area51novel Page 183
Page 183
Tang Lian leaned closer to Wei Changxuan and whispered:
This Ye Dingzhi, I wonder what he's up to, you should be careful.
Wei Changxuan remained calm and smiled as he replied to Ye Dingzhi: "Brother Ye, if you are in such a good mood, I will certainly accompany you another day. However, I still need to put more effort into this academy competition."
The gambling continues beside the stone table.
Yin Luoxia tapped the dice cup lightly with her folding fan, making a soft tapping sound, while the boy casually twirled his bamboo sword.
The two men's methods became increasingly bizarre; the dice in the cup would sometimes remain still as an abyss, and sometimes erupt violently like thunder.
Each time the cup was opened, the score was either exactly right or narrowly won, causing everyone to hold their breath and exclaim in surprise.
The betting game reached a stalemate, and the air seemed to be filled with invisible gunpowder, turning what appeared to be a playful contest into a thrilling covert battle.
The copper bells on the eaves suddenly fell silent, and the once bustling academy gate was now so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Young Master Liu Yue held a bamboo fan, the silver embroidery on his moon-white robe faintly visible in the morning light.
Chapter 314 Powerful Gambling Skills! The Crowd's Shock!
He strolled to the stone table, lightly tapping his palm with his folding fan, producing a rhythmic, crisp sound.
Miss Luoxia's gambling skills are truly superb; she is not inferior to my page.
It remains to be seen who will ultimately emerge victorious in this gamble.
Before he finished speaking, the fan suddenly unfolded, revealing a painting titled "Fishing Alone on a Cold River" on the back, with the ink still wet on the surface. The fisherman seemed to be watching with bated breath.
Lei Mengshao paced back and forth excitedly, the jade pendant at his waist making a soft tinkling sound.
I have never seen such a wonderful gambling duel before. It was so exciting and enjoyable to watch!
His shouts broke the silence for a moment, but no one was distracted—all eyes were fixed on Yin Luoxia's trembling fingertips.
The morning light brushed past Yin Luoxia's reddened ear tips, making the beads of sweat on her forehead glisten.
She took a deep breath, and the sleeve embroidered with a golden phoenix slipped down three inches, revealing a red string wrapped around her wrist—a lucky charm that the gambling house owner kept at the bottom of her drawer.
As the dice cup shook, fine frost appeared on the bronze surface, indicating that all the internal energy in the body had been incorporated into it.
The sound of the dice striking the ground was sometimes like the booming of war drums, and sometimes like pearls falling onto a jade plate. Her aura resonated with the dice in the cup, and even the blue bricks under her feet developed spiderweb-like cracks.
The boy's usual lazy smile vanished, and his white knuckles, gripping the bamboo sword, turned white.
The azure aura surrounding him suddenly surged, casting a huge phantom image on the ground, as if it were about to envelop the entire stone table.
The invisible sword intent materialized, suspending the falling peach blossoms in mid-air, each petal covered in frost.
*Thud!* Yin Luoxia slammed her dice cup heavily onto the stone table, causing the six dice to make their final, crisp sound inside the cup.
At that moment, even the howling morning wind seemed to freeze, and everyone's heart skipped a beat with the trembling dice cup.
Liu Yue Gongzi's folding fan stopped in mid-air, Lei Mengshao's cheers were stuck in his throat, and the bell tolling from Tingchao Pavilion in the distance also stopped abruptly at that moment.
In front of the academy, only rapid breathing and pounding heartbeats remained, weaving together the final chapter of a thrilling gamble.
The morning light slanted across the cloud-patterned stone table, casting long shadows of the boy and Yin Luoxia.
The boy's fingertips tapped the table with a crisp sound like cracking ice, and the crimson gold bell on Yin Luoxia's wrist trembled slightly in response.
The spiritual power hidden in her sleeve suddenly tightened, and the dice cup seemed to be pulled by invisible threads, slowly rising three inches and drawing a strange arc in mid-air.
Asking for flowers
Click——
The moment the dice cup hit the ground, the three mutton-fat jade dice stacked into an exquisite jade pillar, with the bright red dot at the very top gleaming eerily in the sunlight.
Lei Mengshao's folding fan fell to the ground with a thud, startling him so much that he hurriedly picked it up: This technique... could it be the legendary Cloud Stacking Style?!
In contrast, the boy's dice cup contains three dice arranged in a triangular shape, with only half of each die visible. Faint dark patterns can be seen flowing within them, resembling the edges of three sixes appearing and disappearing in the mist.
