Chapter 8

Returning to the armory, he rushed straight to the rear hall.

The rear hall had a small garden, which was quite secluded, making it a good place for cultivation.

Hmm...

Soon, a groan sounded, as he began his domineering body tempering, in conjunction with the Primordial Heaven Thunder Technique.

A week of this left him half-dead with pain.

However, pain had its benefits; after multiple sessions of body tempering and essence refinement, the strength of his muscles and bones improved significantly.

Next came the Earth Penetration Technique.

Since it was for life-saving purposes, he had to practice it thoroughly. He couldn't afford to be like last night, where only half his body could enter the ground during an escape, which would be both embarrassing and potentially fatal.

After that, he took a long sword and began practicing in the garden.

The sword technique was quite intricate, but to the Moon Goddess, it was nothing but trash.

She wanted to teach Zhao Yun the Combat Immortal Technique.

Unfortunately, he was only at the third level of Essence Condensation, so even if she taught him, it would just be for show.

Here, Zhao Yun had already sheathed his sword.

He was panting from exhaustion and was now studying the purple-golden small gourd.

Not long after, he got up again.

It wasn't an exaggeration to call him a martial fanatic; he seemed to never rest, often pushing himself to the point of exhaustion. This time, he couldn't even stand steadily, and as soon as he sat down, he was gasping for breath.

"Buy some Jade Dew Spirit Liquid to mix with water after body tempering; it will be more effective."

The Moon Goddess's words echoed in his mind.

"That stuff is very expensive."

Zhao Yun coughed dryly, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"Being the legitimate young master, you can't be broke, can you?"

"Really am."

Zhao Yun chuckled awkwardly. He had received a lot of salary and saved a lot of money, but he had spent it all on an expensive jade hairpin, which he intended to give to Liu Ruyue on their wedding night. However, the wedding turned out to be a sham, and he hadn't brought the hairpin. If he had it, he would have sold it.

"I only have a few pieces of silver left, not even enough for half a pound."

"Ask your father for some."

"Can't bring myself to do it."

"There's money in the armory's drawer; go get it!"

"Can't bring myself to do it."

"Or, you could find a cool place to stay?" The Moon Goddess glanced at Zhao Yun.

"This is pretty cool already."

Zhao Yun slumped his head, a single word, 'money,' was a challenge even for a hero.

"Across the street, there's a casino." The Moon Goddess spoke again.

"My luck at gambling is always bad." Zhao Yun coughed dryly.

"Do you think I'm just a decoration?"

"Where's my money pouch?"

As soon as the Moon Goddess finished speaking, Zhao Yun sprang up and started rummaging through his bag, tossing clothes, shoes, swords, and daggers aside, clearly looking for something.

Finally, he found a small money pouch.

The Moon Goddess looked at Zhao Yun with a more serious expression, seemingly finding him quite amusing.

"See? The power of a god is great."

Zhao Yun chuckled and left with the money pouch. The Moon Goddess was confident he would win money.

"Sir."

Old Sun, who was sitting at the counter, stood up when he saw Zhao Yun come out.

"How much did you sell?"

"The market is bad; no one is interested."

"Expected."

Zhao Yun took a deep breath. As he had mentioned earlier, the Liu family had weapon masters, and their weapons were all of high quality, so people bought weapons from them. The armory's business was naturally poor, and the quality was not up to par.

Thinking about this, he felt very unhappy.

Being outshone by other families was one thing, but being outshone by the Liu family was particularly galling.

"Every day we lose money; within three months, the family will have to close the armory."

Old Sun sighed, his aged appearance showing a sense of沧桑 and reluctance.

Zhao Yun understood this expression.

His father had told him that the armory was established by his grandfather when he was the young master. Old Sun had been with his grandfather since then, and even though the old master was gone, he had guarded the armory for decades.

The decline of the armory was a heavy blow to his spirit.

Zhao Yun felt a warm sentiment in his heart. Loyal people like Old Sun were rare in the world.

"I want to become a weapon master."

Zhao Yun thought to himself, speaking to the Moon Goddess, determined not to let his grandfather's efforts go to waste.

"Weapons are similar to elixirs."

"To forge weapons, one must either possess flames or lightning. This is a prerequisite."

"Do you have these?"

The Moon Goddess replied casually, propping her cheek with one hand and gazing into the distance.

"You're a god! There must be a way."

"In that case, wait for a rainy day."

"Rain?"

Zhao Yun raised an eyebrow, not understanding the Moon Goddess's meaning, but he didn't ask, knowing it would be futile.

"I'm going for a walk."

Leaving these words, he walked out of the armory, through the bustling crowd, and entered the casino.

"Big, big, big."

"Small, small, small."

Upon entering the casino, he heard the loud calls, with each gambling table surrounded by people, divided into two camps, one shouting "big" and the other "small." Most were shirtless, as if on a high, shouting loudly.

"Damn, it's big again."

"Didn't listen to me, see? You lost money. Serves you right."

"Quick, pay up."

The entire casino was chaotic, with winners rejoicing and losers cursing.

