Nie Li was unaware that Ye Ziyun had also arrived, quietly watching from a corner.
After returning triumphantly, Nie Li settled back into the stands, waiting for the second match to commence.
At this moment, on the stands, Shen Ming glanced at his subordinates and asked, "What’s the result of the betting?" He thought for a moment, considering that although they had lost over fifty million demon spirit coins betting against Nie Li, most people had wagered on Shen Fei to win.
Surely, they would recoup some of their losses, right?
He listened as the reports came in: "A total of one hundred sixty million demon spirit coins were bet, but we lost over six million demon spirit coins in total!"
"How could this happen? How can we be at a loss?" Shen Ming was fuming.
He had believed this betting round would allow them to win back some losses, but now they had lost over six million demon spirits, which, while not significant, still infuriated him!
"Damn it!" Shen Ming cursed angrily.
Ever since he became the steward of the Divine Sacred Family, such a major mistake had never occurred.
To lose over fifty-six million demon spirit coins right when the head of the family was about to emerge was unbearable.
Even if he could use his past successes to smooth things over, it left him deeply unsettled.
Meanwhile, on the Tianhen Family's side, Nie Hai, Nie En, and the others were in high spirits.
Although it was Nie Li who had won, they felt pleased to see the Divine Sacred Family lose a hefty sum after they had been tormented by them previously.
At last, they were getting some revenge.
"Niezhi, little brother, I used to think you were an upright person. Who knew you could be so cunning? Looks like Sister Yang should be careful in the future!" Yang Xin teased Nie Li, her arms crossed in a way that accentuated her figure alluringly.
Nie Li smiled bitterly and said, "Sister Yang, you've misunderstood. I am a principled person, but sometimes, unconventional methods are necessary!"
Yang Xin, Nie Hai, Nie En, and the others exchanged glances, their eyes saying, who could believe that?
Nie Li shrugged, knowing that no matter how he explained, it might not change their views.
He then turned to Nie En and asked, "How much did we win in total?"
"We won fifty million demon spirit coins through betting, and in total, we gained over seventy million demon spirit coins with an additional thirty million wager!" Nie Hai smiled as he spoke, recognizing that Nie Li’s ability to earn was astonishingly quick.
"Hmm!" Nie Li nodded.
A hundred million demon spirit coins wasn’t much for him, but for the Divine Sacred Family, it was a significant amount.
At that moment, Shen Ming could no longer contain himself and walked toward the Tianhen Family's group.
"Steward Shen Ming, how is Young Master Shen doing? I fear I may have hit him a bit too hard, please forgive me!" Nie Hai slightly cupped his hands towards Shen Ming, attempting to maintain some decorum as the head of the Tianhen Family, while inwardly reveling at the shock they had inflicted.
Shen Ming's expression twitched.
Everyone knew Shen Fei wouldn’t be able to get out of bed for the next half month.
Nie Li was ruthless, and while Shen Ming wasn’t fully aware of Shen Fei’s injuries, he had no idea Shen Fei might never recover fully.
Had he known, his rage would have been even more intense.
However, Shen Ming had already instructed Shen Ning to make sure Nie Li suffered severely.
To Shen Ming, Nie Li only had a tiger-toothed panda as a demon spirit, which he thought could never surpass Shen Ning.
Usually, a tiger-toothed panda was only a bronze-level spirit.
Even if Nie Li's was slightly more unique, reaching silver rank was the limit.
In contrast, Shen Ning had already become a five-star silver demon spirit master, and his demon spirit, the Holy Flame Bear, was a golden-level spirit.
Although Shen Fei's Crimson Flame Black Tiger had the potential to become a black-gold spirit, its current strength was only at the silver level, whereas Shen Ning’s spirit had achieved the strength of a gold-level spirit.
Therefore, losing again would be unfathomable!
"Three betting rounds, and this is just the first. Don’t celebrate too early; let's begin the second round!" Shen Ming disdainfully looked at Nie Hai and the others.
