บท 24: A Big Game

"Why don't we let the fellow Daoists choose?" Shen Xu suddenly said.

In his previous life, Shen Xu was an ordinary person, and his life was as uninteresting as it could get.

However, he was an avid reader.

Except for the harem genre, he read all kinds of books and watched different genres of shows.

At this time, he inferred from those experiences and laid a trap for the gathered crowd.

Although his suggestion seemed like a foolhardy gamble, it actually wasn't.

Nine out of ten, he and Zhen Yuan would make a profit.

"If my companion can't draw the chosen talisman, we will give the fellow Daoists one million spirit stones. However, if my companion can draw it, the fellow Daoists will give us one hundred thousand spirit stones. What do you think?" Shen Xu enticed.

When the crowd heard the terms, they couldn't calm down.

In the group, there were ten people.

If they lost the gamble, each person would lose ten thousand spirit stones.

However, if they won, each person would receive one hundred thousand spirit stones.

No matter how they looked at it, the reward outweighed the risk.

Unfortunately, not everyone was rich, and only a few could gather ten thousand spirit stones in the event of a loss.

"The fellow Daoist has a big tone. One million spirit stones is a large sum. Can the fellow Daoists come up with it?" Someone asked, and the crowd fell silent.

"That's right, one million is a lot of spirit stones. Is the fellow Daoist bluffing?" Another questioned.

Hearing the doubts, Shen Xu didn't hesitate.

He held out a storage bag and allowed several people to inspect the contents.

When he and Zhen Yuan dealt with the Marsh bandits, they got three storage bags.

In addition to the two they already had, they had five and could separate their belongings into different storage bags.

Since then, each had one storage bag for spirit stones and another for everything else.

As for the last, it was kept in the Chaos Flame space for emergencies.

At this time, Shen Xu showed his storage bag, which contained almost two million spirit stones.

"Are my spirit stones enough?" He asked with a knowing smile in his eyes.

"Enough." A spectator said and nodded.

"Since the fellow Daoist wants to play, why don't we play a bigger game?" Young master Rong suddenly said.

"What does the young master suggest?" Shen Xu asked while forcibly suppressing his excitement.

Beside him, Zhen Yuan looked at his wife with a helpless look in his eyes.

He naturally understood what Shen Xu was up to.

However, he didn't intend to stop the young double.

Since his wife wanted to play like this, Zhen Yuan was willing to cooperate.

"This fellow Daoist can state his conditions. Our husband and wife are not afraid." He said.

"In that case, I will not hesitate." Young master Rong said with a cunning look in his eyes.

Young master Rong, Rong Hao, came from a big family in the capital.

His grandfather was an elder of the Talisman Association, and many of his fellow clansmen were registered with the association.

This time, a clansman from an indirect line discovered a genius in Two Reeds town.

The genius was the young miss of the Lin family.

At fifteen, the girl could draw more than twenty kinds of first-level and three kinds of second-level talismans.

When the Rong family received the news, Rong Hao and three others were sent to recruit her.

For this purpose, many family resources were mobilised, and Rong Hao did not disappoint.

Not only did he recruit the girl, but he also secured an engagement.

When he returned to the capital, he would marry Lin Xiang and solidify his standing in the Rong family.

However, no matter how much he valued Lin Xiang, her value could never outweigh his.

He would never give her more than he kept for himself and would never allow her to control his decisions.

Using such reasoning, Rong Hao felt he had a good understanding of the two people in front of him.

Since the double could produce two million spirit stones, the husband definitely had more.

In that case, why settle for only one million spirit stones?

"Are the fellow Daoists willing to gamble five million?" Rong Hao asked, and several spectators gasped in shock.

"As expected of a young master from the capital. His shots are extraordinary." A male cultivator flattered.

"I have never seen one million, let alone five million." Another lamented.

"Young master Rong, isn't five million too much?" Someone couldn't help but worry.

After all, the gamble was just a little fun.

If the stakes increased and something went wrong, most of the gathered cultivators couldn't afford the loss.

"Fellow Daoists don't need to worry. I will take out the spirit stones." Rong Hao said, and several people visibly relaxed.

