Chapter 8: Pine Wind Inn

  Isn't it that he was deceived by Fahua, and this yin-yang mirror is also a fake? Da Yun almost burst out scolding. Looking at Xie Yuan's evil spirit again, it quickly absorbed the aura of Ah Wu into its body. Da Yun's mind turned rapidly, and she took the yin-yang mirror in front of her to examine it carefully, only to see that on the back of the copper mirror was written: "Yin-Yang Treasure Mirror, dispel yin and nurture yang, good and evil are stored in one heart."

  With a concentrated mind, the moment he thought of it, he hastily submerged his spirit into the mirror and turned the back of the copper mirror towards Xī Yuán's evil ghost. At this time, it seemed like a hand stretched out from within the mirror, grasped Xī Yuán's evil ghost face, and pulled him into the mirror.

  That evil spirit seemed to know its own weakness, and without regard for Mo Yu's foolishness, the ghostly face suddenly became long and thin, and in an instant it burrowed into the ground. Afterwards, Da Yun only felt a force coming from the mirror, pulling at his heart, and when he looked again, the evil spirit's true body was slowly being pulled out of the mirror by the Mirror-Eating Evil Spirit. Da Yun concentrated his mind, using all his strength to pull and tug, and saw a black mist gradually being pulled out of the copper mirror.

  After a while, Dabai only felt that his heart was not supported, and his own spirit seemed to be gradually pulled into the copper mirror. After another moment, Dabai's spirit became even more blurred, and his body shook as he held the copper mirror. Seeing Dabai shaking non-stop, about to fall at any time, the Kunlun stone in Dabai's arms suddenly flashed, emitting a soft glow, and Dabai's spirit was shaken, and he immediately came back to his senses.

  Dai Yun was shocked, let out a loud shout, concentrated all his energy, and pulled part of the Xi Yuan evil spirit into the Yin Yang mirror. However, the evil spirit struggled with all its might, no matter how hard Dai Yun tried, it continued to struggle and crawl outward.

  After a while, Mo Yu finally stopped moving on the ground, and Da Ying was anxious in his heart. Suddenly, Fa Hua opened her eyes and stood up with a flip of her body. As soon as Fa Hua saw that Da Ying was fighting against the evil spirit, she quickly recited incantations and continuously made several hand seals with her hands.

  Fa Hua plucked out the ninth handprint, and suddenly a mouthful of golden light spewed out, covering the evil spirit of Yuanyuan. The evil spirit was illuminated by the golden light, and it suddenly shrank back, only to be sprayed with several more blasts from Fa Hua. The evil spirit transformed into a cloud of black mist, which was instantly sucked into the yin-yang mirror. When Da Yun looked at the yin-yang mirror again, he saw that there was an additional cloud of black air inside, constantly swirling about. Amidst the chaos, layers of golden lotus flowers began to appear in the mirror, stacked on top of one another on its surface.

  Dahai looked at Fahua and said, "I didn't think it would be you who helped me in the end."

  Fa Hua smiled wryly and clasped his hands together: "After all, I am still a Buddhist disciple."

  Dai Yun smiled wryly, thinking of Mo Yu, and hastily took two steps forward. He lowered his head to examine the body, and after a moment, he sighed, "This time, he's really dead."

  Lotus Flower bowed her head slightly and recited: "Namo Amitabha Buddha."

  The Taoist priest put away the Yin Yang mirror and said, "The evil spirit has been eliminated, please return the Yin Yang mirror to me. The evil spirits in Rong Wang Fu will be eliminated by this poor monk."

  Dai Wu put the yin-yang mirror into his bosom and sneered, "You don't look like a Buddhist disciple at all, you're not worthy of this Buddhist treasure."

  "Whether you believe it or not, I have never killed a single person. How can I not be like a Buddhist disciple?"

  "You still haven't woken up? Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva once made a great vow, 'If the hells are not empty, I will not become a Buddha.' He also said, 'If I do not enter the hells, who will?' If you have great compassion and are willing to give up your Dharma body, how can so many people die for this body? It's all because of your own selfish reasons that several people died. The law of cause and effect is like this: how many sutras must you recite, how many good deeds must you do, in order to eliminate this karma?"

  Fa Hua stood still for a moment, cold sweat dripping down, suddenly he knelt down and kowtowed to the south, then got up and said to Da Yun: "Da Yun fellow Daoist, thank you for pointing out my confusion today, I consider you my teacher for one day."

  Fahua bowed and turned away.

  Dai Wu put away the yin-yang mirror and used his magical powers to turn it into a heart fire that burned away the corpse of Mo Yu. By this time, night had already fallen, and it was also the time when Dai Wu's sister, Ming Yu, was supposed to meet with Zhou Lang. Dai Wu thought he would take advantage of the night to return to the painted barge and use the yin-yang mirror to capture the ghost. However, as soon as he arrived at the riverbank, he heard waves of mournful sounds coming from within the barge, and upon looking up, he saw that white lanterns had been hung on the boat. Dai Wu knew that Ming Yu was dead and couldn't help but sigh quietly before drifting away.

