Chapter 87: Lost All

“Zhang Fu, come back quickly!”

The young young master shrank his neck and hurriedly turned his head, calling out in a hushed voice to the man in the blue robe.

Hearing this, the man in the blue robe, who had seen everything, lowered his gaze to the candle still burning on the table before him.

Suddenly, he lifted his head sharply, staring at Li Muxian across from him—and without realizing it, his back had gone cold.

If he still failed to realize what was going on now, he was truly an idiot.

The man in the blue robe stared at Li Muxian, who sat there calm and composed, and instantly grew tense.

Though this young man emitted not a trace of Qi, everything that had just happened—the unextinguished candle on his skiff, the always-dead candle on his own skiff—any fool could tell it had something to do with him.

“How long are you planning to stay on my boat?”

At this, Li Muxian glanced at him and frowned slightly.

Upon hearing this, the man in the blue robe froze for a moment, then immediately understood.

He took a deep breath, then bowed deeply to Li Muxian with solemn respect.

“Esteemed young master, I was blind to your true stature just now—my apologies for our ignorance and disrespect.”

Hearing this, Li Muxian waved his hand casually, his gaze shifting instead toward the darkness ahead.

“Go. Don’t come back again.”

At these words, the man in the blue robe felt a sudden relief, as if granted pardon from death itself.

He said nothing more, stepped off at once, and leapt toward the skiff where his young master waited.

Seeing the man in the blue robe take so long to return, the young lord was clearly furious and opened his mouth to rebuke him.

But the man in the blue robe silently transmitted a message via qi-thread, explaining everything—and the young lord’s expression instantly changed dramatically.

He stole a furtive glance at Li Muxian’s skiff, then immediately looked away.

Without another word, he ordered the man in the blue robe to leave at once—clearly another coward who bullied the weak and feared the strong, just like Li Yuanling.

Meanwhile, in Li Muxian’s line of sight, Li Yuanling’s figure leapt repeatedly, approaching his skiff from the distant darkness.

When she arrived, seeing her tightly drawn face and the gloomy, defeated expression she wore, Li Muxian nearly burst out laughing.

How triumphant she had been when she left, and how utterly dejected she was now—like a rooster beaten in a fight.

As soon as Li Yuanling landed on the skiff, Li Muxian asked curiously:

“My sworn sister, did you lose all your jade tokens?”

Hearing this, Li Yuanling shot him an angry glare, her pretty face puffing up in fury.

But she could only seethe inwardly, turning her head away and sitting down on the cushion opposite, silent.

Seeing this, Li Muxian chuckled.

“Looks like you had a good gaming experience—just a disappointing outcome.”

At this, Li Yuanling turned back, remembering Li Muxian’s earlier words, and pouted.

“So that’s what you meant by ‘gaming experience.’”

Then, as if resigned, she mimicked Li Muxian’s posture, spreading her hands and sighing:

“I admit it’s my fault—I misjudged the strength of that boat’s crew, and now all my jade tokens have been stripped away.”

Li Muxian nodded, giving her a thumbs-up.

“Only you, my sworn sister, could wipe us clean in under an incense stick’s burn.”

Li Yuanling bit her lip. Though she didn’t understand what “returning to before liberation” meant, she saw clearly the mocking look in his eyes—she knew it wasn’t praise.

Thinking of this, she rolled her eyes, planted her hands on her hips, and turned the blame around:

“You’re my sworn brother—you let your own sworn sister go out to fight for you, and now that I’ve just lost a few jade tokens, you treat me like this? It breaks my heart.”

Hearing this, Li Muxian’s eyelid twitched.

“Don’t smear me—you told me to watch the candle, then grabbed your jade tokens and ran off. Now you’re blaming me?”

He pointed at the candle on the table.

“Tell me yourself—has this candle on our skiff gone out yet? Did I watch it well?”

Li Yuanling was left speechless by his retort. She muttered under her breath, grumbling:

“I did it all for you.”

Then, lowering her voice, she whispered mysteriously:

“I heard there’s a divine artifact in Floating Boat City that can boost martial cultivation. If we win first place—or even break the record—we might get it. If you take it, your cultivation will skyrocket overnight.”

Hearing this, Li Muxian raised an eyebrow, his expression skeptical.

“What kind of divine artifact? Is it reliable? Can it boost any level of cultivation?”

Li Yuanling nodded firmly, her face serious.

“I don’t know exactly what it is, but the information I got is absolutely trustworthy—Floating Boat City definitely has a divine artifact that can enhance martial cultivation.”

“Is that so?”

Li Muxian rubbed his chin, thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Then we must win first place.”

Originally, Li Muxian hadn’t cared much about this game in Floating Boat City—even making the top ten didn’t matter to him.

Even if Li Yuanling lost all her jade tokens, he wouldn’t have cared—he’d only wanted to tease her a bit for amusement.

But now, he was starting to find Floating Boat City interesting.

Though his sworn sister seemed unreliable, since they’d come this far, what if the rumored artifact really existed—and if it happened to help him?

He didn’t expect much, but there was no harm in taking a look.

At this, Li Yuanling shook her head, sighing heavily.

“I don’t dare hope for first place anymore—I’d be grateful just to get back the jade tokens I lost.”

Hearing this, Li Muxian gave her a calm, sidelong glance.

“Thinking won’t help. You need to act.”

Li Yuanling looked up, glaring at Li Muxian.

“Easy for you to say—I can’t beat them. Those three women look like delicate ladies from noble families.”

“But the moment they moved, they pinned me down and stripped all my jade tokens—I couldn’t even fight back.”

Hearing this, Li Muxian chuckled softly.

“Who said you have to beat someone to steal their jade tokens?”

(End of Chapter)