Chapter 551 - 268: Struck It Rich

Chapter 551: Chapter 268: Struck It Rich

"Since this is a transaction, payment should be settled upon delivery. You signed the agreement without even counting the silver notes. If word got out, people would say I was using my authority to bully you!"

"Oh..." Jiang Rongxuan hurriedly picked up the silver notes from the table. After a cursory glance, he said,

"These are indeed one thousand taels in silver notes."

"Sigh... How can you be certain with such a cursory glance?" Chen Cheng sighed softly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd in the hall. He then asked,

"Is anyone willing to come forward to verify the silver notes and serve as a witness?"

The crowd was apprehensive, unsure of what was happening. After a long moment, Yang Meng worked up his courage, stepped forward, and bowed respectfully.

"I, Yang Meng, am willing to be a witness."

"Mm. I appreciate it," Chen Cheng said with a slight nod.

Yang Meng’s expression immediately brightened. He took the silver notes from Jiang Rongxuan and carefully inspected them one by one.

After a good while, he looked around at the crowd and declared solemnly, "I, Yang Meng, swear on my life that these are indeed ten silver notes of one hundred taels each, for a total of one thousand taels."

The crowd was stunned once more. They looked at Chen Cheng with bewilderment, trying to understand why he was being so ostentatiously bold.

Chen Cheng maintained his faint smile and said languidly, "Is there anyone else who would like to be a witness and verify the authenticity of these silver notes?"

"I am willing!" Sun Er also stood, came forward, and bowed to Chen Cheng. Upon receiving a nod, he eagerly took the silver notes from Yang Meng and scrutinized them.

Sun Er had long known that Yang Meng was trying to curry favor with Chen Cheng, so he was naturally suspicious.

However, after carefully verifying the silver notes, Sun Er’s hand trembled slightly. A pained look crossed his face as he announced:

"One thousand taels in silver notes. The count is correct!"

Sun Er wasn’t pained on Chen Cheng’s behalf over the one thousand taels. Rather, Chen Cheng’s move suggested he was extremely confident he would win the upcoming duel.

’If that’s true, the hundred taels in silver notes I just bet will probably go down the drain!’

Even for a moderately wealthy gentry family like the Sun Family, a loss of one hundred taels was nothing to scoff at.

Seeing Sun Er’s strange expression, several others came forward to inspect the silver notes. All of them confirmed, faces etched with shock, that the notes were genuine.

"Now that there are so many witnesses, I can rest assured."

Chen Cheng said lightly, tucking the written agreement into his robes. He then gestured for Mu Xiaowan to rise, and they headed for the exit.

Jiang Rongxuan finally had a chance to examine the silver notes himself. After confirming they were real, his expression flickered between excitement and fear, consumed by anxiety over the potential gains and losses.

The patrons in the main hall exploded into an uproar.

Some marveled at Master Chen’s audacity, others were captivated by his charisma, but even more were itching to get in on the action.

"I’m adding another hundred taels to my bet, for Master Chen to win!" With Yang Meng’s loud cry, a second round of betting began.

Every single one of them bet on Master Chen to win.

Even Sun Er took out another fifty taels in silver notes to bet on Master Chen’s victory.

Sun Er’s reasoning was simple. ’Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. If Master Chen loses, my original bet of one hundred taels will earn a ten-tael profit. After deducting the commission, I’ll get back one hundred and eight taels.’

’My total investment is one hundred and fifty taels, so my net loss would only be forty-two taels.’

’But if Master Chen wins, my one hundred and fifty taels will instantly turn into five hundred! After commission, I’ll still have over four hundred taels!’

The second round of betting lasted a full half-hour before it finally ended.

Shopkeeper Jiang had collected over two thousand taels in silver, but he couldn’t feel happy in the slightest.

He dared not delay a moment longer. Escorted by his guards, he rushed to the Taiyi Academy, two streets away, to report the matter to Zhang Daozong.

Zhang Daozong was in the academy’s rear courtyard, Cultivating Martial Dao. After hearing Shopkeeper Jiang’s report, a mocking smile touched his lips. He said nonchalantly,

"Shopkeeper Jiang, what’s there to worry about? You’ve just struck it rich!"