"We know more than you think." Dean said, "Tell me, what's going on?"
Cliff hesitated for a long time and finally compromised. He asked the two women to leave first, then lit a cigarette and took a deep breath.
"About a month ago," Cliff said, "I was drinking at the 'Old Oak' bar. I was in a bad mood that day, my back hurt badly, my eyes were blurred, and I felt that my life was over. Then a man came over and sat across from me. His name is Patrick. He is an Irishman. He looks about forty years old. He is wearing an expensive suit and has a very good temperament."
"He asked me if I wanted to be younger. I thought he was a liar, so I scolded him. Then he smiled and took out a deck of cards and some wooden chips. He said, let's play cards. The chips represent lifespan. If you win, you will gain the other person's lifespan. If you lose, you will lose your own lifespan."
"I was obsessed at the time, so I agreed to him. In the first game, I bet for a year and won. I immediately felt that my waist no longer hurt. In the second game, I bet for five years and won again. My presbyopia was cured. That night, I won a total of twenty-five years."
Cliff stretched out his hand and touched his thick hair, with a proud smile on his face, "Look at me now, my waist is no longer sore and my legs are no longer painful, and I can walk up to the fifth floor without any trouble. Even my wife didn't recognize me."
Bai Haorui frowned and asked, "Did he recite any spells? What do the chips look like?"
"They were just ordinary wooden chips with some strange symbols engraved on them." Cliff recalled, "Before each bet, he would read a few words that he couldn't understand, and then the chips would become heavier. He said that he was a wizard and that these chips could store life. He also said that he was willing to admit defeat and would never cheat."
"Has anyone ever lost?" Sam asked.
"Of course." Cliff shuddered, "I saw with my own eyes a young man who lost for fifty years and turned into an old man on the spot and was carried out. There was also an old lady who had won for ten years and immediately became much younger."
The three of them walked out of the "Golden Palace" hotel, the sun was dazzling. Dean cursed, "This bastard doesn't want a home now that he's getting younger. He's such a beast."
Sam took out his cell phone and flipped through it quickly. "I checked and found that seven young people in Denver died of old age and old age in mysterious ways in the past six months, and more than a dozen people disappeared. It seems that this Patrick has been here for a long time and has harmed many people."
Bai Haorui said in a deep voice, "Go back to the car and meet Bobby. He must know something about this situation in his mind."
Back in the car, Bobby's face suddenly became very ugly after listening to Cliff's words.
"Patrick." Bobby whispered, "I have heard of him. The Celtic wizard, who has lived for nine hundred years, specializes in betting on lifespan. It is said that he started doing this in the Middle Ages."
Dean sneered, "So what if it's nine hundred years? I'm a great poker player. Back then at Las Vegas, I won a sports car."
Bobby said nothing, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the armrests of the wheelchair. His eyes became a little wandering, and there was a crazy idea in his heart.
"Nine hundred years of life..." Bobby thought in his heart, "If I can win even a little bit, even if it is only ten years, my body will return to its peak state. It will be of great use in the next battle. I can't hold them back anymore."
Eight o'clock in the evening, "Old Oak" bar.
This is an Irish-style bar, dimly lit and filled with smoke, and noisy Irish folk songs are played. The bar is full of people, mostly men with gloomy faces, holding wine glasses in their hands and looking around aimlessly.
Dean walked to the bar and took out two hundred dollars and put it on the bar. The bartender was a strong man with a big beard. He looked at Dean, then at the money on the table, and then pointed to the elevator behind.
"Take the elevator down." The bartender whispered, "Don't cause trouble."
Dean turned around and said to Bobby, "You wait here, Sam, Haorui and I can just go down. If you need anything, call us."
Bobby nodded. "Okay. Please be careful."
The three of them walked into the elevator, and the elevator door slowly closed. There were no buttons in the elevator, only a downward arrow. The elevator began to descend, and after about ten seconds, the elevator door opened.
What appeared in front of them was a spacious basement. There were more than a dozen card tables in the basement, and each card table was full of people. The air was filled with the smell of cigarettes, alcohol and sweat, as well as a cold, desperate atmosphere.
This is the casino of Patrick.
The three of them searched the basement but could not find Patrick. All the card tables were filled with ordinary gamblers, except for the Irish wizard in an expensive suit.
"Strange," Sam said, "He's not here."
"Maybe he hasn't come yet." Dean said, "Let's go up and wait for him first."
The three of them walked into the elevator and returned to the bar lobby.
As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, Dean was stunned.
Bobby is sitting in a wheelchair, his face is pale, and his hair is half gray. His face is covered with wrinkles, and he looks at least thirty years older.
"Bobby!" Dean's pupils shrank suddenly and he rushed over, "What did you do?!"
