Chapter 107: Refusal
Chapter 107: Chapter 107: Refusal
Fang Chen calmly took a seat on the vacant sofa.
Seeing this, Hong gracefully stood up, walked over to the tea table, personally poured a cup of hot tea, and brought it to the coffee table in front of Fang Chen.
With a smile on her lips and a hint of lazy magnetism in her voice, she said, "Mr. Feng, you truly are an outstanding young talent with an extraordinary bearing."
Though her words were polite, her eyes studied him as if appraising an interesting object.
Fang Chen picked up the teacup, his fingertips lingering on the warm porcelain for a moment. However, he only brought it to his lips for a symbolic sip without actually drinking any.
Just as he was about to ask Zhao Tianxiong about his intentions, a KNOCK echoed from the office door before it was pushed open.
The person who entered was none other than Monk, who had just won his match in the arena.
He gave a slight nod to Zhao Tianxiong. "Mr. Zhao."
His demeanor was quite familiar.
Zhao Tianxiong casually pointed to the side. Monk grabbed a low stool and sat behind the coffee table opposite Zhao Tianxiong. It was a subtle position that faintly suggested he was guarding the door.
Zhao Tianxiong asked as if in passing, "Is everything alright with Little Cai Long?"
Monk grinned and touched the braid at the back of his head. "Heh, don’t worry, Mr. Zhao. The moves were choreographed in advance. It looked heavy, but it didn’t damage his bones or internal organs. He cooperated well and will be fine after resting for a few days."
"Good."
Zhao Tianxiong nodded in satisfaction.
Fang Chen sneered inwardly, "As expected. It was a rigged match with choreographed moves."
Zhao Tianxiong then turned his gaze back to Fang Chen, his face lighting up with a warm smile. "Feng, how have you been feeling at Geta recently? Are you getting used to it?"
"It’s pretty good. I get paid." Fang Chen answered straightforwardly. "President Zhao, if you have something to say, feel free to speak your mind."
"Straight to the point! Heh, not bad."
Zhao Tianxiong’s smile remained unchanged as his fingers gently tapped the armrest of the sofa. "You’ve probably guessed it. We’ve learned through some channels that you, Feng... have already been admitted to the Cyan Yang Martial Arts Academy? Congratulations!"
He raised his teacup in a congratulatory gesture.
Fang Chen simply replied indifferently, "President Zhao is well-informed."
"Actually, it’s nothing major." Zhao Tianxiong put down his teacup, leaned forward slightly, and spoke in an earnest tone. "I invited you here today to discuss something. In your next match against Hong, I’d like you to... cooperate a little. How about it? It shouldn’t be a problem, right?"
As he spoke, the smile on Hong’s face deepened, but her eyes stared sharply at Fang Chen. The whip she was playing with silently coiled and uncoiled in her hands.
"Oh?" Fang Chen raised an eyebrow. "How exactly should I cooperate?"
Before Zhao Tianxiong could answer, Hong chuckled softly, her voice carrying a hint of playful reproach.
"Mr. Feng, you really are... an expert at playing dumb. Isn’t it obvious?"
Her eyes drifted playfully. "Just like Little Cai Long. Pretend to... fall short by one move. It shouldn’t be hard for you, right?"
Fang Chen looked directly at Zhao Tianxiong. "A rigged match?"
"Heh, don’t make it sound so ugly."
Zhao Tianxiong waved his hand dismissively. "It’s just an internal club match, not some official tournament. There’s no such thing as a rigged match here. Besides, there’s something in it for you."
He held up three fingers, his tone laced with temptation.
"First, no matter how badly you’re injured, the club will cover all your medical expenses and use the best medicine.
"Second, you get to keep the base prize money for this match, along with every cent of the audience’s tips. Third..."
He emphasized his words.
"The club will give you an extra two hundred thousand as a reward for your cooperation. Feng, do the math. All of this combined is easily worth four or five honest wins!
"Furthermore, you’re about to leave Jinchuan City for a bigger stage. This money will be perfect for your travel expenses. We all get what we need, and we can part on good terms."
Hearing this, Fang Chen remained expressionless, simply looking back at Zhao Tianxiong calmly.
Whether it was a commercial match or anything else, a rigged match was a rigged match.
He thought back to the cases he had seen in his previous life.
