Moss crept green upon the steps, grass painted the curtains blue-green — ancient trees spread everywhere around the Daoist temple, the whole place a world of quiet clarity and unpretentious serenity.
Many people came and went through the Daoist Unity stone workshop, yet there was no noise or clamor — tranquil and natural, giving one a feeling of returning to simple, unadorned origins.
Someone in Wu Ziming’s group made a jab: “I’ll bet this young man has never seen a holy land stone workshop before. Take a good look around — and later, just follow close behind us and pick up the watermelon stones.”
“Hahaha…” The group laughed together.
“A flock of sheep waiting to be slaughtered.” Li Heishui replied with contempt.
“Black boy, who are you calling sheep?” This group all came from distinguished backgrounds. Having the dark-skinned Li Heishui look down on them made quite a few of them shoot sideways glances in his direction.
“I’m obviously talking about you lot. Unless there’s someone else here who wants to bet stones with us?” Li Heishui called out. His dark complexion and plain, honest appearance made his taunting land with particular force.
“Are you challenging us, black boy? How much Source do you have to gamble with us?” The group had only been teasing the two of them before and hadn’t taken them seriously at all.
“Plenty of Source, of course — the only question is whether you can afford to lose.” Li Heishui put on a guileless air.
Someone nearby mocked: “How much Source is ‘plenty’?”
“A full fifty jin!” Li Heishui declared, head held high.
The group erupted. Many shook their heads, finding it endearingly foolish — a simple-mindedness bordering on the charming.
“You’ve got fifty jin of Source and you actually dare to come to the Daoist Unity Holy Land? I’d advise you to go back where you came from and stop embarrassing yourselves.”
“Black boy, I can tell you’re pretty simple. Genuinely simple in an adorable sort of way. We’re not going to bother picking on you — just get going.”
“Why tell them to leave? This is far too entertaining. Let them follow along — doesn’t having them around add a little amusement?”
“You’re right. This black boy is quite a character. Having him around for a laugh is pretty great.”
……
“Providing you all with amusement — can you afford what you’re about to lose?” Li Heishui continued with his guileless challenge.
“Black boy, are you actively looking for a beating? Fine — we’ll all bet with you.”
Wu Ziming added with a sneer: “These two idiots are rather interesting. It’s not as if we have anything better to do — might as well play around with them for a bit.”
Ye Fan transmitted his voice to Li Heishui: “You’ve pulled everyone in — aren’t you worried about making things too big?”
Initially, his plan had only been to fleece a few plump sheep. But Li Heishui, with his honest face and guileless provocations, had been angling to drag everyone into the net.
Li Heishui replied, “It’s fine — as long as your Source arts hold up, there’s no problem. We were bound to make a splash in the Divine City with our gambling sooner or later, and it was always going to attract attention. Better to get ahead of it and put certain people in their place now.”
“With what are you going to put them in their place?” Ye Fan asked.
Li Heishui had not come in his true appearance — doing so as the grandson of a great bandit lord would have stirred up complications. He was quite confident as he said, “Don’t worry. I’ve got a black iron token in hand. Once I show it, it’ll be enough to silence that whole group, and we won’t have people like them coming to make trouble afterward. Might as well use this occasion to bleed them a little.”
They passed through five stone gardens in succession. The outer areas held nothing of particular rarity, and the prices reflected that — this group would never stop here, not even sparing these stones a glance.
The cobblestone path was quiet and peaceful. After crossing through a vast ancient forest, they arrived at an area lush with rich vegetation — the garden scenery beautiful and verdant.
“The Celestial Demon Palace’s young lord Yao Yuekong is up ahead — should we go greet him?”
“Better not. The Golden Family’s Jin Chixiao is probably not far away either. Those two are like fire and water — they’ve probably already locked horns here. Going to join in now is just asking for trouble.”
Ahead, beside a softly flowing spring pool, Yao Yuekong stood surrounded by several attendants, in the process of selecting stones.
“Black boy, there’s a watermelon stone over here — want it?” Someone made a jest, kicking a melon-sized stone out from the underbrush.
“Are you two going to bet with us or not? You’d better not try to weasel out of it.” Li Heishui asked with exaggerated sincerity.
“Laughable — us, weasel out? With that tiny bit of Source of yours, what’s the point?”