Bobby smiled bitterly and said in a hoarse voice, "I played cards with him and lost for 25 years."
As soon as he finished speaking, the wrinkles on his face deepened at a speed visible to the naked eye, his hair turned completely white, and his back became hunched.
Bai Haorui immediately stepped forward, put one hand on Bobby's eyebrows, and quickly formed a seal with the other. A powerful purple-gold True Gang surged out of his body and poured into Bobby's body, trying to prevent the loss of vitality.
Bai Haorui's brows furrowed tightly. He could feel that an ancient and powerful time magic had been firmly bound to Bobby's soul. This was a contract signed voluntarily, and the power of magic had penetrated deep into the soul. If it was forcibly reversed, Bobby's soul would only be shattered.
"No!" Bai Haorui shouted in his heart, "The magic has been bound to his soul. Forcibly reversing it will make his soul fly away. This is a contract I signed willingly at the time, and I can't break it."
"How's it going?" Dean asked eagerly, his voice trembling.
"I temporarily stabilized his soul and delayed the loss of life force." Bai Haorui whispered, "But his life span has been taken away. He is about to die of old age."
Dean's eyes turned red. He turned around suddenly and punched the wall next to him. A deep hole was made in the wall.
"You idiot!" Dean roared at Bobby, "Why are you doing this?! Do you know you are going to die now?!"
Bobby also roared back, "Don't talk to me in that tone! That's my lifespan! I can use it however I want! I don't want to be a useless person anymore, and I don't want to hold you back anymore!"
At this moment, a man's voice came from the shadows.
"What a touching family bond."
The four people turned around suddenly and saw a man leaning on the bar, playing with a wooden chip in his hand, with a sarcastic smile on his face.
He is Patrick.
Patrick looks to be in his forties, tall, wearing a tailored black suit and a red tie. He has blond hair, blue eyes, a high nose, thin and sexy lips. His temperament is elegant and dangerous, like a cheetah lurking in the darkness waiting to hunt.
"It's a pity. I'm willing to admit defeat." Patrick said, "The contract has been signed and cannot be changed."
Dean suddenly took out his gun, rushed over, and pressed the muzzle of the gun firmly against Patrick's stomach.
"Give him his life back!" Dean said through gritted teeth, his eyes bloodshot, "Or I'll kill you with one shot!"
Patrick showed no fear. He took a step forward, pressed his chest against the muzzle of the gun, and the smile on his face became even more mocking.
"Shoot." Patrick said, "I have lived for nine hundred years, and what method of death have I not tried? Gunshot wounds, knife wounds, hanging, burning... I have tried them all. Besides, I just need... a scratch."
Dean's finger was on the trigger, and he was shaking with anger. He knew that Patrick was telling the truth. Ordinary bullets could not kill this wizard who had lived for nine hundred years.
Bai Haorui took a step forward and held down Dean's gun. His right hand held the hilt of the mahogany sword behind his back, and the sword slowly unsheathed half an inch. The purple-gold True Gang circulated around the sword, making a slight buzzing sound.
"Don't talk nonsense to him." Bai Haorui's voice was cold and bone-chilling, "Either you give me your life back, or I let your nine hundred years of cultivation turn into ashes."
Patrick raised his eyebrows and looked at Bai Haorui, with a hint of surprise in his eyes. He could feel the powerful and pure pure Yang power in Bai Haorui's body, which was different from any magic he was familiar with.
"Oriental Daoist?" Patrick looked at Bai Haorui with interest, "Interesting. This is the first time I have seen people like you. Your power is very interesting, completely different from our Celtic magic."
"However," Patrick changed the subject, "If you want to live longer, just follow my rules. Gambling. If you win, I will give him 25 years back. If he loses, you will keep him for another 50 years. Of course, you can also kill me, but the vitality that was taken away from him will never come back. You'd better think carefully."
"Okay!" Dean said immediately, "I'll bet you! I'll bet 50 years!"
"Dean, don't be impulsive!" Bai Haorui took his arm, "You can't beat him. He has lived for nine hundred years, what kind of card game has he not seen?"
"So what?" Dean shook off his hand, "I can't watch Bobby die. The worst is death. What scene have I Dean·Winchester never seen?"
Patrick smiled. He recited a string of ancient and obscure Celtic spells, and the chips in his hand gave off a faint green light. 25 chips flew out of his hand and landed in front of Bobby.
Green light enveloped Bobby. The wrinkles on his face quickly disappeared, his hair returned to its original color, and his back straightened. After a few seconds, Bobby returned to his original appearance.
Bobby touched his face in disbelief, then looked at Dean and roared angrily, "Dean! You idiot! You just wasted 25 years! You are kidding with your own life!"
Dean slammed the remaining 25 chips on the table, making a crisp sound.