What a wonderful way to soften the harsh! The child's silvery laughter startled the white doves under the eaves.
As he raised his hand, the three dice transformed into streams of light and disappeared into his sleeve. Miss Yin's move, using softness to overcome hardness, not only adhered to the rules of the game but also subtly reflected the true meaning of gambling: knowing when to stop.
As he flicked his sleeve, the little fox embroidered in gold thread on the cuff suddenly blinked.
Yin Luoxia suppressed the burning pain in her wrist, and as she unfolded her folding fan, a gust of orchid fragrance wafted out: "It's just a trivial skill, please forgive my rudeness, young master."
As she turned around, the phantom images of nine fox tails flickered in and out of sight behind her.
The spiritual energy threads wrapped around the tip of the die were still trembling slightly—it was only through the illusion technique taught by Luo Yuheng that the trajectory of the die had been forcibly reversed…
Chapter 315 Ye Dingzhi's Mysterious Whereabouts!
The boy gazed at the fox-shaped hair ornament swaying in her hair with a half-smile, then suddenly pulled a jade cicada from his robes:
Miss Yin, do you know that this jade cicada can reveal the truth?
Seeing Yin Luoxia's expression change slightly, he simply tossed the jade cicada into the air, where it transformed into countless fireflies.
It doesn't matter; gambling is inherently a mix of reality and illusion.
As the sun climbed to its zenith, the bamboo sword at the boy's waist suddenly emitted a clear ringing sound.
He lightly flicked the scabbard with his fingertips, and thirteen golden rays of light, numbered "720," burst forth from the sword tassel, condensing in the air into a luminous list: the first test is complete.
He announced loudly, his gaze sweeping over the trembling gambling equipment in the crowd: "Thirty-two have passed. Come back tomorrow at dawn with your trump cards."
When Young Master Liu Yue received the list, he noticed that the writing on the parchment was slowly flowing.
The three characters "Yin Luoxia" at the top glowed with a faint blue light, while the boy's figure had turned into a wisp of blue smoke, leaving only a faint sandalwood scent in the air—the outcome of that bet was entirely within his calculations.
As dusk settled over the long bluestone street, Wei Changxuan had just sheathed his Thunder Tribulation Wooden Sword.
The residual electric light on the sword shimmered in the twilight, like a dragon trapped in a wooden box.
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly felt his wide sleeves sink. When he looked down, Ye Dingzhi's pale fingers had already retracted into his black robe, leaving only a note with ink still wet.
Meet me tonight at midnight under the old locust tree south of the city. The handwriting is powerful and penetrating, faintly carrying a touch of mad sword intent.
Inside the Listening to the Rain Pavilion on the back hill of the academy, Li Changsheng was boiling water in a bronze tea kettle.
A mountain breeze swept through the bamboo grove, rustling the bamboo curtain. As the first ripple of water crossed the edge of the teapot, Liu Yue Gongzi, dressed in a moon-white robe, appeared outside the curtain, the jade pendant at his waist tapping lightly, producing a clear and melodious sound.
That Wei Changxuan... Li Changsheng lifted the rustic earthenware teapot, and ripples spread across the amber-colored tea liquor in the cup.
Using the Thunder Tribulation Wooden Sword to activate the aroma of aged Daughter's Red wine. This method of blending the power of thunder with the mellow fragrance of wine reminds me of...
Baili Dongjun. Liu Yue Gongzi's slender fingers traced the rim of the cup; moonlight filtered through the bamboo blind, casting a sharp shadow on his brow bone.
But this young man is different from Senior Baili. Look at today's competition—he suddenly stopped, lightly tapped the table with his folding fan, and the Thunder Tribulation Wooden Sword, though clearly full of lightning, was never fully drawn.
Li Changsheng smiled without speaking, and a jade slip slid out from his sleeve. The moment he infused it with spiritual power, the scene of the daytime competition unfolded like flowing water:
Wei Changxuan spun in mid-air, his purple netting, mixed with drops of wine, woven into a curtain of lightning. A few streaks of electricity grazed the boy's clothes, but receded like a tide the moment they touched the fabric.
That subtle retraction was like a raging wave suddenly encountering a reef, or a wild horse abruptly stopping at the edge of a cliff.
Such mastery is rare, truly rare. Li Changsheng stroked his long, snow-white beard, his eyes reflecting the flashing lightning within the jade slip.
