Chapter 285: 294 The Game Begins

Jichun City.

Compared to the turbulent undercurrents of Jiugao Mountain, Jichun City has been relatively calm these past few days.

Ever since that mysterious person frightened the innocent masses at the teahouse, the "Sword Casting Assembly fever" in Jichun City cooled down in an instant. Although there were still many legends circulating on the streets and alleys, the ordinary folk who generally did not involve themselves in the pugilistic world had become somewhat timid regarding the Sword Casting Conference. They no longer felt the sense of honor by association they once had; even when chatting with friends and family after meals, they could only whisper fragments like "there is a conspiracy behind this" or "those who know, know."

This situation was, of course, not what Baiyu Shenghui wanted to see, as it would significantly affect the market prospects after opening future branches, and it would take a great deal of effort to boost the shop's popularity again. But this was what the Jichun City government and the local Land Inspection Division wanted to see. Every local government hopes that no trouble will occur within their city, and the Land Inspection Division has the duty to quell chaos. Although, as Tang Zhao's "half-maternal home," they were already prepared to help suppress the situation at its most chaotic moment, wouldn't it be better for everyone if this "public-private" suppression was not needed?

However, this calm only remained on the surface; the situation underground had never been calm.

Using the Di Ku as a platform and Ghost Pushing Mill as the center, those who secretly observed or even coveted the Sword Casting Conference never ceased. The pugilistic guests coming and going changed like a revolving lantern. It was just that these covetous desires and chaos reached their peak in the first ten days of the seventh month, and began to decline as the first few days of the Sword Casting Assembly approached, fading away in tandem with the heat on the surface as if by tacit agreement.

The main reason was that the martial artists with connections, assets, and courage had long since gone up the mountain through various means—whether by buying invitations, leveraging favors to reach Zhuoyu Villa directly, or climbing the Snow Mountain to try their luck, they had already taken action. The ones remaining were merely onlookers with the heart of a thief but not the guts.

The secondary reason... of course, there was a secondary reason. It is said that the Martial Artists climbing the Snow Mountain these days were endless, but most went and never returned—this was not strange; they went up the mountain for the Sword Casting Conference, so naturally, they wouldn't come down before it started; they were likely all waiting on the mountain. However, there were also ones and twos of failures who returned from the mountain in defeat. These failures were mostly tight-lipped about their experiences on the mountain; only a few occasionally revealed fragments to acquaintances, all saying they had encountered unimaginable disasters on the mountain and dared not go up again, and then most packed their things and headed south that very day.

This vague, half-hidden way of speaking, coupled with the silence of many others, rendered a chilling atmosphere. Mystery breeds fear, and this fear began to spread among those concerned in Jichun City, soon permeating every corner of the underground like a plague. The remainder, soaked in this atmosphere of fear, were on one hand intimidated, and on the other, unbearably curious, swaying between avoiding the trouble and staying to watch it.

Therefore, when the auction, which had been spread early on and was known as the "last chance to become a Sword Guest," was held, although participants were as numerous as clouds and eight or nine out of ten remaining Martial Artists wanted to go and watch the excitement, very few were determined to bid and compete. Most just wanted to see the result—who was the final buyer? What would they get?

Ever since Black Widow came down from the mountain, she had been full of confidence in Zhuoyu Villa. She had steadied her mind and no longer cared about the monsters and demons in Jichun City, intending only to take the last flying carriage to Zhuoyu Villa—after all, she still held an invitation.

At this time, Li Laosan ran over to invite her to the auction. Black Widow naturally had no interest. After this incident, she basically had the measure of these people down the mountain—so-called clowns, not worth mentioning. Let them toss and turn down the mountain; whether it was an auction or a gladiatorial match, even a memorial service, they couldn't play any tricks.

Li Laosan did not know that Black Widow was unwilling to humor him any longer. Coveting her beauty, he could not help but pester her, his words becoming increasingly rude. Black Widow felt impatient, her gaze shifted, and a fierce look appeared.

Seeing this look, Li Laosan was suddenly startled. He swallowed half a sentence and ran off without looking back. Black Widow didn't care and went up the mountain on her own.

"Damn, what a dangerous woman."

Li Laosan had hit a wall with Black Widow and fled like a flash. Only when he reached a deserted place did he let out a sigh of relief, covered in cold sweat. "That look just now, it didn't look like a person, but like a man-eating poisonous insect. It's a good thing I didn't make a move, or I would have been poisoned to death by her."

He cursed for a while, but in the end, he went to the auction alone. Just like most people, he didn't intend to seriously compete for the so-called spot, just feeling that since he was already here and couldn't go up the mountain, why not catch the last bit of excitement?

The auction was held in the Di Ku, occupying the largest cavern, which was as big as a small plaza. At this moment, it was packed with people, shoulder to shoulder, barely able to fit.

Because it was held in the Di Ku and hosted by a gray force like Ghost Pushing Mill, the venue layout could not be very grand, and there were no flashy decorations. The gates were wide open, with no access control, let alone any reception ladies. Those with invitations could enter, and those without could also enter. For a time, it was a mix of fish and dragons, bustling and noisier than a vegetable market.

In the cave, there was no feeling of the passage of time. Only after a long while, when even Li Laosan felt it was too noisy, did it suddenly shake.

