Chapter 71 No Gambling
"Spring God?"
"Oh...it's her? I heard about Meng Shancheng..."
The woman's words fell to the ground, paused slightly, and suddenly splashed water several feet high. One by one, the people in the inn reacted, looking at Lin Chengye with great interest, as if they were seeing something novel.
"Incredible! Truly, heroes have emerged from among the young since ancient times. So young! I lost money, but I got to see the God of Spring. It's not a loss today, not a loss at all."
"No wonder the young master has been running gambling games here every day; he was waiting for her..."
Lin Chengye froze for a moment when she heard the words "God of Spring," and the chatter from the people behind her made her even more embarrassed, so she touched the tip of her nose.
Whether it was her imagination or not, she vaguely felt that the person in front of her had probably noticed her discomfort and was smiling even more broadly. She gave the woman a cupped-hand salute and said...
"...Baiyan Niang, Cai Wenyou?"
She had heard Bian Yi mention that Cai Bailing, the old owner of Baixiao Tea House, had gone traveling the world, and now her daughter, Cai Wenyou, was in charge, inheriting her mother's title of "Hundred-Word Mother".
You know me?
Cai Wenyou grunted, then suddenly raised his hand and snapped his fingers, the folding fan in his hand spinning around on the fingertips of his other hand.
"Was it that divine doctor Bian who told you? That guy is quite interesting, and he has many secrets, but no matter how much I begged him, he wouldn't tell me."
Cai Wenyou shook her head regretfully, then suddenly bent down and patted the hem of her robe. The fabric swayed, vaguely outlining the shape of her legs. Her legs were different from ordinary people's; they were like two thin, crooked chopsticks, and when she walked, they would poke the ground one step at a time.
Lin Chengye was actually quite surprised; it turned out that the legendary all-knowing head of the Gossip Manor was actually disabled.
"But I can stand up thanks to her. When I was little, I suddenly developed a high fever and almost lost my life. But after I survived, I could only walk a dozen or so steps like this. She was passing by and was invited by my mother to treat me. Now I can walk a hundred steps like this, which is not bad."
Cai Wenyou spoke candidly about her physical defects in front of everyone, still smiling, and added more.
"Oh right, the title of 'Divine Doctor Bian,' which is so high that even the King of Hell kowtows to her, was given to her by my mother. I wonder if she is satisfied with it?"
Those around her, hearing her make such a self-deprecating remark, dared not laugh and quickly chimed in with their own comments.
"The young master can know everything under the world without using his legs. If he had legs, he would truly be a god."
"That's right, that's right. The young master must have incurred the jealousy of the gods. They're afraid he'll steal their divine positions."
Cai Wenyou raised his chin smugly, clearly pleased with what he heard, and with a grin, he raised his hand to interrupt the compliments from those around him.
"Sigh, I've been saying this year after year. Of course I know I'm good. But hold on, I'm not the main character today."
The surroundings quieted down, and countless eyes in the spacious main hall followed Cai Wenyou and fell on Lin Chengye.
Cai Wenyou tapped his cane on the ground and said in a deep voice.
"Young friend Chengye, are you aware that this is the camp of the Hundred Knowledge Tea House sect? And do you know that this place is also known as Idle Talk Manor? Do you... have something to ask of me?"
Lin Chengye didn't speak, but instead observed Cai Wenyou again for a moment.
She was actually dressed like a scholar, her clothes quite simple. She wore a headscarf that exposed her forehead, and her hair hung straight down the back of her head. She wore a light pink straight-fronted shirt and cloth shoes. A pink peach blossom was pinned to her side.
And he's quite young, probably not much older than her. It's just that he speaks with a slightly mature air.
"Yes, I will tell her that. She has been looking for the person who spreads the name 'King Yama Bows' for a long time."
Lin Chengye looked at Cai Wenyou with a half-smile and then said.
"Since the young master is all-knowing and all-powerful, then I will not stand on ceremony. Indeed, I do have something I would like to ask everyone in the manor."
"I wonder... how can I obtain it? Gold and silver? Or some other treasure?"
"Young lady! You're still quite naive, aren't you? You don't know the rules at all. Information here can't be bought with gold and silver."
Suddenly a woman burst into laughter. Cai Wenyou looked at her with interest and said with a smile.
"Don't judge things by their mundane nature; only interesting things are true."
Someone then offered an explanation.
"Spring God, the information you requested is of equal value to the information you provided, so the deal is done."
Does that mean...exchanging favors for favors? Lin Chengye sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation. She knew it wouldn't be that simple. The decor here wasn't extravagant, but it certainly wasn't lacking in gold and silver. Especially for such a unique sect, how could its people be so fixated on money?
However, while she has money, she is shrouded in mystery when it comes to matters of the heart... There are indeed many mysteries surrounding her, but none of them have been solved yet, and she cannot tell the whole story.
"Young Master, you're really putting me in a difficult position. I'm only eighteen, and I haven't figured out how to live in this world yet. To be honest, I really have no stories to tell."
Lin Chengye shrugged helplessly and asked again.
"Is there any other way?"
"You are honest."
Cai Wenyou didn't seem surprised. She smiled and turned to the side, pointing to the gambling table behind her with her pink peach blossom folding fan.
