Chapter 69

Immediately after, Zhi Ning thought of another more serious matter. If Soren had not died, it meant that Meng Tuoluo had lost control. This was her most important pawn among the barbarians, and now it had betrayed her.

Why didn’t Meng Tuoluo kill Soren? Could his charm be so great that he could subdue the terrifying Black Widow?

Impossible, absolutely impossible. Meng Tuoluo could not possibly fall in love with another man.

Moreover, it was useless to dwell on why Meng Tuoluo didn’t kill Soren. The key issue was the severe consequences of her betrayal, which meant that she and Zhi Li had lost control over the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.

Then, Zhi Ning immediately got up, didn’t even have time to put on her clothes, and sat directly in front of the table, writing several dozen secret letters and sending them to different places.

After writing the secret letters, she originally intended to go and see Zhi Li, but after a slight hesitation, she decided to go to the Silver Casino first.

Zhi Ning never went to the casino and was not allowed to go there. Although it was her means of accumulating wealth and gathering intelligence, it was too lowbrow for a noble royal family member to visit.

However, Zhi Ning couldn’t resist and directly put on her clothes and went to the Silver Casino to see Soren.

...

The casino boss said, "Young Master Soren, my master would never come to such a place. So, if you have any bets, you can just tell me, and I can make the decision."

"Alright," Lanning said, "I bet on whether I can pass the royal city academy’s final exam and obtain the noble warrior medal."

The casino boss laughed heartily, "Sure, this kind of bet is a sure win, and I love it. I’ll go and have someone calculate the odds."

After a short while, the casino boss came out and said to Soren, "Young Master Soren, the odds are 1 to 10. Of course, this is the maximum odds, and they can’t be higher. Otherwise, I would set the odds at 1 to 100."

Lanning said, "These are the odds for me getting the noble warrior medal. What about the odds for me not getting it?"

The casino boss said, "Sorry, we can’t set the odds for that because you have a 100% chance of failing. Even at 1 to 101, we would still lose a fortune."

Lanning took out five gold notes and said, "This is 500 gold coins. I bet on myself passing the final exam, placing in the top ten, and getting the noble warrior medal."

The casino boss was taken aback. Was this wasteful son losing his mind? Throwing money away?

This was all the Earl’s household had, and Lanning was betting it all. This time, he would make a huge profit.

If Lanning passed the final exam and got the noble warrior medal, he would earn 5,000 gold coins.

"Ha ha ha, not just 500 gold coins, even 5,000 or 50,000, we would take," the casino boss said, "This kind of sure win is as easy as money falling from the sky."

Just as he finished speaking, a fragrant breeze blew in, and dozens of beauties entered the casino.

"We also bet on Young Master Soren winning, on him passing the final exam and getting the noble warrior medal," said Yiman Man from the Feathered Pavilion, as she slammed the gold notes on the table, "I bet 300 gold coins."

Next was Ye Xiaomao, who was entirely made famous by Lanning. In just four months, after deducting the Feathered Pavilion’s share, she had earned several hundred gold coins, which was dozens of times more than what she had earned in the past few years.

"I bet 200 gold coins on Young Master Soren winning," Ye Xiaomao said, slamming the gold notes on the table.

The remaining dozens of red ladies also placed their gold notes on the table, ranging from dozens to a few dozen gold coins.

Of course, none of these women believed in Lanning or thought he could get the noble warrior medal. They were merely showing their support.

Like Yiman Man and Ye Xiaomao, they were fully behind Lanning. The other members of the Royal City Nineteen Beauties were worried that their promotion and packaging would be affected, so they also spent a lot of money to bet on Soren winning.

As for the remaining red ladies, they hoped to make it into the next list of the Royal City Nineteen Beauties.

In short, they all thought Soren was definitely going to lose, and they were just buying his support, expressing their willingness to help in a time of need.

The casino boss was overjoyed. These thousands of gold coins were like a windfall from the sky.

Soren, this wasteful son, wanted to get the noble warrior medal and place in the top ten in the final exam? A dream, even if the sun rose in the west, it wouldn’t happen.

So, it didn’t matter if it was thousands or tens of thousands of gold coins, he would take them.

At this moment, a bold voice suddenly rang out from outside: "I bet 7,000 gold coins on Soren winning."

Then, the rotund Duke Zhitin, supported by two people, walked in and slammed a thick stack of gold notes on the table.

The last time, because of opposing Zhi Li, Duke Zhitin was placed under house arrest by the king for three months. Now, the three months were over.

"Pay respects to Duke Zhitin," Lanning immediately bowed deeply to Zhitin.

Duke Zhitin laughed heartily, "We meet again."

Lanning said, "Thank you, Duke, for your support."

Zhitin said, "No, I don’t believe in you at all. I think your chances of getting the noble warrior medal are zero. But I like you as a person, so I’m supporting you, throwing money away to buy your win."

Lanning was shocked. Although Zhitin was incredibly wealthy, 7,000 gold coins was still a huge amount. In a situation where he didn’t believe in Soren at all, he was willing to throw away so much money just to encourage him. He was truly a man of character.

"Boy, do you take my 7,000 gold coins?" Zhitin asked the casino boss.

