Chapter 58: One Hundred Thousand and OneWell, well. Killing intent!

Feeling the sharp, unmistakable killing intent coming from behind him, as clear as thorns pricking his back, Lin Yuchu’s expression only shifted slightly. He did not turn around to look behind him and search for the source of that killing intent.

There was no need...

Because almost the very instant Lin Yuchu finished speaking, four fierce currents of killing intent struck toward him at once from four different directions.

So did he still need to look?

Even thinking with his toes, he knew exactly which four people it was.

Fearless.

Lin Yuchu looked utterly calm and composed, his brows and eyes steady as a mountain. In any case, those people would only release a bit of killing intent to scare him. They would not actually do anything to him.

Baby was still a child, after all. Relying on being a child, he had no scruples and did whatever he wanted.

Perhaps because Lin Yuchu’s words were simply too strange, or perhaps because they were such absurd nonsense, they truly shocked everyone on the second floor for a moment, leaving them speechless. The entire building instantly fell into a quiet silence.

Some people felt Lin Yuchu was purely a foolish, ignorant youth whose brain had gone muddled, spouting incomprehensible nonsense. There were also quick-witted people who listened to Lin Yuchu’s seemingly absurd nonsense, took it in, and showed thoughtful expressions as their minds stirred.

As for the four people at the center of the topic, or rather the betting pool, who sat by the window, whether it was Qin Chuan, seated across the same table in a dark black sword robe, handsome-browed and extraordinary with a restrained aura, or Bai Luozhou, the swordsman in spotless white robes, graceful and handsome.

Or Lu Qingyuan, the dignified, jade-like young master in blue robes, or Lou Qianxue, seated at the neighboring table in a moon-white long robe, his face as cold as ice crystal and frost, yet aloofly elegant, a rare beauty in the mortal world.

All of them sat calmly in their seats.

They seemed not to care in the slightest about the comments ringing beside their ears, without even the faintest self-awareness of being the people at the center of the topic.

If not for the killing intent Lin Yuchu had sensed from the four of them just now, he really would have been fooled by them and thought they truly did not care at all.

Thinking this, Lin Yuchu, his back to several of the top young sword cultivators of the current age seated by the window behind him, faintly curled the corners of his lips.

His face, which was usually cold and expressionless, was bright with spirit.

The light in his eyes was bright and dazzling.

He truly wanted to cross hands with these people and test who was superior.

It would definitely be exhilarating, a fight to his heart’s content.

Just imagining that feeling was enough to make him excited.

He could hardly wait.

Lin Yuchu’s entire body was about to grow excited, but not now. He forcefully suppressed the surging battle intent rising eagerly in his heart.

Right now, there was still a very great gap between him and them. He still had a very long road to walk.

But that was not a major problem. Lin Yuchu was confident that he would definitely cross hands with them in battle one day!

He had never doubted himself.

And what he needed to do now was stand before them as soon as possible, as quickly as possible!

At this moment, Lin Yuchu seemed to understand why Gu Daozi had given him the invitation to the Sword Path Grand Competition, and the meaning of the words he had said to him that day.

“The outside world is very vast, but a fledgling can only be trapped in its nest. If you want to break through your shackles and fly into the broad blue sky, you must break free of those shackles and grow wings tough and strong enough to carry all of your weight.”

“I think that although it may be a little early, you should already be prepared. Go see the world outside the nest!”

That was what Gu Daozi had said to Lin Yuchu.

…

Second Floor of Immortal Guest Inn

Perhaps because Lin Yuchu was young, the boss of the betting pool did not immediately accept his one hundred thousand spiritual stones. Instead, he looked at him and asked, “Are you certain you want to bet on Lu Qingyuan winning?”

Hearing this, Lin Yuchu nodded and said, “I’m certain. I won’t change it, and I won’t regret it.”

Since he had said so, the boss of the betting pool did not say any more and accepted his one hundred thousand spiritual stones. Still, he could not help looking Lin Yuchu over a few more times as he examined him, secretly thinking that this boy looked quite clever and handsome, but his brain did not work very well.

