"That was 1.8 billion Immortal Stones! Not 1.8 billion ordinary stones! How could you have spent it all? What on earth did you buy!"
"I didn't buy that much. The grand carriage cost about five or six hundred million. This outfit of mine, two or three hundred million. The Blue Moon Sword in your hand, one hundred million. Then there were various spirit talismans, fine wine, miscellaneous things... Anyway, it's all gone."
"You!"
Qiānniǎo looked at Gu Qingfeng with an expression of utter exasperation, pointing at him and saying, "You really are a prodigal son! No! You're worse than a prodigal son! Heavens! You just spent 1.8 billion like that... Heavens! I can't take it, my head hurts... This is infuriating..." Qiānniǎo's headache was genuine, not feigned.
Even though the 1.8 billion was won by Gu Qingfeng and spent by himself, Qiānniǎo still felt a headache on his behalf, thinking it was far too wasteful. She squatted down, clutching her forehead, feeling as if her head was about to split.
"I'm not the one with a headache, so why are you hurting?"
Qiānniǎo looked up and roared, "This lady is getting a headache for you!"
"What's there to get a headache about? It's just 1.8 billion. When I'm in the mood tomorrow, I'll go win another 18 billion."
"Go win another 18 billion? Do you think you're a god?"
Qiānniǎo was on the verge of a breakdown, crying and laughing at the same time. Staring at Gu Qingfeng, she shouted, "Oh heavens! Oh earth! I beg you, venerable ones, to strike this guy dead with lightning!"
"Little sister, there's a secret I've never told you. Actually, I am a god."
"You! You! You... You're completely insane!"
Watching Qiānniǎo's reaction, Gu Qingfeng laughed heartily.
Not far away, in the garden.
Upon hearing that Gu Qingfeng had spent all the 1.8 billion he had won, the people of the Xiaoluo Secret Realm were all shaking their heads and sighing, lamenting how prodigal and utterly mad Gu Qingfeng was.
Not just them, even Liuli, who hailed from the Lotus Secret Realm, couldn't help but exclaim, "Good heavens! He actually spent all 1.8 billion... That's just... too insane..."
"This is perfectly normal."
Xuan Yun's voice came through. Liuli asked in surprise, "This is normal? He spent 1.8 billion!"
"With his spending habits, even if he really won 18 billion, he'd spend it all. Money that comes easily is spent without a second thought. Isn't that how many overnight Nouveau Riche are? Once they get money, they become arrogant and complacent, buying extravagantly, flaunting their luxury, terrified others won't know they're rich. I've seen far too many of these Nouveau Riche."
Xuan Yun smiled faintly. "Just look at what he bought. A nine-headed Firecloud Crimsonflame Tiger grand carriage, that string of 108 beads around his neck, a storage ring on every one of his ten fingers... Hah... These are all flashy, impractical luxuries from the Great Sun Trading City. They're good for nothing but showing off status."
"In the Great Desolation, people strike it rich overnight every day. Those Nouveau Riche, once they have money, will flaunt themselves, indulge in luxury, and show off everywhere. The shops in the Great Sun Trading City precisely target this psychology of the Nouveau Riche wanting to display status and show off, which is why they create these flashy, useless luxuries."
Sitting gracefully in his chair, Xuan Yun sipped his wine leisurely, speaking eloquently. He raised his cup, took a gentle sip, and closed his eyes slightly as if savoring the wine's aroma. "In the Great Desolation, having no money is terrible, but having money is even more terrifying. Money can turn an immortal into a demon, and a demon into a ghost..."
"Especially money won from gambling. After winning, gamblers often develop an illusion: if they won this time, they'll win next time too. Once they've spent their winnings, they go back to gamble. If they lose, they start selling off their assets... Hah... Just wait. I'd wager that in a few days, he'll sell off all these luxuries he bought and go gamble again..." Xuan Yun sipped his fine wine, cup after cup. After finishing one, he poured himself another. "Ling'er, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."
"What is it?"
"The conflict between your Xiaoluo Secret Realm and the Jinwu Li Clan isn't that significant. I have the confidence and the means to help you resolve it. But this person..." Xuan Yun drank from his cup and glanced over at Gu Qingfeng, who was chatting with Qiānniǎo. "Earlier, during the gambling match, he provoked Li Fengyan, causing Li Fengyan to lose tens of millions while he himself won 1.8 billion. The Jinwu Li Clan will surely hold a grudge."
"Then, he charged at Senior Jin Lie with his grand carriage, used a Purple-Gold Heavenly Thunder Talisman to humiliate Li Jingya, and even had the audacity to provoke the entire Jinwu Li Clan."
Looking at the white jade cup in his hand, Xuan Yun said calmly, "The Jinwu Li Clan will absolutely not let him go. Absolutely not. And his fate, I don't even need to think to guess. He'll either die within the Fengyue Small World, or at its entrance. No one can save him."
"Are you telling me to abandon him?"
Although Xuan Yun didn't state it explicitly, Qiānlíng understood his meaning. She shook her head and replied, "I can't do that."
"As far as I know, he isn't actually from your Xiaoluo Secret Realm, right? He's just staying there. At most, he's a guest. And you've supported him all these years; you've already done more than enough. So, you don't need to blame yourself, and no one else will say anything."
"No, you don't understand."
"Oh?" Xuan Yun asked, "I'd like to hear the details."
"When Qiānniǎo was seven or eight years old, we brought him back to the Xiaoluo Secret Realm. Even while he was still unconscious, Qiānniǎo would often talk to him. After he woke up, he has been accompanying Qiānniǎo ever since. You could say he grew up alongside Qiānniǎo. Qiānniǎo has long considered him family, and his presence has become a kind of emotional support for her. If I were to abandon him, Qiānniǎo would hate me for life."
Qiānlíng's exquisitely beautiful face rarely showed much emotion, but the feelings in her heart were known only to herself. She said softly, "In your eyes, he might not be one of us from the Xiaoluo Secret Realm. But in my eyes, he has long been one of us. I was the one who brought him out from the Xiaoluo Secret Realm, and I will do everything in my power to bring him back safely. That is my duty, my responsibility. If I cannot do that, then I am utterly unworthy of leading the Xiaoluo Secret Realm."
"Well said! Sister Qiānlíng!"
Liuli couldn't help but cheer for Qiānlíng, her heart filled with admiration.
"Forgive my bluntness, but if you, Ling'er, insist on bringing him back, I'm afraid... your Xiaoluo Secret Realm will pay a heavy price for it. It might even face utter destruction. As I said, the Jinwu Li Clan will absolutely not let him go. Absolutely not."
"Brother Yun," Liuli said coquettishly, "please help Sister Ling'er."
"Forget whether I, Xuan Yun, have the face to help the Xiaoluo Secret Realm. Even if I did have the face to save the Xiaoluo Secret Realm, I still couldn't save him."
Raising his cup to drink, Xuan Yun continued, "Winning 1.8 billion from a single throw of the dice is destined to ruin him. His mindset has already changed; he's become inflated. Even if you bring him back safely, you might save his person, but you cannot save that heart of his, swollen to the extreme. He will forever crave winning a second 1.8 billion."
Closing his eyes slightly, savoring the wine's aroma once more, Xuan Yun said, "The Nouveau Riche who strike it rich overnight simply cannot handle such sudden, immense wealth. They are only blinded by it, sinking deeper and deeper, unable to extricate themselves. In the end, they become either demons or ghosts."