Chapter 94

"Since we are competing, there must be a wager."

"On one side, we have the Princess of Great Tang, and on the other, the National Teachers of Chechi Kingdom."

"As for the wager, it shouldn't be anything petty. How about we bet on the territories of our two countries?"

Tang An's words made the King and Queen of Chechi Kingdom gasp.

Sure enough, she really was targeting Chechi Kingdom!

"No!" The King and Queen hurriedly spoke up to refuse.

"Oh? Is that so?" Tang An gestured for them to look at the sentence on the passage document. "We are doing this civilly, and I am also betting Great Tang territory."

"If you win, you can win Great Tang cities of equivalent scale to your Chechi Kingdom."

"What? Do you not trust your National Teachers now?"

"This... this..." The King and Queen looked at the three National Teachers. They were burning with anxiety but couldn't make up their minds.

Based on the rumors they had heard about the scripture seeker, if they took this bet, it would likely be nine losses out of ten.

But if they refused, it would first lower their own morale, and second, it would clearly show they didn't trust their National Teachers.

After all, the contributions the National Teachers had made to Chechi Kingdom were plain for all to see. Their abilities were also something they had witnessed with their own eyes.

"Hey, old King, have you decided?"

"Don't say I'm being unfair. I am truly engaging in a civil contest with you. If the Great Tang cavalry were to attack, even with your three National Teachers, it would be useless."

"My Great Tang is protected by Kuimulang, one of the Twenty-Eight Mansions who descended from heaven. Those three are no match for Kuimulang."

The three National Teachers exchanged glances and nodded at the King.

Although they didn't want to admit it, demons are demons after all; they had not yet attained the Dao and ascended. And Kuimulang was a legitimate deity, one of the Twenty-Eight Mansions.

Once both sides hit the battlefield, the outcome would be decided immediately.

With the Great Tang Emperor's ambition to unify the world, the cavalry might arrive later than Tang An and her group. But by then, there would truly be no way out.

"If we win, are you willing to swear as the Princess of Great Tang to let Chechi Kingdom go and guarantee that Great Tang will not invade Chechi territory for a hundred years?"

"Fine." Tang An raised her hand and swore without any hesitation.

She agreed so readily that it left the three National Teachers and the King completely bewildered.

The Tiger-Power Immortal thought for a moment and added another condition. "If we lose, you must also guarantee not to slaughter the city and not to harm the people of Chechi Kingdom."

"Fine." Tang An swore again and agreed.

Seeing Tang An so cooperative, the Tiger-Power Immortal felt that if they continued to haggle, it would make them look petty.

"Then let's begin. What shall we compete in?"

"Hey, don't be in such a hurry. We are betting on national territory, so we must put it in writing." Tang An's lips curled into a faint, mischievous smile; one look and you could tell she was up to no good.

"Good." The three National Teachers were also afraid Tang An would go back on her word, so they immediately agreed to put it in writing.

The palace maids brought the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone they needed and placed them on the table.

Tang An took a sheet of paper and handed the paper and brush to Yang Jian.

Why hand it to Yang Jian?

Because among the four master and disciples, Yang Jian's handwriting was the best. In times like this, it was the most presentable.

Yang Jian had no objections, only asking one question: "What are we competing in?"

"Right, what are we competing in?" Tang An rubbed her chin, her large eyes rolling around, and a plan formed.

"How about this, don't say we're bullying you."

"It will be a best-of-three competition. We each propose a topic for one round. For the third round, we can be generous and let you choose."

"Good!" The Tiger-Power Immortal approved of this method. Mainly, Tang An and her group were being so generous that if they kept nitpicking, they would look small-minded.

"Then we will propose the first round: a rainmaking contest! How about that?"

This was the Tiger-Power Immortal's specialty and the skill he relied on to make a living in Chechi Kingdom.

"Fine, no problem. Yang Jian, write it down."

"Hmm." Yang Jian immediately wrote down the first competition item.

