Horse King was an old gambler. Over the years, though he lost more than he won, there had been times he'd won hundreds of thousands of Immortal Stones. But winning four million Immortal Stones in a single throw? He had never encountered such a thing, nor would he ever dare to stake eighty thousand Immortal Stones on a single, desperate gamble targeting the lowest-probability 'Four Points' like Gu Qingfeng had.
It was truly too crazy, too thrilling.
Apart from shock, the other gamblers at the table felt mostly envy. Everyone wanted to win big with a small stake, but no one else possessed such audacity.
"Heheh! Old Huang! Look at my brother here! What kind of guts is this? Staking eighty thousand Immortal Stones on a single, desperate throw targeting Four Points! Winning four million in one go! Do you have that kind of skill? Hahahaha!"
Horse King boasted proudly to the other gamblers, his heart brimming with joy.
"What are you strutting about for? It wasn't you who won!"
"Seeing my brother win makes me happier than if I'd won myself!"
Horse King walked over and personally poured a cup of wine for Gu Qingfeng. "Brother! You're truly a good brother to this old man. From the moment I first laid eyes on you, I knew you weren't an ordinary fellow. You've got guts, you're a real man!"
Though there was a hint of flattery in his words, Horse King genuinely admired Gu Qingfeng from the bottom of his heart.
A person who had lost all their cultivation should, by rights, be utterly crushed by such a blow. Even if their spirit hadn't collapsed completely, they would be profoundly dejected. Even if they appeared fine on the surface, it would be a forced facade.
But when Horse King looked at Gu Qingfeng, he could tell this fellow wasn't putting on a brave face. He was genuinely carefree and easygoing, his speech and manner casual, as if he truly didn't care about the cultivation he had lost. This earned Horse King's sincere respect.
"However, brother, listen to this old man. Don't gamble anymore. Use these four million Immortal Stones to buy miraculous elixirs and medicines. Focus on recuperating your body first, strive to stand tall again."
"What's the rush? This is just the beginning. Four million is far from enough to even stuff the cracks between my teeth."
Gu Qingfeng toyed with the chips in his hand while sipping his wine.
Watching this scene, Horse King secretly marvelled. Perhaps he had been too excited earlier. It was only now, having calmed down, that he realized Gu Qingfeng's presence was truly extraordinary.
If it were anyone else who had just won four million Immortal Stones in a single throw, they'd probably be howling with excitement.
But this guy? He was still just sitting there on his chair, legs crossed, leisurely drinking his little cup of wine. That aura of serene detachment was completely out of place with the atmosphere here, as if four million Immortal Stones were no different from four stones in his eyes.
Only at this moment did Horse King realize he might have underestimated this newly-met brother. Just based on the audacity to stake everything on that single throw targeting Four Points, and that utterly calm attitude after winning, Horse King knew that before losing his cultivation, this brother might not have been some grand figure, but he was definitely someone who had seen the wider world and weathered storms.
"Brother, you still want to keep gambling?"
"Why not? I've finally come here. Might as well play a few more rounds."
"This... Alright."
Realizing Gu Qingfeng was likely someone who had seen great things, Horse King stopped trying to persuade him, figuring Gu Qingfeng must know what he was doing.
Four million Immortal Stones was no small sum. The maiden attendant didn't have that many chips on hand to pay Gu Qingfeng, but she had already reported it upwards. Soon, a specialist arrived.
Sure enough, after a short while, a middle-aged man walked over. The attendant immediately reported the situation. Upon hearing that Gu Qingfeng's four million Immortal Stones had been won by targeting Four Points, the middle-aged man looked at Gu Qingfeng with considerable surprise. When he discovered Gu Qingfeng had no cultivation or spiritual power whatsoever, his astonishment grew even greater.
"I am Zhu Guang, the steward of this gambling garden. My congratulations to you, Young Lord."
After cupping his fists in greeting, the man named Zhu Guang asked, "Might I inquire after your esteemed name?"
"Esteemed name, eh?" Gu Qingfeng rubbed his chin, a playful smile on his lips. "The surname is Tu, the given name is Hao. People call me Tuhao!"
Tuhao? Who would have such a vulgar-sounding name? It was clearly a fake name.
However, Zhu Guang did not press further. As the steward of this garden, he interacted daily with people of all sorts of identities and backgrounds. His experience was naturally beyond compare to others. He also understood better than anyone that one should never judge a book by its cover, nor evaluate a person solely by their cultivation or spiritual attainments. The Great Desolate was vast and boundless, a land that had endured countless epochs, mysterious and unknown.
Some people's cultivation might not be high, but who knew if they didn't possess powerful identities or formidable backgrounds behind them?
Some might appear utterly ordinary on the surface, but who knew if they weren't reclusive masters?
"What's this? Won a paltry sum from you folks, and now you need to investigate my identity?"
"Young Lord, please do not misunderstand," Zhu Guang replied without delay. "I merely wished to know if the Young Lord intends to cash out the four million or continue playing?"
"Of course, continue playing."
"If the Young Lord wishes to continue, then please follow me inside."
"What's this? Can't keep playing here?"
Facing Gu Qingfeng's confusion, Zhu Guang was about to explain when Horse King beside him interjected first. "Brother, these are the open tables. The stakes here are generally smaller. The minimum bet is only a hundred. If you want to play big, you have to go inside the garden proper. The minimum bet there starts at ten thousand."
"Is that so? Then let's go. We'll go play big."
"Young Lord, this way please."
Gu Qingfeng followed Zhu Guang away. Horse King hurried after them, laughing, "Brother! This time, this old man gets to bask in your glory! I've played here for so many years but never been inside the garden proper!"
Like many gamblers, Horse King only played small stakes here. Usually, bringing a hundred thousand or so was considered a lot for him. With such a paltry amount of Immortal Stones, he simply didn't have the qualifications to go inside and play big.
"What, they play really big inside?"
"Heard it's no ordinary big. The people who go in to play are all either extremely wealthy or highly noble. Losing a few million, even tens of millions, in a single session is perfectly normal. Small fry like this old man can't afford to play there."
"How did you become a small fry again?" Gu Qingfeng teased. "I distinctly remember you saying you were a prominent figure in the Jinnwu Secret Realm, with countless brothers under your command, strutting about with awe-inspiring majesty wherever you went."
"Aiyo, brother, don't make fun of me!" Horse King's old face flushed red with embarrassment. "It's just that I haven't seen much of the world. Blame this old man for being blind, not recognizing earlier that brother here is an extraordinary person."
"How did I become extraordinary?"
"Brother, don't be modest. Just the guts you showed playing dice earlier isn't something an ordinary person can match. What's more, after winning four million, brother didn't even bat an eye. Even if this old man were blind, I could tell that brother must have been someone who's weathered storms and seen great things in the past."
"Oh ho? You could see that? Not simple at all."
"So it's true!" Horse King's heart gave a jolt. He cautiously asked, "Might I ask... who exactly were you in the past, brother? Would it be convenient to tell me?"
"In the past... In the past, I was someone who could move heaven and earth and command the wind and rain in the Great Desolate."
Move heaven and earth in the Great Desolate? Command the wind and rain? Good heavens! What a grand figure that must have been!
Horse King didn't know if what Gu Qingfeng said was true or false, and he didn't dare press any further.