Starting from the pharmacy, he grew into a martial saint among men.

A loud sound rang out.

Everyone turned to look, and the person who spoke was Qin Feng, who had been eliminated at the very beginning.

He stood up, his face gloomy, a flame hidden in his eyes.

Seeing this, everyone became interested and turned to look at Zhou Sanhe.

But Zhou Sanhe showed no fear whatsoever. He immediately pulled out a silver note, slapped it in front of him, and laughed:

"Come on, put up your bet, let's make a bet."

Qin Feng, however, was not polite and also slapped down a silver note to make the bet.

"Come on! Let's bet!"

But at this moment, Song Qingshan interrupted with a smile:

"Such a grand occasion couldn't be complete without the participation of the Song family! I'll join in too! Young Master Chu will surely triumph!"

"Hmph, then I'll join in too, I'll bet on Zheng Yuan to win!" the Zhao family head retorted sharply.

With these two families setting an example, other families, martial arts school disciples, and even some individual martial artists followed suit.

Everyone wanted to participate in the betting game. Some bet on Zheng Yuan to crush them, while others bet on the martial arts duo remaining undefeated. It was quite a lively scene.

The betting odds have been set, but the stakes have already piled up like a mountain.

Everyone got involved, so it would be inappropriate for anyone to be the referee, especially since the stakes included a variety of items such as silver notes and weapons, which would not be safe to leave to any one party.

So someone turned their gaze to the high platform and bowed to ask for instructions:

"Lord Xiong, our bets are settled, but the stakes are numerous. Could the government please hold onto them for safekeeping until the battle is over, at which point they will be returned?"

Xiong Zhen sat calmly on the high platform, his expression serene. After a moment's thought, he spoke:

"Can!"

"You can entrust them to Magistrate Huang for safekeeping. Once the battle is over, our government can distribute them to you."

"Thank you very much, Master Xiong!"

Despite saying this, Xiong Zhen also took out a large silver note with considerable interest, turned to the side and handed it to Magistrate Huang, saying:

"This betting game is a major event for Yunxi, and I am also interested in participating."

"I'm betting five hundred taels on the martial arts duo to win!"

hum!

These words immediately caused a huge uproar.

The martial artists who had been besieging the two tyrants of the martial arts school immediately straightened their backs, feeling that they were certain of victory.

For those who bet on Zheng Yuan, the sky has fallen.

If the examiner bets on the two martial arts masters, doesn't that mean the examiner doesn't think highly of Zheng Yuan?

Their gamble is likely doomed to fail.

Their bet is about to go down the drain.

But before the crowd could lose heart, Xiong Zhen pulled out another silver note and said calmly:

"This five hundred taels is for Zheng Yuansheng!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's emotions shifted again, but the weight that had been hanging in the air had already been lifted.

It turns out the examiners were just doing it for fun, and didn't actually favor either side.

Upon receiving the order, Magistrate Huang immediately ordered people to register and collect the bets, and the matter was quickly settled.

He also secretly took out two silver notes and bet them on the martial arts school's two villains.

The noise outside the mountain did not affect the examinees inside in the slightest.

After quickly packing, Chu Hong and Zhou Mingrui, carrying their heavy bags, headed south.

Canglang Mountain is located on the southern edge of the entire Yunmeng Mountain Range. The further north you go, the deeper and more dangerous it becomes.

Therefore, the four groups of candidates should enter from the east, southeast, south, and southwest directions, respectively. As long as they do not rashly venture into the north, they will be relatively safe.

Since Chu Hong and Zhou Mingrui had changed locations, they naturally headed towards the nearest area.

At this moment, Zheng Yuan was speeding along, but after crossing two mountain peaks, he no longer dared to rush straight ahead.

Instead, they suddenly stopped their rapid pace and walked slowly.

He didn't try to be ostentatious; instead, he specially borrowed a set of clothes from a test taker to disguise himself.

This action immediately aroused doubt among those outside the mountain.

