Chapter 330 - 27

Chapter 27: Making Another Fortune: Angry Dai HuabinWalking out of the bustling Soul Dueling Arena, Dai Youheng immediately spotted a striking scene not far away.Dai Huabin's face was ashen, as if he had swallowed a fly, yet he still knelt ramrod straight before Huo Yuhao.Under the complex gazes of numerous students around them, he gritted his teeth and once again heavily kowtowed three times, each bow solid and producing a dull thud. Then, he practically roared, his voice filled with humiliation and indignation, "I was wrong!"A bet is a bet. Dai Huabin was quite thorough in upholding these words.Or rather, a bet made under such public scrutiny involved not just his personal reputation, but also the honor of the White Tiger Dukes Mansion. If he reneged, and it spread that a Dai Family descendant couldn't afford to lose, the disgrace would be far greater than him kowtowing and admitting his mistake.Dai Youheng stood to the side, arms crossed and at ease, quietly waiting for Dai Huabin to complete this "ritual." It wasn't until Dai Huabin stood up, brushing dust from his knees, attempting to maintain a final shred of pride, that Dai Youheng leisurely walked over."Hey, Dai Huabin." His tone was flat, as if greeting an ordinary classmate, "My Spirit Bone, and the three million gold coins? Time to pay up, isn't it?"These words were like lighting the fuse of a powder keg. Before Dai Huabin could even speak, Zhu Lu, standing beside him, couldn't hold back. Her pretty face was frosted with anger as she snapped, "Dai Youheng, don't go too far! Do you even remember which family you belong to? Must you help outsiders humiliate Huabin like this?"She was both anxious and furious. Dai Huabin had been humiliated enough recently, and he had successively lost his bets, especially the Spirit Bones!Such precious resources, even the Dai Family couldn't squander them casually.The first thousand-year Spirit Bone Dai Huabin lost was one thing, but this second ten-thousand-year Spirit Bone was almost pre-allocated from his family's share of resources for a considerable period in the future!If this Spirit Bone was lost again, it meant that Dai Huabin would be unable to obtain any decent resource support from the family for a long time to come.Although the Dai Family currently had no imperial throne to contend for, competition for the Duke's position still existed, and resource allocation was crucial.As Dai Huabin's fiancée, Zhu Lu naturally thought of him at all times. Seeing her fiancé's interests harmed and his future potentially affected, how could she not be anxious?"Anyway, Dai Huabin and I aren't really from the same main branch," Dai Youheng glanced at Zhu Lu, his tone still indifferent. Let alone him, even the original bootlicker Youheng never felt that he and Dai Huabin were family.In that cold Duke's Mansion, Dai Huabin equally looked down on any illegitimate or adopted children other than his father Dai Hao, his mother the Duchess, and his elder brother Dai Yueheng. He often bullied Dai Youheng and Dai Luoli, so who would have a sense of family identity with such a person?"You…!" Zhu Lu was so angered by his casual yet incredibly distant words that her eyebrows shot up, and her spirit power became somewhat unstable."Enough!" Dai Huabin suddenly spoke, interrupting Zhu Lu. His face was so dark it looked like it could drip water, and he stared coldly at Dai Youheng, his tone filled with undisguised disdain and condescension, "He's right! He and I are not from the main branch. A mere illegitimate son, what right does he have to be compared to me? He's not even fit to carry my shoes!"He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging anger and humiliation, maintaining that twisted pride, "But I, Dai Huabin, as the legitimate son of the Duke, always keep my word and honor my bets!"With that, he flicked his wrist, and an object shimmering with a deep purple glow along with a purple-gold card were fiercely thrown towards Dai Youheng!"Take it!"Dai Youheng easily raised a hand, accurately catching both items.What he held was a Spirit Bone, entirely dark purple, shaped like a fragment of some skull, emitting strong spiritual fluctuations and an energetic aura.The other was a gold coin card, stamped with the mark of Shrek City's largest bank, indicating a denomination of three million."Is this a ten-thousand-year head Spirit Bone?"Dai Youheng sensed the Spirit Bone's energy, his heart stirring.The wager Dai Huabin offered this time was of much higher quality than the previous thousand-year left arm bone! Even if it had just reached the ten-thousand-year level, its value was incomparable to a thousand-year Spirit Bone, not to mention it was an extremely rare and precious head Spirit Bone!If Dai Youheng didn't have an ultimate pursuit for Spirit Bones, for an ordinary Spirit Master, this ten-thousand-year head Spirit Bone would already be enough to tempt most people.But he knew of future opportunities and the existence of many Spirit Beasts over