Seeing Yang Jian finish writing, Tang An said, "Since you proposed the first topic, I'll propose the second. How about we compete in meditation?"

"Hahahaha..."

The three demons—Tiger, Deer, and Goat—burst into laughter, clearly thinking Tang An had given them an easy win.

"Good, let me, the Deer-Power Immortal, compete with you."

"No." Tang An refused, which was rare. She directly specified her opponent. "I want to compete with him." She pointed at the Tiger-Power Immortal.

The Goat-Power Immortal sneered, "Are you trying to use a tag-team strategy to exhaust our eldest brother?"

"But you don't know that even if our eldest brother competes in meditation after rainmaking, it would be as easy as resting for him."

Tang An shrugged. "So, what are you afraid of?" As she spoke, Tang An looked at the Tiger-Power Immortal again. "Well, do you dare to compete or not?"

"I do." The Tiger-Power Immortal would not show cowardice in front of a little girl.

"Good, you have spirit." Tang An praised him with her words and gave a thumbs-up, but her cheeks were clearly struggling to hold back laughter.

Just thinking about the wicked things she was about to do made her want to laugh.

"How about this, I will personally compete with you. We compete in meditation for a quarter of an hour; whoever can hold still wins. How about that?"

The Tiger-Power Immortal laughed happily, not understanding why Tang An kept handing them easy wins.

"Since you insist on handing over Great Tang territory, we have no reason to refuse."

"Good!" Tang An clapped her hands excitedly and said to Yang Jian, "Write it down."

Yang Jian saw Tang An's impatience; he knew that in this Chechi Kingdom competition, Tang An was going to have a blast.

Thinking of this, Yang Jian shook his head with a smile and continued to write.

"The third round, as agreed, is for you to choose. Come on, have you decided?"

"Naturally, we have." The Goat-Power Immortal stroked his beard. "How about we compete in guessing objects behind a partition?"

Hearing this request, the expressions of Yang Jian, Sun Wukong, and Nezha were quite something.

A demon wants to play "guessing objects behind a partition" against two great deities who possess the Heavenly Eye and Fiery Eyes and Golden Gaze???

What was he thinking?

"What? Are you afraid?"

"We dare, how could we not dare." Sun Wukong's playful nature was stirred, and he was eager to try.

"Good! It's a deal."

"Wait a minute." Tang An called a halt, though she didn't have an issue with the third round's topic. "The name 'guessing objects behind a partition' is so unrefined. How about we call it 'pointing at a deer and calling it a horse'?"

The Goat-Power Immortal was completely confused, but since it was just a name change, he had no objections.

"Whatever you want."

After writing these three items, Yang Jian put down the brush. "Done." He handed the paper to Tang An.

Tang An spread it out to look, her expression appearing regretful, as if she felt her side was at a disadvantage.

"How about this, you have the upper hand in all three rounds. I'll add a note to the competition rules. You don't mind, do you?"

"No objections, no objections." The three demons—Tiger, Deer, and Goat—were already happily feeling like they were going to win. "What do you want to add?"

"You'll know once I write it down." Tang An took the brush and, suppressing a grin, wrote a line.

"The final right of interpretation for the rules of this competition belongs to Tang An."

The three demons took the paper Tang An handed over and looked at her crooked handwriting. "What does this mean?"

"It means exactly what it says. I'm just afraid you won't understand how I play. When the time comes and you don't understand, I will explain it to you 'very thoroughly'."

The three of them looked at the paper over and over, always feeling that this sentence hid something. But they had never heard this phrase before, so for a moment, they couldn't see what kind of trap was buried inside.

"Hey, you've been looking at it for a long time. Are you going to press your handprints or not?"

The three of them exchanged glances, thought about their advantages in these three rounds, and the favorable conditions they held, and said in unison: "We will!"

Even if Tang An wanted to play some tricks later, they were just mortals seeking scriptures; how many tricks could they possibly play?