"Why did Zheng Yuan suddenly stop? What is he going to do?" someone asked, puzzled.

If Zheng Yuan really doesn't cause trouble for Chu Hong and the other person, then their earlier scramble for betting would have been a joke, wouldn't it?

He wasn't the only one; many people shared this view.

However, others, after a little analysis, already had their own ideas.

"I think there are two possibilities for why Brother Zheng suddenly stopped."

"What's possible? Tell me quickly!" The martial artist who was holding Zheng Yuansheng hostage was already impatient.

"Don't rush, let me explain in detail. The first possibility is that Brother Zheng thinks the two 'fierce men' of the martial arts school are tough nuts to crack, so he has set his sights on other people."

Upon hearing this, many martial artists felt that it made a lot of sense.

Having witnessed the formidable strength of the martial arts duo, they naturally knew that these two were not easy to defeat.

But some people argued, "Absolutely not. Once Brother Zheng sets his mind on something, he will never give up halfway."

"His goal is to secure first place in martial arts! And right now, as long as he can defeat the two tyrants of the martial arts school, he will be the undisputed number one. Brother Zheng understands this better than anyone else."

Everyone recognized that this person was a candidate from the same area as Zheng Yuan.

When she encountered Zheng Yuan, she offered no resistance and obediently handed over her identity token, which made them secretly curse her for being spineless.

At this point, the other person continued, "This brings us to the second possibility."

"Brother Zheng is extremely intelligent, not a fool or a reckless brute. If he rashly goes to provoke and rob, he might win, but if he loses, he'll lose his identity token."

"I suspect that Brother Zheng must have figured something out just now."

At this point, the man stopped talking.

"What is it?" The people around him were getting impatient when they saw that he was being mysterious again, and some of the more irritable ones even wanted to punch him.

Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, the man smiled faintly and said:

"Even we know that Chu Hong and Zhou Mingrui are bound to fight. Do you think Brother Zheng wouldn't know?"

"When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits, you know that, right?!"

With a single sentence, the key point was revealed, and everyone suddenly understood.

If Zheng Yuan didn't intend to be the one reaping the benefits behind the scenes, why would he slow down and even change his appearance to disguise himself?

Isn't it all to hide his identity and avoid arousing suspicion, so that he can make a strong move to reap the rewards after Chu Hong and Chu Hong have finished their fight?

Immediately, everyone who had bet on Zheng Yuan beamed with joy; the betting game was now in the bag.

But their joy had barely lasted three breaths when someone hesitantly spoke up:

"Since neither side has directly confronted the other, does our previous bet still stand?"

This statement reflects the sentiments of most people.

If the second possibility is true, Zheng Yuan will undoubtedly win.

If they continue gambling, they will suffer huge losses.

Immediately, some people looked up at the high platform to ask for instructions.

Xiong Zhen's gaze swept across the entire room, and after a brief silence, he spoke:

"Existing gambling games can be temporarily suspended, but new gambling games can be established."

"This time, with both of the martial arts school's duo severely injured, can Zheng Yuan reliably suppress them both?"

The proposal was met with unanimous approval.

With one side suffering heavy losses and the other in a state of complete victory, there's no need to hesitate; just blindly bet on Zheng Yuan.

Of course, there were also speculators who, faced with huge odds, chose to bet on the martial arts duo.

He's playing the high game, and if he loses, he loses, but if he wins, he'll make a fortune.

The scene became even more lively.

The disturbances from the outside world have no effect on Canglang Mountain in the slightest.

After a long day of travel, dusk had fallen and the light was fading.

Chu Hong and his companion found a sheltered spot, took stock of their harvest, lit a campfire, and soon the aroma of roasted meat began to waft through the air.

The enemies they encountered today were all very strong, and the two of them had to exert a lot of effort to win each time, resulting in great exhaustion.

"Brother Zhou, the competition is tomorrow, so we must get a good rest tonight."