Multiverse: In Little Garden, Becoming a God Through Once Proven, Forever Proven

"I'm just earning a tiny bit of pocket money right now. To the boss, it's one hair off nine oxen."

Fu Rong spoke with righteous conviction.

"I'm still not doing it. I believe the boss can't be wrong," Liu Wukui said.

"Silly girl, do you really think the boss is some omniscient immortal?"

Fu Rong smiled, then prepared to find someone to borrow money from so she could bet a little more.

Meanwhile, Bai Shixue had gotten a general grasp of the contestants' circumstances and was ready to open a betting pool. She sought out Fei Long, who had the best information.

"Fatty, let me use your website to open a betting pool. If we lose money, it's on me. If we make money, I'll give you a cut," Bai Shixue said.

"Can't do it, girl. Haven't you heard? Mr. Qin Qi of the Three-One Sect opened a betting pool ages ago."

"He's got more money than us, a bigger name, a better reputation, and he started earlier."

"If we open one now, nobody will come."

Fei Long waved a hand and passed his tablet to Bai Shixue. It displayed the website Qin Qi had asked Fu Rong to make.

It was quite pretty. The designer she had hired back then had gotten the job on merit, not through the back door.

"Damn it! I've been preparing for so long and borrowed so much money, and now you're telling me someone beat me to it?!"

"What am I supposed to do about the interest on all that money I owe?!"

"Is this guy crazy? Opening a betting pool in the first round, when the fish and dragons are all mixed together? Isn't he afraid of losing everything?!"

Bai Shixue snatched the tablet and began going through all the match records, doing the math as she watched.

"He's not just taking bets on who wins or loses, but who's the first to go down, who's the last to go down, and how long each person can hold out."

"These odds and the circumstances... if that's how it works, not only did he not lose money, he made a killing!"

Bai Shixue ran the numbers and was dumbfounded. By her experienced calculations, Qin Qi had made a killing this time!

"Forget it, girl. Mr. Qin Qi is strong, his methods are first-rate, and he has the Three-One Sect-that is, Master Lu-backing him."

"We can't beat him. Pay the money back as soon as you can, and we'll slowly earn enough to cover the interest."

"With my information and your sharp nose, we can make a fortune off this betting pool."

Fei Long had already given up on running a betting pool. He was studying Qin Qi's odds in earnest, getting ready to make a tidy profit.

"Give up, my ass! I'm losing money every second of every minute. There's no way I'm giving up! I don't care who he is, I'll fight him for it to the bitter end!"

"Come on, Fei Long, let's go challenge him one-on-one. I refuse to believe I can't win my business back!"

Bai Shixue had been in business for more than a day or two, but this was the first time she'd encountered a situation like this. She certainly wouldn't admit defeat.

"No way. I can't beat him, and I don't want to get beaten up."

Fei Long refused outright. "If you win, I'll provide the website for your betting pool. If you lose, I'll call you an ambulance."

"Useless. And you call yourself a man? Pah."

Bai Shixue turned and left. The arrow was on the bowstring and had to be fired. If she backed out now, she'd lose a lot of money, so she had to bite the bullet and press on!

[While you were talking with people from the Shuzi Sect and the Shangqing Sect, Bai Shixue came storming over.]

[You burst out laughing at the busty, baby-faced little girl who only came up to your chest. Seeing your smile, Bai Shixue thought you were provoking her.]

["I challenge you to a duel! If I win, you hand the betting pool over to me. If you win, I'll admit defeat!"]

[Bai Shixue challenged you in the manner Outcasts usually did, but you refused outright, your smile growing even brighter.]

["Sorry, I don't accept. If I win, I get nothing out of it, and if I lose, I take a loss. I don't do that kind of business."]

[After saying that, you prepared to find someone else to talk to, but Bai Shixue stopped you and tried to force you into a duel.]

[You didn't accept. Instead, you called over the Taoists of Mount Longhu. More than ten arrived in the blink of an eye and surrounded Bai Shixue.]

"Laywoman, if you want to fight, wait until the competition starts, or you can fight after you leave Mount Longhu."

"But fighting here on Mount Longhu is not allowed."

The dozen or so Taoists looked at Bai Shixue and spoke sternly.

"I'm not... wait, how did you get here so fast? And why is your junior brother shaking hands with that guy?!"

"Wait, he's even bribing him right out in the open! Has-has darkness fallen over Mount Longhu too?!"

Bai Shixue looked at Qin Qi handing snacks to Xiao Qingzi, and her face darkened at once.

Had darkness fallen over Mount Longhu, so bright with Golden Light, too?!

"Laywoman, you've misunderstood. Layman Qin Qi and our Grandmaster Tian are friends despite their age difference. When he visits our grandmaster, he brings a few snacks for the juniors while he's at it."

"Please don't call it a bribe. If someone heard you, they might think we were cheating in the competition."

The Mount Longhu Taoist thanked Qin Qi in all seriousness, tucked two chicken legs into his sleeve, and then spoke sternly to Bai Shixue.

"Little girl, this is modern society. Fighting and killing aren't in fashion anymore. Obeying the law and knowing how to deal with people are the essence of business."

Qin Qi smiled at Bai Shixue as he spoke. Then he turned and walked away.

"How dare you! Just wait! You just wait!"

Bai Shixue wanted to chase after him, but the Mount Longhu Taoists stopped her as soon as she took a step. With no other choice, she hurled a couple of threats and left.