They stopped here. This garden was very still. All around grew divine blue trees — their branches dense, their leaves a heavenly shade of blue, a dreamlike color. Even the trunks shimmered like blue crystal.
Beyond that, vines crept everywhere, their flowers small yet faintly fragrant, lending the place a poetic quality.
“I still don’t quite believe it. That’s it — I’m going to call some witnesses.” Li Heishui suddenly threw open his throat and bellowed: “Stone gambling! A supreme contest! Come and watch!”
“What are you shouting for, black boy?”
“Don’t go screaming like that in the Daoist Unity stone workshop!”
“Do you really think you’re fit to gamble stones with us, you fool?”
……
The ten-odd people’s expressions were all different. They hadn’t actually taken this seriously — it had just been banter and mockery from the start. They hadn’t expected Li Heishui to pull a stunt like this.
Within the Daoist Unity stone workshop, everyone present was a cultivator. Many heads turned in their direction, trying to figure out what was happening.
“The Imperial Prince of the immortal dynasty Great Xia from the Central Continent — and the Princess!” Someone cried out in surprise, immediately recognizing the heroic Great Xia Imperial Prince among the crowd, and the pure, white-robed little Buddhist nun.
The Great Xia royal family kept people in the Divine City year-round to purchase rare stone materials, so the people here were not unfamiliar with them.
“And Wu Ziming, the head disciple of the Five Elements Palace’s presiding master — and Li Zhongtian, son of the Phantom Annihilation Palace’s presiding master.”
Quite a few people were astonished. The Great Xia Imperial Prince’s companions were all figures of considerable background — disciples of major sects, every one of them. Many began drifting in their direction.
“A supreme stone-gambling contest — I ask everyone here to bear witness.” Li Heishui called out tirelessly.
When word got out that the Great Xia Imperial Prince and the others were present, the people from the neighboring stone gardens all crowded over.
“Black boy, you’re really asking for it. It won’t be fun for us if we don’t give it to you.” Li Zhongtian and the others grew a little irritated.
People converged from all directions. Before long, even the Celestial Demon Palace’s young lord Yao Yuekong strolled over — his purple robes rippling around him. Those nearby made way instinctively, parting to form a path.
“Things are really getting started…” Li Heishui murmured.
“Who is this black boy? He dares to bet stones against this whole group?” The crowd was astonished.
Wu Ziming called out mockingly: “Go ahead and cut your stones. Whatever you cut out, each of us will match it and give you double.”
“Is that what you said?” Li Heishui confirmed very earnestly. “You won’t gamble stones against us — as long as we cut out Source, you’ll match it and give us double on top?”
Wu Ziming answered with contempt: “You’re being absurdly simple-minded. Hurry up and cut your stones — fifty jin of Source will be gone after one purchase.”
“Haha, black boy, there’s a watermelon stone here — take it.” Someone laughed and kicked a basin-sized stone over.
“Hey young man, there’s one over here too — come and drag it away.” Another teased.
“There’s another extremely fine watermelon stone over here — your favorite, hahaha…” Others laughed along, kicking a third watermelon stone toward them.
The spectators, once they understood what was happening, also laughed.
“Do you actually have the eye for it? Are there really Source inside these rotted stones?” Li Heishui whispered in transmission. He feared that in the end they’d actually become the laughingstock.
Ye Fan replied in transmission: “I was originally planning to browse another stone garden, but these stones they kicked over — one of them genuinely contains a large amount of Source. They’ve saved me the trouble of choosing myself. Serves them right for their bad luck.”
“That’s perfect. I want to savor their expressions in a moment.” Li Heishui let out a low, satisfied laugh.
“Black boy, what are you laughing smugly for? Hurry up and cut your watermelons.”
“Here, there’s one more watermelon stone — just right to round it up to nine pieces, making a perfect extreme number.”
Wu Ziming and Li Zhongtian and the others looked at the nine watermelon stones on the ground with undisguised contempt — and burst out laughing despite themselves.
The crowd shook their heads. Who selects watermelon stones? These two truly don’t know the first thing about Source.
After purchasing the stone materials, Ye Fan stepped forward. Rather than cutting the stones with a blade, he simply picked them up and smashed them against the ground — leaving many wide-eyed and speechless.
Crack. Crack…
Six watermelon stones shattered in succession — white and hollow inside, nothing at all.
