Chapter 430: Coming Closer To You Day by Day
Inside the swirling mist, Tang Ling and Han Xing were slowly recovering their stamina and Boss Huang gazed at them with a sleazy smile.
After sowing the seeds for so long, it was finally time for him to reap his harvest! It was time for these two little rascals to help him earn back the money he had spent on them.
With that in mind, Boss Huang walked up to Tang Ling and tapped his arms as if the boss was checking how fat the pig’s trotters were. He then walked around Tang Ling and tapped Han Xing’s shoulder as if he was testing the meat on the pig’s shoulders.
Han Xing had major goosebumps. Being touched by another man was an experience he could not put into words.
Nevertheless, Tang Ling was calm enough. With the towel on his forehead, he said, “100 Black Sea coins.”
“Huh?” Boss Huang was upset.
“Do you think I wouldn’t know? You placed a 1,000 Black Sea coin wager on me to clear 18 stages in a single run with the odds being 1:28. On top of that, there’s also another 3,000 Black Sea coin wager for me to clear 15 stages with an SSS rating and the odds are 1:20,” Tang Ling stated.
“What are you trying to say?” Boss Huang was slightly frightened.
“Tsk, tsk. They are all risky bets, my boss! I’m shouldering a heavy burden here! You do know that the bets only count the first round of clearing the level, right? It’d be a shame if I got distracted or if my hands slipped. Then, every coin you bet on me will be...gone!” Tang Ling looked at the boss with a worrisome look.
“A boy shouldn’t spend money wantonly. Why 100 Black Sea coins? What about 20?” The boss’s survival instinct was acting up and he had to rebel to get a little insurance for his bets.
“No. I’ve spent a lot of money just so I can perform well in the competition for you! I must somehow make some for myself. I’m trying to place a bet on myself using the 100 Black Sea coins, the one with the highest odds.” Tang Ling did not sound like he was joking.
If someone from a higher status could walk away from wealth and fame, he would be a man of courage. It was a deep lesson for humanity.
Tang Ling might have the bravery to be someone like that but now was definitely not the time.
Since he already knew the benefits of savoring such scrumptious resources, he had to think of a way to earn money. After all, his goal was not just clearing the Hell Ledge Challenge.
When Tang Ling told the boss to place the bet on him with the highest odds, Boss Huang was taken by surprise. “Are you sure about this?”
“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?” Tang Ling could not understand his skepticism. Why would the boss be surprised?
“The highest odds are 1:56 and you must clear all 18 stages with an SSS rating. Are you sure you want to place your money on that?” Despite Boss Huang’s understanding of Tang Ling, he did not believe the kid could achieve it.
Based on what the boss knew about Hell Ledge, the Hell difficulty was only accessible to geniuses, but anything beyond stage 15 was not designed for humans unless one was at least a genius Rank 1 Purple Moon Warrior.
“Yeah, I’m sure. Place the bet.” Tang Ling was firm about his decision.
“Do you have some hidden trump card up your sleeves?” Boss Huang suddenly thought of the previous lesson and he quickly tested Tang Ling with a question.
What if the kid miraculously did it again?
“Nope. You should know what my trump cards are better than anyone else.” Tang Ling suddenly felt the boss was being too dodgy at that moment.
“Fine, I’ll place the bet on your behalf. Not a coin more than that, and if you want, you can borrow...”
Boss Huang knew if he helped Tang Ling to place a bet on himself, the kid would pay extra effort in the competition. Ultimately, the boss decided to spare another 100 Black Sea coins for investment sake.
“Boss, aren’t you following my bet? You’ll earn a lot.” Tang Ling decided to remind the boss again since he recollected how the boss had missed the bet previously.
Tang Ling was just being kind.
However, the boss replied to him with a glare, “No! You won’t understand the steadiness of a man in his prime age. I won’t be moved by the temptation of greed. I know the water brims only to overflow...”
“Boss...” Han Xing meekly interrupted the boss’s self-praise.
“What!?” The boss glared at Han Xing furiously because he was trying to teach Tang Ling a lesson in life.
“100 Black Sea coins...” Han Xing put a finger up.
Boss Huang got furious.
Oh? Everyone is blackmailing me now, are they?!
He lifted Han Xing together with the tub and wanted to toss the little b*stard out of the window.
“I can also help you to earn money! You can place your bets on me as well! I promise I’ll perform! I’ll make mistakes if I get distracted or have a heartache. It’s just 100 Black Sea coins...”
...
It was already afternoon when Tang Ling and Han Xing recovered their stamina.
On the other hand, Boss Huang lost another 200 Black Sea coins before he could get any profit and it ruined his day. Regardless of his mood, the meal before the challenge must still be prepared meticulously.
There was a full table of Level 3 and Level 4 vicious beast meat, and as long as Tang Ling and Han Xing still had space in their stomachs, they could eat as much as they liked.