"Hey, Zhao Yun."

Many people turned their heads, raising their eyebrows when they saw Zhao Yun, even the dealers looked over.

"Deposed young master, here to indulge?"

Most thought this, assuming that after the wedding fiasco, Zhao Yun had given up and was indulging himself, leading to more gossip, ridicule, and pity.

"Good place."

Zhao Yun ignored the gamblers' gazes and wandered around with his hands in his pockets.

Finally, he stopped at a gambling table.

The table was piled with copper coins, silver, and gold ingots. Besides these, there were even people betting with their clothes, having lost everything. Anything that could be used as a bet was placed on the table without hesitation.

This was a common sight.

People who lost their minds would bet not only their clothes but also their wives, children, and land deeds.

"Gambling is harmful!"

Zhao Yun said solemnly, pulling out his money pouch, which made the Moon Goddess want to laugh.

"More bet, more win."

"Less bet, less win."

"Once placed, no take-backs."

The dealer shouted, shaking the dice cup rhythmically. The sound of the dice was pleasant, but it was hard to guess the numbers because the cup was made of special material, making it impossible to guess by sound.

As he spoke, the cup was placed on the table.

"Big."

"Listen to me, this time bet small."

"Three taels, big."

The gamblers were quite excited, their eyes red, placing their bets and waiting for the outcome.

"Which side?"

Zhao Yun asked, knowing that in gambling, the outcome was either big or small, with a fifty-fifty chance.

"Two, three, four." The Moon Goddess said casually.

"Small it is!" Zhao Yun left a piece of silver and placed the rest on the table.

"Revealed."

The dealer shouted, lifting the cup to reveal the dice.

The numbers were a clear four, five, and six.

Pfft!

Before the gamblers could curse, Zhao Yun laughed foolishly.

When they looked, he was bent over, covering his face, not sure what he was laughing about.

What could he be laughing about?

God? You must be crazy! Can you even do this?

"Is your vision not working?"

The Moon Goddess, who had been lounging on the moon, sat up straight and rubbed her eyes.

Zhao Yun was still laughing, leaving the gamblers and the dealer puzzled.

"Sir Zhao, it's big, you lost."

"I know!"

"Then why are you laughing?"

"Am I laughing?"

Zhao Yun lowered his head, opened his money pouch, and saw that only a piece of silver was left.

See? Good thing he kept a piece of silver, not betting everything.

Some so-called god is unreliable, just now confidently saying he would win money.

In reality, not a single number was guessed correctly.

The Moon Goddess laughed awkwardly, her reputation as a god was at stake.

"Probably got a shock."

The gamblers still looked at him strangely, slowly lowering their gazes, instinctively thinking that Zhao Yun had become mentally unstable due to multiple setbacks, laughing when he lost and probably flying high when he won.

"More bet, more win."

"Less bet, less win."

"Once placed, no take-backs."

The dealer started shouting again, shaking the dice cup with authority.

"Only one tael left."

Zhao Yun held the silver, glancing at the Moon Goddess, his eyes slanted.

"Two, two, three."

The Moon Goddess said calmly, determined to live up to her godly reputation.

Zhao Yun, quite casually, placed the remaining silver on the table.

Surprisingly, this time the Moon Goddess was reliable. One tael bet, two taels won.

The gamblers looked at Zhao Yun, curious about his reaction.

He had laughed foolishly when he lost; now that he won, he showed no emotion.

"Five, six, six."

"Got it!"

"Three, five, four."

"Listen to you."

The Moon Goddess called out the numbers, while Zhao Yun placed the bets. One god and one human, working together quite well.

Luck wasn't really important.

With a god standing by, no luck could compare.

After a few rounds, he had won over a hundred taels.

Not just the gamblers, even the dealer looked at him with less friendly eyes. He had won several times in a row, and this "waste" of a young master seemed to have some luck. Was he really stupid or just pretending?

Zhao Yun wasn't stupid.

There was a method to winning money, but one couldn't always win, or the dealer would curse.

So, occasionally losing a round was necessary.

This strategy worked well. In gambling, there are wins and losses; always winning makes you a god.

The most annoying thing in a casino is such a person; they would be killed on the spot.

Understanding the rules, only a fool would always win. No casino is a sucker.

"Sir Zhao, which side this time?"

The gamblers looked at Zhao Yun with eager eyes, waiting for him to speak. In the past few rounds, they had followed Zhao Yun and won a lot of money, making the dealer's face black.

In their view, losing in love, winning in gambling.

Whether he was a genius or a waste, as long as he helped them win money, the rest didn't matter.

"You do as you please, I'm going to drink."

Zhao Yun smiled, holding his money pouch and leaving. He had won two hundred taels, enough for several days. He couldn't keep milking the same lamb, or it might lead to trouble.

When the money ran out, he would come back.

But next time, he would come in disguise.

"Alright, the god of gambling is gone."

"God of gambling my ass."

"Bet, quickly place your bets."

The dealer shouted, his face dark, glancing at Zhao Yun.

How could a "waste" have such good luck