This startled the other party, and Lang Qianqiu immediately went to pull him up, “Why are you all of a sudden bowing to me?”

But when he pulled, his heart sank a bit, because despite using considerable force, he couldn’t move Xie Lian even half an inch. Xie Lian insisted on finishing the bow before straightening up, “Thank you very much.”

Lang Qianqiu became even more confused, “What are you thanking me for?”

Xie Lian said, “Thank you for saving the souls of the old imperial city of Xianle.”

Lang Qianqiu said, “What’s there to thank for?”

Xie Lian said, “What I couldn’t accomplish, you did it, so of course I should thank you.”

“Why couldn’t you accomplish it?”

“Shamefully, I have been under punishment and don’t have enough spiritual energy.”

Lang Qianqiu nodded, “You had the intention, unfortunately not enough power. What is there to feel shameful for? Let me say something that you may not like to hear - the ‘old imperial city’ you mentioned was later renamed Cangcheng and belonged to the Kingdom of Yong’an. They were my people. Wasn’t it natural that I should save them?”

Xie Lian looked at him with a smile, “Your Royal Highness is right.”

Lang Qianqiu patted him on the shoulder, then suddenly remembered that Xie Lian was his senior and it was not very appropriate to do so, but he already patted, no point taking it back, “So don’t worry about it. I’m off!”

Watching him sprint away from behind, Xie Lian felt light in his heart and he too strode off.

A day later, the three of them came together and synced up. Xie Lian and Lang Qianqiu found nothing and only Shi Qingxuan had accomplished much, having purchased many strange items from various stalls in Ghost City.

Xie Lian said, “I knew it wouldn’t be so easy to find anything. It looks like we need to dig deeper.”

Shi Qingxuan said while playing with a voodoo doll, “To dig deeper, we’ll have to check out Hua Cheng’s ghost king mansion. But he never opens up that place at all. Our intelligence is so limited that we have no clue where it is even.”

Xie Lian was about to speak when he suddenly noticed that Lang Qianqiu had been feeling over himself with a darkened face, so he asked, “What’s wrong?”

Lang Qianqiu felt around multiple times, even turning over his sleeves, “I lost something.”

Xie Lian asked, “Did you lose it on the way?”

Lang Qianqiu thought about it, a look of chagrin coming over his face, “No… I remembered, yesterday! I lost it in that noxious gambler’s den. I’ll go back and look for it.” Shi Qingxuan grabbed him as he was about to leave, “You lost it yesterday, how will it still be there today? It’s okay if you’ve lost it. Worst case I’ll make up for it.”

Lang Qianqiu shook his head, “Thank you Lord Wind Master, but no one else can make up for that thing.” Shi Qingxuan said, “What’s so important? It won’t do if you don’t explain it clearly. I saw many female ghosts in that Ghost Gambler’s Den couldn’t wait to eat you up. If you go back, won’t you be a sheep among wolves?” Lang Qianqiu’s face turned red first, then darkened, “How can this happen! I need to find my amulet.”

Xie Lian was surprised, “Amulet?”

Lang Qianqiu, “Mn. That amulet was used to ward off evil spirits when I was young.”

Shi Qingxuan said, “I thought that royals and nobles like you had something like the aura of the emperor to protect you, only commoners like us need to ward off evil spirits!”

The other two glanced at him, a commoner who was covered from head to toe in a blindingly brilliant aura of jewels, and made no comment. Lang Qianqiu said, “My birth fortune was very weak. I used to be in poor health and often got sick, and attracted the attention of a ghost. I don’t remember which particular ghost, I was too young back then, I just remember that for a while it would show up every night, and I would hear the sound of grinding teeth.”

“G-grinding teeth?”

Lang Qianqiu said, “Yes, grinding teeth right next to my pillow. I would either not be able to sleep all night, or I would have nightmares all night.”

Shi Qingxuan tried to imagine there being a crunchy sound of grinding teeth next to his ears all night, and was horrified, “What kind of ghost was this?”

Lang Qianqiu said, “I didn’t know, and still don’t. The mages had no solution at all. They just told me to shut my eyes when I heard the sound of grinding teeth and never open them, so that I could hold on for a while longer.”

Shi Qingxuan said, “What’s the reasoning for this?”

Xie Lian said, “In order to prevent the fires from being extinguished.”

“What fires?”

Xie Lian said, “A living person has three fires. One on top of the head and two on the shoulders. Ghosts and monsters are afraid of them if the fires are not extinguished and the yang energy is not dispersed. Therefore, people often say that you can’t let others pat your head, or the fire on your head will be extinguished; or you must not look back if you are walking at night and hear someone calling you from behind, because there is probably something waiting for you to put out the fires - turning back once will extinguish one fire on your shoulder, and turning back twice you’ll be dead for sure. Asking that His Highness not to open his eyes when he heard the sound of grinding teeth, that was due to the concern that if he was overly frightened, the fires could also disperse.”

In short, the king and queen were in unbearable heartache, and the doctors and mages were at their wits’ end. His Royal Highness, who was only eight years old at the time, endured it more dead than alive. It was only thanks to his determination that he could hold on for this long. Until one day, Lang Qianqiu had a dream.

A faceless person played with him in the dream. Lang Qianqiu had a weak constitution and normally could not romp about wildly, but in the dream he was jumping and climbing up and down, having a grand time. In the end, the man gave him an amulet and told him to wear it on his person and never take it off. When he woke up, beside the gold-threaded jade pillow lay an amulet.

