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Chapter 82: The Sadness from the Past
Jia Ruidao skillfully shuffled the cards. Then, he sent 3 dark cards to Tang Xiu and himself. Putting the remaining cards at the side, he continued explaining.
“After the dealer finishes giving the cards, he will place it on the table in front of him. I have once heard a Gambling Master shot the card with his hand to the remaining cards pile lightning fast and took the card he needed. But his original card was left in the card’s pile. However, the gambler who could do this was definitely someone who has reached the God of Gambler’s level. Such as the casinos in Las Vegas, there exists such God of Gambler’s existence.”
Suddenly, Jia Ruidao patted his forehead and spoke in a distressed tone, “Uh, I forgot a key point, that is, memorizing and calculating the cards. You must keep observing the dealers’ hands frequently. Follow his rhythm and remember them, figure out and calculate the cards’ position, especially when the cards are cut, you must accurately point it out.”
Tang Xiu touched his three cards as per Jia Ruidao’s explanation. When he saw the card numbers, he suddenly frowned, because he saw that Jia Ruidao had just put the card stack and shot the card lightning fast, and completed exchanging the cards in an instant.
“Was it replaced with a smaller card?”
Tang Xiu secretly sighed.
He finally realized that not only must he look carefully at Jia Ruidao shuffling the cards, but he also had to memorize the cards’ face and position. Jia Ruidao seemed to have yet to realize that Tang Xiu had swapped his card, and he even took a card and swapped it once again immediately.
“4 of Spades, 5 of Hearts, 6 of Hearts, a straight?” Tang Xiu opened the card, “And you?”
Jia Ruidao said with a smile, “Your luck is good, I…”
Whilst he was talking, his hand moved extremely fast to sweep the card’s stack in front of him. But almost in an instant, Tang Xiu promptly acted and accurately grabbed his wrist. Since it was Jia Ruidao’s playing hand, he failed to swap his card.
“You can never play the ‘fast hand’ in front of me.”
Jia Ruidao’s expression froze; he was dumbfounded. He glanced at Tang Xiu’s hand with a disbelieving expression. His mouth twitched as he revealed a bitter smile, “Holy Lord, it’s already unbelievable that your eyes could be that quick, but even your hands are fast to such degree! I have very fast hands due to my talent and through decades of practice, but you…”
Tang Xiu lightly replied, “I’m a martial artist. I have always been vigilant and alert toward my surroundings. My fists and palms are lightning fast. Unless the person is faster than me, I will easily find it if he were to cheat in front of me.”
Jia Ruidao was overjoyed, “Amazing! Brother Tang, I really have never thought that you were a martial artist. After teaching you and seeing you learn the skills today, I can finally feel at ease. Truthfully speaking, it’s a big loss for the gambling world since you don’t want to be a professional gambler. I can vouch that, had you have the will to train in gambling techniques, it will only take you 3 to 5 years to be the most renowned Gambling Grandmaster.”
The Gambling Grandmaster?
Tang Xiu secretly turned supercilious inside. Had he had nothing to do, he could have fully give his all and become a Gambling Grandmaster. But, let alone that he had no slightest interest in gambling, what he really wanted was to cultivate and enhance his strength, and then return back to the top in the Immortal World. He was racing against time, and couldn’t afford to waste it.
“Grrr…”
Jia Ruidao’s stomach suddenly rumbled.
Tang Xiao smiled indifferently and said, “It’s already late. Let’s go out and eat something! I have already memorized all the gambling techniques you have taught me. I’ll practice again in the evening.”
Jia Ruidao’s mind had been consumed in the gambling game during the day. And it was extremely taxing to the point that his state of mind was strained and stressed. After returning back and teaching gambling techniques to Tang Xiu, he found that Tang Xiu had a natural gift and easily absorbed everything he learned. The distressed and dejected feeling he had was replaced with an overjoyed mood, causing him to suddenly feel tired. He naturally agreed after he heard Tang Xiu’s suggestion.
“Brother Tang, my apprentices should have booked a private dining box, let’s go now!”
After leaving the presidential suite, Jia Ruidao’s First Apprentice, Gong Dalong, had been waiting outside the door. Upon seeing the two of them coming out, he respectfully greeted, “Master, Master Tang. I have booked seats at the Everlasting Feast Hall. The Second and Third Junior Brothers are also waiting there.”
“Good!”
Jia Ruidao nodded with a satisfied expression. He looked at Tang Xiu and quickly said, “Brother Tang, This Everlasting Feast Hall is a special restaurant in Jingmen Island. It’s an extremely upscale restaurant. Nobody would be able to enter if they have no membership.”
“Hmm!” Tang Xiu didn’t nod. He had no favorable impression for those who were dead set in chasing status and identity in upscale restaurants or clubhouses. Because for all he knew, this era seemed to uphold the slogan that ‘everyone was equal for the common cause in building a harmonious society’.”
However, the threshold restrictions as to which type of people could enter, would only divide people into classes. Had it been in the cultivation world where everyone strove to be immortal, Tang Xiu might have been able to get accustomed to it. But in this new era, more or less, this was giving him such a feeling of being a ‘hypocrite’.
Riding on a Mercedes-Benz through the feasting pleasure-seeking and bustling city, the car quickly changed direction as they approached the coastline. Lush and verdant greeneries were on the both sides of the 2-lanes trail, as only dim yellow street lights were there with nearly almost nil cars passed by. Occasionally, security guards’ patrol cars were seen patrolling and passing by silently.
