In the name of the moon, I'll punish you, evil ones

As the saying goes, any game can be mastered after a few tries.

Given that everyone present was a cultivator, rolling the dice manually would make it far too easy to manipulate the outcome with subtle movements.

Thus, Zhou Ping—who had no cultivation and looked utterly bewildered—was honored with the task of rolling the dice for everyone.

Apart from purchasing and developing properties, some squares on the board were designated as penalty spaces.

There were also item spaces where players could draw special cards.

The winner could assign one of the losers to draw an ultimate penalty card.

The game started smoothly. Though the rules were simple, there were nuances only experienced players would notice.

Zhou Ping, acting as the impartial dice-roller, tossed the dice with a blank expression.

Yanyun observed for a moment, confirming that the dice were fair and Zhou Ping—just a nervous mortal—wasn’t tampering with them.

Her gaze shifted to the others but found nothing suspicious.

Could it really be… just a harmless game?

Yet this didn’t seem like Elder Bai’s usual style.

After Chu Xingchen calmly announced the start of the game, Li Yingling emerged victorious from a round of rock-paper-scissors, securing the first move—a slight but meaningful advantage.

Zhou Ping rolled the dice for Li Yingling, and they tumbled safely onto the board.

With so many players crowded around a single table, space was tight.

Thus, Chu Xingchen had conjured an illusionary game board, complete with Q-version avatars for each player, their current gold amounts floating above their heads.

The properties on the board also displayed their purchase prices.

It was a flawless recreation. At the very least, Li Yingling’s eyes sparkled at the sight—using illusions for a game was a far cry from the flat paper maps she was used to. The difference was like night and day.

If nothing else, the experience was undeniably immersive.

Li Yingling waved her hand grandly. “I’ll buy it!”

The moment she spoke, the plot of land turned blue, adorned with a tiny Q-version Li Yingling flag. Simultaneously, the gold above her avatar decreased accordingly.

Watching this unfold, Yanyun suddenly found the whole affair rather amusing.

As Zhou Ping continued rolling, the players’ pieces advanced.

Lv Xuan’s luck was poor—starting late meant he often landed on the same spaces as others.

This time, he matched Li Yingling’s roll.

Not only did he gain nothing, but he also had to pay her rent.

Still, at least he fared better than Yanyun.

When Zhou Ping’s next toss landed, Chu Xingchen moved Yanyun’s piece forward—only for it to land squarely on the first penalty space of the game.

The moment her avatar stepped onto it, the words “Bad Luck!” flashed above her in bold red.

Qinghe reacted the most dramatically, waving her arms and grinning at Zhou Ping.

“Nice! You’re actually useful. Qinghe’ll treat you to a meal later!”

Yanyun shot Qinghe a look at the blatant favoritism, though she couldn’t deny the little dragon’s antics were somewhat endearing.

Zhou Ping, unsure whether to smile or not, simply pressed his lips together.

Chu Xingchen gestured calmly to the penalty cards. “Disciple Yanyun, please draw your penalty.”

Without hesitation, Yanyun used her spiritual energy to pull a card.

[Grasp a sword and shout—"In the name of the moon, I shall punish you vile demonic cultivators!"]

Yanyun’s brow furrowed instantly. But before she could protest, Chu Xingchen thoughtfully conjured a Q-version of her.

The tiny figure leaped into the air, right hand thrusting a sword skyward, left hand on its hip, legs splayed wide. Its exaggerated expression mouthed the phrase repeatedly—though silently.

As if to ensure Yanyun couldn’t half-heartedly mumble her way through it.

For some reason, seeing her cartoonish double act this out made Yanyun’s face burn.

What kind of shameless person could possibly strike such a pose and say such words?

She took a deep breath and glanced at her master.

Bai Xuanling’s expression was neutral, but the faint upward twitch of his lips betrayed his amusement.

How dare he!

Was her humiliation truly so entertaining?

Chu Xingchen added, “You may draw again and choose between the two, Disciple Yanyun.”

“No need.” She refused outright.

For Yanyun, backing down was worse than embarrassment.

Steeling herself under the group’s expectant gazes, she summoned her sword and mimicked the Q-version’s pose—leaping, legs apart, right arm raised, left hand on her hip.

Stifling the inexplicable rush of shame—especially in front of strangers and Xie Lingyu—she forced the words out like they were being dragged from her throat:

“In the name of the moon… I shall punish you vile demonic cultivators…”

Qinghe, predictably, burst into uproarious laughter.

“HAHAHAHA!”

Even Xie Lingyu couldn’t suppress a faint smile.

Yanyun straightened, glaring. “Satisfied?”

Instead of an answer, an illusory red “X” appeared before her, followed by two words:

LOUDER!

Qinghe’s laughter turned downright maniacal.

Xie Lingyu’s composure cracked further, though she still didn’t laugh aloud.

Lv Xuan quickly raised a hand to his mouth—whether to stifle a chuckle or out of reflex was unclear.

Who would’ve thought the ever-composed prodigy Yanyun could be so… entertaining?

Yanyun locked eyes with Chu Xingchen, who met her gaze unflinchingly.

“Rules are rules. If you truly can’t…”

“I said no!”

Yanyun summoned her sword again.

If humiliation was inevitable, she’d face it head-on.

She struck the pose once more, voice booming this time:

“IN THE NAME OF THE MOON, I SHALL PUNISH YOU VILE DEMONIC CULTIVATORS!”

Qinghe’s laughter nearly drowned her out.

Yanyun pressed her lips together, eyes sharpening. Aside from Bai Xuanling’s training, she’d never suffered such indignity. Now she saw her master’s true colors—perhaps this severed any lingering attachments.

She refused to believe she alone would suffer. Coolly, she demanded:

“Next round.”

Zhou Ping, suppressing a smile, tossed the dice again. Who knew immortals could be so… amusing?

The game progressed smoothly. Most random events simply deducted gold or sent players to “jail.”

Perhaps the group’s collective luck wasn’t entirely terrible—few landed on penalties.

After Yanyun, the next victim was Chen Baiqing.

Her penalty card read: [Meow like a cat.]

Chu Xingchen, ever fair, conjured a Q-version Chen Baiqing mimicking the pose—tiny fist pressed to her cheek, mouth forming a “meow.”

Seeing this, Yanyun felt marginally better.

Maybe they were all just… genuinely playing.

Chen Baiqing complied without fuss, letting out a soft:

“Meow… meow?”

Qinghe's eyes widened as she clutched her chest, exclaiming:

"Chen Baiqing is so adorable! Absolutely adorable!"