My gaze locked onto the Jindan Cultivator as I quietly moved toward him.
Cluru was busy reading, not really paying attention to matters of the cultivation world, and simply crawled into the Box.
“It’s too dark in there. Be careful not to hurt your eyesight.” I tossed an Illumination Talisman into the Box, then ignored Cluru.
.
This was a simple dice game.
The Dealer put the Dice into a cup-like Dice Cup and gave it a shake.
After shaking, the others placed their bets.
There were three Dice. If the total was 9 or below, it was considered Small; otherwise, it was Big.
There were also special point-type bets, such as “one, two, three,” or “one, one, six, six, six.” The payout for hitting these numbers was even higher.
Very ancient and simple rules.
“I’ll bet on Big.”
The sect only gave me twenty Spirit Stones, so I didn’t have much capital to waste.
Using the Soul Perception Technique, I saw through the Dice Cup at a glance and directly bet on Big.
“Big,” the Jindan Cultivator also quietly bet on Big.
I had observed him for a while. This man’s hit rate stayed around 70%, already far above an ordinary gambler.
It seemed he, too, had a way of seeing through the Dice Cup.
“The Dice Cup blocks divine sense, and the Table is specially made. Yet this person can see inside… Such a method is truly extraordinary.”
“It should be a method similar to mine, some kind of qi-viewing technique. In our era, High-Level Qi-Viewing Techniques were quite common… But in modern times, they’re almost extinct. I wonder why.”
Thinking of this, I quietly hid my fortune and aura, lest my secret be discovered.
I approached the gaming table.
The first round of betting ended, and my capital doubled.
I kept betting, and it kept doubling…
“This little girl has some luck!”
I didn’t bother hiding my streak, and my consecutive wins quickly drew the attention of everyone nearby.
The Jindan Cultivator frowned, shooting me a deep look, his pupils flickering with a faint light.
But he saw nothing.
Not wanting to attract attention, he decided to leave the table and try his luck elsewhere.
But I was determined not to let him go so easily.
He had just left when I followed.
A large group of gamblers came chasing after, too. In their eyes, I was a walking money tree.
As long as they bet with me, they would surely make money.
The Jindan Cultivator frowned again and changed tables once more.
I continued to follow.
At last, he couldn’t take it anymore.
“You little brat, why are you following me? Am I your father?”
“I don’t mind sending another new father to hell. You’d best not expect me to recognize you as my dad.” I spread my small hands. “You look like an expert. Interested in something bigger?”
“No interest.”
Seeing that I’d disrupted his luck and he wouldn’t make money today, he decisively tried to slip away.
After all, his identity was sensitive. Even with his Jindan-level cultivation, if he were exposed here, he’d be as good as dead.
“Wait, at least take a look at my wager.”
I pulled out a pill from the band on my leg.
When the cultivator saw it, his pupils shrank, and he almost blurted out the name: “Jie…”
Jieying Pill.
And a Nine-Pattern Divine Grade, at that.
Consuming it would greatly improve the quality of forming a Nascent Soul.
But then, a wave of extreme terror swept over him.
Modern cultivators have no use for Jieying Pills.
Because modern cultivators don’t form Nascent Souls.
Only the Ancient Cultivation System uses them.
By taking this out, I was telling him…
I had already seen through his identity.
“This should be quite useful to you, right?” I smiled, flipping my hand to put away the pill. “Relax. As long as you cooperate, I won’t trouble you. I’m someone who values old ties… Well, more or less.”
The Jindan Cultivator let out a despairing sigh.
He could only abandon the idea of escape and asked, “What do you want to bet?”
“Let’s keep it simple—poker, highest card wins. If I lose, the pill is yours and you can leave. If I win, you answer a question.”
“Fine.”
Since this was a private bet, there was no room for bystanders.
We rented a private dueling box.
“Do you need a Dealer or a witness?”
“No need.”
After clearing the room of idlers, I played with the cards in my hands.
—Damn, my hands are too small, I can’t shuffle.
The other party took the cards with a helpless expression.
“Let’s begin. Shall I deal?” asked the Jindan Cultivator.
I nodded. “Go ahead.”
He then put on a show, performing an extravagant shuffle and cut, and drew four cards for himself from the deck, then tossed four more to me.
“Is this okay?” the Jindan Cultivator asked hesitantly.
He had, very obviously, more than enough chances to cheat.
But I didn’t care in the slightest.
“Show the cards.”
I turned over my hand right away.
Four tens.
He had four nines.
It was obvious who had the higher hand.
“Impossible–!” The Jindan Cultivator looked at my cards, then his own, eyes wide. “But…!”
“But you drew four tens for yourself, right? Well, a bet’s a bet.”
This was the Heavenly Law of Space. Even if I explained, he wouldn’t understand.
The Jindan Cultivator collapsed in his chair.
He couldn’t comprehend it. He’d clearly cheated, so how had he still lost?
Lost to a brat.
But he soon realized… if the other side could do this right under his nose, and even had a Nine-Pattern Divine Grade Jieying Pill, obviously, this was not someone he could afford to offend.
Cultivators of the old era may not excel in other things, but judging the situation and surviving at any cost were absolutely their strong suits!
So he decisively fell to his knees with a thud!
“Spare me, senior!” He kowtowed again and again. “Spare me, senior! I’m just a law-abiding cultivator!”
“Is that so? Doesn’t matter. I don’t care.”
I crossed my legs, looking down at the cultivator before me. “All right, a bet’s a bet. Tell me—how’s the old ancestor of the Pure Fire Sect these days?”
“Pure Fire…?” The cultivator was stunned. “You actually know the name Pure Fire!”
“Cut the nonsense. I ask, you answer.”
“The old ancestor has already perished,” the cultivator said sorrowfully. “He was slain by that monster. The old ancestor had been sleeping peacefully in the Immortal Realm, but that monster barged in and killed him with one blow…”
“What monster?”
“Jiang Ke’er. That so-called Houtu Holy Master.”
Oh, the Kaitianmen Incident? I heard about it on the way here.
“Those who struggle against heaven for longevity—all who’ve become Immortals have countless lives on their hands. Getting killed is just karmic retribution.” I nodded. “So, the Ancient Immortals of that era are mostly gone, huh?”
“Not exactly. Some old seniors from the old era are still alive, but they’re no longer in the Immortal Realm,” the cultivator said.
“Where are they?”
“In the Wenxue Ancient Realm, guarding the Demon Fox Seal.”
“The Demon Fox Seal?”
“Jiang Ke’er is from the Demon Fox Clan. Her ancestors and kin were all sealed up by the seniors. As long as the seniors guard the seal and are ready to destroy the hostages at any time, Jiang Ke’er won’t dare act rashly.”
I frowned. “You’re holding the Fox Clan hostage?”
“Y-Yes, that’s right.”
Truly despicable, but I understood.
That was just the way of our era.
“Fine. So, what’s your purpose here?”
I asked the final question:
“What exactly are you all plotting?”