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"Swap ten days for one month?"

Although Qin Fang had some idea of what Xiaolajiao (Little Chili) might propose, he hadn't expected the betting terms to be this outrageous.

"You really don't hold back at all, huh…"

Looking at the indignant Miss Hu, Qin Fang smirked with an awkward expression on his face.

"That's none of your business. Just say whether you dare to agree or not…"

Xiaolajiao clearly wasn't buying into his humor. Not only did she show no signs of backing down, but her behavior made it seem like she was ready to pressure him into agreeing—almost as if failing to do so would make Qin Fang look like a coward.

"You're not afraid of losing out, so how could I, a grown man, be afraid of you?"

Though Qin Fang knew perfectly well it was a goading strategy, he couldn't let a little woman underestimate him, so he responded with a cheerful grin.

The key point was, Qin Fang had discovered just how tenacious Xiaolajiao truly was. He didn't know if she was acting out for some reason today, but she seemed insistent on challenging him for satisfaction, refusing to let go of him—even when he truly wanted to shake her off.

The betting terms were clearly advantageous to Qin Fang, with Xiaolajiao being the one bound to lose out. Despite Miss Hu's bold demeanors, she was still a pure, young girl—not akin to the other spoiled rich ladies with indulgent private lives.

For a girl like her, spending just one night accompanying someone would already be a monumental loss, not to mention a full month.

Of course, once one night passed, the consequences of losing her innocence remained the same, whether it was for one night or one month—the only real difference being how long the person benefited from the arrangement.

In comparison, Qin Fang's potential loss—serving as a slave for ten days—didn't seem like much. No matter how bad Xiaolajiao's temper was, at most it would involve being beaten or scolded, but not to the extent of forcing him to entertain guests like a gigolo.

Qin Fang certainly didn't want to take advantage of this young girl; he simply wanted to use the opportunity to rid himself of this troublesome figure once and for all. As for winning or losing…

Would he really lose?

Not likely!

Xiaolajiao's equestrian skills were indeed commendable, comparable to most average competitors' levels. According to Qin Fang's scouting skill, her riding skill was at LV4—a level that could qualify her as an intermediate expert.

Qin Fang had just assessed the skill levels of the participating knights; they were mostly at LV4, with a few at LV3. Given that, Xiaolajiao's proficiency warranted her confidence.

On the other hand, Qin Fang's companions like Qu Yuancheng were all at LV1, far inferior to Xiaolajiao. Perhaps seeing Qin Fang's technique not vastly surpassing the others, combined with their similarly matched horses, led her to believe victory was within her grasp.

However…

She didn't know.

On the surface, Qin Fang's horsemanship seemed comparable to Qu Yuancheng and the others. His recent win had been solely dependent on the prowess of Flying General.

In reality, Qin Fang's riding skill had already reached the advanced level. Though still a bit short of grandmaster level, he was getting very close.

An advanced, near-grandmaster riding skill translated roughly to LV5 in specific skill rankings—one level higher than Xiaolajiao's LV4.

The gap between levels wasn't insignificant.

For character levels, a single level difference might not seem atrocious, as skilled figures could sometimes overcome adversaries of higher levels—Qin Fang was one such case.

But when it came to skill levels, unless supported by extraordinarily powerful auxiliary skills, bridging a one-level gap was nearly impossible.

If Xiaolajiao had challenged Qin Fang right when he started riding, his unfamiliarity might have given her a chance to win.

But now, after several laps, his skills had become increasingly refined, with his mastery over fundamental techniques reaching near perfection.

Xiaolajiao choosing to challenge him now was essentially walking into a trap, knowingly courting disaster.

"Alright then, let's start quickly… Hmph, I'll make sure you regret this!"

Upon hearing Qin Fang finally agree, Xiaolajiao's face lit up with joy and confidence. She muttered something under her breath while clearly brimming with determination to win the race.

While talking, Xiaolajiao turned her horse towards the official racetrack, gradually calming her emotions to focus entirely on the upcoming competition.

"Wait…"

Just as Xiaolajiao was about to begin the race, Qin Fang called out suddenly.

