Chapter 53 The Bet Was Won
The people in the previous show left, and the people in the private room on the third floor were so busy chatting that they forgot about the next show, while the people in the lobby on the first floor were still waiting.
As time went by, the room gradually became noisier. Someone was holding a bottle of wine in one hand and banging the table with the other hand, mumbling something, as if he was looking for someone to drink with. The sound was so loud that everyone around looked over, and even the people on the third floor could hear it.
Their attention was diverted, and several young men from noble families lowered their heads to look towards the source of the sound. The girl in green clothes at the edge leaned over the railing and looked down. She raised an eyebrow and said, "It's only night time. How come someone is already drinking so much?"
He was not a good drinker, so people around him tried to persuade him to stop drinking, but they were all bombarded back. After the customer nearby had persuaded the waiter, he went to persuade her. It was like reading a comic book, quite interesting and just right as a pastime before the next show began.
They lowered their heads, cracked nuts and watched, and just as they were watching with great interest, something strange happened below, when things became strangely quiet. At first the noise subsided a little, and then even the servant and the drunkard they were watching stopped making noise and looked in the same direction as the people around them.
Not realizing what was happening, a few people followed the others and turned their heads slightly, only to find that someone had walked down from the second floor at some point.
A white figure was vaguely visible behind the bamboo curtain hanging from the top of the roof. After walking out of the shadow of the bamboo curtain, the first thing that appeared was a head full of white hair.
It’s exactly as Nanfeng Pavilion said.
The snow-white robe was lined with a bright red lining, which had a satin-like sheen and was faintly visible from the sleeves of the robe, in stark contrast to the cold white hand holding the sword.
sword?
Realizing that something seemed to be wrong, several people raised their eyes, but were caught off guard by the half-drooped eyes of a man with white hair.
Her eyebrows and eyes are like distant mountains, plain and far-reaching, adding a sense of coldness under her white hair. Her overly long eyelashes cast an arc-shaped shadow. The person just walked down, and the hem of his clothes rose and fell as he walked, spreading out like layers of waves.
The scene was quiet. The cool wind of the rainy night blew in from the window, and it seemed as if I had fallen into a spring night that had already passed. It was like the time when the weather was getting warmer but still cold, and I could vaguely feel the chill of spring. When those eyes moved slightly, their hearts also beat for no reason.
There was no applause or cheers, even the sound of tea cups clinking stopped. The people present just watched the white-haired man holding a sword step onto the steps to the stage.
In the silence, the several noble families on the third floor finally came to their senses. The man in green clothes swallowed the dried fruit that had been in his mouth for a long time, and a bunch of words went through his mind. Finally, he chose to say: "...Isn't this person born directly from Chen Jinghao's aesthetic taste?"
When we were chatting before, I asked him about his ideal type of future Taoist partner, and Young Sect Leader Chen rattled off a lot of words, all talking about appearance without considering personality at all.
The crackling pile of superficial descriptions did not sound like talking about an ideal Taoist partner but like making a wish, and they all laughed at it. Now, judging from the face alone, except for the gender, there are people who match everything.
"It's a pity that you didn't smile. You would have looked better if you smiled." The person next to him asked curiously, "Is it because you don't like to smile?"
Master Lin, who was not fond of smiling by nature, was standing on the stage, his heart was as calm as water. His facial muscles could not move at all. He was just shouting and jumping up and down in his heart, and his whole body exuded a faint sense of death.
He said this plan was unreliable! really!
Although he had never been here before, he could hear the noise outside while the room was getting ready, and he heard applause and cheers when other people went on stage. Everyone else has it, but he doesn't. Obviously there's something wrong. This plan has been declared bankrupt right at the beginning!
Ignoring everyone's gazes, he looked at the shopkeeper standing on the second floor, thinking that maybe he should change his plan. The shopkeeper gave him a thumbs up.
“…”
It's obvious that he wants to continue. The villain in his heart had died thousands of times. The corners of his eyes twitched imperceptibly and he turned the hilt of his shuriken out of habit.
There was no fancy stuff, no preparations. With the goal of finishing early and leaving early, he raised the sword in his hand.
Without any spiritual power, he simply swung the sword, and the wind from the sword blew up the gauze curtains in the pavilion, causing ripples in the tea on the guest table. The atmosphere changed in an instant.
"?"
The person who felt it most directly was the shopkeeper who was standing by the railing of the corridor on the second floor. A strong wind blew directly on his forehead, blowing his slightly thin hair back. Even his eyelids were lifted up, and he opened his eyes in confusion.
This, this, this... isn't this right?
This person's sword-wielding seemed different from what he thought sword dancing was, or completely different.
