The Mirror Master

Night had fallen by the time Lu Bai left the Luo Family.

Time was tight. With only three days, he had planned to go straight to the Willow Shade Courtyard.

But after a moment of deliberation, Lu Bai headed toward the Drunken Flower House instead.

’First, I’ll stop by and see the Old Gambling Ghost.’

Even at this hour, the streets of Bluestone City were still bustling with people, a cacophony of voices filling the air.

Some were rushing toward the Drunken Flower House, while others were already leaving it.

"Have you heard? In three days, the Black Hand Young Hero and the Ninth-Layer Qi Refiner, Mo Shaohan, are fighting on the Martial Arts Discussion Platform!"

"Who doesn’t know by now? This is going to be a huge event."

"Let’s go, let’s go! Time to place a bet."

"Boss Jin has opened five betting pools. I bet the two with the Deathmatch odds are just there to throw everyone off."

"Exactly. That Lu Bai isn’t an idiot. If Mo Shaohan proposes a Deathmatch, he can just refuse."

The crowd was abuzz with discussion, every one of them extremely excited.

It had been a long time since Bluestone City was this lively.

Three duels on the Martial Arts Discussion Platform in a single month.

Compared to this, the match between Lu Bai and Sun Bohan seemed almost trivial.

A fight between a Cultivator and a Martial Artist was far more thrilling!

"I don’t know what that Lu Bai is thinking, daring to challenge a Qi Refiner."

"His ego’s inflated, what else could it be? He beat Sun Bohan, killed a few bandits single-handedly, and now he thinks he’s invincible. He doesn’t know his own limits."

"Haha, this time we’ll see whose hand is quicker: the Black Hand Young Hero’s, or the other guy’s Flying Sword."

"If I were Boss Jin, I’d open a few more betting pools on how many rounds it’ll take Mo Shaohan to defeat Lu Bai."

「Underground Bazaar.」

The Old Gambling Ghost set up his stall as usual. People hurried past without stopping, all excitedly making their way to the Drunken Flower House.

"Tsk, tsk. Interesting."

The Old Gambling Ghost leaned against the wall, his eyes narrowed as he muttered, "With such high stakes, I wonder how many people will lose everything they own."

A short while later, someone stopped in front of his stall.

The footsteps were very familiar.

The Old Gambling Ghost abruptly stood up and leaned in. "Kid, you’re still in the mood to come get your supply from me?"

"I didn’t come yesterday," Lu Bai said. "I missed it dearly."

The Old Gambling Ghost rolled his eyes. "You miss my old coins, you mean!"

Lu Bai began picking through the pile of old coins as usual and asked, "Old Gambling Ghost, with such a huge pot, you haven’t placed a bet?"

"Which pool would I bet on?"

the Old Gambling Ghost asked with a wry smile.

"With our relationship, you should obviously bet on me to win, and to kill that Mo Shaohan," Lu Bai said.

"Such big talk."

The Old Gambling Ghost pursed his lips. "What are your chances against him?"

"Right now, I have none."

Lu Bai answered honestly.

"You should focus on figuring out how to stay alive first," the Old Gambling Ghost said.

After a pause, the Old Gambling Ghost’s eyes darted around. "How about this? I’ll go bet on the Qi Refiner to win, pass all my bad luck onto him, and maybe you’ll actually be able to win this fight.

"All you have to do is return the goods you’ve taken from me..."

"I could never part with them."

Lu Bai laughed. "Old Gambling Ghost, you should still bet on me."

"Forget it."

The Old Gambling Ghost waved his hand. "I lose every bet I make. I’m a walking jinx. This is a life-and-death battle, so I won’t bring you down with me."

"Why not try?"

Lu Bai picked out a True Coin and looked up at the Old Gambling Ghost, speaking slowly. "Let’s find out what’s stronger: your terrible luck, or my tough fate!"

The Old Gambling Ghost stared at Lu Bai for a long moment. "Are you serious?" he asked.

"Of course."

"If you bet on me and actually win this time," Lu Bai said, "maybe your luck will finally turn. Your curse could be broken."

The Old Gambling Ghost’s eyes narrowed.

Lu Bai had spoken casually, but his words struck a chord deep within the old man.

The Old Gambling Ghost suddenly declared, "Then I’ll give it a shot. If I actually win this bet, I’ll get you any treasure you desire."

"It’s a deal."

Lu Bai’s eyes lit up.

