Tang Bai Li

Chapter 126 Sudden Strike, a Bet of Three Million and a Half!

Xu Mu, accompanied by Qiongqi, indulged in a lavish meal at the Hidden Dragon Inn, ordering the most expensive dishes to celebrate the successful development of his chip. After dining and bathing, he enjoyed a deep sleep, only to awaken at noon the following day.

In the Holy City, at the Hidden Dragon Inn, Xu Mu was meticulously applying his disguise in front of a mirror. Every detail was carefully considered. In a short while, he transformed into a distinguished young master, around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with sharp, sword-like eyebrows. Finally, he donned a white robe with gold threading, which he had purchased beforehand, exuding an aura of extraordinary nobility and opulence.

"What do you think? Am I handsome!" Xu Mu asked Qiongqi, admiring his reflection in the mirror with satisfaction.

"Can handsomeness fill your stomach? I'm hungry," Qiongqi replied, rubbing his belly.

Hearing this, Xu Mu patted his nearly empty wallet and sighed, "Alas, what can be done? That meal yesterday and today's clothes have nearly emptied all my savings. I only have less than a million taels of gold left."

"This million is my capital from winning bets. Once we win some money later, we can have another good meal!"

Qiongqi reluctantly agreed, "Alright."

On the streets of the Holy City, the crowd grew denser, with floating magical artifacts and spirit beasts everywhere. The attire and appearances of the cultivators varied greatly, clearly indicating they hailed from all corners of the realm.

Xu Mu walked along the street, marveling at the cultivators who brushed past him, secretly impressed. Every person who passed him, regardless of age or gender, elder or peer, exuded a powerful aura of innate abilities. He even felt a sense of danger from a young, dark-robed cultivator with a sinister demeanor, as if they hailed from hell.

Qiongqi also looked solemn, staring intently at a tall, middle-aged scholar nearby, and said, "That person is a fifth-realm cultivator."

Xu Mu glanced at the scholar before quickly averting his gaze, patting Qiongqi's furry head and sighing, "There are less than twenty days until the Myriad Clans Assembly begins. It seems that major families and powers are also arriving in the Holy City one after another."

"In that case, we must be even more cautious in our actions."

As Xu Mu spoke, he moved closer to the inner edge of the street, blending with the flow of people. Soon, he arrived at the familiar gambling house. He paid no attention to the two individuals fighting on the stage, his eyes diligently scanning the crowded area for something. After only a moment, he spotted the young man in plain clothes again.

Xu Mu smiled slightly, about to approach him. However, a thought struck him. After a moment of hesitation, he directly approached a waiter from the gambling house and asked with a smile, "Brother, can I still place bets?"

The waiter looked up at Xu Mu, nodded, and replied, "Yes, the fight has just begun."

"Who do you want to bet on?"

Xu Mu turned his head to look at the center of the stage. The two individuals on it were one tall and one short. The shorter one wielded a saber with exquisite swordsmanship, while the taller one, unarmed, fought with his hands wrapped in cloth. With every movement, whether active or still, it seemed to conceal a profound dao, each time narrowly evading and tearing apart the saber's intent. However, this dao was very hidden, integrated into his palms, and deliberately restrained. Most people wouldn't notice it.

Observing this, Xu Mu, despite the intense battle, was almost certain that the taller man fighting barehanded would win against the saber wielder. Knowing who would win, placing a bet became much easier.

"I'll bet thirty thousand taels of gold on the saber wielder to win," Xu Mu said with utmost confidence and a smile. He had bet on the opposite outcome.

"Another sucker," the waiter, who knew the inside story, thought gleefully. He then calmly accepted Xu Mu's gold notes.

But at this moment, as he looked at Xu Mu's hand, it suddenly seemed familiar. He frowned and asked Xu Mu, "Are you... a first-timer at these gambling fights?"

Xu Mu's eyes narrowed upon hearing this. Following the waiter's gaze to his own hand, his heart tightened. "Damn it, how could I forget to disguise my hands? The waiters in gambling houses handle money; they must have a deep impression of every hand!"

"What, am I not allowed to bet if it's my first time?" Xu Mu asked calmly, his expression unreadable.

"Not at all, I just thought you looked familiar, and your voice too, but I can't quite recall where I've seen you," the waiter said, staring at Xu Mu's features for a while before scratching his head with a disarming sincerity. He could confirm that he had indeed never seen this face before, nor did it seem disguised. Perhaps seeing so many young masters recently had caused him to hallucinate?

Xu Mu, confident in his disguise skills and magical artifact, playfully retorted, "Everyone who comes to the Holy City is a hero of the world. I, this young master, am handsome and distinguished. Perhaps you find me familiar because my demeanor resembles that of the heroes you've met."

The waiter paused for a moment, then chuckled and nodded, "Indeed, indeed."

"Then I'll place your bet for you. The one wielding the saber is called Thirteen Ghost Hands. He is a top genius from the Ghost Domain of the Jiālán Clan, with a high chance of winning. I wish you good luck." The waiter's gaze, with an unreadable expression, rested on Xu Mu, clearly mocking him internally for betting on a sure loser.

However, he was unaware that Xu Mu had done this deliberately. He had already analyzed that Thirteen Ghost Hands would lose but had chosen to bet on him winning. The objective was, naturally, to make the opponent lower their guard and approach him actively.