He thought that it would be like the students who learned sword skills in the sword school in the city, one move at a time, with a pause after each move. However, it turned out not to be the case. He did not worry about forgetting the moves, nor did he throw the sword away. He just made a big move as soon as he made the move, and then his movements were smooth, with his clothes flying with the sword without any time to pause or think.
A sword breaks through the air, and the figure is like a startled wild goose.
The snow-white sword was unsharpened, but it seemed inexplicably sharp as it swept through the air, easily cutting through the air. The transparent sword body reflected the dark yellow light on top, and the light-colored pupils were reflected as the sword light turned, and then it was quickly pushed out.
The red headband mixed in with the white hair, rose from mid-air and then fell down, the sleeves of the clothes fluttered in the air, and people sitting close could even hear the rustling sound of the clothes, filling the eardrums. There was no deliberate seduction in his movements, only awe-inspiring strength.
The sword's light was dazzling, and the brightness it brought slid past like water. Beneath its gentle and soft appearance was an icy coldness that could even be felt by the people below the stage as they passed by.
It turns out that Yijian Shuanghan really exists. The hem of the man holding the sword spread out, and in a trance it looked like the layered petals on the branches in the cold wind of early spring, fearless of the frost.
He was a thin man, and when he raised his hand holding the sword, his sleeve slipped down, and at the moment it slid down, you could see a little bit of the white gauze wrapped around his arm.
He even went on stage with injuries.
“…”
Originally people thought that the people came up to dance and the swords were just props, but it turned out to be a real sword dance. The dance turned into a sword dance, and no one in the audience said a word. They just watched without blinking. The hand holding the teacup hung in the air for a long time without taking a sip of tea.
Normally, their sense of time is not strong, but at times like this it is particularly obvious. They feel that not much time has passed and that they have not seen enough, but in fact, a short appearance has come to an end.
“…”
The sound lingering in the pavilion faded away and finally returned to silence. With his long hair and clothes hanging down, the long sword turned a circle in his hand. Lin Zhusheng habitually made a sword flower and sheathed the sword. Later, he found that there was no sheath, so he turned around and left with the sword.
He didn't know how to dance with the sword in a way that was entertaining. He just practiced the basic sword techniques in "Self-cultivation of a Swordsman" at 1.5 times the speed. I don't know if he fooled anyone, but anyway, he was leaving.
Not only did he leave immediately, he left very quickly. No one cared when he came, and no one reacted when he left. The plan had obviously failed. He had already tried his best to help, and next he had to quickly go find the elders and fellow disciples.
The first person to react was the shopkeeper standing on the second floor. He took two or three steps downstairs to meet the guests before other guests could react. Before he tried to persuade Xiaoyou to stay, Xiaoyou Lin took the initiative to suggest leaving quickly, saying, "I have to go find the elders."
"Oh, you said you would go find someone later... No," the shopkeeper realized something belatedly and swallowed the words that were already in his throat, turning them into a silent response, "Elder?"
His eyes moved up and fell on the white hair that was exactly the same as his kind friend's. He was shocked and said, "Aren't you a relative of the gentleman?"
Lin Zhusheng believes that he looks different from his kind friend.
"...10,000 silver. How about that young man from before come over and have a drink with us?"
The shopkeeper here realized what was happening. The quiet lobby began to become noisy again. A clear voice was heard from inside. He didn't have time to say anything else. He turned around and saw a person sitting on a chair, waving at him with a wine glass in his hand.
Nanfeng Pavilion did not have the custom of having musicians and dancers accompany guests for drinks and tea. Not even one cup was enough. The shopkeeper opened his mouth and wanted to explain, but before he even took a step, someone else bid up the price: "Then I'll give you 20,000."
They bid so confidently that it seemed normal, and so others joined in.
The sound of bidding was heard one after another in the lobby. No one dared to hesitate. The shopkeeper waved his hands and ran to stop the situation from developing further.
The person who had been bidding the most was the one who made the initial offer. The scene was too noisy, and the shopkeeper could not stop everyone. He could only stop the one who bid the most. When he walked over, he discovered that the person reeked of alcohol and his face was abnormally red.
Seeing that there was nothing for him to do here, Lin Zhusheng stood there for less than two seconds before turning around and heading for the stairs to the second floor.
"Bang--"
Just as he stepped onto the stairs to the second floor, before his feet were firmly planted, he heard a sound and a crowd of exclamations from behind. He turned around in the direction of the sound, and the moment he turned around, he saw the shopkeeper who had just run over flew back and hit the wall on one side.
There was another person following behind him, with a hammer appearing out of thin air in his hand. He walked faster and faster towards the shopkeeper, holding up the hammer and saying, reeking of alcohol, "Why do you say no?"