"Clang—"

A loud sound rang out; it was a rough-looking woman on the stage, who had been glaring fiercely at the crowd below, striking a bronze bell hanging in front of the stage.

Li Laosan felt a tremor in his heart from the woman's gaze, thinking: What a rough woman, far worse than that Yin Niangzi... Heh, actually, they are both fierce hags. I'm just unlucky to have met two in one day. By comparison, Yin Niangzi is at least soft when she smiles; where did this female yaksha come from?

Just then, a Ba Mian Ren walked out from under the stage.

As soon as the Ba Mian Ren appeared, the crowd quieted slightly. Almost everyone recognized him; this was the manager Ghost Pushing Mill placed in Jichun City, specifically in charge of receiving and issuing tasks. Eight or nine out of ten of those in the crowd who had luckily come down from the mountain had received their mountain-climbing tasks from his hands. For a moment, the scene was slightly tumultuous; clearly, some still remembered the terrifying experience on the Snow Mountain and almost had psychological trauma. Seeing this half-"instigator," they couldn't help but vent their anger. If it weren't for the fact that the brand of Ghost Pushing Mill was not to be trifled with, some might have gone up to curse and settle scores.

The Ba Mian Ren went up to the stage and laughed with his signature hoarse voice: "Everyone, you have all come so punctually. The time has arrived; those who haven't come are considered absent."

"Today's auction has only one item, so there is no process. If we start the auction now, it will end very quickly." The Ba Mian Ren opened a box behind him, revealing a bright red invitation. "An invitation to the Sword Casting Conference, plus a direct express carriage. The honored guest who buys the invitation will be sent up the mountain by our special carriage, guaranteed to arrive before tomorrow's Sword Casting Assembly, without fail. There are six hours left until tomorrow's assembly; time is more than enough."

Six hours; there were only six hours left until the Sword Casting Conference.

His tone shifted, his hoarse voice carrying a bit of playfulness: "The rules are simple and clear, right? However, this also creates a problem—the auction will end very quickly. Except for the final winner, everyone else will have come for nothing, not even getting to watch the excitement? That's not good. How about this, let's play a little game to warm up the venue and add some fun."

The crowd was inevitably confused but also somewhat interested. After all, although news had been chaotic in Jichun City these past few days, it was actually quite boring to stay in the city. As for games, everyone thought of riddles, pitch-pot, or drinking games, and those who had seen Baiyu Shenghui's methods thought even more: Could it be a lucky draw?

The Ba Mian Ren beckoned the rough woman to come forward, spread a piece of white paper on the wall, and then wrote a few large characters on it with a brush.

"Sword Casting Conference."

"Let's play an association game, how about it? The theme is the Sword Casting Conference. For example, as soon as you see 'Sword Casting Conference,' you think of 'sword'." He wrote the word 'sword' on the paper. "You think of 'Zhuoyu Villa'." He wrote the four characters for Zhuoyu Villa.

"You think of 'Sword Furnace', 'Jiugao Mountain', 'successful Sword Casting'... hmm..." He said while writing these words on the paper. "What other words can you think of? Say them out and I'll write them down. Let's see who can think of the most words."

The scene went quiet.

No one answered. Everyone stared at him, two words flashing in their minds simultaneously: "Idiot—"

What kind of shitty game is this?

Do you think we are three-year-olds, playing literacy games with you?

Seeing that two hot-tempered people in the crowd were about to stand up and curse him, the Ba Mian Ren immediately added: "This isn't for nothing. Whoever has the most associations, we at Ghost Pushing Mill will give them a piece of Heaven-grade intelligence for free."

The scene went quiet again. Some people's greedy breathing became heavy.

Finally, someone said loudly: "I associate it with 'climbing the mountain'."

The Ba Mian Ren laughed: "Good, this is good." He immediately wrote down 'climbing the mountain'.

With the first brave soul, everyone let go of their pride. Suddenly, one shouted "invitation," another shouted "Sword Smith," and various answers emerged one after another, truly restoring the lively atmosphere.

"The time has arrived."

In the Reception Hall, someone took out a small piece of turtle shell they carried.

Special patterns appeared on the turtle shell; this was the signal to assemble.

It was currently the third watch of the night. There was no moon tonight, dark clouds pressed down, and looking through the window, the water was pitch black—it was the perfect time for action.

The guest carrying the turtle shell carefully packed their luggage, wore only tight-fitting black clothes, and climbed out of the Reception Hall.

There were several others like them.

In the past, there was a seemingly formidable expert sitting in the Reception Hall, so they had some concerns and it was inconvenient to act openly. However, for some reason, that old man was not in the hall today, and the ordinary Disciples left behind had absolutely no way of discovering the experts who had infiltrated.

More than ten men and women, old and young, arrived at a pre-selected stretch of lake like ghosts, turned sideways, and rolled into the reed marsh, instantly merging with the reeds. With the dense reeds covering them and the darkness of the night, even a god would find it hard to see them.

In the reed marsh, a small boat was already hidden. A young man stood at the bow of the boat, wearing a cloak; he was the leader of this trip, the first guard under the Spring Pillar of State.

"Those who have arrived, sit down. Wait for everyone to gather, and we will set off. Tonight, we shall turn Zhuoyu Villa upside down."