"Exactly! Finger-guessing game. Don't tell me you don't know how to play," Shi Fenglan said eagerly, her face full of anticipation.
"I do... I know a little, but..."
"No buts! If you want this Jade Frangrance, you'll have to beat me at finger-guessing. Otherwise, forget about it."
Just then, Yu Manwen walked in and said to Shi Fenglan, "As a Hall Master, playing such a vulgar game with a disciple from another hall isn't appropriate."
"What's the big deal? Just some casual fun," Shi Fenglan replied before turning back to Jiang Beiran.
"Well? Are you in? My word is my bond—if you don't beat me at finger-guessing, don’t even think about taking the Jade Frangrance."
"In that case, how do we determine the winner?"
"Ah!"
Hearing Jiang Beiran actually agree, Yu Manwen quickly interjected, "Beiran, why are you indulging the Hall Master’s antics?
You... mmmph!"
Before Yu Manwen could finish, Shi Fenglan covered her mouth with one hand and shouted at Jiang Beiran, "Bold! You’re an interesting little disciple, aren’t you? The rules are simple—whoever gets drunk first loses!"
Finger-guessing and drinking were practically inseparable, so Jiang Beiran wasn’t surprised when alcohol was mentioned. He simply nodded and said, "As Hall Master Shi wishes."
"Good! Let’s play outside!"
With that, she dragged a resigned Yu Manwen out of the room. One table, two chairs, a jar of fine wine, and two cups—that was all the simple, unpretentious preparation needed for a finger-guessing match.
"Sigh..."
Watching the two take their seats at the "drinking table," Yu Manwen sighed, unsure how things had escalated to this point. Pouring herself a cup of sugarcane wine, Shi Fenglan—under Jiang Beiran’s stunned gaze—pulled out a yellow rosewood pipe with an agate mouthpiece from her sleeve.
Taking a deep, practiced drag, she exhaled a cloud of smoke and said, "You’d better watch out. I’m really good at this."
‘Well, damn…’
Watching Shi Fenglan’s blissful expression, a phrase popped into Jiang Beiran’s mind: "I may smoke, drink, and have tattoos, but I’m still a good Hall Master." Outside the Mirror Flower Garden, Liu Zijin, Fang Qiuyao, and the three Yu sisters were walking together, murmuring among themselves.
"Ah! Sister Zijin, I just can’t seem to master this Flying Swallow Skims Water move. Could you give me some pointers?"
"Oh! You mean Flying Swallow Skims Water? I’m not very good at it either. Hall Master Lin also said it’s an extremely difficult technique."
"Wah, wah, wah, what should I do then? Wah, wah, wah, I’ll definitely be punished in the next test, wah, wah, wah!"
"Don’t worry, don’t worry. We’ll figure something out."
"Huh? Isn’t this the Mirror Flower Garden? I didn’t realize we’d wandered here. Should we go in and ask a Hall Master for advice?"
"Good idea, good idea. What a brilliant suggestion." ...
After this staged conversation, the five of them "naturally" arrived at the entrance of the Mirror Flower Garden, looking around curiously. A moment later, they all wore disappointed expressions before retreating a hundred meters away without anyone noticing.
"What’s going on? Why hasn’t Senior Brother come out yet?"
Yu Guishui asked, puzzled. Yu Guimiao nodded.
"Yeah, it’s been almost two hours. What’s he even doing in there?"
"Maybe he left through another exit?"
Yu Guizui guessed. Liu Zijin shook her head.
"That shouldn’t be possible. Outer sect disciples can only enter and exit the Mirror Flower Garden through the main gate. Those are the rules."
Seeing the others losing heart, Fang Qiuyao quickly rallied them.
"Maybe Senior Brother really is handling something important. Hang in there a little longer—he’ll come out soon. Also, Miaomiao, your acting is getting better and better."
"Hehe, really…?"
Yu Guimiao shyly tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"I’m still not as good as you sisters. I’ll try harder next time."
"Alright, let’s go again." ...
"Four Seasons Fortune!"
"Seven Stars Align!"
"Hall Master Shi, bottoms up."
Jiang Beiran retracted his extended finger.
"Hmph! Drink it is!"
"Again!"
After downing another cup of sugarcane wine, Shi Fenglan planted her right foot on the chair and rolled up her right sleeve, revealing a bold floral tattoo on her arm. The rules of finger-guessing were simple: both players extended one hand, using a clenched fist or one to five fingers to represent numbers zero through five.
At the same time, they shouted numbers from zero to ten. If the sum of the fingers matched the number one of them called, that person won the round.
For example, if Jiang Beiran extended three fingers and called "Seven Stars," while Shi Fenglan extended four fingers and called "Six Fortunes," the sum would be seven, making Jiang Beiran the winner.
With such straightforward rules, even ordinary people could pick it up after a few rounds, which was why finger-guessing had spread like wildfire across the land, becoming the perfect drinking companion. Jiang Beiran had assumed that since Shi Fenglan was so enthusiastic, she’d at least be a seasoned player, if not an expert—someone who could read opponents or bluff.
But who knew? This Hall Master was the epitome of all thrill, no skill. Forget strategy—just avoiding stupid mistakes was already overachieving for her.
What counted as a stupid mistake? If Shi Fenglan called "Eight Immortals Cross the Sea" but only extended one finger, even if Jiang Beiran stretched out all five, the sum wouldn’t reach eight. That was a dumb move, and the offender had to drink as punishment.
Honestly, if the wine hadn’t been Shi Fenglan’s own, Jiang Beiran would’ve suspected she was just freeloading...
"Gulp... gulp..."
After finishing another cup, Shi Fenglan reached for the wine jar, only to find it empty.
"Manwen! Bring another jar!"
Shi Fenglan slurred, squinting.
"Hall Master, let’s call it a day. You’ve already had three jars," Yu Manwen said, shooting Jiang Beiran meaningful glances to back her up.
Just as Jiang Beiran was about to speak, three options appeared before him.
[Option 1: Persuade Shi Fenglan to stop. Reward: Heavenly Wheel Finger (Earth Grade, Low Tier)] [Option 2: Get Shi Fenglan drunk quickly. Reward: Lone Dragon Gold-Inlaid Staff (Mysterious Grade, Low Tier)] [Option 3: Prolong the finger-guessing game. Reward: Random Basic Attribute Point +1] ‘Damn… since when did Earth Grade rewards start dropping so easily?’
Originally, Jiang Beiran had planned to help Yu Manwen talk Shi Fenglan down.
But now…
Jiang Beiran abruptly stood up, pulling a bottle of pear blossom wine from his Universe Ring and slamming it onto the table.
"Come on, Hall Master Shi! Let’s keep going!"
PS: Setting a flag—three chapters tomorrow for sure!
(End of Chapter)