“Just answer one question for me, how can you, a mortal, concoct pills?”