Cultivation: Starting from a Fighting Cock

Chapter 40: Selling the Head
Cockfighting was also very popular in Zishui City, so Zhou Mu was naturally familiar with it.

Listening to the report from the person in charge of the cockfighting arena, Zhou Mu lightly patted the armrest of his chair and smiled:
“Since the Zhao family has such a gambler, this matter is easier to resolve.”

His mood suddenly brightened; just when he thought he had reached a dead end, a new path opened up before him.

"Young Master Mu, what do you mean?"

Wang, the gang leader, asked from the side. He was a rough man and didn't have much time for scheming, so he couldn't understand Zhou Mu's thoughts at this moment.

Zhou Mu glanced at him and laughed, "A gambler who has incurred huge debts through gambling, it's reasonable for us to come to his door and take his valuables to pay off his debts, isn't it?"

If Zhao Chongwu was able to gamble away all the family property after the division of the family seven years ago, then seven years later, he could gamble away the entire Zhao family estate.

"That makes sense, that makes sense, haha, Young Master Mu is just too reasonable in his actions."

Wang Heng praised, "As expected of a scion of a prominent family, Young Master Mu's upbringing fully demonstrates the difference between people."

If it were him, he wouldn't care about anything else; he would just rush into the Zhao residence and take whatever he wanted, and if anyone dared to stop him, he would stab them in the balls.

"is it?"

Zhou Mu found it somewhat amusing, never expecting that he would be seen as a reasonable person in Chief Wang's eyes.

interesting.

……

Zhao Yan held Ji Cheng in her arms.

Ji Cheng nestled his neck between the two breasts, close and stable.

Zhao Yan walked with a swaying gait, and Ji Cheng's head shrank back and forth. After traveling for so long, he finally understood the benefits of being a prostitute.

Now, Zhao Yan is very fond of Ji Cheng. He's not just a chicken, he's a money tree!

She, who has hated cockfighting since childhood, is now obsessed with it. In her spare time, she reads books about cockfighting to learn how to feed them, sharpen their claws, and trim their feathers.

Seeing Ji Cheng's treatment, Da Huang drooled and barked, filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment.

Today, she took Ji Cheng out again.

They arrived at the Green Bamboo Gang's cockfighting arena together with Master Zhao.

"Second Master, you've arrived! Hehe, I wish you another resounding victory today!"

A fawning figure approached from afar, having waited specifically for Master Zhao.

This man was nicknamed the Horseshoe Maker, specializing in shoeing horses' hooves with iron. It was a family tradition, and almost no one remembers his real name.

The horse hoof maker was a red-nosed drunkard. Ever since his wife ran off with another man two years ago, he lost all interest in forging hooves for horses. He spent his days drinking and gambling, squandering all the savings he had accumulated over decades, and almost became a beggar.

But life's circumstances are unpredictable.

About four months ago, during a cockfighting betting event, he bet all of his four qian of silver on Master Zhao's cockfighting because he was greedy for the high odds.

That match earned him six qian of silver.

From then on, whenever Master Zhao's cockfighting was open for betting, he would bet on Master Zhao to win, and quickly became rich.

He has now completely transformed himself and is full of energy. Last month, he even married a woman nearly twenty years younger than him. It seems he is living a very comfortable life.

For him, Master Zhao was undoubtedly a benefactor in his life. If Master Zhao hadn't refused, he would have wanted to recognize Master Zhao as his godfather.

"Second Master, a remarkable figure has arrived inside today, claiming he wants to challenge your ever-victorious general!"

The horse hoof maker leaned closer and whispered, telling Master Zhao to be careful.

Because Ji Cheng won so many matches, both the Green Bamboo Gang and the Roaring Snake Gang's cockfighting arenas remembered his cock's characteristics. Zhao Erye could no longer use his tricks to deceive people, so he simply started to claim the title of "Ever-Victorious General".

If anyone is envious, let them be envious; after all, there's nothing we can do about it.

"What extraordinary person?"

Master Zhao laughed heartily and strode into the Green Bamboo Gang's cockfighting arena.

He soon saw the important figure the horse shovel had mentioned: Xu Dingsheng, the young master of the Xu family. In Wuzhen, the Xu family was much wealthier than the Zhao family. Zuixianglou was a Xu family business, and in addition, the Xu family also owned a winery in Wuzhen, which was protected by the Xiangshe Gang.

