"Great Old Master was just joking with everyone earlier, please don't take it seriously."
Mu Lingyao stepped forward to smooth things over for Gu Qingfeng.
"Joking? I don't think so."
Xuan Yun refused to let it go, saying, "Great Old Master just said with his own mouth that the Tower of Stolen Gold's Twenty-Seventh Layer would be like child's play for him. And I believe Great Old Master is very confident about it too."
"That's right, that's exactly what happened."
Hearing Gu Qingfeng say this, Mu Lingyao was practically fuming with anger.
"Good! Since Great Old Master is so confident, dare you make a bet with me?"
"Sure, I'm idle anyway, might as well find some fun to play with."
Gu Qingfeng laughed, "I wonder what Young Lord Xuan Yun wants to bet? How much money?"
"Bet money? Sorry, I'm not short on money."
"Oh? Then what do you want to bet?"
"What I want to bet is a bit big, I'm afraid Great Old Master can't afford to play."
"There's no bet in this world that I can't afford to play. Tell me what it is."
"Good! Great Old Master truly lives up to his title."
The originally gentle and refined Xuan Yun suddenly became overbearing, shouting, "If you can't ascend to the Tower of Stolen Gold's Twenty-Seventh Layer, then kneel down and kowtow to me!"
"Senior Brother Xuan Yun! What are you doing! Can you not be like this!"
Liu Li stepped forward trying to stop him, but as soon as she spoke, Xuan Yun pushed her aside, saying, "This has nothing to do with you, get out of the way!"
"Xuan Yun, aren't you shameless? You're directly betting on the Twenty-Seventh Layer, who can ascend that? Isn't this just playing dirty tricks?"
Mu Lingyao said indignantly, "Since it's a bet, let's be fair. If you can't ascend the Twenty-Seventh Layer, you also kneel and kowtow to Great Old Master, how about that?"
"I admit I can't ascend the Tower of Stolen Gold's Twenty-Seventh Layer."
"Since you can't ascend it, then what are you betting?"
"Hmph! I can't ascend the Tower of Stolen Gold's Twenty-Seventh Layer, but I also haven't been bragging! Everyone present just heard clearly—Great Old Master said he could easily ascend the Tower of Stolen Gold's Twenty-Seventh Layer. Since that's the case, why doesn't he dare to bet?"
Xuan Yun's words left Mu Lingyao unable to refute. She turned around and glared fiercely at Gu Qingfeng, as if blaming him for bragging without regard for the occasion. Now look, Xuan Yun had seized on his words.
"I never said I didn't dare to bet."
Gu Qingfeng sat in his chair, legs crossed, took a sip of wine, and said leisurely, "Young Lord Xuan Yun, you at least treated me to a big meal once, and I've always remembered that favor. But even if you dislike me, is it necessary to make things so tense?"
Xuan Yun shouted sharply, "I'm just asking you, dare or not!"
Compared to Xuan Yun's overbearing manner, Gu Qingfeng still appeared as calm and indifferent as ever. He took a bitter bodhi fruit from the plate, tossed it into his mouth, chewed it, spat out the seed, and said nonchalantly, "I just thought it over carefully—it seems I haven't offended you, right? As for why you dislike me, I really don't know, and I'm too lazy to think about it anymore. Since you want to play today, I'll play with you once, consider it repaying your favor."
"Hmph!"
Xuan Yun snorted disdainfully, standing with his hands behind his back, arrogantly asking, "You just need to answer, dare or not. If you don't dare, then admit defeat to me! I absolutely won't make things difficult for you! And there's one thing you got wrong—you don't owe me any favors. Because that meal earlier was my treat for Ling'er, it has nothing to do with you. Don't flatter yourself; I've never had any friendship with you!"
"Alright, hearing you say that, it seems I was being sentimental. In that case, let's not waste words. Let's bet."
"Good! A real man must keep his word!"
Xuan Yun shouted, "Everyone present today can bear witness—if you can't ascend the Tower of Stolen Gold's Twenty-Seventh Layer, you kneel and kowtow to me!"
"Count me in!"
Bai Yufei laughed, "Such an interesting thing, how can it be without me?"
"Count me in too!"
Liu Feng also stepped forward, saying, "If someone's going to kowtow, how can I not accept?"
"Fine, no problem. If I can't ascend the Tower of Stolen Gold's Twenty-Seventh Layer, I'll kneel before you and give each of you a resounding kowtow. But having said that..."
Gu Qingfeng ate another Great Luo Meridian-Cleansing Pill, tilted his head back and drank a cup of wine, saying, "What if by some chance I do ascend the Tower of Stolen Gold's Twenty-Seventh Layer? What then?"
"If you ascend the Tower of Stolen Gold's Twenty-Seventh Layer, I'll kneel and kowtow to you too!"
"One resounding kowtow is too boring."
Bai Yufei laughed, "Since we're playing, why not make it bigger?"
Gu Qingfeng asked, "Oh? How much bigger?"
"The prize for the Tower of Stolen Gold's Twenty-Seventh Layer is ten million immortal stones. If Great Old Master can ascend the Tower of Stolen Gold's Twenty-Seventh Layer, the three of us will each give you ten million resounding kowtows!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the venue erupted in an uproar.
Ten million kowtows? How long would that take? Even if they kowtowed until their heads broke, they'd never finish!
Beside them, Mu Lingyao immediately panicked upon hearing this.
She was increasingly convinced that Gu Qingfeng's mind wasn't right. Anyone with a sound mind wouldn't bet on such a guaranteed loss with Xuan Yun and the other two. That was the Tower of Stolen Gold's Twenty-Seventh Layer! Who could guarantee they'd definitely ascend it? Even if someone had ascended it once before, they couldn't guarantee they'd do it again next time. After all, luck played too big a role in the Tower of Stolen Gold.
Yet Gu Qingfeng had just bet with Xuan Yun and the other two.
Originally, she thought betting was betting, no big deal. Even if he lost, it was just one resounding kowtow. Though it would be a bit embarrassing, a real man could bend and stretch—one kowtow meant nothing.
But she never expected Bai Yufei to propose ten million kowtows. Furious, she said, "I say, Bai Yufei, if you're betting, just bet. Treat it as finding some fun, no need to play so big, right? Ten million kowtows? Even if you kowtowed to death, you'd never finish!"
Bai Yufei, a smile playing on his lips, said, "If you can't finish today, you can continue tomorrow. If you can't finish tomorrow, the day after. Life is long. It's just ten million kowtows—take your time, you'll finish them someday."
Gu Qingfeng looked at Bai Yufei and the other two, saying, "I didn't realize you little brats were so ruthless!"
"What? Great Old Master doesn't dare to play?"
"I don't care, I'm just afraid you won't be able to afford to lose when the time comes."
"It's just ten million kowtows, the three of us can afford to lose that."
"Good, since you can afford to lose, then I care even less. But I am curious—what if I ascend the Thirty-Sixth Layer? The prize for the Thirty-Sixth Layer is one hundred million. Would you have to give me one hundred million kowtows then?"
"Hah! Not to mention you ascending the Thirty-Sixth Layer, even if you ascend the highest Eighty-First Layer, the three of us will still kowtow without fail."
Gu Qingfeng narrowed his eyes, smiling, and said, "I heard the prize for the Eighty-First Layer is ten trillion. You'd have to kowtow ten trillion times. Are you sure you want to play?"
"Ten trillion it is! What's there to fear?"