Chapter 196: Xuanyuan Sanguang

Below Emei Mountain.

There is a small temple.

The temple does not enshrine any God, yet a burly man sits imposingly upon the altar.

He has a face like the bottom of a pot, a face full of thick whiskers, eyebrows like two scrubbing brushes, and eyes like copper bells. Only one eye remains; the black cloth patch over his left eye makes him appear even more fierce and ferocious.

His pair of hairy, oversized hands—the right is perfectly intact, but the left has only the thumb and index finger remaining.

Beneath the altar stand three men: Wang Yizhua, who "views people as chickens," the Southern Heaven Swordsman Sun Tiannan, and the young hero Qiu Qingbo from the Silver Spear Family.

These three are usually quite spirited, but at this moment, they are dejected and filled with fear.

This is because the man before them is the Evil Gambler of the Ten Great Villains.

The Evil Gambler is addicted to gambling as if his life depended on it, and when he gambles, he recognizes no kin. He does not stop until the sky is bright, the people are bright, and the money is bright; his surname is Xuanyuan, so everyone calls him Xuanyuan Sanguang.

Suddenly, Qiu Qingbo shouts, "Meeting the Evil Gambler, one must gamble even if one does not want to. But there is one type of person you often cannot force to gamble with you."

Xuanyuan Sanguang raises an eyebrow and sneers, "Oh? There is such a person?"

Qiu Qingbo shouts, "There is."

Xuanyuan Sanguang says, "Tell me then, what kind of person is that?"

"A dead person!"

Qiu Qingbo suddenly strikes his own "Heavenly Spirit" with a backhanded palm.

Xuanyuan Sanguang is startled and steps forward to examine Qiu Qingbo's corpse.

But at this very moment, Wang Yizhua and Sun Tiannan exchange a glance, suddenly leap up, and pounce toward Xuanyuan Sanguang.

Their movement is swift, and their strikes are even more ruthless.

Especially Wang Yizhua, who "views people as chickens"—his palms have turned almost a deathly black. These two know they cannot out-gamble the Evil Gambler and are seeking life through death.

"How bold!"

Xuanyuan Sanguang, as if he had eyes on the back of his head, twists his body, lets out an angry roar, and his two fists fly out. It appears as though these fists use no special technique, but with two "Bang!" "Bang!" sounds, the two men are already repelled.

Sun Tiannan flies out like a kite with a broken string, falls far away, and his breath is already gone.

Although Wang Yizhua lands on the ground after a mid-air flip, his face turns deathly pale, a mouthful of blood sprays out, and he collapses to the ground.

Xuanyuan Sanguang shakes his head and sighs, "Damn it, I don't want to kill, but these turtle sons insist on making me kill. I am single-mindedly focused on gambling, yet these turtle sons refuse to gamble with me."

"Damn it, why don't I gamble with you instead." Just then, a person walks into the temple with a smile; the words he mimics are the very ones the Evil Gambler just spoke.

No matter what language one learns, profanity is always the easiest to pick up.

Xuanyuan Sanguang focuses his gaze and sees a black-clad youth holding a sword. The youth is handsome and upright, possessing an indescribable, captivating presence.

"Damn it, you brat, you aren't afraid of me?" Xuanyuan Sanguang's eyes flicker with a savage grin.

The black-clad youth smiles, "I also like to gamble, and I win every time I gamble, so why should I be afraid of you?"

Xuanyuan Sanguang laughs wildly, "Ha, good, very interesting. What is your name? There aren't many who dare to gamble with me, Xuanyuan."

"Flawless as fine jade, valuable as a city—you can call me Yu Liancheng, or you can call me 'Heavenly Soldier Master'." The person who arrived is naturally Yu Liancheng; not long after parting ways with Zhang Jing, he heard the commotion at this mountain temple.

He naturally could not miss out on such an interesting affair.

"'Heavenly Soldier Master'?" Xuanyuan Sanguang's eyes shift to the sword in Yu Liancheng's hand: "So, this sword of yours is very powerful?"

"This sword is named Duoqing; when it commands the world, none dare disobey." Yu Liancheng says indifferently, "Even if it is not a divine weapon, its value is unmatched by any other weapon in the world."

"Hahahaha." Xuanyuan Sanguang laughs loudly: "Interesting, interesting. Then the stake shall be this sword of yours; if you lose, give this sword to me."

Yu Liancheng says indifferently, "And what is your stake?"

"If you win against me, whether it be rare treasures, famous horses, or spirit dogs, I can fetch them for you." Xuanyuan Sanguang laughs, "For someone like you who takes the initiative to find me to gamble, I am quite generous."

"Not enough, far from enough." Yu Liancheng shakes his head.

"Then I'll find you ten mansions, twenty beautiful maidens, and thirty obedient servants; will that do?"

"Still far from it." Yu Liancheng says indifferently.

"What kind of fart are you spouting, brat? That sword of yours looks unremarkable, and my stake has already given you plenty of face." Xuanyuan Sanguang raises his eyebrows, his anger flaring, making him look even more hideous and terrifying: "You don't want this, you don't want that—don't tell me you want my head?"

"Your head is big and ugly; besides being used as an oversized chamber pot, what use could it have? I don't want it." Yu Liancheng shakes his head again.

"Little brat, you dare to mock me?" Xuanyuan Sanguang's face darkens, the veins on his forehead throbbing; he looks ready to strike at the slightest disagreement.

Yu Liancheng looks Xuanyuan Sanguang up and down, then shakes his head in disdain: "I really don't see anything on you worth taking. How about this: if I win against you, you will do one thing for me."

"Good." Xuanyuan Sanguang grins savagely: "As long as you win against me, whatever you want me to do, as long as I can do it, I will certainly handle it for you perfectly. But if you, brat, lose this sword, I will require you to continue gambling; I will not stop until the sky is bright, the earth is bright, and the people are bright."

Yu Liancheng nods: "Good, I agree."

Although this Xuanyuan Sanguang is ranked among the Ten Great Villains, he is a forthright person who keeps his promises. His gambling integrity is excellent; he has never reneged on a debt. The three fingers on his left hand and his left eye were all lost in gambling.

Xuanyuan Sanguang laughs, "Good, since you agreed so readily, how this round is played will be up to you, little brat."

"Really?" Yu Liancheng raises an eyebrow: "You should know, if you suggest the method, there is still a sliver of a chance for you to win, but if I suggest how to gamble, you will undoubtedly lose."

"Stop spouting stinking farts. When has Xuanyuan Sanguang ever gone back on his word, and when has he ever been afraid of losing to others?" Xuanyuan Sanguang waves his hand impatiently.

"Since that's the case, let me think of a way to gamble." Yu Liancheng ponders for a moment, his eyes suddenly lighting up: "I have it."

Xuanyuan Sanguang rubs his hands, his interest piqued by Yu Liancheng: "Damn it, don't keep me in suspense, speak, speak."

"We are both people of the Edo, so naturally, there should be a Edo way to gamble. Therefore, this match must be exciting and stimulating."

Yu Liancheng flicks his sleeve, and the long sword that the "Southern Heaven Swordsman" Sun Tiannan dropped appears in his palm: "How about this: we take our swords and take turns stabbing each other, one sword per person. Neither is allowed to dodge; whoever falls first is the loser."