It was not that he was biased. It was just that compared with Qin Chuan and Bai Luozhou, Lu Qingyuan, who had always been steady enough but lacking in sharpness, seemed somewhat unimpressive.

The boy’s one hundred thousand spiritual stones were probably going straight down the drain.

Seeing that the entire building, including the boss running the betting pool, did not think well of Lin Yuchu, and that nearly everyone was looking at Lin Yuchu with the compassionate gaze one used for a fool, Gu Chun, as Lin Yuchu’s brother—self-appointed, of course—naturally could not watch helplessly as Lin Yuchu stood alone and unsupported, a solitary figure by himself.

So Gu Chun staunchly supported his brother. Very loyally, he pulled out a dusty gray storage pouch and tossed it onto the betting table too, betting all the savings of his lifetime, the windfall he had gained from robbing robbers along the road. He said boldly, “Count me in!”

“I’m buying Lu Qingyuan to take first place. Fifty thousand spiritual stones!” Gu Chun said.

Hearing this, the betting pool boss immediately raised his head and looked at him.

Seeing the youth Gu Chun in an ordinary, somewhat old-looking black robe, the boss of the betting pool frowned. Looking at him, he said in a heavy tone, “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Gu Chun said.

Seeing his insistence, the betting pool boss did not say much more and accepted his fifty thousand spiritual stones.

In his heart, he thought that this black-clothed youth clearly came from an ordinary background and could not compare with the companion beside him, yet he had still staked fifty thousand spiritual stones on a bet that was bound to lose. The boss did not even know whether he should call him foolish, or say that this was youthful spirit and deep loyalty.

Fifty thousand spiritual stones was not much, but for this black-clothed youth, perhaps it was not an ordinary sum.

Gu Chun’s action made everyone in the building feel it was no longer good to say anything. Although they still felt in their hearts that Lin Yuchu was a fool with more money than sense, stubbornly refusing to see reason, no one mocked him out loud again.

As for Lin Yuchu, who knew exactly how poor Gu Chun was, he immediately turned his head, his dark, clear eyes looking at Gu Chun beside him.

But because of the gaze Lin Yuchu sent his way, Gu Chun, rarely, felt a little embarrassed. It showed on his face. His eyes darted left and right, not daring to meet Lin Yuchu’s eyes. He reached out to scratch his cheek, his face slightly flushed, then cleared his throat and said, “Well, I just wanted to earn some travel expenses too. What you said earlier sounded pretty reasonable.”

Reasonable my ass!

Hearing this, everyone in the building instantly cursed in their hearts. They could not bear to listen. Even lying through one’s teeth was not done like this.

How could there be such a thing as Qin Chuan and Bai Luozhou losing just because they said Qin Chuan and Bai Luozhou would win?

This was sheer slander, absolute nonsense!

Fortunately, Lin Yuchu did not know what they were thinking. Otherwise, he would definitely have scoffed at them for being too naive and inexperienced.

Learn about toxic jinxing, why don’t you.

Mysticism was a mysterious power that jumped beyond science, surpassed ordinary human reason, and acted up every now and then.

Naturally, Lin Yuchu also knew that Gu Chun’s words were only an excuse. He simply wanted to support him, that was all.

He looked at Gu Chun before him, whose expression held a fair bit of embarrassment, and did not expose that clumsy excuse. Instead, he looked at him deeply and said, “Do you still remember what I told you?”

Hearing this, Gu Chun froze for a moment and asked, “What?”

“Follow me, and there will be meat to eat,” Lin Yuchu said, looking at him.

After hearing this, Gu Chun seemed to think of something. A smile appeared on his face, then kept widening until it spread across his entire face.

He looked at Lin Yuchu in front of him and said in a cheerful tone, “I remember that!”

“It’s good that you remember.” Lin Yuchu’s voice was calm, yet filled with a convincing force. “I never lie to people.”

Generally, when he did lie, the other party simply could not discover it.

Hearing this, Gu Chun became even happier.

He thought that Lin Yuchu’s words were not false. Although they had only known each other for a short time, Gu Chun knew that Lin Yuchu was not someone who spoke irresponsibly.