  Leaving Luoyang, Da Yu went upstream against the current. He took a boat and traveled halfway before abandoning it due to its slow pace. He then rented a horse-drawn carriage and hastened his journey. As he was nearing Chang'an, a heavy rain suddenly started pouring down from the sky. Fortunately, there was a large inn just ahead, so he stopped to take shelter there.

  This inn was called Songfeng Inn, built on a high slope in the mountains, amidst pine forests, very elegant and quiet, spacious, just to my liking. I rented a room upstairs, had dinner, and then sat cross-legged in the room to practice qigong.

  Dai Yun sat for several hours, and just as he was meditating in the Purple Mansion, he suddenly felt something enter his room. Dai Yun hastily withdrew his mind and opened his eyes to look around.

  In the room, a mass of pale blue mist suddenly appeared, and the mist gradually turned into a human face. The face smiled and said: "Honorable guest arrived, humble abode is honored, I'll play the host, please come upstairs for a gathering, let's have a small drink."

  Dai Yu looked at the person in surprise, seeing that he had a handsome face, with eyebrows and eyes that seemed to smile, and was elegant and refined. After Dai Yu's initial shock, she didn't dare be rude, so she said: "Then thank you very much, I wouldn't dare decline an invitation from the master."

  The man's face smiled and suddenly disappeared. Da Yun hesitated for a moment, revealing a look of horror. This person could divide his mind, wander outside, and had already reached the realm of Yuanshen Chuangong, which was far superior to his own Dao line. It turned out that he was a senior fellow practitioner.

  Dai Wei walked out of the room and up to the third floor, where he was led by a servant into a very spacious hall. There were already several people seated on the floor, with tables in front of them laden with wine and roasted meat, drinking and chatting. Seeing that there were two empty seats below, Dai Wei chose one and sat down. The people present all nodded to Dai Wei, who hastily returned the greeting with a bow.

  Just as Dai Yu had sat down, someone laughed and said, "Let everyone wait."

  Before the words had fallen, a person emerged from inside. This person was dressed as a scholar, shaking a paper fan, gentle and elegant, looking like the one who had just invited Da Yun. The host smiled, not saying a word, suddenly produced a long sword in his hand, danced with sleeves fluttering, performed a sword dance, then sat down, raised his cup and said: "Please!"

  Everyone raised their cups and drank happily, when suddenly they heard the sound of someone rushing up the stairs, shouting "The young woman is late!"

  A young woman burst in and plopped herself down in the seat next to Da Yu, raising her cup in a toast. The host smiled and raised his own cup, and the woman drained hers in one gulp, exclaiming "Good wine!" before grabbing some roasted meat from in front of her and stuffing it into her mouth.

  The big man looked up and down at the woman, who was dusty and disheveled, her clothes tattered, her hair messy, and a streak of blood on the back of her neck, clearly showing signs of having just been in a fight. The woman frowned and said: "What are you looking at? If you had met that black cat spirit, it wouldn't have been any better than me!"

  The Taoist smiled and turned his head, a middle-aged man on the seat said: "Hua Lian Xian Zi, was this time's land extermination order smooth?"

  Huā Niǎo's mouth was biting on a bone, and she said vaguely: "It didn't go smoothly, my Qinghong sword is broken." As she spoke, Huā Niǎo flung out a broken sword. Dà Yī took a look and felt a pang of jealousy in her heart. This woman's Qinghong sword was famously made by the Jiā family workshop, and it was said that each sword used twenty-five crystal irons, and each one sold for over a thousand taels of gold. Dà Yī touched the short sword in her sleeve, and her heart felt slightly sour.

  Everyone at the table was a Taoist, raising their cups and chatting idly about strange and interesting things. After swallowing several mouthfuls of wine and meat, Hua Lian loudly said to the host: "Master Wandering Carefree, what are we waiting for? Let's start gambling now!"

  Everyone also said: "The fairy is right."

  Only Da Kun was slightly stunned, why are these cultivators gathered here to gamble? The carefree young master smiled and stood up, clapping his hands to have someone bring over a large table and place it in the middle. Everyone laughed and surrounded it, but Da Kun declined: "I really don't have any interest, I'll just watch from the side."

  Everyone was stunned, and one of them laughed: "This Taoist friend seems to be here at Songshan Residence for the first time. The Carefree Master has set up this gambling den, if we lose, we just pat our buttocks and leave; if we win, we can win over a hundred taels of gold. Moreover, every time the host will take out a piece of Carefree Token to gamble with us."

  The carefree young master also smiled slightly and said: "It's just making friends with a few good friends, having fun together, it doesn't count as gambling."

  That man said: "The young master makes friends with people all over the world, is generous and a good host, who doesn't know the carefree young master?"

  The carefree young master humbly said: "Flattery, mere flattery."

  Everyone gathered around the gambling table and sat down, Dabai also sat down casually. The host gave each person ten pieces of jade as chips and said: "Let's just gamble on big or small today, still not allowed to use magic or martial arts."

  Everyone laughed in response. The carefree young master picked up a dice and covered it with a golden bowl, stirring it with his finger and said: "Let's begin then."

