Capítulo 128: Qi Zixiao, você ousa perturbar o meu caminho espiritual?!

Clang! Clang!

For the first time playing mahjong, the three individuals—with the exception of Qi Zixiao—experienced a truly novel sensation. In the world of immortal cultivation, where could one ever find such a form of entertainment?

Moreover, three of the four were bitter rivals, yet here they sat together, clattering tiles and building the "Great Wall." Danchengzi even felt as though he had forgotten how to speak.

Click-clack...

The dice spun rapidly. All four players, disdaining any petty tricks, refrained from using even a shred of true essence or divine sense. Like ordinary mortals, they watched with bated breath as the dice came to a rest.

"Seven."

"Here!"

Qi Zixiao reached out, took four tiles, and instructed: "Follow my example. Take your tiles in turns, four at a time."

The three obeyed. While Danchengzi nodded incessantly, the other two remained noncommittal, simply mimicking her actions.

In this first round, all three were clumsy, and Qi Zixiao naturally had to provide constant guidance. Once the tiles were finally drawn and, through her explanations, they had gained a basic understanding, they began to arrange their hands according to their own strategies.

Danchengzi, that slacker, was disorganized; he didn't even bother to sort his tiles properly, preferring to keep them memorized in his mind, waiting impatiently for Qi Zixiao to play.

"Do you remember what I said earlier? Discard one tile face down; this is called 'leaving a gap'!"

Qi Zixiao took the initiative to place one tile face down in front of her.

"This 'gap' represents the truth that one's life can never be truly perfect; there will always be regrets of one kind or another. As the saying goes, the game is like life. Though the match has only just begun, the experience of life has already commenced."

Qi Zixiao bluffed with ease...

Danchengzi was about to nod along in casual agreement, but he suddenly paused, feeling that there was profound truth in her words. Is it not true that a human life can never be perfect?

Take himself, for instance: his talent for alchemy was unrivaled among the millions of disciples in the Holy Land; even his master had long since stopped interfering, letting him study on his own. Such talent was surely top-tier throughout the entire cultivation world.

Yet... in terms of cultivation, he was utterly mediocre. In age, he was over a decade older than Qi Zixiao, but in cultivation level, he was three full realms behind her! Was this because he didn't work hard enough? Perhaps that was part of it, but regardless, his cultivation speed could never compare to the other three at the table.

"Sigh." Danchengzi let out a melancholy breath. "Life, indeed, is rarely perfect. Ordinary people are like this, and we, the cultivators, are no different."

Hearing this, the Holy Son pondered as he discarded a tile, then scoffed coldly: "The path of cultivation is first to follow the Heavens, then to defy them. Since we have chosen to defy the Heavens, how can we not achieve perfection? If something is lost, one only needs to regain it once one's cultivation is sufficient! I do not believe in these things."

Qi Zixiao chuckled inwardly. You don't believe it? If you didn't believe it, why are you in such a hurry to refute it? It was clear he believed it, but simply refused to accept it.

As for the Snow Maiden... she silently discarded a tile without a word. Life cannot be perfect? Isn't that exactly the case?! Her realization was undoubtedly the most profound. Once upon a time, she had truly believed she was the first and only candidate for the position of Holy Maiden, but alas...

Amidst their own private reflections, the first round of mahjong officially began!

Although three of them were absolute novices, as cultivators, they possessed extraordinary memories and understood the rules clearly, so no chaotic play ensued.

However... after only three rounds, Qi Zixiao noticed that they were all falling into the traps common to beginners.

"Pong!"

When Qi Zixiao played a three-bamboo, the Holy Son immediately called a "Pong." He seemed visibly excited, as if claiming Qi Zixiao's tile meant he had gained the upper hand over her.

Then... the Holy Son pondered for a moment, frowned, and discarded a four-bamboo. In the next turn, he discarded a five-bamboo. And then... the one-bamboo and two-bamboo followed.

Qi Zixiao watched with amusement. Beginners often made these mistakes: they had a combination of one-two-three and three-four-five, but because they couldn't resist calling the three-bamboo, the remaining tiles became awkward.

Actually, it wasn't too disastrous—the four and five-bamboos could still be kept in case a six-bamboo arrived. But this was the first game; how could the Holy Son grasp all that?

In the end... a seven-dot was discarded, successfully letting Qi Zixiao win.

"Mahjong!"

"All Simples, not a big hand, just two doubles. That will be twenty thousand spirit stones, please."

At this moment, Qi Zixiao’s smile was radiant. The feeling of crushing novices... it was wonderful. And to win spirit stones from the pretentious Holy Son? What better way to vent one's frustrations?

The Holy Son’s face turned green. He had lost?! He found it hard to believe. In his view, he had played quite well, so why had he lost?

Slap!

He flipped over his tiles. "As you would put it, I hadn't reached the 'ready' state yet, so I owe an extra double—a total of thirty thousand spirit stones."

Though he was extremely annoyed, the Holy Son showed through his actions that he would never stoop to cheating on a debt. What was owed would be paid!

"That makes thirty thousand spirit stones." Qi Zixiao nodded and looked at Danchengzi and the Snow Maiden.

Slap! Slap!

They flipped their tiles and silently produced their spirit stones. None of them had been "ready."

