Chapter 1976: Gambling (Part 1)

"Is this medicine effective?"

Bai Ruanqing's eyes reddened. She knew her grandfather's injuries were severe. If not for his profound cultivation, he would have died long ago. Even so, he was at the end of his life, and without a miracle, he wouldn't last another two days. Yet now, after only drinking a small jade bottle of clear water, he had woken up and could even speak. After the initial intense shock, she was filled with disbelief. Even the most potent life-extending pills in the sect wouldn't have such a miraculous effect!

"Master..." Bai Feng also rushed forward, helped Elder Bai Ye up, and sent his true qi to examine the elder's body.

A moment later, his eyes widened: "Master's internal injuries... they've actually recovered a bit!" Although the recovery wasn't significant, it was still a recovery. Especially the destructive power that had been continuously corroding his internal organs, true qi, and soul—an insidious force that couldn't be expelled—was now remarkably suppressed! This was the unique power of the Void Trapping City; almost all medicine was ineffective against it. He never imagined that the bottle of clear water his young lady brought would accomplish this!

"Young Lady, where did you buy this medicine... this bottle?" He quickly turned to look at her.

"Just over there, at the inner sect trading market..." Bai Ruanqing pointed.

"You bought just one bottle?" Her grandfather had drunk too little just now, which was why only a slight recovery occurred. However, the clear water's suppressive effect on the injuries was incredibly apparent. If there was enough of it, he could foresee a complete recovery from severe injuries that had stumped the entire sect!

"I thought it was fake... so I only bought a little..." Bai Ruanqing blushed.

"Not only is it not fake, but it's a divine medicine! Take me there quickly, buy as much as we can. As long as we have enough, Master will definitely recover..." Bai Feng could hardly contain himself.

"Alright!" Seeing his attitude, Bai Ruanqing knew this was undoubtedly a potent medicine. She immediately turned and flew towards her flying sacred beast.

"Too slow, I'll take you!" Before she reached it, Bai Feng's voice rang out. Immediately, she felt light as the old servant of her grandfather grabbed her, soaring directly towards the inner sect disciple trading market.

A few breaths later, they arrived at the market. Bai Ruanqing rushed to where she had bought the medicine, only to find the stall empty. "Where's the person who was selling medicine just now?" Turning to look at the inner sect disciple next door, Bai Ruanqing's delicate brows furrowed.

Seeing the fiery girl return so quickly, and with an elder who could fly no less, the inner sect disciple next door was startled: "He just left..."

"Do you know which branch he belongs to, or which elder he's a disciple of?" the girl continued to ask.

"I don't know..." The inner sect disciple next door looked nervous: "He just arrived today; we're not familiar. Even if he sold fake medicine... it has nothing to do with me..."

"Yeah, we really don't know him. We knew he was unreliable, so we didn't sell him anything when he tried to buy from us...""You could tell at a glance he wasn't a good person... Next time he comes, I'll definitely kick him out and never let him in..." Several inner sect disciples nearby also quickly chimed in. They had all seen Zhang Xuan selling medicine earlier. Now that the fiery girl was rushing over so urgently, they assumed she was looking for trouble. Naturally, their first thought was to distance themselves, and perhaps even portray themselves as good people in the process.

Seeing everyone's righteous indignation, Bai Ruanqing paused, bewildered: "Why would I be angry with you?"

"Didn't he sell you fake medicine?" the inner sect disciple next door asked, looking at her.

"It was real medicine. I came back to buy more bottles..." Bai Ruanqing shook her head. "And to thank him!"

"Real medicine? Thank him?" All the inner sect disciples who had been selling goods were dumbfounded. The description was so exaggerated, he'd just casually set up a stall like it was a child's game... And it was real?

"Wasn't he selling things? Why did he leave so fast?" Seeing the strange expressions on their faces, Bai Ruanqing's eyebrows furrowed: "I want the truth. You should know the consequences of lying to me!"

"Well... his purpose in selling the medicine was to buy Spirit Communication Jade Talismans, but we wouldn't sell them to him and told him to leave quickly, so..." The inner sect disciple next door was on the verge of tears.

"Told him to leave?" Bai Ruanqing finally understood, her pretty face darkening: "My grandfather's savior was driven away by you. In that case..." Her figure flickered, and the next moment, all the inner sect disciples who had been selling goods were lying on the ground, wailing in pain. The fiery girl was indeed still the fiery girl; she resorted to violence at the slightest disagreement... and so ruthlessly...

She quickly stopped, the fiery girl stood with her hands on her hips, surveyed the surroundings, and said in a cold voice: "All of you, go find him! If you don't find him before dark, I will continue to act, and beat you up again! Don't even think about escaping. When I want to beat someone... as long as they don't leave the sect or die, no one has escaped me yet!"

"..." The crowd. Big Brother who sold the medicine... couldn't you have a little professional ethics? Couldn't you just sell some fake medicine? If you sold fake medicine, only *you* would be beaten... who the hell did *we* offend?

Zhang Xuan returned to his dwelling. He took out the Spirit Communication Jade Talisman that Cao Chengli had acquired. After dripping blood onto it to acknowledge him as its master, he moved his consciousness and entered it. This time, it was an easy and familiar process.

This talisman was different from the one in the Spirit Communication Hall he used previously; there was no introduction from Master Kong. Upon entering, he sensed his physical condition, and just as everyone had said, his power was at the Ancient Sage First Layer! His cultivation was too low; many martial techniques and moves couldn't be executed smoothly. A Spirit Communication Jade Talisman at the Ancient Sage First Layer was already considered the weakest in the Soaring Cloud Sword Pavilion.