You might as well treat a dead horse as if it were alive; also Lang Qianqiu was young and did not suspect fraud. Not knowing any better, he put on the amulet without telling anyone. That night, the teeth-grinding ghost came again amidst a sinister wind. Surprisingly, it screamed when it had just hit outside the main hall this time and actually scurried off.

The same thing happened on the second and third nights. The ghost lingered outside the door, gnashing its teeth, but did not dare to enter. This way, Lang Qianqiu’s health gradually improved after catching a few months’ break. But the ghost grew so mad from anger that one night, Lang Qianqiu suddenly heard a shriek when he was lying in bed. He sat up and took a look, and saw an arm thrown in from the outside. The fracture was uneven, as if it was chewed off one bite at a time. To judge by the sleeve, it belonged to the palace maid on night watch. Meanwhile a dark figure was casted on the door, pointing at the palace maid and biting her.

Lang Qianqiu was only nine years old at the time, but he picked up a small sword and charged over, and through the door he stabbed. The ghost let out a shriek, the dark figure turned into black smoke, and the shadows on the doors and windows dispersed like ink in water, never to be seen again.

Shi Qingxuan exclaimed, “Hey, it seemed that you had met a master. Did you know his title?”

Lang Qianqiu shook his head, “I still don’t know yet.”

Xie Lian said, “It’s been so many years that the amulet should have been useless long ago. Do you really have to retrieve it?”

Lang Qianqiu said, “I have worn it for too many years. I will keep feeling that something bad will happen and feel uneasy if I lose it.”

Xie Lian thought and thought about it, “Why don’t we go back and retrieve it together.”

The other two both looked back at him. Xie Lian said, “We have to go back whether we try to retrieve the amulet or not. If we want to find the ghost king’s mansion, the only place to start now is the Ghost Gambler’s Den.”

After a few incenses’ time, the three of them returned to the Ghost Gambler’s Den from which they had just yesterday escaped. Shi Qingxuan mumbled all the way that he hoped today Crimson Rain Sought Flower would not be in, but when he heard the clamor inside, he knew that the owner of Ghost City must have come looking for fun again today. In addition, the ghosts coming and going were all commenting, “This is truly amazing! His City Lordship had never really hung out here in the past, so why has he come two days in a row?”

Shi Qingxuan complained repeatedly, “Ominous, ominous! Why are we so unlucky? It’s fine when we don’t run into him, but when we do, it’s twice. Alas, oh, why do I feel that the characters on this couplet are even uglier than yesterday?”

Standing on the steps covered with soft red brocade, Xie Lian glanced at it, “It must be your imagination. After all, the characters can’t change.”

Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, the characters on the couplet and the horizontal inscription trembled, twisting like a group of tadpoles with long tails. Xie Lian was speechless, and Shi Qingxuanqi was bewildered, “Your Royal Highness, look, they seem to have heard us.”

Xie Lian was baffled, “Then can’t they change for the better?”

Hearing this, they changed again, as if trying hard to come up with a better-looking formation for him to see, but despite the spirit being willing, they only managed to turn into even more miserable shapes. Xie Lian couldn’t stand it any more and stepped forward, “Forget it, forget it. Why don’t you just be the same as how you were originally. The original way was good enough!”

Here they were, roaring with laughter; yet as they laughed, Xie Lian’s smile froze and he paused in his steps. He saw on the steps ahead stand a man in black.

The man in black wore a mask that had a sorrowful face with falling tears painted on it, exactly the polar opposite of the smiling masks that came and went in the gambler’s den. The man looked over his shoulder and seemed to be studying him from head to toe. Xie Lian locked eyes with him for a moment, and in his heart felt a chill. Shi Qingxuan asked, “What’s wrong?”

Xie Lian composed himself, “Nothing. You guys wait outside first, I’ll go in and take a look.”

He lifted the hem of his white robe and walked up the steps. The closer the two got, the slower their paces became. Passing by closely, Xie Lian left him behind, but the chill in his heart still lingered.

Then, the man in black spoke towards inside the gambler’s den, “I beg to see the Lord of Ghost City Hua Cheng.”

This person actually directly referred to Hua Cheng by name!

Guests with ordinary backgrounds would never dare to do this. Many small ghosts heard the sound and peered around. A slender girl came out of the den and said, “The City Lord is not seeing outside visitors today.”

Xie Lian happened to arrive in front of the gambler’s den when she said “not seeing outside visitors”. He was just wondering whether he had come at a bad time when he saw the female ghost smile at him and, respectfully yet coquettishly, invite him with a bow, “Tao Master, hurry up, please. Having waited for you for so long, getting quite anxious here!”

Xie Lian let out an “ah” and was pushed in by her in a daze. The voice of the man in black carried in, “I have brought an extremely rare pledge, could the Lord of Ghost City Hua Cheng please grant me an audience.”

The ghosts were staring with much curiosity at Xie Lian who grandly entered, upon hearing the voice, they all chimed in, “No matter how rare a treasure is, here with our City Lord it’ll just be doomed to hold the boots. He said he wouldn’t see you and he wouldn’t see you. Off you go, off you go!”

Xie Lian was pushed all the way into the hall by countless pairs of hands. Hua Cheng sat at the end of the long table, the only person sitting down in the entire gambler’s den. The second chair was placed behind Xie Lian. Hua Cheng looked at him, tilted his head, and said, “This gege, are you here to play again today?”

