The daylight was just right.
Under the banyan tree at the Autumn Water Pavilion, the crisp clattering sounds of the ruby-red mahjong tiles echoed.
"How much are we playing for?"
"Huh? Are we betting money? The sect rules forbid gambling—last time, Master, you got caught."
Li Mo straightened his expression. As everyone knew, he was a man of virtue, one who stood firmly against gambling and all vices.
Shang Wu curled her lips slightly. "Who comes to the Autumn Water Pavilion for no reason? It's rare to play mahjong with my precious disciple. What's the fun without a little silver? Hehehe..."
"......"
Did the beautiful master's laughter just take a sinister turn?
Qin Yuzhi wore the same wicked smirk as Shang Wu while teaching Ying Bing the rules. Li Mo only knew the basics of mahjong, so he listened along.
This seemed similar to the Sichuan mahjong from his past life.
When one player won, the other three could keep playing until the remaining three also won or the tiles ran out.
So, the first to win wasn’t necessarily the biggest earner.
Ying Bing nodded softly after listening. "I’ve never played before. I’m not very familiar."
"Same here." Li Mo was still trying to wrap his head around the rules, looking slightly dazed.
"No worries. You already know the rules. Mahjong is all about luck, and beginners always have good luck."
"Exactly. Mahjong isn’t something so rigid."
Qin Yuzhi and Shang Wu exchanged glances, both spotting the sly grins in each other’s eyes.
Mahjong wasn’t something so simple.
Drain him dry!
Today, they absolutely had to teach the deep-pocketed Little Li a lesson!
"I think... I won?"
Ying Bing hesitantly pushed her tiles forward, her cool eyes flickering with uncertainty.
Heavenly Win. Pure Suit.
Qin Yuzhi: "!"
A fluke! This had to be a fluke!
Her godly skills hadn’t even had a chance to shine yet!
"?"
Shang Wu stared suspiciously at the ice block—how could someone have even better luck than her at the mahjong table?
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
"Tsk..."
Li Mo hadn’t won this round and was the biggest contributor to the pot.
Though Shang Wu and Qin Yuzhi had won, their hands weren’t big, so all three had to pay up.
The ice block took it all.
"Pay up, pay up."
Li Mo took out his silver. Despite losing, he was still smiling.
"Just luck." Qin Yuzhi refused to believe it.
Shang Wu reluctantly fished out silver from her purse, her face blank. "Again."
And so—
Five rounds later, the atmosphere grew tense. Every game, the ice block won first, Shang Wu second, Qin Yuzhi third, and Li Mo dead last.
"Tch... This is weird."
Li Mo drew another hand—a chaotic mess of colors, like a home wrecked by a husky.
He clearly wasn’t cut out for winning money at mahjong...
This round, Shang Wu and Qin Yuzhi both looked pleased, clearly starting with good hands. They exchanged glances, forming an unspoken alliance.
The ice block remained expressionless, her gaze cool and detached.
"Hmph."
Qin Yuzhi swiftly arranged her ruby-red tiles. "I’m not here to prove how strong I am. I’m here to take back what’s mine!"
It was obvious she was aiming for a big win.
Shang Wu smirked. "Little Bing, with this hand, you think you can beat me? You think you can take down the Qingyuan Sect’s Mahjong Goddess? If you do, I’ll—"
"Kong!" Little Li finally got a kong, his face lighting up.
A kong meant immediate payment.
Then, a pale, slender hand reached over and took the One Bamboo tile before gently pushing her own tiles forward.
"Seven Pairs of Dragons."
Crack!
The Qingyuan Sect’s Mahjong Goddess and the Demon Summoning Sect’s Mahjong Tyrant were thunderstruck, slumping back in their chairs, faces ashen.
"Do you even know how to play?! She had Seven Pairs of Dragons, and you konged?!" Qin Yuzhi clenched her fists.
"I told you I don’t know how," Li Mo said blankly.
"Little Bing, you said you didn’t know mahjong!"
Shang Wu gritted her teeth as she tossed out her last silver piece.
"I really didn’t." Ying Bing tilted her head slightly.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"I just learned. It’s simpler than divine arts or Go, so I picked it up quickly."
"......"
Shang Wu and Qin Yuzhi were speechless, unable to refute.
They turned to see Li Mo grinning like an idiot, his smile harder to suppress than an AK.
"What the hell are you smiling about? You didn’t win a single hand, kept feeding Little Bing winning tiles, lost the most, and you’re still laughing?!" Shang Wu snapped.
Ying Bing glanced at Li Mo and noticed he’d run out of silver.
So she reached over, scooped up all her winnings, and placed them in front of him.
"For you."
"!"
Li Mo froze. His AK-like smile slowly twisted into a minigun spewing blue flames.
"??"
Qin Yuzhi and Shang Wu exchanged glances, jolting upright like patients on their deathbeds.
Something was off. They’d been scammed!
Li Mo had lost the most, but Little Bing had won even more. Combined, they were still up—meaning all the losses came from the two of them.
Were these two running a couples’ scam?!
"No more, no more. I’m broke."
Shang Wu pushed the tiles away.
Li Mo glanced at the ice block. Today’s mahjong session was originally meant to prevent the resurgence of that... unpredictable entity, as Qin Yuzhi had suggested.
They hadn’t played long—who knew if it had worked?
"Master, you’re out of money, but I have some."
"Oh? You’re offering it to your master? How embarrassingly kind of you..." Shang Wu’s eyes sparkled as she sat back down.
"If it’s embarrassing, let’s do it another way."
Li Mo smiled shyly.
"Ever heard of mahjong loans?"
"?"
Before the game could restart, the Autumn Water Pavilion’s doors burst open.
Shang Wu looked over to see Sect Leader Shangguan Wencang, Elder Hanhe, and a few from the Hengyun Sword City standing there.
Shangguan Wencang froze at the sight of the mahjong table.
Elder Hanhe looked bewildered.
The Hengyun Sword City group, meanwhile, stared at the Hammer Tyrant sitting there unharmed, counting silver, as if they’d seen a ghost in broad daylight.
Elder Zeng glanced at the strand of hair in his hand, then back at Li Mo.
"Li Mo, are you... human or ghost?"
"Obviously not a ghost. Ghosts don’t play mahjong."
Touched yet amused, Li Mo chuckled before their confusion could deepen.
"Naturally, I’m a jiangshi. Hehehe..."
"Demon, taste my sword!!"
"Wait, I was joking!"
Luckily, Li Mo explained fast—otherwise, he’d have had to catch a blade bare-handed.
"What in the world happened?"
Elder Hanhe finally relaxed but was still puzzled.
Shangguan Wencang sighed in amusement. "Martial artists should remain composed. What kind of example is it to panic at the slightest thing?"
"Take your time, Little Mo."
Both Li Mo and Ying Bing had repelled the Great Shang remnants in the southern border, slain high-ranking members of the Demon Summoning Sect, and even took turns humiliating the Great Yu Crown Prince.
The sect leader had already done some soul-searching. For prodigies like these two, how could they grow without weathering storms?
As elders, one must remain composed and not be prone to overreacting.
Li Mo glanced at Qin Yuzhi and said:
"Esteemed seniors, I’ve brought the Summoning Demon Sect’s leader out with me. For now, she can be considered... my employee."
"?"
"She’s currently drafting her resume. So, our sect... is there a vacancy for a Grand Elder?"
"????"
.....