"I can't be called 'Horizon' this time..." He paused. Before, in the Spirit Communication Hall of Starry City, he had adopted the name "Horizon." Elder Lu Yun and others had mistakenly thought he was Shan Xiaotian. If he appeared with that name again now, he would easily be discovered. How then could he punch sect masters and kick elders? How could he hide his identity and investigate the Spirit God Palace where Luo Ruoxi resided?

"They're all just nicknames anyway. Since 'Horizon' won't work, and there's no need for 'Yang Xuan'... I'll just go with my personality... I'll call myself 'Very Low-Key!'" After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Xuan chose a satisfying nickname. His previous name, 'Horizon,' was truly awful! Especially when people called him... 'Horizon-this,' 'Horizon-that'... it was simply an insult! 'Very Low-Key'... it fit his demeanor and his unassuming nature.

Having chosen a name, Zhang Xuan walked forward. It was also a grand hall, with the words "Soaring Cloud Sword Pavilion Spirit Communication Hall" written on it. Pushing the door open, he stepped inside. There was a sea of people, countless individuals, all carrying long swords, their sword qi piercing the sky. He asked someone for information. Just like a regular Spirit Communication Hall, the fastest way to earn Sword Pavilion Coins was through one-on-one duels. Seeing how simple it was, he quickly made his way to the dueling arena.

Clang, clang, clang! On the platform, two young men were dueling. Because the appearances within the hall were not their own, no one knew the true identities of the combatants. For better distinction, one wore green clothes and the other white. The green-clad youth's longsword vibrated, its gleam sharp. The white-clad figure moved like the wind, their sword qi like a rainbow. The two fought to a standstill.

"Not bad!" After watching for a while, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but nod. As expected of inner sect disciples of the Soaring Cloud Sword Pavilion, their swordsmanship was vastly superior to that of Huo Jianghe and others. Each move and stance followed its own rules, already displaying the demeanor of a grandmaster. This kind of swordsmanship, if brought to the Master Teacher Continent, would likely far surpass the sword arts of Sword Saint Xingmeng and others.

"Brother, want to place a bet?" Just as he was about to study the swordsmanship and moves of the two combatants on the stage, he heard a hushed voice from nearby. Turning his head, he saw a young man in a grey robe approaching furtively. The appearances within the Spirit Communication Hall were all modified, like with beauty filters and Photoshop, making it impossible to discern true looks. However, this guy's shifty eyes made him seem somewhat shifty.

"How do I bet?" Zhang Xuan looked at him. The Soaring Cloud Sword Pavilion, as one of the six great sects, operated with integrity. Under normal circumstances, disciples were not allowed to bet on sword duels. Therefore, there was no open gambling here. This guy's furtive behavior clearly indicated he was afraid of being discovered, likely trying to earn some pocket money on the side.

"It's simple: green clothes one to 1.5, white clothes one to 1.1, a draw is five times!" the grey-robed youth said.

"Why so little for the white clothes?" Zhang Xuan asked, puzzled.

"His win rate is high. He's fought over three hundred matches and won more than two hundred; his swordsmanship is definitely more advanced!" The grey-robed youth chuckled. "Want to bet a little for fun?"

"Sure!" Zhang Xuan glanced at the two on the stage, then gave a slight smile and held up two fingers: "I'll bet on the green-clad one to win, twenty Sword Pavilion Coins!"

"Twenty coins?" The grey-robed youth was startled, not expecting this unfamiliar person to be so generous right away. Just as Zhang Xuan knew, gambling was not allowed in the Sword Pavilion. However, small-scale betting among disciples was generally ignored. Typically, bets on sword duels like this were two or three Sword Pavilion Coins, which was normal. Five was considered a lot, and this was the first time he'd seen someone bet twenty coins in one go.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Once placed, no backing out..." The grey-robed youth looked up at the stage. The white-clad figure clearly had the upper hand, and the green-clad one was steadily retreating, about to lose at any moment. He chuckled, took out a card worth twenty and handed it over: "Give me the money. After the match, exchange this with me... Of course, if you lose, you won't get a single coin!"

"Mhm!" Zhang Xuan nodded. When he entered, he had already prepared a Spirit Communication Card for this place, and all twenty Sword Pavilion Coins were transferred to it. With a slight tap, the 'twenty' on the card was deducted.

"Heh heh!" Seeing twenty more Sword Pavilion Coins in his hand, the grey-robed youth chuckled softly and turned to walk aside.

"How was it?" Just as he reached the side, another youth in similar clothing approached him.

"I met an idiot who just bet on the green-clad one to win, a full twenty Sword Pavilion Coins!" The grey-robed youth whispered.

"Twenty? What an idiot!" The second youth paused, then his eyes lit up: "Others might not know who's fighting on stage, but I've investigated thoroughly! The white-clad one is Senior Brother Mo He, and the green-clad one is Junior Brother Hu Xiao. The latter has only been here for less than two years; how could he be a match for Senior Brother Mo?"

"Yeah, these twenty coins are pure profit..." The grey-robed youth chuckled, feeling pleased about encountering an idiot and earning so much. Just then, he saw the retreating green-clad figure on the stage reach the edge, and his sword qi suddenly swept across.

*Thump!* The white-clad figure was stabbed in the chest, the blade piercing straight through.

The green-clad one was victorious!