Tea House of Deception

"Russian Roulette?"

The three spoke in unison, their faces filled with confusion.

Lu Ze didn’t expect them to have heard of it—he’d only mentioned it for fun.

"Better show you instead."

A thought struck Lu Ze as he recalled the hidden weapons on the sect leader he’d just swiftly killed.

He rummaged through his bag and pulled out a hand crossbow, quickly modifying its internal mechanism.

A jade disk, divided into six equal sections and engraved with intricate runes, was fitted into the center of the crossbow.

"This," Lu Ze declared, "is the [Russian Roulette Art]."

He casually placed a bolt into one of the sections. Under the concealment runes, the bolt vanished instantly.

The jade disk began spinning rapidly before settling after a few breaths.

"Observe," Lu Ze explained, "the bolt is hidden within this special jade disk..."

Then, he raised the crossbow and aimed it at the bound demonic cultivator nearby.

"Mmph—mmph!!"

The sect leader’s right-hand man, gagged, widened his eyes in terror, writhing desperately.

At that moment, Lu Ze seemed no different from a demonic overlord in his eyes.

"Each trigger pull spins the disk once."

With a grin, Lu Ze pulled the trigger.

A click echoed—no bolt fired.

The disk advanced one space, the previous section darkening.

"Phew..."

The demonic cultivator exhaled in relief.

"No one knows which pull will release the bolt."

Lu Ze continued pulling the trigger rapidly, the crossbow never wavering from its target.

"???"

The demonic cultivator was baffled.

What the hell…

Shouldn’t they switch targets after each shot?

Were they seriously treating him like a demonic pawn?

BANG!

A deafening sound.

A bolt embedded itself deep into the ground between the demonic cultivator’s legs.

The soil was soaked with a large wet patch.

"Ah! How could you do that? What if you’d hit him!?"

Chen Yiyun rushed over in a panic, sighing in relief upon seeing the demonic cultivator unharmed.

"Sniff… sniff…"

Tears streamed down the demonic cultivator’s face.

This was true righteousness!

Before his tears could dry, Chen Yiyun added,

"Demonic cultivators fetch higher contribution points if captured alive… You really must be careful…"

"#$%@#%..."

The demonic cultivator’s eyes rolled back as he fainted on the spot.

……

"So… what’s the point of this contraption?"

Xu Hao eyed the modified crossbow curiously, the disk now inscribed with Lu Ze’s so-called "Russian Roulette Art."

"Simple. We’re playing a game."

Lu Ze pressed the crossbow against his own temple.

"Each of us gets one. The loser pulls the trigger."

"..."

Wang Tianjing, now under the crossbow’s aim, trembled.

"I get the idea, but why point it at me…?"

"So it tests both courage and luck?"

Chen Yiyun grasped the concept instantly, impressed by Lu Ze’s creativity.

"What’s the game, exactly?"

Xu Hao’s interest was piqued.

"Wait, wait, wait—"

Wang Tianjing waved his hands frantically.

"Are we really betting our lives over some secret treasure?"

He gestured at the bolt pressed to his temple, forcing a bitter smile.

"Of course not."

Lu Ze smirked.

"This is all happening inside an illusion."

……

……

Lingxiao Sect.

"What!?"

"Lu Ze’s in trouble!?"

News of Lu Ze’s predicament sent shockwaves through the sect.

For one, demonic forces had launched a rare attack on a righteous faction disciple—a golden-core elite, no less.

Moreover, Lu Ze was a true disciple of Lingxiao Sect.

And… there was another layer, known only to a select few—

Lu Ze was bound by fate to the Heavenly Dao!

If something happened to him, Lingxiao Sect would lose a monumental opportunity!

Heavenly Dao Secret Realms only vanished once their treasures were claimed.

Forcibly breaking in from the outside required overwhelming power.

To breach a secret realm meant for those below the Nascent Soul stage, multiple Void Refinement experts would need to join forces!

Zhao Wendao immediately summoned all sect elders, rushing to the secret realm.

Other sects, upon hearing the news, mobilized their forces as well.

The cultivation world was suddenly on high alert!

……

……

Meanwhile.

Inside the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.

Lu Ze’s illusion was complete.

A simple game like this was child’s play for him.

Done in minutes.

"All set."

Lu Ze exited the Illusion Tower, casually handing the illusion crystal to the others.

The secret realm severed all external communication.

The "internet" was down.

Unable to update the crystal online, Lu Ze resorted to the old-fashioned method of passing it around.

At least the "local network" still worked.

"That fast!?"

The trio was stunned.

Though they knew little about illusion crafting, they understood it wasn’t nearly this simple.

For Lu Ze to finish in under an hour? That was master-level skill!

Xu Hao lacked an Illusion Tower, so Lu Ze lent him one.

All four stepped into the illusion.

Its title appeared before them—

The Con Artist’s Teahouse.

"Con Artist’s Teahouse? No way—we’re righteous cultivators!"

The highly principled Xu Hao shook his head vehemently.

"It’s just a game, Brother Xu. No need to fret… Deception is part of the jianghu experience."

Lu Ze chuckled.

The four found themselves in a uniquely atmospheric teahouse.

Under the night sky, lanterns flickered within.

All around, cultivators of varying appearances clinked cups and chatted.

On the second-floor stage, a stunning dancer performed.

The trio sat at a round table in the center, leaving one seat open.

Behind them, the teahouse owner watched with keen interest.

"Usually, it’s a four-player game. Take some time to learn the rules—I won’t take advantage."

With admin privileges, Lu Ze strolled freely through the teahouse.

Since they only needed to die once each to complete the task, he wasn’t in a hurry.

"Hmph. Brother Lu underestimates us."

Wang Tianjing bristled with competitive spirit.

Eyeing the playing cards on the table, he felt confident in his gaming skills.

Cards? He’d played Lu Ze’s Three Kingdoms Kill before.

The game was wildly popular in the Tianxuan Sect. Luck mattered, but so did strategy.

Even without divination arts in the illusion, Tianxuan disciples were born calculators!

Even the game’s creator might not outplay them!

Lu Ze smiled wordlessly, simply displaying the rules.

In the original Con Artist’s Tavern, the deck used Queens (Q), Kings (K), Aces (A), and two Jokers.

When adapting Three Kingdoms Kill, Lu Ze had localized these card symbols.

The J, Q, and K cards respectively represent "Human," "Earth," and "Heaven."

The Joker cards, on the other hand, correspond to "Immortal" and "Demon," colloquially referred to as the "Big Joker" and "Little Joker" among players—a naming convention that coincidentally aligns with their counterparts in the previous life.

Soon, lines of system text floated before the three individuals.

[The deck contains a total of 20 cards, as follows:]

[6 "Human" cards, 6 "Earth" cards, 6 "Heaven" cards, 1 "Demon" card, and 1 "Immortal" card.]

[At the start of each turn, a target card type will be randomly selected from "Heaven," "Earth," or "Human."]

["Immortal" and "Demon" can be treated as any card type.]

[During the play phase, a player must first declare the number of target cards they intend to play, then play the corresponding number of cards face down. The minimum is 1 card, and the maximum is 3 cards.]

[The next player may "challenge" the authenticity of the previous player's declared target cards.]

[If challenged, the player's cards will be revealed. If all cards match the target type, the challenger pulls the trigger; if any card does not match the target type, the player who played the cards pulls the trigger.]

[If only one player remains with cards in hand, that player is forced to "challenge" the previous player.]

[The last surviving player wins the game.]