"Do you think I'd dare take the pills you give me? And even if they were, the Five Elements Pill wouldn't work on me," Hou Yuan said irritably.
"A set of Earth-grade leather armor!"
"set?"
"good!"
"No, add ten more bottles of Five Elements Pills."
"No, didn't you say it wouldn't work for you?"
"Eight bottles! They're useless to me, but I can trade with someone else to make up the price difference." Hou Yuan's eyes darted around, and he bargained with Qin Mu with an air of "I'm at a disadvantage."
Qin Mu was certainly not going to be at a disadvantage. He immediately pouted and pretended to be indifferent, saying, "There's only one bottle. If you don't want to bet, that's fine. Anyway, I don't really want it. Besides, the outcome is still uncertain."
Hou Yuan was unsure whether Qin Mu was telling the truth. He believed he could win, but worried that Qin Mu was afraid of losing and wouldn't gamble with him. He just wanted to make a profit, so he pretended to be reluctant and said, "Alright! I agree. But let's take the things out first."
Hou Yuan's act was fake, and Qin Mu saw through it immediately. He was worried that Qin Mu would refuse to pay if he lost, or that there would be some kind of excuse. Qin Mu felt the same way, so he nodded in agreement and said, "Then let's hand it over to the notary."
“No problem.” Hou Yuan said with a happy expression, then led the way to Qin Yao in the middle, took out a box from somewhere and placed it in front of Qin Yao.
Their conversation was overheard by everyone else, so Qin Yao opened the box, looked inside, nodded, and closed it again. Qin Mu, of course, didn't hesitate either, but he walked to the back of the crowd before taking out the box. Without him even asking, Lu Ce carried it towards Qin Yao.
To show impartiality, Qin Yao also opened the box to check it, nodded, and then casually closed it again.
"Let's begin! Don't say I'm bullying you, I'm letting you make the first move!" Hou Yuan said impatiently as he walked back after the item was handed to Qin Yao.
"Thanks then!" Qin Mu didn't have the habit of feigning modesty. He smiled and then pretended to reach into his sleeve, but actually took out the Secret Scroll of Climbing Youzhou Terrace from the Heavenly Mystery Tower that he had already placed in his sleeve.
With a thought, a powerful aura of righteousness emanated from the scroll, and a flash of milky-white light appeared, revealing a golden platform beneath Qin Mu's feet. Surrounding the platform were soldiers wielding large shields and long spears; behind Qin Mu stood four tall, halberd-wielding warriors.
This phenomenon greatly surprised Qin Mu. The scroll clearly described defense, so how did nearly a hundred soldiers suddenly appear? However, after careful sensing, he immediately understood. It turned out that these soldiers were indeed for defense; they wouldn't attack enemies more than a battle distance from the platform. The eight banners on either side of the platform weren't just for show; they would create a protective shield in the event of an external attack.
As the owner of the scroll, Qin Mu quickly learned the details of its use, and immediately felt relieved. Initially, although he felt he wouldn't lose, his chances of winning weren't great either. Now, he was completely confident.
Qin Mu's actions caused a huge commotion, surprising everyone, especially Hou Yuan. He never expected that his simple act of humility would elicit such a reaction.
"Why did I have to be so rude!" Hou Yuan was filled with regret, his long face stretched even longer, and he wished he could slap himself twice.
"He's all show and no substance, don't be afraid! Don't be afraid!" Hou Yuan kept encouraging himself. Then he waved his hands, throwing out paper figures that floated down from the air and grew to life size by the time they landed.
Hou Yuan summoned more than thirty paper figures to protect himself, only to find that Qin Mu's side did not react. The illusory soldiers remained in place, motionless.
The effects of the precious scrolls are all limited, and no matter what kind of people or things they are transformed into, they will naturally disappear as long as the righteous energy is worn away. Hou Yuan was well aware of this. However, the platform that Qin Mu set up was too big, almost occupying most of the arena, and there were also many transformed people. This was what surprised him.
"The Precious Scroll is used for the first attack!" Hou Yuan quickly understood the reason, and it was precisely because of this that his face became even more gloomy. He never expected that Qin Mu would be willing to use the Precious Scroll for the first time in such a situation. To be honest, this Precious Scroll could be considered a life-saving item. The first use is exceptionally powerful, no less valuable than the winner's reward, and perhaps even more so. But Qin Mu used it just like that, and right from the start.
Was it because he had too many scrolls? Or was it Qin Mu's ignorance that left him confused and quite melancholy? He had always considered himself very wealthy, frequently using paper figures and talismanic soldiers to overwhelm his opponents. Now, compared to Qin Mu, he felt his own level seemed considerably lower.
Since Qin Mu's conjured soldiers did not move, Hou Yuan decided to test the waters, so he quickly ordered the paper figures to attack.
Indeed! Hou Yuan quickly found the weakness of the scroll and immediately showed a happy expression. Since Qin Mu could not take the initiative to attack, he could calmly wear him down.
"Watch how I break your turtle shell!" Hou Yuan sneered. He was somewhat embarrassed and angry; he felt that his performance was shameful, even though in reality, hardly anyone had noticed him.
Paper figures reappeared, and talismans flew towards the illusory soldiers, bursting forth with bursts of light, making the battle resemble a blazing firework.
Those paper figures had weak defenses; they were basically shredded by the guards as soon as they charged in. However, their attacks were sharp and they felt no pain. Each of them would try its best to use its weapons and fists to attack the guards and leave some marks.
Hou Yuan was also clever; he attacked from a single point, focusing his assault on one location. When he discovered that only nearby soldiers would provide support, his mood improved even more. For him, the most abundant possession was talismans.
"Oh no, he's discovered the weakness of Mu'er Baojuan," Qin Qiong said worriedly.
"What's the rush! Mu'er has her backup plans." Luo Cheng replied calmly.
Although his answer was bland and he didn't seem concerned, it still reassured Qin Qiong quite a bit.
In the arena, Qin Mu understood the specific usage of the magic scroll, but he was also somewhat disappointed that he could not take the initiative to attack. After watching Hou Yuan's attack methods for a while, he couldn't help but admire them. They were just like the ghost-catching Taoist priests in movies and TV shows. Not only did they use talismans to attack, but the paper figures also seemed to attract ghosts to their bodies.
Such a peculiar attack method, and who knows how many powerful backup plans he has? Qin Mu was naturally unwilling for him to continue his reckless attack, so he reached into his sleeve, took out a rabbit-hair purple bamboo brush, and with a surge of righteous energy, wrote the poem "Jiang Cheng Zi: Hunting in Youzhou" in mid-air.
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