He looked playful, Xie Lian couldn’t help but break into a small smile. Before he could speak, a girl presented him with both hands a small amulet. The white amulet with golden tassels looked to be handmade, the craftsmanship and pattern were both very crude, and the corners had long been worn.

Xie Lian was bewildered, “How do you know I will be back for this?”

Hua Cheng beamed, “What don’t I know about gege?”

Right then, the man in black outside the front door of the gambler’s den again spoke.

“The Lord of Ghost City will definitely want my pledge. It is the number one evil weapon in the world, a cursed blade!”

Immediately a ghost ridiculed, “What are you bluffing about? The number one cursed blade in the world is the scimitar of our City Lord! How come it has become your pledge?”

Xie Lian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: What’s the matter with you guys? Does “Cursed Blade” sound like a great reputation? Why are you fighting over this?

Nevertheless, recognizing that the person had shown up with ill intentions, Xie Lian peered out the door. Hua Cheng didn’t seem to be very interested and simply waved his hand lazily. The gambler’s den girl understood, “Then let’s take a look at your pledge.”

Remaining standing at the door, the man in black lifted his hand and flung it. A burst of black wind skimmed over the crowd of ghosts and nailed into the wall of the gambler’s den. That thing was tightly wrapped all around with numerous sealing talismans, and still hostile energy visible to the naked eye leaked out.

That was a sword!

Hua Cheng narrowed his eyes. Not only did the ghosts in the den fall silent like a chilling wind had swept through the area, but Xie Lian also froze in place.

The man in black said, “The Supreme Sword Fangxin, has City Lord Hua ever heard of it?”

Simultaneously, the sealing talismans on the sword fell off on their own, and the blade fully emerged!

This sword seemed to be made of black jade, dark and frightening, and smoother than a mirror; if someone was around, a clear image would be reflected. Except there was a thin silver-white thread running through the middle of the blade, as if its heart.

The man in black said, “Legend has it that dozens of royals died beneath its blade. And supposedly, it had been stained with blood that was even more precious.”

Blood that was more precious than the blood of royals, wouldn’t that only be … the blood of gods?

All the ghosts were repelled back a full circle by the ominous aura emitted by the sword, extremely uneasy; yet the man in black had brought it all the way here and remained as steady as a mountain, he was by no means anyone ordinary. He said, “I heard that the Lord of Ghost City likes to collect famous weapons from all over the world, and he has especially been seeking this Supreme Sword Fangxin for many years. Does this pledge qualify for a bet?”

Hua Cheng’s gaze was heavy and his smile constant, and he asked, “What do you want to bet?”

The man in black said, “Which one has a more evil aura, this Supreme Sword Fangxin, or your Scimitar of Doom Eming.”

Hua Cheng asked again, “How do you want to bet?”

The man in black said, “You and I attack each other with the weapons in our hands, and we do not block or dodge. The one who loses first loses the bet!”

Xie Lian heard from all directions various teeth grinding sounds.

A ghost said, “Isn’t this gambling method poisonous? You cut me, and I cut you. Whoever cuts the other side down first has the more evil weapon. Is this what you mean?”

That was rather violent and crude. The gambler’s den girl said, “You’d better think it through, it is the Scimitar of Doom Eming that’s going to attack you! You won’t be able to last a few moves at all.”

The man in black said, “It doesn’t matter. I’m more curious how many attacks from the Supreme Sword Fangxin City Lord Hua can withstand!”

The ghosts became indignant when they heard this and one after another piped up, “Why should anyone agree to your ridiculous demand?” “Exactly, we won’t agree with you!” But only Xie Lian could see that although Hua Cheng was smiling, his eyes held no smile.

Apparently, Hua Cheng was determined to get this sword!

Xie Lian couldn’t help but secretly feel frightened: will he truly allow the sword to cut him?

Hua Cheng laughed and raised a hand. Having received the order, the gambler’s den girl said in a sweet voice, “In order to win Fangxin, why would one be afraid of high stakes? The City Lord has ag…

Seeing that the bet was about to be established, Xie Lian bursted out in a moment of desperation, “Wait a minute!”

The ghosts all turned to look at him. Hua Cheng’s eyes also became sharply focused as he sat up straight. Xie Lian briefly clenched his fist, walked next to Fangxin, and said to the man in black, “I’m sorry for spoiling your mood. But, I don’t think City Lord Hua will bet with you.”

The man in black said, “Oh? Why not?”

Xie Lian smiled, “Because this is not at all some Supreme Sword Fangxin, it is just an ordinary sword.”

A ghost said, “Gah! This Tao Master, please calm down and look closely first. This sword is not ordinary at all; it’s so scary!”

But Xie Lian said, “Is it?”

He reached out and grasped the hilt of the sword as he spoke. The ghosts were horrified, “Don’t touch it randomly, someone will die!”

Many ghosts covered their eyes and held their heads. Who knew that even after a long time, they did not hear any expected shriek. They stealthily opened their eyes again, only to see that “Fangxin” had been pulled out by Xie Lian and was held in his hand. The man holding the sword looked completely at ease.

The ghosts were astonished.

How was this possible? Just now the sword was clearly enveloped in a dark aura, so evil that it could be seen with the naked eye!

Xie Lian said camly, “The evil aura just now was simply a Camouflage Spell.”

