The cockfighting pit at the east gate was still very lively, so Chen Pi stopped by a pit and watched for a long time. In the sea of people, the madam’s group passed by in the distance, heading for the embankment. Neither side noticed the other.
Chen Pi arrived outside the cockfighting pit that Qinhuai Murderer was normally in, took out his copper money, and wanted to find out when Qinhuai Murderer would fight. But as soon as he approached, he found that he didn’t even have to ask.
This pit was so famous that there were more people around it than the other ones outside. Business was lively. Qinhuai Murderer was on the court, facing off against a green-feathered rooster.
The feathers on Qinhuai Murderer’s neck puffed up, and his whole head seemed to swell to twice its size as he threatened his opponent. Chen Pi was depressed when he thought of the previous losses Qinhuai Murderer had brought about. Almost a few seconds after the feathers puffed up, the rooster usually lunged forward and pecked his opponent to death.
Sure enough, at almost the exact moment Qinhuai Murderer’s neck puffed up, he hit the green rooster’s crest. This was a routine commonly used in cockfighting and often required a dozen pecks before the other party was killed. But Qinhuai Murderer’s mouth had a sharp and slender needle in it, which easily pierced the opponent’s eyes.
Qinhuai Murderer seemed to be aware of it, for Chen Pi saw him aim the needle at the opponent’s eyes every time he pecked. The green rooster had armor on his face, and a barb sticking out of his chin. It was as long as someone’s middle finger and had a bent hook on the end. The green rooster watched as Qinhuai Murderer lunged in to peck, and then flew up immediately. He used the barb on his chin to stab Qinhuai Murderer’s neck.
The blows were very heavy once the fighting began. When Qinhuai Murderer pecked the green rooster on the forehead, Chen Pi was surprised to see sparks explode. At the same time, the green rooster stabbed Qinhuai Murderer right on his neck.
Qinhuai Murder felt the stabbing pain and jumped up. As the rooster’s blood went flying, the surrounding people immediately became excited.
The man who collected the gambling money on the side came to collect a second round. Now that Qinhuai Murderer was injured, the odds had immediately gone up. When he saw Chen Pi, he walked over and said, “Hey, young man, do you still want to place a bet? Come on, come on. Don’t miss out. The odds on Qinhuai Murderer are now one to forty. Now’s the time to bet.”
Chen Pi took out a handful of copper coins and patted him on the shoulder, “Qinhuai Murderer.”
The man bit his cigarette, took the money, gave him a ticket, and then shook his head and smiled: “So stubborn. You’re quite reckless.”
He had just finished speaking when the green rooster on the stage fiercely launched an offensive. In the great cacophony, it was as if the green rooster had taken a stimulant. He flew up and pecked Qinhuai Murderer a dozen times in a row. Qinhuai Murderer didn’t even try to dodge, and went straight in to attack his opponent. The steel needles and barbs struck each other in the air. Both sides were seriously injured, and blood was scattered everywhere.
Chen Pi watched it all coldly and found that something was wrong. This green rooster’s barb was very fatal, and Qinhuai Murderer just barely managed to avoid the most direct attacks. But the barb had been installed on the green rooster’s chin, and Qinhuai Murderer couldn’t see it from that angle. Every time he went to attack, he’d get cut almost every time because the green rooster would raise his neck to avoid it. As a result, Qinhuai Murderer’s whole neck was bleeding profusely.
Sure enough, the red-eyed Qinhuai Murderer seized an extremely good opportunity and even gave three fierce pecks. When the green rooster jumped back and escaped, the barb hooked Qinhuai Murderer’s neck and pulled out a big bloody chunk.
Qinhuai Murderer landed and only took two steps before he found that he couldn’t stand. The green rooster came up to launch a continuous attack on Qinhuai Murderer’s head, but Qinhuai Murderer stumbled away. Finally defeated, he fled to the haystack in the corner.
Everyone shouted, tore up their gambling tickets, and laughed heartily.
The man patted Chen Pi and gave him a meaningful smile, but Chen Pi didn’t look at him at all. He watched the green rooster swagger unsteadily in the blood-covered court, and suddenly felt that he was looking at himself.
This kind of meaningless killing was just like how he was before. These two roosters had no idea what they could get if they put each other to death.
Another man entered the court, grabbed Qinhuai Murderer’s neck, and dragged it to the back room. They immediately started taking bets for the next fight, and a new rooster was brought out.
Chen Pi felt a rare sadness as he watched it all silently. He touched his heart and found that he was suddenly hungry.
“Hey!” He called out to the man, “How much is that dead rooster? Can you strip away its feathers first?”
MereBear's Translation 
CP simply has no luck when it comes to gambling.
Thank you for the chapter.
LikeLike