"This…" Nie Hai turned to Nie Li.
He was unsure of how strong Nie Li truly was.
After the Divine Sacred Family lost this round, they would certainly send someone formidable in the second match.
Shen Ming followed Nie Hai’s gaze and fixed his eyes on Nie Li, a glint of hostility flashing in his gaze.
Clearing his throat, Nie Li said, "Isn’t it somewhat inappropriate for the Divine Sacred Family to throw me into another match right after the first? I’ve just fought and my soul force is severely drained. Isn’t it a bit unfair to have this continuous contest? How about we delay the second match by two months so that I can recover and face your family’s young genius?"
Hearing Nie Li's words, Yang Xin, Nie Hai, and Nie En stared at him in shock.
Severely drained soul force? In the last match, Nie Li merely fused with a demon spirit and lightly slapped Shen Fei a few times without any intense combat at all—what he was saying was utterly ridiculous!
Shen Ming's face darkened, coldly saying, "The Tianhen Family isn't preparing to run off after winning money, are they? If so, we in the Divine Sacred Family aren’t to be trifled with."
He shot a glance at Yang Xin, snorting, "If the Tianhen Family refuses to uphold their promise, will the Alchemist Association still protect them? If that’s the case, I’ll have our family head speak with the president about this!"
Yang Xin's face flushed slightly.
Although she firmly supported Nie Li, she felt embarrassed to speak up; if Nie Li truly won and simply left, it would be unjustifiable.
"Since Steward Shen Ming has said that, I can only keep playing along. Even if the Divine Sacred Family's continuous challenge is deemed improper, I believe no one would dare speak ill of the Divine Sacred Family behind their back!" As he saw Shen Ming's furious face, Nie Li could not help but smile inwardly, realizing he had thoroughly provoked Shen Ming.
"Who dares to speak ill of my Divine Sacred Family!" Shen Ming snorted, suddenly realizing he had misspoken—this seemed like an admission that he acknowledged his family's unfairness in repeatedly challenging opponents.
He was about to explode with rage.
Nie Hai, Nie En, and the others wore expressions of understanding.
"The Divine Sacred Family truly knows how to throw its weight around!" Yang Xin murmured, finally grasping Nie Li's intention.
Nie Li was deliberately infuriating Shen Ming, step by step leading him into his trap.
However, could Nie Li really defeat the Divine Sacred Family’s genius? If he failed to do so, all his efforts would be in vain.
"So what if I do!" Shen Ming, in a fit of rage, glared at Nie Hai and Nie Li, demanding, "This time, how much does the Tianhen Family intend to wager?"
Nie Li casually replied, "From my perspective, it should at least be two to three hundred million demon spirit coins; otherwise, it seems meaningless!"
Hearing this, Shen Ming’s mind snapped to clarity.
Although Nie Li had provoked him, wagering two hundred million demon spirit coins could lead to consequences far beyond his ability to handle.
Even if he had some previous merits with the Divine Sacred Family, losing two hundred million would spell the end of his good days.
Since Nie Li dared to accept this bet, it meant he had a level of confidence.
During the earlier battle, Shen Fei hadn’t been able to gauge Nie Li’s real strength, so Shen Ming couldn’t act recklessly.
After contemplating for a moment, Shen Ming stated, "We still have one more betting round; let's start with one hundred million demon spirit coins this time!"
Seeing Shen Ming's expression, Nie Li understood that as a steward of the Divine Sacred Family, Shen Ming had limits on his authority; he couldn’t afford to play too big.
If he pressed too hard, the other side might become wary.
"Since the Divine Sacred Family seems so lacking in confidence, let’s start with one hundred million demon spirit coins!" Nie Li smiled lightly.
At this, Shen Ming's face turned green.
Nie Li kept belittling the Divine Sacred Family, making him feel completely furious.
(End of Chapter)