The gambler’s den girl was dubious, “But as soon as we got close to this sword, we would indeed feel an extreme chill…”

“Ghost City does not see sunlight all year round, and the night dew is very cold, so of course it’s chilly. Just wear more clothes and drink more hot water.”

“…”

Xie Lian said, “Anyway, this sword really is not some ultimate evil weapon. If you don’t believe it, why don’t you come and touch it for yourself?” He extended the long sword in his hand as he spoke. The ghosts tried to shun him at first, but a brave little ghost reached out one finger and touched the sword blade. All fine?

Now, everyone became bolder and started passing the long sword around, touching it here and there, and it was completely fine!

There were also some ghosts who were suspicious, “You hadn’t done anything just now, have you?”

Right away a ghost retorted, “Even a heavenly official would be repelled if it were such a powerful evil sword. How could someone disperse the evil energy just by touching it? Unless it is willing to obey this person, otherwise it must be a Camouflage Spell!”

Xie Lian immediately praised, “Wise! Therefore, this sword cannot be compared to City Lord Hua’s Scimitar of Doom Eming at all. How will City Lord Hua bet with you?”

The ghosts liked hearing this, for whoever praised the City Lord was one of their own, so they swarmed in, “Well said!” “That’s right!” Xie Lian was quickly encircled by all sorts of wretched ghosts and monsters. Seeing this, the man in black got ready to leave. The gambler’s den girl asked, “Sir, what is this?”

The man in black said, “Since you have decided that this sword is not Fangxin, there is no more need to bet.”

Hua Cheng finally peeled his eyes away languidly from Xie Lian, “Who said that?”

The man in black was blocked halfway as he walked, “City Lord Hua, do you have any other advice?”

Hua Cheng let out a faint smile, “Whose territory is this?”

The man in black said, “Yours.”

Hua Cheng said, “Then, whether to bet or not, of course I have the final say.”

The man in black said, “What else does the Lord of Ghost City want to bet on?”

With a “pop”, Hua Cheng pressed the slender silver scimitar at his waist onto the gambling table.

The hilt of the scimitar was also decorated with a thin silver chain, and in addition, it was engraved with a silver eye. The eye was closed and appeared to be sleeping peacefully, the silver line long and alluring, exuding a spooky evil aura. Xie Lian couldn’t help but gaze at it and thought to himself, “So this is the number one evil weapon in the three realms today, the Cursed Edge, the Ominous Blade, the Scimitar of Doom Eming?”

Hua Cheng spoke word by word in a restrained voice, “I bet, the next moment, you will be shattered to pieces.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the sleeping silver eye popped open, revealing a ruby-like pupil glowing with a devilish ferocious red light.

The man in black swiftly leapt back, but it was already too late. There was a loud noise, and the next moment, his whole body exploded into pieces!

The fragments swirled around like crows’ feathers. Hua Cheng didn’t even move. He only gave his hand a casual wave, rejecting a trembling crow feather that was about to fall onto his shoulder.

The Scimitar of Doom Eming was not even unsheathed, merely opened its eye, and as Hua Cheng had said, the man in black was shattered into pieces!

The gambler’s den girl announced, “This person lied about the value of the pledge, violating the iron rules of the Gambler’s Den. The City Lord has already punished him. Please don’t mind it and keep on enjoying yourselves!”

Xie Lian caught a piece of the fragments from the air and was examining it when suddenly a hand was placed on his shoulder and a voice sounded behind him, “Your Royal Highness, have you retrieved the amulet?”

Shi Qingxuan had squeezed next to him at some point. Xie Lian said, “Lord Wind Master, why did you come in? Didn’t I ask you two to wait outside?”

Yet Shi Qingxuan said, “We came in a while ago! You didn’t come out after such a long time, so of course we had to come in and take a look.”

Xie Lian’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, “You came in a while ago? Qianqiu came in too?”

“Yes, isn’t he right over there?”

Sure enough, Lang Qianqiu stood not far away, staring at Fangxin in his hand with an exceedingly strange expression. Xie Lian turned to one side and whispered, “When did you come in?”

Shi Qingxuan said, “We were here when you drew the sword. Your Royal Highness, that was impressive! If you hadn’t said it, even I wouldn’t have realized that the evil aura was a Camouflage Spell.”

Xie Lian was holding Fangxin and didn’t know where to put it, but suddenly his hand felt light, it turned out that a gambler’s den girl had taken the heavy long sword from him with both hands and smiled, “This sword is now our City Lord’s trophy. Thank you, Tao Master.”

The ghosts didn’t think much about the commotion just now. They were no stranger to someone looking for trouble at Ghost City everyday and went back to playing and enjoying themselves. The three of them hurriedly hid in a corner, and Xie Lian handed the amulet to Lang Qianqiu as if nothing had happened. Shi Qingxuan said, “Your Royal Highness, the Ghost Gambler’s Den is full of people and ghosts whether day or night, how can we investigate in detail?”

Xie Lian said, “It’s not difficult. I’ll draw everyone’s attention, and you can take the opportunity to investigate.”

Shi Qingxuan said, “How do you draw attention?”

Xie Lian turned towards Hua Cheng. The other person was looking at him leisurely with the chin in his hand, seemingly having waited for a long time, so as soon as he saw him looking over, he said with a grin, “This gege, is there anything else?”

Xie Lian said, “Yes. I venture to ask the City Lord, would you favor me with another bet?”

Shi Qingxuan was shocked, “Is this the idea you’ve come up with?”

Xie Lian said, “Isn’t it a good idea?”

