Chapter 1384

Xia De took back his deck, and the three at the table drew their first cards together: "The boy said: I am willing, like my great-grandfather, to use my whole life to seal you." He saw his first card was Star 12 and smiled slightly:

"And this time, the story begins with the boy taking the demon away."

"The demon agreed to the boy's wish, signed a soul contract, moved into the boy's soul, and followed the boy as he walked toward the distance."

Mr. Asmon's deep but still somewhat slick voice began the demon's story again. Under the dim kerosene lamp of the country tavern, listening to this kind of story while playing Rhode cards was quite atmospheric.

"The demon did not harm the boy, but it whispered in the boy's ear day and night, trying to corrupt his soul. The boy, however, kept his relatives' sacrifices in mind, so he just endured it silently."

"If someone nagged in my ear all day, even that very pretty cat in the circus, I wouldn't be able to stand it." Magician Winston muttered, and the three reached for their second cards together.

Xia De raised an eyebrow, seeing the card in his hand was Star 8: "It's 20 points."

So he tapped the table to signal he was standing, and displayed his total points. Mr. Winston and Mr. Asmon continued to draw cards:

"The boy left his hometown and walked and walked toward the distance. He grew up day by day, and the demon residing in his soul also gave him some unusual powers. The grown boy walked a very long way, and one day, he passed by a village near a river."

Xia De looked at the Demon Scholar, only to see him place his three hand cards on the table: "19 points, I stand."

"I have 20 points; perhaps you could try again and draw one more."

Xia De reminded him, and Mr. Asmon curled the corners of his mouth, lowered his eyebrows, and said:

"I never gamble on luck. I am very happy to accept the status quo; since fate gives me so much, I accept so much." On the other side, the magician was tangled, holding his three cards and looking at Xia De's 20 points, frowning deeply.

"You have 20 points too?"

Xia De picked up his glass and took a sip of the newly served butterbeer, a drink that actually contained no alcohol. "Yes, I am not satisfied with a draw, but if I try to draw one more, I will definitely bust."

The magician said, then proposed to Xia De:

"How about we each draw one more card and only compare the points of the last card?" "I have no objection."

Xia De said, looking at Mr. Asmon, who shook his head and continued the story:

"In that small village by the river, the young man who was injured after killing a wicked cyclops received careful care from a young girl. The girl, who had never left the village, had bright eyes, hair like silk, and a smile as brilliant as summer flowers. Just like the plot in all stories, she fell in love with the brave young man, and even though the young man knew he should not develop feelings for anyone else, he inevitably fell in love with the young girl."

"I am Sun 8."

The magician drew an extra card, and Xia De also flipped his card: "I am... Moon 9. I am truly sorry, I won the first round."

Xia De said with a smile, while the magician muttered that he was unlucky and signaled to start the next round.

All three drew the first card of the second round, but no one looked at the hole card, instead taking the second one directly: "The love between the young man and the girl should be a tragedy, right?"

Xia De asked Mr. Asmon: "What did the demon do?"

He and the magician, who was also very interested in the story, looked at the Demon Scholar, whose eyes were fixed on Xia De:

"Love is often unreasonable. Even though he carried a demon, nature made the determined young man fall deeply in love with the girl. If he hadn't chosen to use his whole life to seal and watch over the demon, this would have been a beautiful love story, but unfortunately... the demon did nothing; it just whispered in the young man's ear, praising the girl's kindness and the beauty of that love.

"

"Tsk tsk."

Xia De and the magician clicked their tongues at the same time, both sensing that this should be another story ending in tragedy. However, they didn't know how the story would eventually end.

"Flower 9, Star 9. 18 points, I stand."

Mr. Asmon said. Xia De then looked at his hand, but currently, it was only Sun 3 and Moon 11; he had to draw the next card.

Magician Mr. Winston also chose to continue drawing cards, while the story continued:

"The demon seemed to accelerate the healing process of the young man's wounds, and he soon recovered the ability to start traveling again. The young man's silence let the girl know his intention to leave. So, on a night with stars filling the sky and a silver moon hanging high, the young girl invited the young man to settle down here by the barn."

Xia De sighed and looked at his third card:

"I feel like my mood is even worse. Flower 5, I am 19 points, I stand."

