Chapter 2532 — Another Round

"In that case, I'll be on my way. Congratulations, Liangzi—your bid for promotion failed." Wei Zhao gave a mocking smile. "Now, where's the black iron rod?"

"Uh... well..." Zhong Yongliang's heart lurched as it suddenly came back to him—the bet he had made with Wei Zhao. Back then, he had been utterly certain he could not possibly lose the match, so when Wei Zhao demanded the black iron rod as stakes, Zhong Yongliang had agreed without a second thought. But now, to actually hand the thing over to Wei Zhao as a loss... he found himself rather reluctant.

"What, thinking of welching on the bet?" Wei Zhao's eyes went cold. Lowering his voice, he leaned close to Zhong Yongliang's ear and said, chillingly, "You honor the bet, and I honor the bet. But if you don't honor the bet, then you'd better watch yourself tonight—best hope you don't get jumped. You'd lose the black iron rod, and you'd get beaten to death besides."

Zhong Yongliang gave a start. That was right—Wei Zhao was no ordinary ruthless man; this was the man who had dared to cut out An Jianwen's kidneys. If Zhong Yongliang dared break the agreement, he truly would be in danger! Of course, he still had no idea that Wei Zhao had his own reservations and did not dare kill him.

In Zhong Yongliang's eyes, Wei Zhao was a man utterly without scruples—he had fought the great clans, then the hidden clans, and even Zhang Naipao and Feng Nitian of the ancient sects had been crippled by him. What virtue or ability did Zhong Yongliang possess that Wei Zhao should have any misgivings about him?

Not a chance in the world—Wei Zhao could crush him as easily as an ant! And so, having thought it through, Zhong Yongliang yielded. He drew a deep breath and said to Gao Fu, "Fu, give him the thing!"

"Oh..." Though Gao Fu felt a pang of reluctance, he did not dare defy Zhong Yongliang's order, much less cross Wei Zhao. So he hurriedly handed the black iron rod to Wei Zhao.

Wei Zhao took the black iron rod, well satisfied. Then he leaped down from the arena and walked toward Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu.

"Oh, Brother Arrowhead is still the man. Liangzi, you've really let me down—looks like you just don't have what it takes!" Shen Yushu cast a pitying glance at Zhong Yongliang on the arena.

Zhong Yongliang's vision went black, and he nearly fainted dead away. It was over—the chance was lost! In his mind, Shen Yushu had genuinely backed him for a moment there, but now he had squandered that chance, and it had left Shen Yushu somewhat disappointed in him!

Shen Yushu was a crucial intermediary in his pursuit of Gu Mengyao—his path to becoming her personal bodyguard! If Shen Yushu gave up and stopped helping, his prospects would be utterly wretched!

"Let's go. Back to class." In front of outsiders, Big Sister was still sparing with words—just six plain syllables. She turned and led Shen Yushu away. But as she turned, Wei Zhao caught the flicker of a smile at the corner of her mouth.

Heh. Big Sister would always be Big Sister. That temperament of hers warmed Wei Zhao's heart. He exchanged a greeting with Bai Weituo, and the two of them headed off together toward the Biology Department's teaching building.

Wang Xinyan had not come to join the spectacle at all; she was in the classroom at that moment, taking an afternoon nap. For some reason, Wang Xinyan had been sleeping far more than usual lately. It puzzled her a little, but she did not think much of it.

"Wait!" Zhong Yongliang's heart rankled. He scrambled up and called after Wei Zhao. "Wei Zhao, if you've got the guts, let's go another round!"

"What's there left to fight over?" Wei Zhao asked, the black iron rod resting on his shoulder.

"The reason I lost is that I wasn't using a weapon! That black iron rod is my ultimate weapon. I was tricked by you before into putting it up as stakes—but if I wield it as a weapon, I could absolutely beat you!" Zhong Yongliang was not actually thinking any such thing. What he had thought before was this: there was no way Wei Zhao could make him vomit blood even if Wei Zhao tired himself to the point of spitting blood over half a quarter-hour, so there was no need for any black iron rod. And besides, beating Wei Zhao with an iron cudgel in front of the whole crowd, the way he had thrashed You Panhu and Zhong Yongliang—that would be far too bloody. The school would surely intervene, and it would be an unearned victory besides. So Zhong Yongliang had simply not used it.

But who could have known that Wei Zhao would suddenly be able to break through his mid-grade golden cicada undergarment? Zhong Yongliang was shocked and furious. In his desperation, he could not care about all that anymore—if he did not act now, Shen Yushu would give up on him entirely. He could only charge down a risky path and play the rogue once more.

"Oh. So it seems that if I don't fight you again, you'll never accept it, is that it?" Wei Zhao turned and looked at Zhong Yongliang, asking mildly.

"Naturally. Before, you were the one attacking me—this time it's my turn to attack you!" Zhong Yongliang said.

"Very well, then. Since you want another beating, I'll oblige you." Wei Zhao leaped up once more and vaulted onto the arena, then tossed the black iron rod to Zhong Yongliang. "Here. What are the rules this time?"

"The rules this time are: whoever begs for mercy first loses. How's that?" With the black iron rod in hand, Zhong Yongliang was confident he could make Wei Zhao beg for mercy! After all, had it not gone exactly that way with You Panhu and Zhao Qibing?

"Oh, fine by me. But what are the stakes this time?" Wei Zhao asked.

"Same as before. If I win, I take your place as Yaoyao's personal bodyguard. And if you win, you take this black iron rod away with you!" Zhong Yongliang said.

"Did you take the wrong medicine? This black iron rod is already mine—I was just loaning it to you out of pity. Did you really think it was yours?" Wei Zhao looked at Zhong Yongliang with a cold sneer.

"That..." Zhong Yongliang was taken aback. Thinking it over, that really was how it stood. So he said, "Then... I don't have any treasures left to stake against you. What do you propose?"

"How about this: if you lose, you declare on this arena that you've lost and will stop pestering Gu Mengyao. How's that?" Wei Zhao asked.

"No! Absolutely not!" Zhong Yongliang hesitated, then his stance turned surprisingly firm. "A man may be killed, but not humiliated. I cannot accept that condition!"

"..." Wei Zhao was momentarily at a loss for words. He had not expected Zhong Yongliang to have at least a shred of principle.

"How about this instead—if I lose, I leave this place?" Zhong Yongliang was playing a trick here. He would leave—but he had not said he would never come back.

"Fine." How could Wei Zhao fail to hear the loophole in his words? But he could not be bothered to quibble over it. The sooner the fight was done, the sooner it was settled. Had Kang Zhaolong's guarantee been worth any more than a fart? Even if Zhong Yongliang gave his word, Wei Zhao would have no recourse if he chose to go back on it. A man without shame is invincible, after all!

"Shall we start, then?" Zhong Yongliang asked.

"Yes. Let's begin!" Wei Zhao nodded.