“Brought it on yourselves. You expect to cut Source out of watermelon stones? People like you coming here are an insult to the Daoist Unity Holy Land.” Li Zhongtian let out a cold laugh.
Crack!
When the seventh stone hit the ground, a flash of green light shot out — fresh and glistening, filling the eyes with crystalline clarity, brimming with the breath of life.
“A green leaf stone!”
Someone cried out in surprise: “Source was actually cut out — and it’s an exotic variety at that. A single one like this is equivalent to ten jin of pure Source.”
The green stone, shaped like a leaf, was only about an inch long — green and lustrous, warm and glowing softly. It truly resembled a jade green leaf.
“Hahaha…” Li Heishui roared with laughter. “An exotic Source variety! Twenty jin each — pay up!” He thrust out his large hand toward the group, demanding payment.
The dozen-odd people were all deeply uncomfortable. They hadn’t expected the two to actually cut out Source. Twenty jin of Source was nothing to them — but paying it out like this felt absolutely terrible.
“The watermelon stone managed to produce exotic Source as well — truly a blind cat stumbling across a dead mouse.” Someone muttered.
“Save the excuses — you’re not thinking about welching on your debt, are you?” Li Heishui held out his hand.
Wu Ziming pinched his nose and paid out two hundred and eighty jin of Source on behalf of the dozen-odd people.
Crack!
Ye Fan smashed the eighth stone to pieces — nothing inside.
“Cut out one more piece of Source for me and I’ll stop being a skeptic. I refuse to believe those rotten watermelon stones can keep producing good Source.” Someone sneered.
Smash!
The ninth stone was slammed against the ground and shattered into pieces. In an instant, purple radiance burst forth — a purple aura swirled out, so thick with spiritual energy it refused to disperse.
“Exotic purple crystal Source!” Someone cried out.
Ye Fan crouched down and peeled away layer after layer of the stone shell. The purple radiance grew ever more brilliant — a dazzling display of radiance splashing across the ground in every direction.
“So many watermelon seeds!” The crowd exclaimed in shock.
Grain after grain of purple crystal Source — each no larger than a fingernail — truly resembling watermelon seeds, embedded throughout the stone material. There were a full forty-plus of them.
“Purple crystal is an exotic variety of Source. A single grain is equivalent to thirty jin of pure Source. Yet within a single melon-head-sized stone, there were this many — by the calculation, the total is equivalent to one thousand five hundred jin of pure Source!”
Nearby, many showed astonished expressions, all feeling it was beyond belief.
“Hahaha…” Li Heishui roared with laughter.
Wu Ziming, on the other hand, looked as if he had swallowed a dead toad — a face full of utterly wretched fortune. The dozen-odd others wore expressions that were equally grim.
“Simply stunning — a true supreme watermelon stone in every sense of the words.” Someone nearby marveled. “Nearly fifty purple crystal seeds from a single melon — astonishing.”
After Ye Fan carefully extracted them all, there were precisely forty-nine purple crystal seeds — a wonderfully auspicious number. He held them in his palm — a generous, gleaming handful — purple light dancing brilliantly, a breathtaking display, his palm bathed in crystalline purple mist.
“Everyone, there’s nothing more to say. Three thousand jin of Source per person — fourteen of you means a grand total of forty-two thousand jin!” Li Heishui laughed with pure delight.
In that moment, everyone was dumbstruck. Over forty thousand jin of Source — an almost inconceivably enormous figure. For most of the people present, it was enough to make one faint.
“Heavens — over forty thousand jin! This black boy and that clean-looking young man — their luck is absolutely heaven-defying. They smashed nine watermelon stones and walked away with over forty thousand jin of Source. There’s no justice in the world!”
“When luck comes knocking, you can’t stop it. Did everyone see just now — all nine watermelon stones were kicked over by Wu Ziming and Li Zhongtian themselves. These two didn’t even select the stones.”
“That’s right, I saw it too. Wu Ziming and Li Zhongtian kicked every one of those stones over themselves. Heaven itself must be helping them!”
……
Wu Ziming, hearing these words, had the urge to spit blood. Li Zhongtian was in no better a state — he wanted to punch something. This was just too absurdly, outrageously unfair.
Li Heishui, by stark contrast, was the picture of contentment. He pressed forward and studied the expressions on each of the dozen-odd faces with great deliberation — then threw his head back and roared with laughter.
“Hahaha…”