Chapter 109: Seeking Immortals to Gamble

“It seems this rain won’t stop tonight,” remarked Ying Du, standing under the eaves at the entrance of the ruined temple. After speaking, he returned to the campfire.

Now that his clothes were dry and he had eaten, his spirits seemed much livelier than before.

“Mr. Gu, out here in the wilderness, traveling alone—what are you up to?” Chatty as ever, Ying Du knew that Liu Feixue wouldn’t respond to him, so he directed his words at Gu Ning’an instead, eager for conversation.

Gu Ning’an smiled faintly. “I’m on my way to conduct a burial.”

Whoosh!

A gust of wind blew through the dilapidated temple, nearly extinguishing the firelight.

The combination of the chill wind and Gu Ning’an’s words sent shivers down Ying Du’s spine, and he forced an awkward smile as he shifted the topic. “Hehe… Sir, are you tired? How about we play a few rounds of something?”

Rattle, rattle!

As he spoke, a pair of dice cups appeared in his hands. When he shook them, the dice inside emitted a rhythmic rattling sound.

Thud!

Slamming one cup onto the ground, Ying Du uncovered it, revealing five dice stacked neatly atop one another, all showing a single pip facing upward.

Gu Ning’an chuckled. “I don’t gamble, but you’ve got some skill there. Reminds me of someone I once knew.”

“Oh?” Ying Du’s interest was piqued. He grinned. “This is just a little trick. Real gambling skills—those are only proven at the table.”

“Sir, how about we play a round? No stakes, just for fun.” Undeterred, Ying Du extended his invitation again.

Gu Ning’an waved his hand. “I’m not interested.”

“Ah…” With a flick of his wrist, Ying Du swept the stacked dice back into the cup, spun it twice in midair, and caught it neatly in his palm.

“Miss Liu,” he turned to Liu Feixue, “judging by your sword and the fact that you’re heading southeast, are you on your way to participate in the Heavenly Sword Villa’s swordsmanship competition?”

At this, Liu Feixue opened her almond-shaped eyes and frowned. “You know about the competition? Was Heavenly Sword Villa planning to invite you?”

“Hey! What kind of question is that?” Ying Du scoffed. “I may not be famous, but my master, the Nine-Fingered Old Demon, is renowned!”

Liu Feixue’s brows furrowed deeper. “The Nine-Fingered Old Demon, known for losing only once in his lifetime at the gambling table, is your master?”

“But gambling and swordsmanship are unrelated. I doubt Heavenly Sword Villa would extend an invitation to you.”

Ying Du waved dismissively. “They didn’t invite me, true, but they also didn’t say people who don’t use swords can’t participate.”

“Hah!” Liu Feixue sneered. “Don’t tell me you’re going because you heard that defeating them would earn you the immortal’s sword manual?”

“The immortal’s sword manual? I don’t need that…” Ying Du paused, then added, “I’m going because I plan to seek out the immortal for a gamble.”

“Seek out the immortal to gamble?” Liu Feixue’s tone shifted slightly, as if she recalled something. She said coldly, “Now that you mention it, I remember hearing that the Nine-Fingered Old Demon lost his only match to an immortal. Afterward, he severed one of his own fingers.”

“Since then, he vowed never to gamble with mortals again, only with immortals!”

“That’s not the whole story,” Ying Du said with a hint of mystery. “Only I, his direct disciple, know the real truth behind it.”

“And do the two of you want to hear it?”

Liu Feixue replied icily, “Not interested.”

“I’m curious,” said Gu Ning’an with a smile.

“Now that’s someone who appreciates a good tale!” Ying Du slapped his thigh. “Alright, let me tell you about my master.”

Ying Du began his tale. He was an orphan, or so his master claimed, picked up off the side of the road and taken in.

His master, “Nine-Fingered Old Demon,” was originally nicknamed “Gambling Demon.” The reason for the change in his nickname was because he had an encounter with an immortal.

Having never lost a bet, he wanted to challenge the immortal to a gambling match. However, the immortal ignored him entirely.

As a result, he gambled with himself, cutting off one of his own fingers with a knife, hoping to “force” the immortal to duel him.

This was to bet his own severed finger against the immortal’s divine position!

However, even though his master cut off one of his own fingers, the immortal still ignored him and simply drifted away.

From that point on, the despondent Nine-Fingered Old Demon stopped gambling with others and embarked on a journey to find the immortal again, hoping to persuade the immortal to gamble with him.

This search lasted more than twenty years!

During his search for the immortal for a gambling match, the Nine-Fingered Old Demon took in Ying Du, who had grown from a baby in swaddling clothes into a young man.

Many years ago, the Nine-Fingered Old Demon passed away, and the burden of continuing this quest was passed onto Ying Du…

“So, actually, my master never really gambled with the immortal… He was purely desperate, trying to use self-harm to force the immortal to engage with him… In the end, he lost the bet.” Ying Du sighed and continued, “Somehow, strange and bizarre rumors started circulating in the jianghu.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Feixue was shocked and asked, “This story isn’t made up? There really is an immortal?”

“I don’t know. When my master met the immortal, I was still nowhere to be found.” Ying Du laughed and added, “Honestly, I think the old man probably just made up the story.”

“But he really did take me on a long search, traveling to many places… In the end, he died on the journey of seeking the immortal.”

“Even though my master didn’t ask me to continue searching, I have to take up the task. After all, I can’t forget the many years of his care and upbringing.”

“Looks like you’re not a total scoundrel after all. At least you have some filial piety,” Liu Feixue said seriously.

Ying Du helplessly replied, “Miss Liu, at this moment, I don’t even know if you’re scolding me or complimenting me.”

Liu Feixue replied seriously, “I’m complimenting you.”

“Uh…” Ying Du didn’t know how to respond, so he turned to Gu Ning’an and smiled, “Mr. Gu, you look like a learned person, you must know a lot. Do you think there are really immortals in this world?”

Gu Ning’an smiled and replied, “There are in storybooks…”

“By the way, did your master never tell you what an immortal looks like?”

“Is he tall or short? Fat or thin? Or does he have three heads and six arms? Or perhaps he rides the clouds?”

Liu Feixue seemed very interested in this, and without realizing it, she started asking questions.

Ying Du shook his head, “I asked before, but my master wouldn’t say… Once, when he was drunk, he mentioned something to describe the immortal.”

Liu Feixue pressed, “What did he say?”

“Green robe, elegant, both mortal and immortal!” Ying Du answered.

“Green robe, elegant, both mortal and immortal?” Liu Feixue repeated to herself. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure in a green robe.

She turned to look in the direction of her peripheral vision and saw Gu Ning’an.

For some reason, she suddenly felt that the description of the immortal fit Gu Ning’an in front of her…