From his interactions with him over this period, he was almost certain the Old Gambling Ghost was more than he seemed.

But he had no idea just how capable the old man truly was.

He picked out ten coins and handed over ten taels of silver.

This time, however, the Old Gambling Ghost didn’t head for a gambling den. After packing up his stall, he said to Lu Bai, "I’m going to place a bet on you right now. In three days, we’ll see what happens."

-----------------

Lu Bai turned and left, heading straight for the Willow Shade Courtyard.

When he reached the End of Bluestone Alley, he found the gate to the courtyard ajar, as if waiting for him.

Lu Bai slipped inside.

Candles lit the main hall, where both Yu Daoxuan and Yun Luo were waiting.

The Black Dog was sitting in the courtyard, its head tilted slightly upward, seemingly in the middle of Cultivation.

Sensing Lu Bai’s presence, the Black Dog looked over, got up, and trotted toward him.

Its injuries, it seemed, had fully healed.

Lu Bai gently stroked the Black Dog a few times before stepping into the hall. He bowed with clasped hands toward Yu Daoxuan and said, "Daoist Yu, Daoist Yun Luo, I’ve arrived. I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you both for the next three days."

"Brother Lu, we’ve been waiting for you! Come and test yourself against my Flying Sword."

Yun Luo was delighted to see Lu Bai.

’Finally, someone to play with!’

"Right here?"

Lu Bai asked.

"Let’s do it right here,"

Yun Luo said. "There’s enough space. If we went outside where it’s more open, it would be even harder for you to deal with, Brother Lu."

"Very well."

Lu Bai glanced at Yu Daoxuan, who was standing to the side.

At that moment, Yu Daoxuan was holding the Mountain Demon Skin, examining it under the candlelight. He tapped it lightly with his fingertips, sending streams of light into the hide. He was so focused that he didn’t even look up.

"Brother Lu, be careful now,"

Yun Luo called out. With a flick of her sleeve, a streak of white light shot forth.

It reached Lu Bai in an instant!

’So fast!’

Lu Bai’s heart leaped. With no time to think, he threw himself into a sideways roll.

He had just gotten back to his feet when he felt a chill on his neck.

The streak of white light hovered beside his throat, revealing itself to be a Flying Sword.

"You were too slow, Brother Lu,"

Yun Luo said in a very serious tone. With a beckoning gesture of her small hand, the Flying Sword flew back to her and vanished.

Yun Luo was only at the Eighth-Layer Qi Refining stage, yet her Flying Sword was already this fast.

Mo Shaohan was at the Ninth-Layer Qi Refining stage. His Flying Sword would be even faster!

Lu Bai carefully replayed the feeling of the attack in his mind. He focused completely, pushing his senses to their absolute limit, and said in a low voice, "Again!"

The moment the word left his lips, Lu Bai lunged toward Yun Luo.

Yun Luo flicked her sleeve, and the white light flashed, arriving in an instant.

Lu Bai twisted his body slightly to evade the Flying Sword and continued charging toward Yun Luo without breaking stride.

As she launched her Flying Sword, Yun Luo simultaneously retreated to create distance from Lu Bai, her hand forming a new Sword Formula.

The Flying Sword seemed to come alive, whipping around like a Spiritual Snake to strike at Lu Bai’s back.

No matter how fast Lu Bai’s Body Technique was, it couldn’t outpace a Flying Sword.

Before he could get very far, the Flying Sword caught up to him again, its tip pressing against his back.

"You lose, Brother Lu,"

Yun Luo said with a cheerful giggle.

Back on the island, her senior and junior martial siblings had always been the ones to bully her like this.

Now, she had finally found someone *she* could bully.

「Underground Bazaar.」

As the Old Gambling Ghost left the Drunken Flower House, his expression shifted. He seemed to sense something, and a glint flashed in his eyes.

’No wonder he dared to challenge a Ninth-Level Qi Refiner. So he has a training partner.’

the Old Gambling Ghost muttered to himself. Then, he let out a soft gasp of surprise, his eyes lighting up. ’Not bad, not bad at all. The little girl actually has a rare Top Grade Wind Spirit Root. What a promising young talent!

’Judging by her Sword Control Technique, she must be from the Four Seas Pavilion.

’Hmm, this girl is quite good. When my luck finally turns, I could take her as my disciple and train her properly.

’What skills do those old charlatans at the Four Seas Pavilion even have? Only by practicing Cultivation with me can she truly attain immortality...’