"Come on, let's make a bet. If you win, I'll tell you; if you lose, you'll leave just as you came."
After saying that, she slowly walked over, sat at the very end of the gambling table, picked up the two dice on the table. Her five fingers were longer and more nimble than the average person's, and the two dice rolled around in the table, which was quite pleasing to the eye.
"How about...we compare sizes?"
As Cai Wenyou watched Lin Chengye approach, he stopped talking and placed the dice into the wooden box. Suddenly, he lifted the box with two fingers, and it was thrown almost to the roof. Then, it plummeted down and landed steadily in Cai Wenyou's hand.
With a snap, the box containing the dice was placed on the table. Cai Wenyou pressed two fingers on the top of the lid, pushed it forward, leaned over, looked up at Lin Chengye, and said.
"Come on, choose."
This person's martial arts skills are not weak. Lin Chengye is almost certain that he has the strength to break through from the third level to the fourth level.
She lowered her eyes, gazing at the small wooden box in the yellow candlelight. The shadow cast by the box seemed to tremble and whisper to her, "Come, come."
Lin Chengye knew that there were only two small dice inside, and she only needed to say one word to decide whether the affairs of the Thousand Buddha Kingdom could continue.
Meng Lingyun, Lou Sanbai... so many people, seeking that answer, that ghost...
The inn was unusually quiet at this moment, and everyone was waiting, waiting for her answer.
Lin Chengye looked up again, staring straight at Cai Wenyou. She reached out and grabbed at the wooden box on the table, which flew into her hand.
In an instant, the box and dice turned into powder, which flowed through Lin Chengye's fingers and disappeared completely.
"Young Master Cai, when did I say I wanted to gamble?"
Everyone stared in astonishment at the scene. The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; it was eerily silent.
Someone glanced anxiously at Cai Wenyou's face and noticed that the corners of his mouth had turned into a straight line, and the smile in his eyes had vanished.
For years, no one at the Idle Talk Manor has dared to act so recklessly; there are powerful experts stationed here. Some people, feeling sorry for the young man, were about to speak up for Lin Chengye when they heard the other person continue.
“Young Master, this gamble is too big; I can’t afford to lose. I can’t let human lives be the price for losing this gamble. I know I’m being unreasonable, but could you… perhaps offer a different condition?”
"..."
Cai Wenyou raised an eyebrow, his lips pressed into a straight line. He tapped his fingers on the table, one tap after another, seemingly deep in thought.
Just as the air in the hall was about to freeze, Cai Wenyou suddenly slammed his hand on the table and burst into laughter, even managing to shed two tears from the corners of his eyes.
"Hahahaha...Good, good!"
She stood up, rolled up her sleeves, and her eyes showed pure appreciation as she smiled.
"Alright! Come with me to the second floor of the inn. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll give you a break!"
...
A cold wind blew in through the carved wooden window on the second floor, slightly blinding Lin Chengye.
She followed Cai Wenyou up the long staircase to a locked room at the end of the second floor of the inn. Cai Wenyou reached out and fiddled with the lock a few times, and with a click, the mechanism in the lock opened.
“This belongs to our Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect, right?” Lin Chengye glanced at it.
"Hey, good eye." Cai Wenyou smiled, and with a wave of his hand, flames suddenly burst forth on the walls of the room, illuminating the entire room as if it were daytime.
"This is also your organization."
She went inside, pulled out a chair for Lin Chengye from the wooden table in the middle, and sat down herself, leaning back with her slender hands on her knees. Cai Wenyou's eyes darted around as she spoke.
"Is it about the Kingdom of Thousand Buddhas? Actually, I knew you would take care of it when you were about to enter the Kingdom of Thousand Buddhas."
"Young Master is incredibly resourceful."
Lin Chengye nodded.
"But actually... I don't know what's going on."
A crack suddenly appeared in Cai Wenyou's expression, as if this was something shameful. She awkwardly touched her nose, then her face, washing it like a cat, and sighed.
“I had heard about the strange things in the Kingdom of a Thousand Buddhas long ago. I tried to find out about it by various means, but it was too close to the royal family and heavily guarded. I couldn’t enter Yongfo Temple. So, it was like a stone sinking into the sea. It was like the deep sea, where no light could penetrate and nothing could be reflected.”
"...Even the young master doesn't know?" Lin Chengye frowned.
As expected, things in the Kingdom of a Thousand Buddhas were not so simple. Her attempt to take a shortcut and try her luck proved futile.
"Then, let me ask you another question. Do you know what a 'moth' is?"
"Oh? Could it be that this ghostly illness is related to woodworms?"
Cai Wenyou blinked and murmured.
“Moths…I really do know about them.”
"Really?" Lin Chengye's eyes lit up.
"That……"
"Then I know what you're offering in exchange. Actually, you do have a story, you're just still on your journey."
Cai Wenyou grinned and waved the fan in his hand with a cheerful smile.
"In that case, if you agree to take me with you and let me know the truth about the ghost disease in the Kingdom of Thousand Buddhas, I will tell you, how about it?"
Author's note: I'll try my best to update daily during these few days since I've been on the list.
If you like it, please consider adding it to your favorites or leaving a comment. Sorry to bother everyone again... (I feel bad for mentioning this so many times [heartbroken])
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