Shi Qingxuan gave him a thumbs up, “Excellent. Who has time to pay attention to other things once Hua Cheng starts betting? Except that you are really a brave warrior, Your Royal Highness, aren’t you afraid that you will lose your pants?”

Xie Lian was quite confident this time, “Not necessarily.”

The gambler’s den girl asked, “What does this Tao Master want to bet with our City Lord? Is it gold and silver, or a hundred years worth of spiritual energy? Is it ten times of good luck, or a piece of blessed land?”

Xie Lian said, “Not necessary. There are no items in the world that I desire. I just want to ask City Lord Hua to keep me company for one night.”

When this statement came out, Hua Cheng seemed stunned for a moment, then blinked.

Not only him, but the air in the entire gambler’s den also froze. Even the gambler’s den girls all slipped, nearly falling to their knees in unison.

After a good long while, a ghost finally murmured, “Does he know what he is talking about… Isn’t this too bold, gah!”

And Hua Cheng finally bursted out a chuckle, laughing out loud.

Once he laughed, all around the girls also shook with laughter like trembling flower branches. Xie Lian felt like he was drowning in a sea of peculiar gazes, and finally realized that his originally perfectly upright intention seemed to have been twisted. He hastily explained, “Wait! My intention is simply to have City Lord Hua be my host and show me around Ghost City. I won’t ask for anything inappropriate… seriously not!” But why would anyone be listening at this point? Shi Qingxuan covered his face with one hand and patted his shoulder with the other, “You may as well quit explaining. The more you paint, the darker it gets!”

Xie Lian didn’t know whether he should cover his face or not. The confidence he had finally recovered just now was about to be shattered, “I seriously don’t have any other intentions…”

Shi Qingxuan said, “I know. But it sounds really…”

Over there, Hua Cheng finally managed to stop laughing, folded his arms, and nodded, “Okay.”

The gambler’s den quickly grew quiet again once he had agreed. Hua Cheng fingered the red coral bead at the end of his braid, “However, what this gege has requested is quite significant, it is the first time for me, too. Accordingly, the pledge you offer cannot be casual.”

Xie Lian breathed a sigh of relief, and thought that the way he had gently lowered his eyes but still wanted to look at him was really cute, he was still a youth after all. He smiled slightly, “Of course it can’t be casual.”

Hua Cheng said, “But, there is a small issue that I need to remind you of, the last thing gege had on you was lost to me yesterday.”

It was the half of a steamed bun that had been eaten by Hua Cheng.

Xie Lian was ashamed, “That’s right. Wait a moment, please, and I’ll look again.”

But what could he find? Seeing that he was seriously having trouble, a ghost said, “Tao Master, if you really don’t have anything, you can bet your clothes. Just take one off when you lose a game, won’t that do?”

All around there was roaring, but Hua Cheng frowned and softly chided, “Shut up!”

Not knowing why he suddenly became angry, the ghosts promptly shut up and no longer dared to heckle. Suddenly, a sharp-eyed girl asked, “Tao Master, what are you wearing around your neck?”

Xie Lian touched it and found a thin silver chain, “This?”

A ring hung at the bottom of the silver chain; when it was pulled out by Xie Lian, the female ghosts in the gambler’s den collectively held their breath.

The crystal clear brilliance seemed to have captivated everyone’s eyes. Even the well-informed gambler’s den croupier girls exclaimed, “It looks like an incredible treasure.”

This was exactly the ring that Hua Cheng had left him. Xie Lian glanced at the gifter, and Hua Cheng was also looking at him with an ambiguous smile, speaking unhurriedly, “How about it? This gege, do you want to bet the ring, and have a showdown with me?”

Xie Lian thought for a moment, but then put the ring back into his clothes, “No, I can’t.”

Hua Cheng arched an eyebrow, “Oh? Why not? “

Xie Lian said, “This item is too valuable and cannot be treated casually.”

Hua Cheng said, “It’s yours if it was given to you, why can’t you treat it casually?”

Xie Lian said earnestly, “That’s even more impossible. Either I won’t accept this kind of gift, or if I do, of course I have to cherish it to be worthy of the sentiment. How can I use it as a betting pledge and arrogantly squander it?”

Hearing this, Hua Cheng lowered his head and smiled.

The ghosts also expressed their understanding of him, “After all, it is such a treasure.” But the ghosts added, “This won’t do, that won’t do, then what do you have left?”

Having already felt all over his person, Xie Lian said helplessly, “It seems… It’s just me left.”

Hua Cheng raised his head, “Okay.”

Xie Lian blinked, “What?”

Hua Cheng folded his arms, gazed fixedly at him, and repeated, “You.”

Just bet you.

The ghosts immediately clapped their hands, “Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, we’ll bet you! If you lose, just sell yourself and come here to wash the clothes, fix the bed, and serve tea and water for His City Lordship!”

Shi Qingxuan was appalled and whispered, “Your Royal Highness! Don’t agree to this, there is no chance of winning this bet!”

But Xie Lian had already declared, “Okay, I’ll bet!”

Shi Qingxuan’s face almost turned blue. Xie Lian whispered, “It’s okay, this time I won’t necessarily lose. Leave this to me; you hurry up and go investigate, and then later you can figure out a way to meet up with me.”

Seeing that it was a foregone conclusion, Shi Qingxuan said with a sad and solemn face, “Then… Your Royal Highness, please take care of yourself! Don’t worry, my brother is very rich. If by any chance you lose yourself, I will ask him for money and can definitely have you redeemed!” With that, he grabbed Lang Qianqiu and, while the ghosts were distracted, ducked left and right and disappeared from sight.

