Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion

Lu Ya and Chen Daozai's bet had dragged through thirty-five rare, nail-biting rounds in a row. Then, in the thirty-sixth round, the winds shifted in a matter of moments, and the winner was decided in an instant.

The bet ended abruptly.

The blind man drifted away.

Everyone was still in a state of utter shock and bewilderment.

The match had been full of twists and turns, and its ending had been staggering. Even the reason it had started left everyone baffled.

Why had a peerless expert like Chen Daozai come to Bamboo Spring Sect?

Just to make a bet with Elder Lu?

And then he lost?

Then there was Elder Lu, surrounded by beautiful women, with cooking skills that defied the heavens and unbeatable gambling skills...

Just who was Elder Lu?

Just then,

Nine-Fingered Divine Crone, who was usually gloomy and cold, suddenly burst into wild laughter.

She laughed so hard that the specially made Immortal-root dentures in her mouth fell out.

This made her already ancient face look even more withered and sunken, as though she were on her deathbed. Who knew how many tens of thousands of years old she was?

"Hahahahaha! Chen Daozai, that Twelve-Fingered Chen Daozai from Kongtong Mountain, actually lost! Hahahahaha!"

She was laughing with such delight, and in a way that was downright chilling.

Her laughter echoed for a long time.

It made Lu Ya's scalp crawl.

He couldn't help feeling that the two of them had some unpleasant history.

As for Chen Daozai, the name sounded vaguely familiar to Lu Ya. Curious, he asked:

"Is he famous?"

Nine-Fingered Divine Crone's withered old face darkened slightly, and she quickly sank into her memories, unable to pull herself out.

"Famous? He was born into a prominent family and had extraordinary talent. He was only a few hundred years old at the time, yet he was already an Immortal Master. But instead of cultivating properly, he'd go to the gambling dens in Caiyun City every day with a little knife."

"No matter who you were or what cheating methods you used, if you could beat him, he'd generously give you a large amount of Immortal Crystals. But if you lost to him, he'd cut off one of your fingers, and you'd have to swear that it wouldn't grow back for a thousand years."

"We're all immortals, after all. What was one finger? So lots of people challenged him back then, but few could beat him. Most had their fingers cut off, which was why everyone called him Chen Daozai."

"Hm?"

"He honed his gambling skills this way, and in just a thousand years, he'd become unbeatable throughout the Colored Cloud Immortal Domain. Even an Immortal Emperor had heard of him and challenged him to a bet, only to lose and leave behind a finger."

"That little beast, though—despite beating an Immortal Emperor, he said it was just an ordinary match in his life as a gambler. He claimed the most glorious moment of his career was beating Yun Zhonghe and winning the position of sect leader."

"What did Yun Zhonghe amount to? I'd never even heard of him."

"And what was the White Lotus Sect, a third-rate sect, worth?"

"Nothing but dust."

"After that, no one in the Colored Cloud Immortal Domain dared to gamble with Chen Daozai anymore. Even when he cut off one of his own fingers and claimed the White Lotus Ancestor had done it, no one believed him. He was already invincible under heaven."

At this point, a glint suddenly flashed in Nine-Fingered Divine Crone's clouded old eyes.

"Who would've thought I'd live to see the day he lost—and to Elder Lu, whose cultivation was far below his! The Heavenly Dao goes round and round; retribution never misses its mark. Hahahahahahaha!"

Hearing that chilling laughter, Lu Ya felt a little strange.

Was this Immortal Emperor she was talking about herself?

But he said nothing. He wasn't involved, and he had no intention of prying into someone else's past.

Wine Fox Immortal, on the other hand, was terribly curious. Without a care in the world, she asked:

"Granny, did he cut off this finger of yours too?"

A shadow of gloom flashed in Nine-Fingered Divine Crone's eyes, but her face showed no anger.

"Young people shouldn't talk nonsense. I accidentally chopped it off while cutting a watermelon back home... Go on, keep playing. The gambling den won't take a cut today. Hahahahahahaha!"

She walked away laughing, still laughing as she went. It was especially chilling, and she muttered to herself:

"This place is interesting. I've decided to stay, hahahaha."

They left the gambling den.

The weather was clear.

The five of them walked side by side down the bustling street, drawing passersby to stop and stare.

Lu Ya stretched luxuriously, feeling great. Images of all sorts of oddballs flashed through his mind: Nine-Fingered Divine Crone, Liu Xuanye, Wine Fox Immortal, Chen Daozai, and the rest...

Lu Ya thought that this tiny East Floating District was truly a hotbed of talent—a veritable Arkham.

Life as a salted fish seemed to be getting a little interesting!

Still, gambling didn't exercise his muscles. He felt physically tired and uncomfortable all over, and wanted to get some exercise.

When was the Beast Tide coming, anyway?

Lu Ya was starting to get impatient.

"Little Martial Uncle, you're so dumb!"

"That old man's loaded. Wouldn't it be great to win some money and buy candied hawthorns?"

People's joys and sorrows were never the same. For Muyu Feifei, how thrilling the match had been or how mysterious the sect master's secrets were didn't matter in the slightest.

The two girls had been looking around enviously as they walked. Then, somewhere along the way, they disappeared.