As expected, while Xu Mu wasn't paying attention, the gambling house waiter immediately transmitted a message to Xiaoyao Feng, who was in the crowd, informing him that a new big fish had arrived. Upon hearing this, Xiaoyao Feng immediately turned his head to appraise Xu Mu. Seeing his noble attire, a flicker of joy flashed in his eyes. After a brief exchange of telepathic messages, he slowly approached Xu Mu.

Xu Mu glanced at him and said indifferently, "Is there something you need?"

Xiaoyao Feng nodded, smiling, and took out a tray-like magical artifact. "Brother, this is a magical artifact I developed. It can predict the outcomes of matches with high accuracy. If you wish to bet, you can come to me. Each prediction costs ten thousand taels of gold."

Xu Mu frowned. "Do I look like an idiot? You want to swindle me out of ten thousand just like that?"

Xiaoyao Feng remained unfazed, thinking, 'You are indeed an idiot for betting on Thirteen Ghost Hands,' but he replied with a smile, "I am not a swindler. See for yourself, it's written on this artifact; Gao Kui will ultimately win."

Xu Mu sneered. "Is that so? It seems your artifact isn't very accurate, because I bet on Thirteen Ghost Hands."

Xiaoyao Feng, unperturbed, pointed at Gao Kui on the stage. "You bet on Ghost Hand to win, likely impressed by his exquisite saber techniques. Gao Kui only practices palm techniques. They are evenly matched, so you believe Gao Kui will lose."

Xu Mu nodded. "So what?"

Xiaoyao Feng shook his head, confidently pointing at the artifact. "But, brother, you might not know that Gao Kui comprehended a trace of the True Meaning of the Great Dao of Rending in the Yin Mountain area last year."

"With the Great Dao of Rending, no matter how exquisite Thirteen Ghost Hand's saber techniques are, they will be in vain."

Upon hearing this, Xu Mu deliberately adopted a solemn expression and asked, "Is this true?"

Xiaoyao Feng smiled and nodded. "Of course, it's true. You'll see the result soon enough if you don't believe me."

Xu Mu stopped speaking and focused intently on the arena, appearing somewhat nervous. Xiaoyao Feng, on the other hand, looked at Xu Mu with confidence, a glint of greed in his eyes.

As time passed, the fight on the stage finally approached its conclusion. Thirteen Ghost Hands unleashed his ultimate saber technique, forcing Gao Kui into a corner of the ring. Just as victory seemed within reach, Gao Kui suddenly let out a sinister laugh and unleashed the Art of Rending, seizing Thirteen Ghost Hand's saber from a distance.

*Clang!*

With a surge of strength from both hands, Gao Kui tore the saber, which was of superior quality, from left to right as if it were mere cloth. He then turned and kicked Thirteen Ghost Hands out of the ring, securing his victory!

"Well fought!" A few scattered cheers erupted from the crowd. However, many were stunned by Gao Kui's final move, as they had perceived an extremely strong fluctuation of the Great Dao at that instant. What kind of Great Dao was this?

"The Great Dao of Rending, truly terrifying. Even a mere trace of its True Meaning can alter the course of a battle," Xu Mu exclaimed feigning admiration, shaking his head in feigned regret. "It's a pity I lacked the discerning eye and lost a bit of money for nothing."

"A bit of money?" Xiaoyao Feng's eyes lit up at the mention of money. He stepped forward and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, brother, I'm here. I guarantee you'll recoup your losses tenfold next time!"

Xu Mu glanced at him, feigning hesitation. "Really?"

Xiaoyao Feng waved the artifact in his hand and smiled. "You've seen the result, how can it be fake?"

After a moment of contemplation, Xu Mu took out five gold notes, each worth ten thousand, and handed them to Xiaoyao Feng. "Let's try five rounds first to see if you're truly accurate or just guessing," he said indifferently.

Xiaoyao Feng accepted them with delight, thinking he had indeed found a true big fish. While assuring Xu Mu, he secretly sent telepathic messages to his accomplices and began arranging the subsequent matches.

Jiālán Lou watched Xu Mu from the side, observing him with great interest. He was surprised to have caught two big fish in a single day. He transmitted a message, "Keep a close eye on him. If this deal is successful, I'll give you an extra ten percent!"

Xiaoyao Feng, overjoyed, replied, "Young Master Jiālán, rest assured, this time it's foolproof!"

On the other side, Xu Mu was communicating with Qiongqi. "For the first four rounds, he'll definitely let us win. So, in the early stages, we should bet as much as possible and fleece them for all they're worth."

Qiongqi yawned indifferently and casually replied, "Whatever. As long as you win money, just feed me good food."

Xu Mu smiled faintly and said no more.

Soon, new contestants stepped onto the stage for the next gambling match, arranged by Xiaoyao Feng's inside contacts.

"The person on the left is named Wu Zhe. His innate ability is the Art of the Foolish. Through verbal attacks, he can greatly weaken his opponent's strength, even turning them directly into an idiot. His spiritual power is very strong, and he is a notorious killer from the Tianhai region."

"The person on the right is named Lu Fei. He has awakened two innate abilities. One is the Metal Element, his martial arts are extremely strong and yang, with ferocious and powerful killing intent. The other is the Ghost Wood ability, allowing him to control wooden substitutes to withstand all sorts of attacks."

Xiaoyao Feng analyzed, then stated, "These two are evenly matched, but I can confidently say that Lu Fei will be the ultimate winner. The odds are 0.7, meaning if you bet ten thousand taels of silver on him, you'll earn seventeen thousand."

"That little?" Xu Mu nodded slightly, then waved his hand, producing ten ten-thousand-tael gold notes. "Let's bet a hundred thousand taels of gold first to test the waters!"