Chapter 93 The Gift of the Sword "Jiang Yuhuo, take it, you need it."...

Jiang Yuhuo inexplicably received a large sum of money and was also inexplicably pushed to the gambling table. Li Mengbai told her to win money, and she originally thought that this game was simply about choosing one side to bet on, which seemed very simple.

So, relying on sheer recklessness, he followed others and bet on big or small, and gradually the heavy bag of gold coins began to feel lighter.

She glanced at Li Mengbai with a guilty conscience, only to see him laughing uncontrollably, whether it was mocking laughter or genuine joy.

Jiang Yuhuo shoved the money bag into Li Mengbai's arms, saying, "You do it yourself."

Li Mengbai didn't take it, but instead pulled out a feather fan from somewhere and leisurely fanned away the stale air around her. "What's wrong? You're a champion who shines on the field, but you can't handle it at the casino? Can't you afford to lose?"

Having lost far too much, Jiang Yuhuo was unmoved by his provocations and refused to gamble no matter what he said.

Li Mengbai scoffed at her, "Useless. Watch me."

Seeing that he looked like a seasoned gambler, Jiang Yuhuo decided to stay and see how he would win back the gold coins she had lost.

Inside the casino, the dice cups tumbled and fell, and cheers erupted from the crowd, but none of them were for the handsome young man in purple.

However, the young man in purple was still the focus of the entire gambling table. Everyone was watching his bets, and they would bet against whichever side he placed.

Jiang Yuhuo watched for a long time, thinking he had some kind of plan to make a big profit, but even after his pockets were empty, there was no turning back. His luck was even worse than hers.

Li Mengbai angrily threw the cloth bag on the table. "There must be something wrong with your dice! Dare to take them out and let me see them!"

The bookmaker, used to seeing people cheat when they lose, naturally refused. But being a seasoned veteran, he not only didn't get angry, but also kindly invited him to come again next time. Such generous spenders are, of course, always welcome.

"I'm not playing anymore, this is a buzzkill!"

Li Mengbai stormed out of the gambling den in a fit of rage. It was getting dark, and the rain had stopped. Jiang Yuhuo thought he was finally going home, but the young master was not only not disappointed by the gambling, but was also in high spirits. "Jiang Yuhuo, let's not bother with these vulgar people. Let's go see something interesting."

So, Jiang Yuhuo was dragged into a theater by him.

The theater was brightly lit, and the actors on stage were singing. The audience below was bustling and lively. Jiang Yuhuo, however, did not want to join in the fun. After a long day of commotion, she just wanted some peace and quiet, so she left Li Mengbai and went to wait for him at the entrance.

A crescent moon hung in the dark blue night sky. Jiang Yuhuo leaped onto the roof and looked at the crescent moon, thinking about where she would go the next day.

Li Mengbai did not reveal the specific location to her, nor did he specify what he wanted to take. With the Earth Flame Vine in Li Mengbai's possession, she could not argue too much and agreed to everything that day. However, she had to be on guard.

At the very least, she must live to deliver the Earth Flame Vine to Wen Yizhan.

From the theater downstairs, a melodious singing voice drifted out, its drawn-out notes sounding particularly mournful in the night.

"...I have become your incarnation, with tears streaming down my face."

"Thirty years of separation, yet I seek not the one who is heartbroken..."

Even though he was thinking about other things, the lyrics still reached Jiang Yuhuo's ears.

The story tells of a mermaid who falls in love with a mortal man and transforms into a woman for him. Just as they are about to marry, a series of unforeseen events force the mermaid to return to the sea, leaving the mortal to wait in vain on the shore. Thirty years later, they meet again. The mermaid is still young and beautiful, while the mortal is old and nearing the end of his life. The mermaid sees the man off and leaves this song at his grave, singing of their lives wasted by love.

Each cry was heartbreaking, breaking hearts.

Jiang Yuhuo suddenly remembered the mermaid. She couldn't tell whether Xiao Hai in Liyue Village seven years ago was male or female, but now, looking at him, he looked like a man. Was he also transformed for someone else?

The lyrics say that once a mermaid transforms, her nature is fixed for life. In these seven years, he must have met someone he admired, just like the mermaid in the play.

Some people probably can't even imagine it.

A cool night breeze swept by, and Jiang Yuhuo turned around to see the mermaid in a white robe approaching under the moonlight.

He held a sword in his hand and quickly approached Jiang Yuhuo.

"I accidentally broke your sword last time, so please accept this as an apology."

Jiang Yuhuo's gaze swept over his chest before returning to his hand. The previous injuries seemed to have healed, and the sword in his hand shimmered with silver light, displaying extraordinary skill.

She didn't answer.

Her original sword was nothing more than an ordinary iron sword, not worthy of such a precious apology.

Before she could even utter a word of refusal, she heard Li Mengbai complaining downstairs; his words preceded his arrival.

"Jiang Yuhuo, you were right not to go see the play. Today's performance was terribly bad..."

He climbed up the stairs, and as soon as he poked his head out, he saw a second uninvited guest on the roof.

"Hey, what are you doing here again?"

Li Mengbai was displeased; why was this person always haunting him?

Then I saw what was in his hand.

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh... so you're going to give her a sword." He turned to Jiang Yuhuo, smiled, and waved his sleeve. "Take it, take it. It's a fine sword from Tianque. Jiang Yuhuo, why not take it?"

Li Mengbai stared intently at the sword, his smiling eyes narrowing slightly. He had been careless; he had been so angry when he returned that day that he had forgotten that her original sword was broken.

However, it seems that he neglected more than just the sword.

Jiang Yuhuo found Li Mengbai annoying and didn't want to see Jia Yue. Without saying a word, he leaped down and returned to the inn alone to practice his skills.

