Chapter 97

"Hey, young man, you have so many crickets," the old man suddenly noticed the crickets in the corner as the fish enthusiasts were about to leave after buying the flowerhorn cichlids. Crickets weren't something to be ashamed of; Su Jing just placed them on a table in the corner, making them easy to spot.

"Sir, are you interested in buying a couple?" Su Jing asked.

"How much for one?" The old man was clearly very interested, his eyes gleaming slightly. The other fish enthusiasts were also intrigued, but they weren't as excited as they were when they saw the flowerhorn cichlids. They were experts when it came to fish, but they were just curious onlookers when it came to crickets.

"Ten thousand yuan," Su Jing said.

"Isn't that a bit too much?" The old man was speechless. Did this young man think he was generous with money and easy to cheat because he bought the flowerhorn cichlids?

"Sir, you can't say that. You get what you pay for," Su Jing smiled.

"Are you saying these crickets are that good? How about we have a match?" The old man raised an eyebrow.

"Um, do you have crickets with you?" Su Jing was taken aback.

"Hehe, I do." The old man thought Su Jing was afraid and laughed teasingly.

"Sure, we can have a match. But what if you lose?" Su Jing said calmly.

"If I lose, I'll buy one for ten thousand yuan," the old man said.

"That's not necessary. I can't force a sale. If you lose, just introduce me to some buyers. You must know many people who like cricket fighting, right?" Su Jing smiled. Although Peng Ming was in charge of sales, it wouldn't hurt to help out by making some connections.

"Alright, but what if you lose?" the old man asked.

"If I lose, you can take ten crickets from here," Su Jing said.

"Deal." The old man's eyes lit up. Although he didn't think Su Jing's crickets were worth ten thousand yuan each, they did look good. Some might be worth a thousand yuan or more. Winning ten crickets would be a great deal. The old man then went out to the car in the yard to get his crickets.

"Jing, don't say I didn't warn you. Old Liu is an expert in cricket fighting," Xue Zonghong reminded him.

"That's perfect. Otherwise, it wouldn't show how good my crickets are," Su Jing smiled, not at all worried. These crickets had been fed leaves from the Eternal World for a few days, and although not much, they had undergone a transformation. He didn't believe they would lose to ordinary crickets.

"Shall we set up a bet?" the bald middle-aged man suggested.

"Sure, I bet on Old Liu winning."

"I bet on Old Liu winning too."

"I bet on Old Liu winning as well."

"All bets on Old Liu, what's the point of betting then?"

The bald middle-aged man was puzzled. Although there was no bet, they were still very interested and waited to see the show. They didn't think Old Liu had any chance of losing, believing Su Jing was overconfident. They all knew that Old Liu was famous in the cricket fighting world, and his crickets often won in competitions. Su Jing, on the other hand, was just a young man in his early twenties, likely inexperienced. His crickets looked like they were raised casually, and it was hard to believe he could raise over a hundred crickets well. In cricket fighting, quality was more important than quantity.

Soon, Old Liu returned with a redwood fighting arena and three earthen jars. He had brought the crickets and the arena with him, clearly a dedicated cricket fighting enthusiast. Playing with fish and crickets was something only the elderly could afford to do.

"Let's start, young man." Old Liu placed the redwood fighting arena on the table.

In a formal competition, before the crickets are sent to the selected arena, they must be washed with water boiled from radishes and then kept together for five days (to prevent the use of stimulants). The process is managed by the arena staff, and the owners are not allowed to handle the crickets (to prevent cheating). Only after five days can they participate in the fight.

However, this was just a friendly match, so they couldn't be so strict. Besides, it was a spontaneous decision, so it was unlikely that any stimulants had been used.

"How do we start?" Su Jing asked, not knowing the rules.

"Are you kidding me? You don't even know how to start a cricket fight and still claim your crickets are good?" Old Liu felt like he was being toyed with.

"I don't know the official rules, but my crickets are really good," Su Jing said confidently.

"I have three crickets, 36, 38, and 42 grams. You can choose a weight class," Old Liu said.

"Um... I don't have a precise electronic scale. How about you use the 42-gram one, and I'll pick one randomly?" Su Jing said. Although he didn't know much, he understood from Old Liu's words that crickets were divided into weight classes, like boxers.

"Pick any one? You're pretty confident, but I don't want to bully you. You pick one yourself," Old Liu said.

"Alright, I won't be shy." Su Jing walked to the box and reached into a compartment. A cricket jumped onto his palm, and he carried it back to the fighting arena. The cricket stood on his palm without running around.

"Wow!" This move surprised Old Liu and the others. They had never seen crickets handled this way. Usually, crickets were kept in containers to prevent them from escaping. However, this cricket seemed lively and not sluggish. Only Xue Zonghong was unfazed, having seen Su Jing's abilities before.

Old Liu took a closer look at the cricket in Su Jing's hand and felt a bit underestimated. This cricket was one of the smaller ones in the box, probably less than 38 grams.

"Xue, you be the referee," Old Liu said to Xue Zonghong.

"Sure." Xue Zonghong nodded, straightened the fighting arena, and stood beside it. "Both sides place their crickets in the arena."

Su Jing placed his cricket on one side of the arena. Old Liu, not wanting to win unfairly, used the 38-gram cricket and placed it on the other side. A gate in the middle separated the two crickets temporarily.

"Now you have one minute to provoke the crickets. The timer starts now." Xue Zonghong handed a grass stalk to both Old Liu and Su Jing and started the stopwatch on his phone.

Old Liu immediately used the grass to provoke his cricket. Su Jing, though inexperienced, understood the purpose: to stimulate the crickets' fighting spirit and make them more aggressive. He followed suit and used the grass to provoke his cricket.

After a moment, Old Liu's cricket suddenly raised its wings and chirped. At the same time, Su Jing's cricket turned and chirped back, clearly provoked by Old Liu's cricket, not by Su Jing's actions.

"The match begins." Xue Zonghong lifted the gate in the middle, and the two crickets immediately charged at each other, starting the fight.

(P.S.: Thank you to Ye Se Hen Qi Liang, Fu Chen Lun, Wo Ai Shui Fen, Wo Ai Kan Xiao Shuo, Zhi Xu Zhe, Zui Lian Yue You ~ Rui Fan, Can Yue Bu Hen Tian, Lao Yao A, Jin Ru, Yin Fei Yun, Fei Xiang De Zhu Nan Rou, and others for your support and votes. I continue to seek more recommendations.)