Before long, a pile of spirit stones totaling fifty thousand lay before her. Qi Zixiao said calmly: "Chen Cheng!"

"Your Highness!" Chen Cheng approached, her face full of wonder.

"Collect the spirit stones! And make sure you count them properly, so no one tries to welsh on their debt."

Having lived on Earth, Qi Zixiao knew one truth: one must always be on guard against others! Even though a sweep of her divine sense was enough to know exactly how many stones there were.

The others were left speechless: "..." Who are you saying can't afford to lose?!

"Continue?" She looked at the three at the table.

"Continue!"

Clatter, clatter... The sound of mahjong tiles resumed.

The Holy Son simply refused to lose; he had always felt superior to Qi Zixiao, so how could he lose to her now? Danchengzi was naturally playful and found it all very interesting, so he was eager to continue. And the Snow Maiden? She wanted to lose to Qi Zixiao even less. She had lost in the path of cultivation; how could she lose at a game of tiles as well?

During the process of "building the wall," Qi Zixiao spoke earnestly: "So you see, although mahjong is simple, it contains countless Great Daos within it. Have you... attained enlightenment?"

Attained enlightenment, my foot! It was just a simple game, where could there be any Great Daos? The Holy Son was speechless and remained silent. The Snow Maiden frowned slightly...

Although they were rivals, the Snow Maiden felt that, given Qi Zixiao's pride, she wouldn't use such a petty trick to deceive her, especially with the Holy Son present. If it were a lie, wouldn't it be exposed quickly? Yet, she truly hadn't grasped any Great Dao...

As for Danchengzi, it was simpler. The chubby alchemist squinted, pondered for a moment, and shook his head repeatedly: "Your Highness, Danchengzi is dull-witted and has not grasped any Great Dao. Could you please enlighten me?"

"Indeed, dull-witted." Qi Zixiao spoke, then glanced at the Holy Son without leaving a trace. *You too,* she thought.

She then explained: "What does it mean that the game is like life?"

"A person faces countless choices in life. Is it not the same when playing cards or games? Every tile you discard is like a choice you make in life."

"One wrong move leads to another. A winning hand can be lost simply because of a single poor choice."

"Greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant—this describes your actions just now. In this first game, I was teaching you the art of 'giving and taking'!"

Qi Zixiao had originally intended to bluff them into continuing the game so they wouldn't run off, but as she spoke, she felt that her own words made perfect sense and began to believe them herself.

"What is the art of giving and taking?"

"Take the tiles as an example. Snow Maiden, I observed your play and your final hand; you were trying to go for a 'Flush', weren't you?"

"Yes." The Snow Maiden frowned. "So what?"

"As you said, the game is like life. Cultivation is inherently defying the Heavens, so naturally, one must strive to reach the top and seek eternal life!"

"That is not wrong, but it is not entirely right either." Qi Zixiao sighed softly. "Your hand was not good; it was quite chaotic. Yet you forced a 'Flush'. And what was the result?"

"After I won, your hand was still a mess. Not only were you not 'ready', but you hadn't even managed to collect a single matching suit."

"If we view this as your life, and view me as your mortal enemy, have you not already perished, with your path to immortality severed?"

The Snow Maiden’s face changed dramatically.

Qi Zixiao continued: "For instance, imagine you have two cultivation techniques you can practice. One is steady and reliable, allowing for quick advancement but lacking in combat power. The other offers unmatched combat power at the same level... According to your approach, you would choose the second one, right?"

"But why is this second one unmatched? Because it requires ten or a hundred times the cultivation time, resources, luck, and talent of the first..."

"Misjudging one's own capabilities and failing to understand the art of giving and taking leads to the same result as this first round of mahjong."

"If you had understood how to give and take, and hadn't forced the 'Flush', even if you hadn't won, you certainly wouldn't have been unable to go 'ready'."

The Snow Maiden was terrified, her face pale, her mind in a daze. Until...

Bang!

The Snow Maiden slammed the table, breaking into a cold sweat, and snapped: "Qi Zixiao, how dare you try to shake my Dao heart?!"

"Whether it is true or not, you know in your heart." Qi Zixiao said quietly. "The art of giving and taking has existed since ancient times; it is just that many cannot see it clearly."

"I am merely using the 'game' to discuss the art of giving and taking. If you think I am trying to corrupt your Dao heart, then so be it. In that case... you are not much after all."

The Snow Maiden fell silent. Danchengzi was completely convinced, exclaiming: "Your Highness’s insight is profound! Danchengzi is suddenly enlightened!"

The Holy Son also felt a deep sense of dread. The art of giving and taking? He couldn't help but ask himself if he had committed similar mistakes!

Qi Zixiao saw that the time was right and asked: "Shall we continue?"

"Yes!" The Snow Maiden was the first to speak. "I will show you whether I understand the art of giving and taking!"

Seeing this, Qi Zixiao felt a thrill. With this mindset? The lesson for the second round was already prepared: one must remain calm and composed in the face of adversity, and never let anger cloud one's judgment!

I am truly brilliant.

Clatter, clatter.

News that the Holy Son, the Holy Maiden, and two of the top ten disciples were playing games together on Haoyue Peak spread quickly. But... what no one knew was that, apart from Qi Zixiao, the wealth of the other three was constantly dwindling.

Ten losses in a row!