Dao Cheng Gui Xian

Chapter 92 Betting on Liu Yiming

The south end of the bridge was bustling with noise.

Since the High Priest suppressed the Six-Eyed Monk of the Blood Buddha Temple, the people of the main city are no longer as afraid of the residents of the south city as before.

They gathered in twos and threes, discussing "major world events!"

The most numerous secrets are those that High Priest Li Wushou cannot reveal;

There are also stories about high priests beating orphans, kicking widows, and slaying pregnant big-headed fish with their swords, which were told vividly by some of Wu Zhuangyuan's colleagues.

Li Wushou led Li Hu through crowds of people, their previous leisurely mood gone.

"Is this how they usually spread rumors?"

Li Hu glanced at Li Wushou, whose face was stern, and suppressed a laugh as he replied, "Uncle, that storyteller always uses exaggerated titles as gimmicks."

Li Wushou could understand, but as the protagonist, it was hard for him to be happy.

No wonder Wu Zhuangyuan asked me last time if I had bullied the orphan and widow at the Cherry Blossom Bridge. So all the versions started from here, right?

Li Wushou was somewhat wrong about these storytellers. Although everyone was very interested in the private lives of important figures, who would dare to talk about it so openly?
There's a teahouse called "Youjian Teahouse" on Zhengcheng West Street. A scholar named Wu always says that this teahouse is located between the City God Temple and the Grand Priest's residence, the Sanxian Hall. The Grand Priest travels between there every day, and I've never heard of him having any complaints.

That's how everyone gradually became bolder!

Li Wushou was unaware of the intricacies of the situation; otherwise, he would surely have felt heartbroken at being the victim of such exploitation.

To avoid attracting attention today, he even changed into a long, dark black robe. This robe was made for him by Li Hu's mother!
Thanks to Li Wushou's connections, Li Erniu received many congratulatory gifts when he moved to his new home.

Li Hu's mother selected several of the finest bolts of cloth from the congratulatory gifts and spent several nights tailoring several new outfits for Li Wushou.

After thinking it over and over, Li Wushou still didn't make a move!

Because he discovered that, as Li Hu had said, these storytellers, apart from the gimmicky names, were actually quite similar in terms of content.

But what's with all the erotic talk from the bridge princess?

Seeing that Li Hu's interest was growing, Li Wushou urged him to head towards Liu Yiming's gambling stall.

Li Hu felt a little regretful, but thinking about how he could get revenge on Liu Yiming later, his mind started working again. He walked up to Li Wushou and led the way.

Before long, the two arrived at a large willow tree, where a crowd had already gathered.

Li Hu put his hands on his hips and shouted, "Liu Yiming, your Tiger Lord is back!"

The crowd surrounding the gambling stall was startled. They turned around and saw Li Hu. Some of them knew Li Hu well and knew that he was Ghost Hand's apprentice. They all made way for him.

But didn't this kid just get a beating from Liu Yiming a few days ago?

Everyone looked on with amusement as Li Hu walked in with his head held high, and only then did the crowd notice Li Wushou following behind him.

Perhaps because he had been a high priest for some time, Li Wushou exuded a sense of composure in his every move. The black robe he wore made him look very upright, and coupled with his outstanding appearance, he naturally revealed a noble air.

The crowd was surprised to find that the two were together.

Did they bring helpers with them?

How could Li Hu possibly invite such an important person?

Liu Yiming was engrossed in his gambling game when Li Hu interrupted him, infuriating him. He was about to erupt in anger when he saw Li Wushou behind Li Hu. Like the surrounding crowd, he assumed Li Wushou was some important person. Thinking to himself, "This is troublesome," he suppressed his anger and said to Li Hu:
“Li Hu, we’ve already sparred, and I’ve told you that your master, Ghost Hand, didn’t gamble with me. He couldn’t accept defeat and died suddenly from a heart attack. Many people around us can testify to that. So why are you causing me trouble again and again?”

Li Hu's face flushed red, and he pointed at Liu Yiming and shouted:
"You're talking nonsense! My master didn't fail. You must have cheated! Besides, if my master hadn't cheated, how could he have lost his life?"

Liu Yiming glanced at Li Wushou behind Li Hu, and seeing that the other party had no intention of speaking, pointed at Li Hu and shouted:

"Li Hu, stop your nonsense. What evidence do you have that I cheated?"

“This is my uncle. In front of my uncle, you and I will have a match. If you win, I will acknowledge your true skill. If you lose, I will make you close the gambling stall and admit defeat to my master!”

Liu Yiming ignored Li Hu and instead turned his gaze to Li Wushou, who remained silent with a smile.

"My esteemed guest, is this truly the truth?"

Li Wushou looked at Liu Yiming, who was somewhat thin. He was about forty years old, with a dark complexion. Although he was wearing a nice pair of new shoes, his exposed ankles were covered with dark chapped skin.

He looked much the same as the people in the city, but Li Wushou keenly sensed a difference; he seemed somewhat like someone from outside the city.
Seeing that the other party had asked, Li Wushou nodded and took out a silver ingot from his pocket, which weighed about five taels.

“You make another bet with my nephew. If you lose, you do as my nephew says. If you win, this ingot of silver is yours, in addition to what he said.”

These words caused an uproar among the surrounding crowd.

That's five taels of silver!
The gambling stall looked lively, but most people were just killing time by betting one copper coin at a time.

Liu Yiming's eyes reddened instantly. Five taels of silver? How long would that take him to work? The slight apprehension he had felt vanished the moment he saw the five taels of silver.

"Alright! Then I'll have another bet with Li Hu!"

Liu Yiming took a deep look at the silver in Li Wushou's hand, agreed, and then turned to look at Li Hu.

"Or is it the Three Immortals Returning to Their Cave?"

Li Hu rolled up his sleeves and nodded. His uncle had already told him on the way here that he only needed to perform the Three Immortals Returning to the Cave trick normally!

"Liu Yiming, the usual rules, best two out of three!"

After agreeing on the terms, Li Hu took out his personal bowls and utensils for the other party to inspect. Once everything was in order, the two officially began their conversation.

The onlookers stared intently at the two men in the arena, while Li Wushou watched Liu Yiming with interest. Liu Yiming had been subtly hiding one hand in his pocket ever since Li Hu started.

Others could not see it clearly, but Li Wushou saw it perfectly.

The moment Liu Yiming tucked his hand into his pocket, he took a needle and pricked his finger. Seemingly taking this bet too seriously, Liu Yiming pricked it very deeply this time.

Despite the stinging pain, Liu Yiming remained unfazed.

Blood instantly oozed from the finger in his arms, dripping onto a piece of white paper at his waist.

The white paper was as smooth as jade and as white as mutton fat. The moment the blood dripped into it, a stream of light flashed across the paper, and a golden eye slowly appeared, swallowing the blood.

Liu Yiming's face lit up with joy. He looked up at Li Hu in Guihao Cave and said confidently, "There's one ball in this bowl, and the other two balls are in your hands!"

Li Hu's expression changed, and he reached out to lift the bowl, but Liu Yiming was one step ahead of him and directly lifted both bowls.

The ball in the bowl was exactly as Liu Yiming had said, without the slightest discrepancy!
(End of this chapter)