Fairyland Sunshine

Chapter 105 The Eight Great Immortals
Xu Heng remembered that among the books in Tianchi Mountain, there was a miscellaneous note that said that in this world, there were eight people who roamed the universe and lived a carefree life.

These eight people were neither good nor evil, and did not belong to any of the three religions or nine schools of thought, but they all cultivated boundless magical powers, so people called them the "Eight Great Immortals", and Shuohe Taoist was one of them.

Eight years ago, Xu Heng had met Taoist Shuohe once, and thanks to him he was spared a disaster. He was somewhat curious about these strange people and things, so when he had free time, he read a lot of records about the Eight Great Immortals.

Among them there was one whose characteristics were very consistent with the Taoist in front of him, so when he recited the poem, Xu Heng had already guessed his identity.

“… Only when you understand the mysterious method of gambling can you know that everything is empty.”

After the Taoist finished chanting the poem, he didn't say another word and walked towards the station calmly. The guards looked at each other in confusion.

Seeing this scene, Xu Heng secretly laughed in his heart, but he was afraid of losing face to the Taoist priest, so he had to take a half step forward and bow, saying politely: "So you are the Zhenkong Great Immortal. It is an honor to meet you in person."

The gambler looked calm and didn't seem embarrassed at all. He nodded reservedly and said, "You have good taste, kid."

At this time the leader of the guards came to his senses. No wonder he felt familiar with the name of Taoist He. It turned out that they were the Eight Great Immortals, who existed almost only in legends.

His knowledge was broader than others, but still limited. He wanted to step forward and greet Xu Heng, but seeing that Xu Heng had already started the conversation, he was a little afraid to interrupt. He changed his mind and quickly waved his men away, fearing that he would offend this god-like figure.

At this time, the Taoist Shuohe looked Xu Heng up and down, held his chin in his hand and thought: "Why does this young friend look so familiar?"

Logically speaking, how could anyone who had met a person like He Daoren forget him? Xu Heng was a little surprised, but he could only answer: "I had the honor of meeting you eight years ago, so maybe that's why you have some impression of me."

"Oh?" While the Taoist Shuohe was still thinking, the Taoist Du took over and said, "So we are old acquaintances. This will make things very easy."

"Boy, you were the one who cast the spell just now, right? You are the one who will judge for sure."

Xu Heng had also heard some of the debate between the two before, and knew what the gambler was talking about, but after thinking about it, he replied: "I don't know the cause and effect, so I'm afraid it's not appropriate for me to comment on it."

"What's so difficult about this? I'll just tell you." The Taoist who gambles said, "I made a bet with the Taoist who says he will hit our raft. I bet it won't, and he bets it will."

"Now it's very clear that the ship didn't hit us, so I should have won, but the Taoist said he won."

"No, no." The Taoist said, shaking his head, "What we bet on is whether there will be a collision. The ships have obviously collided, but they just didn't hit each other."

"Then there was no collision?" the gambler said angrily.

The Taoist said, "We didn't hit him, but we did collide. It was this young friend who used magic to push us away."

"You crazy old Taoist, I have nothing to say to you!" The gambler sneered and turned to Xu Heng and said, "You tell me who should win. Don't try to smooth things over."

"This." Xu Heng actually thought about it seriously, and after a moment's silence, he replied, "The senior also said that the bet is 'will it collide?' If that's the case, it should be 'will collide'."

"That's exactly what's going on." Taoist Shuohe nodded in agreement.

"Ridiculous!" The gambling Taoist waved his hand and said, "Since they have cast a spell to push us away, doesn't that mean they won't collide?"

Xu Heng said honestly: "It's just that I happened to be at the bow of the ship and didn't want to see any unnecessary trouble, so I used magic to push it away. So in my opinion, it was going to collide."

"Of course, if you don't approve, I have nothing to say."

"You!" The gambler was glaring at Xu Heng, but after hearing this he waved his hand and said, "What a joke! Can't I, the gambler, afford to lose?"

After saying that, he shouted at the Taoist: "You win this round!"

"Good." The Taoist said with a smile, "In this way, three out of five games will win. I have already won two games."

The gambling Taoist snorted, his eyes suddenly turned, and he ignored the Taoist and asked Xu Heng: "Boy, do you want to play a game?"

"What?" Xu Heng asked in surprise, "Senior, you want to make a bet with me?"

"That's right." The gambling Taoist said with a chuckle, "Since you know me, you should know how many people in the world dream of getting me. Why don't you play a round with me, the gambling Taoist?"

