Establishing a Clan in the Eastern Wilderness: A Daily Divination, Cultivating Longevity in a Grotto

"What are we betting on? What are the odds?" someone shouted impatiently.

With a flick of his sleeve, the shopkeeper unfurled a screen of light before everyone. The names of fifteen families were listed in order, followed by the odds of making it into the top five.

Li Changsheng's gaze swept over them, and his eyebrows twitched slightly.

The top five families have odds of 1 to 1. The Sun family, the Zhou family, the Wu family, the Zheng family, and the Nangong family—he had never heard of the other four families except for the Nangong family.

The middle five companies have odds of 1 to 3.

The last five companies have odds of 1 to 10.

The names of the Li and Du families were prominently listed among the last five, with odds of 1 to 10.

The crowd murmured amongst themselves: "These odds clearly indicate they think the Li and Du families have no chance of making the top five."

"No wonder, both of these families are newly established. I heard their highest cultivation level is only mid-stage Qi Refining. How can they compare to established families?"

"Exactly! Which of those families in other counties hasn't been passed down for over a hundred years? I heard the Sun family alone has three peak Qi Refining experts!"

The shopkeeper raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet: "Please hold your bets. According to the rules, anyone who places a bet in advance must have it publicly displayed to ensure fairness."

He cast several spells into the light screen, and lines of numbers appeared.

Under the name of the top-ranked Sun family, it was clearly written: 33,000 spirit stones.

An uproar erupted in the crowd.

"Thirty-three thousand! Who's that generous?"

"Is there even a need to guess? The Sun family patriarch's sister married the head of the seventh branch of the Yun family. This bet was most likely placed by the seventh branch of the Yun family, clearly telling everyone that the Sun family is a sure thing to be in the top five!"

"That's not necessarily true," someone said sourly. "Of the five counties in Anyang Prefecture, those in Qinglan County are just there to make up the numbers, but the established families in the other counties are no pushovers either. No matter how powerful the Sun family is, can they guarantee a win?"

Despite the discussions, those who placed bets were quite clear-headed.

With the stakes of 33,000 yuan laid out, everyone had a pretty good idea of ​​who was in the top five – the Sun family had the backing of the Yun family's seventh branch, so they were almost certain of getting those spots.

Spirit stones were pulled out with a clatter, and in the blink of an eye, the bets under the Sun family's name had soared to 70,000.

The Li and Du families had nothing; they didn't own a single spirit stone.

Li Changsheng stood on the periphery of the crowd, looking at the glaring "0" after the Li family's name on the light screen, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

He needs to be in the top five to enter Five Dragon Mountain. Since we're going to gamble anyway, let's gamble big.

He parted the crowd and walked to the counter.

"Bet on the Li family, one thousand spirit stones."

The waiter thought he had misheard and looked up at him: "Which one are you betting on, fellow Daoist?"

"The Li family. One thousand spirit stones."

The waiter was stunned for a while, confirming several times before registering the information and handing over a token: "After the competition ends, if the Li family truly makes it into the top five, you can exchange this token for spirit stones. It's a 10-fold return, 10,000 spirit stones."

Snickers erupted from the crowd.

"Are they crazy? Betting on the Li family?"

"He's obviously a gambler, trying to win big with a small investment. He doesn't even know what the Li family's background is. They've only been established for two years, and their highest cultivation level is only mid-stage Qi Refining. What makes them think they can compete?"

"A thousand spirit stones thrown into the water, not even a sound is heard."

Li Changsheng ignored him, took the token, and turned to leave.

Just as he was about to squeeze out of the crowd, a foul odor hit him. He looked up and saw a hunched figure standing on the outer edge of the crowd, peering in cautiously.

It's Old Man Jiang.

He closed his stall early today, intending to go home and cook for his granddaughter. Passing by and seeing the crowd, he decided to join the commotion. He looked at the odds on the screen: the Li and Du families were 1 to 10, while the others each had their own odds. His hand clenched tightly in his sleeve, inside which lay all the wealth he had accumulated over the years from scavenging on the edge of the Crimson Forbidden Land—four hundred spirit stones.

If we keep the spirit stones, we can buy our granddaughter some good pills, which might help her cultivate faster. But four hundred spirit stones are barely enough to make a ripple on the path of cultivation. And if we bet them on the Li family…

He hesitated, his face full of struggle.

As Li Changsheng passed by him, he paused and transmitted his voice: "Elder Jiang, you dared to risk your life in the Blood Forbidden Land, why don't you dare to gamble again?"

Old Man Jiang was startled and looked up abruptly, only to see Li Changsheng's departing figure.

His grip on the spirit stone pouch tightened and loosened repeatedly. After a moment, he gritted his teeth and squeezed to the counter.

"Bet on the Li family! Four hundred spirit stones!"

