Chapter 005: The Bet

By now, all the members of the Northern Legion had arrived. Seeing the scene before them, the atmosphere became extremely tense.
Allen rode at the front of the group. Upon spotting Du Fan and Aldas, a strange look flashed in his eyes. He then spoke loudly, “Third brother, what are you doing with Lord Aldas? Why such a fuss?”
“Nothing much. I just happened to meet Lord Aldas while hunting. As you know, second brother, I’ve always admired Lord Aldas’s skills! So when I saw him fighting, I couldn’t help but ask for some advice. I’m sorry for disturbing everyone.” With that, Du Fan stepped back and mounted his warhorse. Fortunately, he had specifically asked someone to pick a horse that had experienced battles, so it remained calm under pressure. Aldas’s warhorse, on the other hand, had long since run off somewhere.
Allen frowned slightly, unsure of what Du Fan meant.
Joshua, however, reacted quickly. He laughed and said, “I see! These spars between nobles are usually nothing serious. But today is a great day for hunting. No matter who wins or loses, this kind of incident will ruin everyone’s mood. How about, out of respect for me…”
At that moment, Du Fan suddenly coughed and gave Allen a secret glance.
Allen smiled faintly and said, “Lord Joshua, it can’t be put that way… You must know that my third brother has been labeled a failure his whole life. He only started practicing combat energy recently. It’s natural he admires someone as legendary as Lord Aldas. So it was inevitable he would try to test him. Besides, today is such a rare opportunity—it wouldn’t be wrong for the two of them to fight… And since they’re already in the mood, interrupting them now would only spoil their fun, right?”
Joshua was momentarily puzzled, not quite understanding Allen’s meaning. But since the interests of the Holy Church aligned with those of the Northern Legion, he wouldn’t go against that. He nodded slightly and said with a smile, “Indeed, a spar between two genius-level individuals is worth watching… But… if they really want to fight, maybe they should find another place? If it continues here, people might think the two major families of the Gavin Empire have completely fallen out!”

Du Fan secretly rolled his eyes. What did it mean to be completely at odds? If this wasn’t considered complete estrangement, then what was? But he already had a plan and had been waiting for Joshua to say those words. Immediately, Du Fan coughed and said, “Lord Joshua is right. I, Du Fan, forgot to consider that even if we wanted to spar with Young Master Aldas, we shouldn’t choose such a time and place. After all, it’s my haste that’s to blame…” As he spoke, he gave Aldas a half-smiling glance and said, “Young Master Aldas, on the other hand, the fight we had just now wasn’t very satisfying… How about we fight again? If you’re willing, I have a way that won’t damage our relationship.” Aldas could clearly see that the three people in front of him were working together, but in this situation, he had nothing else to say. He merely sneered and said, “Go ahead, Young Master Du Fan.” Du Fan smiled slightly and said, “We’re here to hunt today. It would be a shame if we didn’t catch all the prey released, right? I calculated just now that aside from what the two of us have caught, there are probably about ten more in this forest… How about we make this a bet? Let’s see who catches more prey. We can set a time limit—whichever one catches more by the end wins, what do you think?” This proposal was fairly standard for such an occasion, but everyone present knew well about the relationship between Du Fan and Aldas, so for a moment, no one could understand Du Fan’s intention. Joshua frowned slightly, but after a moment, he said, “This is a good idea. In this way, both young masters can spar without damaging their relationship… That’s not bad… What do you think, Young Master Aldas?” Aldas snorted and said, “Since Young Master Du Fan is willing, I don’t mind. But let me make it clear upfront—since it’s a competition, there will inevitably be a winner and a loser. I just wonder how that victory will be determined?”

Du Fan smiled slightly and said, “So that’s what Young Master Aldas meant… Since it’s a competition to determine a winner, there has to be some stake involved… How about this? We’ll catch all ten prey alive. No matter who wins, they’ll have the right to deal with these ten prey. Besides that, I’ve brought hundreds of condemned prisoners with me. All of them are accomplices of the female assassin who tried to assassinate me back then. I originally planned to use them all as prey, but now it seems better to give them to you if you win, Young Master Aldas.”