"Shuffle the cards and deal them." Dean said with firm eyes.
Bai Haorui sighed, knowing that he could not persuade him. He stood behind Dean, formed a True Gang on his fingertips, and quietly pressed it against Dean's back.
"I'll keep an eye on him for you." Bai Haorui said in his heart, "As long as he dares to cheat, we will kill him immediately."
The card game started. They were playing Texas poker.
Texas poker uses 52 playing cards, and there is no trump card. Each player is given two cards as "hole cards" and five public cards that are dealt out by the dealer one after another. After all the cards are dealt, the player starts from his two cards. Choose the best five cards from the hole cards and the five community cards to form a card type, and compare the size to determine the outcome. The card types from big to small are: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pairs, one pair, and high card.
Dean's card skills are indeed good. At the beginning, he relied on his excellent card reading ability and bold bets to win a few games, and his chips gradually increased. A confident smile appeared on his face, and he gradually relaxed his vigilance.
But Patrick was always calm and calm. He had a faint smile on his face and his eyes were calm, as if everything was under his control. He chipped away at Dean's chips little by little, without any rush or impatience, and steadily.
An hour later, Dean had very few chips left in front of him. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead and his palms were soaked.
The last card.
The dealer dealt the hole cards. Dean's hole cards were the King of Hearts and the Queen of Hearts. They were pretty good cards.
The first three community cards were dealt: A of Hearts, J of Hearts, and 10 of Spades.
Dean's heart skipped a beat. He now had a straight, and the possibility of a flush. If the fourth or fifth card was the 10 of hearts, it would be a royal flush. If it was any other heart, it would be a flush.
Dean took a deep breath and pushed all the chips to the middle of the table.
"All in." Dean said, his voice trembling.
Patrick smiled and pushed all his chips over.
"I'll follow."
The fourth community card was dealt: Club 7.
Dean's heart sank. Now he only has the last chance to play a card.
The fifth community card was dealt: 2 of diamonds.
Dean's face turned pale instantly. His card was a straight, AKQJ10. This is already a very big card.
But Patrick smiled. He slowly showed his trump cards: Ace of Spades and King of Spades.
"A straight flush." Patrick said, "AKQJ10. You lost, Dean."
Dean slumped on the chair, eyes empty.
Dean's hair turned gray at a speed visible to the naked eye, his face was covered with wrinkles, and his skin became loose and dry. After a few seconds, he turned into an eighty-year-old man.
"No!" Bobby shouted.
Bai Haorui's eyes surged with murderous intent. Without any nonsense, he flicked his left hand, and five Five Emperor Coins flew out of his sleeves. Each one was engraved with the Daoist rune of "Order to Kill Evil", which contained the extremely strong power of pure Yang to destroy evil.
"The five emperors suppressed the demons, and the universe borrowed its magic!"
Bai Haorui pointed his fingertips, and five golden lights lit up at the same time. Five Emperor Coins turned into five meteors, shooting towards Patrick's chest with a sharp whistling sound. They left five golden trajectories in the air, and the surrounding air was compressed to create a shock wave visible to the naked eye.
Patrick raised a mocking smile at the corner of his mouth, and raised his right hand calmly. The light green time energy condensed in front of him, forming a translucent time barrier - this barrier was not an entity, but a layer of time flow that was infinitely slowed down. Any object entering it would be slowed down to one ten thousandth of its original speed, and eventually lose all kinetic energy.
"Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!"
Five crisp sounds sounded one after another, and Five Emperor Coins hit the time barrier, slowing down instantly. They trudged forward inside the barrier, and the golden light became dimmed little by little, as if they were stuck in a sticky quagmire. After a few seconds, Five Emperor Coins's kinetic energy was completely exhausted, and it fell to the ground, making a dull sound.
Patrick clapped his hands and sneered, "Oriental Daoist priest, your power is interesting, but it is not enough. Time is the most fundamental law of the universe, and no one can fight against time."
Bai Haorui stretched out his hand to suck back Five Emperor Coins from the ground, brushed the dim runes on it with his fingertips, and frowned.
He had just used 70% of True Gang, but Five Emperor Coins could not even break through the surface of the time barrier. Patrick's time magic was more powerful than he imagined. It was not evil energy, but a rule-level power. Although Pure Yang True Fire could burn out evil, it could not directly burn the rules themselves.
"That's it." Bai Haorui slowly put away Five Emperor Coins, his eyes became more solemn, "Your magic is not an attack, it is a rewriting of the rules."
"Oriental Daoist priest, don't break the rules." Patrick sneered, "I am willing to admit defeat. In three days, he will die of old age."
After saying that, Patrick turned into a line of smoke and disappeared into the air.