But she wouldn't give up just like that. For the sake of making money, this money-grubber's fighting spirit was incredibly tenacious!

[That night, you deliberately went for a walk somewhere deserted, and sure enough, Bai Shixue followed you in secret.]

[When you entered a little grove, you suddenly vanished. Bai Shixue was shocked and hurried after you to investigate.]

"Where did he go? He was right here a moment ago?!"

Bai Shixue looked left and right, but couldn't find him anywhere. A living, breathing person had been right in front of her a moment ago, so how had he vanished in the blink of an eye?

"Looking for me, little girl?"

"Huh?!"

Bai Shixue heard Qin Qi's irritating voice behind her. She spun around and threw a punch.

But she hit nothing. The next second, she felt someone pull her, and she lost her balance and fell to the ground.

"You can't beat me head-on, and you can't beat me with a sneak attack from behind either. Will you submit now? Do you admit defeat?"

Qin Qi sat directly on Bai Shixue's waist, pinning her beneath him so she couldn't get up at all, and spoke with a smile.

Chapter 65: The Old Celestial Master Does as He Pleases, the Weight of a Life Destined for Turmoil!

"No!"

Bai Shixue strained with all her strength, trying to get up, but Qin Qi, sitting on her, felt as heavy as a towering mountain.

Even with all her strength, she couldn't budge that mountain in the slightest. She couldn't help feeling shocked.

Is this guy really the same age as us? How is he so much stronger than us?!

According to the information Bai Shixue had gathered, Qin Qi was only in his twenties, about the same age as her. So why was the gap in their strength so huge?

She wasn't the very best in the circle, but she was a capable fighter among the younger generation. Even against Zhang Lingyu, she was confident she could trade a few blows.

Yet Qin Qi had subdued her in an instant, and she hadn't even seen what he'd done!

"Still talking tough."

"First you came looking for trouble, and now you've ambushed me. Anywhere else, I'd have buried you already."

"But this is Mount Longhu. Give in, and I'll spare your life. How about it?"

Qin Qi smiled as he spoke.

"Don't try to scare me. Linglong and I are best friends, you're her martial granduncle, and you have a very good reputation in the circle."

"I don't believe you're the kind of person who kills over a disagreement, so I won't submit!"

Bai Shixue had investigated him thoroughly before coming. Qin Qi wasn't the kind of person who killed over a disagreement. On the contrary, everyone in the circle spoke of him as a good person.

Polite, highly accomplished, good-tempered-she could find hardly a bad word about him, nor could she find anyone who was his enemy.

"Is that so? You're right, I really can't bring myself to do it. After all, you're not exactly my enemy. I don't like fighting and killing, but..."

As Qin Qi spoke, he raised his hand, aimed at Bai Shixue's bottom, and brought it down. Crisp smacks immediately echoed through the grove.

(Galdo: Huh? Like hell I believe you, you rotten old bastard!)

"Sexual harassment! I'm going to sue you for sexual harassment!"

"Sexual harassment, huh? Smack, smack, smack."

"I-I'm a girl, at least. Can't you-can't you be a little more gentlemanly?"

"Sorry, Chinese people don't go in for foreign culture. I don't know what a gentleman is. Smack, smack, smack, smack."

"I give up! Stop hitting me! I was wrong!"

Bai Shixue felt that her bottom had probably turned as red as a monkey's. Tears of humiliation welled up in her eyes.

"All right, I'll let you off this once. But you have to play a game with me."

Qin Qi stood up, and the pressure on Shixue immediately disappeared.

"What game? It's not a lewd game, is it?!"

Bai Shixue stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. A dark night, a strong wind, a little grove, a lone man and a lone woman-she was starting to feel a little scared.

"We'll play that game after 400. For now, this is a serious game."

"I'll give you another chance to challenge me. As long as you can win one cent from me, you win."

"I'll give you half the betting-pool business. But if you lose, you'll have to consider joining my company and working for me."

"So, will you play?"

Qin Qi figured he'd intimidated her enough. It was time to get down to business, and he spoke.

"Huh? It's that simple?"

Bai Shixue stared at Qin Qi suspiciously. She might not be able to beat him in a fight and snatch the betting pool away.

But making a little money would be a breeze. With her business talent and the information she had, she could make a fortune just by placing bets.

"Yes, it's that simple."

Qin Qi smiled. "But you only have until tomorrow night, and you can only place one bet."

"All right, I agree. I'll find someone to witness it right now! Then we'll sign a contract."

Bai Shixue agreed. She'd have to be out of her mind to turn down such a good chance to make money, even if she only had one shot.

With her eye for these things, she'd definitely pick the winner!

"No need for a witness or a contract. We'll rely solely on the trust between merchants. It's settled: before tomorrow night, one chance."

With that, Qin Qi vanished.

"Huh?!"

Bai Shixue stared at the spot where Qin Qi had suddenly disappeared, his smile still in her mind.

It was late at night, he was smiling, and he appeared and vanished like a ghost. Goosebumps suddenly rose all over Bai Shixue. This isn't a haunting, is it?!

She rushed back and didn't dare sleep all night!

[After returning, you sat cross-legged in your room and began considering your next move, going over your plans repeatedly to see if you'd missed anything.]

[The night passed in the blink of an eye. The next morning, the round of thirty-six began.]

[As usual, you sent Fu Rong and the others to gather information while you waited for your turn to compete.]