Gradually, the sound of ocean waves came, as though it were coming from the horizon. Along with the moving car, the sounds were becoming more distinct. Finally, up ahead, groups of stars were flickering as though flashing lights and appeared in front of Tang Xiu.
“Huh?”
After having observed those lights, Tang Xiu’s heart suddenly shook as he involuntarily exclaimed, “Water Block Dragon Pen Array?!”
Jia Ruidao at his side responded with a confused expression, “Brother Tang, what did you say?”
Tang Xiu heaved a deep breath as he could hardly control his breathing. He turned around and looked at Jia Ruidao, asking, “How much do you know about this Everlasting Feast Hall?”
Jia Ruidao shook his head and said, “Little do I know about it. The owner belongs to the kind of ‘Dragon God whose tail and head are unable to be seen‘. According to rumor, when Jingmen Island was firstly developed, the Everlasting Feast Hall had already been here, and the scale expands along with time. But, there’s a particular circumstance I know of.”
Tang Xiu said, “What particular circumstance?”
Jia Ruidao’s voice lowered as he said, “Even though Everlasting Feast Hall charges a sky-high price for dining here, but their delicacies and wines are absolutely exquisite, even people would drool over them. Apart from the haves and wealthy people who come to this place, there are also other types of people who may enter, they are… martial artists.”
“People from the martial world?”
Tang Xiu was quite quizzical upon hearing Jia Ruidao’s words.
Jia Ruidao explained further, “Yes, martial artists. The most inconceivable thing is that, if those martial artists who dine in the restaurant are able to crack open the ‘Thousand Revolutions Array’ deployed by the owner, they can freely eat and drink there.”
“Thousand Revolutions Array?”
Tang Xiu’s heart was as though rocked by a huge earthquake as his complexion instantly turned white like paper.
The memories from the Immortal World uncontrollably gushed out inside his mind. In the palatial palace’s martial training field, the tender, soft, infantile voice of a little girl in a white dress suddenly appeared and lingered in his mind:
“Master, Yan’er has broken through the 3600 days record in the Thousand Revolution Array. How’s my breaking through? But yet, Master is mean and act shamelessly. You’ve deployed the Little Golden Man on the Yin point, didn’t you?”
“Master, Yan’er has finally broken through. So Yan’er is very happy. You said that if Yan’er was able to break the 3600 days record in the Thousand Revolution Array, then Yan’er has grown up. And now, Yan’er has grown up, right?”
“Master, Yan’er has personally brewed nectar wine from hundreds of pure and rare flowers, please taste it…”
“Master…”
A trace of crystal beads swelled in Tang Xiu’s eyes.
It had been 6500 years!
She was his favorite First Apprentice. She ventured alone to the most dangerous place in the Immortal World, the Infernal Dead Sea, only to find a 10,000-years-old Soul of Ice to help him. From which, he had never heard her whereabouts again. The sadness for 6500 years made him vow to never accept any true disciples again.
“It’s absolutely impossible! Although I was the one who created the Thousand Revolution Array and Water Lock Dragon Pen Array, and she was the only one I’ve ever taught those arrays, this should only be a coincidence. This is absolutely only a coincidence.”
Tang Xiu constantly repeated this sentence inside his heart.
Shortly after, the Mercedes-Benz parked inside a spacious parking lot. Jia Yelei, who had been waiting for a long time, strode forward to open the door as he watched Tang Xiu and his father come out.
“Dad, Master Tang, the private room has been booked in advance; it’s been waiting for the both of you.”
Jia Ruidao nodded slowly. He looked at Tang Xiu and said, “Master Tang, let’s go together.”
Tang Xiu was silent for moment before he responded, “Tell me the private room’s number. I’m quite bored and want to have some air outside. After, I’ll go to the booked room and find you.”
“This…” Jia Ruidao hesitated.
Tang Xiu waved and said, “Just go! I’ll be fine.”
Jia Ruidao nodded and said, “If so, we’ll go first. Brother Tang, if there is anything, quickly call me.”
“Alright!” Tang Xiu nodded silently.
After having sent away Jia Ruidao and his apprentices, Tang Xiu picked the path through the trail in the forest, walked around the fountain square and headed straight to the coastline. The stars filled the vast sky as its lights gleamed over the sea surface, as it was reflecting the sparkling lights back. A lone boat a kilometer away from the beach floated along with the sea waves. With his keen vision, Tang Xiu could clearly see a thin person’s back on the boat, giving off a dense sense of a desolate and lonely feeling.
Tang Xiu took a deep breath as he sat cross-legged on the beach sand.
“The Great Dao has myriads of difficult paths.”
“Braces forward through the thorn and thistles along the paths.”
“As the heavens is motionless, my soul casts away the restlessness.”
“The endless thoughts return to the soul within.”
“…”
Reciting the “Great Sorrow and Happiness Soul Purification Incantation” secret art, Tang Xiu’s soul surged as the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi howled up from all directions and rushed toward him, as though it was a clear spring that washed away all the ripples inside his heart.
Ten minutes later…
A kilometer away, on the boat in the sea, the complexion of a beautiful girl who sat cross-legged suddenly changed. An astounded expression was casted in her star-like eyes as she then quickly turned around to look at the beach. With her keen sense, she could feel that the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi around her drifted away toward someone who sat cross-legged on the beach.