So...

Could it be that I’m going to strike it rich again?

Gu Chun felt a little pleasantly surprised.

And just as Lin Yuchu and Gu Chun were speaking, a voice suddenly cut in and interrupted their conversation.

“One hundred thousand and one spiritual stones. I’m buying Lu Qingyuan to take first place.”

A clear, bright voice suddenly sounded beside Lin Yuchu.

Hearing it, Lin Yuchu’s expression instantly turned cold.

This person...

When had he approached?

Lin Yuchu had actually failed to notice. He had been completely unaware!

If the person had not opened his mouth to speak, Lin Yuchu would not even have discovered that another person had appeared beside him.

Lin Yuchu’s five senses had always been sharp. As long as someone approached him, he could notice it at the first moment.

But this person...

He had actually approached him soundlessly, without Lin Yuchu detecting him at all.

What terrifying breath-concealment and stealth ability. Even more terrifying was his movement technique.

Almost immediately, Lin Yuchu determined that this person’s sword must be very fast, very cunning, and very troublesome.

He hid himself very deeply.

“Ah—ah, ah, ah!”

The boss of the betting pool stared blankly at the clear, upright young master Lu before him, dressed in blue robes and dignified as jade. For a time, he even lost his voice.

Only after a long while did he say in a shocked tone, “You, you are trying to...”

Lu Qingyuan, who stood beside Lin Yuchu, looked at the boss of the betting pool with a smile in his eyes. His voice was also clear as he said, “Yes. I want to bet on Lu Qingyuan to take first place.”

“Neither more nor less. Exactly one hundred thousand and one spiritual stones.”

“...” The gambling house boss.

Young Master Lu, you really are cheeky.

The gambling house boss was hardly the only one shocked by Young Master Lu’s inspired stroke of cheekiness. Everyone in the building was collectively startled badly by him.

One by one, they stared at Lu Qingyuan ahead with dumbfounded expressions, unable to understand the meaning of his action. Moreover, the number of spiritual stones he had staked was quite thought-provoking...

One hundred thousand and one?

What was he implying?

It was a declaration of war.

It was a declaration of war.

It was a declaration of war.

Almost at the same time, on the second floor, the other three popular candidates to take first place in the betting pool, Qin Chuan, Bai Luozhou, and Lou Qianxue, who sat by the window, all had this thought appear in their minds after they heard Lu Qingyuan’s words.

This man, whose mind was deep and cunning like a fox’s, making him impossible to see through, was finally going to tear away that mask that had blinded the eyes of the world, the mask of a seemingly gentle, harmless, dignified gentleman, and reveal his sharp fangs?

Unlike the world’s praise for Young Master Lu, those who knew and understood Lu Qingyuan—his friends, fellow disciples, opponents, enemies... all knew that beneath Lu Qingyuan’s gentle, modest, dignified gentlemanly face, what was hidden was an extremely cunning, almost demonically intelligent fox of a man.

What he revealed was only one corner of his strength. No one knew what his true strength was.

This man had always handled everything with ease.

No one had ever forced him into a desperate situation.

And handling everything with ease meant holding something back.

By the window, Qin Chuan and Bai Luozhou, seated across from each other at the same table, raised their eyes at the same time. In that brief instant when their gazes crossed, the two of them swiftly exchanged the thoughts in their hearts.

They understood each other’s meaning.

A thousand words lay in a single glance.

Saying this aloud would seem difficult to understand, even impossible.

But for Qin Chuan and Bai Luozhou, it was the simplest and most ordinary thing. They did not need words, nor even expressions. With only one look, they could read each other’s meaning.

They understood each other too well. It was even possible that each understood the other better than the other understood himself.

They were rivals who had been entangled for many years.

They were targets of vigilance, and also of admiration.

Chasing and overtaking each other, neither yielding to the other.

The instant their gazes crossed, it was as if sparks of lightning burst forth.

Intense and profound.

In short, it was a very thought-provoking and complicated relationship.

Archrivals, or perhaps confidants.

Maybe both.

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