  Several people took chips and pressed their bets, when Hua Lian suddenly spoke in a soft voice: "Young Master, you should let the young woman have her way."

  Hua Lian batted her eyelashes at Xiao Yao Gongzi and deliberately revealed half of her fragrant shoulder. Xiao Yao Gongzi smiled lightly and said, "The fairy's beauty is like a flower, her Taoist magic is powerful, truly a beautiful woman with a sword as radiant as a rainbow, I admire you greatly."

  Laughing, the carefree young master shouted: "Open!" and lifted up the golden basin.

  This round had wins and losses, Dà Yī lost a jade piece, but Huā Niáng won. The second round, Dà Yī made a big bet, still lost, and saw that Huā Niáng won again. By the third round, Dà Yī secretly observed Huā Niáng, only to see this woman exchanging flirtatious glances with Xiāo Yáo Gōng Zǐ. Following Huā Niáng's gaze, Dà Yī suddenly noticed Xiāo Yáo Gōng Zǐ lightly tapping his fingers on the pot twice and giving Huā Niáng a slight smile.

  Dai Yun suddenly came to his senses, and followed Hua Lian to press on the big one. When Xiao Yao Gongzi opened the golden lid, it was indeed the big one. Then the fourth and fifth rounds, several people in the arena had already figured it out, all following Hua Lian to press together, and they all won.

  The carefree young master smiled and said: "This is too suffocating, let's raise the stakes, three chips in one go."

  The carefree young master said, using the golden cup to cover the dice, shaking it, waiting for everyone to place their bets. Suddenly increasing the stakes, everyone hesitated, but still followed Hua Lian and bet small. Da Yun was hesitant, but saw that the carefree young master seemed to unintentionally use his finger to tap the golden cup lightly, so Da Yun hesitated for a moment before betting big.

  The Carefree Prince opened the golden gourd, and it was just a big dot. Everyone was stunned for a moment, and they all smiled bitterly. Hua Lian shouted loudly, but the Carefree Prince shook his head and laughed loudly.

  Dai Yun carefully observed the expressions and colors, suddenly feeling that Xiao Yao Gongzi inadvertently revealed a hint of disdain, as if teasing several people present. Continuing to gamble, Dai Yun pretended to be hesitant every time, waiting for others to choose before selecting the side with fewer chips, and after several rounds, he indeed won by a large margin.

  After a few more rounds, some people had lost all their money and the gambling session was over. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that only Da Ye had won over ten jade pieces.

  The carefree young master took out a jade token, pressed it on the table, and said to Da Yun: "Fellow Taoist, you won today. Let's bet again. If you win me again, this Carefree Order will be yours."

  The rest of the people all showed a look of envy, and Hua Lian even frowned at Da Yun: "This time again didn't win, really unlucky, you little guy is so stupid, actually won."

  Carefree Young Master said to Da Yun, "This time, let's have Daoist friends decide the rules of the gamble. Anything can be gambled, and it's okay to use Daoist techniques and magical powers during the gamble. If you're not willing to gamble, then you lose."

  He thought for a moment, there are many ways to gamble in this world, with new and varied methods. Some people bet on who can keep their eyes open the longest without blinking, while others bet that they can bite their own nose. This carefree young master often gambled with others, his experiences and knowledge far exceeding his own abilities a hundred times over. His skills were profound, if he didn't come up with a good strategy, it would be impossible for him to win against him.

  Dai Yun pondered for a while, seeing that everyone was gradually showing signs of impatience, only Xiao Yao Gongzi had a calm and contented expression. Suddenly, Dai Yun said: "Let's make a bet on which leg the next person who enters this room will step in with."

  The carefree young master was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "I bet on the left leg."

  "Alright then, I'll bet my right leg."

  Everyone looked towards the door, and Da Ye got up to look out at the stairs. The carefree young master's expression was dull for a moment, then he suddenly smiled and said: "Don't worry, someone has already come, we'll see what happens soon."

  Everyone looked at each other, knowing that the carefree young master was probably already gone, and signaled to the servant to step inside with his left foot. The crowd listened intently, and indeed, faint footsteps could be heard from downstairs. Da Yun took a few more steps towards the door and smiled: "Is he here?"

  The carefree young master smiled and said, "Don't worry, fellow Taoist."

  He burst out laughing twice, suddenly took a step back and rushed out of the door, then turned around and walked back in.

  Everyone was stunned, not knowing what Daxiong meant. The carefree young master was shocked and then smiled wryly: "I lost." Only then did everyone come back to their senses, all laughing loudly: "Indeed, it's the right leg that's correct."

  The carefree young master smiled and had someone bring over gold to distribute among the crowd as betting chips, then handed that carefree token to Da Yun. As everyone was about to disperse, seeing the envy in the eyes of several others, Da Yun didn't dare show too much excitement, and with a calm expression, he bowed his fist in salute to the crowd before turning around to leave.

  After resting for a night, the rain cleared up on the second day, and Da Yun bid farewell to the host and continued on his journey. As soon as he left the inn, he heard a clear and melodious woman's voice saying: "Brother Da Yun, you're leaving too? How nice, we can travel together."