Xu Dingsheng was the fourth son in his family and managed the winery business, which was quite leisurely.

This person was clever and studious from a young age, and his reputation as a child prodigy spread far and wide. However, he failed the imperial examination at the age of fifteen and subsequently neglected his studies.

He came of age two years ago and got married not long ago. This year, he rushed to take a concubine. After his body was drained, he became docile and has little interest in women now.

Xu Dingsheng was quite knowledgeable about cockfighting. It is said that he specially hired a master to train his cocks at home, and they usually won more than they lost.

"Master Zhao, I've been waiting for you for a long time. I've heard that your ever-victorious general has been winning battle after battle recently. I, this Azure Phoenix, have come to meet you!"

Xu Dingsheng had a clear goal: he went straight for Master Zhao.

He was very tall and considered quite handsome in Wuzhen, but he looked like he had kidney deficiency.

Beside him was an old man, who was carrying a cage containing a very beautiful blue pheasant.

Both Master Zhao and Zhao Yan were immediately impressed. Generally speaking, it was rare to see such a beautiful fighting rooster. Its entire body was blue with a smooth, glossy finish, without a single feather of any other color. Moreover, its tail feathers were slightly long, making it exceptionally handsome. No wonder it was named Qingfeng (Azure Phoenix).

Ji Cheng guessed that this green chicken must have a very pure bloodline, and judging from its eyes, which were lively and quick, it was clear that it had been trained.

But for him, it was nothing more than a bidding war to sell Seoul.

The old man carrying the cage had cross-eyed eyes and was definitely a "super smart guy." He must have been the master rooster that Xu Dingsheng specially invited to train fighting cocks.

"Second Master Zhao, you're not afraid to accept the challenge, are you? You've been beating me so badly these past few days. Well, now Young Master Xu has come to seduce you!"

Guo Laosi started to jeer from the sidelines.

Several other people who had previously lost to Master Zhao were also egging on Master Zhao to fight Xu Dingsheng.

They refused to believe that no one could subdue Master Zhao's fighting rooster.
Especially seeing that Xu Dingsheng's blue phoenix was quite extraordinary, compared to Zhao Erye's ordinary golden rooster, the difference in quality was obvious. They wanted to witness Zhao Erye's defeat firsthand.

"Young Master Xu, may I ask about the battle record of your Azure Phoenix?"

Master Zhao glanced at Xu Dingsheng, then at the cockfighting arena manager beside him.

He was really unsure of himself, after all, it was the first time he had seen such a strange green pheasant. Its expression and appearance were particularly intimidating, and just looking at it made him feel that it was very unusual.

"I haven't played yet; I've been resting and training at home."

Xu Dingsheng laughed and said that this green rooster did not have a glorious record of winning many consecutive battles. Its first cockfight was against Master Zhao.

Inside the cage, the green pheasant tilted its head, sizing up the fighting rooster in Zhao Yan's arms. It was calm, curious, and full of novelty towards the other fighting roosters.

Ji Cheng, on the other hand, raised the feathers on his neck and cackled wildly at the green pheasant, showing strong hostility and fighting spirit.

In Wuzhen, almost all cockfighting is like this; if you don't outmaneuver the cock, people will think you have some kind of plague.

Over the past four months, Ji Cheng's acting has become so realistic that it doesn't seem like acting at all.

He might be born to do this.

In short, after he stopped being human, everything he did was better than when he was human.

"Heh, irritable and easily angered, with a pale complexion and lifeless eyes, only capable of reckless recklessness, how can you be considered a king?"

Beside Xu Dingsheng, the old master's assessment of Ji Cheng was that he was a low-level fighting rooster.

He had seen too many fighting cocks in his life, and those like Ji Cheng were all money-losing machines. He was always surprised to hear people say that this fighting cock had won so many matches in a row.

Xu Dingsheng nodded, he shared the same view. No matter how you looked at it, Zhao Erye's fighting rooster was just ordinary. How could it be any better?
"Cuckoo!"

Ji Cheng stretched his neck, pretending to peck at the old master.

Dude, who are you? Get your strabismus fixed first. You think you can comment on me?

I'll ask you one question: do you, old man, dare to come into the cockfighting arena and duel with me?
At this moment, Ji Cheng was a crazy, panting chicken.

(End of this chapter)