Brown Gambling Stone

Between every frown and smile, the young attendant was nearly bursting with joy, thinking that the deal was surely going to be sealed. How could he know that Qin Chuan had journeyed all the way from the distant southern lands, crawling and clawing his way through countless schemes and swindles in the world of wanderers? He’d seen too many tricks to be taken in by such flimsy, flawed words.

Were it not for his curiosity about the so-called gambling stones, he might have simply kicked the attendant aside, seized the goods, and bolted out the door, rather than patiently listening to the endless rambling.

“I do have some wares here,” Qin Chuan said, his eyes flickering with uncertainty, as if he struggled to make a decision. “But I know nothing of the price for these gambling stones. Why not lead me there so I may have a look?”

At last, he appeared to make up his mind, revealing just the right hint of greed on his face.

“Rest assured, senior brother!” the attendant replied, “Qingdan Pavilion not only accepts spirit stones, but also pills and magical treasures. As long as the goods are of equal value, the Pavilion will never take advantage, not even a hair’s breadth!”

With that, he stepped further into the shop, brushed aside the beaded curtain at the entrance, revealing what lay within, and gestured for Qin Chuan to follow. “This way, please.”

Qin Chuan caught the sly glimmer in the attendant’s eyes, and was now almost certain that this was nothing more than a scam. As long as he didn’t reveal his wealth, the attendant would be powerless against him.

Having made up his mind, Qin Chuan strode confidently through the side door. Beyond it, a narrow corridor stretched wide enough for four people to walk abreast. All around were panels of brownish-yellow wood; faint air currents brushed his face, stirring a few stray locks of hair beside his ears, mingled with a peculiar scent—deliberately masked, it seemed, by sandalwood incense.

The corridor was long, but not dark; every few paces along the walls, a slice of crystalline stone was affixed, emitting a cool blue light that chilled the skin.

The passage sloped downward, twisting this way and that. Without any reference points, Qin Chuan quickly lost his bearings after only a few steps, hearing the attendant’s footsteps close behind him.

Though he doubted the attendant would dare attack him, he remained alert, ready to strike at the slightest provocation.

They walked briskly for the time it took to drink a cup of tea before emerging from the corridor. What greeted Qin Chuan’s eyes was a circular plaza that astonished him.

The place was a hub, ten corridors—no more, no less—converging here from all directions.

The plaza itself was divided into four distinct areas: three concentric rings surrounding a central circle, like a target.

The attendant noticed Qin Chuan’s surprise and was visibly pleased.

Qin Chuan had wanted to see what gambling stones were, and now he saw it all at once.

The four zones were clearly graded; the most valuable was the central circle, where golden-threaded spiritual wood paved the floor. The others radiated outwards, and at the very edge, a long cloth was laid out, with gambling stones piled haphazardly.

“Look, senior brother,” the attendant said, “the prices are written on the wooden plaques in front of the four areas: A, B, C, and D.”

“This gambling stone plaza is divided by the quality of the stones. In the innermost A zone, a single stone costs ten thousand spirit stones!”

“In B, C, and D, each stone costs one thousand, one hundred, and ten spirit stones, respectively.”

Though Qin Chuan had expected as much, the prices still made his jaw drop—even the stones in the outermost area required ten spirit stones apiece!

It was clear that anyone participating in this gambling stone event was either wealthy or noble; however many spirit stones one had, none could compare to the rarity of an ancient pill.

---

“Senior brother, let me explain—” the attendant began, but Qin Chuan ignored him completely, striding quickly to where the stones were piled.

Besides Qin Chuan and the attendant, others were present. Some wore hoods or bamboo hats to conceal their faces, but most showed themselves openly.

Those who hid their faces lingered mostly around the A and B zones, clearly veterans of the trade.

These two areas seemed to be inscribed with formations; ordinary people couldn’t touch the stones directly, and if they wished to, they had to call for an attendant to retrieve the stone from the array.

But the C and D zones were different—people stumbled and jostled about, some even dropping stones on the ground, and the attendants didn’t so much as blink.

“Interesting—very interesting!”

Qin Chuan picked up a gambling stone, held it to his nose, and sniffed. Free from the influence of the sandalwood incense, he caught its true scent.

Suddenly, he recalled his childhood home, where his parents placed mothballs in the wardrobe to ward off insects and mildew—the smell of the mothballs was not far from the scent of the stone’s outer layer.

The stones varied in shape and color; smaller ones were the size of a longan, the largest as big as a grown man’s fist, but most were egg-shaped or spherical.