The shopkeeper just got up from the ground and turned around to see an iron hammer as big as his head. His mind was stunned and his eyes opened wider than ever.
There were thugs in the pavilion, who were originally at the door. After the incident, they came over here with sticks, trying to resist the drunkard. Before they all went to deliver it, Lin Zhusheng turned around, raised his sword and slid, using the force to change the direction of the falling hammer.
When the sword and the hammer met, there was a sharp sound of metal friction, which brought out a series of sparks, and there was a "bang" sound when the hammer fell to the ground.
A normal person wouldn't casually pull out such a hammer. This drunkard is a cultivator. Judging from his attire, he should be a casual cultivator. There is a huge gap between monks and ordinary people, and even ten thugs cannot stop the other side.
The thugs also discovered it themselves, and rushed over but could only stand there at a loss. They closed their eyes and opened them again to find that the shopkeeper was still alive and lying on the ground, and asked them to quickly call the city guards.
His hand was numb from the shock of catching the hammer, and his heart was numb too. The wound hadn't healed yet and was likely to split open again.
Dragging the hammer closer, the casual cultivator invited him to have a drink, or tea if that didn't work.
He had no choice but to refuse. After smelling the alcohol, he wanted to take a step back, but he did not move when he remembered that the shopkeeper behind him had not yet stood up.
The casual cultivator was obviously drunk and in a very high state. He had to drink and continued to walk towards this side, raising the iron hammer dragged on the ground.
The situation was inexplicably changing from initially helping a kind friend carry luggage to now becoming a real thug, and Lin Zhusheng was fighting with the casual cultivator.
“Shua——”
The real fight was much more thrilling and complicated than the simple sword practice before. The swords and sabers were flashing and flying so fast that other people could not see what was happening. They did not dare to leave, for fear that the fight would end in the hands of them. They could only watch with their eyes open, and while watching, they glanced at the shopkeeper who slowly stood up from the corner.
It turns out that the person the shopkeeper invited was not just for show, but also because he was a really good fighter!
The view was mostly blocked. The private room on the third floor was equivalent to being in prison at this time. One could not see what was happening downstairs at all. Several young men from noble families on the third floor went downstairs.
Then he went downstairs and went to jail. After they got downstairs, they found that this was not a temporary performance, but a real fight. There were only maids but no guards going out today. They could only stay where they were like everyone else, not daring to move, hoping that no one would hit them in front of them.
They are waste practitioners and have a little spiritual energy in their bodies. Although they cannot use it to save their lives, they can use it to sense when their lives are in danger, such as sensing that the spiritual pressure on a casual cultivator is much higher than theirs.
The insider who said that he felt like he was dying when he saw Ling Xujun retracted his words, "Why don't you let me meet Ling Xujun like I did yesterday."
It's better to be looked at by others than to be worried now.
“…”
The timing of his speaking was just right. The previously noisy hall suddenly became quiet for a moment. His voice inexplicably stood out, and even the people who were fighting with the casual cultivators looked over, as if a little surprised.
Although the timing was wrong, he was still caught off guard by those beautiful eyes.
With a snap, his friends around him quickly began to move away from him in tacit understanding. Someone who knew the situation quickly reached out and grabbed a few of them, not letting any of them go, determined to die together.
Maybe he really died. In just a moment of turning around, the man who had been fighting the casual cultivator on equal terms was hit hard, slid towards them from the ground, slowed down with the help of his sword, and stopped not far in front of them.
They were just about to ask if there was anything wrong, but someone quickly took out a jade token from somewhere and threw it to them. The guy in green clothes reacted the fastest. Although he didn't understand why, he caught it reflexively.
With a single blow, Lin Zhusheng kicked the cultivator's weapon away. As the cultivator reached for the hammer embedded in the wall, he quickly whispered, "Please input some spiritual power and tell the other side where we are."
He recognized these people. They were friends of Chen Jinghao. He had seen them several times in the game. He remembered that they had spiritual powers but their cultivation was not high.
His voice was very nice, clear and clean, and even at this time it still had a bit of the comfort of March spring, which was quite a contrast to his stern look on the stage.
Without asking any questions about the cause and effect, the man in green took on the task inexplicably and stood at attention to show that he was determined to accomplish his mission.
The casual cultivator pulled out the iron hammer that was embedded in the wall. After asking Lin Zhusheng to do the job, he thanked him and stood up from the ground, supporting himself with his sword.
The sound of metal friction sounded again, and every sound stimulated the fragile ear canal. The man in green clothes was focused and tried hard to mobilize his limited spiritual power, and finally made the jade plate light up.
The moment the jade token lit up, a hoarse and frightening male voice suddenly sounded, as if it had been waiting on the other side.