Bai Haorui supported the shaky Dean and placed his fingers on his pulse. His pulse was weak and slow, like a real eighty-year-old man.
Bai Haorui's brows were furrowed, and his heart was filled with anger and self-blame.
Eleven o'clock in the evening, motel.
Sam opened the door, and Bai Haorui walked in holding Old Dean.
Old Dean was walking slowly step by step, leaning on a cane and stooped back. His hair was completely white, his face was covered with deep wrinkles, and his eyes had become cloudy.
Sam saw a gray-haired old man walking in and subconsciously took out the gun at his waist.
"Who are you?!" Sam asked warily.
Old Dean glared at him angrily and said in a hoarse voice, "Man, relax. It's me."
Sam was stunned. The gun in his hand fell to the ground, his eyes widened, and he looked at Old Dean in disbelief.
"Dean?" Sam's voice trembled, "How did you become like this?"
"I... found that game." Old Dean coughed a few times and bent over. Sam quickly stepped forward to support him.
"I thought you played poker very well." Sam said helplessly.
"I played very well." Old Dean glared at him, "Shut up."
Bobby was sitting in a wheelchair, lowering his head guiltily and clenching his fists tightly with his fingers.
"It's all my fault." Bobby's voice was hoarse, "If I hadn't gone to gamble privately, you wouldn't have become like this. I'm sorry, Dean."
Old Dean waved his hand, walked to the bed with difficulty and sat down. "Stop talking. Now is not the time to talk about this. Hurry up and find a way to change me back. I haven't eaten enough cheeseburgers yet, and I haven't driven enough of my Impala yet."
Bai Haorui brought a glass of warm water and handed it to Dean. Then he stretched out his hand and pressed it on Dean's temple. A warm purple-gold True Gang flowed out from his fingertips and slowly flowed into Dean's body. This is Health-Preserving Art in "Three Altars Body-Refining True Fire Art", which can nourish qi and blood, strengthen the foundation and strengthen the body.
"I use Health-Preserving Art to help you stabilize your energy and blood, relieve joint pain and acid reflux." Bai Haorui said, "The magic of Patrick only accelerates your physical aging, but your soul is still young. As long as you can break the magic within three days, you can fully recover."
Bai Haorui breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. Fortunately, it was just physical aging. If the soul was eroded by time, even gods would not be able to save it. I don't know if this Patrick kept it, or if his magic can only affect the physiology and cannot involve the power of the soul.
Old Dean sighed comfortably, "You are still reliable, Haorui. You are much better than these two idiots."
Sam and Bobby looked at each other and smiled helplessly.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
Sam walked over and opened the door. A young waitress stood at the door, holding a mop in her hand and a professional smile on her face.
"Sir, do you need to clean the room?" the waitress asked.
Old Dean immediately sat up straight, straightened his clothes, then winked at the waitress and showed a smile that he thought was charming.
"Always ready, baby." Old Dean said.
The waitress giggled, her eyes turning into crescent moons.
"You're so cute," the waitress said. "Just like my grandpa. He loved to play with anything that moved."
Old Dean's smile froze on his face.
Sam and Bobby laughed so hard that Bobby laughed so much that tears came out. Bai Haorui couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth, revealing a rare smile.
After the waitress left, Old Dean said angrily, "Why are you laughing! When I change back, I will definitely get her phone number! Just wait and see!"
Bobby wiped away the tears from laughter and cleared his throat. "Okay, let's get down to business. The magic must be related to those chips. I remember that when he was chanting the spell, he always held the chips in his hand."
Sam nodded. "Let's go to his apartment, steal some chips, and then break the spell."
Bai Haorui added, "And his DNA. I just checked the legend that Celtic magic is usually bound to the blood of the caster. With his DNA, I can try to arrange a reversal array. As long as I can cut off his connection with magic, Dean can recover."
At two o'clock in the morning, downstairs of Patrick's luxury apartment.
The four of them sat in the car and looked at the high-end apartment building opposite. The apartment building was brightly lit and had tight security.
"Bobby, you and Dean stay in the car and look out." Bai Haorui said, "If anything happens, call us immediately."
"No!" Old Dean said immediately, "I want to go too. I want to catch that bastard with my own hands."
"Dean, it's hard for you to climb stairs like this." Sam said, "Just stay in the car."
"I don't!" Old Dean said stubbornly, "I have to go."
Bai Haorui sighed helplessly, "Okay. Let's go then, don't leave any ink marks."
The three people got out of the car and walked to the fire escape behind the apartment building.
Old Dean used a cane and struggled to climb the stairs step by step. After climbing only two floors, he was out of breath and kept coughing while holding on to the wall.
"Oh, God..." Old Dean said while gasping, "I can't survive... my lungs are going to explode... my legs are going to be broken..."