"You encountered a group of demonic sect bandits and had 1 tael of silver stolen from you... Huh!? Why!? My Chain Fairy is super strong, she could definitely beat them!"
After reading the event described on the [Adventure Card], Shi Fenglan looked indignant.
"That's just how the rules work. Gambling wouldn't be gambling if it didn't follow rules," Jiang Beiran said expressionlessly as he reached to take away a blue slip marked "1 tael" from in front of Shi Fenglan.
But she grabbed his hand before he could.
"Mmm... Can't they steal less?"
Shi Fenglan pleaded with big, watery eyes.
"No. Let go. Do you still want to play or not?"
"Fine..."
Shi Fenglan reluctantly released her grip, then smacked the back of her right hand with her left.
"Stupid hand! Why did you have to roll a two instead of a four!"
"Your turn," Jiang Beiran said, turning to Little Duo.
Rubbing her hands together, Little Duo carefully rolled the dice.
"One."
Watching as the dice slowly settled on the side with the single red dot, Little Duo picked up her Little Flying Hero piece and moved it one space forward on the landscape-painted game board.
"Martial World Event."
As she spoke, she drew the top card from the stack next to the betting board.
"You were named Outstanding Hero of the Year and received 2 taels of silver and a Phoenix Feather Sword... Wow, such a big reward!"
Little Duo cheered excitedly.
"Here's your Phoenix Feather Sword."
Jiang Beiran pulled a card from the item deck and handed it to her.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Jiang."
With a sweet smile, Little Duo took the card and read softly, "Effect: Can slay any demonic sect members encountered on the road."
"Ah!"
Shi Fenglan slammed the table, her face full of envy as she stared at the card in Little Duo's hand. Feeling Shi Fenglan's longing gaze, Little Duo offered the card to her.
"If the Hall Master likes it, you can have it."
"Really!?"
Shi Fenglan beamed with joy. Jiang Beiran cleared his throat.
"Ahem! Rules reminder—no gifting."
"Just joking! This Hall Master doesn’t need items like this to beat you all. Hurry up, Little Beiran, it's your turn."
Jiang Beiran nodded and rolled the dice. --- At dusk, Yu Manwen returned to Mirror Flower Garden with light steps. But as she headed toward Orchid Waterside Pavilion, a sudden thought struck her.
‘Since when did coming back to Mirror Flower Garden mean going straight to the Hall Master’s place instead of my own quarters?’
In the past, though she held an inspector’s role, Yu Manwen only occasionally visited Shi Fenglan for routine checks. But lately, Orchid Waterside Pavilion had practically become her second home.
‘Well, there are just more troublemakers to keep an eye on now.’
With that self-justification, she arrived at the pavilion and was greeted by the familiar sound of Shi Fenglan’s lively voice.
"Little Beiran~ This is my last three qian of silver, just let me owe you this once, please~" ‘Hm?
They’re gambling with real money now?’ Frowning, Yu Manwen stepped into the main hall.
"Greetings, Guardian Yu."
Seeing her enter, Jiang Beiran, who was seated facing the main door, stood and saluted. Glancing at the enormous landscape-painted game board on the table, Yu Manwen asked, "Where do you keep coming up with all these new tricks?"
"During my time as an Iron Seal, I traveled far and wide and picked up some interesting gambling games along the way."
"I’ve told you repeatedly not to corrupt our Hall Master, yet you keep ignoring me, don’t you?"
"I’m caught in the middle here. You tell me not to teach her, but the Hall Master orders me to. Both of you are my superiors—what’s a humble disciple to do?"
Hearing the "blame" shift to her, Shi Fenglan quickly stood and explained to Yu Manwen, "I didn’t ask Little Beiran to teach me gambling! It was... um... Little Duo’s idea!"
"Eh?"
Little Duo, who had been counting her remaining travel funds, froze. Just as she was about to accept this enormous blame, Yu Manwen narrowed her eyes and let out a questioning "Hm?"
"Fine... It was me, alright?"
Shi Fenglan admitted, hanging her head. Sighing helplessly, Yu Manwen walked over to the table and examined the grand game board.
"So what’s this one called?"
"An advanced version of The Wandering Heroes. You could call it Wandering Free in the Martial World."
‘Not bad at naming things.’
Smiling inwardly, Yu Manwen asked, "I heard our Hall Master owes you money?"
"Ah, this."
Jiang Beiran picked up a slip of paper marked [1 Tael of Silver] and handed it to her.
"The other day, Hall Master Shi mentioned that a plate of beef costs a tael of silver, so I thought I’d teach her the value of money through a game."
In fact, it was precisely after realizing how little common sense Shi Fenglan had that Jiang Beiran became even more convinced of his earlier suspicion—Shi Fenglan must have been "parachuted" into her position as Hall Master.
Even if she had been a young noble lady before joining the sect, disciples like Fang Qiuyao inevitably learned the realities of the world after a few missions outside. Yet Shi Fenglan, despite being a Hall Master, still lived in a "fairy-tale" world, proving she hadn’t climbed the ranks through normal means.
"I heard storytellers say it! Those heroes in the tales always slap down a silver ingot after eating beef in taverns!"
She quickly added, "But I know better now.
See, Manwen?
You can learn things from gambling too!"
"No matter how prettily you phrase it, gambling is still gambling. Don’t play for too long."
"Yes~ Understood."
Once Yu Manwen relented, Shi Fenglan turned back to Jiang Beiran and begged, "Beiran~ Just let me owe you this once! Once I reach the pawnshop and sell the jade bracelet I just picked up, I’ll pay you back right away!"
"No." Jiang Beiran remained unmoved.
"Hmph, stingy! Fine, take it!"
Shi Fenglan handed over her last three large bills with a pout.
‘Jade bracelet? Pawnshop?’
Yu Manwen, who had been observing, suddenly grew curious. Noticing Yu Manwen lingering, Shi Fenglan flashed a sly smile. Yesterday, while playing The Wandering Heroes, she’d noticed Yu Manwen’s interest—the way her eyes kept darting to the game, her barely concealed eagerness restrained only by her sense of duty.
‘Hmm... No wonder so many people love gambling. It really is fun.’
They played until dinnertime, with Shi Fenglan staging a comeback to snatch second place, dancing with joy. As Jiang Beiran packed up the game and prepared to leave, Shi Fenglan suddenly called out, "Wait! This is for you."
Looking up, Jiang Beiran saw Shi Fenglan pull out a wooden box from under the table.
"This is...?"
"The defensive treasure I promised you! Come see if it meets your expectations."
"Many thanks, Hall Master Shi."
After expressing his gratitude, Jiang Beiran opened the box to find a purple-gold feathered garment inside. At the same time, two options appeared before him: [Option 1: "This is too valuable, I can’t accept it." Reward: Hundred Zhang Finger (Yellow Grade, High Tier)] [Option 2: "May I ask what kind of treasure this is?"
Reward: Random Basic Skill Point +1] (End of Chapter)