Just as Jia Yue was about to follow, Li Mengbai stepped forward and blocked his way, reaching out to snatch the sword from the merman's hand without any politeness. "Give it to me."

The outstretched hand was immediately lashed out by the silver light.

The cold light was so intense that Li Mengbai felt for a moment that his hands were about to freeze.

He raised an eyebrow and sneered, "She's not here, so you're not pretending anymore? Oh dear, so murderous, you don't look like an injured person at all..."

Do you need me to teach you how to act more convincingly?

Such sarcastic remarks weren't enough to enrage him, but this person had appeared by Jiang Yuhuo's side time and again, often behaving intimately with her. Even just watching from afar was enough to annoy him. If he weren't wary of her, how could he let this person get away with it? But she had finally returned to Luoyue City, and he couldn't afford to drive her away again.

The merman suppressed a fleeting murderous intent. "And who are you to her?"

"Who am I?" Li Mengbai curled his lips provocatively. "I am the one she loves."

A hint of disdain flashed in the mermaid's eyes. "You've only just met her."

“That’s right, I have only just met her, so naturally I can’t compare to you, Master Zongzi,” Li Mengbai said with a smile. “But in just a few days, we hit it off immediately and had a very pleasant conversation.”

"Although the time has been short, progress has been rapid. It's better than wasting a lot of time and becoming enemies, don't you think, Lord Zongzi?"

Suddenly, someone planted a thorn in a place he should not touch. Without hesitation, Jia Yue swung it out, and the powerful spiritual energy spread out, making his white robe flutter loudly.

"Young Master Li, before you inherit the position of family head, you might as well watch your mouth. That way, you might still have a chance to smoothly hand over the reins before the old family head dies."

Li Mengbai was already on guard against him, which is why he barely managed to avoid his attack. Although he avoided the main force, the aftershock of his spiritual energy still caused his blood and qi to stagnate.

Hearing his words, Li Mengbai was horrified, but he smiled and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "As expected of the sect's patriarch, you are so busy with affairs of state that even internal family disputes cannot escape the patriarch's discerning eye."

Although he was forced to make a move, Li Mengbai had already achieved his goal, but this move also made Li Mengbai's mind heavy.

If such a powerful person were to intervene, his actions would become problematic.

However, such people do not seem to be entirely without weaknesses.

Li Mengbai stood up, reached out to the Heavenly Palace Sect Master who stood above all living beings, and said once again, "Give me the sword, and I will deliver it to her for you."

Jia Yue narrowed her eyes slightly, her icy blue gaze sharp as an arrow, showing she didn't believe him.

Li Mengbai chuckled twice, "Does the Sect Master still refuse to admit it? She hates you, how could she accept something given to her by your own hands? If you were to give it to her, she definitely wouldn't accept it."

“But I’m different. I’m someone she trusts. You know that’s the kind of person she is; she’s very clear about what she loves and hates. Two camps mean two completely different treatments. If it’s someone she loves, she’ll do everything in her power to protect them. But if she’s categorized as someone she hates…” He glanced sideways at Jia Yue as he spoke, and continued with a smile, “Lord Zongzi must understand this.”

The man in the white robe with silver embroidery immediately turned dangerous, but Li Mengbai quickly adopted a sincere expression and added, "I just hope she has a sword that suits her perfectly. A swordsman like her naturally deserves the best in the world. Don't you think so?"

Jia Yue's gaze remained fixed on him. "How can I trust you?"

Li Mengbai laughed loudly, "Didn't Lord Zongzi put a restriction on this sword to track her location? If I really kept it for myself, do you think Lord Zongzi wouldn't be able to find out?"

After a moment of silence, a cold and heavy weapon was thrown into Li Mengbai's hands, followed by the mermaid's indifferent and arrogant warning, "The next time I see her, I want to see this sword in her hands."

Li Mengbai smiled sincerely, "Of course."

...

Jiang Yuhuo had just arrived at the inn when Li Mengbai followed closely behind.

He returned, along with Jia Yue's sword.

He placed the sword, gleaming with a silvery light, on the table.

Jiang Yuhuo was surprised, not understanding how he had obtained it from Jia Yue.

Li Mengbai hummed an unknown tune, clearly in a good mood. Guessing what Jiang Yuhuo was thinking, he immediately took pity on him and explained, "I said I would give it to you, so he gave it to me."

"I don't want his things. You took them yourself, so give them back to him." Although she didn't understand Jia Yue's behavior, it didn't stop Jiang Yuhuo from refusing decisively. After the sword broke, she had already emptied her savings and spent a huge sum of money to buy herself a spirit sword.

Li Mengbai lightly tapped her forehead with her feather fan, "Silly girl, who taught you those outdated things? Quickly throw them all away."

“If he wants to give it to you, then take it. That’s called robbing the rich to help the poor. What does it matter to someone like him if he loses a sword? But you’re different. The sword is your weapon. No matter where it comes from, once it’s in your hand, it’s a part of you. In battle, isn’t it normal to take the enemy’s weapon?”

He patiently guided her, "A sword is just a sword. Jiang Yuhuo, cast aside your inner rules and use it. When the sword is thrust out, who can distinguish which strike is noble and which is base?"

Jiang Yuhuo vaguely felt that what he said made sense, but she still resisted it in her heart. She frowned and said, "Everything has a price."

Li Mengbai shook his head. "What do you care about the price? At least he hasn't made you pay anything yet. Who can say what will happen in the future? Besides, you're doing him a favor by asking for his things. Otherwise, even if he knelt down and begged me, I wouldn't give them to you."

He suddenly stared at her intently, placed the sword in her hand, and said, "Jiang Yuhuo, take it. You need it."

Not only to lure that person into a trap, but also to secure a chance of survival for himself.