Such a temperament is enough to control the ferocity of the lightning tribulation wood. Given time, he will surely be able to carve out his own path in the way of the sword.
Young Master Liu Yue gently waved his folding fan, and the ink-wash peach blossoms on the fan surface seemed to unfurl in the breeze:
Since you have already shown your appreciation for talent, why not take him under your wing directly?
With your prestige, if he were to wield his sword in the martial world one day, he would surely avoid many detours.
Li Changsheng slowly shook his head, the rising steam from the tea kettle blurring his face:
Thunder and fire combine, unparalleled in their fierce power. But I cultivate the supreme state of detachment, emphasizing a mind as still as water.
He gazed at the deepening night outside the window, thinking that confining him to my doctrines would only diminish this divinely bestowed brilliance.
Chapter 316 Taking an unconventional approach is also a path!
Upon hearing this, Young Master Liu Yue chuckled, his folding fan suddenly closing and tapping against his palm, producing a crisp sound: "Since that's the case, why not give it to me?"
A cunning glint flashed in his eyes. Although I am not skilled in thunder magic, my approach of combining wine and swordsmanship is exactly the same as his performance today.
Besides
He paused, a wisp of wine fragrance condensing at his fingertips. I really want to see how many surprises he has in store for someone who can make the Thunder Tribulation Wooden Sword dance in the intoxication.
Li Changsheng's hand holding the teacup froze in mid-air, the steam rising from the spout blurring the light behind his glasses.
He glanced at the gilded wine pot swaying at the waist of the 893 Nine Willows Moon Prince, and suddenly chuckled:
With your drunken, sword-wielding-by-lamp-examining-by-lamp manner, are you perhaps trying to mold 17 promising talents into a second you?
Before he finished speaking, a night breeze swept past outside the bamboo curtain, rolling up and unrolling the Xuan paper on the table with a soft rustling sound.
Young Master Liu Yue, however, carelessly stroked the half-dry peach blossom ink on the fan surface, his fingertips stained with a little vermilion:
You always say that taking an unconventional approach is also a valid method.
He lightly waved his folding fan, and peach petals, their ink still wet, drifted into his teacup.
Today, Wei Changxuan wielded the Thunder Tribulation Wood Sword as a wine cup, clearly demonstrating his remarkable talent for brewing wine on the edge of a knife.
If we confine him with ordinary sword manuals, wouldn't that be like locking a roc in a fish tank?
Li Changsheng blew on the tea, causing ripples to spread across its surface, reflecting the spirited expression on Liu Yue Gongzi's face.
He suddenly recalled that twenty years ago, a similarly arrogant young man drank eighteen jars of Daughter's Red wine outside Tingyuxuan, and finally, holding the wine jar, he danced with astonishing sword intent in the bamboo forest.
That's enough. The old scholar slammed the teacup down, causing water droplets to splash against the inside of the cup.
You should observe for three days first. However—he slid a jade slip engraved with a nine-tailed fox pattern out of his sleeve. Yin Luoxia's methods today remind me of the Thousand-Faced Gambling Saint thirty years ago.
Young Master Liu Yue raised an eyebrow and took the jade slip. The moment he infused it with spiritual power...
The jade surface revealed the afterimage of Yin Luoxia throwing dice: nine fox tails appeared and disappeared, and the spiritual energy threads wrapped around the tips of the tails skillfully controlled the trajectory of the dice.
Using illusion to gamble? He stroked the edge of the jade slip and suddenly chuckled. This girl has certainly come up with a new way to play with the interplay of reality and illusion.
What she lacked was the magnanimity to simplify complex matters. Li Changsheng got up and pushed open the carved window; a mountain breeze swirled bamboo leaves into the room.
Your skillful use of the Nine Transformations of the Drunken Moon might make her understand that true gambling skill isn't about scheming and plotting, but rather... Before she could finish speaking, Young Master Liu Yue tacitly continued: "It's about being able to drink the moon in your cup even at the most dangerous moment of the game."
The bamboo shadows swayed and intertwined around the two of them. Suddenly, Young Master Liuyue closed his folding fan, the bronze fan pendant clinking with a crisp sound.
In that case, tomorrow at 3:45 AM, I will take some apricot blossom wine to meet this little fox friend.
He suddenly leaned closer and lowered his voice, saying, "But you really don't intend to use Wei Changxuan's Thunder Tribulation Wood Sword..."