The man sitting at the gambling table raised his eyelids to glance at Xu Yi. Finding her cultivation unfathomable, he immediately stood up respectfully and said, "Senior, you only need to write the ranking of the top three in this grand competition on the wooden牌 and then you can place your bet."
"What are the odds?"
"One to ten."
"One to ten!" Xu Yi's eyes lit up, and she began to calculate. If she bet all her spirit stones, how much would she earn?
Seeing this, Pu Tao knew that Xu Yi's greed had flared up again. She nervously reached out and tugged at her hem.
"The chance of winning this bet is too small, let's not gamble."
Xu Yi's mind was full of the phrase "one to ten." She nodded at Pu Tao, "I understand."
Then, just as Pu Tao breathed a sigh of relief, Xu Yi immediately grabbed an empty wooden牌 and a brush from the table, pondering how to place her bet.
"Shizu."
Pu Tao looked anxious, twisting Xu Yi's hem into a knot with her small hands.
Xu Yi had no choice but to temporarily put down her brush and rescue her hem from Pu Tao's grasp. She gently persuaded, "Don't worry, I'm confident."
Pu Tao pouted, watching helplessly as Xu Yi picked up the brush and wrote three names on the blank wooden牌: Xu Yi, Lu Zaiye, and Bei Xinghan.
Pu Tao frowned, clearly not agreeing with Xu Yi's ranking.
Xu Yi took out a storage bag engraved with her divine sense mark and placed it on the wooden牌, pushing it towards the man.
The man accepted it solemnly. Just as he was about to say something, Xu Yi picked up the brush again and wrote the same three names on another blank wooden牌, this time with a slightly different order.
Xu Yi, Bei Xinghan, Lu Zaiye.
Xu Yi took out another storage bag and placed it on the wooden牌, smiling at the man, "I'll bet on these two."
"Senior, please wait a moment."
The man took the storage bags from the two wooden牌, examined them with his divine sense, and his eyes widened in shock. The storage bags fell onto the table.
"Senior..."
The man's voice trembled. He had been in Jubao Tower for decades, and this was the first time he had handled such a large amount of spirit stones, making him inevitably flustered.
Remembering the odds he had just quoted, the man swallowed hard and stammered, "Senior, please wait, I'll go fetch our manager."
With that, he disappeared into the crowd in the blink of an eye, vanishing from Xu Yi's sight.
Xu Yi: ...
"Shizu, how many spirit stones did you bring in your storage bag? You scared him so much he can't even speak clearly."
Pu Tao was amused, her eyes curved into crescent moons as she laughed.
Xu Yi frowned in distress, wondering if she had gone too far. After all, the spirit stones in both storage bags were indeed outrageously large.
They contained her two thousand years of accumulated offerings, subsidies from the elders, and spirit stones obtained from illicit dealings in Wan Yao Ridge. If they were taken out, they could fill this entire casino.
Not long after, the man returned with a finely dressed and prosperous-looking manager.
"Manager Kong, this is that senior."
Manager Kong subtly appraised Xu Yi and the other person, then cupped his hands with a smile, "Greetings to both immortal fairies. My surname is Kong, and I am the manager of Jubao Tower."
"Manager Kong."
Xu Yi called out with a smile, showing no disrespect, which surprised Manager Kong.
People who could bet such large sums of spirit stones were bound to be wealthy or noble. It was rare to see someone as approachable as the one before him.
Manager Kong felt a greater liking for Xu Yi and her companion.
"Since the two immortal fairies have noble identities, and this humble servant is crude, I fear I cannot provide attentive service. Therefore, I will entertain you from now on."
Manager Kong's words both flattered Xu Yi and her companion and explained the previous man's impolite behavior. His actions were thoughtful and flawless.
"Then I'll trouble you, Manager Kong."
Xu Yi didn't care about the minor details; she just wanted to place her bet quickly.
Upon receiving Xu Yi's reply, Manager Kong walked to the gambling table, picked up the two storage bags, and peered into them with his divine sense. A flicker of surprise flashed across his eyes.
Even though he had prepared himself mentally, he was still greatly impacted by seeing the mountains of spirit stones with his own eyes.
"The two immortal fairies have astonishing spirit. I am impressed."
Manager Kong paused, then put down the storage bags, speaking sincerely.
Gambling was unpredictable, and very few people dared to bet such a large amount of spirit stones.
Xu Yi smiled, "Then, Manager Kong, can you issue me a certificate?"
"Of course."
Manager Kong smiled very pleasingly.
However, the man beside him turned pale and exclaimed, "Manager Kong!"
Manager Kong glared at him, signaling him to keep quiet. He took out two white jade dice, carved a few lines of text inside, and respectfully handed them to Xu Yi.
Xu Yi was now truly impressed with Manager Kong. She had thought the man had gone to get reinforcements to stop her from betting.
Unexpectedly, Manager Kong didn't seem to have any intention of doing so and was instead very enthusiastic towards her.
Xu Yi stroked her chin, thinking that lately she seemed to be popular wherever she went. Could her charm have reached such a level?
"Fairy?"
Manager Kong, seeing Xu Yi seemingly lost in thought, couldn't help but call out softly.
Xu Yi snapped back to reality, took the two white jade dice, and self-deprecatingly said, "She's not Liu Jinghong, how could she achieve universal admiration and adoration?"
Dismissing her unrealistic thoughts, Xu Yi exchanged a few more pleasantries with Manager Kong before leaving the casino with Pu Tao.
After leaving the casino, Xu Yi sent Pu Tao back to her room and quietly went to a room not far away. She wiped off her disguise and knocked on the door.
"Knock, knock, knock."
The slightly impatient knocking sound woke Lu Zaiye from his meditation.
He frowned, swept his divine sense outwards, then his eyes widened in surprise. He quickly walked to the door and pulled it open, "Shizu."
The moonlight added a touch of gentleness to Xu Yi's heroic face, also stirring something in Lu Zaiye's heart.
It was so late, why would Shizu come looking for him?
A hint of anticipation surfaced in Lu Zaiye's heart.
"Lu Zaiye, tomorrow is the day the grand competition results will be announced." Xu Yi looked at him with burning, direct eyes. "Do you have confidence in entering the top three?"
Without the need for moonlight, Lu Zaiye could clearly see the nervousness and anticipation on Xu Yi's face.
Shizu really hoped he would enter the top three.
He was absolutely sure.
"Yes."
He would fulfill her wish.
"That's great!"
Xu Yi's face bloomed with a smile. She lowered her voice slightly with excitement, "If you enter the top three, I will give you a surprise."
"Surprise?"
Lu Zaiye's eyes deepened, "Alright."
"Then get some good rest, I won't disturb you."
Xu Yi turned, her footsteps light and brisk.
She was already fantasizing about the wonderful life she would have once the spirit stones were in her possession.
She would give half to the sect, then give another quarter to Lu Zaiye as a reward, and the remaining would go into her own storage ring.
Xu Yi's smile grew happier.
She didn't notice the fleeting smile in Lu Zaiye's eyes behind her.