Aldas was slightly stunned, seemingly unprepared for such a condition from Du Fan. Yet he knew full well that the so-called condemned prisoners were all from his own family. How could he refuse? He could only nod and say, “Agreed.”

Du Fan laughed heartily and said, “Young Master Aldas is truly generous. Then let’s make it this way: if you lose, I have no special demands. But in about three days, I’ll hold a trial for heretics in Modo City. If you’re interested, you’re welcome to come and watch. That’s my request to you, Young Master Aldas!”

Aldas didn’t understand Du Fan’s intention at first, but he still sneered and said, “Fine, I agree to it!”

Du Fan nodded slightly and said, “Then let’s settle it this way. Lord Joshua, I’ll have to trouble you to act as a witness this time.”

Joshua nodded slightly and said, “Sure, but please remember, though it’s a competition, you must not damage your relationship.”

Du Fan laughed heartily and said, “What kind of relationship do I have with Young Master Aldas that we’d damage our relationship? Lord Joshua, rest assured. This is just a small game; no one’s life will be harmed.”

Joshua nodded slightly.

Du Fan gave a strange smile, stepped back to Allen’s side, borrowed a crossbow and ropes from him, then walked forward with a smile.

Allen wanted to ask something, but was stopped by a glance from him.

Aldas’s warhorse was gone. The cavalry of the Northern Legion provided him with a warhorse, and the girl he saved was brought back. According to Du Fan, this prey now belonged to Young Master Aldas, and as for what to do with it afterward, that was Young Master Aldas’s decision.

Three bright resin torches were planted in the ground, burning steadily, while the forest around them was pitch black. At Allen’s orders, the entire area had been completely sealed off, meaning those “prey” had no way of escaping.

After seeing everything ready, Joshua let out a soft sigh and said, “Then… let’s begin.”

Du Fan smiled slightly, pulled on the reins, and moved forward a few steps. He gave Ordas a slight nod and said, “Young Master Ordas, please go first!”

Ordas’ beautiful face was filled with coldness. He glared at Du Fan coldly and sneered, “Then I won’t be polite!”

With that, he gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist and slapped the horse’s rump hard. The warhorse, in pain, galloped away instantly, disappearing into the forest in no time.

Du Fan glanced at it briefly and couldn’t help but smile faintly. “Ordas is indeed skilled!”

Allen snorted, mounted his horse, and said, “Third brother, aren’t you going in? Didn’t you want to bet with Ordas? Aren’t you afraid of losing? Or do you really want to give those people back to him?”

Du Fan touched his nose and sighed lightly. “It’s just a few hundred servants from the Beringer family. After thinking it over, even if I killed them all, it probably wouldn’t bring any benefit. It’s better to take this opportunity to return them to Ordas. First, it sends a message to the outside world that I, Du Fan, am showing weakness to Ordas… Second, I want to see whether for Ordas, his woman is more important or his family.”

Allen frowned and asked, “What do you mean?”

Du Fan replied calmly, “I don’t really mean anything… It’s just that I think things over there should be almost done by now… Given Ordas’ character, he must have prepared some way to send messages. I just don’t know how fast he can convey them.”

Allen nodded thoughtfully but didn’t ask any further questions.

Joshua, who had been listening quietly to Du Fan and Allen’s conversation, suddenly said, “Du Fan, aren’t you going to tell us what you really plan to do?”

Du Fan turned around and smiled slightly. “Lord Joshua, many things become much less interesting once they’re spoken out. See, isn’t it more interesting to watch slowly? After all, the unknown is the true source of fun!”

“Well, although I intend to hold back this time, I still need to put on a show!” Du Fan smiled again but changed the subject. “If I, the third young master of the Green family, lose completely, it would be too embarrassing!” With that, Du Fan whipped his horse’s tail sharply; the warhorse neighed and rushed deep into the forest.