Taichu Yandao: Starting from the Villain

Zhao Rui had the urge to find out some information in his mind and was very enthusiastic about Qu Jiangtian.

As they chatted, the two quickly became familiar with each other.

Zhao Rui had deep insights into swordsmanship and the ways of gold and fire, which impressed Qu Jiangtian greatly during the conversation. Qu Jiangtian said frankly that he would like to learn from Zhao Rui if he had the chance.

Qu Jiangtianze is well-informed and has a strong memory. He has extremely profound knowledge. He can talk about alchemy, forging, and even Buddhism.

The two chatted about everything and the atmosphere became more and more harmonious. Even Long Wanshou, who was always sarcastic, joined in the conversation from time to time.

We gambled until about three o'clock in the morning.

Zhao Rui seized the opportunity and tried to probe: "I heard that a hundred years ago, there was a very powerful sword cultivation sect. They were good at splitting light swordsmanship and were almost invincible at the same level."

Qu Jiangtian raised his eyebrows and said, "Spectral Sword Technique? I seem to have heard of it somewhere... somewhere."

Zhao Rui's breathing was rapid. He had been asking around since arriving in Jin State, but no one had spoken in such a tone. He immediately said:

"It seems to be the signature skill of the Tianqing Sect. Fellow Daoist, you are very knowledgeable. Have you ever heard of such a sect?"

"Tianqing Sect..." Qu Jiangtian frowned, as if trying hard to recall.

Zhao Rui's heart was pounding and he stared at Qu Jiangtian without blinking.

"Never heard of it..." Qu Jiang said finally.

Zhao Rui's mood instantly plummeted, but he gave it a try and said, "It happened over a hundred years ago, and old bones like us don't know about it. It's normal that you don't know about it either."

Qu Jiangtian was very unconvinced, but he didn't know how to refute it. After a while, he said, "Are your swordsmanship and sect real? I have been reading books in the Sutra Library since I was five years old. I know the 500-year history of the Jin State, but I have never heard of such a sect."

Monk Jiujie said: "Our world is so vast that even a Jindan cultivator cannot explore it in his entire life, and Jin is just a small country in a corner of the East China Sea. Even if we know the past five hundred years, what we know is still limited..."

Long Wanshou sneered and said, "You are talking nonsense. If we include our world, there must be a Tianqing Sect, and maybe ten or eight. But we are in Jin State, so we must take Jin State as the premise."

Qu Jiangtian nodded and said, "Yes, everyone here, has anyone ever been out of Jin State?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the field fell into silence.

"I have been out of Jin State before. When I was ten years old, my great master..."

Qu Jiangtian talked to himself until he gradually realized that no one was talking.

But this did not stop them from continuing to gamble. After all, chatting was just a side job, and drawing cards was the main course.

The few of them gambled for two days and two nights, until they all had panda eyes, and then they dispersed.

Before leaving, Zhao Rui pointed to the scroll above and said, "Eight thousand nine hundred and eight. Fellow Daoist Qu has made a great contribution. How about we come back to claim the grand prize after we wake up?"

Qu Jiangtian yawned and said, "Oh! Is this the grand prize? More than 8,000 spirit stones, that's really a lot."

Zhao Rui smiled and said, "Look, Fellow Daoist Long, you only put up one white chip just to wait for this grand prize, but I don't have such patience, I can't help but get carried away easily."

Qu Jiangtian yawned again and said, "Daoyou Zhao, I can't bear it anymore. Let's talk about it later. Let's talk about it later!"

The two parted ways from then on, and Zhao Rui followed the familiar route back to the guest room on the fifth floor.

He didn't even wash up and just fell asleep.

A day and a night passed, and when Zhao Rui woke up, he felt very hungry.

He picked up the bell next to him, rang it five times, and then lay on the bed and continued to wait.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door, followed by a voice saying, "Dear guest, your spiritual food has arrived!"

Zhao Rui stretched, got up from the bed and went to get the spiritual food.

Inside the exquisite food box, there are four exquisite side dishes and a bowl of steaming mushroom noodles.

After a while, Zhao Rui was full and sat on the cushion to meditate.

However, as soon as his magic power completed a cycle, he was unable to concentrate.

He opened the calendar and saw the words "Travel" and immediately said to himself, "Today is a good day. I must go out for a walk."

He picked up the chips on the desk and walked downstairs.

In the gambling hall, in front of Piao Sanye's table, Master Jiujie and Long Wanshou were already sitting in their old seats.

Zhao Rui smiled, quickened his pace to the stage, and said, "Good morning, both of you! The grand prize is still there, so let's continue."

"Amitabha! It's getting late. It will be dark soon." said Master Jiujie.

Zhao Rui smiled brightly and said, "Good evening, both of you. Hey! That friend Qu didn't come?"

“No…”

Zhao Rui nodded, said nothing more, took out a blue chip and started betting.

This gamble lasted for several days and nights until Zhao Rui lost all his chips and returned home in disappointment.

Days like this were like a whirlpool, trapping Zhao Rui and the other two deeper and deeper. None of them mentioned leaving Panlong Valley again, and they just sank into the cycle of winning and losing day after day.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, a year has passed.

Panlong Valley is still bustling with countless monks coming in and out, and many old faces have been replaced by new ones.

In the gambling hall, Zhao Rui had an untidy beard, his eyes looked around, and his face looked extremely gloomy.

Only one year had passed, but he seemed to have aged ten years.

He walked to a gambling table with dice, and just as he stood there, a voice asked, "Isn't this Brother Zhao? When will you return the fifty chips you lent me last time?"

"Friend Zhou! I've had bad luck these past two days, but I'll definitely pay you back in two days. Don't you still trust my credit? Ask around in the place, who doesn't know me, Zhao Rui? When have I ever failed to pay back a debt?"

"I know that Fellow Daoist Zhao is a man of his word, but don't delay too long. Fifty dollars is not a small amount."

"Don't worry, don't worry, I'll pay it back in two days, it's just a drizzle."

Zhao Rui said as he walked towards another gambling table.

"Friend Zhao, please take a seat!" The dealer greeted Zhao Rui immediately when he saw him.

Zhao Rui looked embarrassed and said, "Today's almanac is not good. Let me check it first. You guys play first."

The dealer kept smiling, said nothing, and continued dealing cards.

Zhao Rui remained silent, seemingly just watching, but in fact he was counting all the cards. In the past two years, he had lost countless spirit stones, but he also found some patterns.

After the dealer hit several 20 points in a row, Zhao Rui pretended to be nonchalant and said, "This time, I have to play the top straight."

In front of him, a plump woman was holding a jade-folded fan, and every fan she waved brought a cool breeze.

When the woman heard what Zhao Rui said, she was completely unmoved and a sneer appeared on her lips.

Soon, all the cards were dealt. The dealer showed a seven, while the woman's two cards were an eight and a nine, which made a straight.

"This...Did he really calculate it right?" The woman was shocked, and subtle changes occurred in her heart.

Later, the dealer turned over a nine, making sixteen points, and called another card, which was a five, and the whole board was won with twenty-one points.

Everyone booed, and the dealer reminded: "These few hands are quite prosperous, do you want to change the dealer?"

"They're all the same, just keep going!"

"The medicine remains the same, just change the soup. Let's bet smaller and stay out of the spotlight."

In the next three rounds, the dealer's luck began to decline and was stuck below eighteen points. However, the lady's luck was even worse, with three consecutive losses.

A new hand began, and the noble lady turned around and asked, "My fellow Taoist, how should we play this hand?"