"Are you sure you'll take this bet with me this time, Brother Zuo?"
Xiong Bei Ming smiled.
Zuo An grew interested. "Unless you have a way to make Brother Kong use his Aurora Pearl."
"Exactly!"
Xiong Bei Ming nodded with a smile.
Now even the Third Holy Son was intrigued. "Could it be that Brother Xiong has mastered some secret art for controlling people's minds? If Brother Zuo won't bet, I'll bet with you instead. If you can really make me use my Aurora Pearl, I'll give you the last hundred-odd bottles of Jade King Nectar. If you can't, you don't have to wager anything—but you must stop using your old betting tricks to draw Brother Zuo and me in."
"Brother Kong is generous," Zuo An said. "I have nothing that would catch Xiong Bei Ming's eye. Otherwise, I'd put it up for a bet too."
"Easy words. Brother Zuo is the best at saying them. But since I stand to win Brother Kong's Jade King Nectar, I'll let you off this time."
Xiong Bei Ming continued, "On my way back to the sect, I heard some news. A peerless figure has emerged from the Donghua Immortal Sect. Of course, he's an old acquaintance of both Brother Kong and me..."
The Third Holy Son shot to his feet, his expression turning frenzied in an instant. "Wang Qianqiu! Is it Wang Qianqiu? I knew he wouldn't die. He wouldn't! After twenty years, he's finally back. Heh, heh..."
Suddenly realizing he'd lost his composure, he sat back down and apologized. "Forgive me for making a spectacle of myself, fellow Daoists. I suffered a crushing defeat at Wang Qianqiu's hands back then, and I've never forgotten it. Hearing news of him caught me off guard."
"Speaking of Wang Qianqiu, he really is one