CHAPTER 561: CHAPTER 18: UNDERGROUND BEAST FIGHTING ARENA

After watching the departure of the few people, the three women lingered at the entrance of the shop for a moment.

"We won’t go back just yet; let’s walk around to inquire about exactly who is targeting the Duke Mansion," at Yue Jinghua’s suggestion, the three of them took a walk around Linlan Street.

The night scene of Linlan Street, under the cover of darkness, appeared much cleaner and tidier than in daylight, with less filth and more shadows.

Among the various powers, the storefronts that survived hung lanterns of all colors.

Yue Jinghua noticed that there were many more carriages and Dark Beasts on the street, some of which could be recognized at a glance as belonging to the Imperial City families.

"Kind sir, please, spare me some money," a drunken beggar with a disheveled appearance stumbled over, grabbed Yue Jinghua’s sleeve, and began pleading for money.

Yue Jinghua casually took out a few Gold Coins and tossed them to the drunkard: "Brother, why weren’t these carriages seen during the day? Where do they all come from and where are they heading?"

"Seeing you’re so generous, I’ll sell you a piece of information. You folks must be from out of town, not even knowing about the famed Underground Beast Fighting Arena of the Imperial City. Those people are all wealthy Nobles from the city or nearby towns. At this moment, they are all heading to watch the competitions at the Underground Beast Fighting Arena. If you’re brave enough and your purse is thick enough, you might want to follow them for a look. It’s something that can only be seen in Wo Hua Imperial City," the drunkard mumbled and rambled before taking the Gold Coins and leaving to buy more alcohol.

There was indeed a Beast Fighting Arena in Wo Hua Imperial City; Jin Nuo had mentioned it before, but after entering the city, Yue Jinghua had not seen any buildings like that.

So, the Beast Fighting Arena was hidden on Linlan Street.

More and more people crowded the street, and carriages congested the roadway. Shalman and Hongling reminded Yue Jinghua that it was time to return.

"Do you know how to hold your ground in a place like Linlan Street?" Yue Jinghua suddenly asked.

The two women shook their heads.

"Fighting," Yue Jinghua replied with a smile.

The two women seemed to understand but not quite.

"Do you know how to quickly hold your ground on Linlan Street?" Yue Jinghua asked again.

Shalman began to grasp the idea, "Try hard to fight?"

"Group fights," Yue Jinghua blinked.

Several people fighting together would always be much faster than one person fighting alone.

"Then do you know how to establish a firm foothold on Linlan Street once and for all?" Yue Jinghua asked finally.

The two women replied in unison: "Fight to the death."

A dead person cannot resist.

The principle of the July Mercenary Team in dealing with the world is that fists are everything, and the dead are always safer than the living.

"Good pupils indeed, worthy of being my dear sisters. Let’s go, find a fight," Yue Jinghua said, embracing Shalman and Hongling, they followed the increasing amount of carriages on the street and walked towards an alley.

It was a deep alley where one couldn’t see their hand before their face, and it meandered on and on.

The ground was wet and muddy, and the wind drifting up from the bottom of the alley carried with it a suffocating mix of sweat and the stench of blood.

As Yue Jinghua descended further, she felt as though she was a sheep walking into a tiger’s mouth, entering the throat of a ferocious beast.

It seemed to take about thirty minutes before her field of vision finally widened, revealing that the end of this alley actually led straight to the outskirts.

The bright light from the pine oil lamps was so intense it stung the eyes, and a huge tent resembling a Mongolian yurt appeared before them.

Though it was a tent, it was an open-air one with no roof, and the surrounding lamps cast a gleaming sheen on everyone’s faces.

There must have been at least a thousand people, a copious amount of alcohol, prostitutes posturing and jesting with patrons, the dirty jokes of the men—all knitting together a nocturnal ballad.

By the time Yue Jinghua and her companions arrived, two robust men emerged from the entrance of the tent, tossing out a bloody straw mat.

Following a piercing scream, a mangled corpse rolled out.

Nobles and wealthy individuals who arrived by carriage disembarked and were led into the VIP entrance.

For Yue Jinghua and the two women, new to this place, they initially couldn’t grasp which way to go.

The group of one man and two women attracted a lot of unfriendly scrutiny.

Many Dark Practitioners were ogling the women with malicious intent, completely ignoring Yue Jinghua.

In their eyes, this rich young master accompanied by women was of no consequence.

Their sleazy stares were causing the women great discomfort, and if it weren’t for the subtle glances they received from Yue Jinghua, they probably would have lashed out then and there.

"Dear guests, is this your first time visiting the Underground Beast Fighting Arena? May I ask if you would like to watch the restricted or unrestricted matches?" A green-eyed young woman approached them; she was clad in tight-fitting short armor and spoke sweetly, clearly someone from the Underground Beast Fighting Arena.

"Restricted and unrestricted matches?" Dark thoughts instantly sprang up in Yue Jinghua’s mind.

Seeing her puzzled look, the young woman couldn’t help but smile and say, "You must be new here, guest. The so-called restricted matches mean stopping at the first hit. The unrestricted matches are to the death."

"Within Wo Hua Imperial City, private armed fights are Prohibited, but in the unrestricted matches of the Underground Beast Fighting Arena, fights to the death are permitted. The participating Dark Beasts and Dark Practitioners will have their owners or they themselves sign a death waiver. Win or lose, the government will not pursue the matter after their death," the young woman explained in detail, "In terms of excitement, naturally, the unrestricted matches are more thrilling. But if you have women accompanying you or if it’s your first time watching a match, we recommend the restricted matches."

The young woman was adept at reading her audience. As she explained, she also introduced another form of entertainment within the Underground Beast Fighting Arena, besides watching the beast and human fights.

"If merely observing the matches isn’t thrilling enough for many guests, we also offer a complementary gambling service. You can bet on the Dark Beast or Dark Practitioner you favor. Over there are the winners of our Underground Beast Fighting Arena’s Weekly, Monthly, and Annual Rankings."

As Yue Jinghua and her group stood beneath the leaderboards, she glanced through and quickly noticed that the leaders of the four major forces of Linlan Street, whom she had read about in the Eagle Department archives, were all listed on the Annual Ranking.

"If the guests find neither gambling nor spectating thrilling enough, the Underground Beast Fighting Arena offers yet another service. But you must consider this option very carefully," the young woman said with a smile, pointing forward, "You can also choose to become a contestant and participate in the matches of the Underground Beast Fighting Arena. Those who participate can receive substantial rewards and fame."

"Oh, if one wanted to challenge him, what would the requirements be?" Yue Jinghua suddenly interrupted the young woman’s explanation, pointing to the Annual Ranking.

In an instant, the surroundings fell silent, and all eyes were focused on Yue Jinghua.