51: Strange bet

Lu Yi responded to Wu Yang indifferently:

"This place isn't owned by your family, so why can't I come?"

He then walked straight over to Wu Yang's table.

He sat down naturally opposite Qing'er, then picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea.

Seeing this, Wu Yang wanted nothing more than to get up and leave immediately.

However, if he left now, wouldn't it make him look like a coward?

One might lose the fight, but one must never lose face!

Hardening his heart, he decided to wait it out with Lu Yi.

He wanted to see what other tricks this guy was planning to play!

But to his surprise, after Lu Yi sat down, he completely ignored him.

Lu Yi immediately began talking to Old Man Qian and Qing'er.

Old Man Qian had heard of this Saint Son of Taichu from Lin Tian before.

He had also seen him from a distance on the stands during the Cultivator Exchange Conference.

But this was the first time they had spoken face-to-face like this.

Because of Lin Tian, Old Man Qian didn't have much of a favorable impression of Lu Yi, maintaining only a surface-level vigilance and politeness.

However, Lu Yi's subsequent behavior greatly changed his mind.

"This old gentleman seems to be feeling a bit unwell?"

Lu Yi's tone carried a perfectly measured concern, without the slightest hint of offense.

Old Man Qian merely gave a faint "mm" in response, not saying much.

Lu Yi didn't mind; he turned to look at the somewhat nervous Qing'er, a gentle smile appearing on his face:

"Little girl, don't be nervous. What is your name?"

Facing Lu Yi's sudden inquiry, Qing'er appeared very shy.

She stuttered her name in a small voice:

"I... my name is Qing'er."

Lu Yi nodded and praised her with a smile:

"That's a lovely name. You take such good care of your grandfather; you truly are a filial child."

Relying on the skills he had developed before his Transmigration—bantering with old men in the park—Lu Yi quickly found an opening.

Starting with praising Qing'er's filial piety, he soon caused Old Man Qian's guard to relax slightly.

Old Man Qian's impression of Lu Yi also improved significantly.

He had originally thought that someone who could make Lin Tian feel such resentment must be an arrogant and supercilious person.

He hadn't expected this Saint Son to be so humble, polite, and approachable.

As they talked, the conversation naturally drifted to the cold and elegant zither music echoing through the Drunken Immortal Tower.

Old Man Qian listened for a moment, stroked his white beard, and sighed:

"The player's skill has reached the Transcendent level, but... there seems to be something weighing on their heart within the music, a knot in the chest that is difficult to unravel."

Hearing this, Lu Yi laughed inwardly.

He naturally knew that the one playing the zither was Leng Ningshuang.

He also knew that the "matter on her heart" was likely due to what happened this morning.

He immediately expressed his agreement with Old Man Qian's view:

"The old gentleman is right. I also feel that while the music is beautiful, it lacks a bit of vitality and has a touch of melancholy. It seems the player's mood isn't very good today."

He then subtly complimented Old Man Qian:

"I didn't expect the old gentleman to have such profound insights into zither music. I'm impressed."

Being flattered like this, Old Man Qian felt quite pleased. He stroked his beard, preparing to offer a few humble words.

However, Wu Yang, who had been left aside and treated completely like thin air, could no longer contain himself.

Listening to Lu Yi and this old man flattering each other back and forth,

He couldn't help but mock them:

"Hmph! What a performance! Two grown men sitting here prattling on about zither music, aren't you embarrassed?"

This abrupt interruption caused Old Man Qian to frown deeply.

He glanced at Wu Yang and shook his head inwardly.

Sigh, why were the Chosen Ones he encountered always so lacking in Heart-Nature and poise?

If only this humble and polite Holy Son Lu were the one he had divined to be the Chosen One... Meanwhile, Lu Yi took a stance as if standing up for Old Man Qian:

"Junior Brother Wu, you are mistaken. Old Man Qian and I are simply appreciating the melody. How is that a performance?"

He paused and then suggested with a smile:

"Besides, guessing blindly here is pointless. Why don't we just go and ask the player herself? Then we'll know if she really has something on her mind."

Hearing this, Wu Yang let out a cold laugh, looking at Lu Yi as if he were an idiot, and mocked:

"Ask her yourself? Who do you think you are? This Zither Master has played in the Drunken Immortal Tower for years and has never shown her face to an outsider! No exceptions! Do you really think you're that important?"

In Wu Yang's mind, he still believed that the person who saved him last time at the Drunken Immortal Tower was likely the tower's owner or a manager.

They must have acted to avoid offending his Revered Master or the Primordial Holy Land.

That was why they saved him and called Lu Yi upstairs to apologize.

In any case, it could never have been this Zither Master.

At this moment, Lu Yi was overjoyed.

This Wu Yang was really a perfect straight man.

Before he could even set the trap, the guy had already stuck his head right in.

He immediately came up with a plan and suggested to Wu Yang with a smile:

"Since Junior Brother Wu is so certain, then... how about you and I make a bet?"

"If I can see this mysterious Zither Master, then you, Junior Brother Wu, must immediately return to your State Preceptors Residence and enter closed-door cultivation."

"Until your cultivation makes a Breakthrough to the Cave Heaven Realm, you are not allowed to step foot out of your room!"

Although Wu Yang was surprised why Lu Yi would propose such a strange bet,

He thought about it carefully and realized he wouldn't lose anything.

So, he agreed with a cold laugh and stated his own condition:

"Fine! I'll bet with you! But if you can't see her! You must immediately scramble back to your Primordial Holy Land and never appear before my Revered Master again!"

Lu Yi agreed directly:

"Fine! It's a deal! I hope you can keep your promise when the time comes!"

With that, Lu Yi called over a waiting maid and asked her to pass a message to the "Zither Master" upstairs.

He believed that with Leng Ningshuang's cultivation, she must have heard his conversation with Wu Yang downstairs clearly.

As expected.

Not long after the maid went upstairs, she came back down gracefully.

She bowed respectfully to Lu Yi:

"Young Master Lu, our mistress requests your presence upstairs for a conversation."

Bang!

Hearing this, Wu Yang slammed his hand onto the table.

Then he stood up abruptly, his face full of disbelief:

"This... how is this possible?!"

Lu Yi smiled, stood up, straightened his robes, and said to Wu Yang:

"Junior Brother Wu, shouldn't you fulfill your promise and get back to your closed-door cultivation?"

Wu Yang's mouth twitched. He glared at Lu Yi fiercely and squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth:

"Fine, I'm leaving! We'll see about this!"