"Elder Luo, Elder Gaoshan, Elder Qinghua, Elder Hai, and all the esteemed Seniors and Fellow Daoists present."
Xuan Yun and the other two did not continue arguing with Mu Lingyao. Instead, they directly leaped up, cupped their fists in salute, and addressed everyone present in a loud voice.
"You have likely all witnessed the events of today. For those who are unaware, this junior can provide a detailed explanation. We beseech all Seniors to uphold justice for us. The matter is as follows."
"Before the Tower of Stolen Gold opened, Immortal Huadie, Young Lady Mu, and Liu Shuangyan made a wager. Whoever broke their own record would win, and the loser would kneel and kowtow to the winner. Later, Young Lady Mu and Immortal Huadie broke their records, while only Liu Shuangyan did not. She indeed lost."
"Liu Shuangyan only said verbally that the bet was a joke and did not mean she refused to honor it. Yet, this alone provoked Young Lady Mu's wrath. I believe all Seniors witnessed with your own eyes how Young Lady Mu first trapped Liu Shuangyan with the ancient ferocious beast, the Black-Gold Crimson-Serpent Snake, and then proceeded to slap Liu Shuangyan across the face, again and again."
"Although Elder Kaiyun later stepped forward to mediate, even going so far as to apologize and plead on her behalf, Young Lady Mu remained aggressive and unforgiving, even slapping Liu Shuangyan once more right in front of Elder Kaiyun and the others."
One had to admit, Xuan Yun was truly eloquent. With just a few words, he painted Mu Lingyao as a domineering young lady who bullied others relying on her power.
This infuriated Mu Lingyao greatly. She roared angrily, "Xuan Yun, you hypocrite! What nonsense are you spouting!"
"Young Lady Mu, dare you claim what I said is not the truth?"
"So what if it's the truth? When you make a bet, you accept the outcome. Who told Liu Shuangyan to renege?"
At this moment, Liu Kaiyun of the Golden Crow Liu Family also stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Young Lady Mu, even if my little granddaughter refused to honor the bet, was it necessary for you to deal such a vicious blow to her?"
"She deserved it! If she reneges this time, I'll beat her. If she reneges next time, I'll still beat her!"
Xuan Yun declared arrogantly, "When you make a bet, you accept the outcome. Reneging indeed deserves a beating. But now that you are the ones reneging, what should be done?"
Only upon hearing this did Mu Lingyao realize she had fallen into Xuan Yun's trap. Furious, she shouted, "Xuan Yun, this is a matter between me and Liu Shuangyan! What does it have to do with a hypocrite like you?"
"Well said!" Xuan Yun stared at her. "Then, what does the wager between us and that Nouveau Riche have to do with you, Young Lady Mu?"
"You!" Mu Lingyao was momentarily speechless. Xuan Yun's words were sharp, logical, and well-founded, leaving her unable to refute.
Xuan Yun snorted coldly, feeling quite pleased with himself. Then, he cupped his fists again and addressed the crowd. "Esteemed Seniors, this junior, along with Bai Yufei and Liu Feng, also made a wager with that self-proclaimed Great Lord Nouveau Riche before the Tower of Stolen Gold opened. Many present can bear witness. Now, we demand that Nouveau Riche fulfill the bet. As Young Lady Mu said, when you make a bet, you accept the outcome!"
Bai Yufei also stepped forward. "Now, Mu Lingyao deliberately shields that Nouveau Riche. Not only does she refuse to acknowledge the loss, but she also threatens to make us regret it!"
Then Liu Feng added, "Mu Lingyao won earlier and dealt a vicious blow to Liu Shuangyan. Now that the Nouveau Riche has lost, Mu Lingyao shields him and stubbornly refuses to honor the debt. If this isn't bullying others relying on power, what is?"
"We beseech all Seniors to uphold justice for us!"
Xuan Yun, Bai Yufei, and Liu Feng stood in mid-air, cupping their fists and shouting in unison.
These three were truly not simple, especially Xuan Yun, whose scheming mind was undeniably deep, as could be seen from the few Seniors he mentioned earlier.
He had mentioned four Seniors in total: Elder Luo, Elder Gaoshan, Elder Qinghua, and Elder Hai. These four elders were all highly respected Seniors in the Dual-Pole Celestial Domain, with extraordinary influence. Particularly, Elder Luo was not only the Grand Steward of the Tower of Stolen Gold but also a de facto elder of the Fengyue Small World.
Immortal Huadie knew offending the Golden Crow Liu Family was one thing, but if they offended these Seniors as well, the consequences would be unthinkable. Afraid that Mu Lingyao, in a fit of anger, might offend the four Seniors, she quickly stepped forward to explain.
"Esteemed Seniors, we are not refusing to honor the debt. It's just that this wager... is truly unfair."
Xuan Yun retorted, "Immortal Huadie, many present heard with their own ears that Nouveau Riche said ascending to the twenty-seventh layer was as easy as child's play. How is it unfair?"
"It's true he said that, but he... because he lost all his cultivation, it led to a mental disorder. His words are incoherent and nonsensical. Not only did he say ascending to the twenty-seventh layer was child's play, he even said ascending all eighty-one layers would be a breeze. Do you actually believe such talk?"
Mu Lingyao chimed in, "That's right! He's already mentally unsound. Just because he spouted some big talk, you set a trap and gambled with him. Is that how you bully people? Can such a wager even count?"
This left Xuan Yun and the other two dumbfounded. They had first painted Mu Lingyao as a domineering bully, then called upon the Seniors present to uphold justice. They never expected Immortal Huadie and Mu Lingyao to bring up the Nouveau Riche's loss of cultivation leading to mental instability. Now, not only had their scheme failed and backfired, but they had also become villains bullying someone who had lost his cultivation and was mentally unsound.
"You say he's mentally unstable, so he must be? Sorry, but I've had contact with that Nouveau Riche. Although he lost his cultivation, his mind is absolutely fine," Xuan Yun argued. "Moreover, could someone mentally unstable win one point eight billion in a single dice game at the Gambling City?"
"It's precisely because he's mentally unsound that he could win one point eight billion at the Gambling City! Everyone knows he won that amount by betting on a triple alone, and he did it four or five times in a row!" Mu Lingyao said with a laugh. "I ask you, would someone with a normal mind bet on a triple multiple times in a row while playing dice? Only someone not right in the head would do that, right? This is what you call 'fortune favors the foolish'! Don't be jealous, alright?"
"You! Sophistry! That's pure sophistry!" Xuan Yun could do nothing with Mu Lingyao and pleaded again, "We beseech Elder Luo to uphold justice for us."
"This..." Elder Luo also found it quite difficult. He originally didn't want to get involved in matters between these youngsters, especially since their backgrounds were all extraordinary. If handled poorly, it could lead to major conflict, and he, as Grand Steward, would bear responsibility. But now that he had been put on the spot, he could only step forward to mediate. Stroking the goatee on his chin, he pondered for a moment before asking, "Might I inquire who exactly this 'Nouveau Riche' you speak of is?"
Xuan Yun raised his hand and pointed towards Gu Qingfeng, who was sitting on the carriage drawn by the Nine Firecloud Crimsonflame Tigers, and shouted, "It's him!"