There were too many people on the first floor, so in order to avoid any accidental injuries, Lin Zhusheng and the wandering cultivators fought on the second floor.
He couldn't circulate his spiritual power and had injuries on his body, but the casual cultivators were no worse. After drinking too much, he only had spiritual power and strength but no brains. Thanks to his solid skills and smart brains acquired from completing numerous missions, he was able to gain the upper hand even without spiritual power when he was hit.
But after he went up to the second floor, even those who didn't understand downstairs could see that he was much more restrained, especially when he was about to approach the railing on the second floor.
The venue was pulled to a distance away from the railing. The iron hammer was swung diagonally from the side. Lin Zhusheng dodged it by leaning against the wall on one side. At the same time, the unsharpened long sword turned backwards.
The tip of the sword almost touched his forehead. The casual cultivator who wanted to launch a sneak attack with his other hand stepped back instantly and dodged by brushing against the unsharpened sword.
Heavy weapons like hammers consume a lot of spiritual energy. The result of wasting it recklessly is that the spiritual energy of the cultivator is exhausted. Lin Zhusheng can also feel a wound opening on his waist. Both of them are breathing slightly and have reached the limit of their ability.
In the end, the casual cultivator refused to give up. He stood up while gasping for breath and swung his hammer forward. This time, he used all his strength. The hammer made a loud sound of breaking through the air as it passed through the air. At the same time, he did not forget his original intention and said, "Drink with me. I have money."
The ordinary long sword was hit by the hammer and had an obvious dent. Lin Zhusheng's eyebrows twitched. After hearing the words, his hand, which had been somewhat weak, suddenly regained strength. He pushed the hammer back from the front and finally couldn't help but utter the first swear word since he came into this world: "Fuck you, your father, look carefully, I'm a man!"
What normal man would get drunk and pester another man to pay for drinks together!
The more he spoke, the angrier he became. He exerted more force, spun the sword in his hand, and then threw the man and the hammer away together. After the man fell to the ground, he raised the sword and walked forward, with the tip of the sword pointing directly at the man's upper abdomen.
Smelling the scent of death, the casual cultivator rolled on the ground dragging the hammer, and leaned against the railing at the fastest speed he could muster. He took a deep breath, smiled, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said, "You are afraid of heights."
What everyone else could notice, he could definitely notice, even in this drunken state.
Lin Zhusheng stopped.
The pause proved his words. The cultivator took a deep breath and said, "As long as I am here, you can't touch me."
The sounds of fighting died down and the entire pavilion fell silent. The people who remained in the building watched the two people on the second floor confronting each other in silence, and their breathing subconsciously slowed down.
The person standing not far away did not move, and his bet was right. Finally getting back on his feet, the casual cultivator breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Can you pass..."
“Zheng——”
The rest of his words were drowned out by the sound of swords ringing from far away in the sky.
The sound of swords rang out and his lips moved up and down. Before the smile fell from his face, he saw the person standing not far away move.
With long hair flying and clothes floating in the air, he ran straight towards him with a sword in hand. Without any hesitation or buffering, the unsharpened blade was pressed against his throat in an instant, and he locked his back with a backhand, making him unable to move. He was forced to rush out from the railing.
In front of the wide eyes of the people downstairs, two people rushed out of the railing and fell downstairs together.
“…”
The sound of the window breaking was covered by the sound of the sword that had not yet dissipated, and no one noticed. There was a sudden panic in their hearts, and the people below were just trying to catch the white figure by running as fast as they could, but the distance was too far, and they could only watch the person fall while reacting.
“Boom—whoosh—”
The wandering cultivator smashed hard on the guest table, and the teacups, teapots and plates broke into pieces on the ground. The white figure rushed out of the railing and fell into the arms of Canglan who arrived in time and was hugged tightly.
He knew without even looking that he had landed safely. He could smell the familiar smell and moist rain. Lin Zhusheng instantly reached out and grabbed the man's neck tightly, shouting, "Big Brother!"
The independent cultivators were betting, and he was also betting that the eldest senior brother would arrive as soon as possible and would be able to recognize him. The casual cultivator lost the bet, but he won.
The response he got was the tightening of hands on the back of his head and lower back and a low, hoarse "I'm here" in his ear.
Hearing the familiar voice, Junior Brother Lin's mind quickly went through the experiences of fighting the ultimate BOSS, taking a bath in the fields, riding in a horse-drawn carriage, and being almost scared to death by a gay man today. The more he thought about it, the more bizarre it seemed. He sniffed in a very cowardly manner, buried his head in the man's hair, pretending to be an ostrich, and called out "Senior Brother" again, but this time his voice was buried and a lot muffled.
The eldest brother looked down at him, patted his lower back with his hands, and slowly tightened his grip.
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