Xie Lian lightly let out a breath, “However, may I decide the betting method and rules?”

Hua Cheng had already sat down opposite Xie Lian, looking like a fair, just, amiable and respectable host, “Please! How do you want to bet?”

With a shake of his hem, Xie Lian sat down, “Guess the hidden objects. How does that sound?”

Hua Cheng clapped twice, and a girl very elegantly brought up a shiny black gambling cup. Xie Lian nodded, “Could Your City Lordship please help me put something inside.”

Hua Cheng smiled, “Easy enough, just waiting for the Tao Master.”

Xie Lian put his palm on the gambling cup, “Your City Lordship can ask me five questions.”

Hua Cheng asked, “Three wins out of five rounds?”

Xie Lian said, “Three wins out of five rounds. You ask, and I answer. If the answer is correct, I win; if not, then you win. There should be no restriction on my testing methods except that I can’t open the gambling cup to look. But among the five questions, there must be dead or alive, square or circle, red or white, and bright or dark these four questions. The last question is up to Your City Lordship. How does that sound?”

Hua Cheng flashed a smile, “All in, no regrets even with death. Just come at me, gege.”

At some point, even more people and ghosts had gathered in the gambler’s den. The hall, originally spacious enough to accommodate over a thousand people, vaguely seemed about to collapse like an overflowing dam. Even the front doors of the gambler’s den were piled layer upon layer, with the crowd three to five times denser than before. Many long ghost necks stretched up into the air, and many ghost heads floated about. Those standing in the front rows helped hold the eyeballs of the companions who couldn’t squeeze in, but no one caused any ruckus.

Xie Lian pressed one hand on the gambling cup, staring at it intently. Naturally, he did not pay attention to what was going on outside; so of course, he did not know that the game that was about to begin in the Ghost Gambler’s Den had reached the Upper Court of Heaven.

At this time, there was a small banquet in the Upper Court of Heaven. Many officials, big and small, were present. As they were eating and drinking, Ling Wen suddenly said, “Everyone, please take a look at the silver mirror.”

Several glazed silver mirrors adorned the banquet hall, intended for peeking at the outside world for fun when the banquet reached a lull. Pei Ming asked, “Is there anything interesting to see?”

They saw in the glazed silver mirror a large swath of blindingly bright red color and a dark crowd of people and ghosts. The gods gathered around, “What is this? This is… the Ghost Gambler’s Den!”

Indeed. And although they didn’t know exactly what Hua Cheng looked like, and couldn’t see clearly the figure of the man in red at the head of the table, everyone was inexplicably convinced – without a doubt, this was Crimson Rain Sought Flower!

So everyone clustered around it in a whoosh, “Can this mirror pull the images closer? It’s so far away that I can’t see Hua Cheng!”

“Is he gambling with someone? Doesn’t he never get in on bets?”

“Why do you know so much about Crimson Rain Sought Flower’s habits…”

Such was the lively atmosphere that Mu Qing saw as soon as he entered the banquet hall. He said with a frown, “What’s going on? Aren’t there restrictions in Ghost City that forbid outsiders from peeping in?”

Ling Wen said, “I don’t know why either, but suddenly we could see it just now. Would you like to watch?”

All the heavenly officials said, “Yes! Wait, who is it that’s opposite Blood Rain Sought Flower, betting with him?”

The position of the silver mirror was somewhat unfortunate. From this corner, one could only see that it was a man in white, sitting upright, with one hand behind his back and the other pressed on the black gambling cup, his fingers and wrist all extremely white. He said, “Your City Lordship, could you please start the game.”

Feng Xin and Mu Qing both blurted out, “His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!”

Mu Qing swept aside all the heavenly officials who were in the way, disregarding any indignation someone might have, and stood in front of the silver mirror. “Why did he go to the Ghost Gambler’s Den? Is he betting with Hua Cheng? Is he mad? If I remember correctly, I never heard that Hua Cheng had ever lost!”

Yet Ling Wen said, “You remembered it wrong. Hua Cheng seemed to have just lost a game yesterday.”

“What? Did this demon king lose? Impossible! How did he lose? Who did he lose to?”

There were too many voices behind her. Ling Wen looked back, shocked. “Why are there so many people? Why are you all here?”

In the Ghost Gambler’s Den, Hua Cheng smiled, “As you wish.”

He stood up, left the head of the table, walked slowly to Xie Lian, and asked the first question, “May I ask gege, is the thing in the cup dead or alive?”

When the heavenly officials heard the word “gege”, they were all horrified, “What? What did Hua Cheng just call him? Call him again?”

Feng Xin couldn’t take it anymore, “Can’t you pay attention to the game? We don’t even know what will happen if he loses!”

In the Ghost Gambler’s Den, Xie Lian pulled out a talisman and extended it next to the gambling cup. Whoosh, the talisman ignited without being lit. Xie Lian said with a faint smile, “Answer the City Lord - this thing is dead.”

Hua Cheng also let out a small smile, “Gege won this round.”

The gambler’s den girl came forward and opened the wooden cup. A silver butterfly with glimmering fluorescence flew out of the cup, fluttering twice around Xie Lian before settling back on Hua Cheng’s shoulder.

The heavenly officials were dumbfounded, “How did he win?”

