Bankrupted by Shefu

"Can a Grade A technique really be that powerful?"

Challenging opponents of higher realms is very difficult. Even Dong Zhongshu could only fight against opponents of similar strength or selectively restrain some opponents of higher realms. However, facing an opponent two major realms above him was beyond Dong Zhongshu's ability to cope.

When facing the Great Sage Water Ape, Dong Zhongshu had to break through his cultivation level once before he could gain a certain level of confidence.

Not only Zhang Xuezhou looked envious, but Dong Zhongshu was no different, while Jin Chang's expression was indescribable.

On the arena, Lei Bei holding a broken sword, and he still looked somewhat dazed.

Someone's dead!

The third-ranked swordsman of the King of Huainan's Household was killed by a flying blade after only a few dozen fierce exchanges on the arena.

Apart from a very few who noticed something amiss, most onlookers simply felt that decluttering was bad luck for the year.

"What terrible sins must one have committed to be killed by a broken sword flying out!"

"That retainer named Lei Bei is really lucky!"

"He appears to have only suffered minor injuries!"

On the arena, Lei Bei Dan Sheli's sword picked up, compared it with the blunt sword in his hand, and finally threw the blunt sword next to Dan Sheli's corpse.

Several servants emerged from one side of the arena. Some removed the token from Duan Sheli's corpse, while others respectfully presented Lei Bei with a set of prepared purple robes and the token. Still others carried Duan Sheli's corpse off the stage.

"The king will summon you to the palace at noon three days from now," the servant relayed the message.

"Can I go to Room A of Wenying Pavilion now?" Lei Bei asked after regaining his senses.

"You can take the order to Wenying Pavilion and find the patrol officer. Normally, you are entitled to enter the first-class room of Wenying Pavilion once every three years, so you should be able to enter now," the servant replied.

"That's good!"

Lei Bei nodded.

He grabbed the purple robe from the tray and tucked the token into his waistband.

"Excuse me, everyone, please make way! I need to go to Wenying Pavilion!"

After jumping off the ring, Lei Bei once again asked to make way for others.

However, compared to being jostled and pushed around before, this time the crowd automatically parted to create a narrow path, and even though the crowd behind them was dense, some people still took the initiative to step back.

This reputation was earned through fighting, and this prestige was forged in battle.

No matter how unlucky the minimalist approach has become, it's already dead in the ring.

Becoming an ordinary retainer in the King of Huainan's Household did not require overcoming numerous obstacles; one only needed to prove their strength to become a vassal and enjoy the benefits.

Only those who want higher treatment need to take on challenges like Lei Bei.

Swords and blades have no eyes on the arena, and only desperate criminals venture into such danger.

To everyone else, Lei Bei's seemingly honest demeanor was more like a disguise; once they clashed, he would transform into the sharpest sword.

A distance of several hundred meters is not long, but squeezing through a crowd of over a thousand onlookers undoubtedly involved crowding and trampling.

"Don't you have eyes?" Jin Chang yelled, "You dare bump into me? Do you believe I'll hit you?"

"Well!"

Dong Zhongshu also sighed.

What was a passage for Lei Bei was just a jostling and pushing for others. Dong Zhongshu tried his best to gather his strength and pull in his stomach, and continued to move outward with the crowd.

Compared to the passage given to Lei Bei, their movements were undoubtedly slow.

"Brother Lei, are you injured? Do you need healing? I have a healing technique to stop bleeding!"

Lei Bei moved into each area, it became a crowded, backed-up space, and Zhang Xuezhou, unable to bear the pressure, couldn't help but shout.

Do you charge money?

Lei Bei opened his mouth, then asked a question.

"No charge, just take us out of here, it's too crowded," Zhang Xuezhou called out.

"Come here, come here!"

Lei Bei overjoyed.

He reached out and grabbed several people, and after they had all gone to the back, he pulled Zhang Xuezhou out.

"Who else?" Lei Bei asked.

"Um, um!"

Zhang Xuezhou pointed at Dong Zhongshu, then hesitated for a second before pointing at Jin Chang, who was panting from being squeezed.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't fully understand Jin Chang's physical condition, but judging from Jin Chang's current appearance, the other party was in really bad shape.

A plucked phoenix is no better than a chicken; Jin Chang was at a complete disadvantage in this crowded place of cultivators.