Many talented athletes and professional players had agreed to seemingly harmless fixed matches early in their careers for quick money or so-called favors. Once they truly made a name for themselves, these disgraceful past actions became leverage in the hands of others. At best, they were extorted for money; at worst, their reputations were ruined, and their careers were completely destroyed.
This was especially true since he had just defeated a senior female student in the High Martial Realm at the Cyan Yang Martial Arts Academy. Although he had won through clever tactics, it still proved his strength.
If he turned around and lost to a boxer in the Late Stage of True Martial Realm, the whole thing would look incredibly suspicious no matter how you looked at it. Once he arrived at the academy, in addition to Martial Dao courses, there would be many leagues and cup tournaments, which were important channels for acquiring resources. If he was labeled a match-fixer by then, there was no telling how much trouble it would cause him.
Fang Chen didn’t want to, and absolutely wouldn’t, let himself fall into such a situation.
"Sounds good," Fang Chen said slowly. Just as a smile appeared on Zhao Tianxiong’s face, he changed the subject. "However, I have a simpler solution. I can just forfeit. That way, it won’t affect your plans to groom Hong. She’ll win without a fight, and you can still promote it."
"Forfeit?"
Zhao Tianxiong’s smile faded. He leaned back against the sofa, crossing his fingers over his stomach, his gaze growing more scrutinizing. "Heh, well, that makes things a bit difficult."
He leaned forward again, lowering his voice.
"I’ll be blunt. Hong needs momentum right now. She needs a substantial, spectacular victory to boost her popularity.
"If she just beats an ordinary fighter, it won’t make a splash.
"Feng, you’re famous and highly popular in the club right now, with an ongoing winning streak...
"Only by defeating an opponent like you will the victory carry any real weight, and only then can we make her a ’star’. You understand what I mean, don’t you?
"Besides, Feng, I, Zhao Tianxiong, guarantee on my character that this matter will stay strictly between heaven, earth, and the few of us in this room. No one else will ever know, and there won’t be any of the repercussions you’re worried about.
"Even Little Cai Long agreed, didn’t he? Why must you... refuse easy money?"
Fang Chen’s gaze grew colder.
"Little Cai Long is Little Cai Long, and I am me. I’ll be blunt. In the arena, I can win, lose, or even forfeit and admit defeat. But fixing a match..."
He shook his head, his tone absolute. "I’m sorry, I won’t do it."
The smile on Zhao Tianxiong’s face vanished completely. He unhurriedly took out a pack of cigarettes from his jacket, pulled one out, and placed it in his mouth. Monk immediately leaned over and lit it for him with a crisp CLICK.
Smoke curled upward. Zhao Tianxiong took a drag, and the smoke he exhaled swirled under the lights, carrying a strange, faint, sweet fragrance.
Then, he spoke slowly.
"Heh..."
Zhao Tianxiong held the cigarette and chuckled softly, his eyes devoid of any warmth. "So what you’re saying, Feng, is that there’s no room for negotiation?"
"My compromise is forfeiting." Fang Chen’s body tensed slightly. "That is the greatest sacrifice I am willing to make."
Just as he finished speaking, his nose suddenly caught a strange Aura beneath the sweet fragrance of the smoke—a trace so faint, yet it caused his Heart Spirit to experience a slight Lag.
Immediately after, he felt as if a viscous glue had been injected into his Dantian, where his True Qi had previously been circulating smoothly. Its flow suddenly experienced a Lag, and a faint sense of weakness spread through his limbs and bones!
This feeling...
In a flash of lightning, a description Fang Chen had seen while flipping through the notes of his predecessors at the Martial Dao Association’s Divine Skill Hall suddenly flashed through his mind!
[Bone-Softening Smoke]: Made primarily from Enchanting Grass, mixed with several mineral powders that suppress True Qi activity. It is colorless and emits a strange fragrance when burned.
Once inhaled by a Martial Artist, it initially only tastes faintly sweet. However, moments later, it disrupts the flow of True Qi, softens the bones and muscles, and reduces combat strength to less than a tenth.
It requires holding one’s breath in advance using an Inner Breath Technique, or taking an antidote to counteract it...
It seemed this was exactly what Zhao Tianxiong had lit! He had come prepared, taking the antidote before even walking through the door.
"Heh, drugging me? In that case, I’ll just..."
[Time Stop, remaining uses: 34]