The three of them remained.

Wine Fox Immortal slung an arm around Lu Ya's shoulder and leaned close to his ear, asking in a conspiratorial whisper:

"That old man sent you a divine thought just now, didn't he? Come on, tell me—what's little sister Xuan Ye's big secret?"

Only then did Lu Ya remember.

Was the Beast Tide targeting Liu Xuanye?

It was strange, sure, but it wasn't much of a secret. It wasn't surprising for Liu Xuanye's constitution to attract all sorts of monsters.

But if Ning Zhongzi found out, she'd worry herself sick every day and keep telling him to make this preparation and that preparation. He'd never get to live like a salted fish again.

Thinking it over, Lu Ya decided to keep it secret.

"If I told you, would it still be a secret?"

Wine Fox Immortal's handsome round face froze. She tilted her head, and for a moment couldn't find anything wrong with his answer.

Lu Ya glanced at the flirtatious fox. Her slender figure was wrapped tightly in bandages, but there were all sorts of little gaps. It was still less revealing than what she usually wore, but the way it showed just a hint here and there felt like cheating.

"Put your clothes on already!"

Wine Fox Immortal swirled her wine gourd and knit her cute, dark brows.

"Put them on for you? If I put them on just because you told me to, wouldn't that make me lose face?"

"Then please keep them on."

"I won't!"

The moment she said it, Wine Fox Immortal regretted it. Furious, she kicked at Lu Ya.

But her foot landed on empty air, and she nearly fell flat on her face, looking utterly disheveled.

The two of them walked on.

Lu Ya and Ning Zhongzi strolled side by side.

One yawned, her eyes heavy and hazy with sleep.

The other looked serious, as if deep in thought.

One was tall and straight.

The other was graceful and full-figured.

In the eyes of passersby, they made a strangely well-matched pair.

Lu Ya wouldn't tell her Liu Xuanye's secret, and Ning Zhongzi felt awkward asking.

"What did Sect Master Chen mean when he said there'd be a guest before he left?"

Lu Ya smiled and glanced at the dark shadow five hundred miles away. He didn't want to alert it.

He also didn't want Ning Zhongzi to worry too much and pester him about making preparations.

"It means someone's coming to bring us some warmth."

Only then did Ning Zhongzi relax a little.

"Then it's fine. I thought someone was coming to cause trouble."

His roomy blue robe fluttered in the wind as Lu Ya gave her a refined, gentle smile.

"How could that be?"

Yuelai Inn.

The center of the third floor.

There was a luxurious, antique-style city lord's residence here that belonged to Lu Ya. It was decorated with screens, calligraphy and paintings, and carved immortal sandalwood, lending it an elegant air.

But Lu Ya had never once gone there to work. Ning Zhongzi had always managed all the affairs of Azure Phoenix City from inside.

Back then, Ning Zhongzi had once been so exhausted she needed medicine just to keep her energy up.

Now that Azure Phoenix City had settled into a steady rhythm, she'd finally gained a little free time.

Since returning from the gambling den, she'd been leafing through some ancient books on pharmacology.

During this period, the sect master had been making progress, Wine Fox Immortal had been making progress, and even the two children, Muyu Feifei and the other girl, had been making progress.

She had to improve too, keeping pace with her senior brother at all times and making sure she didn't hold him back.

Tucking a few loose strands behind her ear, Ning Zhongzi looked composed and elegant, like a still peony, as she studied the ancient book.

After turning a few pages, she stopped again.

She got up and went to the window, gazing down at the bustling streets. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was troubling her.

Under her senior brother's guidance, Azure Phoenix City had miraculously been built, and its registered population had surpassed ten thousand, temporarily averting the crisis of having to disband the sect.

But she still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

How had Wine Fox Immortal found that baby girl?

Why had there been no further news since the Beast Tide went out of control?

What did the three things Fan Ni had reminded Lu Ya about really mean?

Why had Chen Daozai come to Azure Phoenix City?

And what was the sect master's big secret?

Who was the guest Chen Daozai had mentioned?

Had her senior brother made preparations for all of this?

On the street.

Lu Ya stared blankly at the azure sky, motionless for a long time.

He wanted to wait for the "guest" Chen Daozai had mentioned and get some exercise.

But judging by the guest's location and speed, Lu Ya estimated when they'd arrive and realized they wouldn't reach Azure Phoenix City for more than fifteen minutes. He was instantly vexed.

Whether you're a friend or an enemy, could you please hurry up and get here?

Lu Ya hated waiting for people most of all.

In his previous life, he hadn't wanted to spend every day waiting for his girlfriend, so he'd ended up a single dog. And to this day, he was still a virgin.

He could wait fifteen seconds, but fifteen minutes was out of the question.

What could he do in fifteen minutes?

An idea struck Lu Ya.

He glanced toward Ning Zhongzi and, after making sure she wasn't watching him, instantly appeared inside Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion.

Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion.

How exciting!

In his previous life, Lu Ya had been a pure-hearted virgin, but that didn't stop him from making waves in this life.

The problem was...

It was his first time visiting a house of pleasure. How could he act like a regular?

Help, I need an answer—urgently!

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