If Jin Chang were to risk triggering the poison of the Golden Toad Poison, or if his actions might lead to a decline in his cultivation level, the difficulty of paying such a price to surpass others would be even greater.

He sullenly mingled in the crowd until Zhang Xuezhou called Lei Bei to pull him out, at which point Jin Chang's expression improved somewhat.

"You're pretty tactful, kid!"

Jin Chang muttered something to himself and quickly followed behind Lei Bei.

With this newly promoted first-class retainer clearing the way, their travels became much more convenient.

"You've been here for so long, and you still haven't become a first-class guest elder?" Zhang Xuezhou muttered to himself.

"Who said I didn't become a first-class guest elder? I'm just ranked relatively low!"

Unless there are special needs, Jin Chang does not want to strive for the top, after all, the cost of his fighting and killing is not low, and he cannot afford to be challenged by others from time to time.

The challenges involving swords and other weapons are relatively simple, but the techniques used in Technique Method vary from school to school, making it extremely difficult to enter the top three of the King of Huainan's Household.

"Unless my senior brother... cough, that old jinx!"

Jin Chang only thought about Zou Bugui's conservatism, and then felt that this senior brother was unlucky. Not mentioning him would actually make him feel better.

If it were Zou Bugui control over the Nine Heavens Sect's lineage, he would have cultivated much earlier and risen to prominence sooner, even managing to make Ling Xuzi, the top magic guest of the King of Huainan's Household's Technique Method, kneel on the ground and call him "Grandpa."

That's the gist of the matter, but all the back and forth has ruined Jin Chang's health.

He followed silently behind, and only when Zhang Xuezhou and Lei Bei pulled apart did his ears perk up.

"You're right, the longer we stay in Room A, the better. I'll stay there for at least two days, even if I'm starving, I'll finish the course!"

"Going in once every three years is too long, I won't miss this opportunity!"

"People like us working for the Prince's mansion are definitely committing murder, but I don't want to kill!"

"If I don't do well in this course, I'll have to wait another three years!"

"Grain Avoidance powder that can suppress hunger for three days?"

Do you charge money?

Lei Bei felt his empty pockets.

While the wounds inflicted by the Sword Qi of severance could heal slowly, his body simply couldn't withstand hunger.

The entry into the Wenying Pavilion's Jiazi Room is undoubtedly a major event for Lei Bei.

He hoped to find a realm technique that suited him.

He had to rely on his not-so-strong memory to memorize those unfamiliar, unrecognizable characters, and then find a teacher to read them after he came out.

This will undoubtedly require him to spend a lot of time, and he even needs to be in excellent condition.

He can only memorize relevant information when he is in a good state of mind.

If someone is so hungry that they feel dizzy and lightheaded, it wouldn't be surprising if they forgot what they had previously memorized.

"What do you want?" Lei Bei whispered. "Anything that doesn't involve money or murder, I can help!"

"You really don't have any money?" Zhang Xuezhou asked repeatedly to confirm.

"I'm really broke. I keep failing at guessing the divination, and I owe people a lot of money!"

"I didn't realize you were such a gambler!"

Shefu is a popular game where an object is covered under a vessel such as a bowl or pot, and players guess what's inside.

These items include handkerchiefs, fans, writing brushes and ink, boxes and jars, etc.

Speculative entertainment is naturally difficult to popularize, but gambling entertainment involving money spreads very quickly.

Even ordinary households had the necessary tools, Lei Bei still lost everything in this gamble.

"Actually, my initial goal was just to raise some money to forge a good sword," Lei Bei explained confidently.

Zhang Xuezhou wasn't interested in Lei Bei's explanation. However, upon learning that Lei Bei penniless and wanted to Grain Avoidance pill, he quietly asked Dong Zhongshu and Jin Chang about it.

"I think he'd be willing to bend the rules for a Grain Avoidance pill. Do you think it's better to ask Lei Bei escort us, or to ask him to check if the Jiazifang has the Huang-Lao techniques we need?"

Zhang Xuezhou felt he was also in a miserable situation. If the Huang-Lao philosophy could improve one's luck, he would certainly like to learn it.

In this matter, he was no different from Dong Zhongshu and Jin Chang.

However, the journey to the Northern Border was fraught with difficulties, and Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but want to bring along a true expert to escort him.

This left him with the difficult choice between Dong Zhongshu and Jin Chang.