Of course Xu Heng knew.

There are many strange people among the Eight Immortals, and the Gambling Taoist is one of them. It is rumored that when he gambles, he will take out any treasure in order to get a good prize. As long as you win the bet against him, you can get unimaginable benefits.

What's more, it is said that he once lost all his magic weapons in a gambling accident. What's even more strange is that this person is a very good gambler. Although he possesses infinite magical powers, he never cheats in gambling and never refuses to pay when he loses.

With such a strange man, naturally there would be countless people who dream of betting with him.

But Xu Heng shook his head, because he knew that the Taoist gambler was a gambler and not a philanthropist, and betting with him was not something that could be entered with empty hands, one had to put up a corresponding amount of money.

The value of this prize may not be very high, but it is certainly something that those who enter the game regard as a treasure. In his own words, if a gambling game cannot make both parties feel nervous, then it will not be exciting at all.

If the opportunity really fell upon him, Xu Heng would naturally not refuse it, but if he was asked to take out something precious and make an unknown gamble, this was not his nature.

"I'm not a good gambler by nature, so let's not gamble."

The gambler had expected Xu Heng to gamble, and had been thinking about what to bet on. What should he bet on? Suddenly, he heard this and asked in astonishment, "What did you say?"

Xu Heng had no choice but to repeat: "Juniors don't gamble."

The gambler's eyes widened and he asked, "Why don't you first listen to what the Taoist wants to win?"

Xu Heng was actually a little curious, but since he had made the decision, he planned to refuse directly.

But the gambling Taoist had also seen through it. He was afraid that Xu Heng would really refuse, so he gritted his teeth and said, "As long as you win the bet against me, I can agree to anything I can get!!"

Xu Heng's heart skipped a beat. Who is this Taoist? He is one of the Eight Great Loose Immortals in the world! There are probably not many masters in various schools who can compare with him in terms of Taoism, right?
Such a person made a solemn promise, and even if Xu Heng had a strong character, it would be impossible for him not to be shaken.

"No wonder the word gambling is so scary." Xu Heng shuddered when he thought of this, and quickly calmed down and said, "I have nothing, so I'm afraid it's hard for the seniors to see me. Let's just forget it." "Who asked you to put a stake in it?" The gambler's voice rose a few notches, but as he spoke, he seemed to regret it and said to himself, "No, it won't work without a stake... Let's do this."

"If you bet on one year of your practice, I will bet with you that my promise will not change. How about that?"

Xu Heng took a deep breath and said, "I have made up my mind. Please don't try to persuade me anymore, senior."

Xu Heng saw that the Taoist gambler looked serious, and it seemed that what he said was not false. However, for others, one year's practice might not be comparable to the Taoist gambler's promise, but for Xu Heng, his own practice was the most important thing.

Moreover, since the situation was unusual, there must be something fishy. Xu Heng always felt that the gambler was so anxious to gamble with him, and there must be other reasons behind it. Although he could not guess it, he simply did not think too much about it and just refused directly.

The gambler's eyes widened like bells, and he shouted, "You don't even want a year's worth of practice. Are you really not going to gamble?"

Xu Heng found it even more strange, so of course he refused. He didn't expect the Taoist to collapse suddenly, as if he had lost his soul. He muttered, "I have been gambling all my life, and I actually lost three games in a row to the Taoist?"

Xu Heng's heart moved, and he saw the Taoist priest laughing. He took a sip from the gourd at his waist, and then said, "Three things, not one less!"

The gambler came back to his senses, put his hands behind his back in a melancholy gesture, looked at the moon in the sky, and said sadly: "Tell me, I am willing to accept the loss of the bet. What do you want me to do? Just tell me."

The Taoist Shuohe thought for a moment, held up two fingers, and said, "First of all, I want you to stop any disputes you see within ten years, just like the old Taoist."

"What?" the gambler shouted, "Do you know how much you offend people by doing this?"

The Taoist Shuohe looked serious and said, "It is a great merit to settle disputes in the world. How can it offend people?"

"I can't argue with you." The Taoist gambler waved his hand and said, "Go on."

"The second thing, I said before..." Before he could finish what he was saying, the Taoist priest suddenly lost his composure and shouted, "How can we do this!"

The Taoist said, "Best of five games, best of three. The winner can propose three conditions, and the loser must not violate them. This is the bet that Taoist thought up."