Unfortunately, how much Level 3 and Level 4 vicious beast meat could two kids, who were not even Purple Moon Warriors, eat?
In the end, the remaining food ended up in Boss Huang’s stomach.
“Boss, I’m going now.” Tang Ling wiped his mouth and stood up from his chair. He looked determined and furious as he prepared to leave for the challenge.
“Me too.” Han Xing also took his sword and followed Tang Ling.
“Shoo!” Boss Huang did not even look up.
After Tang Ling and Han Xing stepped out of Dvesha Moha and disappeared into the crowd of the prosperous street, Boss Huang spared a meaningful glance toward where they disappeared. A faint smile curled up at his mouth. “You two little b*stards.”
“Boss, aren’t you going to watch the competition?” the two little fluffy balls popped up over the boss’s shoulders and asked in the same voice.
“I’m not going. I’m only done with the ship’s keel up until now.” Boss Huang’s reply seemed casual, but underneath his gaze was deep exhaustion.
Making a ship was not easy. He might have to spend a tenth of his life-savings on this ship.
Boss Huang suddenly clutched his heart painfully while even his breathing became messed up.
...
In a certain safety village 100 km away from Darkness Port, Higan was found sitting in a corner, eating her food quietly.
The food on her plate was simple and plain: a piece of roasted meat, several stems of plants, and some vegetables.
She was eating what the common villagers were eating. Despite having lived with luxury meals and clothing back in Sky Castle, she carefully nibbled on her portion and did not find it hard to swallow due to the lack of taste.
“This girl must be a child from some wealthy family.” Further away, a cooking maiden spared a concerned glance at Higan.
Even though Higan was wearing a shabby black robe with a black scarf covering her hair tightly, every move that she made, even the simplest action of eating, screamed natural elegance. It made others think that she was a noble.
“Stop overreacting. If she is the kid of some wealthy family, why would she be on the road and living in our lousy inn?” The old man beside the lady stopped her from being melodramatic even though he agreed that the mysterious girl felt a little different.
Speculating about guests that stopped by the inn was the iron rule of survival out here.
Higan actually heard the conversation but did not react at all. She carefully finished the last piece of meat on her worn plate.
The food did not contain any energy and could barely fill her stomach, so she would easily feel hungry again. Normal people who did not cultivate would never understand the void in the body when energy slipped away.
However, Higan did not care. What would she do with her powers anyway? To kill the pesky flies? Other than that, she could not think of any use for her powers.
She felt like being a normal person was not all that bad. For example, the lady who was cooking and the old man who was cleaning up the place and serving the guests seemed to have a quiet and peaceful life. How bad could that be?
What if the old man and the lady were Tang Ling and her?
Higan could not help but smile. She knew Tang Ling would protect her and make her powers even more insignificant.
Leaving behind the clean plates, she returned to her own room.
The wooden room was slightly breezy, but since the weather had warmed up, it was no longer a problem.
The winter last year was a lot harsher. After watching many get defeated by the cold weather and losing their lives, Higan’s icy cold heart somehow felt something.
She seemed to be able to understand the word ‘cherish’, thus she started to not waste food and learned to appreciate everything.
Of course, she did not need others to give her help whatsoever since she could simply get them with her hands.
She opened the window and gazed at the faraway mountains. She was getting closer to Darkness Port. If the winter last year had not blocked the main road to the port city, hence forcing her to stay in a safety sector for a while, she would have gotten back to Tang Ling.
It had been a few months since they parted. How would Tang Ling have changed?
Higan always felt like she and Tang Ling had been separated for a long time. As a matter of fact, the two of them barely spent a day or two together, and the days spent separated were not that long either. Why would she feel that way?
Removing the scarf from her head, Higan allowed the spring breeze to caress her pale face.
Her pallidness was due to the loss of energy, but it did not affect her beauty. Instead, it granted her features with an unusual beauty of illness, a type of beauty that people would love and care for.
She was like an enchanting flower. As long as she did not wither, the longer she bloomed, no matter what hardship she went through, the experience added an unusual sense of beauty on top of her exquisite looks.
Even so, Higan still felt anxious.
Staying in the safety sector for a number of days gave her some time to catch her breath and recover.
Due to the lack of resources, her recovery was less than ideal and her body was scarred. Would Tang Ling hate them? If he did, she would want to think of a way to heal them. What would her powers do to her then?
Higan’s thoughts were always self-centered to the point that others could not catch up with them.
Outside the window, her beloved sunset had subsided and the stars adorned the dusky sky.
Higan shut the window with slight disappointment, but she was filled with hope at the same time.
Every day that went by, she was getting closer to Tang Ling, and it felt great. She knew that before she met Tang Ling, there were barely any memories that she remembered, especially for that particularly long period.
However, this tough journey carved itself into her heart and the feeling of getting closer to him every day supported her.