At this moment, Gu Qingfeng looked at Old Master Li and asked, "Old Master, did I win this round?"
Old Master Li nodded.
"Since I won, then hurry it up."
Hurry up?
Perhaps the shock this round had dealt Old Master Li was too great, leaving him momentarily unable to comprehend what Gu Qingfeng meant by 'hurry up.' He asked, "I don't... I don't understand what the Young Lord means?"
"What do you mean 'what do I mean'? Since I've won, we keep playing, of course."
What?!
Hearing that Gu Qingfeng, having just won eighteen billion, still intended to keep playing, Old Master Li nearly coughed up a mouthful of old blood in fright. "You... you still want to continue?"
"What's the matter? Not allowed? This lord hasn't satisfied his gambling itch yet."
Heavens.
He'd already won eighteen billion and said he hadn't satisfied his itch?
Old Master Li felt like crying but had no tears. "Young Lord, it's not that this old man refuses to let you continue, but the gambling house has a rule: for anyone, regardless of win or loss, once the amount exceeds one billion, that gambling session is considered concluded. If you wish to gamble further, you may wait for the next session or go to another gambling house."
"There's such a rule?" Gu Qingfeng didn't argue further. "Alright then, if that's the case, let's leave it at that for now. Eighteen billion should be enough to squander for a while."
Hearing Gu Qingfeng say eighteen billion was enough to squander for a while made Old Master Li feel a tingling sensation in his scalp.
Eighteen billion!
That was more than enough to squander for a while. It was more than sufficient to sustain an entire secret realm!
"Then exchange it all into Immortal Stones for this lord."
"Young Lord, our gambling house doesn't have that many... Immortal Stones!"
"Then what do we do? Don't tell me you plan on owing this lord?"
"Please don't misunderstand, Young Lord. Eighteen billion is not a small sum. This old man needs to report it to the Gambling City's supervisory committee and obtain their approval before we can give you the eighteen billion Immortal Stones."
"So troublesome?"
"It's... it's not troublesome, it'll be quick. I ask that the Young Lord please proceed to the inner hall to rest for a moment. This old man will return shortly."
After giving instructions for other matters, Old Master Li took the Mystic Light Mirror and hurriedly departed.
"Young Lord, allow me to escort you to the inner hall to rest."
Under Steward Zhu Guang's lead, Gu Qingfeng and Horse King proceeded to the inner hall.
The so-called inner hall was where the gambling house entertained VIPs for rest.
Big gamblers who grew tired from playing could come to the inner hall, soak in a hot spring, listen to some music, eat some fruits, drink a little wine. If one was willing, they could even play a game of 'mandarin ducks frolicking in water,' and even some intimate activities were not out of the question.
Perhaps from sitting for too long, or perhaps from drinking too much, Gu Qingfeng was genuinely feeling a bit weary. Too lazy to move, he simply reclined on a master's chair, listening to a light tune while enjoying a massage from three or four maiden attendants.
It had to be said, these maiden attendants' techniques were truly excellent. Whether it was moxibustion for the skin and membranes, loosening muscles and bones, clearing acupoints, activating meridians, or nurturing the internal organs, their various techniques were truly endless, the pressure applied just right. Coupled with the conditioning and tempering from a special formation, and the spiritual guidance and mental nourishment from the light tune, this entire routine left both body and spirit feeling extremely pleasant.
Beside him.
Horse King was also lying on a master's chair, enjoying a massage from three or five maiden attendants.
Under normal circumstances, being able to enjoy such service would have Horse King overjoyed.
But right now.
He was not in the mood.
Because even at this moment, he remained immersed in the immense wealth of eighteen billion, unable to extricate himself, as if in a dream, unable to believe it was real.
Horse King could be considered an old gambler.
Over the years, he had mostly lost, with few wins.
When he won, he squandered recklessly; when he lost, he obediently went out to take risks, then came back to gamble again.
This time, after being out for over half a year, his luck was decent; he made a small fortune, earning about a hundred thousand Immortal Stones. He had been thinking of trying his luck at the Gambling City for a big gamble.
He just never expected to run into Gu Qingfeng halfway.
Seeing that Gu Qingfeng had lost all his cultivation and had only a few dozen Immortal Stones on him, seeming quite pitiful, Horse King had generously—though he himself was poor—tossed over a thousand chips.
But never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that Gu Qingfeng would ultimately use a mere thousand chips to win a full eighteen billion.
Horse King had originally thought Gu Qingfeng was just a madman who, unable to bear the loss of his cultivation, had suffered a mental breakdown. Especially when he heard Gu Qingfeng say things like 'in this lifetime, I've never lost at gambling' and call himself the 'Supreme Gambling Tyrant,' Horse King became even more convinced this was definitely a madman.
Was Gu Qingfeng truly a madman who had lost his cultivation and suffered a mental breakdown?
No.
Absolutely not.
A madman suffering a mental breakdown might, by luck, win four million, thirty million, sixty million, even eighteen billion playing dice.
But a madman suffering a mental breakdown, after winning four million, thirty million, even eighteen billion, would not be able to remain so composed and unruffled, nor so utterly calm and indifferent.
Just who was Gu Qingfeng?
Horse King didn't know and couldn't imagine.
Just as he was pondering, Gu Qingfeng's voice came: "Horse King, why have you suddenly gone so silent? What's on your mind? Thinking of playing something a bit racy?"
"This... Great Old Master... I beg you, from now on, please don't call me Horse King anymore. I can't bear the weight of that title." Horse King said with a bitter smile. "You can call me Little Horse, Horse Monkey, anything."
"Great Old Master?" Gu Qingfeng laughed. "How did I become a Great Old Master in the blink of an eye?"
"I won't hide it from you, Great Old Master. Although I, Horse Monkey, don't have any great skills, I've managed to survive in the Great Desolate for thousands of years. Even though I haven't seen any grand scenes in all these years, I've come into contact with all sorts of people from various levels. I do have a bit of an eye for judgment. When I first met you, it was my poor eyesight; I didn't see it. But the more I looked later, the more I felt you were extraordinary. You must have been a Great Old Master who has seen grand scenes in the past."
'Great Old Master' was a respectful title in the Great Desolate.
Usually, only those with profound cultivation, formidable strength, and who commanded awe across a region could bear the respectful title of Great Old Master.
And in Horse King's view, someone who could remain so calm and collected after winning eighteen billion must have been a Great Old Master who once commanded awe across a region.
"Well now, I must say, you do have a bit of an eye." Gu Qingfeng dismissed the four or five maiden attendants massaging him, stood up, and stretched vigorously, feeling extremely comfortable. "However, even if I was some Great Old Master in the past, now I'm just an ordinary mortal."
Horse King also dismissed the maiden attendants attending to him. He didn't know what this Great Old Master Gu Qingfeng had experienced in the past or what had caused him to lose all his cultivation, and he didn't dare ask too much. He just said, "Great Old Master, you mustn't lose heart. I believe that as long as you yourself don't give up, one day you will stand tall again."
"Stand tall again?" Gu Qingfeng let out a scoffing laugh and shook his head. "This Great Old Master stood for too long in the past, weary to the bone, exhausted in body and mind. In the future, even if the heavens themselves knelt and kowtowed to me, this lord wouldn't want to stand up again... What's the point of standing? Lying down is much more carefree and at ease."