Only Ling Wen figured out the rules of the game through the noisy crowd. After a few clarifications, she said, “His Royal Highness had the rules set up very cleverly. The talisman was a Yin-Burning Talisman, which would burn when it encountered the yin energy of a dead soul. He made the call based on this and he called it correctly.”

Everyone was first awed that there existed such a way to deal with it, and then wondered, “But what if Hua Cheng puts a stone in the gambling cup? It can also be considered a dead thing, and the Yin-Burning Talisman won’t work on it.”

Ling Wen said, “Whenever the term ‘dead or alive’ is mentioned in the realms of Heaven and Ghost, it naturally refers to the life or death of living beings. Attempting something here is merely trying to be clever. Presumably, Crimson Rain Sought Flower would not deign to play such word games.”

Over there, Xie Lian said, “Second round, please.”

The gambling cup was closed again, and with a brush of Hua Cheng’s left hand, everyone knew that something new had been placed inside. The second question, Hua Cheng said, “I dare to ask gege, is the thing in the cup white or red?”

Could there be any talisman that could check for colors?

Not really. But Xie Lian remained calm, his smile unchanged, only that his hand on the gambling cup pressed a bit harder. After a while, he said, “Answer the City Lord - this thing is red.”

As soon as the words fell, the ghosts in the gambler’s den and the heavenly officials in front of the mirror all witnessed a peculiar scene: the gambling cup under Xie Lian’s palm lightly vibrated, and traces of white smoke issued from the crack below. The little ghosts who were nearby involuntarily backed away.

Hua Cheng gazed at him for a moment, let out a chuckle, and said, “Gege is amazing. You won this round again.”

Xie Lian only then let go of his hand, nodding to him, “Thank you.”

A heavenly official was puzzled, “How does this count?”

A few bold fierce ghosts, curious about what it was with the vibration just now, floated up to touch the gambling cup. Who knew that they yanked their hands back the instant they touched it, appalled, “Why is the cup so hot? It burned me to life!”

Mu Qing humphed, “He used the force from his palm to heat the object inside the cup, and when it was extremely hot, no matter what was inside, it would be burning red… Answering red would of course never be wrong.”

Sure enough, the gambler’s den girl came up and opened the cup. After seeing the content, the ghosts exclaimed, “Oh! Oh!” Inside the cup was a brilliantly red leaf, giving off traces of scorching white steam. It appeared that this was originally a silver leaf.

A heavenly official said, “But what if it were a piece of white paper inside? This kind of thing can’t withstand heat, so naturally it can’t turn red.”

But Mu Qing said, “It would be even easier if it were a thin object like white paper. Then it would be burned to ashes by the force from his palm; with nothing left inside, this game would certainly not count.”

At this time, walking behind Xie Lian, Hua Cheng asked the third question, “I dare to ask gege, is the thing in the cup round or square?”

Xie Lian said, “Answer the City Lord – this thing is round.”

The gambling cup began to vibrate again underneath his palm, and there were thumping sounds, as if a hard object was dashing about wildly inside, the sound so intense that it made it difficult to maintain one’s composure. Everyone understood this time, “He is using the force from his palm to vibrate the air in the cup, causing the object inside to rapidly rotate. Even if it is not round, it can be cut into a round shape!”

Feng Xin looked happy, “Three wins out of five. It is safe as long as he wins this round!”

Unexpectedly, with a slight bent at the waist, Hua Cheng also put his left hand on the wooden cup, “Oh? Really? Is this gege certain?”

Both of their hands were pressed on the cups, their eyes locked. Xie Lian said, “I am certain.”

The vibration under his palm became more violent, but the clashing sounds weakened. Mu Qing said, “I’m afraid it won’t work this time. Hua Cheng knows what he is up to. Now there are two palm forces tussling and colliding in the wooden cup, canceling each other out. The thing inside the cup definitely won’t be cut to a round shape. If the fight goes on, sooner or later the cup will break.”

Sure enough, moments later, Xie Lian let go of his hand first, “I lost this round.”

Hua Cheng also let go of his hand, “Thank you, gege.”

The gambler’s den girl stepped forward to open the cup. There were two dice inside, but they were barely recognizable as dice because they had been shaken out of their original shapes by the palm forces. Despite that, with corners and edges, they still counted as being square.

Seeing that victory had been so close, the spectators couldn’t help but feel regretful, yet they were also more anxious and eager for the next round. By now everyone could see that this game was not about luck at all, but the two sides’ secret battles!

For the fourth question, Hua Cheng spoke evenly, “I dare to ask gege, is the thing in the cup bright or dark? “

Xie Lian snapped his fingers crisply beside the wooden cup, “Answer the City Lord – this thing is bright.”

This question was the easiest! Regardless of what was inside, Xie Lian only needed to whip up a palm flame, lighting up the thing inside, then it would be guaranteed to be bright, wouldn’t it? Three wins out of four rounds, a sure win. Surprisingly, Hua Cheng beamed, “Gege, you lost this round again.”

Xie Lian mildly furrowed his brow, “I lost?”

He didn’t sense that Hua Cheng had extinguished his flame, so how could he say that he lost?

The gambler’s den girl came forward to open the cup, and saw that the object inside was a small lamp. A little candle flame danced atop the lamp, lit by Xie Lian’s spell moments ago. Xie Lian was perplexed, “The candle flame is bright, why did the City Lord just now decide that I had lost?”