The magician looked at the 18 points in his hand and reached for the fourth card. After flipping it, he sighed in annoyance and threw all four cards on the table:

"The last one is actually Flower 13, I busted." "Then I win."

Xia De smiled and took two crowns of gold coins from the empty plate, while the special card was still in the magician's deck; he would take it after the game ended.

"Now, it is the match between Mr. Winston and Mr. Asmon. Oh, Mr. Asmon, please continue the story."

"That night, the girl's eyes were as bright as stars, her rosy lips were more delicate than the flowers of early spring, and her black hair was like the feathers of the noblest night raven. Faced with the invitation, the young man was silent."

"His mood must be very complex, just as complex as mine is now."

Said the magician, who had already lost his special card. He nervously drew the first hole card and the second card, then his eyes lit up, and he displayed his hand:

"The second card is my 【Circus Tragedy · Headless Clown】!"

"The rule must be triggered during the settlement phase; this is not a friendly rule."

Xia De commented. Mr. Asmon also drew the first two cards, and without even looking, continued to draw:

"The young man knew what he was carrying, and he also knew what the consequences would be if he chose to stay. So, he refused the girl's invitation, and then, killed her."

Somehow, Xia De did not feel surprised at all.

Mr. Asmon's eyes were still fixed on Xia De, and without looking at the third card, he tapped the table to signal he was standing. "Was it because of anger that the girl almost ruined his determination?"

The magician asked, carefully flipping over his third card, then shouted: "There's such a thing?"

The first three cards were Moon 7, Star 3, and Moon 11, exactly 21 points. But due to the special rule, removing Star 3 and adding 5, his final score was 23 points; unfortunately, he busted.

Mr. Asmon flipped over his three cards, then clasped his hands together and smiled. The total score was only 12 points, but he still won. So this Demon Scholar picked 5 crowns from the empty plate and put them in his pocket. Xia De pushed the plate, which had only 1 crown left, to the magician. The latter, although annoyed, was more concerned about the ending of the story:

"Why on earth did the young man do that?"

"The young man knew that he had fallen deeply in love with the girl, and even if he left now, he would miss her for the rest of his life. To prevent the demon from returning here after his death—just as it returned to his hometown to collect the souls of his beloved relatives after leaving his great-grandfather—and claiming the girl's soul, the young man killed her himself, liberating her soul.

Afterwards, the young man packed his bag again and walked toward the distant horizon. He was free, and her soul was free too."

Xia De had the same expression as the magician at this moment, both pursing their lips and tightening their faces. They looked at each other, both feeling it was hard to comment on this story:

"I cannot say that the young man's actions were entirely wrong

." Xia De could only say this:

"Judging from the previous three stories, the young man's premonition was very correct. Even if he had traveled far away, when his life came to an end, the demon would definitely have turned into his likeness and returned to the girl's side...

"But for the young man to just like that, kill his passionate lover, this is too... even the best bard in our circus couldn't think of such a story. However, I must admit this is a good story."

The magician also commented, and Xia De asked again: "So, does the story have a sequel?"

"Of course it does. This bizarrely long story has many more chapters. However, just like last time, let's talk about it next time."

Mr. Asmon picked up his wine glass and drank it down, his Adam's apple rolling, and a small amount of wine slipped down his stubbly beard.

Magician Mr. Winston sighed, picked up the remaining 1 crown, and handed the Star 3 【Circus Tragedy · Headless Clown】 to Xia De:

"It belongs to you now. Trading a special card for a game of cards, an unfinished story, and a gold coin—this can be considered worth it."

Saying this, he stood up:

"It's getting late. If I don't go back, the troupe leader will punish me by making me clean the stables. You two, it was a pleasure to meet you. And this Mr. Asmon, if there is a chance to meet again, please continue telling the story."

Xia De stood up to see him off, while the Demon Scholar just nodded while holding his wine glass. The two watched the somewhat dispirited magician disappear to the other side of the tavern, which was still very lively after nightfall.

Afterwards, Xia De sat down and picked up his glass again. Under the increasingly dim kerosene lamp, he leaned forward slightly and continued the topic from the beginning:

"The demon story is temporarily over. So, Mr. Asmon, are you interested in talking to me about the local demon rumors?"