The waiter was stunned again. What was going on today? Everyone was betting on the Li family?

But he didn't ask any further questions, registered the information, and handed over the token.

Old Man Jiang took the token, clutched it in his hand, his palms sweaty.

...

...

Du Liuniang saw this scene as she came out of Wutong Lane.

Beside her was a girl of about fourteen or fifteen years old, with her hair in two buns. Her eyebrows and eyes were somewhat similar to hers. She was Du Qiqi, Du Liuniang's cousin who had been promoted by her.

"Sister, look! Someone from the Li family has bet 1,400 spirit stones!" Du Qiqi pointed at the light screen, her tone tinged with surprise. Then, she stomped her foot in frustration. "Our Du family still has zero spirit stones! This is so embarrassing! It's all my fault for cultivating too slowly. I'm only at the fifth level of Qi Refining now, a disgrace to the family..."

Du Liuniang remained silent.

She looked at the 1,400 spirit stones wagered under the Li family's name on the screen, a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes.

A moment later, she strode toward the counter.

Du Qiqi thought the clan leader was going to place a bet on her Du family, so she quickly followed, wondering whether she should also take out her private savings to support the family.

"Bet on the Li family, eight hundred spirit stones." Du Liuniang took out the spirit stones and placed them on the counter.

Du Qiqi was stunned: "Sister, shouldn't we be the ones being held hostage?"

Du Liuniang was self-aware.

The Du family won't even make the top five.

...

...

The crowd gradually dispersed, and the deadline for placing bets was fast approaching.

A figure wearing a veil walked gracefully towards them.

She was dressed in plain clothes, with a slender figure. A veil covered most of her face, revealing only a pair of cool, clear eyes. She stopped in front of the counter, took a storage bag from her sleeve, and gently placed it on the counter.

"Thirty thousand spirit stones, bet on the Li family."

The shopkeeper's hands trembled, and he almost spilled the abacus.

Thirty thousand spirit stones!

He stammered, "Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment. This amount is too large; I cannot make the decision on my own."

He rushed upstairs, and a moment later, the shopkeeper came down in person.

The shopkeeper was a middle-aged scholar with shrewd eyes. He looked the woman up and down, then cupped his hands and said, "Fellow Daoist, are you sure you want to bet on the Li family? Thirty thousand spirit stones, at odds of one to ten, if the Li family really makes it into the top five, our shop will have to pay out three hundred thousand spirit stones."

The woman's voice was cold and clear: "Confirmed."

The shopkeeper pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Very well. Our shop is open to honest business, treating everyone fairly. Since you insist on betting on the Li family, we have no reason to refuse you." He waved his hand, "I'll remember that."

The waiter, his hands trembling, registered the items and handed over the token.

The woman took it, turned and left, disappearing into the alleyway.

The shopkeeper watched her retreating figure, lost in thought. Thirty thousand spirit stones staked on an obscure little family—this woman was either insane or knew some inside story. He shook his head and turned back to the shop.

Their bank can afford to lose 300,000 spirit stones.

But can the Li family really make it into the top five?

...

...

When Li Changsheng returned to the courtyard, his father Li Shouyi and younger sister Li Changle had been waiting for him for a long time.

"Brother!" Li Changle skipped over to greet him. "Where have you been? Yun Jiuniang is here, waiting for you in the reception room!"

Li Changsheng straightened his clothes and strode into the reception room.

Yun Jiuniang sat upright in the guest seat, the tea in her cup already cold. Seeing him enter, she put down her teacup and got straight to the point: "The competition venue has been decided: Ten Thousand Ghosts Cave."

Li Changsheng's heart stirred.

"You must be in the top five." Yun Jiuniang looked at him, her tone leaving no room for doubt. "Only by being in the top five will you be qualified to enter Five Dragon Mountain." She took out a treasure pouch from her sleeve, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards him. "Take these; you'll need them in the competition."

Li Changsheng scanned the contents of the treasure pouch with his divine sense and was slightly surprised. The elixirs, talismans, and magical artifacts inside were worth at least a thousand spirit stones.

"Ninth Miss, this is far too precious—"

"Take it." Yun Jiuniang interrupted him, stood up, and said, "I have other matters to attend to, so I won't stay any longer. Just a word of advice: be careful of the Sun family."

"The Sun family?"

"Yun Qilang's maternal grandparents' family." Yun Jiuniang sneered, "Last time you made him lose face in the bet, and knowing his temperament, he won't let it go so easily."

She put on her veil, turned and left.

After leaving Wutong Lane, Yun Jiuniang paused and glanced back at the direction of the small courtyard.

She always had a question in her mind—why was her eldest sister so certain that the Li family could be in the top five? She was even willing to bet 30,000 spirit stones?

Thirty thousand spirit stones is nothing to the eldest sister.

But where does this certainty come from?