Ouyang Shuang's hoarse voice came from the other end of the phone. "Young Master Sheng."

"Elder Shuang, there's something I'd like to discuss with you," Huang Sheng said.

"What is it?"

Since last night's failure, Ouyang Shuang had been in an extremely unstable state. She had thought the matter was a near certainty, but it had been spoiled by a good-for-nothing. The most unexpected link in the chain had broken, leaving Ouyang Shuang furious even now. Moreover, after being injured by Wang Wu, she had to flee in disgrace.

When have I ever suffered such a loss since my cultivation reached the Innate Realm? she fumed internally. All of this was because of Xu Ke. If Xu Ke weren't already dead, he would have had to pay with his life!

"Xu Ke wants to challenge you to a life-and-death duel, with my brother's life as the wager," Huang Sheng said concisely. "If you win, my brother lives and Xu Ke dies."

He didn't mention what would happen if she lost. In his mind, Ouyang Shuang was bound to win; it was just a matter of how, and the details needed to be handled carefully.

But Ouyang Shuang wasn't thinking about any of that. She was infuriated.

"Did that brat really say that?" she shouted angrily. "A piece of trash dares to challenge me? It was one thing for Wang Wu to humiliate me, but now Xu Ke, a man at my mercy, dares to overstep his bounds?"

"He really did," Huang Sheng nodded.

"It was Xu Ke?" Ouyang Shuang grew even more enraged.

Huang Sheng remained silent.

But the next second, Ouyang Shuang suddenly paused. "Wait, who did you say?"

"Xu Ke," Huang Sheng repeated, frowning. He wondered if Elder Shuang's hearing had been damaged in yesterday's fight.

"He… he's not dead?"

Ouyang Shuang was also suspicious. Is Huang Sheng hallucinating?

"He's not dead," Huang Sheng shook his head. Only then did he remember that as far as Elder Shuang knew, Xu Ke was still a dead man.

Ouyang Shuang murmured, "Impossible… impossible…"

The blade had gone through his heart and out his back. Blood had pooled all over the floor. With that kind of death, it seemed impossible for him to have been revived.

"Elder Shuang…" Huang Sheng chose his words carefully. "I'm afraid Xu Ke might have faked his death."

"Faked his death?" Ouyang Shuang was stunned. She shook her head. "Impossible. I checked his breathing, his pulse, his heartbeat… I even checked the whites of his eyes. He was as dead as one could be."

As an Innate Maestro, Ouyang Shuang wasn't born yesterday. In her view, why would someone like Xu Ke commit suicide? With wealth, power, and the Wang Family Corporation all within his grasp, who would be so foolish? But after multiple checks, Xu Ke had indeed appeared completely dead. That was the very reason she had fled.

"Then, Elder Shuang, did you know that Xu Ke is an Innate Martial Artist?" Huang Sheng didn't refute her, throwing out another fact instead.

Hearing this, Ouyang Shuang's hoarse voice became distorted. "An Innate Martial Artist? How is that possible?"

"Based on my assessment, the strength he revealed today is at least at the Innate Middle Stage," Huang Sheng stated.

He too was a martial artist with an Innate Middle Stage cultivation, so his judgment was sound. However, it had taken him over two decades to reach the Innate Middle Stage, while Xu Ke was several years younger and clearly more talented. This was one of the reasons Huang Sheng believed Xu Ke had been hiding his true abilities.

"Innate Middle Stage…" Ouyang Shuang said. "Were we really deceived?"

She truly hadn't felt the slightest trace of True Qi from Xu Ke the day before. But that only made the possibility of him faking his death much higher. If she couldn't even detect his True Qi, it was natural she wouldn't have noticed he had faked his death either.

"That's right," Huang Sheng said cautiously. "I believe there's a strong possibility. So, Elder Shuang, do you want to accept this life-and-death duel?"

Hearing this, Ouyang Shuang was no longer as impulsive as before. "I'll accept, but you have to give me time."

"Time for what?" Huang Sheng was startled.

"I was injured by Wang Wu yesterday. It will take two days to heal and another day to return to my peak condition. Give me four days." She added, "I'm afraid that youngster might have some other crafty tricks up his sleeve."

Ouyang Shuang was exceedingly cautious, even building a buffer into her timeline. The fact that Xu Ke could disguise himself so well that she couldn't see through him was an unpredictable danger in itself. But she wasn't about to shy away from the fight. Xu Ke couldn't possibly be stronger than her. If he were really that powerful, he wouldn't have had to act so submissive in front of everyone yesterday.

Upon hearing this, Huang Sheng's eyes hardened slightly. Is Ouyang Shuang's injury the reason Xu Ke is so eager for a life-and-death duel? Trying to kick her while she's down?

He dismissed the thought. Xu Ke isn't that simple.

"Alright, Elder Shuang," Huang Sheng said. "Focus on your recovery. Let me know if you need anything."

"Okay," Ouyang Shuang nodded.

The two then hung up.

Huang Sheng gazed at the azure sky, lost in thought. He couldn't fathom what Xu Ke was truly planning. When the information gap was too large to form a reliable chain of evidence, Huang Sheng couldn't make a guess.

But he believed that no matter what, Xu Ke wouldn't be able to turn the tables on Ouyang Shuang.

Moreover, Huang Sheng had one last thought. Although this thought was tantamount to failure for the Huang Family, he could personally accept it. That scenario was Xu Ke winning, taking both Ouyang Shuang's and Huang Qi's lives in the process. From Huang Sheng's perspective, if he could use their lives to confirm that Xu Ke was truly unfathomable, it would be highly beneficial for his future takeover of the Huang Family. No one wanted to suffer a loss from underestimating an opponent. Neither did he.

Thinking of this, a slight smile touched Huang Sheng's lips. Xu Ke, you might win this battle. But in this game, I won't lose.

At that moment, Huang Zhenyang, who had been reflecting for a long time after being lectured, approached hesitantly. "Weren't we going to refuse?"

Seeing his fourth uncle speak up, Huang Sheng felt a flicker of impatience but answered anyway, "Why would we refuse?"

"Because we're at a disadvantage, aren't we?" Huang Zhenyang's eyes widened.

Huang Sheng shook his head. "We're not."

You've had the final say on whether it's a disadvantage or not, so what's left for me to say? Fourth Uncle, why don't you just take over? Huang Zhenyang thought bitterly.

"Let's go inside," Huang Sheng said, ignoring Huang Zhenyang and turning to leave.

Seeing this, Huang Zhenyang hurriedly followed.

***

「Ten minutes earlier.」

When Huang Sheng and Huang Zhenyang had left, Xu Ke, Wong Qifu, and Wang Wu moved to the side.

"Mister Xu, I still think it's too risky," Wang Wu continued to advise. "The Huang Family hasn't agreed yet, so we can still take back the offer."

Hearing this, Xu Ke shook his head. "As long as Ouyang Shuang is around, she will always be a thorn in our side."

"But she's been a thorn in our side for more than just a day or two," Wong Qifu said flatly.

Xu Ke sighed. "Actually, my plan is to take advantage of Ouyang Shuang's injury from Uncle Wu yesterday. She definitely won't recover today or tomorrow. By pressing them now, we might be able to strike while she's vulnerable."

There was one more thing Xu Ke didn't say.

If Ouyang Shuang enters the battle wounded, I have a forty percent chance of winning.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.