Xu Heng was watching from the side and felt that the gambler had aged a few years. He couldn't help but blink his eyes, and then realized that what he had observed was unnecessary, and was shocked.

Appearance is determined by the mind, this is the characteristic of those with boundless Taoism. He deserves the title of one of the Eight Great Immortals and is indeed a first-class figure in the world.

However, at this moment, the boundless Taoist master could only say woodenly: "The third thing, please give me a quick death."

"The third thing..." The Taoist Shuohe pondered for a moment, but suddenly turned his gaze to Xu Heng, "My friend, do you want anything?"

"What?" Xu Heng asked in surprise, "I wonder what you mean, senior?"

The Taoist Shuohe explained, "The Taoist Du made a bet with me, saying that if he was willing, you would definitely bet with him, but you refused, so he lost the bet."

"I won his victory with three conditions. One of them is because of you, so you can propose this condition."

Xu Heng felt as if he had been hit on the head by bad luck. Many thoughts suddenly popped up in his mind. It took him a long time to overcome them. He said with difficulty: "I have worked for nothing, how can I sit back and enjoy the fruits of others' labor? Please take it back, senior."

The Taoist priest Shuohe looked at Xu Heng in surprise, but he didn't say anything more. He said to the Taoist priest Du: "Since you don't want to propose it, then you can consider the third condition yourself and see how to satisfy you."

The gambler seemed to take it seriously, and he actually said in deep thought: "I need to think about this carefully."

Xu Heng was about to speak when he heard this, but in just a moment, the gambler seemed to have an idea and suddenly said, "I got it!"

As for what happened, he didn't mention it. He suddenly shook his body and disappeared on the deck. After a while, a voice was heard from under the boat, shouting: "Speak to the Taoist priest, what are you still dragging your feet?"

The Taoist Shuohe laughed and said, "Let's go," then jumped off the bow. Xu Heng took two steps closer and looked, only to see a bamboo raft floating on the sea. Two of the eight great immortals were actually floating away on the bamboo raft.

"This..." Xu Heng looked at the bamboo raft going farther and farther away, and couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder.

What he saw and heard that night was really dazed. He was suddenly caught in a gambling game between two immortals and was hit by an opportunity... Although until the end, Xu Heng didn't know what the gambler's idea was, he didn't take it too seriously.

The so-called practice is to cultivate the truth. Xu Heng feels that one should not take the gains and losses that should not exist too seriously, otherwise one will inevitably lose his true self.

In fact, when Taoist Shuohe asked Xu Heng to put forward the third condition, he had already experienced a struggle. After the refusal, he not only did not feel lost, but instead felt a sense of peace and stability, and even the circulation of his magic power seemed lighter.

Since we have already gained a lot tonight, why should we ask for anything more?

Xu Heng watched the bamboo raft disappear into the night, and couldn't help but smile. He then turned around and got off the bow. However, before he took a few steps, the guard leader who had been standing silently beside him came up to him and said, "Tong Helin, may I know your name?"

Xu Heng was surprised and returned the greeting: "Xu Heng, hello, Taoist Tong."

"So it's Fellow Daoist Xu." Tong Helin glanced at Xu Heng's badge and said, "Fellow Daoist Xu is He's bodyguard? He looks unfamiliar."

"Oh?" Xu Heng said calmly, "I have been in the He family for a short time, and I have never met you."

"I see." Tong Helin didn't seem to have any doubts. He exchanged a few polite words with Xu Heng, and then said with some envy: "How could Daoist friend refuse the bet? He is a gambler. I heard that he even gambled away his magic weapon..."

Xu Heng laughed, but didn't mention what he thought. He just changed the subject and said, "Maybe it's just a rumor. After all, magic weapons don't have to be ordinary things."

"How could it be a rumor?" Tong Helin said seriously, "I once heard someone say that the one who won his magic weapon was the chief disciple of Xuanjing Mountain Xiandu Sect of this generation..."

"Xuanjing Mountain Xiandu Sect..." Xu Heng's heart couldn't help but move, he had quite an impression of this name.

Because Xuanjing Xiandu is not just a big Taoist sect. According to legend, the sect's Taoist tradition can be traced back to ancient times. It is a real ancient Taoist sect. Even many of the Taoist books that Xu Heng is still reading today are passed down from the Xiandu sect.

"The chief disciple of this generation of Xiandu Sect, I remember his name is... Ying Xianlin."

The chief of the Three Immortals and Four Beauties is Ying Xianlin.

(End of this chapter)