Hearing Qing Xi agree to help him, Old Monster Jin Zhong was overjoyed.
Outsiders might only know of Qing Xi's exceptional mastery of music, but few were aware that her skill in chess was even higher.
At least, in Jin Zhong's view, this martial niece of his was a rare genius in the world, one even his own master, Old Man Cangsong, was no match for.
If that were all, Old Monster Jin Zhong wouldn't have been this elated after Qing Xi agreed. The truth was, he also knew that Qing Xi's chess prowess was so profound that even many of the reincarnated great powers in the Great Northwest sighed in admiration, feeling inferior.
Jin Zhong reckoned that as long as Qing Xi stepped in, she would surely win back all the Spirit Treasures he had lost.
It was now the latter half of the night.
Jin Zhong led Qing Xi and Qing Lian deep into the garden. Spotting Gu Qingfeng drinking wine in the pavilion, he pointed at him and couldn't help but boast triumphantly, "Kid, my helper is here. Today, if I don't win you clean out of house and home, it won't count as a proper game!"
Then, he turned to Qing Xi and said, "Martial Niece, this time you must not hold back. You have to crush this kid's arrogance!"
Qing Xi looked at Gu Qingfeng sitting in the pavilion, her beautiful face showing clear surprise. "It's actually you?"
"I was wondering what kind of expert Old Monster Jin had found as a helper."
Gu Qingfeng leaned against a pavilion pillar, sitting on a chair with his legs crossed, holding a wine pot as he drank leisurely. He said with a smile, "So it's the great beauty Qing Xi."
"What's going on?" Jin Zhong sensed something amiss and asked, "Martial Niece, do you know this kid?"
"I don't know him, but I've seen him once. He seems to have come to visit Grand-Uncle Kumu."
Qing Xi stared deeply at Gu Qingfeng, seemingly not expecting that the person who had made Martial Uncle Jin Zhong lose so miserably would be that fellow from the evening.
"Kid." Jin Zhong sized up Gu Qingfeng anew and asked, "Why are you visiting Old Man Kumu?"
"As a descendant of an old friend, passing by this place, I thought I'd pay a visit. Is that not allowed?"
Having learned that Wuse Mountain had been deceived fifty years ago by a fraud calling himself Gu Tiansheng, Gu Qingfeng felt it was unwise to reveal his identity. If he were mistaken for a swindler again, it would be troublesome. He truly couldn't be bothered to prove to others that he was himself anymore. Moreover, after being doubted by Ouyang Ye, he really didn't know how to prove he was himself.
"Martial Niece, let's not talk about the visit for now. Can we first win back the Spirit Treasures your martial uncle lost to this kid?" Jin Zhong was preoccupied with his lost treasures and worried that talking too much might complicate matters and make Qing Xi hesitate, which wouldn't be good.
"Kid, take out all those Spirit Treasures you won from me earlier. We'll settle this in one game."
"Taking them out is no problem." Gu Qingfeng shifted his posture. "But, do you have a wager big enough?"
"Nonsense, you just take them out."
Gu Qingfeng didn't say anything more. With a wave of his hand, he tossed out the three Upper Mystic Grade Spirit Treasures, a Five-Color Crystal, and a pile of Spirit Treasure resources. Seeing these treasures, the expressions of Qing Xi and Qing Lian changed repeatedly. Now they completely believed Jin Zhong hadn't lied; he really had lost so many Spirit Treasures.
"Martial Uncle, so many of our Wuse Mountain disciples only use Lower Mystic Grade Spirit Treasures. Usually, when we beg you, you're reluctant to give them. Now you've lost them all to someone else! And that Five-Color Crystal—I begged you for so long, and you wouldn't even let me take a look. Now it's..." Qing Lian complained, "You deserve to lose to him! See if you dare gamble again in the future."
"Oh, Little Qing Lian, can you scold your martial uncle later?"
Across from them, Gu Qingfeng said unhurriedly, "The items are all out. What's your wager?"
"See clearly, kid!" Jin Zhong waved his hand, a flash of light appearing. In his palm was a gleaming golden flying sword. "This sword is a Mystic Grade apex flying sword, and it's my Lifebound Spirit Treasure. I've tempered it for several hundred years."
A Lifebound Spirit Treasure.
Setting aside its intrinsic value, the sheer effort and heart's blood consumed in tempering it were unimaginable.
Typically, no one would use their Lifebound Spirit Treasure as a wager.
Even a seasoned gambler like Jin Zhong wouldn't do this, because he knew better than anyone how difficult it was to temper a Mystic Grade apex flying sword. It was no exaggeration to say that if he lost the bet, it would be almost like losing half his life.
However, Jin Zhong didn't care now.
Because he had confidence in Qing Xi.
Yet Qing Xi was somewhat worried. Although she had confidence in her chess skills, one always feared the unexpected. She was about to speak up and advise against it, but Jin Zhong seemed determined to settle it in one game.
"Even betting your Lifebound Spirit Treasure? Your confidence in Sister Qing Xi must be extraordinary!" Gu Qingfeng laughed. "But what if Sister Qing Xi loses? What will you do then? Without your Lifebound Spirit Treasure, what will you use in the future?"
"Kid, my affairs are none of your business. If my martial niece loses to you, I'll accept it. At worst, I won't use a flying sword anymore. What's the big deal?" Jin Zhong chuckled. "But, kid, my sword here is a Mystic Grade apex flying sword. One of these is worth over ten Upper Mystic Grade flying swords. The Spirit Treasures you just won from me probably aren't enough, are they?"
Clearly.
This time, Jin Zhong not only wanted to win back everything he lost in one go but also aimed to fleece Gu Qingfeng hard.
"Easy enough." Gu Qingfeng waved his hand and tossed out three more flying swords.
These swords were quite worn. Jin Zhong and Qing Xi took a closer look—good heavens, they were all Upper Mystic Grade flying swords.
Jin Zhong wasn't too surprised, having known from his first chess game with Gu Qingfeng that the latter had Upper Mystic Grade flying swords. But to Qing Xi and Qing Lian, this scene was not simple. A guy with Golden Core cultivation, without any other apparent fortunes, suddenly produced three Upper Mystic Grade flying swords. One had to know that Wuse Mountain disciples only used Lower Mystic Grade flying swords. A celebrated genius like Qing Xi, famous throughout the Great Northwest, only possessed an Upper Mystic Grade one. Even an old-timer like Jin Zhong, who had cultivated for over a thousand years and was one of the Wuse Mountain Eighteen Swords, had only managed to acquire one apex-grade flying sword.
"This kid must have stumbled upon some incredible luck, probably picked them up from some ancient Cave Dwelling." Seeing Qing Xi and the others' confusion, Jin Zhong muttered quietly. Then he said to Gu Qingfeng, "Kid, even with these three added, it's still not enough... Mine is a Mystic Grade apex!"
"Don't rush. I have too many flying swords, all of different qualities. I'm just finding the right ones for you." After awakening, Gu Qingfeng had raided several ancient Cave Dwellings, each yielding substantial harvests, especially the last one in the Peach Blossom Secret Realm with Ouyang Ye, where he obtained many flying swords.
"Kid, do you have them or not? If not..." Just as Jin Zhong was halfway through his sentence, Gu Qingfeng *whoosh*—tossed out three more worn flying swords, also Upper Mystic Grade.
"Good heavens! You kid really have a damn lot of good stuff on you..." Jin Zhong was still marveling when—*clatter*—Gu Qingfeng directly threw out five more flying swords.