Hua Cheng also snapped his fingers. Except, after this crisp click from him, what was lit was not a single candle.

One after another, tree floor lamps rushed to give out light and spread outside. In an instant, the whole Ghost Gambler’s Den and the whole Ghost City were as bright as day, illuminating the entire night sky. Waves of exclamations entered from the outside, making it even livelier. It must be that the monsters and ghosts who were soundly sleeping finally couldn’t help but come out to check on the unusual happenings.

In front of the brightly burning lights that extended to the sky, the little candle flame in the gambling cup really couldn’t count as “bright”. Hua Cheng looked at him with a grin, “Gege, this round counts as your loss, do you accept it?”

Xie Lian scanned around, slowly retracted his gaze, and smiled, “The scenery illuminated by thousands of lights is beyond beautiful. Lian wholeheartedly accepts.”

With slightly narrowed eyes, Hua Cheng extended a hand and brushed over the small lamp, held the little candle flame lit by Xie Lian on his fingertips, withdrew it into his palm, and smiled, “The fifth question.”

Both sides were evenly matched after four rounds, so the last round was the key!

The last question Hua Cheng could choose at will. It would be difficult for Xie Lian to decide if he chose a question like bitter or sweet. Therefore, in the gambler’s den and in front of the silver mirror, everyone held their breath and focused their attention, and they heard Hua Cheng asking leisurely, “I dare to ask gege, is the thing in the cup dead or alive?”

Xie Lian was taken aback, thinking, “Hasn’t this question been asked a while ago?” As long as he used the talisman to test again, wouldn’t he definitely win?

He dug out another Yin-Burning Talisman and extended it to the gambling cup. After a moment, he looked up and gazed at Hua Cheng, hesitating to make a decision after a long delay.

Others were all anxious when they saw him making no move. The Yin-Burning Talisman stayed unchanged, indicating that it was a living creature. But why hadn’t he offered the answer yet? Maybe he sensed a trap? What kind of trap could it be?

The two gazed at each other surrounded by thousands of bright lights. Hua Cheng’s smile gave off hints of evil vibes, and he asked, “What’s the matter? Gege, why don’t you say the answer?”

A good long while had passed before Xie Lian finally said, “Answer the City Lord – this thing is dead.”

Everyone watching the battle was stunned, “Why would he answer dead?”

Someone kindly reminded him, “Was that a slip of the tongue? The Yin-Burning Talisman didn’t burn, which means that there is no dead soul in the cup, the thing inside is alive!”

Hua Cheng’s smile deepened, “Gege, no regrets?”

Xie Lian slowly nodded, “No regrets.”

Having received the answer, Hua Cheng chuckled softly and with one hand waved open the gambling cup.

What was inside was indeed “alive” – a branch of richly red flowers in full blossom.

Everyone originally still harbored the idea that things would turn around in the end, but now they all lamented, “He really did get it wrong!”

Despite having lost, Xie Lian showed no regrets; instead he smiled, “Dying beneath the flowers, my heart is still sweet.”

At the Upper Court of Heaven, the heavenly officials in front of the silver mirror were all exceedingly frustrated, “How come he lost? He was clearly winning!”

As they were thumping their chests and stomping their feet, the images in the silver mirror abruptly disappeared. A chorus of mournful cries arose immediately, “I haven’t finished watching yet, don’t shut it down!”

Nevertheless, restrictions on the Ghost City unceremoniously shut it down again.

Inside the Ghost Gambler’s Den, Hua Cheng folded his arms, “This gege, three wins out of five rounds, I won.”

Xie Lian said, “That’s right.”

Hua Cheng said, “So, I have to ask gege to please come with me.”

A man in black emerged from the crowd. The man in black wore a ghost mask that had an interesting expression, like a helpless wry smile. The ghosts said, “The Waning Moon Messenger is here!”

The ghost messenger bowed as soon as he saw Xie Lian, “Will the Noble One please come with me?”

Xie Lian nodded, took a couple steps, then looked at Hua Cheng again and asked, “Aren’t you leaving?”

He blurted it out, and the female ghosts next to him giggled. Only then did Xie Lian realize that these words inexplicably sounded like he couldn’t bear to be without Hua Cheng even momentarily, extremely impatient, and he only wished that he could slap himself into the ground. Hua Cheng smiled, “Could gege please suffer to wait briefly at Paradise Manor? I will be there soon.”

Xie Lian really couldn’t stay any longer. Covering his head, he followed the ghost messenger on the separated path and fled. No ghost dared to heckle him any more, but their eyes bulged out like copper bells.

Paradise Manor? That’s the City Lord’s own warm nest, and he had never invited anyone there!

After leaving the bustling Ghost City center, Xie Lian couldn’t shake the feeling that the Waning Moon Messenger would disappear into the darkness any minute as he walked, so he made a conscious effort to follow him even closer. When he accidentally glanced at the ghost messenger’s wrist, he suddenly noticed that, on this man’s wrist, there was a black curse circle.

This was something he couldn’t be more familiar with.

A Cursed Shackle!

Was this a heavenly official?

Suddenly he heard the ghost messenger say, “Your Highness, we are here.”

Looking up, Xie Lian only then realized that the ghost messenger had actually disappeared, his presence shockingly faint. Meanwhile, he found himself led in front of a lake. Numerous flickering ghost fires romped upon the surface, whereas next to the water stood a magnificent tall red building, gorgeous and bewitching, and even the characters “Paradise Manor” on the building exuded a demonic aura.