"What… What do you want now?"

Xiaolajiao froze in confusion, her face darkening as she snapped back in irritation. Clearly, she felt Qin Fang was pushing his luck far too much.

Not one to have a good temper to begin with, Xiaolajiao had finally been pushed to her limit by Qin Fang's repeated provocation—how else could she have proposed such absurd betting terms?

"I'm switching horses first…"

Qin Fang said matter-of-factly while waving his hand. He leaped off Flying General and strode toward Qu Yuancheng, seemingly intent on swapping horses with him.

"Switching horses?"

"Switching?"

The group, already stunned by the ridiculous bet, now turned completely dumbfounded as they watched Qin Fang voluntarily ask to switch horses.

If Qin Fang had traded a poor horse for a better one, they could've understood—it would've been a rational move to ensure fairness in the match and reduce his chance of losing.

But Qin Fang was doing the opposite—even with Flying General, a superior horse capable of competing neck and neck with Xiaolajiao's Blood Linglong, he chose to swap for the weaker Royal Princess. Was he insane?

Not only Qu Yuancheng but the four other young men in the group thought Qin Fang had lost his mind. Even Xiaolajiao seemed utterly baffled, regarding him as an utter fool.

Or maybe…

Suddenly, a thought crossed Xiaolajiao's mind. Her confused face flushed crimson as her gaze at Qin Fang turned increasingly fierce.

"You…"

Her pale, delicate finger pointed directly at Qin Fang, her eyes ablaze with fury. Her expression showed that she wished she could swallow him whole.

"Using the better horse against you would be unfair… This one will do just fine."

Qin Fang, unfazed by Xiaolajiao's reaction, calmly traded horses with Qu Yuancheng, ready to compete against Blood Linglong using the lesser Royal Princess.

"You… You… You just wait and see—I'll make you cry!"

Xiaolajiao, enraged by Qin Fang's arrogant attitude, seemed ready to burst with anger. Her eyes flared intensely, as if she might explode at any moment.

Qu Yuancheng was completely bewildered, dismounting Royal Princess and taking Flying General from Qin Fang's hand.

"Qin Fang, are you confident about this?"

Only after Qin Fang mounted the horse did Qu Yuancheng recover enough to ask hesitantly.

"I don't want to damage this good horse…"

Qin Fang smiled nonchalantly, offering a statement that sounded both reasonable and not as such, leaving Qu Yuancheng even more perplexed. In the end, he could only respond with a helpless laugh and a shake of the head.

"Ah, my cousin really is… really is… really is…"

Even after repeating "really is" three times, Qu Yuancheng failed to finish his sentence, as though he had deliberately cut off his own thoughts, eliciting a collective sigh from the gathering.

Originally, the four companions had felt uneasy about the betting arrangement between Qin Fang and Xiaolajiao. With both riding horses of similar caliber, Qin Fang's slightest advantage could secure him the win.

The prospect of Xiaolajiao losing, leading to her one-month penalty, had the men inwardly grinding their teeth in frustration—it was practically like delivering her up for slaughter.

Such a conclusion was obviously unacceptable to them, but they knew they couldn't persuade the furious Xiaolajiao otherwise, resigning themselves instead to silently wish for Qin Fang's defeat.

Despite their earlier camaraderie with Qin Fang, the truth was they were driven by their own interests.

"This Younger Brother Qin is truly considerate…"

"True enough, he's definitely someone worth befriending…"

Now, however, Qin Fang voluntarily changed horses, effectively handing his chance of victory over to Xiaolajiao.

The four young men, previously lamenting their own losses with slower horses, now felt relieved—as if their hopes had been inexplicably salvaged.

They were convinced that Xiaolajiao's equestrian skills far surpassed Qin Fang's boasts of being a so-called "expert." In fact, they believed Qin Fang wasn't confident in beating Xiaolajiao with Flying General. The horse switch seemed like a way to lose more honorably, perhaps even because he didn't want to damage Flying General.

In either case, they didn't take Qin Fang's proclaimed skill seriously at all.

(To be continued. If you enjoy this story, please feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your vote. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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