To the attendant’s astonishment, Qin Chuan picked up a fragment of stone skin from the cloth, placed it in his mouth, and chewed thoughtfully! Perhaps it didn’t bother the one eating, but the onlookers felt a chill in their stomachs, shivering involuntarily.

Most of these gambling stones were found on battlefields; some were even extracted from the stomachs of dried corpses, taken directly from whatever had not yet been digested.

The stones were mostly black, with a few in red, green, or rarely, purple-gold, and other strange colors—some were black and white or patterned.

The unusual stones were concentrated in the A and B zones.

Qin Chuan touched the black stone skin with his tongue; a salty bitterness spread at once, stopping only at the base of his tongue.

If the stone skin could serve as a pill seal, it was almost certainly non-toxic. He pondered its mysteries, but in public could only taste a little.

When he opened his eyes, a flash of insight passed through his mind. He was delighted, feeling that the trip had not been in vain—even this unremarkable stone skin had resolved a dilemma he’d harbored.

Having achieved his goal, Qin Chuan was ready to leave, but with so many eyes about, he had to first placate the attendant, then find a way to slip away.

“You said you remembered the appearance of the gambling stone that sealed the sword pellet—show me!” Qin Chuan kept a neutral face, turning to the attendant.

The attendant’s stomach churned in disgust. Distracted, he heard Qin Chuan’s question and replied, “This way, please.”

They bypassed the outer D zone and reached a corner of the C zone, which was rather secluded, with no one nearby.

Gambling stones of all shapes and sizes were piled haphazardly on a pine table. Still, it was an improvement over the D zone—at least the stones were free of mud and blood.

Though the stones weren’t sorted but dumped together, they had clearly been cleaned, gleaming with a slight sheen.

The attendant fussed over the stones, pinching one between thumb and forefinger, inspecting it under the lamplight—he performed the part well.

Yet Qin Chuan was now certain the attendant’s story was pure fabrication. If he had truly discovered a sword pellet among the stones, he would never reveal it so readily.

---

By his own reckoning, Qin Chuan guessed the attendant was merely trying to trick him into buying a stone, probably in cahoots with Qingdan Pavilion, splitting whatever proceeds they scammed, with the attendant’s own spirit stones fully refunded.

With this in mind, Qin Chuan considered slipping away while the attendant was distracted. He had just lifted his foot when a sudden jolt ran through him—this time, he was genuinely surprised!

As the attendant turned over a common stone, exposing a light brown gambling stone beneath, Qin Chuan’s pill embryo in his lower dantian suddenly quivered, sending a surge of desire toward him!

This pill embryo, acquired in the world of transformation, had since lay inert in Qin Chuan’s body, seemingly lifeless. Yet at this moment—when Qin Chuan’s gaze met the light brown stone—it reacted.

A subtle impulse rose within Qin Chuan, compelling him to seize the egg-sized stone. Whatever lay inside, he could not say, but it was surely extraordinary.

“This is the one!”

Perhaps it was fate. After much selection, the attendant finally cradled the light brown, egg-sized stone in his palm.

For a moment, even Qin Chuan was tempted—could this stone really contain the sword pellet?

But then he remembered: the sword talisman in his storage pouch was the true sword pellet, and his pill embryo had never reacted to it.

He summoned his secret breathing technique to calm his turbulent emotions. Instantly, his mind was clear—neither joyful nor sorrowful.

Back in the world of transformation, he had practiced changing his expression while using the technique. These days, he had continually honed the skill, until now, his every frown and smile appeared perfectly ordinary, revealing no flaws.

The attendant, oblivious to the change in Qin Chuan’s demeanor, held the stone in his palm, glanced furtively around to ensure no one was watching, and whispered in Qin Chuan’s ear.

“This is the sword pellet! How many spirit stones do you have? I don’t have many myself, but together we can buy it!”

Qin Chuan eyed the stone, displaying just the right amount of greed, delighting the attendant.

The true art of acting was to train tirelessly, never slacken for a moment. See, such a fine young man had been fooled by him.

The attendant was exceedingly proud, unaware that he himself had unwittingly walked into Qin Chuan’s trap.

“I have about eight spirit stones left,” Qin Chuan replied, knowing that the attendant had stumbled upon the pill embryo by accident, and would never reveal his true holdings.

“What! Only eight spirit stones?” The attendant’s shock and disappointment were palpable.

Brother Wang had said this man was a big spender, buying whatever caught his eye in the streets, but it turned out he was nothing more than a penniless disciple.