At this point, the gold coins bet on Soren getting the noble warrior medal had reached tens of thousands. If Soren really won, the Silver Casino would have to pay out 100,000 gold coins according to the odds.

The total assets of the Silver Casino wouldn’t exceed 50,000 gold coins, and it would be completely ruined.

Although Zhi Li and Zhi Ning were wealthy, 100,000 gold coins was almost the annual tax of a province. Paying out this amount would severely damage them.

The casino boss, after all, was just a lackey of Zhi Ning. Although he thought making this money was like a windfall, with Zhitin’s involvement, the stakes were too high, and he didn’t dare to make the decision on his own, so he remained silent.

"Take it, of course," Zhi Ning’s voice suddenly rang out from outside, coldly saying, "Why not pick up gold coins that fall from the sky?"

Then, the incomparably beautiful Zhi Ning gracefully entered.

"Take Duke Zhitin’s 7,000 gold coins," Zhi Ning ordered, then bowed to Zhitin, "Uncle, you are so heavy, what wind could blow you here? And you have too much money. 7,000 gold coins would make a splash in the water, but thrown on this waste would only bring ridicule."

"Who makes me so rich?" Zhitin said coldly.

Lanning looked up and down at Zhi Ning’s figure, staring boldly at her round, firm buttocks, and said boldly, "Lady, seeing me still alive, you must be very disappointed, right?"

Zhi Ning said, "Yes, you have a lot of luck."

Lanning said, "I’ve opened a bet. Since you’re here, why not join in?"

Zhi Ning said, "Sure, what do we bet on?"

Lanning said, "Everyone knows I lust after your beauty. If I win this final exam, you let me give you a snake kiss, and I get to choose the spot. How about that?"

Indeed, he was talking about a snake kiss, like a venomous snake. His gaze fell most boldly on her most private area.

As soon as he said this, Zhi Ning immediately recalled the trembling and pain she felt when her lips were bitten by him.

This bastard, now he was openly molesting her. This was a complete desecration of her pure reputation.

Was Lanning driven by lust? Of course not. He was just trying to anger Zhi Ning and create a scandal. He needed to make the entire royal city aware of this bet in the shortest time, creating a huge public opinion to pressure the royal family.

What were the common people most interested in? Of course, it was scandal, especially involving the first talented lady of the royal family, Zhi Ning. Any scandal involving her would instantly spread throughout the royal city, and thus Lanning’s bet would also spread.

"What if you lose?" Zhi Ning asked.

"Then I cut off my left hand," Lanning said, raising his left hand.

Zhi Ning said, "Why not add more stakes? If you lose, you publicly announce that you will forever give up the inheritance of the Tian Shui Earl’s position and the position of the Lord of Tian Shui City. How about that?"

Lanning said, "And if I win?"

Zhi Ning said, "If you get the noble warrior medal, you immediately inherit the Tian Shui Earl’s position and the position of the Lord of Tian Shui City."

This was the bet Lanning wanted. The previous two bets were just to set the stage for this one.

Lanning said firmly, "Deal. If I place in the top ten in the final exam and get the noble warrior medal, I win the bet, can kiss you anywhere, and inherit the Tian Shui Earl and the position of the Lord of Tian Shui City."

Zhi Ning said, "And if you lose, you cut off your arm and forever give up the inheritance of the position of the Lord of Tian Shui City."

"Words are not enough, let’s put it in writing," Lanning took out paper and pen, wrote down the entire bet clearly, signed his name, and stamped it with the Su family seal.

"Lady, it’s your turn to sign," he handed the pen to Zhi Ning.

Zhi Ning put on a golden glove, took the pen, signed her name on the bet, and stamped it.

Immediately, the bet became officially established, with absolute authority.

"Then we’ll see each other at the final exam," Zhi Ning said coldly, "Don’t forget, I’m also an examiner."

Lanning said, "Your meaning is that to seize my Tian Shui territory, you will suppress me in the final exam, right?"

After saying this, he directly bowed to Duke Zhitin, "Please, Duke, be the judge."

Zhitin patted his shoulder, "Don’t worry, no one can suppress you. I will request the emperor and the cabinet to have the Divine Dragon Temple send special envoys and cultivators to supervise the entire final exam process."

This was exactly what Lanning wanted. If the royal family saw that Lanning had a chance to pass the final exam, they would certainly use despicable means. The only ones who were not afraid of the royal family’s power were the Divine Dragon Temple.

At this point, Lanning’s purpose for coming to the casino was completely achieved, killing three birds with one stone.

First, he made a large sum of money, causing Zhi Ning and Zhitin to suffer significant losses.

Second, he ensured the fairness and integrity of the final exam.

Third, and most importantly, he established an authoritative bet. If he really got the noble warrior medal, he could smoothly inherit the earl’s position and the position of the Lord of Tian Shui City.

In just one day, through the mouths of these courtesans, this huge bet would spread throughout the entire royal city.

At that time, whether it was Zhi Ning or Zhi Li, they wouldn’t be able to renege or manipulate the situation, as it would severely damage the royal family’s reputation.

"Lady, we’ll see each other at the final exam," Lanning said, then bowed to Duke Zhitin again, "Duke, I take my leave."

...