"I won't take advantage of the fellow Daoists." Rong Hao continued while looking at Zhen Yuan.

"If the fellow Daoists win, I will give them five million spirit stones. If they lose, they will give me the same amount. What do you think?"

This time, Shen Xu didn't agree but turned to look at Zhen Yuan.

However, the look was not because he needed the other's permission but because they didn't have five million spirit stones.

Initially, the spirit stones Zhen Yuan earned in Blue Spring town were meant for their life in the Divine Rainbow Academy.

Unexpectedly, their plans couldn't keep up with the changes.

As they travelled, they realised the aura in the Chaos Flame space was becoming thinner.

As a result, they dumped most of their spirit stones into the spiritual water lake to replenish the aura.

Excluding the two million in Shen Xu's hands, the two only had five hundred thousand in the emergency storage bag and one hundred thousand in Zhen Yuan's.

[We can bluff, but we will be in trouble if they want to check. However, I am nine points certain that they won't.] Shen Xu transmitted in a confident voice.

As Rong Hao studied them, Shen Xu also studied the young master.

From his observation, he knew Rong Hao didn't take wives and concubines seriously.

Because of this, he was convinced that Zhen Yuan could only have more and not less spirit stones than his wife.

Consequently, this fallacy allowed Shen Xu and Zhen Yuan to bluff their way into a bigger game.

[I believe you. Do whatever you want.] Zhen Yuan said.

Although they didn't have enough spirit stones, he had accumulated a lot of talismans.

If something unexpected happened and he accidentally lost, he and Shen Xu could use the talismans to settle the gamble.

[Okay.] Shen Xu said with a smile in his eyes.

'It's good to have someone who believes in me.' He thought.

However, he didn't realise that he also believed in Zhen Yuan unconditionally.

If he didn't, he would never enter such a reckless gamble.

"We agree to the fellow Daoist's suggestion." Shen Xu said, but Rong Hao looked at Zhen Yuan for confirmation.

Seeing this, Zhen Yuan frowned but still nodded in agreement.

"In that case, the fellow Daoists won't mind signing a contract, will they?" Rong Hao asked.

"It's what we want." Shen Xu agreed.

Soon after, Rong Hao produced a blood contract paper, and the two sides quickly signed.

After the contract was signed, Rong Hao smiled with a malicious glint in his eyes.

He was about to say something when a door opened, and an old white-haired cultivator entered the lobby.

The man was in the twelfth level of the qi refining realm and wore the brown robes of a first-level talisman master.

"Fifty-one, fifty-two, fifty-three,…, sixty, enter the room for your first level assessment." The old cultivator shouted.

Soon after, several cultivators stood up and walked towards the door.

"Fellow Daoists, my companion will take the assessment first. Will it be okay to compare after?" Shen Xu asked.

"It's more important to take the assessment. I will wait for the fellow Daoist to return with good news." Rong Hao spoke generously.

However, his excitement could barely be concealed.

Although he wasn't as talented as Lin Xiang, he was also a second-level talisman master.

As a talisman master, he knew the effort it took to draw a talisman, even a first-level talisman.

Considering this, he generously allowed the opponent to take the assessment first.

After the assessment, the person would be exhausted and more likely to fail.

'Even the heavens are helping me.' Rong Hao thought and forcibly suppressed a chuckle.

"The fellow Daoist is generous." Shen Xu praised but sneered behind his face mask.

Although the opponent hid it well, Shen Xu noticed his little thoughts.

Fortunately, his Ayuan was a rare creature that didn't conform to common sense.

Even if Zhen Yuan consumed some qi during the assessment, the consumption was negligible.

"If the fellow Daoists don't mind, we will carry out the gamble during the assessment for the second level." Rong Hao suggested.

"Let's do that." Shen Xu agreed, and Zhen Yuan nodded.

After that, Zhen Yuan entered the assessment room while Shen Xu made arrangements with Rong Hao.

The assessment room was about fifty square metres.

It had ten seats for assesses and three places at the front of the room for assessors.

After the ten assesses entered the room, they took their seats, and the old cultivator issued instructions.

"If you can draw a first-level talisman within one hour, you will pass the test." The man said, and without another word, he took his place among the assessors.