a hundred thousand years old. Crucial parts like head and torso bones must be reserved for the best choices and absolutely not settled for.A seemingly satisfied yet somewhat playful smile appeared on his face. He put away the Spirit Bone and gold card, then thanked the ashen-faced Dai Huabin, "Thanks a lot. If you have any more good deeds like this to warm me up, remember to let me know in advance."These words were undoubtedly adding fuel to the fire. Dai Huabin's fists instantly clenched, knuckles white, wishing he could pounce and attack immediately. But he ultimately forced himself to endure it, only letting out a heavy snort from his nose before pulling Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie away, striding quickly without looking back, as if another second there would be torture.Dai Youheng couldn't be bothered with his anger. He tallied his current wealth: nearly a million saved from his previous "robbing the rich to help the poor," nine million obtained from looting the ninth-rank Soul Engineer, plus the three million he just received, and what he won from the casino… His current liquid cash had reached an astonishing thirteen million gold coins! This was a colossal sum that even Spirit Douluo-level powerhouses would covet!This didn't even include the three Spirit Bones on him; if all were sold, it would be an incredibly substantial income."Soon, it will be the Treasure Gathering Pavilion auction in Shrek City," Dai Youheng mused. "I remember in the original novel, the most expensive item at that auction was the nine-and-a-half-million gold coin Golden Earth Dragon King's right arm bone. This over ten million fortune is enough for me to sweep up all the resources I want at the auction!"Dai Huabin, with Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie, practically fled the area that had subjected him to such humiliation.The surrounding gazes—some sympathetic, some mocking, some gloating—pricked his back like needles, making every step he took feel like a burning pain.It wasn't until they turned into a secluded alley, confirming no one else was around, that Dai Huabin slammed his fist into the nearby wall. The hard stone bricks instantly cracked into a spiderweb pattern. His chest heaved violently, heavy breaths suppressing towering rage and murderous intent."Huo Yuhao! Dai Youheng!" He squeezed out these two names syllable by syllable through gritted teeth, his eyes terrifyingly sinister.Twice! Within a few short days, he had been forced to kneel and kowtow to Huo Yuhao twice—a monstrous disgrace! This had completely crossed his bottom line, trampling all his pride and dignity as the legitimate son of the White Tiger Duke!And that Dai Youheng! Just a lowly illegitimate son, yet he dared to repeatedly help outsiders against him. Now he had even won two precious Spirit Bones and a huge sum of money from him. That smug, gloating expression was simply nauseating!"Huabin…" Zhu Lu looked at him worriedly, speaking cautiously, "Are you… okay?""Okay?" Dai Huabin suddenly turned his head, his bloodshot eyes glaring at Zhu Lu, scaring her back half a step. "How could I be okay?! Since childhood, I, Dai Huabin, have never suffered such humiliation! Huo Yuhao! I will make sure he dies! And Dai Youheng, those three Spirit Bones on him, he must spit them out to me!"Cui Yajie frowned slightly at the side, wanting to speak but holding back. She felt that Dai Huabin was currently blinded by rage, but under his wrath, she dared not advise him too much.Dai Huabin took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down, but the murderous intent in his eyes remained undiminished. He looked at Zhu Lu, lowered his voice, and ordered coldly, "Zhu Lu, go help me ask for a leave from the academy. Just say I'm unwell and need a few days of rest.""Huabin, where are you going?" Zhu Lu's heart tightened, a bad premonition rising."Don't ask." Dai Huabin's tone was unquestionable. "I have my arrangements. Huo Yuhao must die; I can't let him continue to grow! As for Dai Youheng, hmph, I'll let him know the consequences of offending me!"He didn't intend to kill Dai Youheng; after all, kin killing kin was a major taboo. He just wanted to reclaim the Spirit Bones and give Dai Youheng a lesson he would never forget!Zhu Lu saw the crazy and resolute look in Dai Huabin's eyes, knowing she couldn't dissuade him, and could only nod worriedly, "Alright, I'll go now."Dai Huabin said no more, turned, and quickly walked out of the academy, his figure soon disappearing at the end of the road.He was going to contact some people, some hidden in the shadows, who specialized in handling "dirty work." To eliminate Huo Yuhao and retaliate against Dai Youheng, he would not hesitate to use some unconventional methods, even if it meant paying a greater price.In fact, when Dai Youheng saw Dai Huabin leave, he knew what he was thinking.But he wasn't worried at all, because he had a simple way to draw all the hatred towards Huo Yuhao.Anyway, it wouldn't affect him then.